If total seclusion is your dream, then Savills have the answer in the shape of the Longsleddale estate, a beautifully situated Lakeland property in one of the most accessible yet totally unspoilt dales within the Lake District National Park, five miles north of Kendal, with the M6 less than 15 miles to the east.
The wonderfully picturesque estate, which incorporates two small hydro-electric schemes producing an annual income of some £35,000, lies mainly within a ring fence on the west side of the valley, served only by a no-through road that protects it from encroachment by the annual influx of Lakeland tourists.
The estate, which is being sold in four lots at a guide price of £2.4 million for the whole, comprises Lot 1 at £1.5 million – including the hydro-electric scheme and 576 acres of meadow and pasture land bordering the River Mint, rising through woodland to Dockernook Cragg, a spectacular viewpoint from where the moorland rises to 1,310ft above sea level.
Lot 2, with Docker Nook House, barn and paddock, for sale at a guide of £850,000; and Lots 3 and 4 with 211 acres of sporting rights at a guide price of £50,000, including trout fishing on the Mint and the potential to re-create a mixed family shoot on the moor, where, in the past, up to 100 grouse have been shot and eight deer culled in a season.
At the heart of the estate is Grade II-listed Docker Nook House, a late-17th- or early-18th-century former stone farmhouse with outbuildings under one roof – ‘probably originally a cow-house under a granary’, according to its listing.
Owned by a local farming family from the 18th to the mid 19th century, Docker Nook has been the secret Cumbrian retreat of interior designer Robert Kime, who bought it in 2008 and has since restored it to its authentic rustic state, while adding modern facilities and his own uniquely timeless touch.
Accommodation on two floors includes a kitchen, a dining hall, a snug, a sitting room, a large master bedroom, two double bedrooms and two bathrooms. Next to the house, a traditional stone barn has been transformed into a library, which could be converted to further accommodation, subject to planning consent.
As Will Douglas of Savills explains, ‘given that the sale involves more than one vendor, offers will need to be submitted for each lot individually’. With enquiries already flooding in from near and far, he expects to see a final deal emerging by mid January.
Credit: Savills
A stunning Arts-and-Crafts country house, with six bedrooms and a swimming pool
An easy commute into London is quickly becoming a staple for any country house hoping to leave the market in
Credit: Millie Pilkington/Country Life P
The abandoned dairy building that has become a stunning four-bedroom country home
Kate Priestley's father transformed this outbuilding into calving pens in the 1990s. It is now home to a rather different
Spectacular Scottish castles and estates for sale
A look at the finest castles, country houses and estates for sale in Scotland today.
-
The Manot bed that made it from a Herefordshire attic to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, courtesy of Country LifeWhen Henry Avray Tipping spotted a 17th-century four poster languishing in a Herefordshire attic in 1911, he set off a chain of events that saw the bed leave its ancestral home and land at The Met in New York
-
Prime Ministers, geography, Jaws and barely inhabited islands. It's the Country Life Quiz of the DaySeptember 1's quiz gets to grips with many great geographical questions. And shark identification.
-
Five magnificent homes for sale, from Highland escape to a 17th century school, as seen in Country LifeWe take a look at some of the best homes to come to the market via Country Life.
-
A castle that's 'a masterpiece of the baronial revival' with 17 bedrooms, breathtaking gardens and its own miniature railwayMajestic, imposing, graceful, romantic... Ayton Castle is the very picture of
-
'One of the finest houses in Cheshire' blends Georgian architecture, modern exoticism and space to park your helicopterPenny Churchill looks inside Stretton Hall, an exceptional house for sale
-
Splendid isolation at four gorgeous properties for sale around the worldFor those craving a home that offers a true escape from the world, some wonderful properties are on the market right now. Here's our pick of some of the finest — ideal for nature lovers, those in search of tranquility and Bond villains alike.
-
The market for super-prime houses in England's biggest millionaire's playground is booming — and this £10m example is one of the bestWhirley Hall is a 17th century building that's a perfect example of how 21st century updates can transform an old home almost beyond recognition.
-
If I had to spend the rest of my life living underground, I would do it in this four-bedroom house for sale in the Peak DistrictThe aptly named Underhill is a 'a work of inhabitable art' that was built in the 1970s. And there's a swimming pool in the middle of it.
-
A micro estate for sale in west Wales shows that the best things come in small packages. In this case, three of themBrithdir is a remarkable collection of properties centred around a lake and just five miles from the sea.
-
This blissful converted mill has sweeping views, a breathtaking library and gardens by a Chelsea gold medallistPenny Churchill takes a look at Stanbridge Mill, one of the finest properties for sale today in the west country.
