Cumbria self-catering business sold for £1.7m

A former self-catering hospitality business in Cumbria within the Lake District National Park has been sold to sector newcomers for a guide price of £1.7m.

The farmhouse near Howe was sold to Mark and Fiona Shore, who will be moving to the Lake District from Hertfordshire.

He said: “We are really excited to move to Near Howe and to continue the wonderful business the previous owners created.”

Originally built as a farmstead around 180 years ago, the property was converted into a guesthouse in the late 1960s and then later developed into an owner’s farmhouse with seven self-catering cottages.

The former owners, Steve and Jill Woolley, were represented by the specialist Hotels Agency team at real estate advisors Colliers.

Robert Smithson, senior surveyor at Colliers, said: “We are delighted to have sold Near Howe on behalf of Mr and Mrs Woolley, who had owned the former farmhouse for more than 14 years and had chosen to run it as a successful, high-standard lifestyle business, which provided them with both an income and a superb quality of life.

“There was a good level of demand for Near Howe, and it is particularly pleasing to see new market operators entering the sector and, of course, the positive attitude of lenders in the current market.”