Like The Cairngorms, Alston in Cumbria was one of the places on our shortlist when we were considering moving from Todmorden.
It’s a small market town high in the hills on the eastern edge of the county and the middle of the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). To look at it on a map, it seems very remote; however, it’s very accessible by road to Penrith, Carlisle and Newcastle.
What we like about the area is its rugged beauty and the fact that there’s an availability of sturdy, stone-built, detached residences with generous land – and affordable too!
£125K will get you a 2-bed, town centre pad with heaps of storage – perfect for converting into a studio or gym. If you have dreams of living the good life – raising a few chickens, goats or pygmy pigs, pottering on your veg plot and being self sufficient – You could snap up a farmhouse (with de rigueur AGA in the kitchen) that comes with outbuildings and almost 200 acres for less than a million.
£125,000 – Cottongrass Cottage, Kates Lane, Alston CA9 3QJ
- 2 bedrooms
- Entrance lobby
- Lounge with wood burner
- Kitchen
- Bathroom
- Two attached sheds
- Central town location
- Leasehold
£360,000 – Clarghyll House, Hexham Road, Alston CA9 3NF
- 17th century, stone-built, detached former farmhouse
- 3 bedrooms
- Garage
- Attached barn
- Outbuildings
- Stunning views
£950,000 – Far Galligill Farm, Nenthead, Alston CA9 3LW
- Stone built farmhouse
- 3 bedrooms
- 2 bathrooms
- Outbuilding
- Approximately 197 acres
- Private, rural position
- Woodland, stream, pasture
