Garden Garage Open fire Double glazing Balcony Off-street parking Central heating

The house is called 'Strands Garth'. It was built in 2003/04 and has eight years of a NHBC guarantee to run. It has been built to all current standards with good quality double glazed windows throughout, abundant insulation etc. 'Strands' refers to the banks of the River Bela some 300 metres away while 'Garth' simply means 'enclosure', or 'close'.

I was the first owner when I bought it in April 2004 for me and my two daughters. I had looked around at various houses in my price range and nothing came close to this one in terms of appeal as well as function - to me. The house is a one-off, constructed by a reputable local builder on its own site virtually in the centre of Milnthorpe.

If you don't know Milnthorpe or South Lakeland then find a map and go some 5 miles south of Kendal. Milnthorpe is a busy 'market town/village' with all the usual retail outlets - grocer, bakery, butcher, greengrocer, banks, opticians, vet, GP surgeries, hardware shop, chinese take-away, fish and chip shop, primary school, secondary school, three pubs - etc. Good transport links are available via the M6 (junction 36) and Oxenholme (Kendal) station on the west coast main line. Kendal is about a 10 minute drive away and Lancaster about 20 minutes. It takes about 75 minutes to drive to Manchester or Liverpool. Nearby is attractive open landscape and only about three miles away is the Lake District National Park. It takes about 20 minutes to drive to Windermere. Going east, the Yorkshire dales start about a 20 minutes drive away.

The house is very central in Milnthorpe yet also very private. A pint of milk is only 3 minutes away in the centre of the village. A pint of beer is one minute away. This would not suit everyone - being surrounded by village life. There is no noise beyond the distant buzz of village life during the day. It is always quiet in the evening and at night.

The privacy of the house arisies from its design and its location - tucked away on its own plot with no immediate residential neighbours. The house and the garden are not overlooked by anyone. The privacy also arises from being 'upside down' - to look over village life as it passes by and to take advantage of impressive views to the South over playing fields, to the River Bela and then to the open countryside of Dallam Park and the local hill known as 'Haverbracks'. I rarely shut the curtains upstairs.

The house is approached through a gate which leads to a large gravelled area with enough space to park at least three cars., To one side of this gravelled area is a large detached garage with mains power, light and water. To the South is a private, walled garden area set exclusively to lawn and to the West a small 'yard' which hosts a garden shed. There are external power points in the garden and in the back yard.

Downstairs, there are three bedrooms, one bathroom with bath, washbasin, toilet and powerful shower; and a 'cloakroom' with toilet and washbasin. Two of the bedrooms are a good size while the third is big enough for a single bed and some basic items of furniture. The bedrooms look out to the garden and the back yard. None is overlooked in any way and as with the upstairs, the curtains downstairs are not needed for privacy. There are various places for storage downstairs. All the bedrooms are carpeted and all carpets and curtains (which are effectively new) are included in the sale price. A door leads out to the back yard where two rabbits also live. The rabbits are not included in the sale price but I will accept offers.

Upstairs, there is one large (7.3 * 5.4 metres) 'open-plan' living/dining room which has a vaulted ceiling with exposed beams, wall lights and a Morso wood burning stove. The living/dining room leads out through french windows to a south-facing balcony. Also upstairs is the kitchen and a utility room. Kitchen appliances such as the fridge, the dishwasher and a a combi washing machine are included in the sale price. All the floors of the upstairs area and also the downstairs corridor are covered with good quality 'laminate' wood.

The house is heated by an oil-fired boiler. It's always a warm house and the radiators are rarely switched on. There are telephone points in the living room and in two of the bedrooms. It has a SKY dish with leads to the living room and to one of the bedrooms. For a modern house, there is plenty of storage space including in a loft space and also in the garage loft.

As a modern house, it is low-maintenance. It is a very functional, unusual and private house with very easy access to village services and beyond.

Why are we moving? My life is changing - otherwise I/we would be perfectly happy to stay here. Both daughters and their friends think the house is 'cool' which is praise indeed from teenaged girls.

There is no chain of house exchanges in front of me and if necessary, an early exchange/completion could be managed on Strands Garth.
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