From an elevated and south facing setting, the panoramic view is an absolute showstopper; views across the gently undulating valley with the higher fells as a backdrop. Barn Howe offers an enviable country lifestyle set within a total of 3 acres with a beautifully appointed house, delightful gardens, a double garage, great parking and a field with stabling.

Welcome to Barn Howe, The Howe, Lyth, Kendal, LA8

From an elevated and south facing setting, the panoramic view is an absolute showstopper; up, down and across the gently undulating valley with the higher fells as a final backdrop, this pastoral picture is breathtaking, the view unfolds before your very eyes. The valley is predominantly a patchwork of fields with scattered hamlets and farms, it’s an ever changing picture as the agricultural calendar moves through the year; newly born lambs, grazing cattle, grass cutting and baling … there’s always something new and as such it offers a direct connection with the countryside and changing seasons.

The location is one of the primary advantages of life here at The Howe, surrounded by countryside and offering all of the tranquility that a rural setting hopefully brings, it also offers excellent accessibility to the wider road network, the M6, to local towns for shops and schools and to the train station on the main West Coast line at Oxenholme.

Barn Howe offers an enviable country lifestyle with a beautifully appointed house, delightful gardens, a double garage, great parking and a field with stabling.

The house is thought to date back to around 1680 and was purchased by the current owners in 2013, they remodeled the layout, undertook a thorough refurbishment and added a two storey extension to the east facing gable. The accommodation is now exceptionally well proportioned, beautifully appointed and stylishly presented. A soft colour palette of gently neutral shades using mainly Farrow & Ball and Little Greene paints creates a harmonious and restful backdrop for an elegant country lifestyle.

Step in through the porch to a staircase hall. To the left is a sitting room, to the right is a living room opening to the large open plan living kitchen – the piece de resistance, this room delivers a mighty WOW factor with panoramic views. Off the kitchen is a utility and cloakroom. To the first floor is a spacious gallery landing, a principal suite with large bedroom, dressing room and shower room. There are two further double bedrooms; one has an ensuite shower room, the other a Jack and Jill connecting door to the family bathroom.

Lakeland gardens wrap around the house with a large south facing seating terrace. Tucked away is a summer house and there’s a purpose built double stable with turn out area to service the paddock; ideal if you have equestrian interests or were simply looking for space to keep chickens or a field to exercise dogs (or children!) In all, 2.42 acres

Location

The Howe is a hamlet forming part of the wider Crosthwaite village community. Crosthwaite itself being a small village in the Lyth Valley, a hidden corner of Cumbria within the Lake District National Park. Sheltered by limestone hills the valley is well known for its damson orchards as it enjoys a relatively mild micro-climate. In early spring, a frequent sight are the distinctive frothy clouds of white blossom which grace the undulating fields. Come autumn it’s harvest time as the trees are laden with the purple fruits. Whether you prefer your damsons in a pie or crumble, jam or chutney or steeped in gin, they are likely to figure in life here in the valley, indeed there are several trees within the gardens at Barn Howe.

Along with Crosthwaite, at the heart of the valley are the picturesque villages of Winster, Crook, Brigsteer, Underbarrow and Witherslack, all being connected by a network of lanes, bridleways and footpaths. Collectively this is a sought after place to live and no wonder, it offers a delightfully rural but exceptionally accessible country lifestyle; all of the advantages without any of the inaccessibility. The Lyth Valley is easy to reach off the M6 via the A590 and with a station on the main West Coast railway line at Oxenholme (Kendal) it offers great connectivity for the road and rail network.

The valley feels a world away from the noise and crowds of the busy Lakeland villages of Ambleside, Grasmere and Hawkshead; holidaymakers rarely venture this far but the hot spots are close enough to dip into for day trips should the fancy take you or you have visitors to entertain. Windermere and Bowness are easily to reach for schooling and daily essentials ensuring that life at The Howe and in the valley is more about community and embracing quite country living.

Crosthwaite has a well regarded pub (The Punch Bowl), a church (St Mary’s) and a school. The Argles Memorial Hall is used by The Exchange, children's playgroups and hosts a variety of village events throughout the year. The Crosthwaite Exchange was set up in 2007 as a place for residents to buy and sell local produce and home baked goods and meet up with neighbours.

Step inside

With white rendered elevations, crisp and classic white painted window frames all under a slated roof; Barn Howe has quintessential and timeless Lakeland good looks and appeal.

Décor has been kept purposefully neutral using a palette of pale, easy living shades that provide the perfect foil for your furniture and the views which are to be enjoyed from all of the living areas and the bedrooms. Reflecting the period nature of the older part of the house are the exposed timbers; oak lintels and ceiling trusses have been featured where possible and are rich in colour and texture. The entire house has a relaxed, elegant and timeless look. A calm and peaceful atmosphere prevails.

Enter through the traditional stone and slated porch which has a log store either side. The staircase hallway provides a welcome and sets the tone for the rest of the house. To the left is the sitting room with a large multi fuel stove set onto a dark grey slated heath with windows to both the front and rear enjoying the great views. The sitting room is situated towards the quieter end of the house away from the main living areas and could also be used as a generous study/home office or fourth bedroom.

To the right is the bright and airy living room which connects with the large living kitchen. Book cases and cabinets are painted a mellow shade of Farrow & Ball’s Elephant’s Breath and window seats encourage you to perch, linger and admire the view.

Stepping into the living kitchen and the view literally stopped us in our tracks. Utterly breathtaking. In fact, so amazing is it that it will be a while before you fully take in the beautifully appointed kitchen on offer. This is indeed the open plan living kitchen of dreams. Floor to ceiling bi-folding doors to two elevations potentially open up the entire south east corner of this fabulous room. Cook here. Eat here. Sit here. Whether you are feeding a crowd, just the family or a special dinner for two, this has to be the venue of choice.

The bespoke kitchen has been custom made, designed by a keen cook for a family that loves to entertain. The beating heart is the Aga set under an oak lintel on which is carved BARN HOWE. Traditional panel door cabinets are painted in toning shades of grey from Little Greene with oak details and chrome handles all set under stunning grey veined granite worktops. A central island extends into a breakfast bar and also houses the sink unit. A matching plate rack provides attractive storage and there is an integral wine rack and concealed spice racks. Appliance wise there is an integral Bosch dishwasher and space for a Samsung fridge freezer.

The utility room offers great storage which includes cabinets housing a washing machine, tumble dryer, freezer, microwave and the central heating boiler. All tucked away and neatly out of sight. The cloakroom has contemporary appointments and offers a vanity wash basin and loo.

The staircase rises to the first floor where the landing is lovely and airy thanks to the vaulted ceiling which rises to the roof apex.

The principal bedroom is at the far end of the landing – east facing and part of the extension. Sitting in bed, cup of tea to hand and watching the sun rise over the fells opposite must surely be one of the best ways to start a day. To say the room is spacious wouldn’t be an exaggeration, with room for the largest of beds, there are fabulous views to be had. Behind an imaginative curved wall is a dressing room which in turn leads to the ensuite shower room. With a traditional feel this has a three piece suite.

The second double bedroom offers a walk through dressing room and an ensuite shower room. The third double bedroom has a connecting door to the family bathroom which is Jack and Jill in layout with a door to the landing for flexibility.

In the family bathroom quality appointments include a stunning copper and nickel free standing bath which is much loved by the vendors’ grandchildren; we think we’d love it too. It apparently retains the heat an absolute treat so is perfect for a long leisurely soak. There’s a large walk in shower which has both rainfall and hand held heads, a lozenge shaped wash basin on a console table and a loo. Well designed lighting is atmospheric and adds the finishing touch.

Step outside

The whole garden and grounds are either fenced, hedged or walled with gated access and so are safe and enclosed for younger children and dogs.

Arriving by car and you’ve a choice of places to park. Behind the house is the detached two car garage (with power, light and a work bench) with an adjacent gated parking place, from here a path leads down to the back door. In front of the house there’s a much bigger open parking area adjacent to the stables. Pull in here off the lane and then walk up the path through the gardens to the house. The gardens are relatively low upkeep with lawns, established herbaceous borders and a variety of shrubs which with flowers and berries offer seasonal interest throughout the year. Spring also brings snowdrops, naturalising happily in the lawns and beds. There are also fruit trees, the prerequisite damson trees and an eating apple tree.

The main seating terrace wraps around the east and south elevations and offers plenty of space for any number of permutations of garden furniture. The main area is right next to the kitchen so is convenient for bringing food outside for al fresco dining when the weather so invites. It’s not hard to imagine leisurely lunches held here that languorously extend into the evening. Carriage lights are strategically placed around the garden as are power points.

Walking round the east elevation and climbing hydrangeas are being trained up the gable end, there are a few steps up and through a rustic wooden arch and tucked behind a copper beech hedge is a delightful cottage style garden with planted borders and a central lawn, all of which can be enjoyed from the octagonal summer house which has power and light.

There’s a second seating terrace midway in the front garden - catching the sun until around 1pm in summer it’s the perfect spot for a morning coffee with the weekend papers. There’s power, light and water at this point.

Offering great amenity value is the adjoining field. It’s rare to find a house with land that enjoys a hamlet or village setting as often they are more rurally positioned and have a tendency to be isolated. Complementing the land is the mobile stable block; this comprises a pair of loose boxes. In front of one is a fenced turn-out area. It would be fair to say that the inhabitants of these stables will enjoy some of the best views in the valley!

Services

Mains electricity and water.

LPG central heating and hot water from a Vaillant boiler in the utility room. The LPG tank is submerged in the back garden.

Drainage to a private septic tank located in the paddock.

Electric (AIMS) Aga.

There are internal and external CCTV cameras with access via an App.

Broadband

Standard speed of 8 Mbps download and for uploading 1 Mbps.

If so preferred, we understand that full fibre gigabit broadband provided by B4RN (Broadband for the Rural North) www.B4RN.org.uk is available locally. All B4RN customers receive gigabit (1,000Mbps) speed. Interested parties should make their own enquiries in this regard.

Local Authority charges

Westmorland and Furness Council – Council Tax band G

Tenure

Freehold

Included in the sale

Fitted carpets, curtain poles, blinds, light fittings and kitchen appliances as listed are all included in the sale. Some items of furniture and curtains would be additionally available by way of further negotiation. Please ask the agents with regard to any items that are of interest.

Please note

Planning permission has been granted reference 7/2021/5245 dated 24th May 2021 for a “conservatory with alternations to windows and doors”. For more details please search online at www.lakedistrict.gov.uk/planning

Directions

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Use Sat Nav LA8 8DF with reference to the directions below:

Leaving the M6 at Junction 36, take the A590 towards the Lake District. Leave the dual carriageway at the first exit on the left signposted Barrow/Milnthorpe and proceed down the slip-road to the roundabout, take the first exit onto the A590. Continue and as the road becomes a dual carriageway turn right signposted A5074 Bowness, Windermere. Passing the Gilpin Bridge Inn, turn left to stay on the A5074. Continue along the Lyth Valley road and turn left signposted The Howe (there’s a sign at low level, it’s potentially easy to miss so keep an eye out), passing a farm on the right you’ll come to a staggered crossroads, go straight across and proceed up the single track lane. Barn Howe is on the right, the parking area is before the house with a wooden five bar gate opening to a generous parking area with the stables on the right. A path then leads to the house.