Low Wallowbarrow, Ulpha, Broughton-In-Furness, The Lake District, LA20 6EA

Location, location, location! A wonderful opportunity to embrace the dream of country life here in the Lake District and escape to this traditional Lakeland former farmhouse. Charming and quaint, it embraces a phenomenally private rural setting in grounds of c.0.43 acres and commands fabulous 360 degree views of the surrounding Duddon Valley. It’s truly extraordinary.

You can walk, run or cycle straight from the door with a network of lanes and footpaths giving access to the Wainwright fells and major peaks. Whilst enjoying splendid rural seclusion, with the advances in technology, home working would be easily achievable although equally the cottage would make the most idyllic retreat.

Straight out of the pages of a Beatrix Potter book and has rich layers of quintessential cottage characteristics; low ceilings, beams, nooks, crannies, a spice cupboard, deep window sills, a wealth of exposed timbers, an Aga and a multifuel stove. It’s an absolute delight and radiates charm.

Step under the porch and through the front door to discover an inviting sitting room with space for dining, follow through to a warm and cosy country dining kitchen and practical utility room. On the first floor are three double bedrooms, within the principal bedroom is an ensuite bathroom, the second and third rooms share the house bathroom. Attached is a small barn which has been converted to provide additional accommodation comprising a utility/store, attic, home office and cloakroom.

The walled rear garden is sheltered and private with a heated summer house and seating terrace. The views above and beyond the walls reveal the valley’s panorama of surrounding fells. The garage is accessible from both the rear garden and the more formally planted front courtyard garden. Walled and gated, it provides parking.

Across the lane is a further walled orchard garden. A multifunctional addition this has a shed and covered store, a small copse of trees, a naturalistic garden, wildlife pond and a lawn with Rake Beck running along the boundary. It also houses the impressive kitchen garden with greenhouse.

Low Wallowbarrow is an absolute gem; what a privileged invitation to be the next custodians of this superb period property and write the next chapter of its rich history.

Location

If you are seeking total immersion in the great outdoors, then this is quite possibly the perfect location and setting for you. Getting there is as much about the journey as the destination, from the M6, the roads become progressively quieter, undulating and winding, the scenery becomes gradually less populated, but infinitely more dramatic with the high Lakeland fells dominating the skyline. As you get nearer, it’s possible to feel yourself relaxing as the unspoilt fields and fells, virtually unchanged over the centuries draw you in.

On the western fringes of the National Park, this is the idyllic setting for an active retirement, working from home or simply spending valuable time off; life here exists in its own little bubble, a world away from the hum of traffic, the glare of streetlights (the nights here are magically starry), and noise from any neighbours (providing you don’t count the sheep).

The Newfield Inn, Seathwaite is a delightful, wooded walk away and The Browfoot Room at Ulpha hosts a number of events including regular live music, various community groups and a weekly coffee and chat with a pop-up Post Office. For everyday needs, the nearest town is Broughton in Furness. Many local events revolve around this charming historic town with its Georgian cobbled market square. Broughton has a range of shops, including a fabulous butcher’s shop, traditional bakery, Post Office as well as cafes and pubs, doctors’ and vets’ surgeries and a garage for fuel. Slightly further afield, there’s a good range of shops and amenities in the delightful Cumbrian market town of Ulverston with Booths, M&S Food and Aldi supermarkets all present.

Far from the madding crowds, Low Wallowbarrow is exceptionally well placed for all this famous UNESCO World Heritage Site has to offer residents and holiday makers alike. The beauty of this lesser known valley is that life here is quiet and tranquil, without the crowds and traffic often associated with the honey pot resorts in the central Lake District. From here you can explore the majestic high fells straight from the garden gate. The mountains, valleys and footpaths provide never ending options for exploration, but all with the joy of returning home to your own fireside and bed every evening.

If you do decide to venture out to see the sights or are entertaining visiting guests then destinations such as Coniston, Hawkshead, Bowness on Windermere and Ambleside are within easy reach for day
trips.

If working from home isn’t for you then Low Wallowbarrow is surprisingly accessible for commuting to Ulverston, Barrow and the central Lake District.

Step Inside 

Step under a blossom covered porch and in through the front door. The generous reception room has a timeless quality, full of character and instantly inviting. There’s room for sofas round the multi fuel stove and a table for formal dining. From here stairs rise to the first floor and a door opens to the kitchen. The kitchen is full of personality, oozes county charm and is very much the hub of the home as it’s always warm with the Aga which sits neatly under a wooden lintel spanning almost the entire width of the wall. The floor is flagged (with slate from a local quarry) and the cabinets ageless in their aesthetic with matching open shelving, a plate rack and pull-out chopping boards. The double pot ceramic sink is perfectly placed for admiring the view and there is an integral Atag fridge. A stable door opens to the front courtyard garden, perfect as a shortcut when bringing in groceries.

The utility room is fitted with matching cabinets and has space for both a freestanding Siemens washing machine and tumble drier. A larder cupboard is a particularly thoughtful feature and includes a granite top with inset baskets and spice racks. Here you’ll also find pegs for coats and room for boots with a door out to the back garden.

Climbing the stairs and you alight at a generous landing with good deep store cupboards and space for a comfy chair placed to admire the view straight out to Caw Fell (which features in one of Wainwright’s popular routes). There are exposed roofing timbers throughout this floor and excellent views from every window.

The main bedroom is steeped in character, a cup of tea in bed as you gaze out to the fell must be a wonderful way to start the day. The room has an ensuite bathroom, nestled in the pitch of the roof with a heritage style suite of bath (with shower over), wash basin and loo. Double bedrooms two and three both have built in storage and use of the main bathroom where the view up the valley is truly stunning. A heritage style suite is in here too with a bath, separate shower, wash basin and loo.

Step Outside

Wooden gates open from the lane to a parking area laid with slate setts, this continues into a path round to the front door. The incredibly pretty front garden has a courtyard feel and is formally set out with low yew hedging and four yew obelisks framing the central circular lawn. At Christmas time, the vendors string lights throughout the garden which looks particularly festive as approaching or looking out from the warmth of inside. It’s through the front garden that access is gained to the converted small barn. This now provides useful storage space and opens to an area presently used as an office (a quiet place to work away from the rest of the accommodation, although the views may prove a little distracting!), and with its own cloakroom it has also been a gym and occasional bedroom. For those seeking room to dedicate to a hobby, this would be ideal.

The back garden is completely enclosed offering peace of mind for those with young children or dogs. Step out from the utility room, under a small porch and look around - the views are tremendous.

A slate path leads round the garden, the central section is lawned with well stocked and tended borders and a curved stone bench.The summer house invites dining under the whimsical chandelier whilst you enjoy the view up the length of the valley and fells. With blinds and a heater, it has been known for grandchildren to enjoy a summer camp here!

In front of the summer house is a seating terrace with panoramic views, a sheltered sun trap that is perfect for lunchtime dining “under canopies when shade is needed, we’ve had some fabulous family parties here”.

Much colour and seasonal interest has been planted and is now well established, early camelias and magnolias with azaleas and rhododendrons in late spring followed by hydrangeas in summer. Climbers dress the walls with colour; roses, wisteria, clematis, jasmine and a Virginia Creeper puts on a vibrant show in October. Specimen plants also respond well to the sheltered garden with fig, paeonies and a Mexican orange blossom tree. There are also plentiful spring bulbs bringing welcome colour after the winter months, starting with drifts of snowdrops, daffodils in the wood, following through with tulips and bluebells.

The garage has double wooden doors to the front and a personal door to the back garden. Due to ceiling height it would best suit a low slung motor but it’s also proved the ideal store for logs and wine! Across the lane is the walled orchard garden. Through the gate and there’s additional parking on the paved area. A wooden shed with a side covered store is fitted with a bench and makes a good workshop. Bollard lighting operates through Bluetooth and may be set in a choice of colours. A curved path leads up through the lawn, passing a wildlife pond. Rake Beck runs the length of the orchard and is fed off Wallowbarrow Crag, eventually feeding into the River Duddon.

The walled kitchen garden is impressive. The focal point being the greenhouse and cold frames. Internally the floor is slated, there are propagating benches and all lit by a lovely lantern. It would be possible to add a heater if you were so minded but even without that the owners have grown a good crop of tomatoes, cucumbers and chilies. The views from within are stunning, another 360 degree vista. Outside are raised beds for your vegetables and herbs and there are soft fruit bushes in the form of black and redcurrants and raspberries too. At the far end is a small copse (including birch, larch, sweet chestnut and hazel trees) with a wild garden under the canopies, itself full of daffodils in March.

Services

Mains electricity and water. Oil fired central heating from a Firebird boiler in the small barn. The main bathroom has underfloor heating. Drainage to a private sewerage treatment plant. Private water from a spring which rises on third party land (Low Wallowbarrow has sole draw on the supply) piped into a holding tank and then passed through filters located in the garage.  

Broadband

Standard speeds potentially available from Openreach of 16 Mbps download and for uploading 1 Mbps. 

Mobile

Indoor: EE reports ‘limited’ Voice and Data services. O2 reports ‘limited’ Voice services with Data services ‘not available’. Vodafone reports ‘limited’ services for both Voice and Data. Three reports Data and Voice services are ‘not available’. 

Outdoor: EE reports ‘likely’ Voice and Data services. O2 reports ‘limited’ Voice services with Data services ‘not available’. Vodafone reports ‘limited’ Voice and Data services. Three reports Data and Voice services as ‘not available’.  

Broadband and mobile information provided by Ofcom.

Local Authority charges 

Copeland (Cumberland Council) - band E

Tenure

Freehold 

Included in the sale 

Carpets, curtains, curtain poles, blinds, light fittings and domestic appliances as follows Aga, Atag fridge, Siemens washing machine and tumble drier. Many items of furniture are also available, please ask the Agents if any pieces are of interest. 

Please note

The attached barn is owned by the National Trust and forms part of High Wallowbarrow Farm. The tenant farmer has a right to access the barn through the courtyard garden but has an alternative access through the field. 

Directions 

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Use Sat Nav LA20 6EA with reference to the directions below:

Travelling from J36 of the M6 take the A590 towards Barrow. Drive past Newby Bridge and at the large roundabout at Greenodd, take the second exit onto the A5092 and then continue as this becomes the A595. Drive through Foxfield, bypass Broughton in Furness and continue until reaching a set of lights which control traffic over the bridge across the River Duddon. Before the lights turn right onto Smithy Lane signposted Ulpha and Seathwaite and proceed up the valley continuing onto Sella Brow. Follow the lane as it bears to the right and pass the church of St John the Baptist on your right. The lane becomes The Crook, continue and Low Wallowbarrow is on the righthand side.