Dales cottage for sale in beautiful Buckden

The Inside Story on Moor View, Buckden. Price: £315,000. www.hunters.com

After escaping London for a new life in the country, artist Victoria Russell admits she could never go back. At the moment, she is living in her cottage in Buckden while she oversees a project to make a barn in nearby Starbotton into a home and studio.

“Buckden is an amazing place to be. The scenery really lifts your spirits. When I visit London now, I immediately long to come back here. It’s peaceful and beautiful and the air quality is so much better.”

She has carried out a comprehensive revamp of the cottage, including a new kitchen and bathroom. The dated fireplace has been replaced and there’s a new, built-in TV cabinet.

Victoria is selling to fund the work on her barn conversion but as Starbotton is just two miles down the road, she will remain in the same part of Wharfedale.

“I will be sad to leave the cottage as it is such a lovely place to live. There is a very strong community here in Buckden and lots going on if you want to get involved.”

Her advice to anyone contemplating making the same life-change that she did, is to make an effort to join in. “I’ve met some lovely people and the best thing is that they are all different.

“In London you tend to socialise with like-minded people who share your interests, whereas in a village like this you socialise with whoever is here and that’s much more healthy and interesting.”

Moor View has a spacious open plan living-dining room with a wood-burning stove, along with a kitchen, utility room, cloakroom, two double bedrooms, a bathroom and an attic room.

There are gardens to the front and rear.

Andrew Procter of Hunters, Skipton, says: “This is a classic Dales cottage set in the heart of the national park. It has superb southerly views up the valley onto the magnificent limestone scars that surround Buckden.”

The village of Buckden nestles under Buckden Pike and lies on the Dales Way at the northern end of Wharfedale. It has a thriving local community with the local economy based largely on farming and tourism. There is a local pub, a choice of tea rooms and a village store. Buckden is a 10-minute drive away from the larger village of Kettlewell, which has a primary school. Skipton is a 30-minute drive.

C*ontact: Hunters, Skipton, tel: 01756 700544, www.hunters.com