One of the most remote homes in the Dales is for sale and offers splendid isolation and no utility bills

Its latest owners, Edward and Amy Pickard, were quoted £93,000 to have it installed and that was only if they dug the trenches for the cables, so they decided on a 6kw wind turbine that cost around £30,000 and it has proved to be a good decision.

The property is completely off-grid with 90 per cent of its electricity generated from wind and also water turbines with a battery bank.

Water is from a natural spring and that 21st century must-have, an internet connection, is excellent.

Edward and Amy bought the isolated, 18th century farmhouse 17 years ago as first-time buyers.

Back then it was semi-derelict but interest in its sale was high and the couple felt sure they had no chance of getting it.

“The cars parked in the bottom field at Foxup were worth more than the house,” says Edward, who put in a bid and was amazed when it was accepted.

Reality had clearly bitten for the wealthy romantics who realised that this renovation needed more than money.

“I think people realised that finding a builder to take it on would be almost impossible because of the location,” says Edward, a gifted stonemason and builder.

The farmhouse had been used by youth hostel groups and was later rented by a couple with six young children.

They were happy by all accounts but the house was cold and damp and with no electricity, they relied on candles and oil lamps for light.

The Pickards wanted a much higher standard of living and got planning permission to transform the property and to add a garage and store and they set to work in 2006, ripping off the roof, taking out the white plastic windows and adding insulation.

Ed did most of the building work himself with a little help from friends and his two brothers.

He and Amy, an interior designer, lived with their parents during the renovation but for two years, they spent every weekend and their holidays working on Cosh, often camping out and washing in the beck until neighbours let them sleep at their house.

The reward for their labours is clear in what is now a rare and truly fabulous rural home, which has three bedrooms, an annexe building and just over an acre of land.

Selling it will be a huge wrench and Edward says: “Our daughters are teenagers now and even though they love Cosh as we do, it’s time to move onto a new chapter but there will be tears when it sells.”

Contact: Dacre, Son & Hartley, Skipton, tel: 01756 701010, www.dacres.co.uk