The path to happiness
Demand for homes close to walking trails has surged as buyers look to get on . . .
Walking has never had it so good. What used to be a chore is now the highlight of the day — part of our precious hour of outdoor exercise. it’s good for us, of course. apart from reducing the risk for everything from certain cancers to type 2 diabetes, walking has a positive effect on mental health.
‘People say they will continue to walk more when the Covid restrictions have ended,’ says Tom Platt, of The Ramblers association. So expect to see demand spiralling for homes near one of our 16 national trails or other scenic paths. Here are four favourites:
WANDER AROUND WALES
SPReading from the cockle beds of Penclawdd on the north of the gower Peninsula, past surfing beach Rhossili and picturesque villages including Port eynon, before winding up on Swansea Bay, this 39-mile stretch of the Wales Coast Path is a mass of contrasts. ‘My favourite stretch is between langland Bay and Mumbles,’ says retired accountant Cuan O’Shea, 68, who owns a flat in langland. ‘There is a bay around every corner, seals play on the rocks and a drink waiting at Oyster Wharf in Mumbles.’
Property prices vary hugely. detached homes sold for on average £175,000 in Penclawdd last year, according to Rightmove, while the average asking price in Mumbles has risen by 47 per cent since 2015, a larger five-year increase than any coastal area in Britain.
a terrace cottage there now costs about £300,000. Slightly inland, Bishopston, with its two good pubs, shops and excellent comprehensive school, has threebedroom semi- detached homes which sell for about £320,000. it is a short walk to Pwll ddu, which re-connects to the coastal path.
CORNISH ADVENTURE
in THRee days after Julia Bradbury’s recent television programme walking the path between Padstow and newquay, estate agents John Bray sold £16.3 million worth of homes. The villages, with their dramatic sea views and surfing beaches, are outrageously popular, none more so than Trevone and Constantine Bay. Other villages, considered a bit tired a few years ago, are also getting in on the act. dated bungalows at Mawgan Porth are being knocked down and replaced by grand designs fantasy homes.
even newquay, which has been dogged by stories of messy stag weekends, is seeing an upturn. a four-bedroom terrace on Pentire avenue will set you back £695,000.
‘look inland for the best value,’ says Josephine ashby, managing partner with John Bray. ‘St Merryn and Penrose are only a short drive from the coast path, yet their prices are considerably lower.
‘ St Columb has interesting architecture and is a proper working village. You will pick up a good four- bedroom house for about £400,000.’
THAMES CHALLENGE
THe Thames Path runs for 180 miles between Woolwich, london and kemble in gloucestershire, but the most romantic Jerome k. Jerome stretch is between Henley and Oxford. Here, you will find classic pubs such as The Miller of Mansfield at goring, where the late pop star george Michael liked to drink, and vast riverside homes.
‘Thames frontage adds 30 per cent to the value of a home,’ says nick Warner, of knight Frank. ‘The most prized locations are those with flood plains on the opposite bank, ensuring nobody can build there.’
The average house sale was more than £700,000 in Henley last year and Warner suggests buyers look in Wallingford for better value.
‘it’s an attractive riverside town with good amenities,’ he says. ‘and it is probably 20 per cent less expensive than Henley.’
IN ROMAN FOOTSTEPS
‘THe Hadrian’s Wall trail has become incredibly popular over the past year,’ says James Middleton, regional partner at garrington home search. ‘The most popular stretch with walkers is between Hexham and Haltwhistle.’
Humshaugh, six miles from Hexham, has one main street, a tangle of lanes and some lovely old houses. a terrace cottage costs about £ 160,000. in Haltwhistle, close to a part of the wall that is spectacularly intact, a three-bedroom terrace house can be bought for less than £200,000.
Summer’s citrus palette is the perfect antidote to the gloom of the past 12 months. Nothing says happiness more than the zesty hues of bitter orange, lemonyellow and lime-green. But how to bring them into your home? ‘my suggestion would be to start with a fabric or accessory you’d like to base your scheme on,’ says interior designer Benji Lewis, of Zoom That room ( zoomthatroom.com). ‘Choose which of the citric shades you’d like to be dominant, then build your other colours in to complement, or even clash, with that.’
START SMALL
If a citrus scheme sounds a little scary, a few accessories will get you going. add a pop of colour to your sitting room with orange-print cushions (from £26, iamfy.co) or a yellow leaf vase (£14, dunelm.com).
Vintage lemon designs are having a moment on the High street. John Lewis, johnlewis. com, has duvet covers (£26), cushions (£25), and even doormats (£10) and deckchairs (£10). ‘We’ve seen demand for bright, bold colours and patterns as they provide a nod to summer days,’ says John Lewis partner and assistant designer Nina Willsher.
The retailer also has a big range of picnic pieces, including a lemon rug (£30), cool bags (£25) and napkins (£4 for 32).
for indoors, Oliver Bonas’s orange shaped ceramic jug is fun for serving cocktails (£59.50, oliverbonas.com). and for nibbles or a main course, Coffee & Cloth’s Lemon Twig hand-painted plates are ideal (£59.99 for four, coffeeandcloth.co.uk).
PAINT THE WALLS HAPPY
‘WHEN Pantone proposed Illuminating Yellow as one of its colours for 2021, it stood to reason we’d soon be going crazy for citric shades,’ says Benji Lewis.
exterior or interior, yellow makes a home look warm and friendly. avoid using it on all four walls and instead create an accent wall. Tie this wall to the room with a matching chair or cushions.
If you don’t want to paint an entire wall yellow, go for a citrus-inspired poster instead. Postery’s vintage sorrento lemon tree print will transport you to sunny days in Italy (from £14.95, postery.com). Or, if you’re working with a coloured wall, Juniqe’s framed lemon print looks perfect against dark blue or green (from £44.95, juniqe.co.uk).
FRUITY FURNITURE
VIVIDLY coloured furniture adds interest to muted grey, white or beige schemes. Next’s bright, lemon-yellow armchair would look fine against a grey wall (£199, next.co.uk). If you’re working with a wooden floor, swoon’s green footstool with a walnut- veneer base is just the ticket (£ 199, swooneditions.com). roll- top bathtubs have become statement pieces, no more so than The albion Bath Co’s Tubby Torre Duo in Pantone Yellow (£ 2,894, albionbathco.com), which is perfect for large spaces.
THE REAL THING
YOu can never beat the real deal. so why not invest in an actual lemon tree? Patch Plants’ Vivi lemon tree, should be kept outdoors for summer and brought inside for winter (£55, patchplants.com).
Or, for an instant citrus lift, place a bowl of succulent lemons, limes and oranges at the centre of the kitchen table. easy peasy, lemon squeezy.