The back of beyond
Houses that are happily in the middle of nowhere
Cumbria, £1.25 million
The pale-grey stone walls of Clarghyll Hall, on the fringe of Alston in the North Pennines AONB, wear 500 years of history well. Listed Grade II*, its eight acres include mature walled gardens, woodland, a productive kitchen garden, lawns, an ornamental pond and a dovecote. Inside, there are nine bedrooms, a great hall, a formal dining room with an oriel window and a library. Permission in perpetuity has been granted for the conversion of a former estate manager’s house (partially completed) into a four-bedroom property. Savills (01325 370500)
Berkshire, £1.7 million
Surrounded by estate land owned by Sir Richard Sutton Limited, in an AONB and approached via a narrow country lane, it’s safe to say that the views from Coombesbury Farm House are well protected. Not far from the village of Stockcross and Newbury, the classically late-victorian farmhouse has five bedrooms, four reception rooms and a tennis court. Knight Frank (01488 682726)
North Yorkshire, £1.3 million
Expect to spot barn, tawny, long- and short-eared owls and grouse at Nethergill Farm, at Langstrothdale, near Buckden and the town of Hawes, where the current owners have worked to create a wildlife and conservation haven, including collaborations with the Yorkshire Dales River Trust and Forestry Commission. The Yorkshire Dales National Park is the backdrop for this four-bedroom Victorian farmhouse, which comes with two holiday cottages and planning consent for two further conversions within its 377½ acres. Carter Jonas (01423 586026)
Somerset, £1.65 million
As lovely and elegant as you’d expect from a Grade Ii-listed Georgian property, Woolmersdon House, in the pretty hamlet of Woolmersdon, has five bedrooms and far-reaching views well beyond its 71⁄2 acres. Extensively improved by the current owners in collaboration with English Heritage, it retains its period features, with sash windows, open fireplaces and cornicing. Outside, there’s a paddock, a secret garden and a number of roses and fruit trees, including a particularly impressive Bramley apple. Although Taunton is nine miles away, the property gains tranquillity points for its close proximity to the Quantock Hills, England’s first AONB. Strutt & Parker (01392 229405)
Somerset, £1.5 million
Glorious views and walks over Exmoor are not the only selling points at pretty four-bedroom Buckworthy Farm, which has a summer house, a barn, loose boxes, five enclosures, woodland and a detached guest studio within its 20½ acres. Not far from the villages of Withypool and Exford and Tarr Steps, the ancient clapper bridge over the Barle, the interiors have been beautifully renovated, with tons of natural light and exposed oak A-frames. Jackson-stops (01823 325144)