Skiddaw House: 'England's loneliest house' in the Lake District back on the market with 'unusual' amount of land including mountain summits added to sale package

Sheep farmer Gavin Bland bought Skiddaw House privately in 2015, and when he put the building, which dates back to 1829 and can only be accessed by 4x4, on the market in 2021, it became one of Rightmove’s most viewed properties – but with an asking price of £1.5million it failed to sell.

Now he is trying again, and this time has added Skiddaw Forest to the lot; 3,000 acres of Lake District upland including the summits of three mountains – Skiddaw, Great Calva and Little Calva – and a Site of Special Scientific Interest. The land comes with shooting rights and represents a rare chance to purchase an area of the National Park not owned by major estates or the National Trust.

Despite the high degree of interest Skiddaw House attracted last time it was up for sale, buyers were put off by its remote location – it’s four miles to the nearest village – access issues and the fact that the youth hostel that has occupied the building since the 1980s still has another five years left on its lease.

After falling out of use as the Earl of Egremont’s shooting cabin – he owned Cockermouth Castle - Skiddaw was occupied by shepherds, including one who was there for 50 years until he left in the 1960s. It was derelict until conversion into the walkers’ hostel. It was also a gamekeeper’s house, school field centre and ramblers’ bothy during its history.

Mr Bland believes the package of land could interest a grouse shoot or a rewilding project, but could also be farmed. It receives two ‘substantial’ payments from Higher Level Stewardship schemes due to end in 2024 for the restoration of habitats and peat bogs.

Mitchells Land & Property describe the sale as a ‘unique opportunity to purchase the most remote house in England’. The price is only available on application and offers must be submitted by 12pm on November 23. It is the first time it has ever been sold on the open market.