This beautifully presented home offers the best of both worlds, being in a small village yet within easy commuting distance of major towns.

In fact, that was one of its main attractions for Don and Nancy Harbron, who moved there from Spain two years ago - that and the fact that they got more bang for their buck by being willing to compromise on location.

The retired civil servants had previously lived in Cockermouth and Greysouthen so knew the area very well and wanted to live there again.

"We were attracted initially by the beautiful, quiet and rural location while being accessible to both Carlisle and other towns in West Cumbria, notably Cockermouth," Don said.

"And having looked at other houses we were amazed by how much more you got for your money by moving slightly outside of, for example, Cockermouth itself while still being an easy commute to the main towns.

"Also, for a fairly new house, we were surprised by the size of the rooms, especially the four double bedrooms and the vast amount of storage space available."

The house has a sizeable footprint with the bedrooms being complemented by two large reception rooms, kitchen, sun room and boot room.

"We still haven’t filled all the space yet and will miss that a lot," Nancy said, "especially the boarded-out loft which is so easy to access now we have had a loft ladder fitted and which would make an extra room quite easily if required.

"Although the house is only nine years old, we knew when we bought it that we wanted to upgrade a few parts.

"We have installed a completely new en-suite and family bathroom making both showers run off mains water rather than electric.

"We also opened up the fireplace in the lounge, removed a dated gas fire with surround and had a modern woodburning stove with attractive granite hearth and mantel installed which has made for wonderful cosy evenings!

"Additionally, we improved the kitchen by fitting new lighting and flooring plus lighter tiles around the units together with a new Neff double oven. It has really has modernised and brightened it all."

That might have been enough for a lot of people but the Harbrons' tranforming zeal didn't stop there.

Don said: "The final upgrade has been to improve the entrance hall and stairs by removing an unnecessary small balustrade and having the bottom two steps widened and rounded to bring the feature into the large hallway. A new landing and stair carpet completed the picture.

"Every room has now been fitted with new curtain rails or blinds and decorated in neutral colours. Because of excellent insulation it has proved to be a very cosy warm house and so economical to run."

The couple also improved the private back garden by replacing deteriorating decking with a small courtyard–type garden.

"We used artificial grass as it was an awkward shape to mow and it works really well, only needing a sweep now and then," Don said. "It’s a beautiful spot to just sit and enjoy the peace of the countryside.

"We also have wonderful views at the front across our lawn and well-stocked borders to open fields, Skiddaw and beyond, especially in winter when the leaves have fallen from the trees. We love sitting with a cuppa, watching and listening to the variety of birds visiting our bird table."

Nancy said: "In addition to the space we have here we will also definitely miss the location and the lovely walks from our doorstep. However, recent health issues have made us decide to move back into a town."

1 Salterwath Close, Oughterside, Wigton, is for sale at £295,000 from PFK Estate Agents. For more details see here .