Susan Allen's love affair with the Solway coast began when she was a child, visiting relatives in Bowness with her grandmother after her family moved away from Carlisle when she was a baby.

She ended up living in Yorkshire before moving to her current home and says: "One of the pleasures of living here has been having friends from there visit and fall in love with the Solway too. Two have just moved here to one of the neighbouring villages!

"I have always loved the Solway and the Solway villages, especially Bowness, and I think Sea View is beautiful! I already knew it from visiting the village for many years and when the chance came to move back to Cumbria the village was the first place I looked and this house was the first one I saw. It had everything I wanted in the place I knew I wanted to be.

"I work for the Wordsworth Trust, based at home although my community outreach role takes me all around the county, running shared reading groups and writing workshops.

"I also talk to groups about the wonderful collections we have at the Wordsworth Museum in Grasmere and encourage people to visit us there at Dove Cottage."

In the five years she has lived in Sea View, Susan has been careful to upgrade and renovate sympathetically, not wanting to lose any of its charming character and lovely features including parquet flooring, stone floors, exposed beams and sash windows.

Her cottage is at the entrance to the village and overlooks the Solway Firth to Scotland. It has two reception rooms, kitchen, pantry and utility downstairs with three bedrooms - one used by Susan as a living room - study and bathroom on the first floor. Outside is a raised forecourt and parking place.

"I guess it’s around 250 years old," she said. "It’s one of those buildings that keeps you guessing about its history and how it might have been configured and used over the years.

"When I moved in I didn’t want to change any of the things I loved about the house, the aspects which give it such character. So the kitchen and upstairs bathroom have been updated but leaving the original features.

"I love the views from the upstairs sitting room and my study but I also love stepping out on to the back lane and knowing that that is exactly the route taken by those building and walking Hadrian’s Wall.

"At night the stars are so clear here and the birds on the estuary make it very special, with sounds of the curlews by the water and the geese flying over. There are also families of swallows that nest every year in the archway over the yard.

"Walking out to Port Carlisle or west to where the viaduct used to be is also very special, and so are the views over the Solway across to Dumfries and Galloway.

"One of the most lovely things about living here has to be the sense of the history and, of course, those views - the way the weather shifts and the light changes on the estuary is magical."

These views are captured in many of the cottage's windows, particularly in the study, living room and corner room upstairs, plus the forecourt garden is a lovely place to sit and soak up the scenery.

Susan said: "The front garden is small and looks on to the estuary. It catches the light from early morning till midday when it moves over the house and stays until evening. There’s another lovely space to sit out by the kitchen door.

"I’m looking for something a little smaller but certainly want to stay in the village. I work in some amazing places here in Cumbria but feel most at home on the Solway.

"I will miss Sea View but mostly I’ll be glad to have had such happy times here and am sure that others will love living here as I have."

Sea View, Bowness-on-Solway, is for sale at £219,000 from Hayward Tod. Find out more here .