If you dream of escaping the rat race, a property that has just come up for sale in Northumberland may be just the tonic.
The off-grid woodland cabin, called Stanholme, was built in 1926 and for its current custodians, Tom and Glory, has been life-changing.
Tom got the keys just days before the 2020 lockdown.
He says: ‘I had no idea that the world was about to change. But the timing meant I had space, peace, and nature to ground me through everything. I couldn’t have imagined a much better place to live.’
The couple told This is Money: ‘What we love the most is the peace and quiet and that there is no traffic noise.’
Over the last five years, Tom, who was later joined by Glory, have been growing their own food, tending to the land and embracing woodland life.
Up for grabs: An off-grid woodland cabin in Northumberland has come up for sale for offers over £165,000 via estate agent GFK
However, with the arrival of their first child earlier this year, they are looking to move to a new home.
Glory said: ‘This place has given us so much. It taught us how to live simply, live slowly and really live with the land. Now, as our family grows, we’re looking for a new kind of space. But we’ll always carry this place with us.’
Tom told This is Money: ‘We are going to miss the woodland dawn chorus. It’s so loud and there are so many birds that it wakes you up most mornings.’
The couple hope to pass Stanholme on to someone who shares the same respect for nature and the slower rhythm of off-grid life.
They think the cabin could be ideal for retired couples – or even doomsday preppers who want to live self-sufficiently.
It is being sold for offers over £165,000.
The cabin is kitted out with solar panels and is fully off-grid, meaning there will be no electricity bills to contend with.
The property is exempt from council tax or the newly implemented second homes tax.
It is tucked away in the ancient woodland of Whittle Dene in Northumberland, ensuring there is no road or traffic noise.
The cabin is only accessible on foot through Whittle Burn Woods, with on-street parking available five minutes away.
Owners: Tom and Glory are selling their cabin in Northumberland as they have had a baby
Rustic: Internally, the cabin is rustic but comfortable and filled with light
Kitted out: Stanholme has a fully functioning kitchen, decked out with wooden units
In nature: The cabin has two bedrooms with views to the woodland outside
Charming: A bunk-bed style room works as a second bedroom
Facilities: The property has a bathroom and compost toilet
Be mindful: The property cannot be purchased using a mortgage
Unique: The cabin is nestled within woodland in Northumberland
Self-sufficient: The next owner of the cabin can continue growing their own food on-site
Spooky: The woods surrounding the two-bedroom cabin are said to be haunted by the evil spirit of Long Lonkin
The cabin is one of a small number of chalets, cabins, bungalows, huts or summer houses nestled in the glade at Whittle Dene.
According to GFW, the estate agency selling the cabin, the cabins were built as countryside getaways by people from Tyneside’s industrial areas. The cabins also housed evacuees during the Second World War.
The woods surrounding the two-bedroom cabin are said to be haunted by the evil spirit of Long Lonkin, a notorious criminal from the 1200s.
The cabin is brimming with rustic charm. Inside, it has a small entrance porch, an open-plan living and dining area with a log burner, a compact kitchen, two bedrooms, and a bathroom with a roll-top bath, toilet and washbasin. While the cabin is off-grid, it still offers a good level of comfort.
There are large double glazed windows fitted throughout the cabin, which help fill the cabin with light and a sense that you are at one with nature.
The cabin stands in three interlinked plots that have been carefully nurtured over 45 years. The outdoor space is enhanced with cobblestone paths and fruit trees.
A geodome provides space for growing vegetables and herbs throughout the year, but this could be turned into a greenhouse.
The cabin also comes with a decked area, a fire pit, tool shed and an outdoor compost toilet.
At the south of the woodland lies the ruined remains of a water-driven mill, which was used to mill corn and bleach cotton until its demise in the 1800s.
The mill pond has become overgrown with willow, alder, Dutch rush and opposite-leaved golden saxifrage.
The cabin had been on an uninterrupted one year rolling lease for the past 100 years and Tom and Glory are currently in negotiations to extend the lease term to 20 years. The property can be inhabited for 51 weeks of the year.
The cabin cannot be mortgaged or sub-let and no fences, hedges or new boundaries can be created at the property.
Lindsay French, a partner at GFW, the estate agency selling the cabin, said: ‘This property is truly one of a kind. Stanholme isn’t just a cabin, it’s a piece of living history.
‘Its rare combination of character, craftsmanship, and complete off-grid functionality, is unlike anything we’ve seen on the open market.’
