Lake District hotel snapped up by Swiss investor

The West Vale Country House, located in Far Sawrey, close to Ambleside in South Lakeland, Cumbria, has been sold to a property investor in Switzerland.

Put on the market with an asking price of £1.1m, the property was sold to Lucerne-based Gabriel Farrer by the hotels team of real estate advisory firm Colliers International, which acted on behalf of owners Glynn and Dee Pennington.

Colliers International’s Manchester-based associate director, Haydn Spedding, said: “West Vale is a picturesque detached country house offering seven exceptionally high quality en-suite letting bedrooms, complimented by two self-catering lets and well-appointed owners’ accommodation.

“The sale of West Vale Country House illustrates the continuing increase in activity in the hotel and guest house market in the Lake District National Park.”

Following the deal, Gabriel will continue to run West Vale as a bed and breakfast, although he plans to refurbish the business in the near future.

Haydn continued: “Mr Farrer is one of a number of overseas buyers who have been introduced to the Lake District market by Colliers International in the last few months with other foreign buyers actively looking at buying in what they see as a premium location of the Lake District.”