listing

Situated 15 minutes from the A1 and 25 minutes from a mainline station that takes you to KIngs Cross, this is a great house from which to commute. It takes just 10 minutes to walk into town and 20 minutes to walk to one of the highly-rated schools. So children can independently walk to school whilst the commuting salary earners leave early for work. As we all know, cars need a lot of care, and to support this, a double garage, outside power and water taps allow the owner to care for their vehicles easily. Even further thought has been given to drivers as there is space for vehicles to turn around.

This neat, semi-detached property, with its trimmed hedges and pruned elegant trees, sits nestled in the crook of a cul-de-sac, and is noticeably peaceful. This location, teeming with land- or water- based birds, is a nature-lover's paradise; Within minutes it is possible to spot animal species that some people will never see in their whole lives, including herons, dippers and kingfishers. There are even denning River Otters close by. Yet, you are not in the middle of nowhere, but instead minutes away form a thriving community with many creative and sporting outlets. For example there is a local tennis club, rugby grounds, golf club and leisure centre. There is the not-so-amateur amateur dramatics group The (famous) Castle Players, who splendidly produce a giant open-air play every year, and so on and so forth. Barnard Castle is, in short, a fantastic place to live and has something for everyone.

Clearly a lot of thought has gone into the design of the garden at Riverdale, making the most of the space that the property commands. A large garden, which wraps right around the house, cleverly makes use of sunlight at any time of the day. This makes it very interesting, with a beautiful array of colours, heights and textures, but it also makes it multi-purpose. Whether you feel like having a BBQ on the south-facing terraced garden, a game of basketball in the yard or a morning coffee on the decking, this garden is a brilliant space for me-time, family time or parties.

The front of the house looks towards the footpath that runs along the River Tees. From here you can easily set off on a circular 5K route for a run or a dog walk, utilising two major listed stone bridges. OR, you can run into town and bring back the freshly-baked bread form one of the town's artisan bakeries. The Castle, from which the town gets its name, is choc-full of history and sits perched on a high seat on the North West side of the town only a few minutes walk from Riverdale. Similarly, The Bowes Museum, a purpose-built art museum is only a short walk making it possible to broaden ones horizons with the many exhibitions held there. A 13th century Premonstratensian abbey lies about 3K along the riverside, making Riverdale doubly attractive and a perfect location from which to enjoy the countryside and all the local heritage.

The back door of this fantastic property will be the main entrance to your home, after driving into the rear driveway. From here it is very easy to unload all your shopping; The driveway is fully paved, which helpfully allows you to enter your home mud-free in inclement weather. The rear hallway pulls you left to the fully-fitted kitchen or right into a spacious lounge-cum-dining room. The latter has a substantial gas fire in it making a lovely focal point, and has a light and airy feel. This is brought about by the south-facing French doors and a substantial skylight. The kitchen has all mod cons making cooking both easy and pleasurable. It includes an integrated breakfast bar and beautiful views overlooking the garden.

At the front of the house from the front door there is a larger, warmly-carpeted hall, leading to an additional cosy sitting room which has the convenience of a mains gas-powered fireplace, and an elegant fire surround. The whole feel of the house is one of comfort, warmth, and family love. The hall also leads us via an attractive staircase upstairs to beautifully-appointed bedrooms which have plenty of storage space, provided to them by the many attractive fitted wardrobes. The landing is spacious and there are two bathrooms allowing for plenty of passing traffic and a large busy family.

This is a fantastic opportunity to purchase a cracking house in a perfect location. For your viewing please call 01833 523521.