'Our rental's GONE GREEN!'

Sharon was able to turn fantasy into reality when she moved to her favourite holiday destination in the Lake District

- KAREN WILSON/LAURIE DAVIDSON

We used to holiday in the Lake District all the time, but it started getting harder and harder for me and my husband Garry to go back home,’ says Sharon. ‘Then I was diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis and we took it as an opportunity to completely reshape our lives and relocate.

We were living in Derbyshire in the village of Hayfield at the time, where we’d moved to back in 2015. I’d started an interiors store and gallery, and we were living in a rented apartment above. Although Gerry and I had an amazing five years there, we were working constantly and wanted to slow down a bit.

Property hunt

After searching for three months, a former brewery manager’s house came up for rent in the village of Caldbeck and it was love at first sight. The rooms were all a good size and we were completely seduced by the original floorboards, high ceilings and fireplaces. In the agent’s details, every room was painted magnolia, but as we walked around the house it was clear the previous tenants had done some painting since then. The dining room had a red chimney breast and the living room had a red shag pile carpet, while the office and master bedroom both had pink and purple walls – so we knew the landlord would be open to us making changes.

Moving in

We knew this was the place for us and were happy to rent it instead of buying. With lockdown looming, our moving date was brought forward to March and we started ordering new kitchen appliances in anticipation. I was determined not to do anything to the property for nine months and just live here to get a feel for the place, but I only lasted a couple of months! Especially as we had more time on our hands than anticipated during lockdown.