Belan, Welshpool, SY21 8SQ

Property number 53290. Enquire through Rightmove's messaging system and we'll respond within 5 minutes, 24/7.

‘Woodcote' is a stunning well established smallholding brought back to life over the past 8 years by it's present owners. The quaint 300+ year old traditional stone cottage has undergone extensive renovation within their tenure - entirely taken back to stone inside and out and subsequently refitted with appropriate insulation, windows, doors, new Welsh Slate roof, upgraded heating and completely re-rendered, with the interior now warm and contemporary and thoroughly practical throughout.

The smart white cottage sits within approximately 5 acres of it's own beautiful pasture - surrounded by farms, rolling hills and woodland with breath-taking views over the Mid Wales countryside.

Approached via a single track lane it sits at the top of the tree covered hill - peacefully tucked away but within only a few miles of Welshpool Town Centre where you will find Doctors, Dentists, schooling from nursery through to Year 13, numerous supermarkets and independent shops and even a small Hospital. Welshpool Train Station is a mere 3.6 miles away - offering fast, frequent connection to Shrewsbury and beyond.

The 1.5 mile lane on which the property sits is home to only 8 other properties- well spaced out to offer privacy but not total isolation. Access to the A483 is close at hand to ensure a quick commute (central Shrewsbury can be reached in around 40 minutes) or perhaps an easy, convenient start point to exploring everything Mid Wales has to offer. The popular beaches of Aberystwyth and the Mid Wales coastline are only 56 miles away and the beauty of Eryri National Park (Snowdownia) is around the same distance.

But once you've seen the views from Woodcote's own meadow you may never wish to leave!

The land has been thoughtfully divided into 6 separate, securely fenced areas - two adjoining 1acre fields leading to a further half acre (approx) field with roadside access, a further approximate half acre field with separate roadside access, a quarter acre paddock (currently used for lambing as it's closer to the house, making checks quick and easy) - all with connecting gates to make rotating grazing animals around each area quick and easy. Between the laneside and larger fields there is a small ancient woodland with a stream running through at the bottom of the steep Dingle. The remaining acreage includes a large parkland style garden with many mature trees and a large perennial flower bed that offers a riot of colour in the summer months. There is a sleeper-edged raised area in the centre of this space, ideally placed to be used as the perfect spot for a comfy garden sofa to make the most of the spectacular views. This main garden is linked to the house via a newly installed (2024) resin-bound expanse of pathway immediately outside the property to ensure any muddy paw or footprints are kept outside! There is also a fully fenced and gated highly productive, large vegetable garden including 20 raised-beds with feature trellis walkway to grow squash and climbing plants over. Many of the beds contain perennial plantings such as rhubarb, blackcurrant, raspberry, red and white currant bushes that provide prolific crops with very little effort required each year. The Growing Area also includes an abundance of fruit trees - numerous apple varieties, plum, cherry, pear, damson - some espaliered and some trained into goblet shapes to maximise their visual appeal whilst also encouraging fruiting and good tree health. There is a large set of compost bays positioned at the bottom of the growing area to ensure you can top up the beds each year, maximising the potential of any trimmings and clippings produced. A separate fenced and gated area holds a number of glasshouses to enable more sensitive produce to thrive and to provide a lovely space to potter and plan on the rainy days! There are two mains fed outdoor taps - one to the Growing Area and one to the Glasshouses.

Still within the bounds of the main garden there is a fenced area currently home to delightful pet pygmy goats - they live next to the glasshouses and growing area providing an entertaining view whilst you're working on your veggie beds. Their wooden stable which matches the neighbouring main glasshouse will be included in the sale. There is a rain-water storage tank, fed directly into by their stable roof which ensures they have access to water at all times.

Finally we come to the jewel in the garden - a Victorian brick built barn (re-roofed in traditional Welsh Slate to match the main cottage in 2019) - the barn is in two halves; the original pigsty was extended upwards in 2023 to become a double-height large space (16.6 sq meters), currently used to over-winter Boer goats but could lend itself to many uses. The other side of the barn (21.1sq m) remains in it's original two storey layout (upper floor currently accessed via removable ladder and used for storage) with the ground floor having access to a separate 'Calf Shed' (7.36 sq m) which the present owners also use for storage. This total area 45square meter barn could potentially offer further living accommodation subject to the necessary planning. At the end of the barns there is an old tin open pole barn (15.3 sq meters) used for hay storage presently. There is a very eco-friendly 4000 litre rain water collection system fed by the barn roof - this is cleverly bounced to further gravity fed 1000litre IBC containers in all but one field ensuring the animals have access to drinking water at all times - simultaneously reducing the water bill and the time it takes to take care of livestock. The barns both have light and power and there is a mains fed tap within the larger side.

There is also a further large modern metal storage shed (14sq meter) tucked away at the top of the garden on a large concrete base - a great place to store a ride-on mower and perhaps your garden furniture.

Moving inside the property there are two good sized reception rooms immediately upon entering via either of the external doors to the garden-side of the cottage (it's quirky but there is no 'official' front door - the lane-side aspect of the property does not contain any external doors at all!).

The 5.48m x 3.75m lounge has extensive bespoke built in storage to the far end - this has been built around the original chimney which could be revealed and reinstated to incorporate a log burner if the future occupiers so desired - a new flue and liner was installed in 2018 before the lounge was redesigned to incorporate highly efficient skirting board heating in 2022, negating the need for a fire.

The generous 4.68m x 3.90m dining room also has a chimney with the option of installing a stove if required. Both reception rooms offer lovely views over the beautifully finished hardscaping which includes a fully stocked raised herb bed to make collecting fresh herbs for the kitchen quick and easy whilst also ensuring the terrace area smells wonderful for al fresco breakfasts.

The entire ground floor was excavated and levelled in 2021 to remove steps between rooms and to allow for the installation of a new concrete substrate with a seamless, durable epoxy resin finish which is slip and stain resistant and makes cleaning quick and easy.

Moving from the lounge, you enter the bespoke chef's kitchen - a range of brushed steel cabinetry with a feature peninsula housing the brushed steel one and a half sink and drainer, integrated Neff dishwasher and Neff hob with central extraction, eliminating the need for an overhead fan. The cabinetry incorporates an integrated Neff fridge freezer and Neff oven with matching Neff microwave oven and warming drawer. The low level cabinetry on the far wall houses a clever recycling centre to keep your surfaces clear and your recycling easily stored and organised until collection day. The large picture window floods the room with light and offers a perfect view of surrounding fields - the present owners love to spot wildlife such as hares, rabbits and even deer here as they're waiting for the kettle to boil!

From the kitchen you approach the walk in shower room via a frosted glass pocket door. The fully tiled wet room offers a luxurious rubbed bronze body jet shower, with the choice of waterfall, rainfall or body jets - perfect after a long day outside in the gardens. The field view from the shower room is particularly lovely - filled with young cows in the summer months and peaceful sheep in the winter. There is an abundance of birdlife surrounding the property and it's not unusual to see Red Kites and Buzzards circling over head whilst you clean your teeth!

The first floor of the cottage is reached via the staircase in the dining room - a bright landing leads you to a good sized, light and airy master bedroom to your left. This 3.80x3.72m kingsize bedroom enjoys wonderful views over the garden and the hills beyond. A discreet thermostat controlled black glass panel radiator ensures the room is as cosy as you'd like it.

In the centre of the landing you will find the pocket door leading to the third bedroom - presently styled as a 2.36x2.45m walk-in wardrobe, but easily returned to a bedroom if required. A Velux roof window offers wonderful natural light over a clever multifunctional radiator that doubles as a full length mirror.

A final sliding door at the far end of the landing reveals the second large 3.56x3.31m bedroom (currently used as a home office). An access point to the roof space is in this room. This bedroom also includes a full length mirrored radiator.

The extensive renovation and modernisation works have seen the property's EPC rating rise from F to D67.... only narrowly below a C - very respectable for a property of it's age.

An external brick store room (2.9x2.3m) housing the washing machine and tumble dryer, along with the oil-fired boiler can be found attached to the side of the main cottage. This is a very useful storage space, currently accommodating numerous chest freezers to help preserve the abundance of produce this very successful smallholding provides each year. The electricity meter and board is also housed in the utility room. (As a side note the present owners had earmarked the attached single storey utility and adjoining store room to potentially be extended and increased to double height to offer an upstairs bathroom/ensuites. This may be an excellent option for future purchasers subject to the necessary planning).

The cottage is approached via a large driveway offering parking for 3-4 vehicles with a large grassed space to the side presently used to park numerous livestock trailers. The property's septic tank is found in this hedged area. The oil tank is positioned discreetly on the drive offering easy access for suppliers to top it up when required. As the cottage doesn't have a 'traditional' front door the present owners have created a lockable gated area on the driveway with a Smart Doorbell to add a layer of security/separation from the house.

There is a further useful lockable store room (2.09x2.94m) on the drive.

A word from the present owners - 'We arrived at Woodcote, both inexperienced, city raised folk, but with a shared dream of a more natural lifestyle and boy, did Woodcote deliver! In our time here we've thoroughly enjoyed learning how to care for the land, grow our own food and raise livestock - we've successfully raised sheep, pigs, pygmy goats, boer goats, chickens, ducks, turkeys, guinea fowl, quail and even two Dexter cows and expanded our collection of dogs to dizzying numbers!! We didn't quite realise what a renovation project we'd taken on but feel an immense sense of satisfaction knowing that this beautiful old building will live on, hopefully for another three hundred years now, with the care we've put in to restoring and modernising it. We are immeasurably grateful to the friendly, welcoming farmers whose land surrounds our home - they've helped us with gentle patience with all of our daft animal questions and have been quick to offer more assistance than we would ever have dared ask for. The selfless generosity of Welsh country folk was a very welcome culture shock for us! We'll be so sad to leave this beautiful place (it's a bittersweet sale, with a new work role forcing the move) and can only hope the next caretakers of this wonderful space enjoy it as much as we have'.

Finally, the property benefits from fast 4g internet, perfect for all those Working From Home Zoom calls/streaming devices. The present owners have installed extenders to enable cameras to run via Solar and Wifi in the barns, the pygmy patch and the lambing paddock making it quick and easy to check everyone is OK without leaving the sofa.

Whatthreewords. ///tangling.piglets.waving