Properties to renovate on Britain's islands

We were talking to this bloke in the pub, and he was telling us about his honeymoon on Scilly and how beautiful the island is.
Obvs I'd heard of the Isle of Scilly but, and here's where haphazard geography teaching gets you, I'd assumed it was up North somewhere, maybe off Scotland with all those other short name islands. Also, like that bloke, I thought it was one island.
But it's neither - Scilly is South, off Cornwall in fact, and is Isles. But then, you knew that didn't you? Just like you probably knew that the British Isles consists of 188 inhabited islands, including Great Britain, and that five of our inhabited islands are within the Isles of Scilly archipelago.
Where this got me to was thinking about the amazingness that comes from living on an island surrounded by clusters of sibling islands, and that I wanted to spend time focusing on those clusters.
I wrote about St Mary's, Scilly's largest island, back in March. And the property I featured (above) is still up for sale - here's that post. I noted the rarity of houses coming up for sale there, and the "Scilly" prices that created. That rarity is still an issue (I have nothing new on Scilly to show you).
But spending today looking around southern islands was actually quite dispiriting. Because that North/South property divide applies to our islands too. Higher prices in the South and too many rows of ugly boxy builds with little left to renovate.
That being said, I did find three interesting ones to show you. Starting with this proper wreck on the very lovely Isle of Man. Expensive, not least given it's cash buyers only at offers around £345k. But some works have already been done and it has planning permission to extend. 

In a gorgeous position on the island, surrounded by hills and a short drive to the harbour town of Peel.
A large farmhouse, with four potential bedrooms (once you finish building stairs and landing...) set in a big garden block. But, a hell of lot of work still to do and pay for.
On the market at cash offers around £345k through Manxmove. More pictures and details on the agent's site here and on Rightmove here.
My second pick is on the Isle of Angelsey. It's actually two houses - semis - being sold as one property so fabulous scope to turn it into one lovely big country house, or develop as two homes for friends.

Both properties have a lounge, kitchen and bathroom downstairs, and three bedrooms upstairs. They  share a gated drive and large parking area, with good-size gardens each.
One house is in better condition that the other in terms of the work needed and the second house looks like it's been empty quite a while.

The location's fabulous - views of the sea and the mountains, and more-or-less midway between the beach at Porth Trwyn and the village of Llanfaethlu.
On the market at £275k through Williams & Goodwin. Details and more pictures on the agent's site here and on Rightmove here.
My last property to show you is on the Isle of Sheppey, in Kent. I'm not entirely convinced by the designation 'Isle' for Sheppey, given it's bridges and ease of access, but that has driven its popularity. 

This detached house is on Sheerness's High Street and walking distance to the sea front.
It's a time-stopped, three-bedroom detached house with a lovely walled garden. And if you're a fan of 'mid-century modern', let me introduce you to Blundeston House's take on the 70s.

On the market at £250k through Wards. More pictures on the agent's site here and on Rightmove here.

Farmhouse, barns plus bungalow to renovate

I'm watching the clouds this morning, looking for hints of rain in their gathering. The weather app on my phone says rain might be - 60% chance, it says.
But I've been caught out by hope in an app before; weather is more fickle at the coast.
The garden at the home we've been slowly renovating has borders of new plants this summer. All of them are struggling. Planting for coastal wind is difficult, planting for wind and drought with young plants raised indoors, is pretty impossible; I'm losing one plant in three.
Hubby and I are having conversations about water recycling and storage and drip systems for next year, but also about how to hose down outbuildings and whether gardens need fire breaks. We don't do under-thinking.
Which brings me to this week's 'Wreck' pick, and I've gone big again with a former farm with two houses to renovate, five stone barns, almost 17 acres of land, surrounded by open fields (fire breaks), good access (escape), and the possibility of buying it all as one lot or as separate houses with their own parcel of land.
It's within the Lake District National Park and a walkable less than a mile from the super-pretty Cumbrian village of Cartmel.
We'll start with the big house.

Borwicks Aynsome farmhouse is a house built for food and the storing, prepping and cooking thereof. Its kitchens (there are three) are old school front, middle and back kitchen. None of this modern open-plan, let's-all-chat-over-chopping-veg kitchen - these kitchens were workshops.
Added to which is the biggest pantry/cold store I've seen outside a stately home. 

The two reception rooms feel like extras on a film set, waiting to shine in the Christmas scene.
Upstairs are five bedrooms and one bathroom (you'll want to change those numbers).

The farmhouse is Grade II listed and comes with five stone barns, some attached to the farmhouse, bringing more possibilities for business or living options.

The farmhouse, barns and an adjoining paddock can be bought as one separate lot (above) for £445k.

Next door is Little Aynsome, a cute two-bedroom bungalow needing its modernisation re-modernised.

There's a hall, a large light lounge, two decent-sized bedrooms, shower room, kitchen and utility.
If you wanted to buy the bungalow on its own, it's being parceled up with a manageable third of an acre sliced from the adjoining field for £350k.

To be fair, I think the agents and sellers have done a decent job in thinking about how to sell this estate. The two houses parceled with bits of adjoining land; the rest of the acreage offered as farm land with a clawback clause - all nicely planned.
But who wants a tidy bungalow when you could have it all?! Five bedroom farmhouse, two bedroom bungalow, five stone barns and almost 17 acres of pasture and meadow, a lottery-win bargain at £995k!

On the market through H&H Land & Estates, details, plans and more pictures on their website. For the whole property here, for just the farmhouse and barns here, and for the bungalow here.

Starter homes to do-up, under £200k

I've been reading Andy Burnham and Steve Rotherham's book 'Head North' in my downtime this week. For obvious reasons, but also because I'm a bit weird.
No-one needs to tell me, born into Hull's docklands and council estates, about the visceral reality of the North-South divide, but reading about how that manifested during Covid as political choices is chilling. 
Of course we have lots of other divides nowadays to pile onto the geographic one, including the growing gap between those who have bought their homes and those who may never be able to.
So today I'm going to focus on starter homes - properties under £200k, in well-served areas for first-time buyers, that don't need masses of work.
This is always the toughest type of property to find, not least because the price bracket is swamped with "Modern Method of Auction" chancers, but here's three I picked to show you.
Manchester is VERY up and down price-wise because the right area, down to the right street, matters. This property (above and below) made it onto my list because it offers more than a terraced stepping-stone; it's a house with space to grow with.
A proper Manchester redbrick, it's an end terrace with a large garden and detached garage. Good size lounge and kitchen diner downstairs, three bedrooms and shower room upstairs. 
Surrounded by prettier and newer properties and the inside has some interesting decor choices, but it's in up-and-coming Mossley with its train station, street life and good links.

On the market at offers over £190k through Ryder & Dutton. Details and more pictures on the agent's site here and on Rightmove here.
My next pick is down south, in increasingly popular and arty Margate. Houses under £200k that aren't auction properties are pretty rare in Margate - houses with gardens, walking distance to beach and schools and that have been looked after, are gold dust. This one, while not a wreck, has got awkward access that has put it in our price bracket.

A mid terrace with large gardens front and back, there's a lounge, kitchen, utility and bathroom downstairs, two bedrooms upstairs.
Access is up steps from the street and along the pathway in front of the terrace, then into that wild front garden. Fabulous for children and garden parties, less so for parking and carrying stuff home.

But at just £180k, and walking distance from the best of Margate, there's a lot to like.
On the market through Footprints. Details and more pictures on the agent's site here and on Rightmove here.
If those two are a bit too "city" for you, my last pick is in the North Yorkshire village of Gristhorpe, between Filey and Scarborough and just-about commutable to York or Hull.

There's a large lounge, small kitchen and shower room downstairs, two good-size bedrooms upstairs.
Outside is a large garden with fabulous open views (...and breathe) and a stone outbuilding that could become an office or workshop. 

Equally, you have neighbours who have extended into their garden which gives you growth options too.
It's on Gristhorpe's very pretty main street, with the popular Bull Inn pub nearby.
On the market at £170k through DMA. Details and more pictures on the agent's site here and on Rightmove here.