Northern focus brings farms, bare land and large tenancy

Two very different farms in neighbouring north of England counties are coming to the market.

Gapshield Farm, a 450-acre holding near Haltwhistle, Northumberland, is home to a well-known pedigree sheep flock.

Meanwhile, the 333-acre Mount Pleasant, close to Penrith in Cumbria, is an established dairy farm.

Each provides huge opportunities in its own right, says Thomas Armstrong, director at H&H Land & Estates, which is marketing both holdings.

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Gapshield Farm © H&H Land & Estates

Gapshield Farm is being sold because its owners are retiring after establishing a reputation for producing high-quality store cattle and sheep, including the Gapshield Blue Faced Leicester flock.

“The reputation of this wonderful livestock farm and the family who have farmed it so well speaks for itself,” says Thomas.

“There is absolutely no doubt that an enterprise of this quality and scale will attract the highest levels of serious and competitive interest.”

There is a well-maintained five-bedroom farmhouse, a full range of modern stock buildings and traditional stone outbuildings.

The land includes ring-fenced grassland, moorland and fell, with part of the fell designated as blanket bog and some as moorland fell.

A Higher Level Countryside Stewardship scheme is in place on the land until 30 September 2028 at Gapshield Farm, which is being offered with a guide price of £2.9m.

Mount Pleasant Farm © H&H Land & Estates

Just four miles west of Penrith is Mount Pleasant Farm, at Blencow.

This has a fully equipped dairy operation, an historic Grade II listed five-bedroom farmhouse, two three-bedroom bungalows and an original steading with potential for conversion.

It comes to the market at £4.535m as a whole or in four lots.

Lot 1 includes the farmhouse, steading and bungalows, together with 196 acres of mowing and grazing land with mains and borehole water supplies, and a small area of woodland.

Lot 2 has 97 acres of mowing and grazing land with mains water, lot 3 is a single 11-acre field of mowing and grazing land, while lot 4 is two fields of mowing and grazing land covering 23 acres.

Thomas said the scope for Mount Pleasant Farm was unlimited, either as a “lock, stock and barrel” investment or in separate lots.

Cheshire bare land

A large block of bare land is to be launched at Malpas in Cheshire. At 550 acres, it is a mixture of productive cropping and accommodation ground.

Situated in the middle of traditional Cheshire dairy country, selling agent Savills says it is suitable for a range of uses.

This is being offered at a guide price of £4.5m for the whole, but it is also available in four lots.

Each is connected to the mains water supply or with that option available. There is road access to each lot.

Land at Malpas © Savills

Large Lincolnshire tenancy

The Crown Estate is offering a 15-year farm business tenancy in Lincolnshire.

College Farm, near Frampton, Boston, is a fully equipped ring-fenced arable farm with Grade 1 silt soils.

Letting agent Carter Jonas says the scale and quality of the farm is likely to attract high levels of interest.

“This is an incredibly rare opportunity to take on quality rented land at such a significant scale,” says associate partner Alex Morter.

“The length of tenancy will also be attractive, allowing the new tenant to plan for the longer term.”

College Farm has a range of buildings including storage for more than 3,000t of grain, two cold stores with capacity for 1,000 tonnes, and drying facilities.

There are also general purpose workshops, traditional buildings and a farm office.

Three cottages may be available by separate negotiation following refurbishment this summer.

Informal tenders should be submitted to Carter Jonas by noon on 12 July.

College Farm © Carter Jonas