A UNIQUE Cumbrian lifestyle business in the Eden Valley is on the market for £830,000.

Bessy Beck Trout Fishery at Newbiggin-on-Lune is being sold by Ian and Shelley Riddell who are retiring.

The pair are stepping down after 11 years at the business, which is on the A685 between Tebay and Kirkby Stephen.

It includes 13 acres, a four bedroom family home along with three trout lakes, a cafe, tackle shop, smokehouse and farm shop.

Mr Riddell, 65, took over in 2003 and has run it with his wife and son, Josh, 25. Josh recently acquired a 90-acre fly fishing reservoir on the Swinton Estate in North Yorkshire.

Bessy Beck has staged events by famous fly fisherman, former footballer Jack Charlton and has a smokehouse where rainbow trout are smoked the same day they are killed and either packed or used to make pate, smoked trout fishcakes and even sausages.

The heaviest fish caught during their time was an 18lb rainbow trout and the largest haul in a single day was 100lb worth of trout from a deft angler determined to fill his chest freezer.

Every year Ian purchases in the region of 12,000 infant fish called ‘fingerlings’ which take around two years to develop to ‘catchable’ size.

He previously worked in the North East as a factory manager and chose the fishery as a lifestyle business because of its stunning location.

Bessy Beck is situated between the Lake District National Park and the Yorkshire Dales National Park (YDNP) but will form part of the YDNP under the proposed extensions encompassing the north-ern Howgills.

He explained: “It’s open air, you are your own boss, no-one tells you what to do and you live by your own decisions. We’ve built the business up since we have been here but there is still opportunity to develop it.

“We get a few local fishermen and women from Kendal, Kirkby Stephen and Penrith as well as people from the south of Scotland, Workington, Durham and Wigan.

“There’s even a chap from Preston comes up every week and it’s in a really good position for access.”

John Haley, partner at Edwin Thompson Chartered Surveyors who have been instructed to sell the fishery, commented: “This is a rare opportunity to purchase a large family property with an established fishery business.

"The sale includes 12.73 acres of mature landscaping incorporating the three trout fishing lakes, the house which is set to the rear of the site overlooking the fishery and with spectacular panoramic views as well as a hatchery, fish farm, smokehouse and on-site facilities.

"This is a real live/work lifestyle that will appeal to many people”.