THE sale of a Windermere hotel for more than £1/4 million has been seen as a positive indicator in the bed and breakfast sector.

The Lingmoor Hotel, on High Street, has sold for an undisclosed figure from an asking price of £275,000 after interest from 15 prospective buyers.

The property has been a family-run guesthouse under the ownership of mother and son team, Jennifer and Timothy Parkinson, since December 2001.

New owners will be Gary and Rosemary Simpson, of Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, who plan to continue the Lingmoor as a year-round bed and breakfast.

Alistair Greenhalgh, of Christie and Co which handled the sale, said: "We were inundated with interest in the sale of the Lingmoor Hotel and it appears that there are more first-time buyers than ever looking to break into the market."