Jennifer and Les Walker have lived at Cherry Garth for more than 30 years after building the property in the quiet village of Little Clifton and bringing up their three children there.

The house is full of happy memories of family life and the parties the couple have held there over the decades. Spacious to start with, they have added an extension and conservatory.

As well as all this inside space, their home has three patio areas, three garages, mature gardens and a field for horses or livestock, leading to woodland with river frontage. And it stands in approximately 1.66 acres of private space.

Jennifer said: "Cherry Garth is a substantial, spacious property with five bedrooms and two bathrooms. As well as our family-sized dining kitchen, which has a range-style cooker, the reception rooms include an L-shaped living/dining room, study and music room.

"Four of the bedrooms are on the ground floor and the fifth is on the first floor along with a sitting/family room which is very large at 27ft by nearly 21ft."

She and Les added the conservatory in 2008 and now they think it is idyllic as it extends the kitchen into the garden, is south-facing and leads to a lovely private patio that is a sun trap.

"The large private patio at the back of the house is lovely in the evening, south-westerly and capturing the sun until dusk," Jennifer said, "and the inner hall opens into a lovely music room looking out on to a third patio.

"But the upstairs sitting/family room is our favourite room and was used when our family were younger to do their homework, play pool and have fun.

"It's now a haven of tranquillity, with the sound of the water feature through the open window and a seat placed to look out through the lovely arched window across the garden and field to watch the wildlife, including pheasants and squirrels."

The size of Cherry Garth has allowed the couple to host large numbers for family events including outdoor parties, sports and music events. It’s certainly a property with room for a pony, although Jennifer and Les said they’ve only ever had a goldfish, a cat and a dog.

With its close proximity to neighbouring towns and major local employment and highly-regarded schools it’s an ideal property for a young and growing family.

The Walkers' three children attended Cockermouth School and then went on to university, two of them becoming engineers and the other a dentist. They love to return to visit the lakes, the mountains and the sea which are all in easy reach of Little Clifton.

Jennifer retired early from the Civil Service but Les continues to work as an accountant in Workington and they both find living in the village ideally located for their work-life balance.

Jennifer said: "Little Clifton has retained its traditional Cumbrian characteristics and is a lovely quiet community. The village hall hosts many events and classes and is in use most days. The church is also at the heart of village life."

The couple are sorry to be leaving the beautiful home they have lovingly created but say it’s now too big for them. However, they’re not leaving the village they are downsizing to a little cottage to give them the flexibility of owning a second home in Hertfordshire which will allow them to spend more time with their family and grandchildren.

Cherry Garth, Little Clifton, is for sale at £450,000 from Cumbrian Properties. For more details see here .