WITH the vast swathes of England’s largest man-made forest enveloping northern Europe’s largest man-made lake, Kielder has more than a touch of Scandinavia about it.

No more so than Leslie and Aud Garland’s idyllic riverside home at Yarrow, just a few hundreds yards from the eastern-most reaches of the reservoir.

When they bought High Pasture almost 20 years ago, it already had a distinctive Scandinavian feel about it. It was a Colt house, built in the 1960s, hence timber-framed and chalet style.

The Garlands merely added some more distinctive Scandinavian touches.

Leslie explained: “Aud is Norwegian and although I am English, I have also travelled a lot in Scandinavia, so we both have Scandinavia in our blood, and this house seemed to be as close to Scandinavia as we were likely to find in this country.

“Back when I was a student, I remember designing a house as part of some project and my house had wooden floors, wood panelling to the walls and a stone chimney breast – almost exactly what we found in this house, with the exception of the wood floors. It was quite uncanny. Needless to say, we both fell in love with it straight away.”

After moving from Jesmond, in Newcastle, the couple set about a gradual and painstaking renovation.

The kitchen was revamped and Swedish beechwood flooring has been laid in every room except one of the three bedrooms. Two large picture windows, installed downstairs, now offer fantastic views down the North Tyne Valley.

A multi-fuel burning stove was installed in the living room. It has a back boiler, providing all the hot water needed during the winter months. An immersion heater looks after the more sparing needs of summer.

When they moved in, the conservatory was too hot in summer, and akin to a fridge in winter. Its roof was replaced with timber shingle to match the rest of the house, and double glazing installed to provided a room which can be used all year round to capture views of the river valley on one side and the garden and opening countryside on the other.

More recently, all the timber shingles to the southern aspect of the cottage were replaced and additional insulation put in to ensure that even in winter, there is no need for heating upstairs.

Leslie said the couple’s favourite spot was the ‘west wing’ – a bench on a raised deck facing the setting sun and overlooking manicured gardens.

“At the end of the day it is a lovely place to sit and relax. The decking to both the west and south sides of the house was another of our additions.”

The gardens have been beautifully created from what they inherited.

There’s a lawn, well-stocked flower beds, fruit trees and bushes, a small vegetable garden and a herb patch.

“We have also installed a swinging bench seat which has scented climbing roses growing up it,” said Leslie.

“And we have a genuine grill hut (a barbecue hut) from Finland. This is a super place to entertain or just relax in.

“We also have about half an acre of woodland which stretches down to the River Tyne on the other side of the lane.”

So why would they want to leave this idyll. Well, the answer lies in Scandinavia.

Leslie explained: “Aud is Norwegian and all our family are in Norway. We are not getting any younger and we feel that if we don’t make our move now, the time will come when we cannot do so.

“So it is with a very heavy heart that we are saying goodbye to the house and this area.”

High Pasture, Yarrow, is for sale at £335,000 from Andrew Coulson, tel. 01434 600146.