The idyllic rural position, birds and wildlife, wonderful neighbours ... Deborah Barrass finds it hard to pin down just one aspect of life in Black Hall Mill that she will miss.

“First and foremost we’ll miss living next to the Rowley Burn,” said the staff nurse at Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary. “We’ve lived in this property since June 2007, arriving when our children, Tabitha and Felix, were five and seven. It was very exciting for them to live in a house with a stream at the bottom of the garden.

“We have numerous birds and wildlife nesting and passing through, including dippers, kingfishers, grey wagtails, moorhens. We have elusive otters, brown trout, water voles and occasionally red kites overhead.

“A salmon run has been built under the bridge, though we’ve never seen them travelling upstream to spawn – only exhausted and weakened on their way downstream. And we have fishing rights.

“The house is set in an idyllic location, private and in a friendly and welcoming area. When we first moved here, the local vicar, Andrew Patterson, turned up on the doorstep with a large pot of curry and home-made bread and jam!

“Our neighbours are second to none, always on hand to help out and get together for barbecues and celebrations!”

As well as Tabitha and Felix, Deborah shares her home with her long-time partner Michael Barker, a Washington businessman. It’s a stone-built property with two reception rooms, a large family kitchen, three bedrooms and two bathrooms.

Deborah said: “The gardens are a particular feature of the house. They are very private and well-stocked with mature shrubs and trees. We have blackberries, raspberries, blackcurrant, redcurrant, gooseberry, apple and cherry trees and bushes. We have two small raised beds where we have grown vegetables for the past two years, though we haven’t got round to planting this year.

There are numerous areas to sit in the garden and there is always a sunny area. The patio is a sun trap for most of the day in summer and the burn has provided years of entertainment to ourselves and friends.”

She and Michael were living in Fourstones when they saw their current house advertised in the Hexham Courant. “As we crossed the ford and approached the house, I immediately knew that I wanted to live here,” she said. “The sandstone cliff behind the burn is quite striking and in the 11 years we’ve been here I have never, for one second, tired of the view.

“I will particularly miss the numerous walks and trails in the immediate area, which are ideal for dogs walkers and ramblers. A wonderful advantage of living in a rural area is the dark sky with no light pollution. It is ideal for stargazing and astronomy.”

Since they moved to Black Hall Mill, the couple have carried out a range of upgrades, including a new bathroom suite and shower room, converted a workshop into a summer house/den with patio doors overlooking the burn and converted a study, porch and the small original kitchen into a large, open space with a wood-burning stove and one end opening on to the dining room.

“This is one of my favourite spots to sit, drink coffee and read, especially in colder months,” Deborah said. “However the best place to sit on warm days is the patio overlooking the burn. It’s an idyllic position in the garden to eat meals or watch the numerous birds on and around the water.

“We’re moving due to work commitments, but will be extremely sad to leave. We would love to see another family or couple enjoy the house and area as much as we have.”