A rare opportunity has arisen to acquire three railway cottages in a Tyne Valley town ahead of an expected booming summer of staycation trade.

The trio of cottages, located in Haltwhistle, are up for sale after owner Viv Brown has decided to focus on other business interests and also begin winding down ahead of her retirement.

Viv, who has been involved in the running of the holiday lets for more than 20 years, says now is the correct time to sell up.

“I’m really sad to let them go, but I should have retired about five years ago and I still haven’t!” she said.

“I also run two flower shops and I’m incredibly busy.

“Currently, I go up every Friday to do the changeover and the cleaning.

“I adore the drive up there, I love the beautiful views from the cottages, especially in the Spring, when the hillside opposite is full of tiny lambs.

“However, I should be in the flower shops with the girls preparing for wedding deliveries.”

After initially running the sole Bridge Cottage as a holiday let, Viv then expanded the business by purchasing both the Hunters Cottage and Hollie Cottage also.

The sale of the cottages, which is being completed using business broker Hilton Smyth, is set to take place in time for an expected increase in staycations this summer due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The market for staycation holidays in the UK continues to grow in the wake of Covid-19 and this is likely to continue in the years to come,” added Gareth Smyth, CEO of Hilton Smythe.

“This is a fantastic opportunity to invest in a well-established and successful business, running three beautiful holiday cottages at a popular holiday destination for families, keen walkers and cyclists.”

Currently Viv lets the cottages through Sykes Cottages, but also offers lets to a few private clients and believes the new owners could use popular site AirBNB to promote them as well.