The peace and tranquillity of Seascale has been balm to Terry and Margaret Scaife after they moved there three years ago.

"I don’t think we would go back to West Yorkshire, sadly," said Terry. "We’ve got used to not being afraid to go out in the dark at night. Here it’s so safe and quiet, just nice and peaceful."

The Scaifes, who are both retired, wanted to live by the coast and a friend in Wigton suggested they might like Seascale.

"So we got the details of several properties. We saw this one and its location and thought, 'It’s a nice coastal village, a nice place to come to,' so that was really it," Terry said.

"We like Seascale, we’ve met nice people and have good friends here now as we’re both members of St Cuthhbert’s Church. It has been very easy to settle here and we’re glad we made the move."

The house the couple moved to is a detached brick-built bungalow in a quiet cul-de-sac on the modern Fairways estate. It is conveniently located for all the amenities of the village - shop, schools and railway station - just a few minutes' walk. The beach and golf course are also close to hand.

Since taking up residence, Terry and Margaret have made many improvements to their home.

"We’ve had all the windows changed and most of the doors on the outside – front and back doors and the double doors from the conservatory to the garden," he said.

"We also changed all the guttering, fascia and soffits it’s uPVC now, having been timber. We had the heating system overhauled and had a high-efficiency boiler fitted in the garage about two years ago.

"We completely gutted the kitchen two years ago and it’s all integral now with all the appliances with granite worktops - we really pushed the boat out on it.

"It’s tiled from floor to ceiling and we’ve got tall wall units almost to the ceiling with a strip finishing it off so you don’t get a gap above the units that just collects dust."

The lounge - Terry and Margaret's favourite room - is a spacious L-shaped room with decorative coving and patio doors to a wraparound conservatory. This is the couple's other favourite spot; it's very spacious, with room for a dining table where they eat all their meals, and has radiators, fitted blinds and French doors to a paved patio area.

Terry said: "We can see the sea from the conservatory but it’s not an open view. We’re at the bottom of the estate, more or less. It's a friendly place to live, everybody talks to you and keeps an eye out for things, there's a neighbourly spirit."

The Scaifes' bungalow has a rear hall where there are doors to the bathroom and three bedrooms. The master bedroom, which overlooks the front garden, has a built-in wardrobe and en-suite shower room.

The house and gardens sit on a large plot of about half an acre. The front garden is lawned with shrubs and a driveway for parking, in addition to a single garage. At the back the garden is mostly laid to lawn with the patio area off the conservatory and borders with flowers, trees and shrubs.

"It’s a very generous garden," Terry said. "People who have seen it have commented on it."

He retired just before the move to Seascale after working as a technical training manager for a company that manufactured high-performance showering systems.

"I spent most of my time lecturing to plumbers on seminars or to plumbing students in the technical colleges and it was a job I thoroughly enjoyed," said Terry.

"Margaret had been a doctor’s receptionist in the NHS and then was self-employed. It's actually because she is so keen on crafts that we are moving - we need a house with a hobby room.

"We'll stay in Seascale though - we're very happy here."

The Fairways, Seascale, is for sale at £229,950 from Cumbrian Properties, tel. 01946 313107.