Tucked into the side of Blencathra, and with stunning panoramic views of the Cumbrian fells, Middle Row Farm is an exciting package of farmhouse, buildings, a barn with planning permission and 80 acres of land, all offering great potential for a range of uses.

It is for sale in four lots or as a whole, with the farmhouse, buildings and land being one lot and the other three lots being land.

Anyone taking on the farm would also inherit a well-known flock of Herdwick sheep hefted on to the mountain.

Denise and William Tyson have farmed the site since he took over from his parents in the early 80s. Their two sons live outside the area and are not interesting in following in his footsteps.

"This place has a long history and we have documents dating back to 1729," William said. "Its original name was Hol Ghyll although that may not be the correct spelling.

"It was a country council farm which came about because of the Blencathra Sanatorium. This hospital opened in 1903 and took up what was Far End Row – there was also High End Row and we’re Middle Row.

"The farmhouse and buildings became part of the sanatorium and the land was added to Middle Row in the early part of the 20th century. When my father and mother took the tenancy in 1948 they first paid rent to the county council then the East Cumbria Health Board then the council again.

"After my parents retired, Denise and I managed to get the tenancy in our own names and took the opportunity about three years ago to inquire about buying it."

The couple ran a livestock farm with suckler cows and sheep until the BSE crisis in the late 80s. They kept the sheep but after the foot-and-mouth outbreak in 2001, they reduced their herd to just the Herdwicks, now 600-strong.

"I would be delighted if Middle Row Farm was sold as a whole," William said. "We’re retiring but the dilemma we find ourselves in is that the flock is hefted on to Saddleback so I need to keep them in case somebody buys the place to farm.

"We have a relatively well-known flock of 600 Herdwick prefix Blencathra or Saddleback.

"We have some land we’ve ploughed over the years, mostly in front of the house so barley can be grown and we’ve also grown turnips and rape as sheep feed. The land is just shy of 80 acres and about 40% to 50 % is cultivatable land."

A two-storey barn has planning permission in place for conversion to a holiday let and the adjacent farmhouse has three bedrooms.

"But the main selling point in most people’s eyes are the views," William said. "We sit on the south-facing slope of Blencathra at about 850ft above sea level and we have a 180 degree panorama starting at Whinlatter towards Newlands in a full southerly sweep right round.

"In winter we can see Dunn Fell on the Pennines. It’s fantastic. People come into the yard here and they just stand and look and say, ‘My God, what a magnificent view,’ and it really is.

"This is an opportunity to buy a Lakeland farm with all the features of land and potential with outstanding views – you can’t describe them any other way.

"We’re lucky and have a house in the village to retire to which sits on the side of the fell so we have good views of Saddleback and Helvellyn. People ask what we’re going to miss and I say, ‘Not a lot - I’ll be looking at Saddleback through a different window’. We’re ready for a move, it’s exciting.”

Middle Row Farm, Thelkeld, is for sale at £1m from PFK Land Agency.