Looking for a new place

[andrewo]

Can anyone suggest websites were I can search for land and property in the Lancashire, Derbyshire, Cheshire and Lancashire area(s). Not a rich person but willing to take on work. Want to have more land....am I mad?

[poultrychat]

No more so than the rest of us

[nick the grief]

Try smallholders website I'm sure they have a link to land sites. You could just try googleing for Land in Lancs or have you already?

[andrewo]

Already googled and there are a lot of con sites out there and you need to be wary. I am a member of www.acountrylife.com which is mainly smallholders and they are looking out for me but most of them think you have 300K to spare, will be lucky to raise half of that!

[nick the grief]

Farmers weekly website? they may have something. The only other place I can think of is the Smallholding Centre, nut they are mainly Wales I think.

[andrewo]

Smallholding Centre is good but Wales only, will look up Farmers Weekly.

[nick the grief]

try a search on estate agentis in Lancs etc, that may give you some ideas as well.

[andrewo]

Thanks for Farmers Weekly tip, didn't find houses but found 3-6 acres of land. Tempted, no planning but not far to farm.

[nick the grief]

It was nothing ... no honest it was nothing. I've looked on there before And found them useful. If there is no planning you may get away with a small caravan as a temporary shelter come shed

[Lesley Jay]

There are always farms for sale around where we live. What exactly are you looking for?

[andrewo]

It's 9 mins away in the car, so tempted...

....so very tempted have to convince Mrs...

[nick the grief]

Just tell her it's going to be a second home What will you do with it 3-6 acres is some veg patch !! Do you think you'll have livestock on it as well, if so what do you fancy? Pigs? can't beat a Gloucester Old spot or a Berkshire. Sheep - something like Shropshires or Welsh mountains (especially the coloured ones Balwens I think they are). Dexter cattle you could have 6 of these on 3 acres no probs they are only small, where as normal cattle need 1 acre each.

[bramble]

Wow Nick, you're not half knowledgeable. Glad I don't have to meet you, i'm sure you would put me to shame. Am well impressed however.

[Emma]

Hi Nick,

I too have been looking longingly at land and smallholdings, but struggling to convince the other 1/2. Have you tried www.ruralpropertyindex.co.uk they cover the whole country and have loads of links. Or www.countrysmallholding.com, they have a classified section and again links for property.

It is possible with some Agricultural land if you were to turn it into a smallholding that you could put a portacabin on the site. You'd have to look it up as I'm not 100% sure about the in's and out's of it all but if there has been a portacabin or tempoary home on a site for a certain period of time, the council will almost certainly grant you permission to build a permanent home on it. I have a friend doing exactly that at the momment. So may be worth looking into, any property that was built would have conditions such as only for the use of those working on the land etc. So could not be sold unless the buyer were to prove their intention to continue working the land. Not sure if your council has the same rules or not but may be worth looking into if you are really serious.
Em

[sewer rat]

Come up North (proper North, not North Englandshire) and get a croft ! By the beach on the North West Coast - Highland cattle (excellent eating, good for tourists) in one paddock, Blackface sheep in another (Cheviot or Welsh Mountain are good too - more money with NCC cross lambs) and the sunsets are to die for. You could run a B&B and courses on veg growing. And don't forget the effect of the North Atlantic Drift. Just look at Inverewe Gardens to see what is possible. Most crofts will already have had a dwelling on them, so planning shouldn't be a problem
Second thoughts - don't come - I'm gonna work on the OH with this one.