Six of the best... riverside retreats

All six of these towns offer stunning scenery, riverside charm and a sense of sheer escapism

 

Read why a riverside town could be for you

 

 

Unspoilt Upper Wharfedale, North Yorkshire

Why? The fast-flowing waters of the River Wharfe cascade through a northern landscape of fell and dale. Heading east from Langstrothdale, it tumbles through hamlets and remote villages, such as Hubberholme, Buckden and Kettlewell.

What can I get for my money?

£190,00 Stone terraced cottage with mullioned windows and two bedrooms in Buckden.

£350,000 Detached stone cottage with four bedrooms, a Rayburn and a terrace overlooking Kettlewell Beck.

£600,000 Grade II listed barn conversion (shown left) with permission for B&B use; five bedrooms; Aga; close to river. Carter Jones (01423 523423).

 

 

Bustling Fowey,in south Cornwall

Why? A lively seaside town with excellent restaurants and pubs on the River Fowey estuary. A mecca for boat lovers and tourists, but the peaceful, romantic creeks and quiet hamlets that feature in many of Daphne du Maurier's novels are a short walk upriver.

What can I get for my money?

£290,000 A pretty doublefronted cottage with two bedrooms, sash windows, original architraving, a Belfast sink and a private courtyard.

£500,000 A family house with harbour and sea views, conservatory, bespoke kitchen with Rayburn, five bedrooms and a large balcony.

£900,000 A three-bedroom house (shown right) with a study, Aga, courtyard area and direct access from the sitting room balcony to the water. May, Whetter & Grose (0845 2235147; www.maywhetter.co.uk).

 

 

Historic Bradford-on-Avon in west Wiltshire

Why? Bradford-on-Avon is both picturesque and practical. It has a busy, arty community, a handful of schools, excellent amenities, good rail links and beautiful limestone buildings.

What can I get for my money?

£250,000 Three-storey character cottage (shown left) with three bedrooms; exposed beams; stone fireplace. Geoffrey M Saxty (01225 864880; www.geoffreymsaxty.co.uk)

£500,000 Grade II-listed house in an elevated position with four bedrooms, sash windows and front and rear gardens.

£620,000 Five-bedroom house with a conservatory and mature gardens in the village of Holt.

 

 

Dramatic Boat of Garten, Speyside, Highland

Why? Runner-up in the 2008 Calor Village of the Year awards (www.villageoftheyear.org), Boat of Garten on the River Spey, Scotland's most famous salmon river, has its own gardens, community hall and annual book festival. In the Cairngorms National Park, there is no shortage of stunningscenery and wildlife.

What can I get for my money?

£160,000 Cottage in nearby Aviemore requiring complete renovation, with planning consent to extend.

£390,000 Five-bedroom house (shown right) ideal for use as a B&B; self-contained annexe and three-bedroom cottage; 0.8 acres with outbuildings. Munro & Noble (01463 225533; www.munronoble.com).

£480,000 A five-bedroom 19th-century house overlooking the River Spey with three bedroom cottage attached.

 

 

Pretty Bourtonon-the-Water, Gloucestershire

Why? Regularly voted one of the most attractive in England, the Cotswold village of Bourtonon-the-Water owes its looks to the clear waters of the River Windrush that flows through it. As well as the many gift shops and tea rooms, it also has a post office, ironmonger's and pub.

What can I get for my money?

£240,000 A two-bedroom Grade II-listed cottage with a walled courtyard garden.

£500,000 Grade II-listed house (shown left) in the centre of town with three bedrooms, stone fireplace, garden room and lawned garden. Harrison & Hardie (01608 651455; www.harrisonandhardie.co.uk)

£800,000 Stone cottage in nearby Foxhill with four bedrooms, conservatory, orangery and rural views.

 

 

Scenic Talybonton-Usk, Powys

Why? The history of this village in the heart of the Brecon Beacons National Park is closely linked to the Brecon and Monmouth canal, a scenic 35-mile waterway that flows through it and was key in the transportation of iron and limestone from the valleys above. Now a thriving farming and tourist centre, Talybont has good pubs and an excellent little general store and post office. Talybont forest, the Blaen-y-Glyn waterfalls and goodwalking and cycling on the Taff Trail or alongside the River Usk means that there's much for outdoors enthusiasts to enjoy.

What can I get for my money?

£260,000 Three-bedroom house next to the canal, with a wood-burning stove and views over the Usk Valley.

£400,000 Converted mill house with four bedrooms, traditional stone fireplaces, conservatory and garden terrace overlooking a stream.

£650,000 Early 19th-century stone house (shown right) with four bedrooms, exposed beams, window shutters, conservatory and views of the Brecon Beacons; located beside the Monmouthshire and Brecon canal; mooring available subject to approval; Brightwells (01982 551655; www.brightwells.com).

 

More to try...

St Dogmaels, clustered around a ruined abbey at the mouth of the River Teifi on the west Wales coast.

 

Sturminster Newton in Dorset, with its beautiful watermill, handsome cottages and regular Monday market, sits on a meander of the River Stour.

 

Great Torrington is perched on an inland cliff above the River Torridge in Devon, in Tarka the Otter country.

 

Dedham Vale, in the Stour Valley, Suffolk with its farmland, water meadows and pretty villages, is the traditional English lowland landscape that inspired Constable.

 

Kirkcudbright in Dumfries & Galloway is a vibrant artists' colony on the River Dee estuary, with a large marina and harbour offering the safest anchorage on the Solway coast.

 

Horning in the Norfolk Broads has property that butts right up to the River Bure, and many waterside pubs and restaurants.

 

All prices correct at the time of publication

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