Tourism specialist acquires Lake District hotel

Philip Nettleton has left life in London and a senior role at national tourism agency Visit England to acquire Rickerby Grange hotel near Keswick.

Following a deal brokered by the specialist hotels team at real estate advisors Colliers International, Philip and his wife Charlotte are relocating from Kingston-Upon-Thames having acquired the hotel in the village of Portinscale from an asking price of £830,000, with previous owners Des and Carol Taylorson retiring.

Rickerby Grange, built in the 1920s as the grange to Rickerby Farm, has 10 en-suite letting bedrooms, separate three-bedroom owners’ flat, gardens and car parking.

Haydn Spedding, associate director, hotels agency at the Manchester office of Colliers International, secured the deal and said it reflected the ongoing appeal of the Lake District National Park hospitality sector.

He said: “Philip’s knowledge of the many work and lifestyle attractions of the Lake District through his work at Visit England played a key role in helping him and Charlotte to decide to relocate by acquiring Rickerby Grange.

“We now have offers or definite interest from credible buyers in almost all of the hotels and guest houses on our books in the North Lakes area. The Lake District continues to be Colliers’ most productive region for hospitality sector deals in the UK, with this being the latest of more than 30 sales in the past two years.”