I reside in Britain’s loneliest home – the closest neighbours are 25 minutes’ drive away, I’ve to look at DVDs as an alternative of Netflix and I’ve by no means heard of Love Island

A lady who lives in Britain’s loneliest home is sort of utterly lower off from the surface world – however she nonetheless loves it. 

Sue Edwards is the only occupier of Skiddaw Home, which sits within the mountains on the coronary heart of the Lake District, and solely has her canine Jura for firm. 

The 49-year-old, who purchased the solitary shack two and a half years in the past, has hardly any ­electrical energy and is compelled to get by with simply 10mb of wifi information every month. 

Sue has subsequently resorted to watching DVDs reasonably than Netflix and has by no means heard of ITV’s Love Island. She will nonetheless talk with the broader world on Whats­App, though hates when individuals ship her pointless gifs. 

Regardless of her isolation, Sue loves being away from expertise and even welcomes visitors to Skiddaw Home, opening it up as a hostel each weekend in summer season.

At greater than 1,500 ft, Skiddaw Home is inaccessible by automobile and the shortest strolling route, to the village of Threlkeld, takes round an hour and 20 minutes.

In the meantime, her nearest neighbours at Sprint Farm are a 25-minute drive away and the closest store, in Keswick, is 5 miles away. 

Sue admitted that it was initially a wrestle getting used to the lengthy stroll for groceries, which was made even worse if she ever forgot one thing on her procuring record. 

She informed the Solar: ‘At first, there could be instances after I received house and realised I might forgotten bin baggage or one thing, however I’ve received the store all the way down to a effective artwork now.’

The north-facing home additionally has no mains electrical energy, fuel, phone or neighbours. There is no such thing as a heating or web and water is sourced straight from the mountain. 

With a view to get round, Sue has put in particular tyres, referred to as ‘grabbers’, on her automobile that may deal with mud, snow and sandy terrains a lot better than a traditional automobile. 

However, even being so removed from civilisation, Sue nonetheless battles with the identical automobile issues as each different commuter throughout the UK. 

She has had three punctures in nearly three years, which can not sound like quite a bit, however it may be an actual ache calling a mechanic when cell sign is patchy. 

Sue spent three years as a PE trainer in Slough, earlier than working in a hostel in Portishead, Somerset, when she got here throughout an on the market advert for Skiddaw Home. 

On the time it was owned by a former coupl who had run it for six years. They determined to promote up after having a child and marketed the home on social media. 

Sue was uncertain about shopping for the property at first, not due to how remoted it was, however resulting from fears over managing it on her personal. 

She informed the Solar: ‘I wasn’t anxious about dwelling by myself. It is simply you typically have to go and get a contractor. Can one particular person do all of it?

‘However the former couple ran it for six years collectively, they usually each mentioned they’d do it once more on their very own. In order that was sufficient for me.

‘I adore it. I imply, I simply adore it. It is a privilege.’

Sue informed the Look With New Eyes weblog that she deliberate to remain on the home till not less than Might 2027, when her lease expires. 

She makes use of stoves to warmth the constructing when it will get chilly, whereas the fuel hobs are strictly reserved for cooking. Sue additionally confused that she is ready to have a scorching bathe each morning due to the new water boilers. 

The home itself contains six bedrooms and 5 loos, which might accomodate 21 individuals at one time. 

Sue informed the Look With New Eyes weblog: ‘I like that it’s attainable to not simply reside off-grid, however run a sustainable enterprise too and 21 of us can expertise this superb place collectively in simplicity and commonality.’

‘No telephone sign, no Wi-Fi, simply individuals all coming collectively for shelter, a mattress, a meal and perhaps a beer.’ 

Skiddaw Home gives lovely views of Lake District fells – with no dwelling or construction in sight aside from an historic dry stone wall.

Capturing and sporting rights are included within the sale. The itemizing says it has traditionally been a ‘profitable grouse shoot’ throughout the land.

Even on the peak of the vacation season, when hikers and vacationers flock to the lakes, the property is to this point off the overwhelmed path that it stays remoted.

Many of the Lake District is owned by massive estates or by the Nationwide Belief – so a possibility for such an unlimited space of privately-owned land is a uncommon one.

Skiddaw Home was inbuilt 1829 by the third Earl of Egremont, who was mentioned to have 43 illegitimate youngsters. It was constructed to deal with a gamekeeper to take care of his sporting birds and a shepherd to take care of his sheep.

Throughout the capturing season, the Earl himself and his celebration would keep there.

After his loss of life the cottages fell into disrepair. It was used for infrequent college tenting journeys however was derelict by the Eighties.

Since 2007 it has been a hostel with the Youth Hostel Affiliation (YHA). Earlier than the pandemic, round 2,500 individuals a 12 months would spend an evening there.

The home was additionally used as a homicide scene setting in Hugh Walpole’s 1932 novel The Fortress’. He wrote: ‘It is without doubt one of the loneliest dwelling-places in all of the British Isles, the one constructing from Threlkeld to Sprint’.

The Lake District sees 15.8million vacationers go to yearly, in response to the Nationwide Park’s web site – so Skiddaw Home offers a one-in-a-lifetime alternative to flee the crowds to benefit from the surroundings.