A SWISS investor has bought a luxury Lake District bed and breakfast.

The West Vale Country House at Far Sawrey, near Hawkshead, has been sold from an asking price of £1,100,000 by the specialist hotels team at real estate advisors Colliers International.

Acting on behalf of Glynn and Dee Pennington, West Vale has been acquired by Gabriel Farrer who purchased the property as an investment from his base in Lucerne.

Mr Farrer will continue to operate West Vale - which is set in its own gardens and looks down towards Hilltop, the former home of Beatrix Potter - as bed and breakfast accommodation in the short term before undertaking refurbishment of the business.

Haydn Spedding, associate director, hotels agency at the Manchester office of Colliers International said: “West Vale is a picturesque detached country house offering seven exceptionally high quality en-suite letting bedrooms, complimented by two self-catering lets and well-appointed owners’ accommodation.

“Mr Farrer is one of a number of overseas buyers who have been introduced to the Lake District market by Colliers International in the last few months with other foreign buyers actively looking at buying in what they see as a premium location of the Lake District.”