Buttermere's Fish Inn is on the market for the first time in over 50 years, for £1.5 million.

The 10-bedroom hotel, bar and restaurant has been owned by Jean and John Richardson since 1968.

They are putting it up for sale so they can retire.

It is being marketed by property adviser Christie & Co has brought to the market The Fish Inn, a traditional Lake District country inn that enjoys spectacular views over Buttermere, a lake that has previously been voted amongst the UK’s top 10 views.

The inn is part of a local legend, The Maid of Buttermere, Mary Robinson.

Mary was the famously beautiful daughter of the landlord of The Fish Inn in the 18th century, who was married to a local man illegally posing as nobleman Colonel Hope.

The marriage was widely reported, resulting in his fraud being exposed and the false colonel was tried and hanged, leaving Mary heartbroken until she was happily remarried to a local farmer.

Alistair Greenhalgh, director at Christie & Co, is handling the sale.

He said: “The Fish Inn can genuinely be described as a once in a lifetime opportunity, having been brought to the market for the first time since 1968.

"Though the business currently trades strongly from both the existing letting bedrooms and the food and beverage trade, an incoming operator will have the opportunity to develop this further as there are currently five staff bedrooms and two owner’s flats, which could be converted into additional letting accommodation if required.”

It is a short walk from Buttermere and Crummock Water, at the foot of Honister Pass and has some of Alfred Wainwright’s most famous walks on its doorstep, making it a popular venue for tourists.