A "boutique" guest house in a picturesque part of Gloucestershire is up for sale.

Ferndale House bed and breakfast in Upper Lydbrook, Forest of Dean is on the market with specialist business property adviser, Christie & Co and has a guide price of £600,000 for the freehold interest.

The property is on the border of the Wye Valley, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and has five guest bedrooms, three of which have en-suite facilities.

The main house is a detached property with a rich history; the oldest parts of the property date to the 19th century as former miner's cottages for the local Waterloo Colliery.

The building has recently undergone extensive renovation works and includes owner's accommodation. There is a large well-maintained garden, private owner's garden, and two self-contained guest lodges.

The 25 year old business is well located for the tourist trade with picturesque surrounding, popular with those looking to explore the Gloucestershire countryside for walking or cycling.

Current owners, Mr & Mrs Finch-Dent comment, "We bought the property as we both wanted to run our own business and work for ourselves to achieve a good work-life balance. Owning a bed and breakfast affords us to live in a beautiful area and manage our own working day.

"We have steadily improved Ferndale House and built up the business to achieve a high standard and a good reputation, achieving the number one placing on TripAdvisor for Bed & Breakfasts in The Forest of Dean, which we are very proud of.

"We love running Ferndale House and will miss it and living in The Forest of Dean greatly, but as we now have two grandchildren, we would like to spend more time with them."

Richard Thomas, Business Agent based in Christie & Co's Bristol office who is handling the sale, said: "Ferndale House offers a unique lifestyle opportunity giving a potential owner the chance to run a successful and profitable business whilst living in a tranquil and idyllic surrounding.

"The current owners have renovated the property to a high standard and built an enviable reputation. In addition, there is the potential for further growth in trade which gives a great platform for a new operator to work from. At the moment there are two letting rooms which our clients do not utilise that could be used by the new operator to increase turnover, as well as offering evening meals to guests.

"This is certainly an opportunity for those who are looking for a work-life balance in the picturesque setting of Forest of Dean."