It has no bathroom, mains electricity or running water and only glimpses of the sea. But a beach hut in Dorset has gone on the market for an eye-watering £225,000.
The wooden shack, measuring 4 metres by 4 metres, is expected to be snatched up by beach lovers who adore the location – the hugely popular Mudeford Spit near Christchurch.
Andy Denison, of Denisons Estate Agents, said the hut was one of the largest on the spit and could sleep up to 10 people. The fact that it was a little dated was a bonus rather than a problem, he argued.
"The hut has been in the same family for donkey's years," he said. "It has got potential for people to put their own style on it. It has a living space, an integral bedroom and a mezzanine level."
But there are potential drawbacks. It is next to a public toilet block and the new owners will have to walk for 30 minutes from the nearest parking space – or travel on a novelty train ride – to reach it. Denison said he believed the beach hut was the most expensive to come on the market but he was confident the asking price was not too high.
Steve Barratt, chairman of the Mudeford Sandbank Beach Hut Association, said: "Back in the 1980s, the beach huts would have sold for around £6,000 to £7,000. Beach huts have outstripped property prices by several times."
To see the sea, the new owners of the beach hut will need to stand on the top step leading up to the decking and then look to the left. Glimpses of the sea can be caught from inside but the view directly in front of the hut is of (very nice) sand dunes and grass.
The record price paid for a hut at Mudeford is thought to be £170,000. A brand new beach hut at Shaldon, south Devon, recently sold for £200,000.
