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When Jill Falkingham-Thorp first stepped inside Stott Hall Farm her heart sank.

The carpets in the front room were mouldy, the walls damp and every room looked “seriously dated” – hardly the Little House on the Prairie which it is sometimes called.

Fast forward eight years and the famous farmhouse between two carriageways of the M62 near Scammonden has been transformed into a family home for Jill, husband Paul Thorp and their son John-William, four.

There’s still work to be done but the house, which dates back to 1737, is now warm and cosy with a roaring wood burner and a proper farmhouse kitchen.

According to Jill living next to one of Britain’s busiest motorways isn’t much different to living near to any other road.

“Traffic is very close,” she says. “But it’s always windy here, which takes the pollution away. Students from the University of Huddersfield took soil and air samples and actually pollution is surprisingly low.

“We have treble glazing and it’s no different to living anywhere that has a road.”

However, the rumbling from passing traffic can be annoying.

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“The noise does affect me as I am quite noise sensitive. Paul is fine with it but it does grate on me.

“It’s the sort of thing that if you are having a bad day the noise is the last straw. But it’s not going away.”

Jill and Paul threw open their farmhouse to the media today to promote Yorkshire Water’s ‘Beyond Nature’ initiative which is aiming to protect peatland, wildlife and water resources.

The couple were happy to reveal the highs and lows of living on an upland farm at more than 1,000ft above sea level – and only around 40ft from the westbound carriageway of the M62.

Although they both have farming backgrounds in Holmfirth, life at Stott Hall Farm has taken some getting used to.

“It’s got its own climate up here,” said Paul, who has worked at the farm since 1992 and lived there since 2008.

“This is home to us now and is what we are used to. The noise is fairly constant through the day but when it’s a good clear day the noise does seem to drop.

“When it’s wet and foggy you can hear the traffic.”

Jill, who moved into the farm in 2009, is loving life there despite the challenges.

“Working on an upland hill farm is incredibly hard work. The grass doesn’t grow because we are so high up and it’s so cold. Really, the motorway is the least of our challenges.”

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She recalls the early days living at Stott Hall Farm as very testing and difficult.

“When I first came the house was horrendous. It was dated and there was no bathroom upstairs. We had to rip all the flags up as everything was damp. All the carpets were mouldy and I was thinking ‘I can’t have a baby and live in this.’

“Paul had been living here on his own for a number of years. He was living in two rooms, living like a bachelor.

“I remember how cold the house was and there being a hole in one of the walls where you could see outside. A huge amount of work has been done and we are slowly getting there.

“A lot of people say it’s bleak and like Wuthering Heights but I don’t see it like that. I think it’s beautiful.”