A much-loved 500-year-old pub has been put up for sale as its owners confess they are “running out of energy”.

The Gatekeeper in Etchinghill, near Folkestone, has hit the market for £675,000 just months after its landlords took over the traditional tavern.

Helen and Eric Gaskell celebrated moving back into the 16th-century boozer in the summer following a three-year hiatus.

But Helen, 63, admits it has been a tougher job than expected.

The grandmother-of-eight told KentOnline: “It's not that we don’t love the beautiful pub - it’s quite the opposite. It’s just that we’re not getting any younger.

“We had no idea what it was like to run the pub again after Brexit and in a cost-of-living crisis. Luckily it’s taken off and we’re very busy but it’s hard work.

“We work long hours, it takes an awful lot of effort and we just know in three to five years’ time we won’t be able to do that.

“It could be that it doesn’t even sell until we’re in our 70s but we’re not sure we’ve got the stamina and energy to run such a busy pub when we’re that old.”

Experienced pub bosses Eric and Helen took over and re-opened the establishment in May 2015 with it having been empty since 2013.

At the time, they ran two other pubs. However, buying the Gatekeeper meant they finally achieved their dream of having their own freehold.

The pub has been trading as The Gatekeeper since the new landlords arrived but had been known as the New Inn since 1851.

The Gaskell family chose to rename the pub to honour their roots, with their last name meaning the keeper of a gate or road in Anglo-Saxon.

And Helen was keen to stress the sale would not be forced, acknowledging it may take some time to get the deal across the line.

“We’re not in any desperate hurry to sell, we know lots of other pubs stay on the market for a long time and we know it’ll take a long time to sell it,” said the landlady.

“Whoever buys the pub will buy it complete with staff so everyone will keep their jobs.

“We won’t be jumping at the first person who puts an offer in. We want to see the right buyer come in for the pub and the area - if that takes years then so be it.

“You can make a very good living here. We can’t believe how we’ve been accepted by the community - they’ve been absolutely fantastic.

“We love it too much to just give it away, we’ll run it as long as it takes.”

As part of the sale, the boozer contains a three-bed flat upstairs alongside a car park and a pub garden.

It also boasts exposed beams and Inglenook fireplaces inside, with a 60-cover restaurant.

The Grade II-listed building dates back to the 16th century, when it is believed to have been two separate homes that merged to form one of the oldest properties in the village.

“When we do sell it we want to buy a house in the area so we can enjoy the pub from the other side of the bar and spend more time seeing family,” Helen added.