16 Bedroom Detached House for Sale

"16 bedroom detached house" is how Rightmove describes this property for sale in Glenborrodale. It is, of course, Glenborrodale Castle,  and it's being marketed by Bell Ingram, link here, at a price of £3,750,000. Estate agent Bell Ingram describes the property as "an A listed Scots baronial mansion in grounds of about 132.99 acres including the Isle of Risga, with panoramic views over Loch Sunart and the Isles of Carna and Oronsay."

A perfect weekend hideaway for a Diary reader?

Our House For Sale

We've lived in Ormsaigbeg, first at the Ferry Stores, then in this house, for over 21 years and now feel it is time for us to move on. We have loved living on West Ardnamurchan, so the decision to leave was a very difficult one, taken only after long and careful thought.

Matenderere is therefore now on the market. It's in the hands of estate agent Jennifer Forsyth at MacArthur Stewart in Fort William - property details here - and is described on a blog page here.

Water's Edge

Water's Edge has been on the market for over a year and, to be honest, many of us are surprised it hasn't sold. It's for sale with emoov at £219,000 - link here - but the vendor is now saying that he is open to offers.

The house (arrowed) is a hundred yards to the west of the shop, down a cul-de-sac, but far enough away not to be troubled by the busy-ness of the shop in summer. Its large picture windows look straight out....

....across Lochan na Al and Kilchoan Bay to the Sound of Mull and Mull itself, so there's always something to watch even on the occasional dull day.  The large so-called 'garage' was originally built to house boats: the house is no distance from the public slipway where they can be launched.

New Houses for Rent

The new Lochaber Housing Association houses, located opposite the Kilchoan Hotel, have been named Canach Cottages, numbers 1 to 3.

LHA Housing Officer Irene Christie has written to Community Council secretary Gayle Cameron to say that, as of last Thursday, they had not had any applications for the properties.

Contact details for LHA are here, but Irene is coming to the Kilchoan Community Centre on Thursday, 21st July, 2016 in the hope that anyone interested in applying for one of the properties will come to see her, and has arranged for notices about her visit to be put up around Kilchoan. The closing date for applications is Monday, 25th July, 2016.

I'm sure it's a numerical coincidence, but Ardnamurchan Estate is currently advertising three full-time posts - follow link here.

Houses to Rent

For years, West Ardnamurchan Community Council has been pressing for more affordable housing to be made available in the area.  In response, Lochaber Housing Association has now almost completed this terrace of two-bedroom houses just along from the Kilchoan Hotel. LHA is now advertising for tenants - see the notice on the West Ardnamurchan News - here.

Sonachan Hotel

For anyone with some shrewd business sense and a feeling that they really ought to be trying something new and a bit adventurous, the sale of the Sonachan Hotel, a few miles out of Kilchoan on the lighthouse road, offers a rare opportunity. With a guide price of £265,000, it sits in a magnificent, almost private wilderness, yet has at least 20,000 people passing its doors every summer season - that's the number of visitors at the lighthouse - and always had a steady clientele right through the winter months.

The property is described here on Rightmove.

Views from Glas Eilean

These pictures were taken from high points on or near Glas Eilean, the small island at the southeastern point of Kilchoan Bay.  The first one is a view across the bay to some of the houses of Ormsaigbeg, including the Ferry Stores, with Beinn na Seilg rising behind them.

Looking almost due north, these houses are at the western end of Kilchoan township. The croft house in the foreground at left, Tigh an Uilt, offers accommodation in a self-contained apartment - see here.

The old manse, Meall mo Chridhe, a grade B listed building dating back to 1790, stands in front of the old church of St Comghan's, which dates back to the 13th century. The land to the left of St Comghan's is part of the glebe, land originally set aside by the community for the minister's use.

At one time the village post office and a B&B, the fine 19th century house at the centre of this view, Dorlinn House, is currently for sale. It has five bedrooms and was recently completely refurbished - link here.

In the foreground on the rocky knoll is a burial cairn of unknown age. Beyond are some of the houses on the north side of the road out of Kilchoan, with the lower slopes of Glas Bheinn behind them.

House for Sale in Kilchoan

Doirlinn House is an imposing country house which enjoys a prime position in the village of Kilchoan and boasts spectacular, panoramic views to the Sound of Mull and beyond. This idyllic location is further complemented by the property itself which has been thoughtfully refurbished and fully renovated to create a superb home.

The property offers versatile accommodation and could be used for a variety of purposes from a family home to a Bed & Breakfast opportunity.

It's with MacPhee & Partners website here.

House for Sale in Achnaha

A house has just come up for sale in Achnaha. 'Cnoc na Sith' has two bedrooms, great views, and is, according to the agent, "Set in the most stunning and remote location on the North-West coast of the Ardnamurchan Peninsula".  Achnaha is also a hub of local industry, an historic crofting township, and within walking distance of the beaches at Sanna.

Inviting offers in the region of £98,000, there are full details at the agent's site, here.

House for Sale in Kilchoan

It's a rare event when a house comes up for sale in Kilchoan, and the latest offering on the property market is special - just as its name suggests.  'Water's Edge' is right on the edge of the sea just beyond the Ferry Stores, with wonderful views across a small lochan, the haunt of a wide variety of birds as well as otters and other passing creatures, and across Kilchoan Bay to the Sound of Mull and Mull itself.

There are plenty of pictures of the interior of the house on the Agent's website, but none give an idea of the superb setting of this house.  And, no, this isn't an ideal picture in one way, in that you can't actually see the house - it's behind the fir tree under the arrow - but that, again, says something about its seclusion.

Full details on emoov's website - here.

Holly Cottage for Sale

Holly Cottage, in the heart of Kilchoan near the parish church, is being sold by MacPhee & Partners.

Details of the house, which has views across Kilchoan Bay to Mull, is also on rightmove.

House for Sale

Holly Cottage, in the middle of Kilchoan, is a bungalow in a large, well cared for garden.  It’s a three double bedroom, fully refurbished, detached bungalow with a picture window giving superb views over the shore to the Sound of Mull, Glengorm and Tobermory's Rubha nan Gall lighthouse. The plot has ample parking, vegetable garden, ponds, a large shed, and wood stores.

Internally there is a large sitting room with multi fuel stove, a dining area....

....a modern kitchen with a range cooker, integrated fridge, freezer and dishwasher, a utility room, and wooden floors. There is a new combi oil fired boiler and central heating system. The master bedroom has an en-suite with fitted wardrobes. There are two further bedrooms, a family bathroom and another toilet off the utility.

The vendors, who are selling privately, are looking for offers over £280,000. Contact Alan and Joan MacPherson on 01972 510743 or by email a-macpherson@hotmail.co.uk, or go to their site on Gumtree, here.

Sonachan Hotel for Sale

The Sonachan Hotel, which lies on the road between Kilchoan and the lighthouse, is on the market - full details here.

Property for Sale in Kilchoan

It's rare indeed for properties on West Ardnamurchan to come on the market, but Holly Cottage, in the centre of Kilchoan, has just come up for sale. It’s a three double bedroom, fully refurbished, detached bungalow with a picture window giving superb views over the shore to the Sound of Mull, Glengorm and Tobermory's Rubha nan Gall lighthouse. It is set in a large plot with ample parking, vegetable plots, ponds, large shed and wood stores.

Internally there is a large sitting room with multi fuel stove, a dining area, a modern kitchen with a range cooker, integrated fridge, freezer and dishwasher, a utility room, and wooden floors. There is a new combi oil fired boiler and central heating system. The master bedroom has an en-suite with fitted wardrobes. There are two further bedrooms, a family bathroom and another toilet off the utility.

The vendors, who are selling privately, are looking for offers over £280,000.  Contact Alan and Joan MacPherson on 01972 510743 or by email a-macpherson@hotmail.co.uk

New Ormsaigbeg House

Kenny MacDonald, whose building company S&K MacDonald Homes is based at Mingarry, the other side of Acharacle, is close to handing over the latest new house to be built along the Ormsaigbeg road.  It's a three-bedroom house with open-plan ground floor, but the main difference with this build will be its high energy-efficiency rating.  With ground-source heating, solar hot water and photovoltaic panels, recycling of internal heat and use of rainwater collected from the roof, it promises to be one of the most eco-friendly houses in the Highlands.

Ground was broken at the beginning of September last year.  The site is tucked into a fold in the hillside facing southeast across the Sound of Mull towards Morvern.  Its position means that the house will be protected from the worst of the southwesterly gales while benefitting from its southerly aspect.

This picture was taken a week ago, with the work almost complete.  As with all builds, there's still plenty of snagging to do, but Kenny seems cheerful enough - and, from a recent conversation, is very proud of his house.

This view shows the house from the sea, which is a couple of hundred yards away.  Behind it rises the lower hills of the ridge called Druim na Gearr Leacainn and the Ormsaigbeg common grazings, which stretch for miles without a fence.  So this will be a wonderful home for anyone who enjoys swimming, boating or walking across Ardnamurchan's beautiful hills.

Kenny's company website is here.

Looking Across the Sound

The Harvest Caroline II, one of Ferguson Transport's ships used to carry fish feed to local salmon farms, was at anchor off Rubha nan Gall lighthouse near Tobermory yesterday evening and overnight.  In this picture the lighthouse keepers' cottages can be seen to the right.  Since this lighthouse, like all Northern Lighthouse Board's lights, is now fully automated, they were sold to a private buyer some years ago, but they're back on the market, and an interesting property they are, being linked to 'civilisation' by nothing but a muddy, winding path.  The estate agent's website is here.

We've been enjoying what Yr.No terms 'strong breezes', along with bursts of very heavy rain today, almost reminiscent of winter, but rough conditions don't bother the local pod of dolphins, who were on display in the bay below our house this afternoon.

Kilchoan House for Sale

Houses in Kilchoan very rarely appear on the open market.  For a start, people like living here and, if they do have cause to move away, everyone knows about it in advance so their house often changes hands without appearing in an estate agent's window.

So this house is a rarity.  It's on the outskirts of the village, on the right as you drive in, at the end of a small group of semi-detached houses looking out across Ardnamurchan Estate land towards Mingary Castle and the Sound of Mull.  It's in the hands of Fort William estate agent MacArthur Stewart, here, with a guide price of offers over £98,000.

House for Sale

Very few houses come up for sale on West Ardnamurchan - people like living here too much - but this one is new on the market.  It has two bedrooms, a big back garden, ample parking, and....

....a view right down the Sound of Mull.

The house is for sale privately - contact 07920 058 030.

The Smithy House Refurbishment

It's always interesting to watch the progress of a complete refurbishment of a building. Over the last two years, The Smithy House in Kilchoan has undergone just such a major change. The OS map of 1872 shoes a building on this site, so the original structure may be a hundred years old or more.

Top picture is the Smithy House in early 2010, before work began.

The building was almost reduced to a shell - this picture taken in January 2011 - with the roof timbers, which were rotten, removed.

With work well under way, this picture shows the house in July 2011. One addition is a new extension on the side.

The house, now close to completion, is shown in March 2012.

As well as work on the main structure and the side extension, an extension was added at the rear, and decking at the front.

Ormsaigbeg House for Sale

The house which was for sale in Ormsaigbeg - details in Diary post here - is back on the market. For full particulars, go to the S1Homes website, here.

Top picture shows the house from the field at the back, looking out across the Sound of Mull to Tobermory and Ben Talla.

In this picture of Ormsaigbeg, the property is marked with a yellow arrow.