Scots scene enlivened
Scots scene enlivened
LANGLEY-Taylor, instructed to sell the Cononish estate that straddles the Perthshire and Argyll boundary, believes this property should enliven what it calls a "disappointing season" in the estate market in Scotland.
Its 4200 acres are steeped in history, beginning with an ambush of Robert the Bruce in 1306. Latterly, Cononish formed part of the vast Breadalbane Estates broken up in the years following the First World War.
The present owners father acquired the estate as a sitting tenant in the early 1950s.
Until recently run as a hill farm carrying around 1100 Swaledale ewes and some sucklers, its buildings are still capable of carrying a full stocking rate.
Recent emphasis has been on conservation management (including part of Ben Lui, a National Nature Reserve) and sporting interests, witnessing a rise in the deer population and plans to cull around 15 stags this year.
The Cononish River runs through the estate and forms the headwater of the salmon-rich Tay River system.
A goldmine produces a useful rent, with the prospect of increased income should production be resumed.
"Cononish offers an opportunity to acquire a balanced estate which has benefited over the years from sympathetic and skilful management," says Angus Cheape of Langley-Taylor.
Offers over £775,000 are invited for the estate as a whole, including the farmhouse (pictured) and a slightly larger house.
In Perthshire, Hayes McCubbin Macfarlane has launched Westfield Farm, Alyth, with 853 acres that include two small houses and three ranges of modern and traditional farm buildings.
The arable and stock farm, open to offers over £780,000, has LFA status, with some land in an SSSI, and offers pheasant shooting overlooking the Vale of Strathmore. *