The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Amazing view from Tree Tops
An outstanding hillside house on a private road in Perth enjoys tremendous views across the River Tay and the Perthshire hills. Tree Tops backs onto 10 acres of its own woodland yet it’s just 15 minutes’ walk to the centre of the Fair City.
Ared squirrel scampers across our path as we head up the hillside in Roy Mitchell’s off-road buggy.
He’s giving me a tour of the 10 acres of woodland that runs uphill behind his house – the appropriately named Tree Tops.
The squirrel theme continues inside the house – Roy, 61, is a keen photographer and the walls are adorned with images of the little creatures, mostly taken in his garden.
Tree Tops was built in 1974 and has been extended several times since, most recently with a double height conservatory that was added around a decade ago.
It sits up a private lane that runs uphill from the A85 into Perth from Dundee.
“The location has always suited me perfectly,” Roy explains.
“It’s secluded and you’ve got woodland on your doorstep but it only takes 15 minutes to walk into the centre of Perth.”
If the location is one selling point the view is certainly another. Looking through the living room’s wall of glass I can see across the valley in which Perth nestles – the River Tay snaking along the edge of the city – all the way to the Ochils on the horizon.
The front door to the house is accessed from a parking area to the rear and takes you into the upper level.
The living room is a fantastic space. A huge wood burner at one end keeps things cosy in the winter, while a wall of glass lets in light. Massive sliding doors glide back, opening onto a terrace where there’s barbecue kit, seating, and a table with nuts for the squirrels.
The dining room is semi-open plan to the kitchen and both rooms have picture windows with the same dramatic view.
The dining room connects to the split level conservatory, which is fitted with both heating and air conditioning to cope with the vagaries of Scottish weather.
Its upper level contains a superb sitting area and a spiral staircase goes down to the lower level which has a flagstone floor and is used as a gym.
There are three upstairs bedrooms. The master bedroom has a Juliet balcony with a seating area, a dressing room and large en suite.
A French oak floor, which Roy recently had sanded and stained, flows through almost the entirety of the upper floor.
The lower level contains three bedrooms, including one with an en suite and access to a pretty, southfacing terrace. “If I was staying I’d thought of making the ground floor self-contained and running it as an Airbnb,” Roy says.
We hop into his dune-buggy for a tour of the woodland – he’s recently had a minor operation and isn’t up for walking far.
There’s a shepherd’s hut in the woodland and a picnic table marks the hilltop viewpoint. A gate leads out into Kinnoull Hill Woodland Park. “You can walk to the top of Kinnoull Hill,” Roy says. “It’s a lovely place to live.”