The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
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The Beast from the East has not long finished having its way with Scotland and snow lies thick around the deserted country lanes that lead to St Martins. The little village has a war memorial, church, and houses scattered around woods and fields, well spaced out from their neighbours. I pull up alongside West Lodge and a wrought iron gate takes me through a pretty stone wall into the garden.
Inside, the house all is warm and cosy, and I quickly divest myself of my down jacket.
Two of the home’s three wood burners are lit, spreading heat throughout the building. They’re fuelled by wood cut by Callum Gourlay from the property’s one and a half acres of woodland.
“We haven’t had to buy firewood in all the time we’ve lived here,” he explains. “There’s plenty of deadfall, but once or twice I’ve taken down a couple of trees to use on the fire.”
West Lodge was formerly the school house for the St Martins estate, which once spanned more than 4,500 acres and was a major local employer.
Built at the start of the 19th Century, the school was closed in 1877 and West Lodge has been a private house ever since then, added to with several extensions over the generations.
It’s an extremely handsome stone-walled, slate-roofed traditional home and the extensions have been tastefully done, adding to its character.
Callum and his wife Nikki Gillies have owned it since 2009 – and held their wedding there – but the house was already in the family, having been owned by Nikki’s parents since 1981.
St Martins is nestled in the Strathmore Valley, just a few minutes north of Perth. On a country lane between two of the main arterial routes out of the Fair City, it has a quiet rural setting but terrific transport links.
I enter the house by the back door, walking through a utility room with a gun cabinet (“we don’t have any guns though!” Callum reassures me) and being warmly greeted by the couple’s lovely collie, Harry.
Callum and Nikki have completely renovated the house since moving there in 2009, including fitting a new kitchen in 2012.
This room has a homely feel, with a beamed ceiling, cream units and a Redfyre range cooker.
A door opens on to a sheltered terrace that must be a pleasant suntrap in the summer.
Next to the kitchen is a large dining room with a woodburning stove. It currently houses a three-quarters-sized snooker table (Harry loves nothing better than to race round the table when Callum strikes the balls, leaping up to see if he’s played a good shot).
A door from here leads into the family room, which has another wood burner and is set up as a home office.
The living room has a triple aspect bay window spanning its end wall and enjoys fantastic views over the garden, which is a beautiful snowy vista during my visit.
With windows on three sides, the sun room is another fine place to enjoy the garden from. Comfortable armchairs and sofas suggest it’s a favourite spot to sit and read a book.
The spacious master bedroom is on the ground floor and has a family bathroom beside it.
Upstairs are two double bedrooms, each with their own en suite shower rooms and built-in storage.
The couple replaced old wood burners with new and more efficient models. The house now has three wood burners – in the living room, dining room and family room/office.
“When you have all of them going the whole house is kept warm,” Nikki explains. “The heat really spreads around the home.”
In addition to the wood burners, West Lodge gets its heating and hot water from a boimass stove, which is cheaper and more environmentally friendly than oil or gas.
Callum and Nikki run an electric car and the house is fitted with a wallbox charging point.
With so many reception spaces all flowing into each other, West Lodge is perfect for having friends over.
“It’s a fantastic entertaining house and we’ve had a lot of great gatherings here in the past,” Nikki continues. “Having two spare en suite bedrooms means guests can stay over as well.”
The grounds are another jewel in West Lodge’s crown. The main garden is spread across one and a half acres and is enclosed by beech hedges and stone walls. There are some majestic mature trees, and azaleas and roses contribute to a wealth of colour in spring and summer.
Several patios and benches provide various sheltered spots to benefit from the sunshine all day long, and there are vegetable plots and a chicken run.
“We’ve done a lot to the garden,” Nikki says. “Callum built a stone BBQ and we planted fruit trees, saplings and a wildflower meadow next to the burn.”
There is a brick-built store, a stone outbuilding that houses the biomass boiler, and a garden shed you can drive a ride-on lawnmower into, as well as a pretty timber summerhouse.
Alongside the fantastic garden, West Lodge comes with around 10 acres of land. A large field is perfect for those with horses or a small number of livestock. The house also comes with an acre and a half of its own woodland, mainly conifers planted in the 1970s. The St Martins burn rounds along two sides of the property’s boundary.
The countryside location and proximity to Perth are two of the things the couple love about St Martins.
“We’re both very outdoorsy and this area is perfect for that,” Nikki explains. “There are so many great cycling, walking, running and hacking routes. You can do a big loop through farm tracks and woodland without ever having to go on to the road. It’s a great place to have a dog as well.”
Callum and Nikki, both 57, took early retirement after careers in IT. The couple enjoy cycling, running and hiking, so St Martins has been a perfect location for them.
They’re looking to downsize but still want a house with good access to the outdoors.
“This home has a lot of lovely memories, particularly for me,” Nikki says. “I really want it to go to a nice family who will love it as much as I have.”
West Lodge, St Martins, is on sale with Savills for offers over £550,000.