The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
Hard to leave family home
When Jamie and Claire MacDonald moved into 38 Gairn Terrace, they didn’t realise how much time they’d spend in the great outdoors thanks to the old Aberdeen to Braemar rail line.
The couple’s semi-detached three-bed home sits near the route that they walk most days with their two children; three-yearold Alexander and Lara who is 10-months-old.
The location of the house, being a five-minute walk to Duthie Park and 15 minutes’ walk to the city centre, was a big attraction when they were looking for a place to settle down and have a family.
While Jamie and Claire love the family home and the surrounding area, they plan on moving closer to family.
“We moved here in 2012 and the main selling point for us was the location as well as the size of the bedrooms and the garden,” said Jamie.
“I could walk to work and it was easy to get into town for the shops or for a night out.
“The main bedroom is huge and the light streams in throughout the day.
“There is plenty of space and the kids like to make a tent in the area at the bottom of the bed.”
Like many new parents, Jamie and Claire found that life changed somewhat once the children arrived.
They’ve been able to give Alexander a relatively rural upbringing.
“The rail line was a selling point for us, I use it for running and we pictured ourselves going for cycles into the country,” said Jamie.
“That changed a little when Alexander came along, and now with two kids the cycles haven’t been happening quite so often for us – although Alexander is on it with his bike or scooter most days.
“We use it to get to Duthie Park and also playgroup, so it’s gone from being used for weekend leisure to a daily commuter route for the kids!”
The house has a warm family feeling throughout and there are fireplaces in the living room and main bedroom.
The spare room is home to a sofa bed for visitors as well as several shelving units.
The house has a large enclosed garden to the rear as well as one to the front of the property.
“There is a lot of grass space for running about in the back garden as well as flower beds and the top half gets the sun all day,” said Jamie.
“We spend a lot of time in the garden playing games and Alexander particularly likes digging for worms in the beds.
“We previously used some of the flower beds as a vegetable patch and were surprised with just how much we were able to grow.
“This year I’m planning on a wild flower meadow though, so hopefully things will start sprouting in the next few weeks.
“I’d love to take where we live and move it with us.
“It has everything we want and there is scope to renovate the attic into another bedroom if we did want more space.”
Offers should be made of more than £238,000.