Escape to the country
Get more for your money by trading city life for rural splendour
WITH the price of semis in smart city locations creeping towards the £1 million mark, maybe it is time to seek out village life. Last week, it emerged that a house in Edinburgh’s Duddingston Park area sold for £990,732, after going on the market at the end of June at offers over £795,000.
The estate agency which handled the listing, Savills, are now marketing a lovely rural home in West Linton, Peeblesshire.
Hazlieburn, which is only 16 miles south of the capital, offers six main bedrooms − with eight more in two cottages in the pretty gardens.
There is also an impressive greenhouse by specialists Mozolowski and Murray.
The main house dates from 1889, when the Arts and Crafts movement was taking off in Europe.
One of the stand-out features of this style is wood panelling, and fine wainscoting greets you the moment you enter the property.
This goes beyond head-height on all walls of the hallway, which also has a huge open fireplace.
It continues up the stairway and into the public rooms, though you find its use is scaled back by the time you reach the dining room.
Arguably the comfiest room is the library off the back hallway, which has its own fireplace and fitted bookshelves.
You can easily picture yourself being tucked up here during the chilly winter months and being warmed by the glow of the hearth, which is set at an angle to the room rather than flush with the wall.
The bright kitchen has base and wall-mounted units, granite work surfaces and a range cooker.
The ground floor also has a sitting room which faces east over the garden and catches the morning sun. Towards the back of the house is a utility room and covered porch with access to the meter cupboard and wood shed.
On the first floor you will find six double bedrooms, serviced by three family bathrooms.
Each of the bedrooms offers a different outlook onto different parts of the garden.
There is also a guest wing with two bedrooms, a sitting room, bathroom and kitchen. This area is linked to the landing and can also be accessed by the back staircase.
Two cottages in the grounds have been let out in the past, providing the owners with welcome additional income.
Dove Cottage has three bedrooms and one reception room, while Hazlieburn Cottage offers five bedrooms and three public rooms.
Beyond the two cottages there is a paddock of about 1.2 acres, along with a timber stable block and machinery store. Hazlieburn also has its own pond, which is fed by the Harlawmuir Burn and is a haven for wildlife.
To the north of the pond is a large field of about 17.1 acres and there is access off the A702.
The quieter pace of life in Peeblesshire has been winning over more and more fans. One resident described West Linton thus: ‘If Carlsberg did Scottish villages…’ The village boasts shops, a wonderful restaurant, excellent pub and the loveliest church on the prettiest village green.
I would not be surprised if the parson passed by as you clipped your privet hedge.
There is also a good primary school and endless walking opportunities around the Pentland Hills. But for those who still require their city fix, Edinburgh is only a 20minute drive away via the nearby city bypass.