The Sunday Post (Inverness)

LIVING THE HIGH LIFE

A magnificen­t Highland hideaway in Dunkeld.

- By Sally Mcdonald

THE Olivers were celebratin­g their wedding anniversar­y at Gleneagles Hotel when they first explored and fell in love with nearby Dunkeld.

The couple, who lived south of the border, quickly knew they wanted to make their home there.

They later spotted breathtaki­ng Creag Bheag at pretty Meikle Logie on line, and returned two weeks later to view it.

The sprawling, 4500 sq ft, six-bedroom luxury home designed by the Denholm Partnershi­p and completed in 2013 had never been lived in. They were excited. Andrew, who shares the property with wife Nicola and their children aged 18 and 15, recalls: “We had always come on holidays to Scotland and we married here.

“It is somewhere we had always loved.

“We wanted a place with countrysid­e around and plenty of space.

“We went into the kitchen and fell in love with the views and the light through the windows.

“It was the views that really did it for us.”

The kitchen though was not fitted, and the grounds required landscapin­g.

The couple, who run a medical data consultanc­y from their home office, began researchin­g suppliers of luxury kitchens and fittings. Their design boasts bespoke Shaker cabinets, handcrafte­d from solid wood, while stunning worktops have been made from Calacatta marble imported from in Italy. Handmade marble sinks are topped with Perrin and Rowe taps, specially commission­ed in polished brass. The kitchen also features top of the range Siemens IQ700 integrated cooking appliances, along with a 46 bottle wine cooler and two separate Fisher and Paykel Dishdrawer­s. Quality and attention to detail is echoed throughout the property which can be adapted to accommodat­e a self-contained one or two bedroom annex with a separate kitchen, bathroom

and living room enjoying direct access to the rear garden.

Entry is into a reception hall featuring a magnificen­t solid oak staircase to an open landing above.

This house has light-filled a triple aspect drawing room with wooden floor and antique marble surround fireplace, a bright breakfast room with spectacula­r views and a further spacious reception room that could also be used as formal dining room. A third reception room could serve as a garden room with large south-facing windows and French doors with access to the garden. Since moving in a year ago the Olivers have also landscaped the exterior and redecorate­d the property, adding new wool carpets to the upper level and real wood flooring downstairs.

But they are moving on. Andrew explains: “We had always dreamed of one day living in France but got cold feet because of Brexit. We now fear that if we do not make the move soon, we will stand less chance of gaining residency. “Creag Bheag is a wonderful property, and we have been very happy here.”

Creag Bheag is marketed by Knight Frank, for offers over £675,000 with an adjacent plot available by separate negotiatio­n.

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