LIFE BY THE RIVERBANK

Muirhead Steading delivers a modern luxury home surrounded by the calm of a country setting yet within easy commuting distance of Perth and Edinburgh, writes Jack Mckeown

Muirhead Steading sits in a U-shape around its own central courtyard. A two-acre garden sprawls to the rear. Behind that, the River Tay flows serenely past. Owner Alan Mcgregor explains: “We’re on a farm track in the middle of the countryside. Yet the M90 is two miles away, Perth is about five miles and Edinburgh is an hour from here.”

The former chief executive of St Andrews Links Trust and his wife Jennifer bought Muirhead Steading in 1992, when the couple moved to Scotland after living in Cambridgeshire.

It was built just over 30 years ago, though it looks like it could be much older. “The chap who built it was a serial renovator and doerupper,” Alan says.

“It was built between around 1988-1990. At that time most new houses were timber frame but he built ours the traditional way, with double skin brickwork.

“He also put in high ceilings, which give a nice feeling of space.”

I get there by driving through Bridge of Earn, then along a single track country lane for a few miles before turning off onto a private farm track. Muirhead Steading is a home with that magical combination of being secluded yet easy to get to.

The main entrance is via a beautiful extension the couple added around 15 years ago. A vaulted ceiling, exposed beams and banks of Velux windows make it an attractive space. A full wall of windows let in extra light and offer a view over the courtyard and the fields beyond. One end is used as a dining area while the other end is a comfortable sitting space.

“Since we’ve built it this is by far the space we use the most frequently,” Alan continues. “It catches the sun most of the day and is a really nice room to spend time in.”

The living room has an exposed stone chimney breast containing a large wood burning stove. There is an arched window to the courtyard and a window and glazed doors to the garden. It’s another lovely space and must be cosy in the winter when the wood burner is roaring.

Alan smiles: “I’m usually to be found watching the rugby in here while Jennifer watches her craft programmes next door and occasionally roars at me to turn it down.”

The breakfasting kitchen has a separate dining area and looks over the enormous rear garden. A double bedroom is used as Jennifer’s crafting space and another double bedroom is Alan’s home office (“though I admit not a lot of work gets done in there these days…”).

The huge master bedroom looks out over the garden. It’s fitted with an infrared sauna (“we used to use it all the time but it’s now more of a cupboard…”) and a spacious en suite bathroom.

There are three double bedrooms and a

family shower room. One of the bedrooms has French doors onto an enclosed patio. “This captures the evening sunshine and is our favourite spot for an occasional glass of white wine,” Alan says.

Two of the double bedrooms have an interconnecting door which can be closed off, creating an annex section of the house.

This wing contains a bedroom, bathroom, sitting room with bay window, kitchen and a small conservatory. It also has its own peaceful corner of the garden.

Having a separate entrance, this area could be used for intergenerational living, allowing grandparents or grown up children to have their own part of the house. Alternatively it could be used as a holiday let to bring some extra income in.

The double garage has an electronically opening door and has room for several cars. Unusually for such a rural property, Muirhead Steading has mains gas, making it economical to heat.

Alan had a career in the Army and he and Jennifer’s children were born in Singapore. He worked in England before moving to Scotland in 1992 to head up United Auctions.

Alan was chief executive of St Andrews Links Trust from 1998 until his retirement in 2011, leading the organisation through three Open Championships. He used to travel to the home of golf from Muirhead Steading every day.

“People in St Andrews would always say, don’t you hate the commute? I just laughed. I used to commute 90 minutes each way into London. A 45-minute drive along quiet country roads was a very nice way to get to work.”

Reminders of Alan’s time at the home of golf are all over Muirhead Steading and the garden is big enough to accommodate a pitch ’n’ putt course.

The majority of the home’s two acres is given over to a vast stretch of nicely manicured lawn. “I don’t know about golf but it’s fantastic for children playing,” Alan says. “I’m not much of a gardener but it only takes an hour on the ride-on mower to keep on top of it.”

A fenced off area of decking occupies one of the sunniest spots in the garden.

“When we bought the house a vegetable patch was here,” Alan says.

“Jennifer kept coming in with her gardening gloves on and complaining the vegetable patch is so hot. We decided that if it was the warmest spot in the garden we’d better make it into a patio. It’s a much nicer place to sit and enjoy a gin and tonic than it was to bend over, digging vegetables.”

It’s a sign you’ve spent a long time in a property when you see trees grow up. The couple had a few hundred saplings planted when they moved in 29 years ago. Now the foot of Muirhead Steading’s garden has a thick copse of woodland, with various paths carved through it.

Perhaps 50 yards beyond the end of the garden the River Tay flows past. “You can get to it by a path alongside the garden,” Alan explains. “This stretch of the river is pretty quiet. Very occasionally you get the odd open water swimmer. I must admit I’ve never been brave enough to go in for a dip.”

Alan, 75, and Jennifer, 74, are moving to Shropshire to be closer to family.

“We’ve been lucky enough to find a house we like that’s just 150 yards from our daughter’s home,” Alan says. “Not everything is signed on the dotted line yet but we’re quietly hopeful we’re going to get it.

“It will be a real wrench leaving this house though. We’ve been here such a long time.

“However I feel at our age we still have time to make one more new start and lead one more life.”

Muirhead Steading, Rhynd, is on sale with Savills for offers over £695,000.

ROOMS TO ROAM: Muirhead Steading, opposite page, is bounded by a copse of woodland planted almost 30 years ago and a quiet stretch of the Tay, while providing elegant and spacious rooms and garden across its two-acre site.