Feel at home on island estate

allumkill, an estate covering 3,000 acres in south-east Islay, was bought by Dr John Cecil Macgown and his wife, Marjorie, in 1952 when the couple were looking for a place to retire to, and responded to a newspaper advertisement for a “small Scottish estate”.

The estate is set high on a ridge with views over the fields, the pagodas of Ardbeg and Lagavulin distilleries, and the sea. On a clear day, you can see the Giant’s Causeway in Antrim to the west and Arran and theMull of Kintyre to the east.

When John and Marjorie visited Islay for the first time, they walked up to the top of Callumkill’s first ridge, and after taking one look at the magnificent views they knew they were home.

The couple spent the rest of their lives on the estate, and became a part of the Ileach community. Johnserved on the council and as a locum doctor, while Marjorie worked for community charities.

Dr Macgown, or Mac, as he was known, died in 1979 aged 83, and Marjorie died in 2008, aged 110 – she put her longevity and good humour down to her love of walking in the hills, and of course Callumkill meat with the occasional dram.

After her death, her grandsonMalcolmMacgown and his wife, Clare, took over the running of the estate, and today their young son Callum, five, who is aptly named after Callumkill, lends a helping hand.

Callumkill is a manageable farming and sporting estate in a very private position about three miles from Port Ellen, the main ferry port for the island.

Extending to more than 2,100 acres, the land is within a single block and ranges from in-bye grazing near the coast to rugged hillgroundfurther inland. The lochsand rivers of Callumkill supply Lagavulin and Ardbeg distilleries, helping give the distinctive whiskies the peaty full flavour for which they are renowned.

The in-handfarmingoperationonCallumkill isrunby the owners, with the help of one full-time employee, who manages the farm and lives on the estate. The hill farm carries about 70 cows, and about 200 breeding ewes. Silage is taken off some of the low ground fields and supplemented with distillery draff – easily obtainable locally – and some bought-in feed.

Callumkill has rough and driven shooting for pheasant, woodcock and snipe, and is the only estate on Islay thathas red, fallowandroe deer. Redandfallow deer are stalked, but while there are a fewroeonthe ground, they are not stalked, in the interests of building up numbers.

Islay’s red deer are believed to be one of the few remaining herds of pure red deer and are particularly large; the second-heaviest stag recorded in Scotland in 2011, a Royal, was shot on Callumkill. Between 12 and 16 stags are culled per annum.

Changing terrain and views offer wonderful stalking. On foot from Callumkill House, a walk into the hills takes you through ancient oak woodland, over rocky outcrops, across peaty hillside and past lochs. The summit of Bheinn Solumh at 1,138ft above sea level, is the third-highest peak on Islay and has wonderful 360 degree views of the island.

Callumkill is part of the Islay Deer Management Group and has a culling policy which works sympathetically with the farming enterprise and the preservation of the ancient oak woodlands. Brown trout could be introduced to the two hill lochs to add fishing to the estate.

Grouse have been seen, and eagles nest on the hillside.

In addition to a comfortable four bedroom farmhouse, there are two cottages which are situated off the main estate drive, a respectful distance from the main house.

A traditional quadrangle of stone and slate farm buildings behind the house offers potential for development, and there is a good modern shed for the farm.

The main house and Shepherd’s Cottage were refurbished in 2010 and are let as self-catering unitswhenthe owners are not in residence.

Last year theywerebookedfor30weekseachbetween March and January.

Visitors vary between whisky and wildlife tourists in the spring and summer and sporting clients in the autumn and winter months.

The owners are moving to Australia and have made the hard decision to sell the estate.

Clare said: “The hardest part about leaving has been deciding to sell Callumkill and we will miss it terribly. We felt we could not run it as it should be run from Australia. This would be very frustrating for the people who live and work on Callumkill and call it home.

“It needs owners who will, like Granny andMac, and Mal and I, stand on that first ridge and know they are home.”

Callumkill is being marketed as awhole, at offers over £1.5million.

Contact: Anna Henderson, Savills, Edinburgh on 0131 247 3704.

Current owners Malcolm and Clare Macgown with their son, Callum