When they look out of the kitchen window each morning, there’s always a treat awaiting for Scott and Helen Lyon.
Sometimes it’s an osprey swooping low over Loch Fleet or an inquisitive seal splashing about in the estuary in front of the house, but there’s always a breathtaking view.
Their home is Creel Lodge, an award-winning house built in the gorgeous waterside setting of Littleferry, a small hamlet on the site of a former ferry crossing close to Golspie.
Situated on the north bank of Loch Fleet, with an SSSI forest backdrop and beautiful, south-facing views over the water to the surrounding countryside, it’s a fabulous spot for a house.
Tear your eyes away from the view and head indoors where further visual treats await, thanks to Helen who is a professional, successful interior designer with impeccable taste. She’s created a home that’s stylishly decorated, warm and welcoming and full of interest.
Creel Lodge was designed by the couple in conjunction with award-winning architect Lachie Stewart and built to a very high specification. The house, which received an RIBA award in 2010, is designed to provide spacious, light and comfortable family accommodation with open-plan sitting, dining and kitchen areas maximising the stunning views of the countryside.
Some of the exceptional features of the house include the magnificent open-plan sitting room and dining room with its panoramic sitting area, state-of-the-art kitchen with AIMS Aga and walk-in fridge, bespoke oak staircase with hidden cupboard, master bedroom suite with dressing room and en-suite bathroom with rain shower, underfloor heating on both floors and an integrated sound system.
Scott who started his career as a management trainee with the North of Scotland Milk Marketing Board in Inverness and has now retired after working for 46 years in the cheese industry, said: “We bought the land from Sutherland Estates then drew up plans with Lachie Stewart.
“With my wife being an interior designer she had a good idea of what she wanted. Richard MacKenzie from Tain built the house which was completed in 2008.
“I lived in Cheshire for 30 years and ran various businesses there, while Helen is from North Wales. My mother lived in Dornoch and we decided that once our youngest son went off to university we’d relocate there, but we couldn’t find a property for sale that suited us which is why we ended up building our own. We were very lucky to get the land at Littleferry.”
Looking every inch a dream Highland home, the accommodation begins with an entrance hall with oak timber flooring, curved oak staircase, understair cupboard and double doors leading to
the open-plan sitting room, dining room and summer sitting area.
Features of note here include a Caithness stone fireplace with Charnwood wood-burning stove with log store beneath, triple aspect panoramic summer sitting area with window seating and fitted table, dining area with shelved alcoves on both sides and open square arch leading to the dining kitchen, another stunning dual aspect room which comes complete with a handy pantry. This floor also has a snug, fitted with bookshelves incorporating space for sofa and a separate cloakroom/wet room.
Returning to the entrance hall, a curved oak staircase with double height window and cupboard at half flight leads to a galleried landing with linen cupboard, access to fully floored roof space and doors to the master bedroom suite which comes complete with a dressing room fitted with bespoke wardrobes, drawers and hanging rails and a luxury en-suite bathroom.
Bedroom two also has fitted wardrobes and an en-suite shower room, while there’s a further two bedrooms, each with fitted wardrobes and separate shower room.
Helen said: “We were closely involved with the architects during the design of the house and wanted a house that made full use of the wonderful views. We also needed lots of open space as we’d come from a 16th-century house that was very different.
“For the interior design I chose things which reflected the colours and nature outside.”
One room where this can really be seen is the hallway which features Timorous Beasties wallpaper and a lovely large print of a Highland cow.
Creel House, on the market at offers over £525,000, also comes with a solid timber studio annexe/garage with turfed roof, power and a decked veranda, and a timber garden shed.
The grounds extend to approximately 0.34 acres and include a turning and parking area, lawns, a sheltered seating area with fire pit by the loch shoreline, a fenced vegetable garden with raised beds and paved sitting area, an enclosed utility area with oil tank and generator shed.
“Littleferry is an amazing place with views that change with each tide which begs the question, why are we selling?” said Scott.
“Helen has her studio in Dornoch and since retiring I’ve been helping her out. We’re both travelling to Dornoch each day so it makes sense now to move there but we’re not leaving Sutherland – it’s a sensational county.”
Contact: CKD Galbraith on 01463 224343.
