It’s not every day you get a ride in a fun but practical off-road vehicle so you can fully appreciate the grounds surrounding a house. So when the opportunity arose, I jumped at the chance.
At the wheel was Murdo MacPhail and next to me was his wife Brenda, who are reluctantly selling their home, Taigh Tioram at Corriemoillie near Garve in Ross-shire.
The mini-trip was great fun.
Murdo, a former solicitor who practiced in Dingwall until he retired in 2007, drove us to land behind the house where there’s a substantial summerhouse and large duck pond they carved out themselves.
It’s the perfect spot for barbecues and outdoor parties, and has been well used by the sociable couple who enjoy entertaining.
From here, while the trees are bare, they can see their old home, Corriemoillie Lodge, which they bought in 1984 along with 17 acres of attached woodland.
This MacPhails lived in the massive three-storey lodge for years, offering B&B during the summer months.
“It got to the stage where the lodge and woodland required a basic but fairly strenuous maintenance programme which were beyond our capabilities as we got older,” said Murdo.
They sold the lodge but retained four acres where they built a more manageable home, Taigh Tioram – the name means “Dry House” in Gaelic and was chosen as a bit of fun by the couple.
A beautifully presented family home, built to a high standard with high-quality finishes and impressive specification throughout, it was completed in 2008.
Brenda helped design the house which has a lovely flow and ample space for anyone with a growing family or who likes to entertain.
“I wanted a house that was bright and which enjoyed natural light all day so designed the layout so that as the sun moves, there’s a room you can sit in and enjoy it,” said Brenda.
“I worked closely with architect Duncan MacLennan and told him what I wanted, such as a reception hall that was welcoming and flexible but it also had to have a good fire because it’s lovely having a fireplace at the centre of a house,” said Brenda, who trained as a nurse and midwife before having her own family.
The integral Stovax wood-burning stove certainly makes a dramatic impact with visitors, throwing out a welcome as warm as that given by the hosts.
The accommodation begins with a vestibule which has double doors leading to the large reception room. From there, there’s access to most of the ground-floor rooms including a large, open-plan drawing room with dining area.
Double doors from the drawing room lead to a large sun room from where there’s enviable views across the local countryside and beyond to be enjoyed.
This floor also has a well-equipped wet room, large study which could be converted back to a bedroom, and modern dining kitchen which is well equipped and comes with a host of Siemens appliances including double oven, dishwasher and microwave.
There is a centre island with marble top, housing an electric induction plate supplemented by gas rings and a pop up electrical power socket and electric fan above the hob.
There is also space for a large dining table and chairs.
The kitchen, designed and fitted by Riverside Kitchens, looks brand new, and Brenda can also take credit for this.
“I wanted to put in a kitchen that looked timeless as nothing dates a house more than an old-style kitchen,” she said.
Behind the high-gloss, cream-coloured units, there’s a host of built-in appliances while nice touches, such as the pop-up electrical socket, are only now making their way into some homes.
Another innovative feature can be found in the large utility room – a central vacuuming system which does away with the need to drag around, and empty regularly, a vacuum cleaner.
Close by this room is a WC/cloakroom and a rear hall that doubles up as a boot room and outdoor clothing area.
A solid-oak staircase leads upstairs from the reception hall to a very spacious galleried landing which is flooded with natural light, thanks in part to double glass patio doors which lead out to a balcony.
“This is a bit of a sun trap and a lovely place to sit and enjoy the views towards the Lochuichart Hills,” said Brenda.
The upper hall has several areas which could double up as a library/study and from here there’s access to the bedrooms including the master bedroom which has a rather unusual design in that the bed area has just that, no clutter or cupboards, just plenty of space for a king-sized bed and bedside tables.
“I wanted to keep the storage area separate and keep this part of the room just as a bed room,” said Brenda.
So the room has been designed with a small hallway which houses a wall of wardrobes and storage space, and a modern en-suite bathroom with lovely free-standing slipper bath, walk-in shower, WC and wash-hand basin.
At the other end of the internal hall there’s another room which is used a dressing room but could be used as a separate bedroom.
There are two further double bedrooms, both with excellent storage space, a linen store, family bathroom and a separate room with a good-sized sauna.
The house sits within impressive landscaped garden grounds and the woodlands to the rear are home to a variety of trees and shrubs including mature Scots pine, larch, oak, sycamore, beech, hazel, holly, birch, rhododendrons, and heathers.
There are also many self-sown seedlings in differing stages of growth.
Closer to the house, there’s a double garage with a concrete floor, power, light and enough storage space to keep the best of hoarders happy, and above it, self-contained accommodation that would make an ideal teenage wing or hobby room.
There’s also a steel-framed agricultural shed with pitched roof, greenhouse and a car wash area.
For the asking price of offers over £395,000, you get a lot of house, land and spectacular scenery plus a host of wildlife including red squirrels, pine martens, woodpeckers, buzzards, owls, Red Kites and Fieldfares, which can be seen on an almost daily basis.
It’s with mixed feelings that the MacPhails are now selling up. “Ironically, it’s the same scenario which now applies when we sold the Lodge as looking after the land is a bit too much for us now,” said Murdo.
“Having been in Corriemoillie for 30 years or so, the decision to leave is not a light one.
“We are moving to a hopefully maintenance-free cottage in Fortrose to be closer to our family who have long since flown the nest.”
Contact: Strutt and Parker on 01463 719171.