A country estate that is perfect for escaping the rat race as it is on the most northerly point in mainland Britain has gone on the market.
The remote Dunnet Estate contains a 10 bedroom mansion, six lochs, 1,800 acres of heath and its own beach looking out to the Orkneys islands.
The windswept estate is up for sale for a mere £925,000 – £25,000 cheaper than a one bedroom flat in London’s Mayfair.
This country estate on 1,800 acres overlooking Scapa Flow and the Orkney Islands is on sale for £925,000
Dunnet Estate contains a 10 bedroom mansion where the Queen Mother once stayed and was built between 1895 and 1908
As well as the 1,800 acres of moors, the amazing property also comes with its own private beach, pictured
The Queen Mother once stayed in the white painted baronial-style property, called the House of the Northern Gate, near Thurso.
The estate also attracted the attention of Led Zeppelin who considered buying it for a recording studio as well as the Bay City Rollers.
The house was built by Admiral Alexander Sinclair between 1895 and 1908.
He died in 1945 and the estate was bought three years later by Commander Clair Vyner and his wife Lady Doris Vyner, who was a close friend of Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, the Queen Mother.
The Queen Mother traveled to northern Scotland in 1953 where she stayed with the then owner Lady Doris Vyner
As well as the outstanding sea views, the property also features six loughs capable of being filled with brown trout
Anyone who wants a long driveway up to their house overlooking the sea will be in luck with Dunett estate
Lady Doris invited her to stay at the house in 1953 and while there she spotted the tower of Barrogill Castle out of one of the upper windows, which she bought and renamed the Castle of Mey.
She restored it and stayed there regularly from 1955 until her death in 2002 before it was opened to the public.
After the Vyners, the house was run as a hotel by Bill Dodd from 1967 until 1974 and then when it went on the market rock band Led Zeppelin viewed it several times with a view to turn it into a recording studio.
Stuart ‘Woody’ Wood from the Bay City Rollers also showed interest as a buyer but eventually it sold to Divanian Gold, a flamboyant Jewish clothes manufacturer, before he sold it to the current owner’s family in the mid-1980s.
The house is now in need of refurbishment but could be a stunning family home, a hotel, B&B or serviced apartments, most likely geared towards the demand for outdoor pursuits.
Inside the house, the selling agents suggest the interior could do with a little bit of ‘tidying up’
As well as the main house, the property comes with planning permission for ten timber lodges and a new detached house
Any country mansion would benefit by the installation of a four-poster bed such as this in one of the ten bedrooms
The estate has a six-acre section that comes with planning approved for building ten timber lodges, which could be built and rented out by the new owner or leased to a holiday letting company. There is also approval for a new build detached house.
John Loudon, from Auction House Scotland which is selling the property, said: ‘Dunnet Estate is massive, as is the opportunity, and that’s a key part of the attraction.
‘This has been a home for a number of different families and the buyer could actually become the laird of their own manor. But it also has great business potential to create a fantastic tourist destination resort.
This dining room looks like it may need slight modernisation, to bring the property into the 21st century
Both Led Zeppelin and a member of the Bay City Rollers considered buying the estate in the 1970s to turn it into a studio
The property could be used as a magnificent retreat, or turned into a small hotel / bed and breakfast accommodation
John Loudon, from Auction House Scotland said that the property is even further north than John o’Groats
‘The estate offers possibilities for brown trout fishing and grouse shooting and it’s also very close to the North Coast 500 route which is increasingly popular and has encouraged significant investment in the area.
‘It’s the location of the property combined with the business opportunity that makes it appealing.
‘It’s a spectacular location and about as far north as you can get on the mainland, indeed even more northern than John O’Groats.
‘The views from the situation on the Dunnet peninsula are spectacular overlooking the Pentland Firth towards the Orkney Islands.
‘The spectacular scenery will be one of the major selling points.
‘It has a fascinating history around it and the current owner’s family have had it since the 1980s.
‘It will need refurbishment but the degree and expense will very much depend on the buyer’s future plans. It is a blank canvas really.’
The estate will be sold at auction in Glasgow on March 22 and is expected to sell for at least £925,000 plus auction house fees.