Drive through Meigle, skirt around Alyth and, after a few miles of country roads, a gravelled private lane swings into view.
A few hundred yards long, boundaried by a stream and an immaculately trimmed hedge, it deposits you at a cluster of three houses on the banks of the River Isla.
The middle of these is Milton of Dillavaird, owned by Kathy and Andrew Nash.
Originally a set of farm outbuildings dating from the 1700s, the house was built using original walls on new footings in 2001.
It was developed by a Mr Bell, a former director of John West Salmon, and used by he and his wife as a holiday home until they sadly passed away.
“He wasn’t short of a bob or two and he spared no expense during the construction,” Andrew says. “Everything was done to the highest quality.
“It’s incredibly well insulated and every single window is double glazed – right down to the log cabin and the laundry room.”
The one-level stone house has three bedrooms and a large open plan living-dining-kitchen area.
This room houses an enormous wood burner which heats the hot water and the home’s central heating system.
“There’s oil central heating as well,” Andrew says. “But the wood burner is cheaper and easy to use. If I put a big log on before bed it’ll stay lit until morning.”
A spacious guest bedroom has two high level stained glass windows. The third bedroom is done up for the grandchildren and the master has a large en suite shower room.
Every window in the house is a different shape and size and many are set at low or high levels, making each room unique.
There are no shortage of outbuildings at Milton of Dillavaird. Two double garages offer a huge amount of storage space. One contains the laundry room which is fully insulated and double glazed. With the dryer tumbling away it’s a warm and cosy space indeed.
There’s also a log cabin with a large L-shaped living area that gazes out to the river and its own three-piece bathroom. The cabin could easily be turned into holiday or guest accommodation.
“I do like coming out here with a book,” Andrew says. “And it’s great if we have a lot of people over.”
There’s a charming cobbled driveway to the side of the property. To the front and rear are extensive stretches of lawn, the latter running right down to the river’s edge.
“We have fishing rights on this side of the river,” Andrew says. “I sometimes put my waders on and catch a brown trout or two.
“The wildlife here is very special. We have red squirrel, the deer walk across the garden in the early morning, and an osprey has its nest across on the other bank.”
Andrew (68) and Kathy (69) extensively renovated the house when they bought it nearly four years ago, putting in a new kitchen and bathrooms, wooden lintels and redecorating almost every room.
Kathy’s glad they did so – she believes a trace of one of its former owners lingered on for a while. “There was definitely a presence here when we moved in,” she insists.
“I would hear footsteps when Andrew wasn’t here. We had a tradesman in and he heard someone moving around and smelled cigarette smoke – Mr Bell’s wife was a smoker.
“Once we renovated the house it no longer felt like her home and she left.”
jmckeown@thecourier.co.uk
Milton of Dillavaird is on sale through RSB Lindsays for offers over £410,000.
www.lindsays.co.uk