Less than a mile outside Kinross and similarly close to the M90, Tillywhally House is as close to civilisation as country living gets.
Set in 22 acres of its own land and surrounded by fields, woods and hills, it has all the seclusion and privacy you could want – but you can walk back from your favourite Kinross pub easily enough, or get to work in Edinburgh without any fuss.
Ian and Sandra Gauld moved there 13 years ago. A former farmer, Ian previously lived near Cupar and Alyth.
The house was built in the 1850s for the Black family, who were major landholders in Kinross-shire.
Time has seen the estate parcelled off and now the house retains 22 acres of garden, woodland and fields.
A driveway sweeps through trees, screening the house from the road, and deposits you in a large parking area.
The arched main entrance has a grand battlement above it and makes for an impressive introduction to the home.
The bespoke Chalon kitchen has solid wood surfaces, range cooker and Belfast sink.
The living room has a front facing bay window and another window facing south. The large dining room has an intricate plaster ceiling and a cast iron fireplace with marble inset.
A wood burning stove keeps the living room warm while – unusually for a country property – the house is connected to mains gas, making the central heating much cheaper to run.
One of the most special rooms is the Victorian orangery, which has exposed stone walls and faces south across the back garden.
“We love this room in spring and summer,” Ian says. “You get the sunlight from early in the morning all the way through to last thing in the evening.”
There’s a study, boot room and small wine cellar on the downstairs floor, as well as a snug off the kitchen.
Upstairs are five spacious bedrooms, with the master and a guest bedroom en suite. The enormous master bedroom has a dressing room off one side, an en suite bathroom and a sauna to relax in.
Outside is a large, mature garden screened from the weather by a belt of woodland.
To the north of the house is a courtyard ringed with outbuildings. There’s a large steel framed barn and a stone coach house that could, with the right permissions, be converted into a holiday home.
To the west of the house is around 10 acres of grazing split into three fields.
“We’ve got bridle paths through the woodland,” Ian explains. “When we had dogs you could walk them straight from the house without having to put them on leads or go on a road.
“We’re in our 60s and want to downsize now but this has been a great home for us.”
Tillywhally House, Kinross, is on sale with Savills for o/o £1.25 million.