A private lane cuts off the main road towards Glenshee. It creeps uphill for perhaps quarter of a mile before depositing me on the driveway of Hilltown of Mause.
Before knocking on the front door I take a few moments to appreciate the views. The Vale of Strathmore stretches out before me, with the turrets of Craighall Castle in the centre of the vista.
Owner Roger McCosh steps out to greet me. His family has owned surrounding land for generations and Hilltown of Mause incorporates one of the farm’s old stone cottages in its structure.
The house was built by Roger and his wife Jo in 1994, taking the original cottage and dramatically expanding it into a large family home with five bedrooms and five reception rooms.
Mortgage adviser Roger (59) worked in London during the 1980s, moving back to Edinburgh in 1989.
When he and Jo (56) got married they decided to turn the farm cottage into a family home.
“We wanted to keep the style traditional but have all the modern creature comforts in it,” Roger explains.
The front door brings you into a vestibule then a reception hall with doors to the drawing room, an en suite guest bedroom and a cloakroom.
A staircase leads to a split landing with the dining room, which has double doors to the garden.
The original cottage now incorporates the open plan kitchen/dining/family room, which is warmed by a large wood burning stove.
“Nowadays everyone wants open plan living but 25 years ago it was almost unheard of,” Roger continues. “We’re very glad we built it this way.”
A pair of doors open to a south-facing terrace and behind the kitchen is a boot room with gun cabinet, cloakroom and utility room. “We have dogs and the boot room is perfect for when we all come in muddy off the hillside,” Roger says.
At the same level as the kitchen is a family room with wood burning stove and doors to the garden. Three more bedrooms share a family bathroom and the master has its own en suite as well as a dressing room. There’s also a playroom at attic level which could be converted into an en suite bedroom.
An enormous tank in the attic stores enough water to last for weeks. The house is fed from an underground spring somewhere on the hillside but Roger admits the exact location has been lost in the mists of time.
“We put a huge tank in just in case but in 25 years the supply has never let us down, not even in last summer’s heat wave.”
Outside is a 1.38 acre garden, while a further 2.8 acres of land are available by separate negotiation.
With the couple’s children having flown the nest, Roger and Jo are downsizing. “This has been a splendid home but it belongs with a family,” Roger says.
Hilltown of Mause, Blairgowrie, is on sale with Savills for o/o £650,000.