3 bedroom flat for sale

Tenure: Freehold

Situation

HISTORY

The site at The Highland Club was originally built as a fort in around 1729 to assist in the suppression of the Jacobite uprisings. In 1745 the Fort fell to the Jacobites after a two day siege that ended when an artillery shell blew up the gunpowder magazine of the fort. Victory was short-lived when the Jacobite uprising was ended at the Battle of Culloden in 1746. Major reconstruction and extension of the fort started in 1747. By 1818, however, it was largely decommissioned and in 1867 the fort was sold to the 14th Lord Lovat, whose son gave it to the English Congregation of Benedictines in 1876, after which it was converted into a Benedictine abbey. The existing buildings were reconstructed and extended to provide a guesthouse, a school for 80 boys and a monastery for 20 monks. The Fort Augustus Abbey School closed in 1993, and the monks dispersed following the Abbey's closure in 1998.

THE HIGHLAND CLUB

The Old School at The Highland Club in Fort Augustus is a unique residential conversion, beautifully situated on the shores of Loch Ness. The traditional aspects of monastic life have given way to modern living but many of the historical aspects of the abbey have been retained, ensuring that an abundance of character still remains.

The Highland Club has a vast array of facilities and activities to offer for all ages. A lochside restaurant and café and a barbeque area offer spectacular views down Loch Ness. Sporting facilities on offer include a tennis court, cricket pitch and nets, five a side football, badminton, boules and a croquet lawn. The social heart of The Highland Club is the Club Lounge with its original oak-panelled walls and decorative stained glass windows and a snooker table. A magnificent indoor swimming pool, gym, steam room and sauna located within the original chapel is due to open in early 2011. The Woodland Adventure Playground provides children with entertainment and The Highland Club also holds local fishing and mooring rights in the area.

SITUATION

There is a great variety of outdoor recreational pursuits to be enjoyed in the surrounding countryside. Ski centres at Nevis Range, Glencoe and Cairngorm provide excellent opportunities for winter sports and are all within easy reach of The Highland Club. For the rest of the year outdoor activities such as shooting, fishing, hill walking, climbing, white water rafting and bird watching are all activities for which this location offers plenty of opportunities. The area also provides other sporting ventures such as horse riding, mountain biking and golf at the Loch Ness Golf Course and the Fairways Driving Range, as well as Fort Augustus' own golf course. Loch Ness and neighbouring Loch Oich also offer a variety of water sports including sailing, windsurfing, kayaking, canoeing and water skiing.

Communication links are efficient, with the A9 (58 miles away) providing rapid travel to Edinburgh and the south. The A82 offers a direct route to Inverness. There are railway stations at Spean Bridge (23 miles), Fort William (31 miles) and Inverness (33 miles), with services to Edinburgh and Glasgow and sleeper services to London. Inverness offers all the services associated with a regional centre, including shops, recreational facilities and an expanding airport (43 miles), with regular flights to London and other UK destinations. The village of Fort Augustus also provides a selection of local goods and services, including two local supermarkets, pubs and restaurants.

Description

Talisker, the apartment at The Old School forms part of the magnificent conversion of the old Fort Augustus Abbey School. The ground floor and mezzanine level apartment is large, extending to some 1,400sq.ft. It has excellent well balanced accommodation which combines a contemporary feel with its historic surroundings and magnificent Victorian architecture.

Accommodation

The focal point of the accommodation is a large open plan sitting room/dining room/kitchen. This has a magnificent mullioned window with views over the cloisters and cloister gardens. There is ample room for a large dining table and the kitchen has a range of wall and floor units incorporating a one and a half bowl sink, four ring gas hob, fan assisted oven, a fridge and freezer. There are two ground floor bedrooms; the master bedroom has magnificent timber buttresses and an en suite bathroom, with separate shower cubicle. There is a further ground floor bedroom and a bathroom. The mezzanine level, which overlooks the sitting room and dining room, is used as a further double bedroom.

The apartment has one allocated parking space however plenty of extra parking is available. Residents also have access to the facilities of The Highland Club and 20 acres of beautifully maintained grounds. There is a range of sports facilities including tennis courts and magnificent brand new spa facilities with a swimming pool, sauna, steam room and gym.

Directions

From Inverness take the A82 heading south out of the city. Follow the road alongside Loch Ness for 34 miles. Entering Fort Augustus from the north cross the canal, take the first left and the prominent gates to The Highland Club are on the left.

From Perth take the A9 north towards Inverness. At Dalwhinnie turn left onto the A889 signposted to Dalwhinnie/Spean Bridge. Follow this road for 8 miles before turning left onto the A86. At Spean Bridge bear right onto the A82 and continue to Fort Augustus. Just before the road bears left to go over the canal turn right, signed Foyers, and the gates to The Highland Club are on the left.