Criochan, Old Line Road, Ballater, Aberdeenshire, AB35

Delightful detached country home surrounded by woodland on the edge of Ballater.

Description

Built in the 1930’s, this is the first time that this charming property has been listed on the open market. Criochan is a two storey detached house surrounded by around 1.5 acres of garden and wooded grounds, situated in a fantastic location at the end of the road and on the outskirts of the popular village of Ballater. While now requiring a degree of updating, Criochan represents a wonderful opportunity to acquire a much-loved family home in an enviable location.

The accommodation is well proportioned throughout, with generously sized living spaces and an excellent bed to bath ratio. Beginning with a welcoming hallway featuring original parquet flooring and a warming log burning stove, a lovely staircase curves elegantly upstairs. Reception rooms include a large sitting room and dining room room, both of which have working open fireplaces. The dining room also has a large picture window and window seat framing views of the garden and filling the room with natural light. The fitted dining kitchen is also a bright space and features a decommissioned cream AGA, while a useful utility room (plumbed for laundry appliances) shower room and separate WC complete the ground floor.

Upstairs there are beautiful curved leaded windows at landing level and four bedrooms. The principal bedroom has an en suite shower room and excellent built in storage and there are a further shower room and bathroom to service the other three double bedrooms.

Outside: The house occupies very attractive gardens that extend to about 1.5 acres and are bounded by post and wire fencing. The majority of the gardens are laid in lawn and extend down to Ballater Golf Course, fringed by many fine, mature trees. Outbuildings include a timber summerhouse in the front garden and two coal cellars attached to the rear of the house.

Garage: There is a very large detached garage/workshop that is of part-blockwork construction with the majority being timber frame. The roof is pitched and slated. Within the garage are mezzanine storage areas. This building may have potential for development, subject to planning consent.

Planning permission was previously granted to construct a three-bedroom dwelling in the rear corner of the plot, adjacent to the garage; however, this consent has now lapsed.

Location

The pretty Victorian village of Ballater is located in the heart of picturesque Royal Deeside and within the stunning Cairngorm National Park. Ballater includes a wide range of independent coffee shops, restaurants, specialist and everyday shopping, while the B Listed Ballater Railway Station with historical connections to Queen Victoria and the Royal Family has been restored to its former glory. The Scottish residence to the Royal Family, Balmoral Castle, lies a mere 8 miles away and attracts local and global visitors alike. Such is Balmoral’s association with the village, many of the local shops bear the King’s Royal Warrant. The renowned village of Braemar lies a further (8 miles) up the Dee valley from Balmoral and hosts the famous gathering in September.

Ballater is well known for its proximity to a wide range of leisure pursuits, including golf, horseriding and fishing along the River Dee, while the Old Deeside Railway track provides an excellent cycling or walking route towards Aberdeen. With winter sports available within the Cairngorm National Park at both Glenshee and Aviemore, the local area is also renowned for its splendid countryside and breathtaking scenery, most notably Lochnagar Mountain and the Loch Muick Reserve. The community hosts its own highland games in August and the village is home to the Craigendarroch country club and spa.

The local bus service provides transportation to Aboyne, Banchory and Aberdeen City, where the nearest railway station is located. Primary education is available within Ballater, while secondary education is provided at Aboyne Academy.

Approximately (40 miles) to the east, the vibrant city of Aberdeen is home to two universities: Aberdeen University and Robert Gordons University. Cultural facilities include a recently extended and refurbished Art Gallery, Maritime Museum, music hall and theatre. P & J Live is the northeast of Scotland main arts and events venue, boasting world-class conference and exhibition facilities along with a superior 15,000 capacity arena. Aberdeen Beach can be found a short distance from Aberdeen city centre and the area is also where Pittodrie Stadium is located, which is home to Aberdeen Football Club, affectionally known as The Dandy Dons.

Aberdeen International Airport has national and international flights and there is a mainline east coast train service with frequent journeys to London King’s Cross and rail links further north to Inverness and south to Gleneagles and Edinburgh. Private schools include Robert Gordon’s College, Albyn School, St Margaret’s (girls) and the International School of Aberdeen. Gordonstoun is a co-educational private school for boarding and day pupils for children between the ages of 8 - 18.

Square Footage: 3,025 sq ft


Acreage: 1.5 Acres

Additional Info

Viewings: Strictly by appointment with Savills on

Services: Mains electricity and water. Private drainage. Oil fired central heating. Wood burning stove in the hallway, which also heats a radiator in one of the bedrooms and sitting room. Windows are timber, double glazed on the ground floor and single glazed on the first.

Fixtures & Fittings: Standard fixtures and fittings are included in the sale.

Servitude rights, burdens and wayleaves: The property is sold subject to and with the benefit of all servitude rights, burdens, reservations and wayleaves, including rights of access and rights of way, whether public or private, light, support, drainage, water and wayleaves for masts, pylons, stays, cable, drains and water, gas and other pipes, whether contained in the Title Deeds or informally constituted and whether referred to in the General Remarks and Stipulations or not. The Purchaser(s) will be held to have satisfied himself as to the nature of all such servitude rights and others.

Possession: Vacant possession and entry will be given on completion.

Offers: Offers, in Scottish legal form, must be submitted by your solicitor to the Selling Agents. It is intended to set a closing date but the seller reserves the right to negotiate a sale with a single party. All genuinely interested parties are advised to instruct their solicitor to note their interest with the Selling Agents immediately after inspection.

Deposit: A deposit of 10% of the purchase price may be required. It will be paid within 7 days of the conclusion of Missives. The deposit will be non-returnable in the event of the Purchaser(s) failing to complete the sale for reasons not attributable to the Seller or his agents.