Reekie Farm Steading, Craigievar, Alford, Aberdeenshire, AB33

Stunning steading conversion set in peaceful rural location

Description

Converted from a farm building in 2009, Reekie Farm Steading is a detached L shaped 1.5 storey home set within its own grounds of around one acre. The property is located in the midst of scenic countryside, around 5 miles from the Aberdeenshire town of Alford and about 8 miles to Aboyne.

The accommodation has been imaginatively designed to create light and inviting living space which makes the most of the lovely rural outlook as well as being very practical for modern family life and for entertaining. Across the two levels there are three reception rooms, five bedrooms and four bathrooms.

Reekie Farm Steading begins with a welcoming entrance hallway, off which is all the main ground floor accommodation. At the heart of the home is the bright and spacious open plan kitchen/dining area/lounge which is flooded with natural light. The kitchen combines the traditional and the contemporary with an electric AGA and painted timber cabinetry, contrasting with the central island and black granite worktop. A fitted utility/boot room and WC add to the practicality of this wing.

Another highlight of the property is the wonderful sitting room with vaulted timber-beamed ceiling, wooden flor and contemporary wood burning stove. Large windows frame the uninterrupted views of the surrounding landscape and Bennachie.

Also on this level is the generously-sized principal bedroom with double doors opening into a fabulous en suite which features an oval freestanding bath and wet room style rainfall shower. Bedroom 2 has a large bathroom adjacent, again with bath and separate shower.

Upstairs, a balcony with glazed balustrade and Velux windows overlooking the sitting room cleverly doubles as a study/home office. Also on the first floor are the three other double bedrooms, all with in-built storage, one of which forms part of the versatile guest suite. This comprises a kitchen/living area, double bedroom and en suite shower room. Completing this level is a further shower room.

Outside: Set within approximately one acre of established grounds, the property enjoys a delightful rural setting with generous outdoor space offering both privacy and versatility. The majority of the grounds are enclosed, creating a secure and attractive environment framed by fencing, a timber entrance gate and mature conifer screening along the boundary adjoining Reekie Farmhouse.

A substantial gravelled courtyard provides an impressive arrival area with ample parking and turning space, while a raised timber decking pathway and patio to the northeast of the house offers an ideal vantage point from which to enjoy the surrounding countryside and outdoor entertaining. To the rear, a further gravelled area extends to a substantial retaining wall and incorporates a large timber log store together with a garden shed, providing useful external storage.

The gardens are predominantly laid to lawn, creating expansive open spaces for recreation and relaxation. Recently planted beech hedging enhances both the character and structure of the grounds, adding seasonal interest while establishing attractive natural boundaries throughout the garden. In addition to the enclosed garden grounds, the overall acreage also includes a section of the access road serving Reekie Farmhouse, together with an adjoining triangular area of rough ground, further contributing to the property's generous landholding and potential appeal for a variety of lifestyle uses.

Location

As the principal town serving Donside, Alford offers an excellent range of amenities including a health centre, shops, café, filling station and hotels. Leisure pursuits are well catered for with a swimming pool, a dry ski slope at Alford Ski Centre and an 18 hole golf course. Visitor attractions include the Grampian Transport Museum, Alford Railway Museum and Alford Heritage Centre. The life size statue of a bull on the eastern approach to the town marks the area’s claim to be the birthplace of the Aberdeen Angus breed of cattle. On the edge of Alford is Haughton Country Park, a 200 acre park with children’s play area, walks and trails, a putting green and camp site. The ski slopes at the Lecht are about 25 miles to the west. The surrounding hills offer wonderful walking and a wide range of field sports is readily available in the area. The boundary of the Cairngorms National Park lies some 12 miles to the west.

Primary schooling is found very locally at Craigievar Primary School, with secondary schooling at Alford Academy. There are three independent schools available in Aberdeen. The community campus in Alford includes primary and secondary schools, a swimming pool, sports facilities, a theatre, a library and a community café.

For the sports enthusiast, the surrounding countryside could not offer a richer choice. There is salmon and trout fishing on the nearby rivers Don and Dee and deer stalking and shooting in the locality. The area is in the heart of castle country and the National Trust for Scotland has a number of properties open to the public including Craigievar, Leith Hall, Castle Fraser, Fyvie and Crathes. Popular for cyclists are the recently opened Tarland trails.

Regular bus services are available from Alford with links to Aberdeen, Westhill, Kintore and Kemnay, with trains available at nearby Insch and Inverurie. Aberdeen provides all the business, leisure, recreational and entertainment facilities expected from a major city, and its airport is easily reached.

Aboyne has a supermarket, academy and primary school and an excellent community centre providing theatre/cinema, swimming pool, badminton courts, library and gym. The village also has a health centre with five resident doctors, weekly optometrist and audiometric clinics and a cottage hospital.

Deeside, through which the River Dee flows, attracts visitors from far and wide. Nearby Balmoral Castle has been the Scottish home of the Royal Family since it was purchased for Queen Victoria by Prince Albert in 1852. There is a wealth of sport on offer for which Scotland is famed: salmon fishing on the rivers Dee, Don and Deveron, pheasant and partridge shooting on many of the low ground estates, red and roe deer stalking and the opportunity for grouse on the rolling heath hills. The area boasts numerous golf courses. To the east lie Royal Aberdeen and Trump International, both well regarded links courses.

Square Footage: 3,789 sq ft



Additional Info

Viewings: Strictly by appointment with Savills on

General: The property lies in a rural setting. It is adjoined on its southeast side by a minor public road between Craigievar and Corse, on its south side by the grounds of a residential property, Reekie Farmhouse, and is otherwise adjoined by agricultural land. The first, short section of the access off the public road is shared with the adjoining residential property, Reekie Farmhouse.

Services: Mains electricity. Private water and drainage. The windows are timber-framed double glazed casement windows. Oil fired central heating. The heating system is a wet system via underfloor on the ground floor and radiator heating on the first floor. There is a freestanding Morso 8kW wood burning stove. Electric car charging point in the courtyard. High-speed broadband is provided by Scot-tel Gould enabling seamless home working

Miscellaneous: Lapsed planning permission was granted in 2022 for operating a self-contained annexe to install an external entrance to make this a fully self-contained space.

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.