Alton Farm, Carron, Aberlour, Moray, AB38

Alton Farm sits in a wonderful position at the heart of Speyside. Nearby, Craigellachie (about 7 miles) has good day to day amenities including a primary school, the Craigellachie Hotel with Spey Inn, a village hall for community events and sports clubs, a Church, convenience store, filling station and children’s play parks. Aberlour (about 6 miles) has The Dowans Hotel, supermarket, health centre, dental practice and pharmacy, a highly regarded delicatessen and various hotels, pubs and coffee shops and nearby Archiestown also has Hotel 1881. With easy access to the Spey, Cairngorms and Moray coastline, Speyside is an area best known for its beautiful countryside, salmon fishing and as the home of malt whisky. The region offers many opportunities for sport and recreation with a number of marked walks and cycle trails nearby, including the Speyside Way. Fishing, shooting and stalking are available on many of the local estates, including salmon fishing on the world famous Rivers Spey and Avon nearby. There are a number of golf courses in the area, including courses at Dufftown, Rothes and at Ballindalloch. The Lecht Ski and Activity Centre near Tomintoul and the Cairngorm Ski Centre near Aviemore are now open all year round.

Elgin (about 19 miles) is the principal town in the county and has a wide range of amenities including various major supermarkets, a library, a good selection of independent shops, various sporting and recreational facilities and a train station providing direct links to Aberdeen and Inverness. Aberdeen (63 miles) and Inverness (45 miles) provide all of the facilities expected from modern and prosperous cities, with an excellent selection of shopping, retail parks and associated services, rail links and airports.

Alton Farm is located at the heart of Speyside in a very private and tranquil situation a short distance from the villages of Archiestown and Aberlour. Surrounded by farmland, forestry and attractive native woodland, the farm enjoys an elevated position a short distance north of the River Spey and enjoys wonderful views across Strathspey and towards Ben Rinnes.

It comprises of a 5/6 bedroom farmhouse, a range of useful outbuildings and land, extending in total to about 72.02ha / 178.4 acres, detailed as follows:

An attractive traditional farmhouse, likely dating from the 1800’s with a substantial extension which was added in 1993. Predominantly constructed of stone and slate, accommodation is provided over two storeys including:

Ground Floor: Porch. ‘L’ Shaped Kitchen/Dining/Utility Room. Sitting Room. Hallway. 1 Double Bedroom. 1 Single Bedroom/Office. Family Room. Hall. Dining Room. Bathroom.

First Floor: Landing. Bathroom. Box Room/Dressing Room/Office. Airing Cupboard. 4 bedrooms (Master En Suite).

The farmhouse has a lovely bright and airy feel with large windows and French doors flooding the interior with natural light. It has a mix of double and secondary glazed windows, is heated by an air source heat pump and a 4KW array of solar panels (which supplement the mains electricity supply) and an LPG boiler as a backup system. There are wood burners in the Sitting Room and Snug/ Family Room.

There are several useful outbuildings, including:

Dram Queen Bothy:
Converted traditional bothy built of pointed stone under a slate roof with double glazed windows, electricity, concrete floor and wood burner inside.

Old Mill:
Located beside the access track to the farmhouse, it is constructed of stone and timber with a corrugated roof. Subject to obtaining all necessary consents, this building may offer development potential.

L shaped Steading:
An attractive traditional stone steading, of which part has been developed into an office / games room with the remaining part left to comprise various byres and stores. The building has a power supply and has undoubted development potential. New roof and rainwater goods. There is planning permission to convert part of this steading plus the site of the now demolished stable into a two-bedroom cottage granted in January 2022

Reconstruct and extend part of the steading building to annexe at | Alton Carron Aberlour Moray AB38 7QT

Wooden Shed:
Large wooden multiuse shed under a corrugated tin roof. With a concrete floor and two double sliding doors. It is in good condition and provides storage for vehicles and other farm items.

General Purpose Shed:
Steel portal frame shed clad in tin under a corrugated metal roof with an earth floor and a power supply.

American Barn Garage:
Wooden frame workshop with hydraulic lifting rams. power supply, concrete floor, exposed eves, large 4m double door under corrugated sheet roof. The shed also stores a red diesel tank and is a versatile workspace.

The land at Alton mainly slopes in a south westerly direction from a high point of some 195m above sea level to about 146m. The productive land is gently sloping and relatively easily worked by machinery with areas of less productive rough grazing offering high amenity. The farm was previously run as a stock farm with good connectivity throughout the holding allowing for the easy movement of livestock. The land is currently laid down to a mix of temporary grass, permanent grass and environmental wild bird seed crops. There are areas of planted or naturally generated native woodland located throughout the farm including Scots Pine, Larch and Birch mixed with planted shelter belts. There is an extensive area of primarily mixed broadleaf which is located within a SSSI to the west of the farm which includes very attractive mature beech trees. Although the mixed woodland on the property is not on a commercial scale, it holds a strong amenity value and provides considerable privacy. Within the central area of the farm is a delightful lochan which was established to enhance wildlife habitat. A summary of the land use for Alton farm includes: about 38.88 hectares (96.08 acres) of ploughable farmland; 31.49 hectares (77.81 acres) of rough grazing, woodland, shelter belts, hedge rows and tracks. The farmland at Alton is currently let on a 364 day licence to a local grazier and which is due to terminate on the 30th March 2027.