Lot 2 Riechip Estate, By Dunkeld, Perthshire, PH8

Situation
Laighwood and Riechip Estate lies in a highly scenic rural setting, above the Lunan Lochs, some 4 miles to the north-east of Dunkeld in the county of Perthshire. The Royal Burgh of Dunkeld, lying on the banks of the River Tay, is a thriving village providing good dayto-day services including a primary school, medical centre, Co-op, delicatessen, butcher, baker, together with the historic Dunkeld Cathedral and the Dunkeld Hotel. Further there is a railway station providing daily services north and south with the A9 trunk road close to Dunkeld.

Blairgowrie lies about 7 miles to the east of Laighwood via the A923 road. It provides excellent day to day services including supermarkets, independent retailers, secondary school with sporting facilities, doctors surgery and cottage hospital, veterinary surgery and restaurants.

The ‘Fair City’ of Perth lies about 18 miles south of the estate and provides a broad range of services and facilities including national retailers, concert hall, theatre, cinema, leisure pool and both railway and bus stations. In addition, there is the Dewars Centre, home to the well-respected Perth Curling Club. Dundee, known as the City of Discovery is about 26 miles to the south east and is home to both Discovery Point with HMS Discovery the famous ship which took Scott and Shackleton on their first trip to the Antarctic and the V&A Museum which offers exhibitions through the year. In addition, Dundee has two Universities, a broad range of National Retailers, railway station and the Olympia Swimming Pool. Dundee airport accommodates private aeroplanes together with summer season flights to Orkney and Shetland.

Perthshire offers a wealth of outdoor activities and recreational pursuits including hill walking, fishing, golf, mountain biking, winter sports and sailing. The ski slopes of Glenshee can be reached to the north in under an hour with river water sports available near Aberfeldy. Its central position also gives excellent access to the rest of Scotland; the rugged West Coast, the Highlands to the north, Aberdeenshire to the north east and the rolling Borders to the south. Both Edinburgh and Glasgow, with their extensive city amenities and services, can both be reached in about an hour and half by car to the south east and south west respectively. Both include international airports and railway stations giving regular daily domestic and international services.

Description
Laighwood and Riechip Estate is a desirable Scottish Estate, enjoying a Highland Perthshire setting and extending in total to about 5,450.40 acres (2,242.17 hectares). Principally run as an in hand mixed farming unit comprising arable, permanent pasture, rough grazings, hill and woodland, it is centred on Laighwood House, a traditional stone built farmhouse with the extensive range of traditional and modern farm buildings adjacent. In addition, there are a further 12 houses let under a mix of occupancies including a holiday house, service occupancy and longer term lets.

Laighwood and Riechip Estate offers a diverse mix of land from the highly productive low ground with delightful deciduous woodlands, rising through the grazing ground and upwards to the dramatic Benachally Hill and the historic Benachally Monument, a minature dry stone square tower dating back to around 1830 sitting at high point of some 487m a.s.l. There is a tarmac road running through the estate up to the hill giving very good access. Stalking of red, roe and fallow deer is available on the estate, with wild brown trout fishing enjoyed at Benachally Loch, whilst the wider estate offers great potential to a develop a low ground shoot.

The estate topography and composition of land offers superb mixed habitat for a wealth of wildlife including black grouse, red grouse, red deer, fallow deer and roe deer, red squirrels and many bird species with ospreys having been sighted as well as long eared owls, barn owls, tawny owls, red kites, curlews, snipe, oyster catchers, French partridge, woodcock and lapwings.

Laighwood and Riechip is a magnificent estate offering a diverse range of land uses and which in turn provide great productivity, seclusion and amenity. Nestled estled discreetly at the heart of Perthshire, one of the country’s most sought after locations, it offers the enviable combination of tranquility with connectivity across the central belt and Highlands.

Lot 2 - Riechip Estate - About 4,535.65 acres (1,835.55 Ha)

Riechip, sitting above Laighwood, extends to about 4,535.65 acres in total. It has the three dwellings of Riechip Lodge, Wester Riechip and Riechip Farmhouse at is core with a practical range of traditional farm buildings adjacent and enjoying a superbly elevated position commanding outstanding views. There are three further dwellings sitting further up within the hill of Riechip together with part ownership of Loch Benachally.

Riechip Lodge, Wester Riechip and Riechip Farmhouse
Sitting in a small cluster to the westerly side of Riechip are three houses, Riechip Lodge, Wester Riechip and Riechip Farmhouse, together with a useful range of traditional outbuildings. The houses all enjoy a southerly outlook and sitting in an elevated position the two of Riechip Lodge and Wester Riechip they command the most outstanding views over the estate, down to the Lunan Lochs and over to the hills beyond.

Riechip Lodge and Wester Riechip sit side by side. Lying under slated roofs, they are white washed two storey houses and were created into the two detached dwellings from the original lodge which was significantly damaged by fire in December 1987. Riechip Lodge provides two reception rooms and 8 bedrooms whilst Wester Riechip provides two reception rooms and four bedrooms. They are both well presented with Wester Riechip forming a holiday let unit whilst Riechip Lodge is let to a third party for use as their own holiday house.

Riechip Farmhouse is a traditional stone built farmhouse under a slated roof sitting within an established garden. It provides good sized rooms with two reception rooms and four bedrooms. It is occupied under a residential lease.

Riechip Outbuildings
Lying to the north of Riechip Lodge and Wester Riechip is a useful range of traditional stone built outbuildings providing useful storage and cover for lambing. There is a yard area to the north and a further detached stone building beyond which has in previous years been utilised as a squash court. A set of dog kennels lie to the north west of the farmhouse. Lying up in the hill is a lambing shed of brick construction under a cement fibre roof.

Craigend South
Situated up within the hill of Riechip is Craigend South, a delightful stone built detached three bedroomed cottage, enjoying a southerly outlook and sitting within a well tended garden with lawn, shrubs and trees. Lying to the north of the cottage is a stone outbuilding providing useful and practical additional space and storage. Craigend South is accessed directly off the hill access road. It is occupied under a residential lease.

Craigend North
Craigend North lies further up the hill from Craigend South. It is a detached traditional two bedroomed cottage with a detached outbuilding to the east. Craigend North is currently unoccupied.

Ranageig
Ranageig is the furthest located cottage on the estate, enjoying a remote and undisturbed position. It is a traditional white washed cottage under a slated roof with a southerly aspect and with two bedrooms. To the rear of the cottage is a stone outbuilding. It is occupied under a residential lease.

The Land
The land at Riechip extends in total to about 4,417.23 acres (1,787.63 Ha) and comprises permanent grass and rough grazings. In addition, there is one block of woodland. The land rises from 236 metres above sea level up to 470 metres above sea level on Benachally Hill. It is classified by the James Hutton Institute as ranging from Grade 5:1 up to Grade 6:2. There are some enclosed fields by either fencing or stone dykes but the majority of the land is open.

There can be observed on the hill evidence of iron age settlements in the form of iron age hut settlements to the south of Loch Benachally, which are circular in layout. In addition there are clearly evident field systems to the north east of Riechip.

Sporting
Laighwood and Riechip offers sufficient scale to provide a wonderful opportunity to expand the current sporting offering. Historically, there was an established grouse moor on Riechip and there are currently populations of both red and black ground on the hill, however, this has not been managed or shot for some 20 years.

The estate also offers opportunities to stalk both red and roe deer. At present, the stalking for both red and roe is undertaken by separate individuals on an informal basis. Exciting wild (Brown) trout fishing is enjoyed on Loch Benachally which lies to the north of the Estate and within Riechip (Lot 2). Loch ownership is split between Riechip and a neighbouring estate with the sport enjoyed either from the bank or by boat.

Laighwood and Riechip Estate previously had a well managed syndicate low ground shoot with pheasants put down each year. The syndicate arrangement is no longer in place with shooting now taking place on a very informal basis by family and friends. The topography and layout of the ground on the estate provides great potential to once again develop a renowned and challenging low ground shoot. Further information is available upon on request from the selling agents.

Loch Benachally
Lying to the north west of the estate is Loch Benachally. It is owned jointly with the neighbouring estate and is formally a reservoir, maintained by Scottish Water.

Forestry & Woodland
The estate benefits from a number of woodland areas. There are six principal woodland blocks sitting across Lot 1 with a number of smaller sized blocks sitting in Lot 2. The woodlands comprise mainly mature mixed deciduous trees with some coniferous trees.