Solid stone walls. Warming wood burners. A separate cottage for guests. Views over Highland Perthshire. A burn babbling through the garden. The River Tay flowing past just 50 metres from the house.
Dundarave has a lot to recommend it. The four bedroom house and attached two-bedroom cottage have been lovingly overhauled by their current owners, Jo and Rich Murray.
Located in the village of Strathtay, it’s a stone’s throw from the village golf course in one direction and the River Tay in the other.
Jo, 53, and Rich, 49, moved into Dundarave – the name means ‘two-oared boat’ – five and a half years ago, having lived in Aberfeldy for the previous 18 years.
When they bought the house it was in need of attention. “The last owner had run it as a bed and breakfast but hadn’t done updated the house for a long time,” Jo explains.
“There was anaglypta wallpaper with decades of paint on top of it. All the bedrooms had sinks in them. And there was no central heating system, just old storage heaters.
The couple set to work modernising the house while being careful to retain its traditional features.
“We wanted everything to be in keeping with the character of the house,” Jo continues. “It wouldn’t look right with high gloss, handle-less kitchen units for example. So we’ve upgraded but kept things looking traditional.”
As well as a pair of wood burning stoves the couple added oil central heating and when I visit on a sub-zero January morning the house is pleasantly cosy.
Warm and welcoming
An entrance porch welcomes you into the home. As soon as I cross the threshold I’m greeted by Jo’s two Jack Russells, Pip and Woody. After an initial sniff, Woody dashes off to the living room to fetch a toy for his new friend.
Dundarave has two living rooms, both of which are at the front of the house. The first has a large wood burning stove and is where the family is usually to be found on winter’s evenings.
“The other living room gets used more in the summer, although still not all that often because we try to be outside as much as possible during the summertime,” Jo says.
Another wonderful space is the dining kitchen, which also has a wood burning stove. There is a dining area at one end and the kitchen has a glazed door that opens into the garden.
“When we moved in there wasn’t a door here,” Jo explains. “If you wanted to get to the back garden you had to go out the front door and walk round.
“Because it’s a conservation village we had to apply for planning permission but it’s worth it to be able to get into the garden easily.
The ground floor also has a cloakroom, a bathroom and a rear porch with a utility area and boot room.
A wide set of stairs leads up to a spacious landing. On the upper level there are four double bedrooms and two shower rooms.
Beautiful garden
Out of the kitchen door is a lovely southwest facing garden. Rich and Jo added a stone patio to enjoy outdoor dining from.
A burn babbles through the garden, emerging from under a stone wall and tumbling downwards to join the Tay on its journey to the coast.
It’s an idyllic spot and in the summertime when the leaves are on the trees it enjoys plenty of privacy.
Attached to the main house is Red Squirrel Cottage, which Jo and Rich operate as a holiday let.
This cosy cottage has a snug living room at ground level which is warmed by a wood burning stove. Also at ground level are a kitchen and a shower room, while upstairs are two bedrooms. Red Squirrel Cottage enjoys its own garden with views to the Tay.
The cottage is popular with holidaymakers and even in the depths of January Jo has been hard at work preparing it for guests. “We usually light the stove an hour or two before they arrive so it’s nice and warm for them,” she says.
Adjoining the cottage is a stone outbuilding with plenty of storage for bikes, gardening equipment and firewood.
Somewhat surprisingly, the cottage and outbuildings predate the main house. The former were built in 1815 while the latter wasn’t constructed until the 1890s.
Camel in the Tay
One of Dundarave’s more intriguing inhabitants was Captain Angus Buchanan. After fighting in World War I, Orkney-born Buchanan turned his hand to exploring and led several expeditions across the Sahara Desert.
In later years he holidayed in Strathtay where he made Dundarave his base. He would bring his servant and his pet camel with him, and often led the camel down to the Tay to drink.
Strathtay has a Post Office/shop and a golf course. Five minutes’ walk away is Grandtully, where there are two restaurants, a café and a chocolatier.
The mountain town of Aberfeldy is just a few miles along the road and the couple’s son attends Breadalbane Academy there.
Moving on
After more than half a decade at Dundarave it feels time for Jo and Rich to move on. Their two daughters are 25 and 18 and have both left home, leaving only their 15-year old son.
For the past 23 years Rich has been the head chef at Green Park Hotel in Pitlochry. Jo is also employed there part time, working it around looking after their holiday cottage.
The hotel owners are now looking to retire and Rich is also ready for a break from a very demanding line of work.
The time feels right for the couple to sell Dundarave and move on. “We’re in the unusual position of being able to go anywhere we want,” Jo says.
“We quite fancy the Lothian coast somewhere – Gullane and North Berwick are lovely. We looked at Peebles and Aviemore but want to be closer to an airport than that.
“Our plan is to wait until we have a sale on this house then decide. We’ve been in Highland Perthshire for 23 years. We really love it here and we will miss it but we’ve explored everything there is here and it does feel time to get to know somewhere new.”
Dundarave, Strathtay, Aberfeldy is on sale with Savills for offers over £695,000.
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