Blebocraigs is a magical little village tucked away in a quiet corner of Fife.
Located off a B road between Cupar and St Andrews, it lies on a sunny, south facing slope. Around 100 houses are scattered along a mile or so of single track roads.
The houses are well spread apart with plenty of green space around them. Because there’s no through road, Blebocraigs is virtually traffic free. The little road through the village dead-ends at a forest. Riddled with paths and trails, the woodland slopes down into Kemback and Dura Den, making it a delight to explore.
Upper Hillside is the last house in Blebocraigs. Surrounded by woodland and with views over the Fife countryside to the Lomond Hills, it has a wonderful edge-of-the-world feel to it.
For the past 11 years it’s been home to Americans Peter and Paula Tyack. Originally from Boston, the couple moved to Scotland 11 years ago and fell in love with Blebocraigs.
Peter works at St Andrews University and the location was one of the things that attracted them to the village.
“When we lived in Boston I would commute an hour each way to work in heavy highway traffic,” he says. “Being a 10 minute drive to St Andrews on quiet country roads is wonderful. And when I get back here after work it’s great to unwind in the garden, or sit in front of the fire in the wintertime.”
Old and new
Upper Hillside consists of an older single storey cottage with a more modern two-level extension added later on. The original building dates back to around 1880 and the extension is made from the same type of stone, making the join between old and new look seamless.
After reaching the end of the lane through Blebocraigs a gravel driveway descends down a short decline to a parking area outside the house.
A set of glazed doors opens into the kitchen/dining room. A large oil-fired Aga stove casts its warming glow around and makes this room the heart of the home. A side facing window and two front facing windows beside the glazed doors mean there’s plenty of natural light.
Next door is a hallway with stairs to the master bedroom and an exposed stone feature wall. Beyond this is the living room. It has a wood burning stove, south facing window and a glazed door into the garden.
“It’s just the two of us here,” Paula explains. “During the wintertime we can often heat the house just with the Aga and the stove. Our bedroom is above the kitchen so the heat drifts upwards and keeps the rooms we use nice and warm.”
Behind the living room is a boot room that exits into the garden and is ideal if you’ve been out tramping in the woods or wearing wellies in the garden.
Lots of space
Past the living room is the old section of the house. Here the ceilings drop down in height giving a cosy, homely feel. There are three south-facing bedrooms that all have fine views over the garden. The largest of these is a lovely room with a feature stone wall, an en suite bathroom and its own door out to the garden.
To the rear of the house is a family bathroom and another bedroom that is used as Peter’s home office.
Upstairs is a lovely landing area with skylight window. It has enough space for a desk and chair and could be another home office – or just a pleasant spot to read a book.
The main bedroom is on the upper level and enjoys superb views from its elevated level. It has a dressing room and an en suite bathroom.
While most of the house is surrounded by woodland, there is a sloping meadow to the front of the house. Across this you can see a vast sweep of Fife, and on summer evenings the sun sets over the shoulder of the Lomond hills.
Wonderful garden
One of the jewels in Upper Hillside’s crown is its beautiful garden. A riot of colour from flowers and shrubs, it’s a delight to explore. A stone bench beside a small pond is a great spot to enjoy the glorious view that sweeps across both Lomond hills.
There are stretches of lawn, flower beds, hedges and mature trees. The garden is Paula’s passion and she works hard to keep it looking at its best.
A large outbuilding has power and light. Upper Hillside’s former owners used this as a pottery studio and it has a wood burning stove to provide heat. It could be a fantastic home office, a terrific artist’s studio or even converted into an annex property.
The forest surrounding Upper Hillside means there’s a never ending supply of free firewood for the wood burning stoves in the house and workshop.
In addition to the main outbuilding there are sheds and log stores. The edge of the garden leads directly into the forest, while a set of steps near the driveway of the house leads down through the woods to the hamlet of Kemback where there are lovely waterside walks next to Ceres Burn.
“You can walk out of the garden and hit a network of woodland trails,” Peter says. “I found the best way to get to know them was just to set off and start exploring. Of course I got lost a couple of times but that’s all part of the fun.”
Moving on
Peter, 69, works as an oceanographer. He and Paula, 68, are planning to move back to America to be closer to their children and grandkids.
“Part of my work is in St Andrews and part of it in Boston so I can live in either location,” he says.
“It’s been fantastic living here and we’ve enjoyed our time in Scotland. With grandchildren in our lives it feels like time to move back to Boston though.
“We’ll miss the views and the scenery here but I’m sure we’ll be back in Scotland regularly.”
Upper Hillside, Blebocraigs, Fife is on sale with Thorntons for offers over £600,000.
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