Few homes have an approach as blissful as the one leading to Kerryfearn.
On the edge of Comrie is the wonderful Ross Bridge, which dates to 1792. Drive over that and a meandering single track lane brings you to the property.
Keep going along the same road and there’s an amazing natural swimming pool in a bend of the River Earn, complete with waterfall, less than a mile farther on.
“It’s well used by the locals – including ourselves. We were in there on Christmas Day,” smiles Andrew Scott.
He and his wife Maxine bought Kerryfearn nearly two years ago after having lived in the Comrie area for several decades.
The house is reached by a small bridge that spans a burn running along the boundary of the property.
A large gravel parking area has room for plenty of cars. Fields surround Kerryfearn on three sides and woodland on the fourth.
Curious sheep gaze over from across the road and there are sweeping views to the Perthshire mountains.
Andrew ushers me through the back door, which leads into a cloakroom and utility and then into the spacious kitchen.
Comrie property has modern interior
Kerryfearn was constructed just half a decade ago and so everything is modern and very well appointed.
The kitchen has a large range cooker and a central island with breakfast bar.
Adjacent to the kitchen is the dining room, which has plenty of space for family meals. Semi-open plan to that is the living room.
Large windows make the most of the excellent views across countryside and woodland to the jagged teeth of the hills on the horizon.
When I visit it’s shorts and t-shirt weather in the living room thanks to a wood-burning stove Andrew and Maxine had installed just a few months ago.
Lying in front of it is a favourite activity of Maisie, the couple’s 15-year old golden retriever. Despite her advancing years, she’s still very sprightly and is relaxing after a four-mile walk that morning.
Cleverly, the stove’s chimney runs through the living room ceiling and into the master bedroom before venting through the roof.
“The stove heats the entire downstairs and the chimney keeps our bedroom warm as well,” Andrew says.
Bedrooms and bathrooms
The ground floor has two double bedrooms, one facing the front of the house and the other looking over the rear garden.
There’s also a family bathroom at ground floor level.
The spacious hallway has a timber staircase that leads to the upper landing.
A double bedroom has a pair of large Velux windows and is used by the couple’s daughter. The fantastic master bedroom has superb views from its elevated position.
What was a very big walk-in dressing room is being used as a bedroom for the eight-month-old girl Andrew and Maxine are currently fostering.
An en suite bathroom has a corner bath, spacious shower and a pair of Velux windows.
Kerryfearn sits in around three quarters of an acre of grounds.
There is an octagonal timber barbecue hut that has built-in seating and is terrific for year-round grill-ups.
Timber chalets come with Kerryfearn
The house also comes with two timber chalets. “The people who built the house owned a haulage company and they dropped the chalets in ready-built,” Andrew explains. They lived in them while they carried out the build.”
One of the chalets has a living room, kitchenette, shower room, a double bedroom, and a sleeping platform.
The other has bunk beds in one room, a bedroom with shower, a sleeping platform, and a kitchenette. Both have wood-burning stoves.
The chalets would make excellent home offices or guest accommodation.
If you obtained a short-term holiday let licence, they could even bring in a significant income – Comrie is one of Perthshire’s tourist hotspots in the summer time.
A barn houses several friendly Swiss Valley sheep and a pair of curious goats – Andrew is keen to stress the animals will be moving with him.
A huge workshop has a stone floor and could be put to all sorts of purposes.
The garden has large areas of lawn, while raised decking provides a spot to enjoy the sunshine from in the summer months.
There’s also a pagoda with a hot tub underneath. The house has phenomenal dark skies and it must be quite special to sit in the tub after dark and gaze up at the cosmos.
On top of all that there are views in all four directions and hardly any passing traffic, making the garden very safe for young children.
Comrie property is near wildlife centre
Prior to moving to Kerryfearn, Andrew ran nearby Auchingarrich Wildlife Park for a decade.
The popular zoo is home to more than 40 species of animal, including emu, meerkat, lemur and Scottish wildcat.
Since retiring from running the wildlife centre, Andrew has carried out charity work.
He was in Ukraine, giving aid to help the country resist Russia’s invasion.
And he spent several months in Turkey after the catastrophic earthquake that killed upwards of 200,000 people.
Over the past two decades Andrew, 61, and Maxine, 66, have also fostered around 200 children, helping youngsters from all sorts of difficult backgrounds get a better start in life.
Having lived in and around Comrie for a very long time, it seems strange that the couple are selling Kerryfearn after less than two years there. The reason for this is quite simple, however.
“We’ve no intention of leaving the area,” Andrew says. “But when we had the wildlife park we got used to having quite a bit of land.
“We’ve still got a few animals and it would be good to have a bit more space for them to roam.
“We’ve bought a place on the other side of Comrie that comes with more land. It needs a lot of work so we’ll be kept busy for some time.
“It’ll be good to be on to the next adventure.”
Kerryfearn, the Ross, Comrie is on sale with Irving Geddes for offers over £735,000.
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