Dunbeath Castle On The Market At Offers Over £25million
13th June 2023
Savills is marketing Dunbeath Estate and Castle which sits in a commanding clifftop position on the Caithness coast (a favourite location of the late Queen Mother), about 21 miles south of Wick in the north of Scotland. The village of Dunbeath has a village shop, post office and doctor's surgery.
At the core of the estate is Dunbeath Castle, an exceptional and historic family home which was in the ownership of the Sinclair clan for an incredible four hundred years. Since the late 1990s Dunbeath has been home to the current owners whose family have long established links with Caithness. The diverse and extensive estate includes an in-hand farm, a portfolio of let properties, natural capital opportunities, along with sporting and holiday enterprises.
‘A' Listed 13 bedroom castle
Magnificent walled gardens & policies
Stable courtyard & Gate Lodge
500 acre in-hand stock farm with farmhouse
Extensive peatland restoration opportunities
Sporting Lodge (9 bedrooms)
Deer forest, grouse moor, fishing rights
Diversified letting income
Renewables and development potential
In all about 28,500 acres (11,534 hectares)
‘A' Listed, the Castle dates from the 15th century but was significantly remodelled in the 1860s in the grand Baronial style by David Bryce who also transformed the gardens and grounds. His visionary landscaping idea of making the northern front of the castle symmetrical and approaching it down a mile long arrow straight drive in a classic "cut and fill" approach is considered to be a true masterpiece. Conical roofs and elegant turrets give the castle a fairytale charm but it is its striking coastal presence as an imposing architectural beacon looking out to the North Sea which is what makes this a genuinely iconic building.
Behind its grand exterior and wonderful period features, Dunbeath Castle is a much cherished family home offering ample space for entertaining and accommodating guests in great comfort with four expansive reception rooms sitting on the eastern side of the castle with large full height windows to take full advantage of the magnificent sea views. In all there are 13 bedrooms (serviced by nine bathrooms), eight of which could be regarded as principal bedrooms and all bear the names of great naval battles above the doors.
The beautifully designed gardens and grounds are truly outstanding and form a wonderful contrast to the exposed and rugged natural surroundings. The centrepiece of the policies is a matching pair of walled gardens, one either side of the sunken drive - an award-winning formal ornamental garden rich with roses and seasonal floral colour, the other a more minimalist in style with smooth lawn, sculptural grasses and contemporary water features.
Comprising 28,500 acres of spectacular topography, 12.5 miles of river flowing from source to mouth, four hill lochs and lochans and about 4 miles of rugged coastline, Dunbeath offers an excellent variety of sport including walked up grouse shooting over pointers and red deer stalking. The moor is considered to be one of the best areas for hunting with peregrine falcons in the country.
The steep sided Dunbeath Strath presents first class driven pheasant and partridge, while the Dunbeath Water is a beautiful river offering salmon and sea trout fishing; the estate, most unusually, encompasses a full river system from catchment to ocean. With this variety of wild sport, the months of August and September offer the rare privilege and challenge of obtaining a ‘Macnab' (bagging a salmon, stag and brace of grouse within one day between dawn and dusk from a single estate) whilst staying in Balcraggie Lodge (3 reception, 9 bedrooms and 5 bathrooms).
As well as the superb sport it has to offer, the estate is a rich environmental and ecological habitat supporting a fascinating array of birdlife, wildlife and flora. It is therefore of significant conservation value with considerable potential for a variety of conservation or peatland restoration projects. These rich natural assets may provide exciting opportunities for significant income generation and capital growth.
In total there are 20 houses and cottages, mostly of traditional stone construction, throughout the low ground of the estate, providing accommodation for employees, holiday cottages or long term lets.
With fertile pasture along the coastline and extensive upland grazing, the in-hand farm supports a commercial herd of 60 suckler cattle and a flock of 500 breeding ewes, producing quality beef and lamb in a natural environment.
For Savills, Evelyn Channing comments: "This sale represents an opportunity to acquire one of Scotland's great castles and an estate in "The Flow Country". At a time when there is great focus on the delivery of nature based solutions to counter our climate emergency, the vast tracts of peatland on Dunbeath will undoubtedly stimulate much interest. The current owners have invested a great deal of time, love and capital into Dunbeath Estate over the last 26 years and are now keen to see it develop and prosper further under the ownership of a new custodian who shares their enthusiasm for Caithness and has an exciting vision for its future."
Savills invites offers over £25,000,000 for Dunbeath Castle and Estate. See the full listing HERE
