17 simply magical properties, from castles to cottages, as seen in Country Life
Our round-up includes some truly incredible estates, ancient cottages and utterly charming commuter homes.

Wigtownshire — £9,500,000
A spectacular coastal estate of more than 1,600 acres not far from Stranraer.
A nine-bedroom Queen Anne house is at the centre, but there is also farmland, woodland, sporting rights, further properties and a delightful harbour.
For sale with Savills. See more pictures and details for this property.
Shropshire — £825,000
A Grade II listed house which has undergone extensive refurbishment whilst retaining original features and character.
For sale with Balfours via OnTheMarket. See more pictures and details for this property.
Caithness — £1,800,000
Where to start with the Keiss Estate? The 18th century castle, the 786 acres, the string of properties and land?
Or how about the crumbling medieval ruin that clings to the cliffside, the 500-year-old Keiss Castle itself? A truly phenomenal opportunity.
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For sale with Strutt & Parker. See more pictures and details for this property.
Highlands — £3,000,000
Grandeur and scale at this 16-bedroom home in a splendid location in the heart of the Highlands, within the Cairngorms National Park.
The 18,000 sq ft floorplan really must be seen — there is everything from Butler's Pantry to Billiard Room — in a house near Nethy Bridge, approached via a tree-lined drive and set in 25 acres.
For sale with Knight Frank. See more pictures and details for this property.
Peeblesshire — £1,100,000
Kingsmuir House is a townhouse dating from 1855 that was built for Robert Romanes of the Edinburgh drapery firm Romanes and Paterson, tartan makers to Queen Victoria. It has an elevated position with fantastic views over Peebles and the surrounding countryside.
For sale with Knight Frank. See more pictures and details for this property.
Edinburgh — £6,000,000
Dating from the 1600s and designed in the Scots Baronial style as a country family seat, this handsome sandstone building on the outskirts of Edinburgh has been comprehensively refurbished and restored over the last fourteen years — an award-winning project. Today, it provides all the comforts of modern family living while retaining many of the original design features and the period character.
For sale with Knight Frank. See more pictures and details for this property.
East Lothian — £885,000
Exceptionally well-appointed family home with four bedrooms and landscaped garden and grounds, set within the pretty village of Pencaitland.
For sale with Galbraith via OnTheMarket. See more pictures and details for this property.
Fife — £600,000
A delightful, centuries-old but immaculately rebuilt two-bedroom cottage right on the beach in Anstruther, a few miles from St Andrews.
For sale with Savills. See more pictures and details for this property.
Kent — £900,000
A charming property reputed to be the oldest in Tenterden. Extended to provide generous and unique living accommodation in a central location with off-road parking.
For sale with Hobbs Parker via OnTheMarket. See more pictures and details for this property.
Crieff — £6,750,000
The Lawers Estate includes the magnificent Lawers House, a stable complex with paddocks, beautiful walled garden, fishing on the River Earn and almost 650 acres of land.
For sale with Bidwells. See more pictures and details for this property.
Dorset — £2,000,000
A beautifully refurbished Victorian school house with six bedrooms, countryside views and a cottage with two bedrooms, set in 6.84 acres.
For sale with Knight Frank via OnTheMarket. See more pictures and details for this property.
South Ayrshire — £2,300,000
Imaginatively extended and modernised Ayrshire farmhouse in a dramatic coastal location with spectacular sea views over the Firth of Clyde to Arran, the Kintyre Peninsula and Ailsa Craig
For sale with Knight Frank. See more pictures and details for this property.
Argyll and Bute — £620,000
This is the first time that this property has come to the open market, a home just south of Oban town centre with a pre-eminent waterfront position.
For sale with Knight Frank. See more pictures and details for this property.
Hampshire — £950,000
Cornwall House is a luxurious, chapel-inspired property with high ceilings and outstanding views, situated in a desirable area in the North Forest.
For sale with Spencers via OnTheMarket. See more pictures and details for this property.
Devon — £1,750,000
Bodmiscombe House is a remarkable five-bedroom Georgian home exuding period charm with stunning cornicing and inglenook fireplace, in approx. nine acres.
For sale with Stags via OnTheMarket. See more pictures and details for this property.
Kent — £1,100,000
A charming country house built in the vernacular style with glorious south facing views, delightful cottage gardens and paddocks.
For sale with Strutt & Parker via OnTheMarket. See more pictures and details for this property.
Edinburgh — £1,250,000
A fully renovated Edwardian mid-terrace house, providing spacious and flexible accommodation over three floors on Kingsburgh Road, one of the most sought-after streets in Murrayfield. The current owners have undertaken a total refurbishment of the property to configure the house to suit modern family life, with a fantastic balance between flexible living and entertaining space.
For sale with Knight Frank. See more pictures and details for this property.
Credit: Strutt and Parker
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Toby Keel is Country Life's Digital Director, and has been running the website and social media channels since 2016. A former sports journalist, he writes about property, cars, lifestyle, travel, nature.
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