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Country houses for sale

Two islands, one helipad, 130 acres and a 16-bedroom castle on Scotland’s west coast for less than £3 million

James Fisher

Built by Charles Rudd and once owned by the founder of Boots, Glenborrodale is a glorious party castle that needs a little love.

There’s a certain responsibility when it comes to writing about houses for sale in Country Life. Someone, somewhere might be looking for their forever family home and their browsing (or, more likely, some hideous algorithm somewhere) will drag their eyes here, and they might see the property in which they raise a family and live happily ever after. You need to find a balance: practicality, space, location, amenities and so on.

That’s a castle alright. And it could be yours!

However, sometimes I see a really cool castle in Scotland and decide to write about that instead. A castle like Glenborrodale, for example, which is for sale with Savills for offers over £2.35 million. 

Let’s get to it. Glenborrodale Castle is Listed A, dates from about 1902 and is a Scots Baronial mansion made of red Dumfriesshire sandstone. It sits on a lovely promontory on the shores of Loch Sunart, and comes with two islands, as well as two further detached properties known as The Coach House and the Gate House. There is also a separate gym. 

One of the detached properties on site, known as The Gate House.

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‘How many bedrooms?’, you might reasonably ask. The answer is that it is a castle, so plenty. 16, to be precise. You might also reasonably ask, looking at the pictures, ‘Was Glenborrodale Castle once a hotel’ and the answer is, ‘yes it was’. So it will need a bit of work to transform it into a family home. But what a family home it could be.

The conservatory runs along a decent length of the castle and leads out to the gardens.

Set over five floors, the main house offers more than 16,600sq ft of living space providing plenty of space for friends, family, enemies, whoever really. The interiors are achingly period and Scottish, with plenty of wood, fine plasterwork and tartan.

One of the many reception rooms in the property, dressed in fabulous wood and tartan.

Outside, the property stands in about 134.4 acres of gardens and grounds. To the north, the gardens are densely populated with rhododendrons and azaleas and mixed mature woodland, providing a glorious backdrop to the property.

The gardens, as viewed from above. Clearly some regeneration work needed.

To the south, the gardens are more formal, with a broad, castellated and elevated terrace from which to enjoy the views out towards Oronsay and across Loch Sunart, or to park your helicopter, with a helipad able to accommodate helicopters up to a ‘sea king in size’. I am not sure where you would find a Royal Navy anti-submarine warfare helicopter for sale, but at least you won’t have to worry if you could land it.

Not how a pool table is traditionally used, but it saves space I suppose.

The rest of the gardens and grounds extend to about 48 acres of rough grazing, 72 acres of woodland and 12 acres of ‘gardens/buildings/rock/miscellaneous’. The two islands included in the sale are Risga and Eileam am Feidh, as well as 850 metres of shore frontage.

Not sure about the purple chairs but the dining room is rather fabulous.

Amenities-wise, the town (or burgh) of Tobermory is 15 minutes away via rib, while on land, the villages of Salen and Acharacle are both within 10 miles, offering pubs, restaurants, shops and schools. 

The islands included in the sale, along with 130 acres and 850 metres of shore frontage. What a scene.

More importantly, there is plenty to do in the beautiful part of the world. You can go seal spotting from your doorstep, as well as fishing, sailing, mountain biking and kayaking. You’ll be overwhelmed by wildlife, whether it’s otters, porpoises, deer, golden and sea eagles.

Glenborrodale Castle is for sale with Savills for offers over £2.35 million. For more information and pictures, click here.