Lot - Durran Mains, Castletown, Thurso, KW14

LOT 1: DURRAN MAINS (About 561 acres)

Durran Mains Farmhouse
The farmhouse is situated in an attractive position to the rear of the farm steading, with a predominantly easterly outlook over farmland. Although close to the farm steading, it benefits from its own private driveway.

The traditional farmhouse is of stone construction under a pitched slate roof. The spacious family accommodation comprises two reception rooms, a bathroom, shower room, and four bedrooms. It is split across two floors, as shown on the floor plan and is laid out as follows:

Ground floor - milk house, utility, laundry room, kitchen, pantry, dining room, shower room and sitting room.

First floor - 3 double bedrooms, 1 single bedroom, family bathroom, and stair to attic.

The house is serviced by central heating from a wood pellet boiler, mains electricity, mains water supply, and private drainage. It also benefits from double-glazing throughout.

In recent weeks, a new family bathroom has been installed on first floor and a shower room on ground floor.

Adjacent to the house is a detached double garage, which provides additional storage.

The house is accessed via a well-maintained private driveway leading from a minor public road that runs between the B874 at Stemster and the B876 at Castletown. The farmhouse is encircled by a traditional stone dyke with the majority of the garden laid to lawn. There are a number of mature trees bounding the property to the south and east. A gravelled yard provides ample space for parking.

Farm Buildings
Situated to the west of the farmhouse is an extensive range of both modern and traditional farm buildings providing storage and housing for livestock. Both mains water and mains electricity services the steading.

The buildings can be described as follows:

Traditional Steading & Infill Cattle Court (approximately 26m x 55m) -
A range of traditional steading buildings constructed from a mix of stone and concrete block walls with slate or fibre cement roofs. This steading includes 7 bull pens, 3 stables, cattle housing for 60 head, a calving area, a workshop, a feed bin and silo.

Silage Pit: (approximately 20m x 45m) -
A part earth, part concrete shuttered wall silage pit with effluent tank.

Grain/Feed Store (approximately 4m x 29m) -
A steel portal frame lean-to used as a feed store with concrete floor, concrete panel walls and a fibre cement roof.

Cattle Court 1 (13.5m x 48.5m) -
A steel portal frame shed with concrete floor, half-height concrete blockwork walls, clad in Yorkshire boarding with a fibre cement roof. The shed provides flexible housing for cattle with 50 self-locking feed yokes and calf creep feed system.

Manure Store (approximately 50m x 23m) -
A large area of concrete hardstanding in the middle of the farm yard used for storing muck before being spread on the land. The midden has its own drainage system that feeds into the effluent tank.

Lean-to General Purpose Store (approximately 9m x 25m) -
A steel portal frame lean-to shed with concrete floor, half-height concrete block/panel walls and box profile/vent-air cladding. This shed is used as a general purpose store.

Cattle Court 2 (approximately 15m x 30m) -
A steel portal frame shed with concrete floor, half-height concrete blockwork walls, with vent-air
cladding and a fibre cement roof. The shed has sliding doors for access on the east and west gables. Two livestock doors provide access to the covered feed pass to the south. The bedded court has capacity to house 40 cows with calves at foot.

Covered Double Feed Pass (approximately 10m x 36m) -
A covered feed pass infill shed, open on the east and western gables. The shed has a concrete floor and a fibre cement roof. The shed provides a covered feeding area for cattle from both Cattle Court 2 and Cattle Court 3.

Cattle Court 3 (approximately 36m x 27m) -
A steel portal frame shed with concrete floor and half height concrete panel walls clad in a mixture of cladding and a fibre cement roof. Cubicles provide housing for 115 cows with 6 calf creep pens. Access is provided to the covered feed passes on either side of the shed.

Dutch Barn (approximately 42m x 16m) - A steel portal frame shed with hard-core floor built in 2020 with 23ft eaves, a combination of concrete panel walls, box profile cladding and Yorkshire boarding under a fibre cement roof. The shed is used to store straw with a separate extension to the south used for general storage.

Land                                                                   Comprising 37 field compartments and extending to approximately 561 acres, the land included in this lot is summarised as follows:

Arable/grass leys - 308 acres                                                                                                                Permanent pasture - 136 acres                                                                                     Rough grazings - 103 acres                                                         Woodland - 5 acres                                                                                  Miscellaneous - 9 acres

All fields are stock proof and have access to water via mains water troughs.

Woodland                                                                                              To the north of Lot 1 in field compartment 13, there are approximately 5 acres of young native woodland plantations. This area was planted under a woodland creation grant in 2010. Details of the grant can be obtained from the selling agents.

There is scope for afforestation on the hill ground to the southwest, however this block of land also provides good quality summer grazing for livestock.

Development Potential                                                                      There is scope to develop the farm yard and/or traditional steading to create additional residential accommodation subject to obtaining the necessary planning consents. A large area of hardstanding to the south of the farm yard has been cleared and would be suitable for the erection of a new farm building.

Interested parties are advised to seek independent advice regarding such potential development opportunities that may exist in respect of this lot.

Durran Mains is situated approximately 7 miles to the south east of the town of Thurso in the heart of the most northerly county of mainland UK, Caithness. It is situated in an area of Caithness which is well known as a productive farming district on account of the quality of soils, favourable climate, relatively low rainfall, and moderately level ground.

Thurso has a population of around 9,000, and provides a good range of retail, commercial and education facilities. Its railway station offers daily services to Inverness. The Port of Scrabster at Thurso Bay is a gateway to the north, with daily ferry services to Orkney and is a port of call for visiting cruise ships.

16 miles to the east is the town of Wick. The town benefits from good transport links, with a railway station offering services south, and Wick Airport which offers regular domestic flights to Aberdeen.

The well-established agricultural area has a good range of suppliers and contractors. The Caithness Machinery Ring is situated at Halkirk (6 miles). There is a local livestock market at Quoybrae which has regular sales throughout the year. Alternatively, there are also weekly sales in Dingwall, which is approximately 98 miles to the south.

In contrast to the mountainous county of Sutherland to the west, Caithness is a land of open, rolling farmland, moorland and scattered settlements. The area is fringed to the north and east by dramatic coastal scenery and is home to large, internationally important colonies of seabirds. The surrounding waters of the Pentland Firth and the North Sea hold a great diversity of marine life.

Amongst salmon and trout fishermen, Caithness is held in very high regard. The River Thurso, which runs for 20 miles from Loch More in the heart of the County to the sea at Thurso, is one of the most prolific salmon rivers in Britain. Rods can be rented on either a daily or a weekly basis. Flowing southeast for several miles from Loch Watten to the sea, the River Wick is also a well-regarded salmon river with rods available on a daily basis throughout the season.

There are a further seven salmon rivers lying to the south and west of Durran Mains within a one-hour drive, including famous rivers such as the Helmsdale, Halladale and Naver.

Nearby the lochs of Scarmclate and Watten have a reputation as being some of Scotland's best wild brown trout fisheries. With an underlying seam of limestone, Loch Watten is famed for producing consistently large trout. In addition to Loch Watten (the second largest loch in Caithness), there are several hundred trout lochs of all shapes and sizes scattered throughout Caithness and Sutherland, offering almost endless opportunities for the keen angler, within close range of the farm.

Sea angling off the Caithness coast is well renowned. Bait and lure fishing for cod, coley, ling, wrasse, mackerel and even fly-fishing for pollock can make for some fantastic sport.

For surfing enthusiasts, the north coast is well recognised amongst Europe's premier heavy water destinations. Good solid ground swells and southerly winds combine to create ideal surf conditions, which have attracted the attention of some of the world's top surfers. Known as the 'North Shore', the surf can be huge and is relatively consistent. The quality of the surfing in Caithness is such that Thurso East (together with venues in Canada, Tasmania, South Africa and California) is one of the venues for the O'Neill Cold Water Classic Series.

Caithness is well known for its royal connection with the Castle of Mey, one of the former homes of the late Queen Mother, now owned by her grandson, Prince Charles. It is situated 11 miles north east of Durran Mains. Prince Charles enjoys an annual holiday at the castle, which is open to visitors, together with its fabulous garden, from May through to September.

Golf is a feature of the area with 18-hole links courses locally at Wick and Reay, an 18-hole parkland course at Thurso and a 9-hole course at Lybster, south of Wick. In addition, the internationally regarded Championship Course at Royal Dornoch is about 68 miles to the south of Durran Mains.