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CLOSING DATE - NOON ON FRIDAY 12 NOVEMBER 2021

Lot 1 (of 2) – The Dunkeld House Water

Surrounded by stunning Scottish countryside and at the heart of the River Tay’s middle course, the Dunkeld House Water – or ‘Beat’ to use its traditional name – is a renowned deep-pooled
section of river famous for its exceptional
salmon fishing and majestic backdrop.

From an angling perspective, the ambience of riverbank beauty and the hypnotic flow of the stream make it a perfect escape for the lone fisherman, a group of friends or a corporate party, whether seasoned anglers or complete beginners.

Dunkeld House is one of the very few Tay beats that offers a realistic opportunity of catching a fresh Spring salmon on the Tay’s 15th January opening day each year, such is its attraction for resting fish. It’s a true ‘half way house’ for running salmon that are heading for Loch Tay and beyond. By the time the fish have battled the faster water of some of the downstream beats prior to arriving in the more relaxed pool flows of many of the unkeld House Water, they are ready for a rest.

With 14 named pools that suit both fly fishing, spinning and a tactical boat approach, it’s easy to understand why this beat is so popular with visiting salmon fishers. There is never a day of the River Tay fishing season that salmon cannot be caught here, for the simple reason they are always present from January to October.

Fishing is for up to 8 rods (although 6 is more customary) providing a combination of boat and bank fishing with relatively easy wading.

Fishing Huts
At present, there is a timber-built fishing hut overlooking the Lady pool and with vehicular access to a car park beside the hut. Well-suited to its purpose and including kitchen facilities, ladies and gents WCs and a covered deck overlooking the river, this hut is situated on land owned by the adjoining Dunkeld House Hotel and is leased from the owners of Dunkeld House on a year to year basis.

For a longer term solution, the owners have applied for and been granted planning consent for a new hut with adjoining parking area on land which forms part of their title and to which they benefit from vehicular access at the upper end of the Dunkeld Water overlooking the Ivy Tree pool.

Details of the consented permission together with elevations and floor plans of the consented hut are available to view online via the Perth and Kinross Council planning portal () with the reference 18/00210/FLL.

Riverbanks and Access
The subjects of sale include ownership of the riverbank and solum of the river (river bed) up to the mid-point over the north bank together with the exclusive salmon fishing rights over the entirety of the south bank providing the purchaser with uninterrupted ownership of the salmon fishing rights over two miles of the middle River Tay together with partial ownership of the riverbank and bed.

There are formal rights of both pedestrian and vehicular access to the Dunkeld House Water including to the existing and proposed fishing hut sites.

Ghillie/Fishing Tenant
Prior to the current owners’ purchase of the Dunkeld House Water, the previous owner let the beat to a fishing tenant who, in turn, employed both full and part-time ghillies.

Following their purchase, the current owners engaged and directly employed a full-time ghillie together with part-time assistance. Whilst this worked well, a change in management policy has seen the beat let to a single tenant on a year to year basis for the duration of the 2020 and 2021 fishing seasons.

With this lease ending in October 2021, the purchaser will take ownership without the obligation for the transfer of undertakings associated with taking over an existing employee.

Leisure and Amenity
The Dunkeld House Water adjoins the grounds of the privately-owned Dunkeld House Hotel – a luxury country house hotel set in expansive and mature grounds which offers guests high quality accommodation, services and facilities within a mature landscape setting.

Aside from its outstanding proximity to enable anglers to stay within short walking distance of the beat and make use of the hotel’s facilities to complement their angling experience, there is the potential for the future owners to harness the wider commercial opportunities associated with owning the consent to build a riverside hut together with access to the river by boat.

The wildlife of the river and its banks includes some of the UK’s rarest species of fish, bird, mammal and mollusc and there may be a commercial opportunity to be explored in presenting these attractions and encouraging access to and presentation of them to a burgeoning local tourist population.

Water sports in the form of kayaking, canoeing, paddle boarding and inflatable rafting are a feature of the River Tay where responsible access to the river is granted to the general public in Scotland by law.

There is a generally respectful interaction between canoeists and rafters and anglers which enables both to enjoy their chosen pastime without disturbance by the other.

With the Dunkeld House beat benefiting from rights of vehicular access to the river and the consented site of a new hut, the future owner has the opportunity to capitalise on both forms of enjoyment of the river and its habitat.

Current and Future Management
Current management of the beat provides rod and line fishing for let on a daily, half weekly and weekly basis for individuals and parties of up to 8 rods. The current fishing tenant is responsible for managing bookings and maximising revenue and pays an annual rent to the sellers.

Detailed information about the income and expenditure of the fishings business is available to seriously interested parties following a viewing.

The future management of the beat is entirely at the discretion of the purchaser. This could focus purely on offering salmon fishings for let as at present and/or could explore alternative opportunities for revenue which make use of the boats and the huts on the beat and provide alternative forms of customer experience which showcases the wider attractions of the River Tay’s habitat, wildlife and natural capital.

The Dunkeld House and Newtyle beats lie
within the middle course of the River Tay –
a notably attractive part of the Tay valley where
the mighty river carves its gliding course
through steeply sloping and heavily wooded
banks which are reminiscent of some of the
great rivers of British Columbia or Alaska in
appearance. Such is the renowned beauty of
the Dunkeld area, it is designated as one of
Scotland’s 40 National Scenic Areas (NSAs).

The ancient town of Dunkeld lies between
the two beats on the north bank of the River.
Once the ecclesiastical capital of Scotland,
the picturesque village is steeped in Scottish
history and is the setting of the magnificent
Dunkeld Cathedral, which dates from the
14th Century and overlooks the Dunkeld
House beat.

Today, Dunkeld serves the surrounding rural
community with a range of independent shops
and services that cater for day-to-day needs
including several hotels and restaurants.
The neighbouring village of Birnam, which
is well-known by literary enthusiasts as the
favoured Scottish holiday-spot of Beatrix Potter,
has a Railway Station which provides sleeper
services to London, as well as more local
connections to Perth, Pitlochry, Inverness,
Edinburgh and Stirling.

Often referred to as the ‘gateway to the
Highlands’, Dunkeld has been a favoured tourist
destination since the railway first reached the
town in the 19th Century. Local attractions
include the Hermitage Woodland Gorge,
Birnam Arts and Beatrix Potter Exhibition
Centre, The Loch of the Lowes Visitor Centre
and Wildlife Reserve, as well as the House of
Bruar Retail Emporium and Blair Castle at Blair
Atholl. The surrounding landscape is regarded
as amongst the most picturesque in Scotland
and there is a wealth of walking, cycling and
mountaineering, equestrian and water sports
opportunities nearby.

Perth is within a 20-minute drive via the A9
Trunk Road and offers a comprehensive range
of services and facilities with high street shops
and retail parks, bars and restaurants, concert
hall and cinema, a hospital and leisure centres.

The River Tay
The River Tay is Scotland’s longest river with a
catchment area of 2,000 square miles.

The river runs for some 117 miles and passes
through the dramatic countryside of Argyll and
west Perthshire and, after Loch Tay, is joined
by many tributaries on its course downstream
including the Lyon, the Tummel, the Isla and
the Almond.

The river passes through a variety of Highland
scenery and rich rolling farmland to the
ancient city of Perth and the North Sea via
the Firth of Tay.

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