CLOSING DATE - NOON ON FRIDAY 12 NOVEMBER 2021

The subjects of sale comprise two of the best
known and historically productive ‘beats’ of the
world-renowned River Tay – one of Europe’s
most celebrated Atlantic Salmon fisheries
and one of the most pristine of the continent’s
riverine habitats.

Almost adjoining each other and lying on
either side of the famous 7-arch Thomas
Telford bridge in Dunkeld, the two beats
provide world-class salmon fishing across 30
named pools and nearly 4 miles of this majestic
river together with the opportunity for a stake
in the ownership of a thriving river ecosystem
which supports healthy populations of rare and
fragile protected species including freshwater
pearl mussels, river and brook lampreys, otters
and beavers as well as the Atlantic Salmon for
which the River has achieved world renown.

Known as the Dunkeld House and Newtyle
beats respectively, ownership of these two
stretches of river – which are contrasting and
variable in their nature and appearance –
provides the owner with the opportunity to
continue to operate successful commercial
rod-and-line salmon fisheries catering for
sportsmen and women from around the
world but also to explore new opportunities
for leisure and eco-tourism by harnessing the
combination of the exquisite natural capital
that the river has to offer with the huge local
demand for recreational tourism.

Ownership of both beats comprises a
combination of the salmon fishing rights only
together with ownership of the riverbank and
river bed in places. Both beats benefit from
excellent vehicular and pedestrian access.

Lot 1 – 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 Dunkeld 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
(comment-on-planning-applications)
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.

Lot 2 – The Newtyle Water

Situated a short distance downstream of the
Dunkeld House Water with just the short
stretch of the Dunkeld and Birnam Angling
Association Water separating the two beats, the
Newtyle beat of salmon fishings is also one of
the most highly regarded and beautiful beats
on the Middle River Tay.

Extending to just over a mile of double bank
salmon fishing together with just under a mile
of single (right) bank fishings together with
a similar extent of single (left) bank fishings
rented on an annual basis, the Newytle Water
is another extremely attractive section of the
middle River Tay where ownership combines
both salmon fishing rights in perpetuity
together with ownership of part of the
riverbank and solum (river bed).

A popular and accessible beat, the Newytle
Water is fished by up to 8 rods across 16 named
pools which provide fishing from the bank and
boat. Depending on water levels and fishing at
its best with 1ft 6in of water on the gauge, the
beat is well suited to anglers of all persuasions
and capabilities with pools of varying character
offering fly fishing, spinning and harling
depending on the anglers’ preference, time of
year and state of the water.

The banks are well maintained and there is
good vehicular access and a car park.

Fishing Huts
The Newtyle Water has a simple but
well-appointed timber-lined fishing hut
above ‘The Boil’ pool that includes a fireplace,
veranda, a store room and a WC and is
complemented by an outdoor picnic bench/
barbecue area and car park with space for
several cars. This hut is situated on land
forming part of the adjoining Murthly &
Strathbraan Estates and is occupied and
operated by the owner of the Newtyle Water
on a grace and favour basis.

Situated on the opposite (left) bank with
vehicular access directly from the Dunkeld
to Caputh public road is a small boathouse
building which is situated on land forming
part of the ownership of the Newtyle Water.
This site has the potential for a replacement
boathouse and fishing hut/cabin subject to
planning permission.

Riverbanks, Leased Fishings 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 north (left) bank for over
a mile of the middle River Tay together with
ownership of the salmon fishing rights only for
a further 0.86 miles of the south (right) bank.

There are formal rights of both pedestrian
and vehicular access to the Newtyle Water
including to the existing fishing hut and boat
house sites.

In addition to the subjects owned, the owners
of the Newtyle Water currently lease – on a year
to year basis – the salmon fishing rights over
the majority of the north (left) bank opposing
the upper half of their right bank fishing rights
ownership. Whilst renewal and continuation
of this lease cannot be guaranteed in future,
the effect – for as long as these additional
fishing rights are leased – is that the owner
of the Newtyle Water benefits from control/
ownership of the salmon fishing rights for over
two miles of the River Tay.

Ghillie
A ghillie/boatman is employed on a full-time
basis on the Newtyle Fishings. He lives off the
property. An enthusiastic and capable angling
guide as well as a fountain of knowledge on
the flora and fauna of the River Tay system,
the Newtyle ghillie is highly regarded by
the vendor and it is their firm preference
that the purchaser of this lot continues their
employment under Transfer of Undertakings
(Protection of Employment) legislation.

Leisure and Amenity
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.
A particular feature of the location of the
Newtyle beat is the presence beside the beat
of the ‘Birnam Oak’ – a centuries old and one
of Scotland’s most iconic trees thought to
be one of the sole surviving remnants of the
great forest which once straddled the banks of
the Tay and was celebrated in Shakespeare’s
Macbeth as the famous Birnam Wood.

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 in favour of 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.
Ownership of vehicular access to the existing
fishing hut and boathouse may give the future
owner 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 vendor and their ghillie
is responsible for managing bookings and
maximising revenue.

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.