3 bedroom detached house for sale

CLOSING DATE SET FOR FRIDAY, 31 May 2024 AT 12 NOON.

*NO COMPLETION BEFORE 1ST AUGUST 2024*

SITUATION
The Old Lifeboat Station sits on the coast just beyond Balcary Tower, southeast of the village of Auchencairn in the National Scenic Area of the East Stewartry Coast. It is also within a Dumfries & Galloway Regional Scenic Area. Auchencairn is a vibrant village with a strong sense of community. The village has its own church, primary school, Bowling Green, a shop with a Post Office and licenced cafe which does takeaway most nights, a day creche, and a garage. There is a bus route to the local towns direct from the centre of the village and school buses travel to the secondary schools at Kirkcudbright and Dalbeattie. Balcary Bay Hotel is situated just a short distance from The Old Lifeboat Station, and provides first class dining and accommodation.
Castle Douglas, known as Dumfries & Galloway's Food Town, is a thriving market town providing a broad range of shops and services including two supermarkets, solicitors, large health centre and numerous individual shops and businesses. The regional capital of Dumfries offers a wider range of high street shops, retail parks, university campuses and a large hospital. Mainline train services are available at Dumfries, Lockerbie and Carlisle, with the M74 and M6 motorway networks available at Gretna, Moffat and Lockerbie.

DESCRIPTION
Established in 1884, The Old Lifeboat Station was a working lifeboat station until 1933, covering Auchencairn Bay. The current owners purchased and converted the property in the late 1990's. They have created a beautifully thought out residence, which makes maximum use of the available space, sympathetically extending to the sides to provide a well-equipped kitchen and spacious entrance porch. The resulting 3-4 bedroom house provides comfortable family accommodation and a flexible layout including a master suite. In 2003, the property was awarded Best Conversion in Scotland by the Daily Telegraph. The heart of the home, and the wow factor, has to be the sitting room with its floor to ceiling window and glazed doors leading out to decking which captures the breathtaking view over the coast. The slipway, which was cut out from the rocks for the lifeboat, leads your gaze out towards Hestan Island, with Kippford and Rockliffe visible on the Colvend Coast beyond Auchencairn Bay.

A recently constructed double garage sits above the house up on the hill, with ample parking for up to 6 cars including the 2 garage bays. 6 acres of woodland provide an abundance of wildlife, as well as timber for the log burning stove which features in a double sided fireplace serving the sitting room and dining room. Red squirrels live in the woods, and come down to the feeder on the decking every day, providing endless entertainment with their acrobatic antics. Electric heating keeps the house cosy, with back-up from the log burning stove on colder days, and unusually for such a secluded property there is a mains water supply. Although there is a coastal core footpath, Balcary to Rascarrel, running along above the rear of the house and below the garage level, there is not a privacy issue due to the height above the house and tree cover. Additional storage is available under the house, accessed from double timber doors below the decking, where the lifeboat used to be drained down.

The Old Lifeboat Station offers an idyllic coastal retreat and a unique opportunity to acquire a stunning second or principal home in a breathtaking location.

ACCOMMODATION
Ground Floor: Entrance porch. Dining Room/Hall. Sitting Room. Kitchen. Bathroom. Bedroom 1.

First Floor: Bedroom 2. Bedroom 3. Master Bedroom Suite

CONTENTS
The contents are included in the sale, with the exception of a number of personal and sentimental items.

GARDEN AND GROUNDS
The Old Lifeboat Station is approached via a track which leads off the main driveway of Balcary Tower. There is a right of access over the track which follows up through a field and through woodland, passing through two gates and ending at the double garage and parking area at the top of the property. 6 acres of woodland belong to the property, and a path leads down to the house itself. The house sits in a sloping area of lawn which has an abundance of spring flowers, which also carpet the wood and garden with bluebells in May, and mature shrubs and trees. Rhododendron banks provide a blaze of colour when in bloom. A gravelled area sits in front of the decking and leads down to the slipway. The current owners constructed a breakwater to protect the grounds at the top of the slipway, but there is still ample room to launch small boats, and space within the grounds to store a vessel out of the water. There is a large quantity of cut logs included in the sale.

Wildlife abounds within the garden and grounds, with many seabirds, garden birds and woodland creatures. The stars of the show have to be the family of red squirrels who inhabit the surrounding trees and are regular visitors to the feeders on the deck, where they provide hours of entertainment to young and old alike.

ACCESS
There is a right of access over the driveway leading to Balcary Tower to the track leading to The Old Lifeboat Station, and on that track over the parts leading over land not belonging to property.

FLOOD RISK
According to the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA), there is a risk of coastal flooding at the property. However, the sellers have only experienced one issue, involving a rare surge tide, in their 25 years of ownership. As mentioned above, they have since installed a breakwater at the top of the slipway to help combat any issues. The SEPA maps can be viewed here:
BROADBAND & MOBILE SIGNAL
There is no broadband at the property. There is cable to Balcary Tower but the current owners chose not to have it extended to The Old Lifeboat Station, although it is possible to have it done. 4G is available.
SERVICES, COUNCIL TAX AND ENERGY PERFORMANCE CERTIFICATE(S)
Water - Mains
Electricity - Mains
Drainage - Septic Tank
Tenure - Freehold
Heating - Electric
Council Tax - Band E
EPC - F 25

EPC Rating = F