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are Walter and their dog, Monty. She’s written several
art books for children and is in charge of the estate’s
accounts. Walter’s in charge of everything else: namely,
building restoration and the upkeep of the 200 acres,
which includes woodland, moorland (with grazing
Highland cattle), a loch and the River Spey. The estate
is dotted with small buildings and places for visitors
to stay. Along with the main house and their own
cottage, there are two other small cottages, a chicken
shed, farmyard, a beautiful squash court and
a workshop for which Walter has plans.
“I’m thinking of building a recording studio,” he
says. “I know someone who has all the equipment.”
He’s also restoring half a dozen vehicles, using his
varied contacts to turn rust metal into profit. One of
his biggest successes is a 1950s fire truck he converted
into a mobile home complete with bed, sink and
AGA, which is being rented out to holidaymakers. If
it sounds familiar, that’s because it’s been featured in
Country Life
, the
Daily Mail
and
The Sun
. Another
sideline is Insider, an annual folk festival he holds in
June that’s attended by hundreds of music lovers.
Then there’s the 100-year-old main house, a serious
upkeep job in itself. The centrepiece is a beautiful, long
dining table with eclectic candlesticks and an open
landing above it. Paintings hang on the walls, there’s a
piano in the corner and a stuffed badger on a tabletop.
They’ve certainly come a long way, but, despite
being full of guests year round, money is still tight.
Walter earns extra cash by scouting for film locations,
his mum gets book royalties (she’s just been published
in China) and they economise. They recently installed
an eco-friendly wood-fired boiler to reduce fuel costs
and they’ve got several solar panels. They can afford
such investments now and they’re getting by.
“If it hadn’t been for the recession, we might have
been in trouble,” says Lucy. “But we’ve got a tracker
mortgage and the interest rates dropped.” They don’t
miss the old life. “I’ve met more interesting people up
here than I ever did in London,” she says.
They don’t regret their big move, or the debt or
the hard work either. “We don’t regret any of it,” says
Walter. “It’s been an awful lot of fun.”
To book, visit inshriachhouse.com
“If it hadn’t been for
the recession, wemight
have been in trouble”
easyJet
flies to...
Inverness from Bristol and London. See our insider
guide on page 136. Book online at easyJet.com
PROPERTY
|
INVERNESS
Edwardian Inschriach
House sleeps up to 17