Glen Buck Estate

• Private and secluded setting
• A diverse range of land uses
• Useful rental income from a leased Hydro scheme
• Established woodland and potential for further woodland creation
• Potential to develop further renewables opportunities
• Peatland restoration potential
• Two excellent residential properties
• Practical range of Estate buildings
• High amenity appeal
• Including part of Loch Oich
• Excellent stalking and sporting offerings which could be further developed.

SITUATION Glen Buck, part of the wider Aberchalder Estate, lies at the heart of the Great Glen some 4 miles south of the village of Fort Augustus and 39 miles from Inverness. Fort William is some 27 miles to the south. Invergarry, the nearby village is served by a convenience store, fuel station and small primary school whilst Fort Augustus is better served with larger grocery and convenience stores, alongside a GP surgery, fuel station and both a primary and secondary school. Inverness has all the facilities of a modern city including its airport with regular flights to the south and Europe. The Great Glen is one of Scotland’s most iconic settings, famed for its breathtaking scenery, associations with Loch Ness and the Caledonian Canal and its proximity to Inverness, Fort William and Skye. Away from these popular centres, the beautiful countryside remains unspoilt and tranquil, providing a haven for wildlife and offering excellent sporting and leisure opportunities. As well as the traditional rural sports of fishing, shooting and stalking, the Nevis Range Ski & Mountain Bike Centre near Fort William offers year-round activities. There are many way-marked walks and cycle trails in the area including the Great Glen Way which passes through the Estate along the southern bank of Loch Oich. DESCRIPTION Glen Buck Estate offers everything you would want from a Highland Estate, comprising a mix of low ground ‘in bye’ land and hill ground along with two separate dwellings, a range of farm buildings and part of Loch Oich. In total the estate extends to about 3,604.37 ha (8,663 acres). LANDThe in-bye land lies primarily around the shores of Loch Oich and to the north of Leitir Fearn Farmhouse following the route of the Caledonian canal. The land comprises a mix of ploughable and permanent pasture and is primarily classified as Grade 4(2), 5(3) & 6(2) according to the James Hutton Institute land capability for agriculture plans. The subjects for consideration include part of the solum for Loch Oich (approx. 299.51 acres). The remainder of the Estate’s agricultural land comprises primarily rough hill grazings which are principally classified as Grade 6 and suitable only for extensive livestock grazing from an agricultural perspective. This land rises from approximately 35 metres above sea level where it lies adjacent to the canal and the River Oich to approximately 815 metres above sea level at its highest point at Carn Dearg (‘Red Cairn’) at the southern end of the Aberchalder Deer Forest. FORESTRYThe forestry of Glen Buck Estate is principally upland amenity, shelter plantings and native remnants, some of which has been the subject of grant aid under Natural Regeneration and Native Woodland Planting Schemes.There are two parcels of native planting (Scots Pine and broadleaves) dating from 2017 which extend to about 98ha (243 acres) and which were previously planted under a grant scheme. We understand this scheme has now ended and carries no further subsidy income or liability. In addition, an area of ground has been earmarked for compensatory planting for an SSE pump storage facility located further down the ‘Great Glen’. The option payment of £14,000 has already been received with annual payments of £2,500 due on the first and second anniversaries of the option (the first of these payments has been received and the second payment is due 16 April 2026). Should the 25 year lease option for planting be exercised by SSE, two establishment payments of £114,500 (first payment due on notice of intention to commence planting and the second due on completion of planting) , a one off maintenance payment of £38,000 on receipt of a satisfactory tree crop assessment after year 5 of the planting will be made with an annual rent due of £10,000 (indexed linked CPI July 2023 base). All necessary access rights to the site over an existing track will require to be granted to cover the planting and management of the scheme. Further details available from the selling agent.RENEWABLESGlen Buck Estate benefits from the Glen Buck Hydro scheme leased to Green Energy Trading Ltd which was commissioned in 2015 and runs until 2065.The scheme is a run of river plus storage scheme situated above Glen Buck at the heart of the estate. The installed capacity of this hydro is approximately 2MW and is expected to produce approximately 5,000,000Kwh per annum. Having recently been upgraded with additional reservoir storage to increase the energy run time it is understood that the estate receives a RPI indexed base rent plus a turnover rent equivalent to 5% of the gross annual revenue from the scheme. It is anticipated that the annual rent will be in the region of £50,000 per annum.As the estate lies within the ‘Electric Glen’, which broadly benefits from consistent wind speed levels and it has close access to substations and an electricity distribution infrastructure, the estate has been approached by several developers over the years who have been interested in exploring the potential for wind farm developments. The owners have entered into an exclusivity agreement with one such developer for an extension to a proposed nearby wind farm with the purchaser having the flexibility of taking this forward or not as they so wish. In addition, the vendor is in the process of entering an option to enable a renewables developer to take a lease to construct an access track for the purposes of building, operating and decommissioning a windfarm on an adjoining estate (further details available in data room). Residential DwellingsThere are two dwellings to be included in the sale. In addition, there are two charming traditional bothies. The Glen Buck bothy is located near the heart of the estate (Grid Ref LR34: NN336996) and which is used on an ad hoc basis by the Mountain Bothies Association who are responsible for maintenance and insurance of the bothy and payment of rates under Management Agreement with the Estate. A further detached traditional bothy is located south of Leitir Fearn. This is uninhabitable but does offer enormous scope for redevelopment (subject to obtaining all required consents).Leitir Fearn FarmhouseLeitir Fearn Farmhouse lies just to the east of Loch Oich, nearby the entrance to the estate and enjoys beautiful views over the loch and surrounding countryside. As an attractive traditionally built farmhouse with a slate roof and cast-iron rainwater goods, the house provides spacious accommodation over two storeys and is currently successfully operating as a holiday let. The accommodation includes:Ground Floor: Hallway, Kitchen, Sitting Room (With Wood Burning Stove), Dining Room, Rear Hallway, W.C, Utility, Pantry. First Floor: 4 Bedrooms (All En Suite). Leitir Fearn Farmhouse sits within a well maintained garden, principally down to lawn with mature trees and gravelled parking areas both to the front and rear. Calderburn CottageLocated a little farther into the estate along a private unmetalled track, Calderburn Cottage is a charming traditional dwelling and is also currently used as a holiday let. It is of stone construction under a slated roof and provides the following accommodation over two floors: Ground Floor: Kitchen, Sitting Room, Dining Room, BathroomFirst Floor: 2 Bedrooms (1 En Suite).Calderburn Cottage has a rear garden, down to lawn with parking to the side. The Bothy Lying to the south of Calderburn Cottage is The Bothy. It is a traditionally built cottage stone cottage, white washed under a corrugated metal roof. It enjoys a westerly outlook over the loch. It is unhabitable and will require to be renovated. Glen Buck BothyLying within the east, Glen Buck Bothy is a traditionally built bothy cottage with parking area adjacent. It is used on an ad hoc basis by the Mountain Bothies Association. It provides accommodation of two rooms on the ground floor and two rooms on the first floor. Estate BuildingsThe estate buildings lie to the east of Leitir Fearn Farmhouse. There is a practical yard area adjacent and conveniently positioned next close to the estate entrance. They comprise:-Sheep Shed 1. About 13m x 32mSheep Shed 2 About 13m x 32mBoth Sheep Sheds are occupied by a local grazier on a seasonal basis.Small Timber Storage shedGeneral Purpose Shed. About 12m x 18mLying next to the entrance of the estate a modern general purpose shed. Steel portal frame with box profile walls and roof with principally hardcore floor with short concrete floor at entrance. Internal office/ store. Electricity and water. Sporting The Estate has challenging and exciting red, roe and sika deer stalking both on open hill and within forestry blocks. Whilst it is possible to let the stalking commercially, recently the stalking has all been conducted in-house as a culling exercise. The ten-year returns between 2012 and 2024 are as shown on the table below with a ten-year average of 11 Red stags albeit very few have been shot in recent years owing to other estate commitments. It is anticipated that the estate could stalk up to 25 Red stags per annum. In addition, escapee Wild Boar that have become naturalised in the locality are regularly culled. The Estate also enjoys trout fishing rights on Loch Oich. No fishing records have been kept in recent years and the rights are only very lightly exercised. NATURAL CAPITALThe Estate offers significant natural capital potential. This is detailed further in the selling agent’s Natural Capital Atlas which will be made available to interested parties upon request. Initial natural capital assessment suggests significant potential for a charismatic, high-integrity carbon project. There is apparent potential for realising between 300,000 and 1,000,000 carbon units over a 100 year period through a combination of peatland restoration and woodland creation. Note that the national datasets used are not precise enough to enable project design; ground-based surveys would be required to establish the full extent of potential. This interesting and complex site would suit a natural capital developer seeking to tell a strong and nuanced story of nature restoration that goes far beyond accredited carbon offsetting. New woodland would expand, protect and link valuable ancient woodland corridors on the mineral soils on the lower part of the site. In the mountains, peatland restoration could contribute to, and benefit from, the ongoing landscape scale restoration on the Monadhliaths Wild Land. Significant water stewardship benefits for drought resilience and flood mitigation protecting the city of Inverness could be quantified and reported. There is also a strong human story of a landscape which bridges the civilization of the popular Great Glen Way at the lower end of the site; and the wilderness of the vast, pathless Wild Land which characterises the high ground.