{"id":924,"date":"2025-03-18T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-03-18T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.merlinscove.com\/?p=924"},"modified":"2025-04-13T08:06:01","modified_gmt":"2025-04-13T08:06:01","slug":"we-bought-a-16th-century-scottish-castle-for-the-price-of-a-london-parking-space","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.merlinscove.com\/index.php\/2025\/03\/18\/we-bought-a-16th-century-scottish-castle-for-the-price-of-a-london-parking-space\/","title":{"rendered":"We bought a 16th-century Scottish castle for the price of a London parking space"},"content":{"rendered":"
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You get a lot more bang for your buck outside of London (Picture: Emily Sandifer)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u2018I didn’t know you could actually buy a castle,\u2019 says Simon Hunt, sitting in the stone-walled kitchen nook of his 16th-century Scottish pile with wife Stef Burgon. \u2018I thought they were passed from first son to first son, like in Game Of Thrones<\/a>.\u2019<\/p>\n

The pile in question \u2013 Kilmartin Castle<\/a> \u2013 built in 1550 during the time of Mary, Queen of Scots \u2013 came to Stef and Simon\u2019s attention when they had been living and working in dream jobs in Dubai<\/a> for more than a decade.<\/p>\n

The pair came across an article saying central London parking spaces were now so expensive<\/a> that you could actually buy a Scottish castle for the same price. The picture of the castle in the article looked so beautiful they decided to investigate. <\/p>\n

Stef, 45, and Simon, 43, had already fallen in love with Scotland<\/a> after a Christmas<\/a> spent with her family in Newcastle. The idea of buying a castle was initially something they liked to fantasise about over glasses of wine, \u2018because we\u2019re not wealthy castle-owning kind of people,\u2019 says Simon.<\/p>\n

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The couple bought the castle for \u00a3331,780 in 2014 (Picture: Emily Sandifer)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u2018My parents came to look at it for us,\u2019 says Stef of the Argyle property, which is a two-hour drive from Glasgow and a similar distance from Ben Nevis. \u2018They said that if they were our age, they would definitely do it.\u2019<\/p>\n

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The couple bought the castle in 2014 at a time when the market was wobbly, as Scotland was about to have its independence referendum with ideas that \u2018foreign\u2019 property owners might be heavily taxed. <\/p>\n

\u2018The price was \u00a3331,780,\u2019 says Stef, explaining that they thought if they put in a weird offer against an asking price of \u00a3375,000, it might work in their favour. (That central London parking space must have been pretty fancy, mind you!)<\/p>\n

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Stef and Simon were working in Dubai before they found Kilmartin Castle<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In fact, it came down to sealed bids and, even though Stef thinks theirs wasn\u2019t the highest, they wrote such a heartfelt letter about how much they loved the castle and how much work they would do on it, they won out against the competition with owners who had been on a similar journey with the castle themselves.<\/p>\n

Simon sold a property in his native Australia and, having bought Kilmartin, they had \u00a380,000 left to play with. <\/p>\n

\u2018We thought, \u201cYeah, that\u2019s enough\u201d,\u2019 says Stef. \u2018And all the contractors we spoke to said it was enough. But it was not enough and, knowing what we know now, they knew it wasn\u2019t enough but banks seem to lend you the rest because they want a project to be finished.\u2019<\/p>\n

At this time, the couple were still based in Dubai and initially gave the place a quick lick of paint so they could rent it out to anyone who wanted a bargain castle to stay in while they got their act together. <\/p>\n

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For 6 months the couple scoured antique fairs all over Europe collecting treasures<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Two years later, they came back to get married in the castle \u2013 destroying the septic system in the process, what with all those guests \u2013 but it was only in 2018 that they finally quit their jobs in Dubai, got themselves a camper van and went on a six-month Europe-wide road trip around the biggest and best antique fairs.<\/p>\n

From paintings of bearded ladies picked up in Paris to huge light fixtures from Denmark, everything was piled into the van with their cat Frank until the vehicle was impossible to use. <\/p>\n

\u2018First went the shower,\u2019 says Stef. \u2018Then we filled up the bed so had to stay in hotels.\u2019 All this happened on \u2028a mission to give the castle what they call a \u2018rustic-luxe\u2019 look.<\/p>\n

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They were on\u2028a mission to give the castle what they call a \u2018rustic-luxe\u2019 look<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

With the outside of the building in pretty good nick, thanks to the previous owner who was a stonemason \u2013 \u2018If it hadn\u2019t been, we definitely wouldn\u2019t have bought it,\u2019 says Stef \u2013 it was just a question of sorting out the inside.<\/p>\n

They did this while living in their camper van, acting as creative directors \u2013 Simon had been one at an advertising agency in Dubai \u2013 project managers and \u2018unskilled grunt labour\u2019, digging up ancient flagstones, laying underfloor heating and painting the metre-thick walls.<\/p>\n

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The previous owner, a stonemason, kept the outside of the castle in good nick<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Was there ever a moment when they asked themselves, \u2018What have we done?\u2019 you wonder. \u2018Always!\u2019 says Stef, laughing. She remembers going to a remote loo with food poisoning and wondering, if she died there, whether anyone would ever find her. <\/p>\n

\u2018For my 40th birthday, all I wanted was to have a shower,\u2019 she says. \u2018And it wasn\u2019t until three days later that I got one.<\/p>\n

\u2018The garden was, at some points, even harder work than the castle. Everything that happened seems to cost \u00a320,000.\u2019<\/p>\n

But with all this, they have ever regretted it? <\/p>\n

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A wood-burner helps to keep the vast property warm during the colder months (Picture: Emily Sandifer)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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There’s underfloor heating too for enhanced coziness (Picture: Emily Sandifer)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u2018It\u2019s the best decision we ever made,\u2019 says Stef, who left her dream job as a breakfast-time radio presenter to take on the project. \u2018We love this building \u2013 it\u2019s like a child to us.\u2019<\/p>\n

The effect now that they\u2019ve moved in their market-found treasures and recruited every last artisan in the neighbourhood is nothing short of stunning. Everything is beautiful, from the wild swimming pool with unchlorinated water filtered through reeds, across patios with firepits and barbecues and bars, past greenhouses where up to 20 guests can have dinner under the stars, through the organic garden \u2013 which acts as a free pantry for guests \u2013 under the family coat of arms above the door and into the castle proper.<\/p>\n

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The window nooks are for reading and looking out over the glen (Picture: Emily Sandifer)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u2018We wanted something exciting and different everywhere you look,\u2019 says Simon who, along with Stef, designed the whole place, down to window nooks for reading that look out over the glen. They even have their own house brand of coffee.<\/p>\n

Simon shows us round, up and down stone spiral staircases, through three turrets, pointing out arrow holes \u2013 \u2018so we can survive a zombie apocalypse<\/a>\u2019.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s also a half-rusted cabinet they picked up in Paris with a rust-coloured modern sink on top they had made especially, his favourite bath next to a wood-burning stove looking out to the hills, and a five-euro pouffe they found at a flea market and upcycled with House of Hackney fabric. <\/p>\n

\u2018People say it has a Soho House vibe,\u2019 says Simon, proudly, but it\u2019s far much more interesting than that.<\/p>\n

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They opened as a boutique B&B in 2019 (Picture: Emily Sandifer)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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The castle sleeps up to ten guests (Picture: Emily Sandifer)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

And having a castle has changed their lives for ever. <\/p>\n

\u2018It\u2019s weird when you get your dream job,\u2019 says Simon of their lives in Dubai. \u2018You actually wonder, \u201cWhat next? Why am I not happy?\u201d\u2019 <\/p>\n

The realities of working for other people, of being able to take holidays only when you\u2019re told to, of grafting all hours on projects you don\u2019t give \u2028a monkey\u2019s about, turned out not to be the life they wanted.<\/p>\n

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We bet this dining room has seen some wild parties (Picture: Emily Sandifer)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u2018Now there are no bosses,\u2019 says Stef, gleefully. \u2018We can\u2019t get sacked, no matter how bad we are.\u2019<\/p>\n

Not that they would be in any danger of being fired. With two acres \u2013 \u2018so we don\u2019t have to worry about disturbing the neighbours\u2019 \u2013 and a gorgeous village pub just five minutes\u2019 walk away, they initially thought it would make the perfect hotel. Stef knew something about this trade as she had worked as a travel journalist, picking up tips wherever she went. <\/p>\n

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With two acres of land, you don’t have to worry about disturbing the neighbours (Picture: Emily Sandifer)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

So, with the interiors finally completed in October 2019, they opened as a boutique B&B\u2026 and then Covid hit. <\/p>\n

\u2018After Covid, people wanted boltholes,\u2019 says Simon, adding that most enquiries came from groups who wanted to take over the whole castle. It sleeps ten and is perfect for weddings, celebrations and \u2028multi-generational get-togethers, especially because of its accessible downstairs bedroom. <\/p>\n

So, having found a cottage in the village for themselves and Robbie, their cat since the demise of Frank, they now list themselves on Vrbo \u2013 \u2018the peer-to-peer rentals site\u2019 \u2013 and stay out of the way. Unless it\u2019s empty, when they might use it for a celebration.<\/p>\n

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Up to 20 guests can have dinner under the stars (Picture: Emily Sandifer)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

If the pair needed any reassurance that they had done an amazing job, The New York Times named the castle and the glen as the fourth-best place to visit in the world. On Vrbo, it\u2019s a holiday home of the year, based on inspections, amenities and reviews \u2013 all for \u00a3800-\u00a31,500 a night (sleeps ten, remember!) depending on the season.<\/p>\n

And the accolade really is no surprise with a property as ancient and beautiful as this, restored so that antique pewter rolltop baths share space with quirky 1970s pineapple-shaped lamps \u2013 \u2018that\u2019s pure Stef, that is,\u2019 says Simon. Ancient flagged corridors open on to dining rooms \u2018that have seen some wild parties\u2019 and kitchens where every modern convenience is at hand. <\/p>\n

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The castle is full of quirky antiques with all the modern conveniences (Picture: Emily Sandifer)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Add ancient woodland, a nearby museum, interesting \u2018arty-type\u2019 locals, foraging opportunities, chefs who come in to do full-scale tasting menus and incredible fibre-optic broadband with 11 routers to get around the problem of walls that are 3ft thick, and it\u2019s pretty much perfect.<\/p>\n

Stef and Simon recently went back to Dubai because they needed a break, sun and to catch up with old friends. <\/p>\n

\u2018We had a lot of fun and it was great to see people,\u2019 says Simon. \u2018But there\u2019s not enough money in the world to pay me to go back to my old life.\u2019<\/p>\n

Find Kilmartin Castle and the other Vrbo holiday homes of the year at vrbo.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

You get a lot more bang for your buck outside of London (Picture: Emily Sandifer) \u2018I didn’t know you could actually buy a castle,\u2019 says […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":928,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-924","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-property"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.merlinscove.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/924","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.merlinscove.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.merlinscove.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.merlinscove.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.merlinscove.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=924"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/www.merlinscove.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/924\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":950,"href":"http:\/\/www.merlinscove.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/924\/revisions\/950"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.merlinscove.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/928"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.merlinscove.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=924"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.merlinscove.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=924"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.merlinscove.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=924"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}