Country house for sale

Ullapool, Ross-Shire IV26

The Property

Runie & Keanchulish Estate

The estate extends to approximately 7,807 acres (3,159 ha) stretching north from Ardmair Bay. The estate includes an attractive traditional lodge, a traditional and very private cottage at North Keanchulish, a modern bungalow (currently used for holiday lets) and a range of estate/farm buildings. The estate enjoys attractive sea frontage which goes from rugged cliffs to sandy beaches.

The land comprises an extensive and impressive mix of low ground grazing to an upland terrain of moorland, mountains and lochs with dramatic scenic backdrops providing exceptional opportunities for deer stalking, trout fishing and potential natural capital & peatland restoration opportunities. The estate also boasts double bank ownership of the River Canaird, which is a prolific spate salmon river.

Lodge

Keanchulish Lodge is a striking and attractive traditional lodge located close to the sea on Ardmair Bay in an accessible yet private location. The lodge has been extended and adapted over the years to provide a comfortable residence for a family or entertaining guests. Constructed of whitewashed stone walls externally under pitched slated roofs, the internal accommodation extends to approximately 430 sq.m.

The accommodation is set out over two floors and comprises the following:

Ground Floor -
Entrance hallway, gun room, living room, sitting room, dining room, study, dining kitchen, larder, 2 bedrooms, utility room, shower room, 2 bathrooms

First Floor -
7 Bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, storeroom

Gardens/Grounds

The lodge has attractive areas of walled garden, lawn, flower beds and shrubberies to the rear. The main access drive to the lodge is located to the front together with access to the shore.

Estate Buildings

A good range of estate/farm buildings are located to the rear of the lodge providing storage, cover for livestock and also a shoot room.

North Keanchulish Cottage

North Keanchulish comprises a traditional cottage which is located to the north of the lodge and on the north side of the River Canaird.

The cottage is off-grid and is located in an extremely peaceful and private location. The accommodation comprises the following:

Ground Floor -
Entrance hall, sitting room, dining kitchen, dining room/bedroom 3, boot room, shower room

First Floor -
2 Bedrooms, bathroom

Glutton Cottage

This is an attractive 3-bedroom modern bungalow currently used for holiday letting and located close to the entrance to the estate from the main road. The accommodation is set out over one floor and comprises the following:

Ground Floor -
Sitting room, dining kitchen, 3 bedrooms, bathroom, shower room

The Land

The land of Runie and Keanchulish Estate lies mainly to the west of the A835 trunk road and comprises a total of approximately 7,807 acres (3,159 ha). The land rises from sea level to approximately 650 metres above sea level at the summit ridge line of the imposing Ben Mor Coigach which forms part of the north western boundary.

There are a mixture of gradients and topography on the estate with a generally low lying central area to the southwest of the estate leading down to the coast. The land is graded as a combination of 5.3,6.2 and 6.3 by the James Hutton Institute.

Crofting

Runie & Keanchulish is a partially crofted estate, the approximate crofted area is shown on the sale plan within these particulars. Crofting is a mixed agricultural system based on small-scale occupation of land. Unique to the Scottish Highlands and Islands, crofting is a vital part of indigenous culture.

Whilst crofting has no impact on the landowner’s use and enjoyment of the traditional sportings (the deer stalking, fishing and game shooting), the enshrined legal rights of the crofters and common graziers are such that activities including renewable energy development, peatland restoration and new woodland establishment (together with associated carbon accreditation) rely on a collaborative approach between the landowner and crofting communities so that the benefit accruing from them financially is shared.

Under Scottish law, crofting tenants have an automatic right to buy their tenanted crofts from their landlord should they choose to do so. As with many similarly crofted estates, some tenants choose to exercise this right and others do not.

Also enshrined within Scottish law is the right of Crofting Community Bodies (CCBs) to exercise their right to buy a larger area of land which is subject to crofting legislation (i.e. Land subject to common grazings) where it can be demonstrated that the ccb’s use and management of the land is in accordance with the interests of the community.

With this legislation having been introduced by the Land Reform (Scotland) Act of 2003, there have been a small number of ccb purchases of land – notably in the Outer Hebrides.

A further opportunity under current Scottish law which stands apart from Crofting Legislation is that of a Community Right to Buy. This enables community bodies anywhere in Scotland to register an interest in land which gives them the opportunity to buy that land when the owner chooses to offer it for sale.

The Scottish Government maintains a publicly available Register of Community Interests in Land (rcil) where community interests which meet the stipulated criteria are registered. These criteria include the correct establishment of the Community Body, a clear justification for interest in, and future use of the land in question and evidence of the support of the majority of the community.

The estate operates in a similarly open and collaborative way with the wider community as it does with its crofting community stakeholders and the activities of the estate are aimed at supporting the sustainable development of the community.

Non-Crofted Land

There is a large area of non-crofted land on the estate comprising the western portion, shown on the plan attached to these particulars. This non-crofted portion of the landholding extends to approximately 4,000 acres (1,618.77 ha) and has no third party interests over it.

Traditional Sporting

The estate provides a fantastic mix of opportunities for the sporting enthusiast, set in the dramatic coastal and mountain landscape of Wester Ross.

Keanchulish Shoot

The shoot at Keanchulish was established over 15 years ago and has steadily improved over the years culminating in the 2025/26 season. The quarry is duck, French partridge & pheasant, the shoot shows some very impressive returns well over the national average as follows: Duck: 78%, Partridge 42% and Pheasant 53%. The shoot consists of 10 drives with the opportunity to establish more. There are some exceptional drives that provide some extremely challenging shooting including the signature high bird Coigach drive.

Red Deer Stalking

Approximately 12 stags and 20 hinds/calves are culled annually to both maintain the welfare of the deer herd and for the health of the natural environment. The stalking is currently in hand and provides exciting sport in a very special landscape.

Salmon Fishing

The estate includes the double bank ownership of the River Canaird, an extremely productive west highland spate river which is very private and nestled between the sea at Ardmair and the high mountains of Ben Mor Coigach. There is an attractive timber fishing hut on the lower reaches of the river whilst the river itself is accessed by excellent quality tracks from the lodge.

There are also owned salmon fishing rights on the River Runie and lochs and off-shore around Isle Martin and Ardmair Bay (shown on the sale plan included).

The catch records are as follows: 2025 - 87,2024 - 163,2023 - 124.

Trout Fishing

The estate enjoys some spectacular wild brown trout fishing on numerous hill Lochs including Loch Eadar dha Bheinn and Loch a’ Chlaigainn. The estate is also a riparian owner of Loch Lurgainn at the far north west boundary and also the Lochanan Dubha at the far northeast boundary.

Woodland Creation / Peatland / Natural Capital

The estate holds significant amounts of peatland and natural biodiversity which may have potential for restoration and carbon capture schemes with a view to generating certified carbon credits. There have been no studies done of this potential on the estate.

For the areas which are designated as crofted common grazings, prospective purchasers should note that any such opportunity would require to be done in collaboration with the crofting grazing committees.

Whilst there are only small pockets of woodland/forestry on the estate there may be opportunities to establish areas of native woodland to create further biodiversity.

Runie & Keanchulish Estate is located approximately five miles to the north of the coastal town of Ullapool close to the settlement of Ardmair. The area is remote and comprises a mix of traditional crofting, fishing and deer stalking/sporting activities. A particular feature of the area is the iconic mountains which have been shaped by glacier movements in the last ice age including Stac Pollaidh, Ben Mor Coigach, Cul Beg, Cul Mor and to the north in Assynt the peaks of Suilven, Canisp, Quinag and Bein Dearg.

The village of Ullapool lies to the south and is notable as the ferry terminal for Caledonian MacBrayne ferry services to Stornoway on the Island of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides. Ullapool has a good range of shops, hotels and cafes together with a high school and primary school.

Inverness, the capital city of the Highlands, lies approximately 60 miles to the southeast of the estate. Inverness has a full range of retail, educational, leisure and commerce facilities together with a mainline railway station and an airport with flights to a wide range of UK destinations (including London Heathrow) and a limited number of European destinations (including Amsterdam).