North winter resorts have been on the receiving end of bumper snowfalls this year.
With some of the best ski-ing conditions in living memory – and weeks of skiing and snowboarding fun still to be had – it’s no wonder visitors have been flocking to the slopes to enjoy themselves.
And, as was reported in the P&J a few weeks ago, many of these visitors are choosing to become more than day trippers with one builder revealing energy workers from the north-east were leading the charge for holiday homes in Aviemore.
As an ex-Aberdonian, John Whyte who is selling his detached home at Number 1, Loch Na Leoba Road in Newtonmore, understands the appeal of the area, but he prefers his small and friendly village to the more touristy town of Aviemore.
John, 66 who is now semi-retired, and his wife Elinor, first moved to Newtonmore in 1979 where they raised their son and two daughters, and ran a cafe in the village.
According to Elinor, it was a wise decision as the village was the perfect place to raise a family as it had a good community spirit – and a superb outdoor playground on its doorstep.
Fast-forward a few years and the opening of the A9 bypass meant not enough passing trade for their shop so they moved to Inverness and ran a guesthouse for several years, but always with the intention of moving back to Newtonmore some day.
In 2006, they returned and bought this house which is rather deceiving, as from the outside it doesn’t look enormous, but is extremely spacious inside.
Built to a high specification by local builder Andrew Campbell, it sits within a small, private, residential development just a few minutes’ walk from the centre of the village and the local primary school, which makes it ideal for those with a young family.
Viewing is essential to fully appreciate the house, which is on the market at offers over £289,500.
What is very clear is that the couple have used the skills they acquired running a very successful guesthouse and applied these to their own home.
It is immaculate, tastefully decorated throughout and in showhouse condition – all the new owners need to is unpack then head straight for the ski slopes.
The accommodation begins with an entrance vestibule which has a handy built-in double cupboard – compared to many new homes, it has a superb amount of storage space throughout.
The vestibule opens into a large and wide central hallway with more storage space. From here, there’s access to the lounge, a surprisingly large room with dual aspect windows and an attractive feature fireplace housing a multi-fuel stove.
Equally spacious is the open-plan kitchen and dining room which has an attractive range of units, a built-in-breakfast bar, a good selection of built-in appliances and plenty space for a large dining table.
This floor also has a good-sized utility room with Belfast-style sink, a WC, and a bedroom currently used as a TV room, but could be used as a formal dining room.
“It wouldn’t be difficult to take down the wall between here and the dining end of the kitchen if you wanted to create an even bigger dining kitchen or family room,” said John.
The ground floor also has a large master bedroom with built-in double wardrobe and a stylish en-suite shower room completed with fitted vanity unit.
Moving upstairs, there’s another surprise – a large hallway with two areas wide enough to be used as a home office or study area.
Here, there are three big bedrooms, two of which have triple built-in wardrobes, and an immaculate family bathroom.
Outside, there’s a landscaped front garden laid with lawn and mature shrubs, while the rear child-friendly garden is not overlooked and private, which makes the patio an ideal place to enjoy the sun when the snow finally melts.
Since moving in, John and Elinor had a large detached garage built and within it there’s a fully functioning home office and storage space which would be ideal for anyone looking to work from home.
It’s a lovely home and, being so close to the Cairngorms, ideal perhaps for someone looking for a second home from where they can enjoy all the facilities to be found in the area known as Scotland’s winter playground.
But it’s the sun, rather than the snow, that’s driving this sale.
“We own an apartment on the Aegean Coast in Turkey and like to spend time there so we are selling this house as we want to downsize and buy a smaller home in Newtonmore, but a bigger one in Turkey,” said John.
Contact: ReMax Cairngorm on 07759 119411.