Just on the outskirts of Banchory (2m) sits The Oat House, a retreat that offers the best of both worlds with a pleasant countryside setting and only a short drive to Banchory, Aberdeenshire.
Open plan living is the order of the day here with the spacious sitting room, dining area and kitchen all in together and kept cosy by a wood-burning stove. Huge glass doors by the dining area concertina back to reveal the charming deck seating outside. Parking is provided in the gravelled garden and there is a covered storage area for bikes, etc.
Nearby Banchory has a choice of supermarkets as well as various pubs and eateries. It is worth stopping off at the Falls of Feugh, a beautiful waterfall where it is possible to see the salmon leaping up the falls as they head upstream. Down on the coast the impressive Dunnottar Castle (17m) that dates back to the 1300s sits proudly on a rocky headland that juts out into the North Sea.