I've been to the border. It's why I missed last week's posting (sorry). We stayed in a dour cottage in a wood near Coldstream and, on another day, sat with coffee and the sun warming our faces at St Abbs' sweet little harbour.
There are a lot of towns with 'Cold..' in the name in that part of the world, we noticed. It was mostly apt.
But obviously it means that today I'll be showing you some Scottish Borders wrecks and the three I've chosen are fairly typical of the area - a mix of grand Victorian villas and solid and stubby stone cottages.
In descending order, price and size-wise, we'll start with this gorgeous five-bedroom villa (above and below) in popular and artsy Peebles, around 20 miles from Edinburgh. It's in a conservation area and sits on a main road (the A72 as it passes through the town) with pubs and restaurants and shops close by, but rear views over the hills. And a lovely big garden.
Lots of original features to work with (all those fireplaces, that plasterwork...), but also a fair bit of stripping out of dated kitchens and decor. And you'll need to add at least one more bathroom - those five bedrooms are at the expense of a proper bathroom; you just have a weird strip of a shower room.
On the market through Savills at offers over £525k (recently reduced). Details and more pictures on the agent's site here and on Rightmove here.
Next is this promising four bedroom detached village house. That traditional red stone and chunky lintels give the house a lovely, solid Scot feel.
It's in the small village of Lilliesleaf, basically one road with pretty houses and cul-de-sacs hanging off it and rolling countryside all around. Your nearest big town is Selkirk and there's a train station at Tweedbank, 20 minutes drive away. Edinburgh is an hour or so drive.
While it's listed as a four bedroom house, two of those bedrooms are in the single storey (and less attractive) extension and, while that offers options for muti-generation or accessible living, I'd worry about the damp issues. Maybe think about airbnb-ing that section?
Rooms don't have the size and grandeur of our Peebles villa but I love the windows (aside from the missing one...), and all those handsome fireplaces. And lots of scope too for renovating that big garden.
On the market through Cullen Kilshaw with a guide price of £199k. More details and pictures on the agent's site here and on Rightmove here.
My final pick is a two bedroom cottage in the ugly-named East Flemington, close to the coastal village of Burnmouth and drivable to Eyemouth. You can see the sea from your front garden and gorgeous countryside from the back.
Downstairs is a good-size cozy lounge, kitchen and separate dining room, plus an added-on shower room and stone store. There's a dated conservatory and scope to get rid of it and the extension to build something breathable and wrap around to really use those views.
Two bedrooms and a bathroom upstairs, and overall more tired than wrecked renovation-wise.
On the market at OIRO £170k, also through agents Cullen Kilshaw. More on their website here and on Rightmove here.
