Loch Choire Estate
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Loch choire estate scotLand loch choire eState Sutherland, Scotland Helmsdale 32 miles Wick Airport 70 miles Inverness 100 miles Inverness Airport 107 miles truly spectacular mixed highland sporting estate extending to some 50 square miles with breathtaking scenery and complete privacy • Stunning lodge site, 3 estate dwellings and sporting bothy • Two separate stalking beats with 10 year average of 76 stags and 88 hinds • Double bank salmon fishing on the River Mallart (major tributary of the Naver) over some 6 miles with 10 year average of 91 salmon and grilse • Grouse, ptarmigan and woodcock shooting • Loch Choire (729 acres) and a number of beautiful wild brown trout lochs • 1,094 acres woodland including 811 acres recently established native woodland About 12,959 hectares (32,021 acres) in total For Sale aS a whole CKDGalbraith ~ Inverness Savills ~ Edinburgh Reay House Wemyss House 17 Old Edinburgh Road 8 Wemyss Place Inverness IV2 3HF Edinburgh EH3 6DH [email protected] [email protected] +44 (0) 1463 224343 +44 (0) 131 247 3720 Your attention is drawn to the Important Notice on the last page of the text. 01 02 loch choire eS tate 03 Historical Note loch Choire was formerly part of Sutherland had been improved many men who drove in the whole was startled to see stags rising of the Sutherland Estates, in the for sheep farming and wrote of “the of the Klibreck range and resulted all around, clearly all of a great days when the Dukes of Sutherland extensive, varied and celebrated in very limited results with King age. At first he thought they were owned virtually the whole county. hunting forest of Dirrie-Chatt”, Alfonso killing seven stags and phantoms and the only humane It is reputed that the 5th Duke of of which “Loch Corr” formed a most of the stags breaking back action seemed to be to finish them Sutherland favoured the estate substantial part, and “Ben Klibreck, through the line of the beaters. off so he shot the nearest three of Loch Choire above all his which rises to an elevation of 3,200 with the remainder drifting away Others who have visited Loch properties and considered it to feet... and forms the dominant into the surrounding trees. The Choire include Raoul Millais, the be the “jewel in the crown”. As a object within the scenery”. stalker was relieved to see him sporting artist. When visiting Loch result it was one of the last of the return unscathed and Millais himself It is also recorded that the practice Choire in the 1940s he ventured estates to be sold in 1975. always remained disconcerted of driving deer continued well into alone into the Black Wood on by the experience which he often Loch Choire has also been the 20th century with the Duke of the shores of Loch Bheallach described as “somewhere between visited by a range of notable Sutherland organising a deer drive in chase of a lame, limping this world and the next”. commentators and is specifically at Loch Choire for King Alfonso stag. The woodland was almost mentioned in William Scrope’s “The of Spain in 1928. This operation, impenetrable, everything seemed Other visitors of note include Art of Deer Stalking,” published in centred around Bheallach, required to be dead or dying, and when Winston Churchill who sketched 1839. Scrope described how much massive organisation entailing he reached an open glade he the estate whilst staying there. 04 loch choire eS tate 05 06 loch choire eS tate 07 situatioN the nearest village is Helmsdale, The estate falls between Loch the rock) with breathtaking views a fishing port situated at the mouth Naver to the north, Badanloch to as your reward, and the destination of the River Helmsdale, which has a the east, Ben Armine to the south Creag an Lochain itself, a small number of local amenities including and Loch Shin to the west. It loch under a massive cliff face a post office, butcher, restaurant, encompasses one spectacular which often yields three quarter tackle shop and an inn. The train central glen running south-west pound fish that really fight. station at Kinbrace (15 miles) on to north-east, with Loch Choire The River Mallart, itself an excellent the North Highland line connects the main feature at its core. In salmon river, is the major tributary to the main railway network at all weathers it is a paradise of of the renowned River Naver. Inverness from where there is mountain, moorland, loch and The Mallart is the outflow of a sleeper service to London. forest. From the sandy shores Loch Choire and runs north-east Inverness provides all the services of Loch Choire the hill ground then north, heading ultimately to expected of a major regional rises with impressive buttresses Strath Naver and out to the north city, with its airport (107 miles) to 704m (2,311 feet) at the top of coast. Waters from the southern offering direct services to London Ben Armine and rears upwards and eastern edges of the estate Luton and Gatwick, Edinburgh, on the opposite side towards the flow into the Rivers Brora and Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol summit of Ben Klibreck at 961m Helmsdale respectively. and Amsterdam, with connections (3,154 feet). Sporting guests and to worldwide destinations. The tenants have often marvelled at The situation of the original lodge estate can be reached in 30 the panorama from Ben Klibreck (built in 1880) at the head of Loch minutes by helicopter from where there is an outstanding Choire was carefully chosen by Inverness Airport. Wick Airport lies view of three different coastlines: the 4th Duke of Sutherland by his 70 miles to the north-east. south-east across the Moray Firth/ son-in-law, Henry Chaplin. The Aberdeenshire; north-east across lodge was severely damaged by DescriptioN to Orkney and west to the Western fire in 2013 and the site has been Isles. cleared to allow a new owner the och Choire Estate is located in opportunity to build a lodge specific l Loch Choire remains one of central Sutherland, about 100 miles to their requirements (subject to Scotland’s real wildernesses north of Inverness. It extends to obtaining the necessary consents). extending in all to a staggering about 12,959 hectares (32,021 50 square miles. As well as the The estate road, formed of acres) and is one of the finest superb sport it has to offer, the compacted gravel and sand, runs sporting estates in the North of estate boasts a huge variety of from the estate initially north-east Scotland. both flora and fauna and birdlife along the course of the River In October 2014, The Field (a list of the different species that Mallart before turning east over magazine included Loch Choire have been seen is available). open moorland towards Badanloch in its ultimate list of “the 50 best where it joins the public highway. It is a place to relish the absolute sporting estates” in the UK on The solum of the road is owned in personal remoteness and to account of its breathtaking scenery, its entirety by the estate. develop the joy of childhood its “wild” sport and its staggering memories of family picnics, Access over the estate itself is well scale. swimming in the crystal clear provided for with the existence The estate runs from typical waters of the loch, catching fish of many miles of pony paths Caithness flow country in the east, and barbequing on the long white and tracks which have been well to the sub-alpine summit of Ben sandy beach which stretches along maintained and are suitable for Klibreck on the western edge and the southern shore of Loch Choire use by Argocat. Along the track encompasses some fifty square itself. adjacent to the river are a number miles of Highland wilderness and of fishing huts and shelters sited in There are some wonderful walks, two significant lochs - Loch a’ strategic locations. such as the climb to Creag an Bhealach (Lake of the Pass) at 1.5 Lochain on the western edge of the miles long and Loch Choire (Lake estate, a steep testing walk up from of the Hollow) at just over 3 miles a Bhealaich alongside the Spouts long. (fast flowing waterfalls carved into 08 loch choire eS tate 09 10 loch choire eS tate 11 12 loch choire eS tate sportiNgs Red Deer Stalking Stags: 1st August ~ 20th October; Hinds: 21st October ~ 15th February A number of impressive corries run off the main glen, both to the north and south, allowing two rifles to stalk each day regardless of weather conditions and wind directions, although the best winds are generally from the north and north-west. The expectation is for eight stags each week from August to October with extraction by Argocat. Loch Choire has always held a consistent resident deer population with numbers increasing over the summer and autumn months from neighbouring estates. Deer count records have been kept since 1899, showing a relatively stable population fluctuating between 1,300 and 1,600 deer, according to the time of year and weather. The most recent aerial count, undertaken in December 2008, returned a total of 1,224 deer, 368 of which were recorded as stags and showing an overall density of 9.67 deer per sq.km. The estate falls within the East Sutherland Deer Management Group and is an active member. Walked up Grouse 12th August ~ 10th December A few walked up grouse days over pointers with bags generally in the order of five brace per day can be enjoyed over the estate in August and September.