“We bought a Scottish castle from the sixteenth century at a price of parking space in London.”

“I didn’t know that you could buy a castle,” said Simon Hunt, sitting in the corner of the stone kitchen from his Scottish pile of the sixteenth century with his wife Steve Burgon. “I thought they moved from the first son to the first son, as in the game of Thrones.”

The stakeholder – Kilmartin Castle – which was built in 1550 during Mary’s time, was the Queen of Scots – to Steve and Simon when they lived and worked in dreams in Dubai for more than a decade.

The husband coincided with an article saying that parking places in central London were so expensive that you can already buy a Scottish castle at the same price. The castle’s picture in the article looked very beautiful and decided to investigate.

Steve, 45, and Simon, 43, had already fell in love with Scotland after spending Christmas with her family in Newcastle. Simon says that the idea of ​​buying the castle was initially something they liked to imagine about the cups of wine, “because we are not a kind of people who have the wealthy castle.”

“My parents came to look at the matter for us,” says Steve from Argyle Property, who is two hours drive from Glasgow and a similar distance from Ben Nevis. “They said that if they were our time, they would definitely do it.”

The couple bought the castle in 2014 at a time when the market was volatile, as Scotland was about to referendum independence with ideas stating that “foreign” real estate owners may be subjected to tax significantly.

“The price was 331,780 pounds,” said Steve, explaining that if they made a strange offer for the demand price of 375,000 pounds, it might work for them. (Parking space in central London should be great, objection!)

In fact, it has reached sealed bids, and although Steve believes they were not the highest, they wrote such a heartfelt about how much they love the castle and the amount of work they would do, they won the competition with the owners who were on a similar trip with the castle themselves.

Simon sold a property in his homeland, Australia, and after bought Kiltersin, they had 80,000 pounds to play with them.

“We thought,” Yes, this is enough. “And all the contractors we talked to said it was enough. But it was not enough, and knowing what we know now, they knew that it was not enough, but it seems that the banks are lending you to the rest because they wanted to finish a project. “

At this time, the couple was still in Dubai, and at first gave the place a quick lick of the paint so that they could rent it to anyone who wanted to remain a bargaining castle while they were behaving together.

Two years later, they returned to marry in the castle-destroying the sewage system in this process, and what about all these guests-but in 2018 they finally left their jobs in Dubai, got the vehicle car and went on a six-month trip on the level of Europe around the largest and best antique exhibitions.

From the bearded ladies paintings taken in Paris to the huge lighting fixtures from Denmark, everything was stacked in the truck with their Frank cat until it was impossible to use the car.

“He went first to the bathroom,” said Steve. “Then we filled the bed, so we had to stay in hotels.” All this happened on a mission to give the castle what they call a “luxurious rustic” look.

“With the outer part of the building in Nick well, thanks to the former owner who was from the stones -” if not the case, we will definitely not buy it, “Steve says.

They did this while living in the car of the vehicle, as creative managers-Simon was one at Dubai Advertising Agency-Project Manager and “Cheap Licing Work”, digging old tires, putting lower heating and drawing fish with fish.

Was there a moment when they asked themselves, “What did we do?” You are wondering. ‘always!’ Steve says, laughs. Remember to go to a remote bathroom with food poisoning and wonder, if you die there, whether anyone will find it at all.

“On my fortieth birthday, all I wanted is shower,” she says. “It was not even three days later I got one.

The garden, at some points, was the most difficult work of the castle. It seems that everything that happened costs 20,000 pounds.

But with all this, they regretted it before?

“It is the best decision that we have made ever,” says Steve, who left her dreams as a radio headquarters for breakfast to take over the project. “We love this building – it’s like a child for us.”

The influence now is after they moved on their treasures on the market and have recruited each last craftsman in the neighborhood no less than amazing. Everything is beautiful, from the wild pool with non -chlorine water filtered through the reeds, across the courtyards with fire, barbecues and bars, and previous agricultural houses where up to 20 guests can eat dinner under the stars, through the organic garden – which acts as a free freedom for guests – under the family layer of weapons over the door and to the appropriate castle.

“We wanted an exciting and different thing everywhere you look at,” says Simon, who designed the entire place, to the corners of the windows for reading. They even have their own home coffee brand.

Simon shows us international courses up and down, through three towers, pointing to the arrow holes – “so that we can survive at the end of the world coma.”

There is also a described wardrobe, which they picked up in Paris with a modern rust basin at the top that they manufactured in particular, and its favorite bath next to a burning fireplace looking at the hills, and the five poufe that they found in a flea market and promoted with a house from Hackney.

Simon says, “People say that she has the Soho House,” but he is more interesting than that, “Simon says.

The castle changed their lives forever.

“It is strange when you get your dream job,” said Simon from their lives in Dubai. “You are really wondering,” What next? Why are you not happy? ”

It turns out that the facts of work for other people, and that you are able to spend holidays only when you are told, to vaccinate every hours in projects that they do not give a monkey, not the life they want.

“Now there are no presidents,” says Steve Bhajjah. “We cannot dismiss, regardless of how bad we are.”

Not that they will be at any danger of shooting. With two acres – “So you don’t have to worry about the inconvenience of neighbors” – and a wonderful village bar just five minutes away, they initially thought it would make the perfect hotel. Steve knew something about this trade because she worked as a journalist, as she got advice wherever she went.

Therefore, with the finishing interiors finally in October 2019, they opened the KP & B & … then hit the coffee.

Simon says, “After Covid, people wanted Bolitholes,” adding that most of the inquiries came from groups that wanted to control the entire castle. He sleeps ten and is ideal for wedding parties, celebrations and multiple generations, especially because of her bedroom on the basement.

Therefore, after finding a hut in the village for themselves and Robby, their cat since Frank’s demise, they now include themselves on VRBO- “” peer rental site to peers “-and remains away from the road. Unless it is empty, when they can use it to celebrate.

If the couple needs any reassurance that they did a great job, the New York Times called the Castle and The Glen as the fourth best place to visit in the world. On VRBO, it is a holiday house for the year, based on inspections, facilities and reviews-all for 800-1500 pounds per night (ten sleep, remember!) Depending on the season.

The award is not really surprising with ancient and beautiful property like this, so that the antique Rolltop Bathop bathrooms with vaniars with twisted pineapple in the seventies of the last century-this is Stef Pure, that is.

The old forests are added, a nearby museum, “ARTY” inhabitants, feed opportunities, and chefs who come to carry out large -scale taste lists and amazing broad -fiber domain with 11 routers to circumvent the 3 -foot wall problem, which is largely ideal.

Steve and Simon recently returned to Dubai because they need a break, sun and rights with old friends.

“We enjoyed a lot and it was great to see people,” said Simon. “But there is not enough money in the world to pay me to return to my old life.”

Look for Kilmartin Castle and Homes VRKO Holiday of the Year in vrbo.com

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