It's no secret that you can buy a giant wreck for next to nothing. A 20-bedroom castle went under the hammer last year at just £500,000, for example, and a beautiful, crumbling place in Devon recently sold for £750,000.
Yet even in the light of those places the example on this page — the Dalquharran Estate near Girvan in Ayrshire, just down the road from the famous Turnberry golf course — is still a rather incredible bargain.
Agents Rettie have slapped a price tag of just £800,000 on this 261-acre estate that contains two irresistibly romantic castles.
It's such a bargain, actually, that between us writing this article and scheduling it for publication, the agents received an offer.
It remains listed on their website for now, however, so anyone who feels they might have missed out might be advised to keep abreast of how the sale progresses. After all, this is a place where the survey is pretty much guaranteed to throw up a few issues.
That's because the castles included aren't just run down, or sporting dodgy avocado bathrooms and wood-chip wallpaper in the hallway. They are full on wrecks, shells of their glorious former selves.
Dalquharran Old Castle is the older of the two, dating to the late 15th century but greatly expanded to become a 'stately castle' in 1679.
The 'new' castle is dubbed the Robert Adam Dalquharran Castle, Robert Adam being the architect who erected the famously picturesque Culzean Castle, which sits above a clifftop just a few miles away.
The estate also includes several other buildings ripe for renewal and development, roughly 160 acres of farmland — a mixture of arable and pasture — with the rest of the estate being woodland.
And all for £800,000, the same price that you'd pay for a semi-detached new build in the Surrey town of Reigate, a four-bed house in Lancashire or a pleasant flat in the centre of Edinburgh. No wonder Dalquharran was snapped up quick-smart.
Spectacular Scottish castles and estates for sale
A look at the finest castles, country houses and estates for sale in Scotland today.
-
‘Lots of books, Scrabble, a pack of cards and James Norton. Oh, and some wine’: Alison Weir’s consuming passionsThe Sunday Times bestselling author, 74, on her literary hero, her collection of jigsaw puzzles that she never has time to do and her celebrity crush.
-
Robert Redford's Oscar and this week's unique royal funeral: Country Life Quiz of the Day, September 17, 2025One of Hollywood's greats is remembered in Wednesday's quiz.
-
A perfect country house in 'the most beautiful and unspoilt town in the Cotswolds'Penny Churchill takes a look at the wonderful Kingcombe, on the outskirts of the charming town of Chipping Campden.
-
The dream home that never was for one of Britain's greatest film stars, back on the market for the first time in half a centuryAnna White takes a look at the beautiful Wallers Mead, in the Buckinghamshire village full of links to Hollywood movies from James Bond to Star Wars.
-
A 500-year-old cottage in West Sussex that's as beautiful as you could ever hope to see, with a pool ringed by flowers, stables and a croquet lawnJames Fisher was in need of some balm for the soul when he came across Woodshill House.
-
A Clarkson's Farm of one's own: Five properties with just enough farmland for you and your family, from under £1 millionMoving to the country is one thing; moving to the country and being able to grow and rear all your own food is another level entirely, and all these properties offer exactly that.
-
Six superb homes, from chocolate box cottages to grand Tudor mansions, as seen in Country LifeOur regular round-up includes charming home counties houses and superb grand country house in Ireland.
-
A billionaire's thatched cottage is for sale in Surrey, once owned by the oil magnate J. Paul GettyChestnut Cottage is a joyous little home — albeit one with the most unusual bedrooms to acreage to price balances we've ever seen. Toby Keel takes a look inside.
-
Medieval Italian? 19th century French? 16th century German? You're spoilt for choice if you're looking to buy a gorgeous continental castleFrom hills of Italy to a Bavarian palace, Toby Keel takes a look at three of the finest castles for sale across Europe today.
-
How to buy a house at auctionBuying at auction can mean you secure your dream property for a bargain price, but preparation is the key
