A castle for sale just down the road from Gleneagles, where everyone from George VI to a farmer and his pigs once roamed the grand halls

At Country Life, as you'd imagine, we come across a lot of property capable of eliciting 'ooohhs' and 'aahhhs'. It's like going to a fireworks display every day.

The ooohs and aaahs are almost always of the 'good' kind, when we write about the sort of house that Queen Victoria's chaplain might live in, or Alan Titchmarsh's lovely Hampshire home, which is on the market right now.

Sometimes, though, the 'ooohs' and 'aaahs' have a different tone: instead of 'OOH-ooh-OOH!' they become, 'OH-oh....'; and this is the sound produced when you come across a seemingly idyllic home that looks like it'll bring a few headaches with it.

What is very rare, though, is for the images attached to a property listing to alternate between the 'OOH-ooh-OOHs' and the 'OH-ohs...'. But that's exactly what we found in the case of Orchil Castle, a Perthshire pile just down the road from Gleneagles, which is for sale at £2.1 million via Fine & Country.

No doubt, like us, you've already OOH-ooh-OOHed at external view of the castle, the lake and the 56 acres of Perthshire that come with the sale. We'd expect you'll make a similar noise when appreciating the gorgeous entrance hall and the strikingly pretty, boldly-decorated reception rooms.

As we flicked through the images and headed upstairs, the smiles continued. The views! The room sizes! The beautiful bay windows! The thoughtfulness of the estate agent who ran a bubble bath before taking a photo!

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And then we got to the rooms which are — well — in a pretty poor state; the good OOH-ooh-OOHs stopped, the worried OH-ohs began. As gorgeous as Orchil Castle is, it'll need someone with a strong constitution, deep pockets and the will to lead a project to bring this Category B-listed Scots baronial house back to its best.

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If the house has a few rough edges, that's unsurprising. Two fires during the 20th century caused a large amount of damage; in 1917, the whole place was gutted, while a 1967 fire destroyed the roof. It's had spells as a foster home, a rehab centre and a bible study retreat — and even for a time to keep pigs, as The Scotsman reported back in 2016: 'The farmer chose to live in the castle’s former laundry, and allowed his pigs and sheep to roam amongst the marble fireplaces and carved oak panelling on the ground floor of the castle.' It's a far cry from the glory days of the 20s, when King George VI — then the Duke of York — his brother George, Duke of Kent, were said to be regular visitors.

So while it's not perfect, a huge amount has been done in recent decades and for the most part Orchil is in good shape, with most of the work to be done concentrated on the second floor. The prize at the end, for whoever finishes Orchil off, feels like it'll be well worth the effort: the floorplan is a veritable Cluedo board of rooms, with particularly grand dining and drawing rooms, a morning room — with french windows out onto the grounds — and extensive basements.

One corner of the ground floor is set up as a self-contained, three-bedroom apartment, ideal for multi-generation living, or perhaps as a place to live while you carry out any work needed on the rest of the castle.

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On the first floor are four bedrooms — all with their own bathrooms — and a chapel. The second floor is marked out on the floorplan and offers huge potential; at over 17,000 sq ft, this is a huge property.

This house was commissioned in 1867 by Rev John McDougall, who engaged architect Andrew Heiton Junior. Heiton was a talented, ambitious and tireless man who served for a while as city architect of Perth, designing many of the most beautiful buildings in the area.

Beyond the main house, the estate also includes a two-bedroom cottage — which you'll be happy to know has already been restored, with underfloor heating and tasteful finishes.

And just as you'd expect of any castle worthy of the name, the grounds are wonderful. There's a series of terraced lawns, a four-acre loch (complete with boathouse), a walled garden and various outbuildings. What's more, the proximity to Gleneagles brings not just world class golf and leisure facilities, but also a railway station that links directly to London, via sleeper service should you want to come up or head down overnight. Does it go without saying that a location like this might make it a splendid boutique hotel, subject to the right permissions? Or should it stay as a grand, single residence? We'll look with interest at what happens next.

Orchil Castle is for sale via Fine & Country at £2.1 million — see more details.