Scotland forever

With stirring views out across the Firth of Clyde, this expansive Scottish farmhouse boasts a contemporary design and 400 yards of shoreline

Words / Johanna Derry Hall

Photography / Robert Ormerod

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When Peter Boyle and his wife Gillian Watson were looking to move back to Scotland with their family, location was everything.

“I grew up in Ayrshire, and with three kids of school age, we thought it would be a great place for them to grow up,” Gillian says. “We knew we wanted a property with an uninterrupted sea view and direct beach access, so we identified the few properties that had these and took it from there, prepared to wait.”

“The view was essential,” Peter agrees. “It took us a year and a half of looking before we found Drumbain. Once we did, we had to do some work to make the house exactly how we wanted it to be.”

The entire interior of the property was restructured, and a house-long extension added to create an expansive and open kitchen-dining area. “In days gone by, properties faced away from the sea to avoid any weather, but modern materials allow us to take in the full view.” explains Peter. “We turned the house around, as it were, to reface the sea, introducing sea-facing windows in the bedrooms, the sitting and TV rooms and, the busiest spot in the house, the kitchen-eating space.”

From the outside, the house, along with its assorted outbuildings, has retained all the character of the farmstead it once was. By contrast, the interiors are spacious and contemporary. “We reused materials as often as we could. We’ve kept old stonework, some old doors and beams,” says Gillian, “but we were keen to introduce the clean lines and lots of light that we enjoyed when living Hong Kong and Madrid.”

Now their three children have left home, the couple are looking to downsize. “It’s been a great family house,” Peter continues, reminiscing about the spontaneous games of golf the five of them played on the land the last time they all lived there together during the lockdown. “For us, Drumbain has been perfect – a large house and a fair bit of land without feeling daunting in any way.”

“I can’t quite put it into words, but Drumbain has always felt like home,” agrees Gillian. “We’ve had all this space with blue skies and the ocean to enjoy. You can feel like you’re in the middle of nowhere, and yet we’re only five minutes’ drive from Ayr. The views are stunning, even after all these years – to be able to look out over the sea and be reminded that there are bigger things out there, that’s what I’ll miss the most.”