Great Scot: The dramatic country estate near Edinburgh you can buy for just over $3m

A patchwork of rolling green hills surrounds a stone country house in Scotland’s Midlothian region, about 20 minutes’ drive from the heart of Edinburgh.

Built in 1851 by revered architect David Bryce – whose portfolio includes the old Edinburgh Royal Infirmary – the property overlooks manicured lawns, a topiary-adorned courtyard, a tennis court, and two paddocks fit for equestrian uses.

The heritage-protected (B List) residence known as Ormiston House is the picture of old-world grandeur, with gables and castle-like turrets on the outside, and intricate plasterwork and parquetry floors inside.

Over time, the Baronial-style property has benefited from period-conscious updates and some welcome contemporary additions. The open-plan gas kitchen, and the all-important central heating system, are standouts.

Difficult though it may seem to imagine being short of space in this residence, Ormiston House comes with a guest wing, consisting of three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a grand staircase leading down to the shared ground floor.

Christie’s International Real Estate affiliate Strutt & Parker has listed the estate for sale, and buyers will need to pay more than £1.7 million (about $3.05 million) to snap it up.

Prime properties in Scotland range from city flats and period townhouses to lavish country houses and spectacular residential and sporting estates.

Current market

Robert McCulloch, head of estate and farm sales for Strutt & Parker in Scotland, says there is a cautious air about the Scottish market that didn’t exist a year ago, mainly due to continued uncertainty about the UK’s Brexit deal.

“As ever, the ideal estate is one that offers a little bit of everything, including mixed sportings, an attractive but not too large principal house, a pretty landscape – a loch, river or sea is a bonus – and a location within two hours of an international airport,” McCulloch says.

Average residential prices across Scotland rose 3.2 per cent in the year to July.

Can Australians buy in?

Anyone can buy a property in Scotland, provided they pass all compliance checks, including anti-money laundering regulations.

A home report with a valuation and energy report is available for prospective buyers, who would then engage a Scottish solicitor to do the deal.

A land tax of 12 per cent is payable for properties bought for more than £750,000. If the buyer owns a home anywhere else in the world, an additional 3 per cent tax is charged.

What you can buy for…

$6.32 million

Hensol House, a heritage-listed 10-bedroom country home.

Includes a farmhouse, five cottages and farmland.

$5.03 million

Glenstriven, a residential and sporting estate in Argyll, west of Glasgow.

Hidden among the spacious grounds is a private bar built in a former generator building.

$2.89 million

A five-bedroom house built within the grounds of the Gleneagles Hotel.

Built in the 1970s, it overlooks the first hole of the Queen’s Course.