Our But an’ Ben

To quote Paw Broon, “We’ve aye wanted a but an’ ben in the country.” In fact James and I have talked about purchasing a holiday home on and off for many years, but have never found the right place at the right price at the right time. We considered quite seriously buying a house in Brodick on Arran about twenty years ago, but it was far too much of a project and our plans went on the back burner for a while. Occasionally we discussed the subject, so it was never completely forgotten. Over the last couple of years, with the boys independent (more or less) and retirement ahead, we started contemplating the idea again. By this time we had become very interested in Ullapool, a wee town in Wester Ross of which we are both extremely fond. We had visited it separately as children, then as a young couple, then many times with our children and with the hill-walking club. We love all of the far north west, but at almost exactly a four hour drive from door to door, Ullapool is a reasonable distance from Glasgow for a weekend trip or longer. From there we can easily strike further north to Lochinver and beyond.
We scrutinised the estate agents’ websites and even registered with the local estate agent. We came close to bidding on a house in West Shore Street but it was not only very expensive and in need of refurbishment, but also too big for us - it crystallised our thoughts that (for now at least) we are looking for a holiday house and not a permanent home up north. And then a couple of weeks ago, I think about the 11th December, things started to move rather fast. The estate agent emailed us with details of a house in Morefield, a quiet area about 15 minutes walk from the centre of Ullapool. A white-painted detached cottage with a view over the river to the sea and mountains beyond, it’s in walk in condition and we really liked the look of it. We went to view it on Tuesday 17th December, by which time a closing date had been set for 11 a.m. on 19th December.
The house is great, we loved everything about it and had to think quickly. After much discussion in the Ceilidh Place we contacted our lawyer Ian, and our bid went in at 10 a.m. on the 19th. I was out later for coffee with Karen when James messaged me to say, “Just got a call from Inverness. We have bought a house.” We haven’t bought a house for more than thirty years so it’s all a bit of a shock - but hopefully a good one. Roll on 2020 - all being well we should get the keys in February.