Keircroft, Bridge of Canny, Banchory
Wildlife adds animal magic to peaceful rural home
Published:
JULIE and David Keir’s lovely rural home near Banchory is an animal lover’s paradise.
They often look out the window to see deer grazing in the garden, while red squirrels scamper about in the trees overhead.
And the couple recently made another interesting wildlife discovery.
“There is a tiny little burn at the bottom of our road, and it seems there are mink living there,” said Julie, 47.
“It was staff from the university who dropped in to tell us, as they were in the area doing some research.
“We often get deer coming into the garden – as well as red squirrels running around.
“It’s like a proper Walt Disney movie,” she said. Julie, a florist at Vogue Flowers in Banchory and husband David, a health and safety consultant in the oil and gas industry, moved to Banchory from Cove 14 years ago.
They chose the location so that son Duncan, now 26, could go to Banchory Academy.
And now that he has flown the nest to live in London, the couple are planning to downsize.
When they first moved in, they christened the property Keircroft, after the family name.
And the spacious five-bedroom house comes with an added surprise – it has its own bothy in the garden!
With an upper level, this could be converted into further guest accommodation by people who like a DIY project.
Julie said: “When we moved in we had the best of intentions to do the bothy up.
“It certainly has a lot of potential and my husband talked about making it into a music room at one point.
“It would have been good as the walls are so thick.
“In the end he turned one of the rooms in the house into a recording studio.”
David, 53, is a keen musician and cuts his own CDs from home.
An acoustic singer-songwriter, he has performed gigs in other countries, including Belgium and Germany.
And his recording studio – which used to be the dining room – is his favourite place in the house.
Julie said: “We are lucky because the kitchen is big, meaning we have plenty of room for dining there.
“It’s the hub of the house – we all enjoy cooking and when our son comes home to visit us we take it in turns.”
During summer, Julie likes her living room best as it’s lovely and bright, with light streaming in windows both to the front and the rear.
It also has a striking feature fireplace, making it a cosy spot during the winter, when holly grows in the garden.
This big house is a lovely family home in an idyllic location that is not too far to commute to Aberdeen.
Julie added: “It’s really convenient because the school bus picks up from the bottom of the road.
“We’re in a very quiet spot here – we live on a private road with just a few other houses so we don’t get bothered by traffic.
“There’s also good places to go walking nearby if you have dogs.
“And Banchory is just 10 minutes away. It’s been a great place for us to live.”
