Flowers of Scotland

Properties north of the Border offer terrific value, tremendous scenery and a taste of the wilderness. What more could you want?

- James Fisher

Midlothian, £1.8 million

Few architectural styles get the pulse racing quite like Scots Baronial and, in Borthwick Hall, I can feel my blood quickening as I type. Here we have a magnificent Grade C-listed mansion designed by John Henderson, completed in 1852, offering 10 bedrooms and 12 acres, all within 20 miles of the capital Edinburgh. Inside the 19th-century exterior, adorned as it is by bartizan towers and turrets, you will find an elegant mix of modernity and tradition: grand vaulted reception rooms with decorative plasterwork, combined with contemporary kitchen and modern bathrooms. For the eco-conscious among us, a biomass automatic-feed wood-pellet central-heating system has already been installed, along with an EV charging point in the garage. Outside, the property stands in beautifully landscaped formal gardens, which extend to open paddocks that surround the house from the north, north-east and south-east. Further amenities include a home gym, cinema room, a spa with sauna and 900mbps internet. Strutt & Parker (0131-516 3292)

Aberdeenshire, £700,000