Stand in the first-floor landing on a clear October morning and the view stops you cold. Loch Etive stretches west toward the Atlantic, the hills of Benderloch catching the low autumn light, and the only sound through the open window is the distant rush of water tumbling through the Falls of Lora at the narrows. That's Almar on a Tuesday. On a Saturday it's marginally better, because the Oban farmers' market is on and the smell of fresh langoustines grilling at the harbourfront drifts all the way up the coast road.
This is a six-bedroom, five-bathroom detached house sitting on Old Shore Road in Connel, a small village on the southern shore of Loch Etive just four miles from the centre of Oban. At 180 square metres arranged over two storeys, it's a proper family-sized home — not a weekend bothy — and it carries itself with the kind of quiet confidence that comes from being well built and thoughtfully updated. EPC rating C, solar panels, an air source heat pump: someone here was thinking about running costs before running costs became a talking point.
The ground floor is anchored by a kitchen that actually earns that description. A large central island, substantial wall and base units, integrated appliances, and a dining area generous enough for eight people around a table without anyone playing elbow Tetris. It flows into a utility room and a ground-floor shower room — both practical, both often the features that clinch a purchase when you're imagining walking in off a muddy hillside after an afternoon on the Cruachan ridge. A double bedroom with its own ensuite sits at ground level too, which matters enormously if you have elderly relatives visiting or guests who can't do stairs. There's also a study off the hall, hand ... click here to read more
