Stunning Scots forest estate up for sale, yours for just Â£8.5m

The Moness Forest Estate in Perthshire, Scotland. Picture: SWNS

The Moness Forest Estate is one of Scotland’s prime commercial forests with sporting facilities, grouse and deer shooting zones, and planning permission for a windfarm.

The 2,800 acre site’s key selling point is its staggering woodland, with around 60 per cent of the estate made up of potentially commercial timber.

Sitka spruce - used for the like of guitars, furniture, building timber and scaffold boards - takes up 1,514 acres and could offer a wealthy investor the chance to get a slice of the timber industry which is worth more than £8.5 billion in the UK alone.

The estate, in Perthshire, Scotland, is on the market with Bidwells and John Clegg & Co at offers of more than £8,625,000.

However, anyone who wants to live on the estate will be disappointed because, despite the multi-million pound asking price, there are no homes on the land.

A spokesperson for the selling agents said: “Not only is this a superb opportunity to own a swathe of one of the country’s most beautiful areas, it is an opportunity for the investor to buy into a much sought after market where demand outstrips supply and where the returns are real.

“Demand continues to be greatest for well-located, good quality, commercial Sitka spruce-dominated plantations.

“Market evidence suggests there is no lack of liquidity in the marketplace, with numerous willing purchasers seeking investment opportunities.

“Following strong trading in 2014 and 2015, 2016 has seen continued high levels of interest in the commercial forest market place, with Scotland retaining its dominance in the UK sector.”

For many years the estate was used for mixed farmland, but after the Second World War, with the falling demand in lamb, the owner decided to diversify.

The land was sold for afforestation in the mid-1980s when a huge tree planting programme was undertaken.

Over the past decade, the estate has been well maintained by its current owners who have gained planning permission for six wind turbines with a three megawatt capacity.

The spokesperson added: “Bidwells and John Clegg & Co continue to see demand for quality forestry and Moness offers an exceptional opportunity for investment in a sector which continues to see growth nationally and globally.

“It also provides excellent opportunities for red and roe deer stalking and walked-up grouse shooting, with sporting rights in-hand and un-let.”

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