A STUNNING estate overlooking the Scottish loch where hundreds of dambuster bombs were tested is on sale for £2.8m.
Glenstriven Estate in Argyll sits just metres away from Loch Striven where around 200 bouncing bombs were secretly tested.
The training runs were held before 617 Squadron’s successful night-time raid on hydroelectric dams in Germany’s Ruhr Valley industrial heartland in 1943.
Now, the 1,041-acre estate has been put on the market by Strutt & Parker and John Clegg & Co – and it even comes with its very own private pub, The Glenstriven Arms.
The estate, which includes a country house, sportings, woodlands and coastal gardens, is available for offers over £2,785,000 or available in five lots.
Built in 1860 and bought by the current owners in the early 1980s, Glenstriven House boasts numerous period features including a circular cupola above a sweeping staircase and decorative cornicing.
The 10-bedroom house has been comprehensively refurbished during the current ownership and is regularly used to play host to up to 20 guests.
A former generator has been converted into a quirky, private pub and has been signed by various guests including celebrity chef Jamie Oliver who filmed part of “Jamie’s Great Britain” at Glenstriven.
Another highlight is Pier Cottage which sits on the shore of the loch just minutes away from The Old Smokehouse which offers a delightful single bedroom and bathroom annexe. These are let as holiday accommodation.
The current owners have established an exceptional pheasant shoot, which was highly commended in the Purdey Awards in 2001 for Wild Game Conservation. The estate also offers stalking.
Sitting on a sea loch with its own private pier, Glenstriven is ideally placed for sailing enthusiasts who are able to capitalise on the stunning waters of the West Coast, which offers some of the best sailing in the UK and Europe.
The land encompasses 79 acres of broadleaf and conifer woodland, 59 acres of pasture and rough grazing, 834 acres of hill and 69 acres of gardens, grounds, shoreline and miscellaneous land.
Other properties include Glenstriven Lodge, Invervegain Farmhouse and the chalet-style Flagstaff Cottage, which was built by the owners in the 1990s and capitalises on the views over Loch Striven.
A 30 metre pier, built from North American greenheart timbers, is accessible at all stages of the tide allowing new buyers, and visitors, the opportunity to look out at the loch which made history.
The daring operation inspired the 1955 classic film The Dam Busters.
Some of the prototype bombs – which did not contain explosives – were successfully recovered from the loch last year.
The Dam Busters operation, initially known as Operation Chastise, was an attack on German dams carried out on 16th and 17th May 1943.
RAF 617 Squadron carried out the attack using purpose-built bouncing bombs – a bomb designed to bounce to a target across water in a manner that avoids obstacles such as torpedo nets. The bombs sank against the dam wall before exploding.
The Möhne and Edersee Dams were breached causing catastrophic flooding of the Ruhr valley and of villages in the Eder valley.
Two hydroelectric power stations were destroyed and several more damaged. Factories and mines were also damaged and destroyed.
An estimated 1,600 civilians – around 600 Germans and 1,000 mainly Soviet forced labourers – died.
Jon Lambert, Senior Director at John Clegg & Co, said: “We are delighted to bring Glenstriven to the open market. The lotted sale gives a variety of purchasers the rare opportunity to purchase coastal properties in a stunning location.
“Equally, the estate as a whole provides an opportunity for an individual to carry on as the current owner has done to date.”
