The Argyll coastline is noted for its rugged and beautiful scenery and is recognised as one of the prime locations on the west coast of Scotland. A unique opportunity to acquire a luxury self-contained holiday village, pier and harbour has arisen with the sale of a luxury waterside property. Melfort Pier and Harbour has 16 award winning lochside holiday houses – three one bedroom, nine two bedroom and four three bedroom – a loch side restaurant with approximately 36 covers and 20 swing moorings on Loch Melfort for visiting yachts. There is also a four-bedroom manager’s house situated in the nearby village of Kilmelford and on site accommodation for 10 persons, as well as office and ancillary service accommodation.

The property was purchased by the current owners in 1990 and since then they have developed the estate to the current accommodation of 16 luxury lochside houses with a purpose built restaurant and a picturesque harbour. Internally the houses are finished to a high standard and generally offer open plan kitchen, lounge and 1,2 or 3 bedrooms and have underfloor heating with log burning stoves in the lounges. Each house also enjoys a built-in sauna facility.

The purpose built Mermaid Restaurant, which also holds a public house licence, was constructed in 2006 and provides an excellent facility for people holidaying at Melfort together with passing trade. The property sits within grounds extending to approximately 4.5 acres and overlooks Loch Melfort and Fearnach Bay. There are two beaches as well as a secure small boat harbour with 120 feet of floating docks complete with water and electricity supply and under cover dinghy storage. The surrounding landscape is a mixture of sea lochs and mountains together with many inshore islands.

There are many dedicated walks and trails to be enjoyed in total solitude. Oban, the main population centre, is 16 miles north of Melfort and has daily train services to the city as well as regular ferry services to the isles. The famous Crinan Canal is 12 miles to the south, which enables sailors to travel from Ardrishaig on Loch Fyne to Crinan without the lengthy trip round the Mull of Kintyre.

Self-catering business

Melfort Pier and Harbour trades as a self-catering business with its accommodation finished to a high standard, and is open all year round. A substantial part of its income comes from letting its properties by the night, with a minimum of two nights, and further income is generated from the mooring rentals and the restaurant. Occupancy varies from 50 to 60 per cent in the low season to almost 100 per cent in the peak season.

The unique location and the difficulty in obtaining waterside sites of this calibre in Scotland represent a tremendous opportunity to further develop the operation. Speaking on behalf of the selling agents, Paul Nicholl said: ‘Melfort Pier is now possibly one of the last opportunities to acquire a substantial water front destination development due to the stringent planning legislation now applicable in Argyll.

The development maximises the waterside location and is unusual in that the owners have not only created waterside properties with stunning views but also installed considerable infrastructure, making use of the existing pier which features a purpose built harbour. ‘In addition visiting yachtsmen use the existing moorings and there is considerable scope to substantially increase the number of moorings and capitalise further on the burgeoning yachting market on the West Coast of Scotland.’ Melfort Pier and Harbour’s facilities have also been recognised with the Scottish Disability and Business Award in 2006 presented by Leonard Cheshire Scotland for promoting equality and inclusion for disabled customers and staff, and the Scottish Thistle Award 2002 for self-catering operator.

The subjects are offered for sale as a whole with vacant possession subject to bookings already taken.

fieldfacts

Melfort Pier and Harbour, Melfort Village, Argyll. Offers in excess of £4.1 million for the whole. Bell Ingram DM Mackinnon Estates, 2 Gibraltar Street, Oban PA 34 4AY. Tel, 01631 566122