AN impressive 290 acre, predominantly arable farm in Aberdeenshire with a Grade A listed farmhouse overlooking River North Esk has been launched to the open market by Davidson and Robertson.

Forebank of Canterland farm at Marykirk is an arable farm extending to approximately 290 acres, with large farmhouse and extensive steading, just six miles from Laurencekirk and seven miles west of Montrose in the Mearns area, renowned for the quality of arable land.

The arable land is primarily grade 2 and 3.1 and extends to 236 acres and is well suited to modern farm equipment, set out in large enclosures all of which have been regularly soil sampled. There is a further 18.9 acres of ploughable pasture and 28 acres of rough grazing and field margins. The five-bedroom farmhouse is a commanding property, looking south towards the River North Esk. It retains a number of original features and requires a degree of modernisation.

Director and head of rural and agency at Davidson and Robertson, George Hipwell, commented: “We are excited to launch Forebank of Canterland on to the open market and expect significant interest. It is a high-quality unit which has been well farmed and presents a significant opportunity for either a local farming business or someone new to the area.”

Demand for the property is expected to be significant, with the market in 2021 again being undersupplied in the face of strong demand. The market in the North East of Scotland reflects the national picture with farms, lifestyle properties and forestry seeing high levels of demand.

Mr Hipwell continued: “Enquiries to Davidson and Robertson from buyers looking for land have doubled compared with 2020 which was a year also characterised by a lack of supply to the market coupled with strong demand from buyers. High quality farms or those offering diversification opportunities are the most desirable currently.

“We would encourage all parties considering buying or selling property to register with our buyers service to give themselves the best chance of success. With such buoyancy, it’s not surprising that we are also seeing prices achieving a significant premium above the asking price year to date and signs are very encouraging for the rest of the year.

“Not all sales will come onto the public market, a greater number are now being sold privately so our advice for potential buyers is to register an early interest. D and R has a number of properties coming to market shortly.”