New owners of former Grantown railway station turned tourism attraction being sought.
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
Top-end agents Savills have announced the sale of the ex-Highland Heritage and Culture Centre on the outskirts of Grantown with price being on application.
The development also known as Grantown East from its station days comprises an 'immaculately' redeveloped railway station dating from 1863.
Savills have said the associated properties including a bright and airy retail area and event space, as well as two converted railway carriages, which now accommodate a restaurant and café.
They describe the premises as 'offers huge opportunities within the tourism and leisure sector'.
There is further outdoor event space, including an area which has been specifically designed as an events field.
Chris Thomson, of Savills, said: “The current owner has invested significant funds and a great deal of care on the restoration of this extremely attractive and characterful leisure project.
“It’s A95 roadside location adds to the great potential for a business to thrive here, and to capitalise on the huge number of visitors attracted to the Cairngorms every year.”
Savills state the owner comprehensively refurbished the property in 2018 employing specialist restoration teams who have blended traditional stone exteriors and contemporary and bright interiors to retain the heritage of the original property.
Grantown East lies about 1.5 miles to the south of Grantown
A Savills spokesperson said: "The area is renowned for its dramatic landscapes of mountains, forests, rivers and lochs. It has an abundance of wildlife all year round and an array of sporting and leisure activities.
"Its reputation for whisky distilling provides a steady draw of visitors to the region throughout the year.
"Inverness, 34 miles to the north, is the capital of the Highlands and provides a wide range of amenities including Inverness airport."
The shock closure of the business in January, earlier this year, resulted in the loss of 15 full-time jobs.
Owner Karen Blessington told the Strathy that her passion and her personal purse – £2.5 million-worth at the latest reckoning since starting out on the project in 2015 – simply had not been enough to make her dream of a vibrant Highland Heritage and Culture Centre prosper at her Revack Estate.
Ms Blessington said at the time: "I gave it all I could but after more than four years of trading in these ever tougher circumstances it became clear that there was too much against it."
"I'm devastated but there was no choice.
"I fully expected that the first few years of business would be hard but was committed to personally finance the venture until it could support itself.
"Unfortunately, Grantown East did not have enough time to firmly establish itself before the global Covid pandemic struck and, as for many other businesses, 2020 and 2021 were very tough years."
The business comprised the Highland Heritage and Cultural Centre, retail site, on-board dining in two railway carriages and Revack Mini Railway running on a track stretching nearly one-kilometre.
The heritage centre provided short videos about The Speyside Line, The History of the Kilt, An Introduction to Highland Games, The Making of Grantown East Tartan, Kilt Making and The History of the Clydesdale Horse – one of Ms Blessington's biggest passions.
