Property description

Superb arable farm with a scenic outlook in the heart of rural Fife.

Description
Montrave Home Farm is an exceptional arable farm set in a highly sought after and scenic area. The farm, which sits on the brow of a hill has a wonderful mix of land types with the majority of land being workable farmland. The farm is served by a useful range of modern farm buildings which are located at the centre of the enterprise. Extending to approximately 429 acres in total and it is conveniently located close the A916 which allows for easy access and travel to local towns and beyond.

The heart of the farming operation is the main farm steading which is accessed from the A916 via a farm road which is also shared with a cluster of houses. The majority of the land at Montrave lies to the north of the A916 with about 118 acres of gently rolling land lying to the south of the public road. The fields at Montrave are all of a generous size and capable of accommodating modern farm machinery.

In recent years the farm has followed a rotation plan combining a mix of cereal crops, oil seed rape and vegetables (peas, carrots and potatoes). The land within Lot 1 can be irrigated (subject to obtaining the necessary water abstraction licence). Along with the arable ground there are mature woodland areas providing shelter and wonderful amenity space on the farm.

Average rainfall in the Fife area is low in comparison to the rest of Scotland (average 1,571mm per year) with an average of 712.99 mm in a typical year. Similarly the average temperatures typically remain above freezing in the winter and warm in the summer with an average temperature of 19° in July.

Location
The county of Fife lies between the Firth of Forth and the Firth of Tay jutting in to the North Sea at St Andrews and is bounded to the west by the Ochil Hills. Historically referred to as the Kingdom of Fife on account of its protected natural boundaries.

Montrave Home Farm is strategically located on the southern side of the kingdom in a wonderfully peaceful, yet highly accessible rural location. The farm is situated in a primarily agricultural landscape dotted with villages and small towns.

Leven, approximately 4 miles to the south, provides most day to day services and local facilities and amenities. 7 miles to the north lies the former market town of Cupar, a bustling centre which hosts a monthly Farmers Market as well as offering a choice of supermarkets, legal and accounting services along with a health centre, small hospital and leisure centre.

The farm is particularly well located for ease of access north to Dundee (20 miles), east to St Andrews (12 miles), west to the “Fair City” of Perth (27 miles) and its racecourse at Scone, and south to Edinburgh and its international airport (42 miles). There are mainline east coast railway stations at Markinch (8.5 miles) and Kirkcaldy (13 miles) with regular services to Aberdeen, Edinburgh and the south.

Along the coast of Fife from Elie to Crail are scattered picturesque fishing villages which are a haven for tourists, many of whom are also attracted by the numerous golf courses in the district, including the Old Course at St Andrews which plays regular host to the Open Championship. Other courses close by include Lundin Links and Dumbarnie Golf Links which opened in 2020.

St Andrews is also well known for its university, one of the oldest in Britain, founded in 1410. In contrast, the modern University of Dundee is a centre of excellence for Life Sciences and is linked to one of the largest teaching hospitals in Europe. Primary schooling can be found in Ceres and secondary schooling at Bell Baxter High School in Cupar. There are co-educational private schools in St Andrews (St Leonards), Dundee Dundee High School), Perth (Craigclowan (preparatory), Strathallan & Glenalmond) and Dollar (33 miles).

Fife is well served by agricultural merchants and dealers and there is a successful machinery ring which can provide additional resources to members as and when required. Given the farms accessible location there is easy access to Scotland’s Grain merchants and there is a Quaker Oats factory at Cupar and Kettle Produce (vegetable producers) are based in Freuchie.

Acreage:
429 Acres



Additional Info
The Land - The whole farm extends to 419 acres in total and includes about 302 acres of productive arable ground, 5 acres of permanent pasture and 104 acres of woodland. The land lies between 140m and 200m above sea level and is classified by the James Hutton Institute for land capability as class 3.2 with a band of class 2 running along the northern boundary of Lot 2. The component soils at Montrave are brown forest soils to both the north and south of the road. The soils to the north are derived from basaltic rocks whilst those to the south are derived from carboniferous sandstones, shales and limestones.

Water - There is potential for water to be drawn for irrigation purposes on Lot 1 from the irrigation pond identified as parcel no: 21 on the accompanying plan. The pond is naturally fed from the natural springs located in the wood above and it can provide 2-3 days of irrigation before needing refilled. Fields 11,12,14 and 18 have water troughs.

Woodland - There are a number of new and existing woodlands at Montrave which provide good shelter and amenity to the farm. The existing woodlands, specifically Foggieleys Wood which runs along the eastern boundary of Lot 1 combined with the natural topography at Montrave could provide excellent potential for a family shoot to be created. In 2019 and 2021, as part of two diverse woodland creation schemes, the current owners planted 51.74 acres (20.74 ha) which equated to over 40,000 trees across nine different areas. The schemes comprise commercial plantations of spruce and fir trees, oak and beech woods and native broad leave plantations. Within the native plantations species such as silver birch, wild cherry, hazel and Scots pine were planted. These new woodlands will not only provide further amenity to the farm but will also provide a wonderful habitat for wildlife in the years to come. There are obligations that an incoming purchaser will need to adhere to which includes weeding, beating up and pruning of the woodlands. The costs for an external contractor to do the maintenance are covered by the grants which will be passed to the purchaser(s). There is approximately £38,000 of grant funding remaining. There is an outlying area of woodland (shown on the accompanying sale plan) which is about 10 Acres (4 ha) which can be accessed off the B927. The woodland comprises a mix of mature soft and hard wood trees and could be used for a variety of uses.
Amenities

429 acres in total

310 acres arable land (with irrigation)

7 acres pasture

104 acres woodland

Range of modern farm buildings

Planning permission in principle for a new farmhouse

Accessible location