Bob Dylan Puts Scottish Mansion On Sale

via Painted Passport / Youtube

American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan is putting his Scottish retreat up for sale. The 82-year-old musician, known for songs like “Blowin’ in the Wind” and “Like a Rolling Stone,” has owned Aultmore House and its estate for 17 years. The property, located in Nethy Bridge within the Cairngorm National Park, has a price tag of at least £3 million.

The exquisite Aultmore House is an impressive 16-bedroom mansion, listed as an A-Listed property. Dylan and his brother David Zimmerman bought it for £2.2 million, but they haven’t been able to visit since the start of the pandemic. The main house features multiple reception rooms, including a music room, along with 11 bathrooms and an additional seven bedrooms in the attic.

The estate grounds boast various amenities such as cottages, a spacious greenhouse, a walled garden, follies, a fountain, and a croquet lawn. Tom Stewart-Moore, a representative from Knight Frank, the estate agent handling the sale, explained that Dylan is parting with the property because he hasn’t been able to enjoy it in recent years.

Before the pandemic, the singer and his brother used to spend a few weeks there annually. He added:

“They bought it because it’s stunningly beautiful and, most importantly, very, very private.”

The Edwardian mansion, situated on 25 acres of land, was constructed between 1911 and 1914 as a vacation home for Archibald Merrilees, the son of a Scottish merchant who co-founded Russia’s first department store in the mid-19th century. The house changed hands in 1922 when the family experienced financial setbacks during the Russian revolution.

Over the years, it served as a hunting lodge, a World War Two convalescent hospital, and even a finishing school owned by a New Zealand-born spy who had survived imprisonment in Colditz.

In 2006, Dylan acquired the property through his brother acting as his agent. Prior to that, it operated as a luxurious bed and breakfast and a sought-after wedding venue. Aultmore House gained further recognition when it appeared in the TV drama “Monarch of the Glen.”

Despite Dylan’s ownership, Aultmore House has remained open for holidays and events, and three cottages are available for rent at about £900 per week. Nestled at the end of a tree-lined driveway, the estate is located 13 miles from Aviemore, surrounded by forests to the northeast of Nethy Bridge, with stunning views of the Cairngorm mountains.

Dylan’s connection to Scotland is evident in his music, which often draws inspiration from the Scottish countryside and culture.

In his Grammy award-winning 1997 album Time Out of Mind, he sang, “My heart’s in the Highlands wherever I roam / That’s where I’ll be when I get called home.” In recognition of his musical contributions, Dylan received an honorary doctorate in music from the University of St Andrews in 2004.

He has expressed his admiration for Robert Burns’ poem “A Red, Red Rose,” written in 1794, and has acknowledged the influence of Scottish folklorist Hamish Henderson’s song “The 51st (Highland) Division’s Farewell to Sicily” on his own song “The Times They Are A-Changin’.”