Scottish Castles Association

Castle McKenzie (USA style)

A REPLICA Highland castle in a remote corner of the United States has been put up for sale at £250,000.

Husband and wife, John and Lorraine McKenzie, built their own stately pile in Murphy, North Carolina, after visiting Eilean Donan Castle in Wester Ross, during a two-week holiday in 1998.

Their hideaway, boasting a turret hot tub and 50ft long "Braveheart Pond", lies in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains.

John and Loraine also brought in two Highland cows and 17 miniature horses and bought a vineyard.

With 10 acres of land they called "Scottish Woods", the couple operated a tourism venture but sold six cabins in 2005 when John suffered a heart attack and underwent by-pass surgery.

The couple, who are both of Scottish descent, planned to develop Castle McKenzie and live in it themselves while renting out a wing to tourists. Now they are looking to sell the property and build another replica nearer the family home.

John said: "We are thinking we might duplicate the whole experience in Pennsylvania. That is where all of our children and grandchildren live. The pull of the wee bairns can no longer be ignored."

Lorraine said: "People can step back to a time when dragons were slain and romance ruled."

Source: Daily Mail