But there is a way you can cheat. Living in a park enables you to enjoy a rural lifestyle while still being within easy reach of city centre amenities. And right now, there are properties in a variety of locations, sizes and price ranges that tick all the boxes.
Kersland is a beautifully presented refurbished house in a secluded setting within Pollok Castle Estate in Newton Mearns. Built in 1888, the rural surrounds are enhanced by garden grounds that have been reworked and restocked over many years to superb effect.
The grey stone house has a crow-stepped gable, while inside the accommodation is over three levels and includes a sitting room with a beamed ceiling and exposed stone wall with open fire, a sun lounge, and a spacious family/dining room semi-open-plan to a bespoke kitchen with Corian worktops and a professional range cooker.
There is also a ground-floor guest suite with shower room, and a study/third bedroom, while a rear stair leads down to the lower level and stables, which are currently used for storage but could be converted.
On the first floor there is a gallery, two further double bedrooms and a fully- tiled bathroom with separate shower and bespoke furniture. This is a win-win property on all counts, where character and history combine with contemporary fittings to give the best of both worlds, while the rural setting makes it hard to believe the M77, The Avenue shopping centre in Newton Mearns, Patterton railway station and some of the best schools in the country are all within easy reach. Slater Hogg & Howison is marketing this one-off property at offers over £660,000.
Further west, in North Ayrshire, Knight Frank is selling Weirston House, a detached period property situated within Eglinton Country Park, approximately one mile from Kilwinning, 15 miles from Ayr and 26 miles from Glasgow.
Weirston House has been extended and modernised to provide a comfortable family home without sacrificing any of the property's original features.
It has three reception rooms, including a sitting room with a multi-fuel stove and French doors to the side patio and garden.
There is a breakfast room and recently refitted kitchen with an Aga and quartz worktops, and a downstairs shower room, rear hall and utility.
Upstairs are three double bedrooms (one with en-suite facilities), a single bedroom, and a family bathroom with rolltop bath and separate shower. Two outbuildings in the grounds operate as licenced boarding kennels, a business that could continue or, alternatively, the premises could be turned into garages or stabling. Weirston House is for sale at offers over £425,000 with Knight Frank's Edinburgh office.
At the other end of the price range is a one-bedroom, first-floor conversion in the A-listed former mansion house within King's Park, on the south side of Glasgow. Built in 1806 and converted some years ago, the communal hallway and staircase with decorative cupola above form an impressive entrance. The apartment comprises reception hall, spacious living room (with huge window and window seat) leading into a good-sized fitted kitchen with electric hob, extractor and built-in oven, double bedroom with built-in furniture, and a modern tiled shower room. The property also has a security entrance system and residents' parking.
An ideal starter home, Countrywide's Burnside office is seeking offers over £88,000, which is considerably below the £105,000 home report value.
