Most of us would need a winning round of Who wants to be a Millionaire if we wanted to follow in the footsteps of comedian Billy Connolly and buy an Aberdeenshire estate.

Properties such as Blairmore House, set in 32 acres of its own grounds in the Deveron Valley in Huntly, are as rare as hen's teeth with demand outstripping supply. In recent times, estate buyers have tended to come from the UK, due to the strength of sterling against all other currencies.

Although requirements come down to personal preference, buyers want a period home with amenities such as woodlands, shooting, river or hill loch fishing and deer stalking.

The dream home of the nineteenth-century Scottish entrepreneur Alexander Geddes, who made his fortune in the grain trade in Chicago, Blairmore House is an hour or so's drive north-west of Aberdeen.

Returning to his native Scotland in the 1880s, Geddes built the house of his dreams and the datestone of 1885 bears his initials. Among the mementoes to be found in the house, is a plaque from the safe which literally saved Geddes' fortune in the Great Chicago Fire of 1871.

Early photographs show the house standing on an exposed knoll above the River Deveron, which would soon be surrounded by trees. Today it is tucked away from the public gaze, amid mature woodland and grounds, sheltered, yet with glimpses of the surrounding hills.

This idyllic spot will be remembered with varying degrees of fondness by the many children who passed through its gates during its time as a preparatory school. Blairmore had remained in the Geddes family home until the Second World War, when it was used as a training centre by the SAS. After the war, it functioned as a prep school until the early 1990s. Without compromising the integrity of the main house, an extension was built to the rear, housing classrooms, kitchen, canteens and a gymnasium.

Blairmore House underwent a restoration of its fortunes with the arrival on the scene in 1994 of Hans and Monique Baumann, a Swiss couple then living in London. As managing director of Donald Russell, suppliers of quality Scottish meat and other foodstuffs, Hans Baumann saw in Blairmore the perfect venue for the promotion of the company and the perfect Scottish home for his family.

They set to work with vigour, refurbishing and redecorating throughout and clearing away the trappings of the school, but at the same time preserving the books from the school's library and other mementoes. The bedroom suites, nine of them, bear the names of the old dormitories, such as Eagle, Plover and Lapwing, and provide a level of comfort undreamt of by their erstwhile occupants.

The school motto, capta majora (strive for greater things), sums up the Baumanns' philosophy and is evidenced in the care and attention to detail of the restoration work. Monique Baumann worked with Johnstons of Elgin to adapt the school tartan in softer, more contemporary tones, using it in many of the floor coverings and soft furnishings.

In addition to using Blairmore Estate for promoting Donald Russell, the Baumanns have built up a second successful business, letting the entire house on a weekly, fully-catered basis to corporate and private house parties, ranging from shooting parties in conjunction with a sporting agent, to conferences and family gatherings.

The public rooms effortlessly lend themselves to entertaining, being generous in scale but welcoming.

The Baumanns have their own eyrie to escape to at the top of the house, a comfortable flat with six rooms. Within the grounds are five estate cottages, all built around the same time as the house and recently renovated to provide staff quarters or supplementary accommodation to the main house.

A walled garden with greenhouses, a potting shed, stores and a charming small grotto yield fruit, vegetables and herbs for the kitchen. Overlooking the croquet lawn in front of the house, is a circular wooden summerhouse with an unusual fish scale roof, dating from 1888.

Blairmore today is both a luxurious home and a venue for entertainment with as yet, scarcely tapped potential. The Baumanns love the house, but have decided the time has come to move on and concentrate on other ventures. Hans Baumann sees considerable potential for a new, energetic owner to further extend the commercial possibilities of Blairmore.

Its location and infrastructure would lend themselves to development as a residential retreat, corporate training centre or even a luxury Scottish spa, and there is still tremendous scope to adapt and redevelop the classroom area and the gymnasium block. On the other hard, it may be that a modern day Alexander Geddes will find in Blairmore his dream home for the 21st century.

Jamie Macnab of FPDSavills seeks offers over (pounds) 1m for Blairmore Estate. If you would like to star in your version of Monarch of the Glen, contact him on 0131 247 3710.