Inside Kelly Castle (baronetcy optional)

For most of us, a cursory flick through an in-flight magazine might lead to the purchase of a G&T, or a bottle of perfume. For Alun Grassick, it was a slightly more substantial investment. When he spotted an ad for a crumbling B Listed castle in the Angus countryside, with its towers, turrets, an associated baronetcy and 33 acres of land, he and his wife bought the property. Since 2001, they have spent an eye-watering £2 million restoring it.

The couple had long hankered for a second home in their native country since moving to Hong Kong in the late 1980s. ‘I always had aspirations of owning a large property in the Scottish countryside,’ says Grassick, now ostensibly retired, having worked for many years as an accountant for KPMG in Hong Kong, while Emily had various careers including personnel at Cathay Pacific. ‘Kelly Castle looked interesting, so Emily’s brother, who lives in Dundee, made a visit on our behalf and reported back that it was a dilapidated, rambling old building. This