After four years and 300,000 Instagram followers gained, Cal Hunter and Claire Segeren have transformed a rundown Dunoon house into a vacation spot. Witness the impressive outcome.
Ever experienced the accidental house purchase mix-up? Well, Cal Hunter did, and it turned out to be a serendipitous twist in the 31-year-old carpenter’s life. In 2018, a hasty auctioneer and lot number confusion led him and his partner, Claire Segeren, 29, to acquire a decaying Victorian villa, 35 miles from their intended Glasgow apartment.
Seeking a renovation project, they unintentionally acquired a property labeled “on the brink of collapse,” much to the likely shock of their families. Unfazed by the challenge, and bound by Scottish auction rules, they embarked on a seemingly insurmountable four-and-a-half-year restoration journey. Their remarkable efforts captured global media interest, led to a candid documentary, and attracted over 300,000 Instagram followers.
Seated in the open-plan living room/kitchen of one of the two newly crafted holiday rentals on the villa’s ground floor, known as Jameswood, the couple exude a subtle sense of disbelief. The fresh paint has barely dried, and we are their very first guests. It seems like they still can’t fully grasp what they’ve accomplished.
My young children are equally astonished; it’s not every day that you find your hosts featured in a four-part BBC series about their journey to this very place and then have them greet you at the doorstep. “Look – it’s the one who uses colorful language!” my youngest declared, still unfamiliar with the endless trials of do-it-yourself projects.
As for the one known for colorful language, he appears relaxed after a morning of landscaping in the extensive 24-meter garden, soon to feature a pizza oven where guests and hosts can socialize. “Despite all the challenges, I knew early on that this was the perfect home for us,” he remarks.
Our two-bedroom flat is accessible through what was once the main entrance, complete with a boot room, a bay window offering views of the water, and French doors leading to the garden. The neighboring flat, similar in size, has its own entrance via a side door. The home that Cal and Claire have designed for themselves upstairs also has its separate steps and entrance at the back.
All three flats are generously proportioned with high ceilings, seamlessly blending Victorian solidity with contemporary decor. The striking fire-engine red color of our living room door had us eagerly inquiring about the paint manufacturer from Claire. In a room above, where chair legs once descended from the ceiling, there now hangs a retractable projector screen for movie nights. The flats are not only immaculate but also robust, a relief for parents as Claire mentions, “Dogs, mud, sand, it’s all good!”
The most serendipitous aspect of their accidental house purchase was the location: a 120-year-old red-sandstone property on the outskirts of Dunoon, a charming coastal town on the southern edges of the Highlands that was once a popular destination for holidaying Glaswegians during the era of Clyde steamers.
While it may not exude the same vibrant atmosphere as depicted in vintage posters by LNER train company for the Côte d’Azur, there’s an undeniable charm to this peninsular town. Crossing the Firth of Clyde by ferry, avoiding a long land route, imparts a delightful island ambiance. City stresses remain on one side of the water, while the other side offers only lochs, mountains, burns, and glens.
Claire and Cal have created a guidebook featuring their favorite discoveries from years of sanity-saving outings. On our first day, we follow their recommendation to take a half-hour drive along a winding forest road to the Kyles of Bute – a stretch of turbulent water that separates the Cowal peninsula from the petite Bute island.
A couple of miles southwest lies one of Cal and Claire’s top suggestions: the untamed Kilbride Bay, where oddly enough, betrothed couples have been known to tie the knot. We park near a nearby farm and follow a 15-minute track down to the windswept, sunlit dunes for a joyful hour of frolicking in the waves. The Isle of Arran, resembling a distant citadel, looms across the water.
Additional recommendations are conveniently close to Jameswood. Puck’s Glen, a mere five-minute drive away, is a network of Victorian pathways weaving through a moss-covered gorge with waterfalls and towering Douglas firs. The glen is situated near the southern tip of Loch Eck, a seven-mile-long lake with a swim-friendly width, and a road closely tracing its eastern shore, making it an ideal choice for families.
