As the spring temperatures improve the market for Scottish castles is also heating up.

The interest in Scottish castles was sparked by The Queen's own great great grandmother, Queen Victoria. When her husband, Prince Albert, privately purchased Balmoral in 1852, it started a vogue in certain circles for buying castles and redesigning them into family homes. The desire to live in a castle continues today: we currently have around 800 registered buyers who have set their hearts on either a Scottish castle or a French château. But whereas France may have the edge with regard to weather, Scotland provides stiff competition when it comes to peace, tranquility and history.

The Scottish market includes some wonderful examples of castles that have been lovingly restored to make beautiful homes, while keeping their sense of history. These include The Craig, set high above the Montrose Basin in Angus. It's reportedly one of the oldest properties in Scotland and, along with two cottages, outbuildings and 20-acre garden, is currently available for £1.65m for the whole or in separate lots.

The entrance to The Craig leaves visitors in no doubt that they are entering a piece of Scottish history. A tree-lined avenue sweeps past ivy-covered drum towers and through an arch in the 15th-century curtain wall, which bears the inscription ‘qui s’y frotte s’y pique’, which is perhaps best translated as ‘if you go looking for trouble you will be sorry’. Corbelled parapets, a carved loggia, vaulted rooms, stone flag floors, and a painted frieze depicting extinct wild life from all periods of Scottish history, all add to the overwhelming sense of antiquity.

The list of distinguished visitors to The Craig is equally impressive: tradition claims that Sir James Douglas spent his final night in Scotland here, protecting the heart of Robert Bruce before transporting it faithfully to the Holy Land in battle against the Saracens. Visits by King James V are noted in 1535 and 1539, and Mary Queen of Scots is said to have stayed twice overnight. The Old Pretender, James Edward Stuart, is thought to have passed his final night at the castle before leaving for exile in France in 1688.

Having been continuously occupied, with records dating from the 13th century, The Craig has undergone significant restoration, improvements and modernisation, including under the careful stewardship of the present owners, and one of the oldest castles in the country is now fit for 21st-century living.