|have Ozzy's book(I went to school with |him

Small world.
Yes, it's certainly nice to see crofters and other people being able to buy their properties.
My aunt is also married to a Scot (can this be a family curse, I had a great aunt who also married one?)
Her married name is Sutherland. I don't need to tell you how people of that ilk suffered from landlords.

Another 'posh' house worth visiting is Culzean (pronounced Cullane) castle in south-west Scotland - home of the Kennedy family and also has apartments used by President Eisenhower

Sylvia, marrying a Scot is most certainly a blessing!

There are lots of good guide books for historic houses; you could get one from your library or eBay or whatever and see for yourself which houses might be interesting to you. The "National Trust Guide" is a nice fat one with pictures and descriptions of their properties.

By the way, if you ARE interested in houses of prime ministers and CAN'T get into Chequers, you can still go to some other houses that have been lived in by P.M.'s: Chartwell (Churchill), Hughenden (Disraeli), Broadlands (Palmerston), Stratfield Saye (the 1st Duke of Wellington).