Man, 89, built his own 'Hobbit House' in Highlands where he lives almost entirely off-grid

But he found it so satisfying doing DIY on the quirky outbuilding which dated back 200 years, that he decided to make it his home.

Mr Grant trained as a joiner but suffered from ME for 46 years so said he worked 'in slow motion' on the three-bedroom rustic pad.

He has been inundated with visitors to his home in Tomich, near Inverness, after his house was posted on a French tourist board's recommendations for north Scotland.

He doesn't have a mobile phone or use the internet and no longer drives due to his age, but he loves getting out and meeting people.

He said: "I haven't watched Lord of the Rings.

"It's just a coincidence that my front door is almost the same shape and same kind of wood, oak. There are stained glass windows on each side of it.

"I didn't know about them and they didn't know about me. Before me there were cows, calves and chickens living in here, and a donkey.

"It was a shoemakers' cottage and a croft. There was no roof, just four walls which are 200 years old.

"It is not a fancy house, it is made from other people's left overs. I was always a glutton for scenic beauty, beautiful houses, and thatched cottages in England.

"This has a concrete roof but it looks like a thatched roof."

After starting work on it, he then moved to Australia for a year. Altogether he lived in Australia for 14 years and travelled back to the UK overland, via Afghanistan.

He had bought land and planned to renovate a larger house.

He said: "I moved in in 1984 but it wasn't done up, I was living with concrete mixers then went out to Australia for a year. I was just doing it in slow-motion.

"I put on a roof and doors, there were just doorways. I was going to do up the house and I was living in the shed, it is very little.

"I thought I would make it comfortable while I'm doing up the house.

"I was getting such a buzz out of doing it.”