A fishing spot where the children’s author and illustrator Beatrix Potter spent her summer holidays is for sale.

When she was a girl, the creator of Peter Rabbit visited Dalguise Fishings, on the Tay near Dunkeld, in Perthshire, where she is said to have developed her love of nature. She was a self-taught painter and kept a variety of pets.

The Potter family caught salmon in the river and Beatrix’s time there is thought to have provided the inspiration for characters such as the frog Mr Jeremy Fisher and the hedgehog Mrs Tiggywinkle.

The 1¼-mile fishing beat, on both banks of the river, includes a three-bedroom cottage, and is on offer for bids in excess of £760,000. The beat produces an annual catch of more than 100 salmon.

According to the property consultants CKD Galbraith, the land was originally owned by the Tempest family and let on a seasonal basis during the Victorian era, often to the Potter family. William Jackson, of CKD Galbraith, said: “Dalguise is one of those most attractive beats on the Middle Tay offering a wide variety of fishing. Its catches have been remarkably consistent and it is a beat likely to be of considerable interest.”

Beatrix Potter published 22 books, beginning in 1902 with The Tale of Peter Rabbit. The success of the books later enabled her to buy a house and land in the Lake District.

Her characters and illustrations remain popular worldwide, and her life was the subject of the 2006 film Miss Potter, starring Renée Zellweger.

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