Americans invited to join $10,000-a-year club to live like Scottish lairds

Rich Americans proud of their Caledonian roots are to be invited to join an exclusive club set up by the National Trust for Scotland, offering entry to "a world money can't buy".

Successful Scottish-Americans who are "invited"– at a cost of $10,000 (£6,300) a year – to join the Patrons' Club will be given access to Scotland's most beautiful estates, where they will be able to network with other captains of industry while engaging in local pursuits such as shooting and fishing.

"We have access to people and places back here in Scotland that no American could buy their way into," said Lorna Stoddart, the trust's head of development.

"In return, we hope they will help raise income and the profile of the trust throughout North America." Although the NTS has only 3,000 supporters in the US, the trust is keen to exploit their generosity. Americans of Scottish descent are disproportionately wealthy – they make up 1.7 per cent of America's population but 9.3 per cent of its millionaires.

In October, 120 of the most wealthy are to be invited to a $1,000-a-head cruise around Manhattan on board The Highlander, a yacht owned by the Forbes publishing dynasty, in an effort to recruit them to the club. The cost of the cruise is to be borne by the Forbes family, whose grandfather Bertie, the founder of the magazine that bears his name, was born in Aberdeenshire.

The family's offer to hand over the yacht and pay for the food, wine and security is a boost for the trust's American campaign and an example of the level of generosity they hope other club members might be willing to make in the future. Already a large number of influential business and social leaders in New York have accepted invitations to the party, where they will be introduced to others who share their interest in the natural and cultural heritage of Scotland during the four-hour cruise.

On this side of the Atlantic, a room at the National Trust's Edinburgh offices is being set aside for the club's exclusive use to host dinner parties. It is hoped that once a new royal patron has been announced, to succeed the Queen Mother, all the members will be invited to a formal reception.

Among the other benefits on offer for patrons visiting Scotland will be the complementary use of many of the trust properties on an exclusive basis and the organisation of a programme of events tailored to each VIP's personal interests, whether it be visiting historic buildings, playing golf, shooting game, or fishing on the country's most beautiful estates.

"We can arrange for a patron's party to take over Mar Lodge, near the Queen's estate at Balmoral. They could even hold a wedding there," said Ms Stoddart.

Situated within the Cairngorms National Nature Reserve, much of the estate, which contains four of the five highest mountains in the UK, is designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

Members will also be given free use of the Eisenhower suite at the trust-run Culzean Castle. The rooms, which were given to the former US president to thank him for his role as commander of the Allied forces during the Second World War, normally cost £375 a night but will all be part of the service.