Scottish island goes on sale for £50,000

Uninhabited island measures 485m by 270m

A private Scottish island has been put up for sale for £50,000 – less than the price of some parking spaces in central London.

The uninhabited island of Càrn Deas is one of Scotland’s Summer Isles, which lie in the mouth of Loch Broom off the northwest coast, 6km from Ullapool.

The island measures just 22 acres: 485m by 270m at its longest and widest points respectively.

Goldcrest Land and Forestry Group, which is selling the island, has emphasised the water-based attractions around Càrn Deas.

“The wonder of Càrn Deas lies in its natural undisturbed beauty,” Fenning Welstead, partner at the group, told The Herald.

“Here, you can truly escape from reality, take a deep breath and enjoy what nature can offer.

“It is a lovely space to camp and live off what you’ve caught from the sea, swimming, kayaking or sailing by day and enjoying the huge unpolluted skies by night.”

Hotel developers should look elsewhere, however - the land and forestry group have outlined that the largest structure that can be erected on the land is a ‘small cabin’, and even that would require planning permission.

The island is connected to two others in the Summer Isles archipelago via a shingle spit – Càrn Iar and Càrn Beag, both uninhabited – although this is independently owned and not part of the sale.

It follows the news that the Scottish government will offer people up to £50,000 to stay on or move to the islands, under Nicola Sturgeon’s plans to tackle rural population decline in Scotland.

The SNP is worried about ongoing depopulation in Shetland, Orkney and the Hebrides, and want to give young people and families a financial incentive to live and work in remote communities.

The “Island Bonds” plan is aimed at helping people buy homes and start businesses on Scotland’s remote islands.

The scheme will be available to people currently living on the islands and those who wish to move there, according to the Press and Journal.

“Anything we can do to reverse the depopulation trend in Scotland and encourage more people to live and work in island communities should be encouraged – especially in the face of a damaging Tory Brexit,” said the SNP’s Western Isles candidate Alasdair Allan.