One of Britain’s most remote homes has been put up for sale on an island that has more animals than people.
The property, which comes with 1,546 acres of croft land, is on the remote Isle of Soay, which had just three residents in the 2022 census.
The island, in the Inner Hebrides, is only accessible by a 30-minute chartered boat ride from the neighbouring Isle of Skye, which hosts the nearest schools, towns, and shops, as well as offering transport routes to Inverness.
As people are increasingly trying to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life, this incredibly secluded home will give its new owner the opportunity to experience remote living.
The traditional two-bedroom, one-bathroom home, currently listed for £975,000, but is in need of significant refurbishment. It has been abandoned for years and is not habitable in its current condition.
However, the property’s main attraction is its idyllic location, and opportunities for a conservation or sporting-focussed lifestyle.
The Isle of Soay is a nature lover’s paradise. The ecologically rich island has more wildlife than people, and was previously home to the Scottish naturalist and author Gavin Maxwell, who established a basking shark fishery on the island in the 1940s.
He was also inspired to write The Ring of Bright Water, a story about life with otters on the West Coast of Scotland, which was adapted into a popular film in the 1960s.
The house itself lies on the shore of the island’s main bay, Camus nan Gall, which offers sheltered anchorage for boats. It is overlooked by the dramatic Black Cuillin mountains, surrounded by impressive hill lochs and woodland, and close to impressive sea scapes elsewhere in the Inner Hebrides.
Most of the island’s population was evacuated to the Isle of Mull in 1953 due to the harsh Hebridean winter weather making ferry services unreliable.
This means that the island’s handful of residents are more likely to see the native red deer and Soay Sheep, from which the island gets its name, than they are each other.
“Soay” derives from the Old Norse Sauða-ey, meaning “sheep island”, in honour of the island’s hardy, woollen natives.
The property’s appeal also lies in its sporting and farming opportunities, including fishing, sailing, hunting, and hiking.
Euan MacCrimmon is overseeing the sale of the property with estate agents Strutt and Parker. He said the remote island residence is definitely a “project”, but an “amazing opportunity for someone interested in rewilding or farming”.
He believes the property is ideal for an avid sailor, as having a boat of your own would mean freedom to revisit civilisation on the neighbouring island as often (or as little!) as you’d like.
Living on the Isle of Soay is definitely a unique way of life. But for anyone who doesn’t mind a more self-sufficient lifestyle and finds the idea of limited neighbours appealing, the property offers a unique opportunity to experience remote living.
Find the listing here.
