Private Scottish island with castle up for sale for £5.5m
The 1100-acre Shuna Island, in the Inner Hebrides, is up for sale for £5.5m - and it is the first time the island has been up for sale in almost a century.
The island is three miles long and a mile and a half wide, and is part of a group called the Slate Islands, which is also home to Seil, Easdale, Luing and Torsa.
In the centre of the island lie the remains of Shuna Castle, an early 20th-century structure with panoramic coastal views.
(Image: Nicola Lang) According to Sotheby's International Realty, who are handling the sale, the site has the potential for redevelopment.
The island's previous owners were Viscountess Selby and her son Edward Gully, whose family have owned it for 80 years.
Their main residence has been the Shuna Farmhouse, while there are also a number of holiday cottages spread across the island.
READ MORE: Man to appear in court after armed police sealed off Edinburgh street
In total, there are eight properties which are able to house 52 people on the island.
There is also the possibility for livestock farming, as the island has 81 acres of permanent pasture, 640 acres of rough grazing, and more than 300 acres of native woodland and foreshore.
Sotheby's International Realty said a flock of around 220 Beulah sheep also roam the land, while there is also the potential for cattle grazing.
The island is "teeming" with life, the real estate agent said, with deer, eagles and porpoises all frequently spotted.
Shuna's history spans more than 9000 years and features both Stone Age burial mounds and Iron Age sites.
The island's earliest mention is reportedly in the Vita Columbae, recounting Saint Columba and his crew being delayed on "Sainean Island", which is believed to be Shuna.
Over centuries, the island belonged to Dal Riata's Gaelic kingdom and later passed on to the Maclean clan after Robert the Bruce gifted Lorne to Clan Campbell in 1321.
By the 18th century, it was a thriving lime production centre with kilns and up to 100 residents, The Scotsman reports.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scotsman
3 hours ago
- Scotsman
Win a house and BMW M4 for 54p in BOTB's Chichester giveaway
The Chichester house is brand new and ready to move into - it even comes with a free car | BOTB This article contains affiliate links. We may earn a small commission on items purchased through this article, but that does not affect our editorial judgement. A spacious four-bedroom house in Chichester and a £51k BMW M4 could be yours for just 54p – thanks to a flash sale in BOTB's latest dream home giveaway. Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... With four bedrooms, a fully-fitted kitchen, and 1,652 square feet of indoor space, this brand new house could make the perfect family home. And you could win it for just 54p. It's the latest grand prize by BOTB, a company that's made a name for itself giving away dream cars, but this time it's a house - one of several it has been offering up as prizes this year. Normally, tickets to win the property, which also comes with a free BMW M4 worth £51,000, cost 99p - but we've spotted a flash sale on the next 45,000 tickets, bringing the price down by 45% to 54p. We don't know how long this will last, but get in quick and you never know your luck. There are two family bathrooms and an en-suite | BOTB Situated on a sought-after new development in Chichester, moments from the coast, someone will be winning the keys to this house next month. It's part of the exclusive new Willowmere development , and the new properties sit on the sides of Shopwyke Lakes, a semi-rural neighbourhood just 15 minutes from the coastal resorts. On the ground floor there's a large sitting room and dining room, and a family kitchen overlooks the freshly laid lawn of the garden, through two sets of bi-fold doors. The kitchen is fully fitted | BOTB On the first floor you'll find four bedrooms, and the master bedroom has not only an en-suite, but also a walk-in wardrobe. The three further bedrooms have easy access to a family bathroom, and large windows letting in plenty of light. The winner of the house can choose to move in straight away, or they could rent it out for a potential income of up to £3,500. Or, if they'd rather, they could sell it and pocket a life-changing sum of money. Alternatively, BOTB will offer a cash prize of up to £530,000 if a new car and a new house isn't something the winner wants. To find out more, to look at more pictures of the house and its location, or to enter the draw click here. If you're worried about how gambling makes you feel, you can find free, confidential advice, tools and support, by visiting GambleAware or contacting the National Gambling Helpline, available 24/7, on 0808 8020 133 ⛱️ How to get airport lounge access from just £11 – without flying business class ✈️ You don't need a premium ticket to enjoy a quieter, more comfortable airport experience. Lounge access is available to all travellers – and you can now pre-book passes from just £11. Holiday Extras offers discounted lounge access at 22 UK airports with complimentary snacks, drinks, Wi-Fi and up to 60% off.
Scotsman
6 hours ago
- Scotsman
To reach net zero, Scotland must retrofit faster - for healthier homes and lower bills and carbon emissions
It is vital that Scotland's homes are decarbonised at pace if the country's target of reaching net zero emissions by 2045 - five years ahead of the rest of the UK - is to be met. Sign up to our Scotsman Money newsletter, covering all you need to know to help manage your money. Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... This topic is the focus of a new episode of The Scotsman Sustainable Scotland podcast, in association with social enterprise Changeworks. The podcast features: Josiah Lockhart, chief executive of Changeworks; Sam Cribb, retrofit strategic development manager at Changeworks; and Rebecca Lovell, senior business model consultant at Energy Systems Catapult, a not-for-profit organisation that works to accelerate the journey to net zero. Changeworks is committed to driving innovation to make homes more sustainable, building on its 35 years of experience and local retrofit expertise. It is now looking to scale up its impact working with UK-wide partners, such as Energy Systems Catapult, to develop and pilot new business and financial models that make low-carbon living more affordable and accessible to householders. As part of Changeworks' recently launched 2025 to 2030 strategic plan, it has an ambitious aim of decarbonising 180,000 homes over the next five years. A recent poll from Changeworks found that that while 71 per cent of people in Scotland support sustainable energy, 65 per cent are concerned the UK as a whole is not investing quickly enough in sustainable energy, and 83 per cent are very concerned about the steep rise in energy prices continuing The Sustainable Scotland podcast guests talked about the barriers and solutions to decarbonising Scotland, using examples such as EcoCosi from Changeworks, Scotland's first end-to-end home retrofit service. Josiah said: 'In Scotland we have some of the least-well performing homes as far as energy is concerned. We're literally sending energy out through our windows, doors and walls.' Sam added: 'Unfortunately, our homes are one of the biggest sources of carbon emissions. About 13 per cent of Scotland's carbon emissions come from domestic properties. Every home that's better insulated, every heat pump or solar panel that's installed, can provide tangible climate action.' Rebecca explained that she likes to use the term 'living more sustainably' to include the wider benefits that come with decarbonising. 'By reducing our energy demand, we can also reduce our energy bills. We can make our homes cheaper to run and warmer. This brings significant health and wellbeing benefits, as well as reducing our environmental impact,' she said. And progress on decarbonisation has to happen more quickly. 'Pace is a big one,' commented Josiah. 'In the past year alone we've supported around 13,000 homes to decarbonise. This sounds like a really big number, but really it should be 120,000 homes a year if we're to reach Changeworks' 2030 target.'
Scotsman
8 hours ago
- Scotsman
Readers' Letters: It's past time to something about bloated public sector
Readers reckon the Scottish Government has its spending priorities all wrong Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Two things are destroying our finances in Scotland. Firstly, the public sector 'no compulsory redundancy' policy that leads to higher costs, massive inefficiencies and complacency. Secondly, public sector pensions where employee and employer contributions are up to a staggering 38 per cent of annual remuneration – and sometimes higher. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The Scottish Parliament at Holyrood, home to many a public servant (Picture: Neil Hanna) Both suck massive resources out of the public purse and create an inefficient, bloated, self-fulfilling, public sector without checks and balances. That would never happen in the private sector because it would be unaffordable and the business would simply go bust. A huge 51 per cent of Scottish GDP, or about £100 billion, is public sector services that makes no profit for our country but cost us all a fortune. And unions that are, uncomfortably, supported by political parties in government have the audacity to ask for more! A cosy but frankly unhealthy relationship? Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad There are highly paid civil servants and local authority staff on 'garden leave' because they are qualified, selected by HR but incapable of fulfilling their roles. They can't be made redundant and can't be given another job at a lesser pay scale so, do nothing, stay at home, but receive remuneration. There are even public servants hybrid 'working' when abroad 'on holiday' – right, enjoy the pina colada! Stop the excesses. Commute some of the public sector pension contribution money to pay increased salaries then at least it benefits the Scottish economy, with money being spent in Scottish communities. Right now, the obscene amount of capital you and I have provided for public sector pensions is locked away for decades and invariably invested outside our country. We urgently need these funds now, and here. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad So, to offer an example, a highly paid civil servant in Holyrood or a local authority employee earning, say, £100,000 – and there are many – might have a pension contribution of just about £40,000 p.a. A staggering and unconscionable amount. It's clear, there's an elephant in the room and we need to call it out! Ron Smith, Dundee Gaelic farce Grant Frazer does the usual oppression and abuse argument regarding the backing financially of protection of Gaelic (Letters, 24 June). I have no problem with looking after our heritage, but while cars are wrecked daily on our streets by potholes, while I have to spend £7,000 on an ankle operation, while education is in utter tatters, how come the crazy gang at Holyrood can always find money for their huggy hopes of independence? Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Mr Grant also states 'only in knowing the history of your country, can there ever be confidence in its future identity'. As someone who has more than 30 books and novels regarding my country's history, I need no lectures, to quote Honest John weekly at First Minister's Questions, about the future of my nation – I base all my thoughts around how we finance the bottomless tartan biscuit tin which is run on a wing and a prayer by the SNP while ignoring the real problems of our nation as previously mentioned. When will the lunatics in the asylum start addressing the real issues? Expect more of this before 2026! David Millar, Lauder, Scottish Borders Skewed priorities Sarah Boyack MSP proposes the creation of a 'Future Generations Commissioner' who will doubtless require a staff and a budget (your report, 24 June). Local authorities will be required to devote resources to implement the policies of the Bill. However well intentioned this may be, should we not be considering whether the additional cost is justifiable when the leader of the BMA Scotland reports that the NHS is 'dying before our very eyes' with almost half the population having to consider going private as waiting lists are, as we all know, simply too long (24 June). I know where I would prefer my taxes be spent. Michael Wood, North Berwick, East Lothian Try counselling Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad I am an 83-year-old woman who welcomes the Supreme Court definition of a woman, while feeling heartfelt compassion for the transgender community. In my opinion a section of the medical profession has created this situation. Who first initiated the concept that human beings can be changed from one gender to another and enabled it through medical surgical advancement interventions? Instead of enabling people with gender dysphoria to deal with their mental and emotional trauma through conventional means it seems that some medics adopted affirmation methods and used experimental medicine and surgical procedures to achieve their client's outcome – namely, a sexual change. Gratification of desires does not always equate with happiness and I feel that those who colluded with and enabled those desires should look deep inside themselves and question the outcome of their decisions. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Because we have the capacity to experiment with human beings does not mean it is the correct or moral thing to do. Monica Tocher, Bonnyrigg, Midlothian ID cards for all In 2018, former Conservative Home Secretary Ken Clarke claimed it is impossible to control illegal migration without an identity card system. Former Labour Home Secretary Alan Johnson agreed. There have been periodic calls for the return of identity cards since they were scrapped by the Coalition Government in 2011. Lord Blunkett endorsed their return. Even this month he argued that since our digital fingerprints are everywhere, giving a national identity card to every citizen is a no-brainer. The UK, Ireland and Denmark are the only European countries without ID cards. They are optional in nine EU countries and mandatory in another 16. Reports suggest that our lack of ID cards is a major encouragement to migrants. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Instead of worrying about illegal immigration, the Labour government should make ID cards mandatory immediately. Steuart Campbell, Edinburgh Admit mistake This week marks the ninth anniversary of the Brexit referendum. Despite pledges of 'sunny uplands' from those who advocated for withdrawal from the EU, the negative warnings relating to Brexit have been largely borne out. Withdrawal from the EU has blown a £40 billion tax hole in the public finances between 2019 and 2024, according to a forecasting audit that finds that the Office for Budget Responsibility's (OBR's) projections on the impact of leaving the EU have broadly materialised. This equates to an estimated 4 per cent loss in the UK's long-run productivity, borne out by declining investment and trade volumes, in a period in which the government raised taxes by £100bn. A large chunk of these rises would therefore not have been necessary if the UK had voted to remain in the EU. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad At a time when the Labour government is desperate to revive productivity and repair the public finances, it is trying to do this with one hand firmly tied behind its back. The OBR said the full impact of leaving the EU would be felt over the course of 15 years and estimates a staggering drop of 15 per cent in trade volumes, compared with if the UK had stayed in the bloc. The massive act of self-harm that is Brexit has severely damaged the UK economy, of that there is little doubt, and is now acknowledged by the public. It is now for the politicians to acknowledge the greatest economic folly of a generation and seek readmission to the EU. Alex Orr, Edinburgh Enough polls As someone who has participated in two referendums, and shares the concerns of John Rhind and Tim Flinn (Letters, 24 June), I don't want a third, on assisted dying. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad As seen by Scottish Independence referendum and Brexit referendum, politicians made false promises in both and it solved absolutely nothing and if referendums were the way, this country would still have the death penalty, I understand. The issue, as seen by the number of letters to The Scotsman and other newspapers, of Scottish independence has not been solved and there are different views on the EU question. As seen by 2024 general election, politicians can make promises of 'change', as they did at the 2014 Scottish independence referendum, to win votes, and then fail to respect those of us who chose the counter opinion. It is an important issue and I am one of those whose late parents had excellent palliative care, and therefore don't support Assisted Dying. However, if the previous two referendums prove anything it that the issue isn't solved by having a referendum. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad I am not sure what the answer is but the solution is definitely not a national referendum on the issue. Peter Ovenstone, Peterhead, Aberdeenshire Love idea? 'Wimbledon reveal plans for Andy Murray statue and when it will be unveiled' (Scotsman Online, 24 June). What a load of nonsense! He has an arena at Queens named after him. This is obviously SW19 wanting to be seen to do 'something'. Surely it would be better to spend money in fostering tennis skills in younger generations. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Also, what happens if Jack Draper and/or others win more Slams than Andy? It's a crazy precedent by misguided committee members looking to make a 'show'. James C Orr, Pathhead, Midlothian Write to The Scotsman
