Isle of Skye clan estate and historic castle put up for sale

BBC News

25-03-2025

One of the largest estates on the Isle of Skye, which includes a famous castle and the historic lands of the Clan MacDonald, is being put up for sale.The charity which owns the land said it had taken the "difficult" decision to sell Armadale Castle and the 20,000-acre estate because of financial challenges.The Clan Donald Lands Trust said it wanted to focus on giving grants to "Clan and indigenous Highland heritage projects".The sale came as a surprise to people living in the south of Skye, who have criticised the lack of community involvement in the decision.
The estate covers much of the island's southern Sleat peninsula.The land is mostly used by tenant crofters and farmers, and has a history as a game shooting estate.It also includes Armadale Castle, the historic home of the MacDonalds of Sleat. This popular tourist destination includes a clan museum, café and walled garden.
The land and castle have been owned since 1971 by the Clan Donald Lands Trust. This charity was formed by clan members from around the world following the death of Clan Chief Alexander Godfrey, the 7th Lord Macdonald.The trust blamed a large increase in the costs of running and maintaining Armadale Castle for the decision to sell the land.In a statement, the board of trustees said: "Due to the high-cost, low-income nature of Armadale, we have always been reliant on external grant funding to cover our operating costs."The availability of this funding has been reduced by the impact of ongoing investment market volatility."At the same time our core costs - including electricity, insurance and essential building repairs - have massively increased."The trustees said the sale of assets would allow the charity to "stand on its own two feet" for the first time.
Visitors were assured that the sale should not negatively affect tourists during the 2025 season.It is unclear what the announcement means for those who work in the visitor centre or on the estate.BBC Scotland News has contacted Clan Donald Land Trust's CEO, Alex Stoddart, for further comment.News of the sale caught the surrounding locals off guard.Dr Andy Williamson, chair of the Sleat Community Council, said no-one in the community had known the decision was being made.But he was not "overly surprised" by the lack of consultation."The trustees aren't in the community. They're in London and the US," he said.Dr Williamson said the lack of a relationship between the landowners and the community could be "detrimental to a good outcome" in the sale."Our fears are it could be packaged off or further broken up. Our fears are that people might want to buy it simply to put wind turbines on it," he said."How does that benefit the community? How does that benefit the people of Sleat and the Isle of Skye?"
However, the estate agents hired to promote the sale said they were mindful of local sensitivities.Robert McCulloch, from Strutt and Parker, said: "We recognise the deep connections that many feel to this land and the importance of a respectful approach to its future. "We are committed to managing the forthcoming sale process with sensitivity and integrity."The sale comes as the Scottish Parliament is to debate the Land Reform Bill, which would regulate how large land estates in Scotland are sold.Among the measures under consideration are rules that would force landowners to tell the local community in advance of plans to sell large plots of land.Dr Williamson said that the community might have been interested in a community buy-out, but that the sudden sale had made that all but impossible."It's going on the market on Thursday and today is Tuesday. So, how do we raise however much money it is? We don't know what the asking price will be."How would we do it? How would a community like Sleat generate that kind of money in the time involved?"