Scottish Island for Sale, Amenities Not Included
For sale: An uninhabited, 25-acre island with pristine views of the Scottish coastline. No one in sight for miles. Just you and the birds, all for at least 150,000 British pounds, or about $186,000.
The catch: Reaching the island is challenging, and staying there for any length of time even more so.
Barlocco Island was listed for sale on Thursday by the Scottish real estate firm Galbraith.
The island is in the county of Dumfries and Galloway in Scotland and is about six miles from the largest nearby town, Gatehouse of Fleet, which is about a two-hour drive from Glasgow. It is only accessible by boat or, at low tide, by all-terrain vehicle or foot over a rock causeway.
While there are no dwellings or buildings on the island, there is a pebble beach and a flood pond where rainwater could gather in extreme rainfall and provide water for livestock and wildlife.
The island is within a Site of Special Scientific Interest, a designation for land that the Scottish government considers to be of note for its flora, fauna, geology or natural landforms.
The designation “will significantly limit the possibility of obtaining permission to construct any permanent structure or dwelling,” David Corrie, the listing agent, wrote in an email on Saturday. “The only possibility for anyone wishing to stay on the island for any period of time would be off-grid solutions, such as solar power.”
Barlocco is the latest Scottish island to be put on the market.
Càrn Deas, a small island in the Summer Isles archipelago in the northwest, was listed in 2021; Ronay, also in the northwest, is available for rent.
After backlash from residents, the Scottish government in August dropped a plan that would have paid families £50,000 to move to islands with falling populations.
Despite its limitations, Barlocco is already yielding inquiries. There have been 50 interested parties so far, initially from Britain and now from as far away as Italy, Germany, Norway and the United States, said Mr. Corrie, who declined to identify the seller.
For Mr. Corrie, who grew up not too far from Barlocco, the immediate interest was no surprise.
“These are usually assets held by historic farms or estates that perhaps no longer have a use for them,” Mr. Corrie said. “The global focus on the change of land use and people wishing to reconnect with the land means that these types of property have discovered a new market and value within it.”
Mr. Corrie said he expected more offers to come in throughout the week. (The minimum asking price is £150,000.) A closing date will then be set, which will allow potential buyers to make their best offers in a sealed bid.
In 2017, Mr. Corrie and his firm handled the sale of Little Ross Island, just down the coast from Barlocco. That sale followed “a similar pattern to what we’re currently experiencing,” he said, and “attracted a huge amount of interest.”
No cars, no humans, no infrastructure: So what makes Barlocco so appealing?
“It’s an often overlooked area of Scotland that has some of the most beautiful scenery, natural coastline and extensive forests, along with a very low population density,” Mr. Corrie said. “The area has nearly 100 miles of south-facing coastline and has been renowned for centuries as a place of unique landscape and natural light, a feature which attracted many artists to the area in the 19th and 20th centuries.”
