AN ESTATE on the Isle of Skye, which includes the historic lands of the Clan MacDonald along with a famous castle and visitor centre, is being put up for sale.
The Clan Donald Lands Trust, which owns the land, said it had made the “difficult” decision to sell Armadale Castle and the 20,000-acre estate because of financial challenges.
In a statement, the trust added it wanted to focus on giving grants to Clan and indigenous Highland heritage projects.
However, the sale of the estate has reportedly come as a surprise to people living in the south of Skye, as some people have criticised the lack of community involvement in the decision.
The estate, which covers most of the island's southern Sleat peninsula, is used by tenant crofters and farmers.
The historic home of the MacDonalds of Sleat, Armadale Castle, is also located on the estate and is a popular tourist destination which includes a museum, cafe and walled garden.
In a statement, the board of trustees for Clan Donald Lands Trust who have owned the land and the castle since 1971, 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 added that the sale of the estate would allow the charity to “stand on its own two feet" for the first time”.
It is unclear what the announcement means for those who work in the visitor centre or on the estate and visitors have been assured that the sale should not affect tourists during the 2025 season.
Dr Andy Williamson, chair of the Sleat Community Council, reportedly said the community had no idea that the decision was being made but added that 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 reportedly claimed.
Dr Williamson added that the lack of a relationship between the trust and the community could be “detrimental to a good outcome” for the estate's future.
“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?”
Robert McCulloch, from Strutt and Parker who have been entrusted with the sale of the estate, said his firm is committed to managing the sale with “sensitivity and integrity”.
He said: “We recognise the deep connections that many feel to this land and the importance of a respectful approach to its future.”
The sale of the estate comes as the Land Reform Bill is to be debated at Scottish Parliament on Wednesday which would regulate how large land estates in Scotland are sold.
Among measures being considered 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, however, he added that the sudden sale had made that all but impossible.
He said: “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?”
