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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Travel
Eleanor Sly

You could buy this Scottish island for two thirds of the average London house price

Knight Frank

A Scottish island complete with a five bedroom house and a lighthouse is up for sale for around two thirds of the average house in London.

The private Pladda Island has just gone on the market for £350,000, roughly a third less than the price of the average house in the UK capital (£529,829).

Located 31 miles from Glasgow and less than a mile from the Isle of Arran, the island is a haven for wild birds and according to estate agent Knight Frank, more than 100 species of bird have been sighted there.

The lighthouse is fully automated and has been since the 1990s, it’s now monitored remotely by the Northern Lighthouse Boards Headquarters, which is located in Edinburgh, Scotland.

The island’s lighthouse (Knight Frank)

Agents for Knight Frank looking after the property toldInsider the traditional lantern and lens have been replaced by solar-powered LED lights at the top of the tower.

The former lighthouse keeper’s house “needs to be upgraded,” according to the estate agent, but does have an “extensive range of traditional outbuildings with development potential.”

The house has two living rooms, five bedrooms and a bathroom.

The 2.5-acre garden, which was once walled and used for growing fruit and vegetables, now also contains a helipad.

The island covers 27.97 acres in total, 6 of which can be used for grazing. It also has about 1,600 metres of rocky foreshore.

Buildings may be sparse but you’ll get a lot of scenery for your buck on Pladda Island (Knight Frank)

For those attempting to reach the island by boat, there is a stone jetty with an open boathouse and an “attractive bothy.”

The island is also home to a huge amount of wildlife. This includes Arctic terns, turnstones, shags, and a variety of gull species. Otters, basking sharks and seals have also been spotted.

The nearest village is Kildonan, on the island of Arran, which has a village shop, post office, campsite, and hotel. You can also go fishing, sailing, hiking, climbing, golfing and biking on Arran.

You can view the property listing for Pladda Island here.

Your arrival point by boat (Knight Frank)

It’s not the first time a Scottish island has tempted beleagured UK house hunters - in March 2021, a private island off the western coast of Scotland went on sale for just £80,000.

Meanwhile, in March 2022, a man was crowned the new “king” of a tiny British island after beating nearly 200 applicants to be awarded the unusual position.

The 50-acre Piel Island, located off the Cumbrian coast, is overseen by a “monarch” who is tasked with running its one pub.

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