Own Your Own Island, Untouched Scottish Island In Loch Lomond is For Sale
In the West Dunbartonshire area of Scotland sits Loch Lomond, one of Scotland’s largest lakes in which over twenty islands can be found. One of those islands, Torrinch Island, in the southern area of the loch, is for sale.
The eighteen acre island, which has never been inhabited, is going for $250,000 a reasonable price for your own island. The only catch is – there are no improvements and you can’t build anything on it.
The island is part of the Scottish National Nature Reserve and has been declared a “Site of Special Scientific Interest” by the Scottish Natural Heritage under the Scotland Nature Conservation Act of 2004.
A Site of Special Scientific Interest is decided upon by surveys and evaluations as applied by the Joint Nature Conservation Committee and, according to nature.scot, they have a duty, under section 3 of the Act, to name as Sites of Special Scientific Interest areas of land they consider of special interest for their flora or fauna, geology or geomorphology.
They also state, “It is an offence for anyone to intentionally or recklessly damage the protected natural features of a Site of Special Scientific Interest.
Most Sites of Special Scientific Interest are in private ownership and we work closely with their owners and managers to ensure appropriate management of a site’s natural features and that all decision makers are aware of the designation when considering changes in land use or other activities that might affect a Site of Special Scientific Interest.”
It is possible for the Scottish Natural Heritage to reconsider a scientific case at the request of the owner every ten years, but it’s not very likely they will change the status without a very compelling reason. A management agreement currently exists with Scottish Natural Heritage which covers the entirety of Torrinch Island. They perform maintenance duties and keep the island in pristine condition.
The line of the Highland Boundary Fault, dividing the Highlands from the Lowlands, runs southwest and straddles the islands of Inchcailloch, Torrinch, Creinch, Inchmurrin. Conic Hill, in the village of Balmaha on the eastern shore of Loch Lomond, has the best view of the visible fault line.
Torrinch Island is completely wooded with aspen, alder, oak, and fir trees and has a small beach. There is no dock or mooring place, so one must approach the island in a small boat.
The closest islands are Creinch and Inchcailloch. Supplies can be obtained from Balmaha as well as hotels, inns, and bed and breakfast accommodations. A ferry service connects Balmaha and Inchcailloch Island, and Torrinch Island is just a short boat ride away.
The towns of Helensburgh and Alexandria are within twenty-five miles and also provide services and a wider range of supplies. Edinburgh is sixty-five miles away; Glasgow is twenty-one miles to the southeast, and the Glasgow Airport is within an hour’s drive.
Galbraith, a property consultancy firm in the United Kingdom with over fourteen offices, is handling the sale out of their Stirling offices. They tout the Loch as a recreational haven with kayaking, canoeing, and windsurfing as well as fishing for sea trout, brown trout, and salmon.
Both trawled and fly fishing are permitted. The Loch Lomond Sailing Club is located at the north end of the loch, and they put on competitions each year. Hiking, rock climbing, bird watching, and bicycling are possible all on the privacy of your own island.
The last sale date was in 2001 when the family of the former owner, the widow of Sir George Leith-Buchanan, Lady Barbara Leith-Buchanan, sold the island upon her death in a house fire at the age of ninety-five.
Along with the islands of Creinch and Aber, which is submerged most of the year, it had been the property of the Buchanan family since the early 1700s.
There is a memorial on the island dedicated to Thomas Clough, aged 21, of Sheffield; Douglas Wylie, aged 23, from Glasgow; Ronald Young, aged 21, from London; and Robert Gilmour, aged 21, of Partick who had been on a camping trip on the island of Corrinch on May 24th 1908.
They sailed to Balloch for supplies but got caught in bad weather upon their return. The empty boat was found near Botwich Castle, and all of the bodies were recovered except for Robert Gilmour’s.
The men were all employees of John Brown and Co. shipbuilders who erected the monument. Other than that, according to Daily Mail, “The new owners of the uninhabited Scottish oasis will only be allowed to visit to explore their domain as development of any kind is strictly banned.”