Covid boosts price of private islands
There are dozens of islands for sale in Scotland, Wales and Ireland. The pandemic has seen inquiries triple. If you are a buyer, don’t wait around.
And you don’t need to be a billionaire, or even a millionaire. Islands in Scotland can be snapped up for a fraction of the price of a one-bed apartment in LA, New York or London.
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Even in the Atlantic, island buying is an international game. Dominic Daly, an Irish island broker, said inquiries for islands in the last three months are 200pc up on 2019 levels, with extra interest from Ireland, Germany, Russia and the United States. Though for now, many viewings are constrained by travel restrictions. “The first thing with buying an island, you have to pay for the boat to go out to facilitate the viewing,” said Mr Daly. Buyers can have to fork out €100 (£90) per visit.
I want to be alone
At first it was celebrities who dreamed of island life – a place where they would not be asked for selfies. In 2009, the magician Uri Geller bought Lamb Island in the Firth of Forth near Edinburgh for £30,000. It is one of three volcanic outcrops said to mirror the layout of the Pyramids of Giza.
He was preceded in the Nineties by the British actor Jeremy Irons (voice of Scar in The Lion King), who bought an island in Roaringwater Bay in Ireland ( near the island pictured), and restored an abandoned 15th century castle built by a clan chieftain.
Survivalist Bear Grylls owns St Tudwal West, Gwynedd, Wales, where in 2013 he caused controversy with local planning authorities after installing a giant slide down the cliff side into the sea.
But private island agents view the recent uptick in interest with a heavy dose of scepticism. There is a bigger gulf between interest and sales in the island market.
Some prospectors are simply dreamers, said Mr Vladi. “People always say ‘dear Mr Vladi, do you have an island where I can be king and it is independent of government?’”
Cameron Ewer, of Savills estate agents, said: “Quite often the question is ‘if I buy this island, does it come with a title?’”
Tom Stewart-Moore of Knight Frank estate agents, said past requests from island buyers have included grounds for keeping llamas, and planning permission to build 25 houses to move a buyer’s entire extended family to an island.
Mega price range
Owning an island sounds glitzy but the scale of glamour is a big one. In January, Savills sold the 14-acre Creinch Island in Loch Lomond – namesake of the 5th hole at Loch Lomond Golf Club – for £90,000, said Mr Ewer.
It sounds like a steal, but owning Creinch is not plain sailing. There is no residence, no running …
