Island life: Yours for £175,00
A COTTAGE on a uninhabited Scottish island is up for grabs for the first time in 20 years.
The rare opportunity to buy a property on Ailsa Craig failed to sell at auction but bids are still being welcomed for the £175,000-rated property.
The Lighthouse Keepers Cottages are on an island which has no electricity, gas or sewage – but the owner would have access to two freshwater wells.
The uninhabited volcanic plug in the Firth of Clyde is 10 miles from the South Ayrshire coast and is an RSPB operated sanctuary which is home to more than 70,000 birds, including seals, and Europe’s largest gannet colony.
Other birds on the island include guillemots, razorbills, puffins, kittiwakes and herring gulls.
Pods of Orca whales have also recently been spotted in nearby waters.
Among the island’s bestknown landmarks is the Ailsa Craig lighthouse, which was built in 1886 and is now automatic and runs on solar power. The castle on the hillside behind it was constructed in the late 15th century by the Hamilton clan.
The island is also famous for its granite stone. Between 60 and 70 per cent of all curling stones used worldwide are made from Ailsa Craig blue hone granite. The island is nicknamed “Paddy’s Milestone” for its location halfway between Glasgow and Belfast, and its name is thought to derive from Gaelic words meaning “Fairy Rock”.
Measuring about threequarters miles long and 0.5 miles wide, Ailsa Craig, which is accessible only on the eastern side, rises to an elevation of 1114 feet.
Last December, a couple became the first to tie the knot on the island.
Jim Lindop, 60, and his partner of 20 years, Angela, decided they wanted to do “something a bit different” and had to get permission from the Marquess of Ailsa for the event. It was the first official wedding to have taken place on the island and was organised along with Glenapp Castle.