Rare opportunity to buy remote outdoor centre set up by famed SAS adventurer
A rare opportunity to relocate to one of the most remote parts of the UK mainland has arisen with an outdoor adventure centre in the Highlands up for sale.
Prospective buyers need not be record-breaking rowers, paratroopers and survival experts, but might need a boat – and sturdy legs – as the property is inaccesible by road or rail.
The Highland Outdoor Centre is at Ardintigh Bay on the shores of Loch Nevis on the North Morar peninsula, with spectacular sea views to Skye and Knoydart.
It is the home of SAS veteran and all-round adventurer Tom Mcclean, who has set several endurance records and spent 40 days on the isle of Rockall in 1985.
Now aged 79, the former serviceman and his wife Jill have decided to retire after 50 years running the business.
Included in the sale is a two-bedroomed cottage; five wooden bunkhouses that can accommodate up to 24 people; a two-storey lodge; private slipway, pier and mooring; eight acres of land and a mini hydro-electric scheme.
The property, which can only be accessed by boat or on foot, presents a rare lifestyle or business opportunity in an outstanding location.
Mr Mcclean first came to Ardintigh in 1969, shortly after becoming the first man to row across the North Atlantic from Canada to Ireland.
He said he has loved living there but that the time has come to let someone else enjoy the “magical” place.
"On my first visit I was enchanted with its spectacular mountain scenery and its beautiful coastal location on Loch Nevis,” he said.
“After leaving the SAS I decided I wanted to start up my own outdoor centre and was delighted to acquire Ardintigh.
“At first I lived in a tent within an old ruin before rebuilding it into the family home that you see today.”
Since those early days in the West Highlands, the survival expert and father of two has achieved five single-handed crossings of the Atlantic – rowing it twice, sailing it in the world’s smallest yacht, also twice, and finally crossing it again in his unique, custombuilt bottle-shaped boat from New York to Falmouth.
In 1985 Mr Mcclean became the longest human resident of Rockall, 220 miles west of the Outer Hebrides, staying there for 40 days to cement the UK’S rights over the outcrop.
“It has been a privilege for Jill and I to have lived in such a special and spectacular place as Ardintigh Bay, on the shores of Loch Nevis for all these years,” he said. “We’ve had the most amazing life here and met so many wonderful people through running the centre.
"We have also enjoyed the peace and tranquillity of this enchanting setting, with its wide-open spaces and panoramic views down the loch to the Cuillin on Skye.” He added: “Now the time has come to pass on the baton for new owners to enjoy this magical place as much as we have.”
The property is on the market through Bidwells at offers over £700,000.