Caolas, Crossapol, on the Isle of Coll
(Picture: Strutt & Parker)We all know that property is an asset. But not every home comes with an annual income of £150,000.
On the Isle of Coll in the Scottish Hebrides, where the turquoise sea meets the island’s grassy shores, lies Caolas, a six-bedroom house accompanied by 67.8 acres of grazing land, almost a mile of sea frontage and two wind turbines. These are the money makers.
The two 65kw ‘Harbon’ wind turbines are a smaller variety of turbine, standing at 26.6 metres tall. In a year, one turbine can produce 217,051 KWh at an average wind speed of eight metres per second. With both turbines together, this is enough to power about 140 homes – including this one.
The buyer will own both turbines outright, which come with full service contracts in place for maintenance. Crucially, they have a total net income of approximately £150,000 per year – almost five times the average UK salary of £31,408. With a 20-year guaranteed working life, they are set to make their owners at least £3 million in their lifetime.
The property is spread across two lots – which are also available to buy separately – with the wind turbines on the second. Together, they are listed for £2.1 million.
On the first lot, with the lion’s share of the land, is the house, newly built in 2021. Thanks to the turbines, it is energy efficient and boasts an EPC A rating.
The timber-framed, slate-roofed property covers 3,039 square feet, spread across two floors. Downstairs, there is an open plan kitchen and dining area, accompanied by a family room and two of the house’s bedrooms. The other four are upstairs.
Floor-to-ceiling windows showcase the house’s views, which stretch over the Treshnish Islands to Mull and the mainland beyond.
The land surrounding the house is coastal grazing machair, a low-lying grassland and lime-rich shell sand suited to fodder crops and grazing. To the rear of the house, there is an agricultural outbuilding.
Coll, meanwhile, is a 13-mile-long island off the west coast of Scotland, dubbed “Scotland’s version of the Caribbean” for its sandy beaches and turquoise seas. The island has some of the longest sunshine hours recorded in the UK – and in the winter, it’s famed for its stargazing.
With a population of just 250, Coll is accessible from the mainland by plane from its North Connel airport, or by ferry, which runs daily from Oban.
“The Isle of Coll is quite remote, but it’s absolutely stunning,” says local agent Euan MacCrimmon. “You’ve got about a mile of your own sea frontage with small beaches, which is pretty unique.”
He adds: “It’s accessed by driving over a beach, so it has a complete kind of solitude in terms of its remoteness. It’s a pretty wild landscape out there…these sorts of things don’t come on the market often.”
Caolas’ seller is a local farmer, who has decided to reduce his land. Built last year, the home is looking for its first occupant.
According to MacCrimmon, the house is ideal for someone looking for a change of lifestyle. “The cliché of escaping the rat race completely applies to somewhere like this,” he says. “[It would suit] someone wanting to relocate from their busy, urban lifestyle into something completely opposite, given how rural it is and the amount of land.”
