Eilean Loch Oscair is a tiny uninhabited island off the west coast of Scotland: almost 10 acres of grassy agricultural land and grey rock rising out of the cold blue waters of the Firth of Lorne. For those coveting an island of their own, this may be the chance: Eilean Loch Oscair is for sale with Knight Frank for £125,000.
You’ll need a boat, though. Eilean Loch Oscair lies in one of the west coast’s least explored areas, best accessed from nearby Lismore, a 10-mile-long island with a population of 170. From there, there are connections to both Oban and Port Appin on the Scottish mainland.
The island is a croft —a small farm— with the ability to support livestock and produce food. It may be uninhabited, but it is frequently visited by passing otters, seals from a nearby colony, porpoises and sea birds.
“It’s a hop, skip and a jump from Lismore,” says agent Tom Stewart Moore. “It’s an island off a slightly bigger island, so you feel you’re in a far-flung place, but you’re actually fairly accessible. Port Appin is a lovely little seaside town on the West Coast with a hotel and a nice restaurant; Oban, which is the capital, is only 20 miles once you get to the mainland.”
Loch Oscair has been used to rear livestock by its owner, who also has a farm on Lismore. The owner was previously a tenant farmer on the island and acquired the croft in 2013.
In October 2022, he put forward a planning application to build a low impact, off-grid holiday let on the island, as well as an outbuilding, pontoon and sewage treatment plant. These, however, were ultimately deemed “materially harmful to the landscape character and qualities of the area” and were refused.
Although the decision does not preclude future proposals to build on the island, it does suggest that permission is unlikely to be granted easily. “A lot of enquiries are saying: ‘Can we build a house on it?’ That’s the most common thing we’re being asked,” says Stewart Moore. “There’s a possibility but no certainty. We are aware of other islands that have gone through the same, with a no to start off with. But people have gone in with a slightly different angle and got success.”
Knight Frank are primarily marketing the Loch Oscair as a farming opportunity. But, says Stewart Moore, it may also appeal to sailing enthusiasts or environmentalists. “Someone who’s an avid sailor on the West Coast who likes the idea of having a private island to have a picnic on and their own anchorage – that could be one possibility. Or someone wanting a little island as part of their farming, or having an environmental aspect there.”
So far, Stewart Moore has had interest from within Argyll, as well as the south of England and from overseas. Most prospective buyers, though, have an affiliation to the west coast of Scotland. “Quite a lot are people who come up to the west coast regularly to go sailing or fishing. Some already have a house up here, and would maybe see this as an add-on.”
Loch Oscair is not the only Scottish island to hit the market in recent months. In May this year, 270-acre Torsa, also in the Inner Hebrides, was listed for £1.5 million for the first time in 85 years. And in July, Copinsay offered buyers both an uninhabited island and a lighthouse keeper’s house for £80,000.
“Islands pull the heart strings more than anything else. Whatever shape, size or value, there’s something about them,” says Stewart Moore. “I think it’s almost impossible to predict who the buyer [of any island] might be…That’s always the exciting thing about selling an island.”
