A slice of the north-east coastline has gone up for sale for the first time ever.
The significant stretch of New Aberdour Beach is being offered to would-be buyers in an effort to find someone willing to take on the marketing of the sands.
Its sale, through Aberdeen consultancy firm Galbraith, includes everything above the beach’s low tide mark for 36 acres such as its pebbles, sandstone caves and wildlife.
Its current owners, who have asked to remain anonymous, are seeking offers above £90,000.
Most recently, the picturesque retreat was used by the producers of Whisky Galore who employed its backdrop for scenes featuring the film’s stars.
It is now being billed as a rare opportunity by Galbraith to own some of Aberdeenshire’s stunning landscape.
Buyers are also being offered a farmhouse to convert into their dream home on offer for around £185,000 just a quarter of a mile away.
Hannah Christiansen, of the firm, is overseeing the sale on behalf of the owners – a husband and wife pair.
Last night, she said: “The Crown normally owns anything from the high tide mark out, but on this occasion we have confirmation from our clients that it is from the low tide mark.
“We’ve tried to make the marketing as clear as we can, and the farm house requires complete upgrading.
“But our client will consider separate offers for the beach above £90,000.”
The beach, which has public parking and is regularly packed by tourists and locals alike over the summer, is steeped in history.
It is believed to be the scene of St Drostan’s landing in 580AD, when he founded a church in the local village.
He used the water from the spring there to baptise residents and was renowned for his miracle cures.
A memorial to local woman Jane Whyte, who helped rescue the crew of the steamship William Hope which wrecked in 1886, is also installed at the beach although is not within the boundary of the sale.
Ms Christiansen added: “It’s an absolutely beautiful beach. It is genuinely a hive of activity with the amount of tourists that come up.
“It gets a lot of Germans, for example, and people who make a point of visiting it. It is lovely.
“Scenes from the new Whisky Galore movie was also filmed there, so that was all very exciting for the owners not too long ago.”
A spokeswoman for the Registers of Scotland said that, because of the land’s age, it was not yet on the country’s land registry.
Instead, it still forms part of the Sasine Register which dates back ownership deeds to 1617.
Roger Goodyear, chairman of the Banffshire Coast Tourism Partnership, said it was the first time he had heard of a beach going up for sale.
“I’ve never come across anything like this,” he said.
“I have heard over the years where the National Trust has taken over lengths of the coastline, although to the best of my knowledge that is only in England.”
Earlier this year, Galbraith sold 170 acres of Lunan Bay’s beach, near Arbroath, alongside a former salmon bothy.