When it comes to status symbols, being able to say you own your own island, still has the power to impress.
Celebrities such as Pamela Anderson, Mel Gibson and Leonardo DiCaprio have all owned their own island paradise – now there’s more than half a million reasons why you can too.
The privately-owned, family-run Isle of Tanera Mor, the largest of the Summer Isles and a haven of beauty, lying off the Coigach peninsula near Achiltibuie is on the market once more, this time with an asking price of more than £1,950,000 – compared to the £2.5million price tag placed on it last year.
Comprising 800 acres, the new owners can look forward to climbing to its highest point, Meall mor, from where there are fine views of its sheltered bays, varied coastline, hidden lochans and traditional cottages which are set against a backdrop of neighbouring islands, with the mountains of the mainland behind.
The horizons provide a wonderful display, with the Outer Hebrides to the west, the mountains of Coigach and Assynt to the north and east and the Fannich and Torridon hills to the south.
Since 1996, the island has been owned by the Wilder family who made the Old Schoolhouse, located above Badentarbat Bay looking over the water to Achiltibuie and the Assynt Mountains, their home.
Their ethos in managing Tanera Mor has been to minimise interference with the natural ecology, while using its existing assets to create a self-sustainable economic environment.
Over the past 15 years they have planted over 164,000 native trees as part of an ongoing woodland regeneration scheme, and once windswept paths are sheltered by semi-mature trees while the approach to the island is softened by the woodland, which comes down to the shore along the eastern coastline.
The island is managed and run as a successful tourist enterprise, incorporating a number of different facets.
Along with five established holiday letting cottages, the business has been expanded to include residential courses such as painting, and kayaking while an RYA recognised sailing school operated throughout the summer.
The cafe and Post Office operate from a building lying close to the main pier and are open for seasonal daily visits from April until September.
The cafe is a popular stop off, not only for the regular tourist boats from Ullapool and Achiltibuie, but also visiting yachtsmen and small, upmarket cruise ships such as the Hebridean Princess and the Noble Caledonia fleet.
The decision to sell has not been an easy one, but on their website the Bill and Jean Wilder say that while everyone in the family is extremely attached to Tanera, and they have had a fantastic few years running the island, they feel the time is right to sell.
Savills and CKD Galbraith are jointly marketing the island which is said to be part of the inspiration for the Wicker Man film.
Despite attracting world-wide attention when first placed on the market, it failed to attract a buyer – but with a saving of more than half a million pounds to be made, it may not be too long before it’s sold.
Contact: Savills on 0131 247 3720 or CKD Galbraith on 01463 224343.
10th Century: Vikings are attracted to the island by its deep sheltered anchorage and plentiful fresh water supply.
19th Century: A herring curing station is established and the island is farmed. By the late 1800s it has a population of around 120.
20th Century: The decline of the herring and onset of World War I saw many men leaving the island and by the 1930s it was uninhabited.
1939: Frank Fraser Darling, the famous naturalist, became resident on Tanera Mor, studying its bird colonies and reclaiming derelict land to agricultural production.
1960s: Tanera Mor is sold by Cromartie Estates. Under its new ownership the foundations of today’s island management were built, cottages renovated, a water system and electricity generators installed, a fish farm and Post Office established along with a tourist business.
1996: The Wilder family buy the island.