Armadale Castle and the traditional estate of Clan Donald on the Isle of Skye are to be put up for sale.
The lands, which were bought by the trustees of the Clan Donald Lands Trust in 1971, will be sold to secure the ongoing work of the charity.
Financial pressure has now heaped on the group that operates the visitor attraction.
Running the castle, museum, and lands has proved too costly for charity trustees and the estate will now be sold.
Marketing of the land is set to get under way on March 27.
Tourists who already have tickets to the castle have been assured that bookings, tickets or planned visits for the 2025 season will go ahead.
‘Difficult decision’ to sell Armadale Castle on Skye
A statement from the Clan Donald Lands Trust said: “We write to let you know that, after a thorough review, the board of trustees of the Clan Donald Lands Trust has taken the difficult decision to sell its land and property assets, including Armadale.
“Marketing of the majority will commence on March 27, with Armadale to be marketed separately later this spring.”
Once part of the traditional lands of Clan Donald and the former home of the Macdonalds of Sleat, the lands came up for sale 54 years ago following the death of Alexander Godfrey Macdonald, the 7th Lord Macdonald and High Chief of Clan Donald.
The Clan Donald Lands Trust charity was founded by Clan Donald community members across the world to promote and preserve the history and heritage of Clan Donald, the Lordship of the Isles, and the culture of the western seaboard of Scotland and the Hebrides.
The lands and castle will now be marketed by Strutt & Parker.
The statement continued: “We have been open about the financial challenges facing our charity.
“Due to the high-cost, low-income nature of Armadale, we have always been reliant on external grant funding to cover our operating costs.
“The availability of this funding has been reduced by the impact of ongoing investment market volatility.
“At the same time, our core costs – including electricity, insurance and essential building repairs – have massively increased.”
Grant-giving charity will be set up
Saying the trustees’ legal duty was to “manage the charity’s assets to deliver our charitable purposes,” they added that they need to be financially viable.
The statement said: “To safeguard the charity’s future, we will reform our operations and focus on our core purpose of protecting and promoting the Clan and indigenous Highland heritage.”
Trustees said the sale of its property assets will allow the charity to stand on its own feet for the first time, no longer dependent on “unstable external grant funding”.
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