Old schoolhouse on Skye sells at auction for £65,000

A former primary school on a tiny island off the south west of Skye has been sold at auction for a sum of £65,000.

SVA Property Auctions advertised the stone-built schoolhouse on the island of Soay, which means “sheep island” in Old Norse.

The auction was held at the Marriott Hotel in Edinburgh on Wednesday afternoon and the identity of the buyer is unknown.

The property is set against the backdrop of the Cuillin mountains and has been billed as a potential island retreat or a unique holiday base for outdoor enthusiasts.

It has a private water supply and a septic tank but there is no mains electricity on the island.

The buildings have been vacant for a number of years and will require a comprehensive programme of repair and modernisation irrespective of future use.

Soay is accessed by boat from Elgol in Skye, and extends to four square miles. The island’s population peaked in the mid-1800s following the eviction of crofters from Skye in the Highland Clearances, but there are now just seven houses on the island and the majority of them are holiday homes.