Ultimate getaway: remote 100-acre Scottish estate has its own private beach and is only accessible by boat

Sandaig House and Lodge is 16 miles from the nearest road – but in surroundings like these you'll never want to leave...
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Jess Denham2 October 2018

Want to get away from it all? Then this remote, 105-acre Scottish estate – only accessible by boat – could prove tempting.

Sandaig House and Lodge is across the Sound of Sleat, south east of Skye on the Knoydart peninsula.

It comes with its own private beach, Sandaig Bay, which reportedly once featured in a list of the world’s best beaches.

Tropical sunshine may be lacking but it boasts beautiful white sands at low tide, and offers opportunities for fishing, sailing, and swimming.

Found on the hillside in an area known as "Britain's last wilderness", the £750,000 property and land was the setting for Gavin Maxwell's bestselling memoir Ring of Bright Water, about a life spent there caring for his pet otters.

The estate can be reached on foot, but it's a whopping 16-mile hike from the nearest road. Your best bet is to moor a boat in the sheltered harbour at the head of the bay, where a breakwater of boulders has been built.

Set sail: ferries run to nearby Sandaig but your best bet is to moor a boat in the bay

If you don’t have one, a ferry runs to nearby Sandaig, but you'll need a 4x4 to drive four miles up a rugged coastal track. This place is as secluded as they come.

The three-bedroom house and four-bedroom lodge have been linked together by a modern garden room to create one big home.

However, the current owners have been using them as self-contained properties for two generations of their family, so there is plenty of flexibility to model the layout around your needs.

Impressive features abound inside the pretty, blue-fronted main house, which was converted from Saint Anthony’s Chapel.

The vaulted, cathedral-style ceiling, minstrel's gallery and magnificent open fireplaces are particular highlights.

Church-like: the living space in the main house is instantly impressive

The huge kitchen/dining/family space is given character by the retention of these striking ecclesiastical features and there are fabulous views of the countryside and picturesque Loch Nevis from most rooms.

In the former lodge, the open-plan layout offers great versatility, with the fourth bedroom currently being used as a study. The interiors are dated, but could easily be updated.

If you're interested in running a self-catering holiday let, there is a purpose-built annexe with its own kitchen, living room and two en-suite bedrooms adjoining the outer wall.

Electricity is provided by efficient solar panels and a 1,100 gallon oil tank with two generators. The house, lodge and annexe all have their own boilers.

Pocket money: let out the annexe to holidaymakers for some extra income

Outside, the sprawling moorland and woodlands take your breath away. Two small streams run through the land into the bay, adding to the peaceful, rural atmosphere.

A superb 40ft by 9ft greenhouse is a gardener’s dream and there are borders and an orchard around the house.

Cameron Ewer, from Savills estate agents who are marketing the estate, hasn't seen anything like it hit the market recently.

He expects it to sell to a London leaver longing for a retreat from manic city life,perhaps for use as a holiday home.

"Living here full-time is a big commitment," he says. "The property would benefit from some modernisation in places, but the extraordinary potential for a property of this scale in this setting is quite unrivalled."

Enjoy the views: this lovely glazed garden room connects the two parts of the property

The Knoydart peninsula is famous for being home to the remotest pub in mainland Britain, found in its sole village of Inverie. Community life among its less than 100 residents centres around tourism and outdoor pursuits.

Shops, banks and schools can be found in the fishing town of Mallaig, where you'll also find the mainland port and access to the national rail network.

For further shopping and leisure facilities, head 45 miles east to Fort William, from where you can catch a sleeper train to London Euston.

For more details, call Savills on 0141 392 0160