The thing I love about going through the auction catalogues is not only picking out properties with potential, but also learning about new areas.
So today, this two bedroom detached bungalow guided at £65,000 caught my eye.
Granted, it’s not the most swanky looking of places, but what caught my eye was the size of the sky. And so my little fingers went a-tapping to google in search of the ‘Isle of North Uist’ where this property is located.
The Isle of North Uist I have discovered is in the centre of the group of Islands known as the Outer Hebrides, or Western Isles. The Hebrides (if you didn’t know) are known as the “long island” as they stretch for 100 miles.
North Uist is the tenth-largest Scottish island (117 square miles) and is a landscape of fresh and salt water lochs bordered on its western side by miles of sandy beaches, and cultivated crofts. It’s a very popular place with walkers, bird watchers, motor homers and cyclists alike. And the area is (according to the tourism website) a fisherman’s and bird watchers paradise.
Connected by a causeway to Benbecula, Berneray and Baleshare. Lochmaddy is the main town and fishing port of North Uist and has a population of approximately 300 people. That means it’s the ideal place to go if you want to get away from it all.
Now you may be thinking at this point: Why On Earth Would I Want To Go There?
Well, if the remoteness don’t do it for you (I live in central London so the thought of having so few people around is a major draw!), how about a round of golf at the Sollas golf course, a 9 hole links course over-looking the Atlantic, or maybe a spot of fishing given the area is a “mecca” for anglers fishing for brown trout, sea trout and salmon. If that sounds too active, you could always try your hand at otter spotting or bird watch at RSBP Nature Reserve at Balranald. Otherwise, maybe you’d care to visit the local gin and whisky distillery to sample some of their island wares.
But if none of this is enough and you still want more than the remoteness, nature, clean air and tranquility of life – then maybe the bloody big beach at Baleshare might do it?
16 Balemore, Balemore, Isle of North Uist, Inverness-Shire, HS6 5EB goes to auction on 19 February. Contact the auctioneer for more information.
