There comes a time in a house buyer's life when they need to ask themselves a question: 839 sq ft in west London, or 270 acres in west Scotland?
There’s a two-bedroom flat for sale in Holland Park at the moment.
It’s a nice-looking place, with all sorts of things people like in west London flats: high ceilings, big windows, and communal gardens. It even has a very long lease, which runs until almost the year 3,000AD, assuming that both the human race and our general respect for contract law lasts that long.
The problem is that it costs £1.5 million, despite being less than 850sq ft: it has two bedrooms, a bathroom, and a kitchen-reception room.
The island of Torsa, meanwhile, has the same £1.5m price tag attached, and has 11,796,048 sq ft.
That’s quite a lot more square foot, and such a big number that it’s just as well that the agents, Savills, quote it as 270.8 acres in the details.
It’s a magnificently beautiful spot just off the coast of Argyll, a little south of Oban on the west coast of Scotland. It’s almost but not quite attached to Luing, a larger island which features settlements named things like Tobernochy and Kilchattan. Torsa itself is a delight, with beaches and hills (maximum elevation: 62m).
It even has a wonderful name — which translates as ‘Thor’s Island’ — and interesting history, with a prettily ruined castle called ‘Casteal nan Con’ (the Dogs’ Castle), which has been occupied over its history by Clan Campbell, the MacDougalls and Clan MacLean.
We know what you’re probably thinking: what good is an island with a castle if it offers wild camping once you arrive? Well, that would be a good question, but as it happens Torsa has a lot more than just glorious nature and endless views. It has a gorgeous old farmhouse dating to the mid-19th century, but much improved and modernised — it’s used as a holiday let as present — as well as a range of outbuildings which, while in a poor state, could easily be improved and used as further accommodation, subject to planning consent.
All that’s not enough? Torsa actually comes with a couple of spare islands thrown into the deal: Torsa Beag and Eilean na h-Eaglaise.
And if even that doesn’t sway you? Well, there’s a nice little flat in Holland Park I heard about recently. I’m sure I’ve still got the details somewhere.
Torsa Island is being sold by Savills for £1.5 million — see more pictures and details.
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