Castle-equipped Scottish island lists for the first time in 80 years — and it's accessible only by boat or helicopter

New York Post

3 days ago

An entire private island off Scotland's rugged west coast — complete with a ruined castle, a working farm and a cluster of off-grid holiday cottages — is hitting the market for the first time in nearly 80 years.
Shuna, a 1,100-acre island in the Inner Hebrides, is being offered for about $7.44 million, marking the end of an era for a family that has stewarded it since World War II.
The Gully family has owned the island since 1945, when Viscountess Selby, reeling from the war's aftermath, walked into a London estate agency and inquired — somewhat famously — if they had 'any islands on the books.'
11 For the first time in nearly 80 years, the remote Scottish island of Shuna is on the market for roughly $7.44 million.
United Kingdom Sotheby's International Realty
As family legend goes, they had one. She bought it sight unseen and relocated her family to the Atlantic outpost.
'It'd been a pretty traumatic time for lots of people and she was looking for a new start,' her grandson, Jim Gully, told Bloomberg. 'They thought it was a fairly eccentric question.'
Spanning roughly 3 miles by 1.5 miles, Shuna boasts dramatic shorelines, secluded coves, white sand beaches and rich biodiversity — from red and fallow deer to sea eagles, seals and dolphins.
It's reachable only by boat or helicopter, with no cars, roads or full cell service — an increasingly rare retreat from modernity.
11 The Dowager Viscountess Selby is shown with her four children — Xandra, Audrey, Michael and baby Eddie, who is now 80 years old.
Courtesy Jim Gully
11 Spanning over 1,000 acres off Scotland's west coast, the rugged private island includes eight homes — seven of which are run as vacation cottages.
United Kingdom Sotheby's International Realty
'It's really been such a dream island and a huge part of all of our lives,' Gully said. He and his brother were homeschooled on the island by their grandfather. 'It was such an idyllic place to grow up and explore and have adventures.'
The island currently supports a modest tourism business. Seven cottages — rented seasonally from April to October — can accommodate up to 52 guests.
Each comes with its own boat, and activities range from sheep gathering to archery.
'It's a very simple, relaxed setup,' said Gully, noting many guests return year after year, often spanning generations.
Power is supplied by solar panels, wind turbines and generators, as Shuna is off the national electricity grid. There's also an eighth home historically used by the island's caretakers, who have managed the island for the past dozen years.
11 The estate also comes with flocks of sheep, a crumbling early 20th-century 'castle,' and no connection to the power grid or paved roads.
United Kingdom Sotheby's International Realty
11 Owned by the same family since Viscountess Selby impulsively bought it after World War II, Shuna has been a multigenerational haven.
United Kingdom Sotheby's International Realty
The most striking structure on the island, however, is its castle — or what remains of it.
Built in 1911 by George Buckley, a New Zealand-born adventurer who made his fortune during the Australian gold rush, the turreted mansion was intended to be the prototype for a new kind of castle-style housing in the US.
But fate intervened.
'The plans for it went down with the Titanic,' Gully told BBC Scotland News. 'It stopped lots of flat-roofed castles being built in America.'
Buckley, who had recently returned from Ernest Shackleton's Antarctic expedition, spared no expense. Brokers estimate the original construction cost would be the equivalent of roughly $13.6 million to $40.9 million today.
11 The current owner, Jim Gully, calls it an 'incredible playground' rich with wildlife, secluded beaches and history.
United Kingdom Sotheby's International Realty
11 Vacationers can rent the cottages during warmer months and explore by boat, hike its 300-foot-high peak or even help gather sheep.
United Kingdom Sotheby's International Realty
But by the 1980s, the castle's flat-roofed design proved no match for Scottish weather and it fell into disrepair.
'But I guess that just the having the flat roof was not a terribly good design feature in Scotland,' Gully told Bloomberg.
Gully, who lived in the castle as a child, recalls moving furniture around to find safe spots where it wouldn't fall through the floor.
'It still looks very impressive even though there are trees growing out of the windows,' he told BBC.
11 A living space inside one of the cottages on the island.
United Kingdom Sotheby's International Realty
11 A kitchen.
United Kingdom Sotheby's International Realty
The island's recorded history stretches back far beyond the 20th century. Archeological finds suggest human settlement as early as 9,000 years ago. In the 14th century, it was given by Robert the Bruce to Clan Campbell and later passed to the Macleans.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, its population peaked at around 80, evidenced today by lime kilns, burial mounds and ruins of old farms.
Jim Gully's father, Edward, now in his 80s, has moved to nearby Seil Island, and the family is ready to pass Shuna on to a new generation.
'We've done what we can with the island,' Gully told Bloomberg. 'We haven't had a huge amount of funds to invest in transforming it. So the idea that someone could come along and invest and bring the island back to life is exciting.'
11 Gully says the sale could appeal to a conservation-minded buyer or developer interested in transforming Shuna into a five-star eco-retreat, tapping into Scotland's growing rewilding trend.
United Kingdom Sotheby's International Realty
11 'We've done what we can,' he said. 'So the idea that someone could come along and invest and bring the island back to life is exciting.'
United Kingdom Sotheby's International Realty
Alex Collins of Sotheby's International Realty and Knight Frank, who are marketing the property, say interest has ranged from those seeking a boutique hospitality venture to rewilding advocates and families in search of a secluded multigenerational compound.
The listing suggests Shuna would be 'perfectly suited' for a wellness destination.
Whether it's bought as a conservation playground or a luxury eco-retreat, the island's next chapter remains unwritten. But for the Gully family, the page is turning on a defining part of their legacy.
'It's been a huge part for all of our lives,' Gully told the BBC. 'Definitely sad that all of that is coming to an end, but tinged with relief for my father.'