Latest news with #InnerHebrides
The Independent
4 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
The private UK island with its own beach could be yours for £5.5m
The private island of Shuna, located in the Scottish Inner Hebrides, has been put up for sale with an asking price of £5.5 million. Spanning 1,110 acres, the island features sandy beaches, a ruined castle, six holiday homes, and a working farm with a flock of 220 Beulah sheep. Sotheby's International Realty is marketing the island as an ideal location for a boutique hospitality venture or a wellness destination, offering complete seclusion. Shuna boasts a rich history, with archaeological sites dating back 9,000 years, including Stone Age burial mounds and Iron Age ritual hoards. The Gully family has owned and managed the island for the past 80 years, with Edward Gully having stewarded it since 1945.
The Independent
5 days ago
- The Independent
‘Idyllic' Scottish island with ruined castle up for sale
A breathtakingly-beautiful private island featuring sandy beaches and a now-ruined castle within the Scottish Inner Hebrides has been put up for sale, providing a 'once-in-a-lifetime opportunity' for the successful buyer. Shuna Island, or simply Shuna, a 1,110-acre of rugged island in Loch Linnhe, provides picturesque views and a chance of complete seclusion, says estate agents Sotheby's International Realty, which is marketing the island for a cool £5.5m. It includes the castle, built 114 years ago by former owner George Alexander MacLean Buckley, who found fame in the Antarctic voyage on Nimrod with Ernest Shackleton just three years before. The crumbling stone structure is just one part of the rich history attached to the island, with the first settlement on the island dating back to 9,000 years ago. Today, it is owned by the Gully family, after the Dowager Viscountess Selby bought the island from a London-based estate agent in 1945, despite never having seen it. She then passed it on to her son, The Hon. Edward Gully, who has farmed and managed it for the past 80 years. As well as hosting visitors in six holiday homes, the family's farm looks after a flock of 220 Beulah sheep, while there is also 'renowned' woodcock shoots and deer stalking in the autumn. The island is accessed via a private pier after a10-minute boat ride from the mainland. There is also a helipad on the land. Speaking to the BBC, Jim Gully, who is the son of Edward, said: "He's had 80 years of stewarding and looking after Shuna and trying to get all sorts of businesses going and has absolutely loved it the whole of his life "My brother and I grew up on Shuna. We were home schooled by our grandfather [Donald Wells] on the island. It's idyllic for a childhood being taught there, running the farm and the holiday cottages, and we still do that." He added: "It's been a huge part for all of our lives and definitely sad that all of that is coming to an end, but tinged with relief for my father that it's going to be slightly easier not having to manage all of that and getting over to the island three or four times a week.' On the island, the archaeological sites include Stone Age burial mounds and Iron Age ritual hoards, with three rare swords discovered in 1875. Later in its history, the isle belonged to the Gaelic kingdom of Dal Riata before being passed onto the Maclean clan after Robert the Bruce gifted it to Clan Campbell in 1321. By the 18th Century, it was a thriving lime production centre with kilns and up to 100 living there. In 1910, it was purchased by Mr Buckley, before soon finding itself in the hands of the Gully family. With its eight houses, Sotheby's International Realty say the island is ideally suited for hosting larger groups or retreats, and would be 'perfectly suited' for a boutique hospitality venture or a wellness destination. Viewings start later this week for those lucky enough to be able to consider buying the island.
BBC News
6 days ago
- BBC News
In pictures: Revamp of tiny Staffa's jetty and steps completed
A nine-month project to improve visitor access to the uninhabited isle of Staffa has been Trust for Scotland (NTS) said it was one of the most complex projects it had undertaken due to the location and weather and helicopters were needed to get the materials and contractors to and from Staffa for the work upgrading a 30-year-old jetty and set of is famed for its hexagonal basalt rock columns, which were formed by ancient volcanic eruptions, as well as its Fingal's Cave and birdlife. The tiny island, seven miles (11km) west of Mull, in the Inner Hebrides, attracts about 120,000 tourists a people visit to see its puffins and Fingal's Cave, which inspired a piece of music by 19th century German composer Felix sea cave was formed more than 50 millions years ago, and is at least 69m (227ft) long. The island's jetty and steps up to the top of the island, along with footpaths, were upgraded at a cost of about £ concrete steps were dyed the same colour as the natural rock to better blend them into the said the work was done during autumn, winter and spring to avoid causing disruption to wildlife and the trust said difficult weather conditions over the winter meant many scheduled working days were lost because crews could not access the island, or because extreme waves made the jetty unsafe to work on.
BBC News
17-06-2025
- Science
- BBC News
Significant decline among seals on Scotland's west coast
Scotland's west coast harbour seal numbers have dropped significantly for the first time in population fell by 20% between 2018 and 2023, in a region long considered the last stronghold for the marine mammal in the experts said the findings - carried out by the University of St Andrews - should serve as "a real wake-up call".Harbour seals have experienced long-term decline across much of the UK since the early 2000s with the exception of the west coast of Scotland, where numbers held steady in the likes of the Inner Hebrides and the western Highlands. The research was carried out by the university's Sea Mammal Research Unit (SMRU), which has monitored seal populations since the 1980s through aerial surveys, photo-ID, and tagging Debbie Russell, lead seal ecologist and deputy director of the SMRU, said the figures marked a "concerning turning point" regarding the species survival in UK added: "This is a real wake-up call. For years, we've viewed the west coast as a refuge for harbour seals, a place where they seemed to be doing okay. "To now see declines in this region suggests that the pressures affecting these animals are becoming more widespread or severe." The west coast of Scotland holds around 65% of the UK's entire harbour seal is ongoing regarding reasons for the population decline, with possibilities including disease outbreak, environmental changes and reduced availability of seals and their more elusive cousins - grey seals - are both native to Scotland, but greys are bigger and more powerful has lead to some suggestions that the larger mammals are forcing harbour seals from their traditional areas and onto public beaches, where they are at Carol Sparling, the director of SMRU, said there needed to be a quick response to the university's findings and called for targeted conservation measures.
Irish Times
15-06-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
TV View: Football is outshining hurling - it's just a shame so much of the thrilling fare isn't on telly
Anyone who hadn't checked their telly listings on Saturday evening and assumed RTÉ2 would be bringing us live coverage of Derry v Dublin might have concluded that the stadium in Newry was looking a bit worse for wear. What they were viewing, though, were the 1,300-year-old remains of a temple in the Inner Hebrides, which looked a bit like Casement Park in its current condition. No live football, then, just Ben Fogle visiting Scotland's Sacred Islands. Need it be said, the divvying up of the weekend's fixtures – GAA+ looking after Saturday's games – didn't go down tremendously well, especially at a time when we expect to be able to see every sporting contest of note. For God's sake, even soccerball's Club World Cup, which is of no note at all, is being televised. But sure look, the GAA is entitled to make a few bob with its streaming thingy, although it's all decidedly rough on folk who would get a better broadband signal inside the ruins of a 1,300-year-old Inner Hebrides temple than on their home patch. READ MORE Another reason why it's a bad thing that chunks of this year's championship are being hidden from view? Consider this: 'Football is trumping hurling at the moment.' So said Tomás Ó Sé, a touch provocatively, come Sunday when Joanne Cantwell asked him to sum up the quality of the fare thus far. If Dónal Óg Cusack challenges him to a duel at dawn, we'll just have to hope it's televised and not snapped up by GAA+. Sunday's telly games – Monaghan v Down and Donegal v Mayo – strengthened Tomás's boast. This was especially the case for the latter contest, which produced such a thrilling finish that a Donegal cousin reckons his heart isn't the better for it. Seeing as Monaghan and Down were already assured of advancing to the knock-out phase of the championship , viewers might well have been howling 'WHY IS THIS ON TELLY?' at their screens. But the prize for the winners was a fortnight off, rather than an all-or-nothing game in a week. So that was no small thing. It made for thoroughly entertaining viewing. 'Tennis match-esque,' as co-commentator Enda McGinley put it. Five days after having to commentate on Luxembourg and Ireland's 0-0 draw , little wonder Des Curran sounded enthused. Sport, now and then, doesn't suck the life out of you. Donegal v Mayo? A do-or-die affair. And Mayo died on their feet after that second-half effort , although, to a man, they fell to their knees when Ciarán Moore scored that point with the last kick of the game. 'A draw suits both teams,' Éamonn Fitzmaurice had noted earlier – the slight suggestion being that this could be the 2025 championship's equivalent of Ireland v the Netherlands from Italia '90. Moore put paid to that conspiracy theory with his winner. Mayo's summer over. 'What a win, what a game, what a battle,' said Éamonn. 'Glad to get over the line, hey,' said Donegal goalkeeper Shaun Patton. 'Heartbreak for Mayo,' said Cora Staunton, who sounded heartbroken herself. 'It was unreal,' said Tomás. 'Football is annihilating hurling at the moment,' he didn't say, but he was definitely thinking it. Leinster's Dan Sheehan, James Ryan, Max Deegan and Tommy O'Brien celebrate with the URC trophy at Croke Park. Photograph: Ben Brady/Inpho Speaking of annihilations. Only 21 minutes into the URC final and Leinster were already 19-0 up on the Bulls . Because of the weather, Stephen Ferris reckoned that was as good as a '40-0' lead. Premier Sports host Ross Harries was largely responsible for the deluge. 'It looks to be clearing,' he said upon welcoming us to Croke Park. Ten minutes later, Harries, Simon 'Zeebs' Zebo, John Barclay and Ian Madigan were close enough to needing a submarine at the side of the pitch. It was 32-7 in the end, Leinster captain Jack Conan saluting his comrades when he spoke to TG4's Marcus Horan after. 'Credit to the lads for putting their heads where you wouldn't put a shovel,' he said. 'I'm glad we showed up and performed and were able to silence a few critics.' Speaking of whom. Well, one of them. 'I'm over the moon,' said Simon, through gritted teeth, with his fingers crossed behind his back while he chewed his gum. At which point he was jumped on by euphoric Leinster mascot Leo the Lion. Simon may have threatened to deck Leo. Ross offered his commiserations to the Bulls. 'Three finals, three defeats, that's tough.' 'Zeebs said off camera that they're turning into the new Leinster,' said John. Tough old evening for Zeebs.
