Fund a West Coast island life
With the recent spell of excellent West Coast weather, Islay has been particularly busy but there are plenty of reasons to consider permanent relocation and there are various property opportunities which could fund an island life.
At 25 miles long and 15 miles wide, Islay has a relatively mild climate and its famous whisky distilleries such as Laphroaig and Bowmore draw visitors from all over the world.
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Hide AdBowmore is home to around a third of the population with almost 1,000 residents.
Port Ellen, Port Charlotte and Portnahaven are the other main villages on the island.
Despite having a definite island mentality, it isn’t that remote, with daily car ferries connecting it to the mainland and its own airport.
Bus services are frequent and cycling is a great way to get around.
The stunning landscape is another major perk for residents, as is the number of birds that live on the island and the beaches are excellent.
Visitors come for the golf, fishing, hillwalking, and to follow the distilleries trail. There are also a number of festivals which attract tourists year round and make a holiday accommodation business a good option for those who want to relocate and work from home.
Meanwhile its neighbouring island of Jura, accessible from Islay via a quick car ferry crossing or a passenger ferry from the mainland, seems a world away.
There is only one very small village, Craighouse, and a few houses dotted up the east coast with just over 200 inhabitants.
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Hide AdThe rest of the island is one of Europe’s great wildernesses, with not even sheep or cows competing with the native Jura deer.
Famous for being the rural retreat of George Orwell, these days it has a lively tourist trade of its own with its distillery at the centre.
There are opportunities to provide bed and breakfast and self catering cottages are in demand.
Both islands, like the malts they produce, might take a lifetime to explore.
For those who want to make a living from settling on an island though, property is worth a look.