THE land was once part of a vast swathe of Scotland cleared of its people by the Duke of Sutherland, in one of the most controversial episodes in the nation's history.
Now the 18,000-acre Balnacoil Estate, near Brora, is up for sale for the first time in more than 80 years - for offers over £2.5m - and estate agents expect a premium price because it has no crofters or tenant farmers.
The new Land Reform Act, pa
ssed by the Scottish Parliament, has given crofters and tenants the right to buy land that comes on to the market. So their absence makes an estate even more attractive to potential purchasers.
Sam Gibson, the selling agent for Strutt and Parker, said that as a result of the act, a "two-tier market" had developed.
"One tier is land with crofts or tenants and the other land without, for which there is extra demand. It means a new owner will have total control over the estate and with no threat to their enjoyment.
"Unlike an estate with tenants or crofters, there is no chance of anyone saying they are going to exercise their right to buy. This is why we are expecting a premium result for our client."
Balnacoil is a classic Scottish sporting estate that was once part of the 1.5 million acres in Scotland and England owned by the Duke of Sutherland in the 19th century.
Thousands of agricultural workers and their families in Sutherland were forcibly uprooted from inland villages to new plots of land on the coast by the duke's notorious land agents, to make way for sheep farms. Many of them later emigrated to escape the harsh, poverty-stricken conditions of their new life.
One of the straths cleared was Strathbrora, at the head of which the duke's son built a hunting lodge in 1880 to exploit abundant flocks of grouse and herds of red deer. After the First World War, as the Sutherland fortunes dwindled, Balnacoil Lodge and its 18,000 acres of mainly hill ground, was sold as a holiday paradise to Walter Tyser, a shipping tycoon from Essex, who was also a chairman of Cunard.
James Tyser, his grandson and the current owner, agrees that the lack of crofters or tenants on the land is an advantage. "We are saying no crofters [in the brochure], which I suppose is a blunt way of putting it," Tyser said. "Having no crofters makes it possible to sell at a better price.
"A second cousin has land for sale in the Western Isles, and I don't know how much he can get for it because it has crofters."
Tyser, who inherited the estate 13 years ago, said he was selling Balnacoil with a "heavy heart" because, along with two neighbouring estates, it had been in his family for 86 years.
"It is a lot harder for the third generation [of owners] to carry on in the same way," he said. "My grandfather used to employ 50 people on three estates of around 45,000 acres in total. Now there is just one full-time gamekeeper on Balnacoil."
Although the estate makes a slim profit, this was mainly because the sport was constantly let out for grouse shooting and deer stalking.
"The stalking is fantastic," Tyser said. "But virtually all the sport is rented out and I only use it one week a year. If you are wanting to sell, that is a good reason. My money is tied up in the estate and I could better invest it elsewhere."
Landowners with estates on which crofters or tenant farmers live are facing a different economic climate since the land reform legislation was passed.
Last year, eight crofters launched a bid to buy more than 4,000 acres of Sir Cameron Mackintosh's Highland estate near Mallaig. The entertainment impresario resisted the move, claiming a sale would split his estate in half, reducing its value.
Three years ago, in advance of the legislation, multi-millionaire lyricist Sir Tim Rice entered into negotiations with crofters on his 33,000-acre Dundonnell Estate near Ullapool, to head off the trauma of a community buy-out.
And on Lewis, a crofting community signalled its intention last year to mount the first hostile bid - allowed under the legislation - to buy the Galson Estate, even though the owners did not want to sell.
The Crofting Commission, which represents the interests of Scotland's crofting communities, said the Act was influencing how estates were being marketed.
"The Act is a factor," said chief executive Shane Rankin. "Estates with crofters on them have less value commercially than those that don't."
Dr Michael Foxley, a Highland councillor and land reform campaigner, said: "Landowners over the centuries have been very good at maximising their advantages."
