Escaping the rat race is the tempting prospect for the buyer of a £600,000 farm sale deal which includes a private island in Orkney.
Current owner George Rouse, former chairman of the Orkney branch of the National Union of Farmers (NFU), originally inherited the properties from his father.
Included in the package is Littlequoy Farm on Burray, which is connected to the uninhabited island of Hunda, in Scapa Flow, by a causeway built in 1941.
The island includes 27 acres at Swannies Point, suitable for pasture and grazing, as well as ruins of a cottage at nearby Sheepsquoy.
The causeway which connects the islands of Burray and Hunda is a smaller version of the four historic Churchill Barriers, built on Orkney during World War II, and is known locally as the Fifth Barrier.
Estate agents Savills, who are handling the sale from their Edinburgh office, say it is an “unusual opportunity to acquire a coastal farm which includes its own private island”.
A spokeswoman for the company said they are expecting inquiries from all over the world.
She added: “It’s going to be fascinating to see where interest comes from – I am sure it will attract a diverse range of buyers from across the UK, and possibly international.
“This is an unusual sale, not just because of the island and the unique ‘fifth barrier’ but because it offers all sorts of opportunities for development, alongside a good going sheep enterprise.
“Orkney has an excellent and well deserved reputation for livestock farming and, to those who do not know the islands, a perhaps surprisingly benign climate.”
Mr Rouse inherited the land from his father, an Army officer who was posted in Orkney in World War II.
He established the livestock farm, as well as adding a spell as regional chairman of the British Wool Marketing Board to his NFU duties.
Now retired, he and his wife are seeking a “change of scenery”, but will miss island life.
“There is a strong sense of community here and would be perfect for someone who lives in a big city like London and is looking for a change,” he said.
By comparison, for £600,000 a prospective home-owner could just about afford a two-bedroom flat in North London, or an upmarket detached house near the centre of Inverness.