Private west coast island once owned by Scots rock legend sold for over £2.5m

A private island on the west coast of Scotland, once owned by the Scottish lead singer of rock group Cream, has sold.

Sanda Island, just off the Kintyre Peninsula in Argyll, is under offer for £2.5m, estate agents Knight Frank confirmed.

The company said it could not give further details on the buyer.

Sanda Island, just off the Kintyre Peninsula in Argyll, is under offer for £2.5m, estate agents Knight Frank confirmed. | Knight Frank

The island includes its own tavern, seven houses, with four based at the northern end of the island and three next to the lighthouse at the southern end, a pier, a slipway, a lochan and several sandy beaches. 

The main house on the island is a refurbished farmhouse with five bedrooms. 

The majority of the houses have been renovated by the previous owners including installation of double glazing, new shower rooms and underfloor electric heating.

There are seven properties on the island, including the main house which is a refurbished farmhouse with five bedrooms. | Knight Frank

There is also a helipad close to the road that connects the farmhouse and lighthouse cottages.

The island is 13 miles, by sea, to the south of Campbeltown and just 20 miles to Ballycastle in Northern Ireland. 

It has had a number of different owners in its history, including, in 1969, Jack Bruce, a member of the rock group Cream.

It was also made famous by the 1977 Christmas hit by Sir Paul McCartney and Wings Mull of Kintyre. Over the last 20 years the population of Sanda has fluctuated from three inhabitants to just a sole resident and it is currently thought to be unoccupied. 

Sanda Island, just off the Mull Of Kintyre, Campbeltown, Argyll and Bute | Knight Frank

The island is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest due to its maritime cliff and nationally important breeding bird colony, the largest in Kintyre. 

It is home to an abundance of wildlife, including colonies of puffin, storm petrel, razorbill, manx shearwater, kittiwake, gulliemot, great black-backed gull, fulmar, cormorant, shag and black guilliemot.

There is also a large colony of grey seals often seen bathing on the rocky foreshore. The new owner will have views of the Antrim Hills, the beaches on Carskiey and the Isle of Arran.

The sale also includes the ownership of both Sheep Island (31.72 acres) and Glunimore Island (4.41 acres), situated just to the north and northeast of Sanda.

Sanda Island is also home to some interesting history. It is said that St Ninian is buried here, and the island was in possession of the Priory of Whithorn in Galloway until the Reformation. Reputedly Ninian's grave was marked by an alder tree, and whoever stepped on it would die.

In the Middle Ages, there was some association with the Bruce family, notably, Robert the Bruce and his brother Edward. Edward lends his name to "Prince Edward's Rock", which is just south of Sanda Lighthouse.

Robert was once forced to flee here, en route to Ireland after being pursued by the English navy. He later sheltered at Rathlin Island, which is less than twenty nautical miles away, and which is where he was said to have seen the legendary spider in the cave. 

In the south of the island are "Wallace's Rocks" which may be linked in legend to William Wallace.

In the later 16th and 17th centuries, the island was connected with the MacDonalds of Kintyre.