The Scottish farms in one family for seven generations up for sale for £4.2m

Spanning about 1,400 acres, two farms that have been established over seven generations of one family on Orkney are up for sale.

Jackie and Malcolm Sinclair have decided it is time to step back from running How and Backaskaill farms on Sanday. Both organic livestock farms are on the market, with a combined asking price of £4.2m.

Malcolm and Jackie Sinclair at their home on Sanday | Sinclairs

The Sinclairs have two sons, who are the seventh generation, but who have decided to live elsewhere.

The couple has been heavily involved in the community, farming 400 cattle and 600 sheep, and running a haulage business and a community shop in their time as farmers.

Mrs Sinclair, 59, said: “It has been hard work and it’s time to move on and hand it over to someone younger with new ideas. Our sons don’t want them, they are doing jobs where it makes sense they live in the Central Belt.

“We would really like active farmers to take them on, to contribute to the community and to support the local economy.”

The Sinclairs built up their farm business, which has four homes on it, by buying smaller, neighbouring farms over time. The land is now the two farms, which are for sale, plus a small one they will keep to live on. They will also continue to run holiday homes, which they own on the island.

The couple have already sold the haulage company and the shop.

How Farm is on the market at £2.2m. And next door to it is Backaskaill Farm, which is on sale for £2m.

Backaskaill Farm, which is on the market for £2m | Sinclairs

Mrs Sinclair told The Scotsman she felt sentimental about the sale of Backaskaill Farm as it was where her now 21-year-old son, Fraser - the last baby to be born on the island - came into the world.

For Mr Sinclair, 65, he is the sixth generation in his family to run How Farm, which the couple have been living on, and where he has worked since leaving school 50 years ago at the age of 16.

Backaskaill Farm on Sanday, Orkney | Sinclairs

Mrs Sinclair said: “We’re both sad to part with the farms because of its link to our family’s heritage, but we will stay on the island, that is the plan for now.

“We’ve worked every day while running the farms, and for my husband that’s been for 50 years straight. He’s never taken a day off work. But it’s time to not do that now, it’s time to have some time off.”

In recent years, the decline in Sanday’s population has stalled, with many older people moving there because of generally cheaper house prices than the rest of the UK and attraction to the natural environment.

The latest census figures show Sanday’s population fell by 7 per cent between 1981 and 2022. But this decline slowed to just 1 per cent in the last census period. Now, there are 491 residents on the island, reports show.

As with other rural areas and island communities, retention of young people remains a challenge. On Sanday, 42 per cent of the population are over 60 years old, while only 14 per cent are aged between 18 and 39.