Huge portfolio of properties to be whittled down through sale and shared responsibility

REDUCING the vast size of its estate is expected to be one of the main challenges facing the National Trust for Scotland over the next three years.

It is currently the third biggest landowner in Scotland, with an estate covering some 78,000 hectares of coastline and countryside.

Its vast portfolio of 1,500 properties includes everything from historic castles and palaces to country houses and famous monuments, but it is also responsible for battlesites, nature reserves and mountain ranges, and some 50,000 historic artefacts.

The vast majority of its 130 flagship sites - which include the likes of Culzean Castle and Brodick Castle in Ayrshire, Falkland Palace in Fife, author JM Barrie's birthplace in Angus and the Glenfinnan Monument - are expected to remain in its ownership.

However the running of some sites is expected to be handed over from NTS to help the organisation reduce its running costs and ensure that responsibility for historic sites is shared.

Mr Reid's report recommended that the trust concentrated on a "smaller core portfolio" of properties while it puts its financial troubles behind it. This is expected to see the trust join forces with community groups, independent trusts and local authorities to effectively allow them to take over sites, without the NTS relinquishing ownership.

Mr Reid insisted there should be no barrier in future to the trust selling off sites which are viewed as not being of historic significance.

Earlier this year Mr Reid admitted his astonishment that NTS did not have a complete database of all its property assets.

Yesterday, trust officials were unable to provide a definitive list of everything in its estate, which includes a large number of woodman's huts, sheds, steadings, byres and bungalows and some 72 holiday properties.

Holiday homes are likely to be sold off with the Mull of Galloway, the Mol Mor bunkhouse, Torridon; Shore Lodge, Brodick and the Kintail Outdoor Centre also contenders for sale.