Private harbour at secluded Scottish beach just off North Coast 500 for sale for just £40k

Sandside Harbour, near Thurso in the Highlands, will go up for sale at auction starting at £40,000. The property is a stone’s throwaway from Dounreay, Scotland's largest nuclear clean-up and demolition project.

The stone harbour is category A listed and was built in the mid-1800s in the village of Reay by Major William Innes of Sandside for both trade and fishing.

It has stone-built walls with two L-plan piers forming a basin, as well as a slipway for boats. The harbour is used – on a grace and favour basis - by local leisure boats and for lobster and crab fishing.

The harbour’s dwelling - a net store - is also category A listed and made of traditional stone and has a slate and metal sheet roof. On the upper floor is “the bothy flat”, and the ground floor has a double height ceiling from the days when it was used for hanging out fishing nets.

The building is currently unoccupied and, according to Savills, who is managing the sale, it will require extensive upgrading. Subject to appropriate planning consents, the property agent said it could be converted into accommodation.

Robin Howeson, of Savills, said: “Used on a grace and favour basis by local small boats that are used for lobster and crab fishing, a buyer could see themselves becoming part of the local community. With pricing tailored to attract a suitable buyer, I’d expect interest to come largely from developers or private buyers looking to invest into this historic harbour.”