Isle of Perpetual Youth: Uninhabited Scottish island gets new owner

Fladda-Chuain, which sits around three miles off the very northern tip of Skye, has been sold after hitting the market in late July for offers over £190,000.

It was billed by agents as a place of romance and legend with some believing that Fladda-Chuain was Tír na nÓg in Irish mythology - or the Isle of Perpetual Youth where the sun never set and summer always reigned

Vikings and St Columba are among its visitors of old with a chapel built there in the 6th Century as Christianity spread into Scotland.

Fladda-Chuain now faces a new future after its purchase by fishfarm company Mowi which is headquartered in Norway but has substantial interests in Scotland.

It is understood that the tides around Fladda-Chuain will allow the company to trial new working methods, but Mowi declined to talk about its purchase.

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A statement from the firm said: “Any purchase of that nature would be announced via the usual channels and detailed in our quarterly reports. Mowi has no further comment at this time.”

The name Fladda-Chuain is derived from the Old Norse for "Flat Island of the Ocean".

The island sits just north west of the Trotternish peninsula and joins Mowi’s growing business in Skye.

The company runs a feed mill near Kyleakin which produces fish pellets for the company’s salmon farms across Scotland, as well as its operations in Ireland, Norway and the Faroe Islands.

The firm employs 1,500 staff in Scotland with 48 farms that produce over 68,000 tonnes of salmon annually.

The only services on Fladda-Chuain today are a mobile phone signal. At the time of sale, agents Goldcrest said that it may be possible to build a small hut on the island, which is just 240 meters at the widest point and runs around 1.3km long, covering 67 acres.

Goldcrest described the landscape as “one of outstanding natural beauty and the isle benefits from the world class scenery of the Inner Hebrides”.

The sales brochure said: “This mystical and romantic island has all the privacy, tranquillity and charm associated with a small island off the coast of north-west Scotland. The views from the island are truly stunning and ever changing according to the weather, light and seasons.”

The island’s cliffs, coves and inlets open up a range of landing places for small boats or kayaks. A sea lagoon protected by an outer reef can be found to the north.

The sales brochure added: “The long summer days and the warm current of the Gulf Stream ensure the seawaters are a rich feeding ground for seabird and aquatic life.

“There is plenty to be caught by anglers of all abilities, both from the rocks and further afield, where mackerel, cod, pollock, coalfish and ling can be found.

“There are also lobsters, crabs and langoustines which can be caught in pots. Porpoises, dolphins, whales, basking sharks and otters are regularly seen in the area.

“Its deep, clear waters provide ideal conditions for diving and snorkelling, there are a number of ancient ship wrecks to explore.”

A wide variety of birds nest on the island including Storm Petrel, Gannet, Shag, Oystercatcher, Ringed Plover, common Sandpiper, Great Skua, Artic Tern and Black Guillemot.

A colony of seals have made the south-east side of the island home.