Uninhabited island where paratrooper retreated during covid for sale

Chris Lewis (left) on Hildasay. PIC: Walter Baxter/Creative Commons/ geograph.org | Walter Baxter/Creative Commons/ geograph.org

placeholder image — Chris Lewis (left) on Hildasay. PIC: Walter Baxter/Creative Commons/ geograph.org | Walter Baxter/Creative Commons/ geograph.org

Hildasay in Shetland has come on the market - with one former resident desperate to buy it

An uninhabited island which became a retreat for an ex-paratrooper when his charity walk around the UK coastline was interrupted by lockdown has come on the market.

Hildasay in the Shetland Isles, which sits to the west of the mainland of Scalloway, has come up for sale for offers over £350,000.

Home to a single bothy, a landing point, hundreds of seabirds and a deep air of seclusion, Hildasay became the home of Chris Lewis and his dog Jet in 2020 when his 12,000 trek around the coastline for armed forces charity SSAFA was halted by lockdown restrictions.

After hearing that Mr Lewis was sleeping in a tent on the mainland, the then owner invited him to stay on Haldisay and gave him the keys to the bothy.

Ex-paratrooper Chris Lewis (centre) with his partner Kate (right) and adventurer and broadcaster Ben Fogle (left) | contributed

The experience led Mr Lewis to write his book Finding Hildasay.

This weekend, on hearing of the sale, Mr Lewis said he wanted to buy the 267-acre island.

He said: “I have a real connection to it, I love it - more than anywhere else on earth.”

Mr Lewis said he was going to come up with a plan to raise funds to buy it - and perhaps sell his van “for a couple of grand” to make a start.

Shetland estate agent Kelvin Anderson described the sale as an “extraordinary opportunity” to acquire a “beautiful and historic” private island.

He said: “ Hildasay offers a remarkable combination of seclusion, natural beauty and heritage, while remaining within easy reach of the Shetland Mainland.

Accessible by boat from the surrounding mainland and islands, Hildasay benefits from its own pier, providing a principal landing point onto the island. A traditional bothy offers basic shelter and a striking vantage point from which to take in the surrounding landscape and sea views.”

“ Its scale and unspoilt character create a genuine sense of escape, with open landscapes and uninterrupted views across the surrounding waters.”

When on Hildasay, Mr Lewis survived with the help of a boatman who brought him fresh water and coal. He collected driftwood and foraged and fished for food. Meanwhile, a three-week supply of dog food for Jet was always in place.

At the time, he described living on Hildasay as “the happiest I have ever been”.

Hildasay is also rich in history and closely connected to Shetland’s fishing and quarrying heritage.

In 1891, the island was home to around 30 people, with granite quarrying and herring curing the main source of income.

Hildasay’s distinctive red-green granite was quarried at scale and transported to the harbour along a purpose-built railway before being shipped further afield, including Australia.

Today, remants of the island’s industrial past can be found with abandoned granite blocks and traces of the historic railway found dotted across the landscape.