This island could be yours for £350k – but you’ll need to be a good swimmer to reach it
Private 17-acre island off the coast of Wales, complete with two-bedroom farmhouse and outbuildings released for just £350,000.
This is around half the price of an average house in London. According to Rightmove last year it was £656,694.
The only downside is that the house falls into ruin due to the lack of electricity or running water.
Cut off at high water and requiring a boat to reach, but accessible on foot at low tide, the tidal island is located in the Dwyryd Estuary, near Harlech and Porthmadog, in the heart of Eryri (Snowdonia) National Park.
Estate agents Carter Jones describe the island of Ynys Gifftan as offering buyers access to “an expansive and unspoilt landscape with uninterrupted panoramic views of the coastline and surrounding mountains.”
Hugh O’Donnell of Carter Jonas’ Bangor office said: “Ynys Gifftan presents a truly unique opportunity for a buyer who appreciates its outstanding location and potential.
“We welcome interest from those looking for an ambitious lifestyle project in one of Wales’ most beautiful coastal environments, or those seeking their own secluded retreat.”
The island is classed as one of 43 unbridged tidal islands in Britain that can be reached by foot at low tide, adding to its sense of rarity.
On the east bank stands a stone farmhouse overlooking the estuary and the village of Talsarnau.
The photographs reveal that the building is in a fairly derelict state and therefore in need of complete renovation, but still offers the chance to restore a traditional building in an extraordinary setting.
The neighboring stone annex provides extra storage space and could potentially serve an additional purpose, depending on permits, real estate agents said.
The land covers 17.74 acres and is a mixture of rocky pasture and permanent grassland, rising to a height of 38 meters (125 feet) with some mature trees, before giving way to the estuary and its extensive sand fields.
Much of the island was previously grazed but is now beginning to return to a more natural state. Traces of the old field boundaries remain, but will need to be repaired and reinstated to become fully functional again for livestock if desired.
In recent years overgrazing by sheep has been recognized as a major problem in Eryri and other national parks in Britain.
It causes ecological degradation, such as the regeneration of heathland, bluegrass and native woodland, greatly reducing wider biodiversity.
The island is also close to the Italianate village of Portmeirion, built by Sir Clough Williams-Ellis between 1925 and 1975 and used as a key location in the 1960s TV series The Prisoner.
