8,000-acre Scottish estate with a private island you can buy for less than a house in Chelsea

Seaforth island spans around 600 acres - (Strutt & Parker)

The Aline Estate stands on the shores of Loch Seaforth, backed by dramatic, heather-topped hills. Located on the Isle of Lewis, in Scotland’s Outer Hebrides, it comprises a white, 18th century highland lodge with a sauna, a cluster of cottages, 8,200 acres of land – oh, and a private island.

All this could be yours for less than the price of a detached house in Chelsea. The Aline Estate is for sale with Strutt & Parker for £4 million.

Seaforth Island, rising above the fjord-like waters of Loch Seaforth, spans some 600 acres and rises to more than 200 metres above sea level at its highest point.

The island is uninhabited, with no buildings, except the remains of an ancient fort. Accessed by boat, you can hike, fish, hunt – or try to spot whales, dolphins and porpoises there.

Aline Estate has five miles of coastline (Strutt & Parker)

As well as the island, Aline Estate has around five miles of coastline on Loch Seaforth, with its lodge and cottages close to the shoreline.

The whitewashed Aline Lodge, facing Seaforth Island, dates back to the 18th century, with thick stone walls to protect from the wild Hebridean weather and a path leading directly to the estate’s private beach.

Inside, the two-storey building has six bedrooms and three reception rooms, with a wood burner, sunroom, outdoor terrace and sauna nearby. It was renovated and modernised in 2010.

There are a number of other properties and outbuildings on the estate, including two semi-detached, two-bedroom stone cottages called Tarbert, after the village which connects Lewis and Harris islands, and Clisham, after the Outer Hebrides’ highest peak, which is visible from the lodge.

There is also the self-contained, one-bedroom Seaforth Cottage, with some of the estate’s best views, and a three-bedroom bungalow called Keeper’s House, which is occupied by the estate’s gamekeeper under a service occupancy.

The cottages are close to the shoreline (Strutt & Parker)

The estate has been owned by a family for more than a decade, and primarily used for private use. However, its properties have also been rented out as holiday lets or used to accommodate guests.

The lodge, for example, is advertised for £5,500 a week in October, or £3,750 at low season, while Tarbert Cottage costs between £695 and £995 for a week’s stay.

The property is advertised as a “sporting estate” for its fishing and hunting opportunities —salmon, trout, grouse and red deer all live on the land and waters— but it is equally popular with hikers for its network of walking trails and access to Mount Clisham.

“When people think of the wild beauty of Scotland that you see in paintings and novels, many see the Outer Hebrides. Aline captures everything that makes this part of the world so beautifully remarkable, says Robert McCulloch at Strutt & Parker.

“The lodge sits on the shores of Loch Seaforth, the estate includes its own island, and everywhere you look there is water, dramatic landscape, wildlife and quiet.”

The property is advertised as a sporting estate, with scope for swimming, sailing, hiking, fishing and hunting (Strutt & Parker)

The solar array on the roof of one of the sheds generates income under the UK’s feed-in tariff scheme, while there is potential to develop the estate’s renewable energy.

Almost 1,500 acres of the estate’s peatlands have been identified as suitable for carbon accreditation, which means that the owners will be able to generate —and potentially sell— carbon credits if the peatlands are restored and managed.

As for transport, the nearest town is Tarbert, around 20 minutes’ drive away, with Stornoway, the island’s capital, 23 miles north. The Isle of Lewis is connected to the Scottish mainland by flight, which takes under an hour, or by ferry.

“What makes Aline particularly special is what is on offer here,” says McCulloch. “It offers all the wonderfully traditional aspects of a typical Scottish estate —exceptional fishing, stalking and shooting— while also presenting opportunities around peatland restoration and natural capital.

“Buyers increasingly look for estates that combine lifestyle with the long-term stewardship, and this estate delivers both en mass.”