It can only be reached by boat or by a two- to three-day hike across the "Rough Bounds" separating the peninsula from the rest of the coast.

That picture-postcard view of Scotland's landscape does little to reveal the storms that have raged for years over who has the right to own it.

Glen and loch: Accusations of mismanagement

The Knoydart estate, sometimes dubbed by mountaineers as the last great wilderness in the UK, is one of many areas of rural Scotland where communities are fighting landlords for what they say is the right to control their own lives.

A group that became known as the Seven Men of Knoydart attempted 50 years ago to lay claim to part of the peninsula - but failed. Their efforts have not been forgotten.

Scotland's 900-year-old land ownership laws can be summed up in one word: feudal.

There is effectively a free market that allows landlords to purchase land in any quantity - providing they can meet the asking price.

Government figures say the country is dominated by a number of large estates and a further 1,500 private owners.

Campaigners estimate that up to half of Scotland lies in the hands of as few as 600 landlords - and the owners of up to 30% of land cannot be properly identified, thanks to complicated banking or company arrangements.

Around 12% of land is in public ownership.

In its February 1998 document on land reform, Identifying the Problems, the Scottish Office writes: "Land is a key resource. The lifechances of people living in rural areas depend on how it is used."

And, campaigners say, this gets to the heart of why they want to see change.

Families evicted

Knoydart was the scene of one of the most notorious of the Highland Clearances following the Jacobite uprising against the English in the 18th century.

Whole families were evicted and shipped abroad with little notice by Lairds who wanted the land to be put to sheep farming following the loss of their power.

A community has returned to the peninsula but argues that it needs to rid itself of its current owners.

Knoydart is currently owned by Knoydart Peninsula Ltd, a company that went into receivership in 1998.

One of its owners Stephen Hinchliffe has been investigated by the Serious Fraud Office over the failed retail chain Facia.

The community says the absentee landlords have done nothing to help the peninsula and secure its future.

It says it needs new infrastructure and the right to make changes it sees fit.

'Poor management'

Decline: Rural communities have appealed for support

There are other cases across the Highlands, including instances of unpaid wages to employees and no sign of a landlord for years at a time.

Entrepreneurs from around the world including the Middle East, Malaysia and the USA have been accused of buying up vast tracts of glen and loch as "trophies" of their wealth.

In many areas the landlord is also the employer which, campaigners say, leaves the residents with no cards in their hands.

Poor land management by owners who do not understand the delicate balance of Scotland's forests, glens and water has led to environmental degradation, they say.

Distant landlords

Communities argue that ownership should be handed to trusts or landlords closer to home to guarantee land is used for the sustainable development of a rural community.

Many owners have bought and sold land without notifying communities in advance - leading to what campaigners say are large monopolistic estates that become increasingly distant.

In contrast, the Scottish Landowner's Federation (SLF) has argued strongly for self-regulation, saying the vast majority of landowners are responsible.

It has also warned it will take its case to the European Court if the government or the incoming Scottish Parliament attempts to break up estates.

Eigg test

The Knoydart Foundation is now one of many community initiatives aiming to buy what they see as their land.

It aims to raise up to £1.5m from large donations or shareholders to small contributions from the many mountaineers and hikers who come every year to the Highlands.

Sir Cameron Mackintosh, the theatre impresario who is also a neighbouring landower, has been linked with the buy-out, as has Chris Brasher, the Olympic athlete turned outdoor-clothing company owner.

But whether of not its residents can close a deal before reform is completed, campaigners say the new laws must pass the "Eigg test" - criteria set in the purchase of the Island of Eigg by its own residents last year.

They see the issue in very clear terms: boost the rights of tenants, diminish the powers of the absentee landlord and, perhaps, finally resolve a difficult relationship between the people and the land.