The inhabitants of one of Scotland's remotest estates are attempting to raise £1.5m to buy their home land.

The people of the Knoydart peninsula on the west coast of Scotland hope to follow the lead of other Scottish communities who have succeeded in purchasing their estates from their former landlords.

Knoydart is so remote it can only be reached by boat

All the residents of the estate say they fully support the move to buy the 17,000 acres and say they are fed up with the uncertainty created under a succession of private owners.

Knoydart, in common with many parts of the Highlands, was cleared of its indiginous population during the evictions which followed the Jacobite risings of the 18th century.

Since then, much of Scotland has passed into private hands. But recently, some tenants have managed to buy their landlords out.

On the Isle of Skye, the local population succeeded in purchasing the land from private owners. The director of the island's township group, Alastair Nicolson, says the move has persuaded younger families to move back into the area.

Land buyouts are on the increase in the Highlands

"It is definitely the way to go," he said. "For people to move into and survive in rural areas they have to have some say and some control over the land on which they live."

Land buyouts in Scotland are on the increase and have been encouraged by the Government which intends to use the new Scottish parliament to implement further land reforms.

The Scottish Office Minister, Brian Wilson, says private landlordism has been the curse of many Highland areas.

"The private ownership of land is still bad for many areas," he said. "That is a historical fact. It is not going to be swept away in one revolution but bit by bit.

"We are moving towards a more civilised form of land ownership," he said.
 

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