A rare and unique business opportunity on the Isle of Canna

Tighard, which means ‘high house’ in Gaelic, is a handsome Edwardian property, built around 1904. It sits atop a hill overlooking the harbour and enjoys stunning views to the isles beyond. Tighard was sympathetically renovated as a guest house in 2006 and offers three letting bedrooms all year round. It also includes large garden grounds with a small orchard and woodland. Prospective tenants should note that Tighard cannot be operated as a restaurant, although guests can be provided with dinner as well as breakfast if desired. This is to avoid conflict with the island’s existing café business.

The private living area is downstairs in Tighard, comprising one double bedroom, a snug, kitchen and wet room, along with communal use of the living room and dining room.

Canna residents are resourceful and take the challenges of island living, such as weather and remoteness, in their stride. However, the rewards of living on Canna are undoubtedly many: it offers an exceptional lifestyle and breathtaking scenery. The 4-mile-long island is a bird sanctuary and is famous for its natural beauty and wildlife, including golden eagles and puffins. It offers many walking routes, beautiful beaches and has over 1,000 sites of historic interest.

The island was gifted to the Trust by the renowned Gaelic scholar John Lorne Campbell and his wife, Margaret Fay Shaw. As well as the island, the couple also gifted an exceptionally important collection of Gaelic song, stories and poetry, representing a vital part of Scotland’s heritage. This collection remains in Canna House in the care of the Trust.

If you’re successful at the first stage of application, you’ll be asked to visit Canna so you can see the property, meet the community and get a feel for the island. Thereafter, the Trust will ask for a business plan and undertake interviews. Throughout the process, the Trust will liaise with the community through the Canna Partnership, which aims to maximise the skills and resources of the Canna & Sanday community and the National Trust for Scotland staff and Board to ensure the sustainable management and development of the islands of Canna and Sanday for current and future generations.

For more information and an application form, email tighard@nts.org.uk
Applications should be returned by 31 December 2021.