Reasort Estates extend their extensive land-owning portfolio

Iain Scarr-Hall is registered as living in Switzerland.

The Scarr-Hall empire, marketed as Reasort Estates as a shooting and fishing destination, now embraces around 65,000 acres of Lewis including Morsgail, Uig and Hamnaway and Aird Bheag. In addition, they hold sporting rights over North Harris estate.

While the North Harris deal in 2003 was generally welcomed, as it enabled the community to proceed with the buy-out of land while Mr Scarr-Hall took Amhuinnsuidhe Castle and the sporting rights, there has been no community involvement in his subsequent acquisitions.

When Aird Bheag was previously on the market, the estate agent blurb described it as “without doubt one of the most beautiful places in the Western Isles. The 2754-acre estate is approached and accessed by sea, from Hushinish, passing the beautiful island of Scarp and the two estate peninsulas before travelling up Loch Tamanavay and arriving at the sheltered bay with a stone pier below Aird Bheag House.

“Aird Bheag itself was once a small, busy, community based around a collection of traditional black houses, which nestle on the sheltered level ground beside Loch Tamanavay” Before selling to Mr Young, the land had been in the hands of the Miller Mundy family from 1971 to 2015. Prior to that, it was owned and worked by Uig crofters.

Scarr-Hall’s estate manager, Innes Morrison, told the Gazette: “We were approached by the current owners asking if we were interested in purchasing the estate. We accepted their offer and Uig and Hamanavay Estate purchased the land and property last month.”