Island for sale for the price of a semi-detached house attracts 'lots of interest'

An abandoned island off the coast of north Wales has attracted a "lot of interest" from prospective buyers, an estate agent said.

Ynys Gifftan, a tidal island in the picturesque Dwyryd Estuary, near Portmeirion in Gwynedd, is on the market for £350,000. It can be accessed by boat at high tide or on foot at low tide.

Hugh O'Donnell, from Carter Jonas estate agents in Bangor, said the "quirky" listing had proved popular, with interest from local residents and further afield.

"A lot of people have been in contact with us and are interested in what it is and seeing if it suits them," he said.

"It's a quirky one and it's got its challenges as you would expect with an island but it's a unique opportunity," he said.

The guide price has been set at £350,000, just above the UK average house price of £300,000.

Ynys Gifftan was gifted to landowner Lord Harlech's ancestors by Queen Anne in the 1700s, according to the Royal Geographical Society's Discovering Britain guide, and its name translates into English as Anne's Gift Island.

The 17.74-acre island comes with a Victorian stone farmhouse that was inhabited until the 1970s but is now in "need of extensive renovation", according to the estate agents.

Archives recount how former occupiers in the 20th Century used to remove their shoes to wade back and forth to the mainland.

O'Donnell said some prospective purchasers who been in contact had gone on unaccompanied viewings to the island, with the estate agents providing safety information due to the walk across tidal sands.

Anyone viewing the island has been warned by the agents to "take care and caution throughout inspections and to remain vigilant at all times for their own personal safety", given the potential risks "including the access route, terrain and tidal conditions".

A listing on the Rightmove website described the island as set in an "expansive and unspoilt landscape with uninterrupted panoramic views" across the coastline and mountains in Eryri National Park.

"The land has become overgrown in places and would benefit from grazing and general land management to restore it to its full potential and productivity," the listing adds.

The Discovering Britain guide cautions anyone who visits to check the tide times, as it is only available on foot for up to three hours either side of low tide.

"The island is completely cut off and impossible to reach at high tide without a boat. Yet, on the ebb tide it only takes five minutes to walk the 400-metre route to the island," the online guide states.

It also advises that there are two river channels that flow between Ynys Gifftan and the mainland.

"If you reach these and they are too deep to cross, for safety, you must turn back," the guide adds.