Dream of swapping city chaos for cliffs, puffins, and world-famous knitting? Right now the National Trust for Scotland is searching for a tough, skilled family or couple ready to take on a six-hectare croft and four-bedroom house on Fair Isle, one of the UK’s most isolated communities.
The Opportunity Almost No One Gets
Fair Isle sits halfway between Orkney and Shetland, a three-hour ferry ride from the mainland on calm days. Only 55-60 people live here year-round. Houses almost never become available. When they do, the National Trust for Scotland doesn’t just rent to anyone; they look for people who will actively strengthen the island.
This particular croft at Shirva includes roughly 15 acres of land, a traditional four-bedroom house that was fully renovated in recent years, outbuildings, and crofting rights. The successful tenant will pay a modest rent (historically under £1,000 a year for similar NTS crofts) and take on the legal duty to farm the land productively.
Applications closed in late 2024, but the Trust confirmed in early 2025 that they are still finalising the shortlist and may re-open the process if the right candidate has not yet been found. In other words: it’s still possible.
Daily Life Is Surprisingly Connected (If You’re Hardy)
Don’t imagine total silence. Fair Isle has a primary school (currently seven pupils and rising), nursery, community hall, shop/post office open six days a week, a resident nurse, and even its own airstrip with twice-weekly flights to Shetland when weather allows.
Broadband is fast – the island was part of Shetland’s ultrafast rollout – so remote work is genuinely viable. Mobile coverage is good with EE and Vodafone.
“People think it’s lonely,” says Eileen Thomson, islander and chair of Fair Isle Development Company. “It’s actually the opposite. You know everyone, help everyone, and you’re never bored. There’s always something to fix, something to build, someone to celebrate with.”
Winter storms can cancel boats and planes for weeks, but locals say that just makes the good days sweeter.
Skills That Will Actually Win You the Croft
The Trust has been blunt about what they want:
- Proven crofting or smallholding experience (or strong willingness to learn fast)
- Trade skills – joiners, mechanics, plumbers, electricians are gold dust
- Maritime skills – boat handling, creel fishing experience
- Craft skills, especially Fair Isle knitting (the island’s patterns are UNESCO-listed intangible cultural heritage)
- Families with school-age children get priority – the school roll is climbing but still tiny
If you can keep sheep, repair a generator, knit a jumper that sells for £400 in London boutiques, and don’t mind being on the rota for fire brigade call-outs, you’re exactly who they’re after.
World-Famous Knitting and Wildlife on Your Doorstep
Fair Isle is globally celebrated for two things:
- Its knitting – the distinctive colourful stranded patterns that influenced fashion houses from Chanel to Dior.
- Its birds – the Fair Isle Bird Observatory is one of Europe’s top migration hotspots. Twitchers pay thousands to stay here during spring and autumn.
The croft itself sits above dramatic cliffs where puffins, guillemots, and gannets nest in summer. Arctic skuas patrol the moors. Seals haul out on the beaches below the house.
The Reality Check
This is not a holiday let or romantic escape for a year. It is a working croft on a remote island with real responsibilities and real weather. You will get your hands dirty. You will be part of every community decision. You will know what real darkness and real silence feel like.
But you will also wake up to views most people only see on postcards, watch your kids grow up free-range on beaches and cliffs, and become guardian of a unique culture that has survived here for centuries.
One recent arrival told the Shetland News: “I came for a year. Eight years later I’m still here and I never want to leave.”
If you have the skills, the grit, and the heart for it, this could be the last genuine off-grid-but-not-really adventure left in Britain.
Contact the Scottish Land Matching Service or email fairisle@nts.org.uk immediately – the Trust has said they will keep the door open until they find the perfect fit.
What do you think – could you make the move? Drop your thoughts below, and if you’re tempted, tag #FairIsleDream on social media and let the island know you’re coming.
