Have you ever dreamed of owning your very own island? That fantasy might be closer than you think. For the right asking price, you could keep an island all to yourself – and it might not cost as much as you think!
Pebble Island is the 3rd largest island in the Falklands, and it is up for sale. This little patch of land has its own little mountain range, lakes, cliffs, and a pebble beach after which the island was named. As far as geography goes, it has just about everything.
This piece of land is 20 miles long and 4 miles wide – it certainly isn’t small! Not only is this island diverse in geography, but it has plenty of wildlife to support. Pebble Island is home to 5 different species of penguins and 42 species of birds. It hosts 6,000 sheep, 125 cattle, and plenty of sea lions.
If you love spending time with nature, this is definitely the place to be. There won’t be many neighbors to scare off the animals, and you will have plenty of opportunities to get lost in a sea of beautiful animals.
Of course, with all those creatures comes a lot of work. Some of the animals on the island need to be cared for.
The place has been deemed an International Bird and Biodiversity Area, and it is also the host of a wind turbine and several solar panels, which serve to generate power for the island.
Sam Harris, a man from Pembrokeshire, is the current owner of the island. The land mass has been in his family for 150 years.
Sam’s great-great-grandfather, John Markham Dean, bought it in 1869 for just £400. He originally traveled to the island to set up a fish curing business after retiring from his job as a butcher.
The island has stayed in the family’s possession for all this time, although none of them have lived on the island since the 1950s. Rather, the island has been managed remotely by Sam’s mother, Claire, who is based in the UK.
The family possessed other islands as well, but they sold them off as time went by. Pebble Island is the last one in their possession, and they are ready to accept a fair offer for the land.
“It’s an amazing place,” Sam told BBC. “Unfortunately, it’s just become too hard to manage.”
Managing all those birds would certainly be a lot to handle – not to mention the other animals. Whoever purchases this island will definitely have their work cut out for them, but they will also have a gorgeous place to call home.
“As a family, everyone has been allowed to go,” Sam recalled. “All the grandchildren have been able to go there with our husbands or wives and our children.”
For a long time, Sam wanted to keep the island. “My wife, Lowri and I went there in 2011, and we had a close affinity with it. We talked about living there and taking over the hospitality side of the island, but it came as we were having children.”
Now he is warming up to the idea of letting the place go and starting anew. “It was a difficult decision, but it comes down to the fact that my mum and dad aren’t in a position to continue managing it.”
Still, it is never easy to end an era, especially with a place that has so much sentimental value. “It’s going to be difficult to say goodbye to it.”
While Sam and his family might have trouble cutting this island free, they are finding comfort in the fact that they can give it to someone with a love of farming.
We want it to be developed, and to go to someone who will really care for it,” Sam explained. “It’s got great potential with tourism because there’s a big army base there, but there are also a lot of animals on the island, some which need to be looked after.”
The family already has an idea of the type of person they want the island to go to.
“The island produces a lot of wool, much of which goes to the UK, so a farming background would be helpful.”
Despite being willing to part with this beautiful place, Sam and his family aren’t sure what the monetary value of the island is.
“We went to an estate agency to get it valued, but they couldn’t value it because we’ve owned it for so long. There are no recent values on it they can go on. So we’re open to offers.”
If this island has captured your interest, you might want to make an offer right away. A deal this good won’t last long! Not only would you get to spend time with all those magnificent creatures, the place is ripe for tourism.
A few modest buildings have already paved the path for a tourist industry, and other attractions leave the land with a promising future.
Pebble Island was the site of the first land-based battle in the 1982 Falklands War. Here the SAS docked their boat at night and disabled the 11 Argentine aircraft that rested on the runway.
The place makes a great destination for history buffs and animal lovers alike.
Even if you aren’t ready to become the next owner of this fantastic place, SHARE the info with your friends and family. You never know who will be willing to throw down some cash for their very own island.
Watch more in the video below.
