Sale of £4.2m farms marks end of an era on Orkney island

In Sanday, Malcolm and his wife Jackie, 59, have been at the heart of the community, farming 400 cattle and 600 sheep and running a haulage business and a community shop.

It has been hard work, often involving 14-hour days. Their son Fraser, now 21, was the last baby born on the island. Neither of their boys now live there.

The Sinclairs have already sold the shop and haulage businesses, and now they are leaving farming and diversifying into tourism.

“You can’t go on forever,” Malcolm said. “Our boys don’t want the farms. We’ve cut back what we are doing and now there’s a grand chance for somebody to come in and take this on.

“You can buy a lot more acres here than you can in the south, and once they are here there are plenty of opportunities.”

How Farm is on the market at £2.2m. Next door, Backaskaill Farm is offered for £2m. Between them they cover more than 1,200 acres of the island, which is famed for its dramatic sweeping beaches and crystal blue seas.