How you can buy an entire private island

What's described as 'one of the finest private islands in northern Europe' is up for sale for the first time in 70 years.

Ulva, in the Inner Hebrides, is around seven and a half miles long and two and a half miles wide, extending to 4,583 acres - and the £4.25 million price tag covers the whole thing.

See also: Private islands of the rich and famous

See also: Your own deserted island for the price of a London room

It has a manor house, church, restaurant and teahouse and ten more properties - but a full-time population of just 16, mostly working at sheep and cattle farming, fish farming, oyster farming and tourism.

There are no tarmac roads, with most people travelling by quad bike.

Agents Knight Frank describe Ulva as 'offering a truly unique combination of peace and privacy whilst being easily accessible by boat from the nearby Isle of Mull'.

The main building, Ulva House, is a large grade B-listed property built in the neo-classical revival style in 1950 to replace an earlier house that was destroyed by fire.

It has several large reception rooms, with fireplaces and detailed moulding, and five main bedrooms plus servants' quarters.

"The house has been changed very little since its construction and would now benefit from a sensitive program of modernization and refurbishment," say the agents.

Other buildings include a restored blackhouse and nine other residential properties ranging from traditional bothies to a sporting lodge.

But most of the residents are non-human. The island is home to 123 different bird species, including the white-tailed sea eagle, and minke whales, porpoises and dolphins are frequently spotted.

The agents say it has 'sporting' potential, including red deer stalking, with a five-year average of 16 stags.

The island was the inspiration for Sir Walter Scott's 1815 poem Lord Of The Isles, and also influenced work by children's author Beatrix Potter.

David Livingstone, the famous missionary and African explorer, was a frequent visitor, as his father's parents lived there.

Major General Lachlan MacQuarrie, the last governor of New South Wales, was born there and described it as a 'small and desolate island' and ' a mere speck in the ocean' - but credited his upbringing there as having made him 'a citizen of the world'.