Shuna, which includes a now-ruined castle, working farm and a holiday accommodation business, has been home to the Gully family since 1945, but is now on the market for £5.5million. Jim Gully, who was the second generation of the family brought up on the island, said its white sand beaches and rocky coves gave them an "idyllic" childhood. The estate agents said the sale of the 1,110-acre island, off the west coast of Scotland, was a "truly rare offering".

It has already attracted a range of inquiries from potential buyers looking for a private retreat, tourism business or rewilding project. The wildlife haven has belonged to the Gully family since the Dowager Viscountess Selby - a descendant of the politician Sir William Court Gully who was given the title on retirement as Speaker of the House of Commons - approached an estate agent after the war, asking if they had any islands on their books. "Everyone was so traumatised by what had gone on in the war that they were looking for a fresh start," her grandson Jim Gully told BBC Scotland News.

"Without ever having seen it she bought the island and moved her family up." His father Eddie, the fourth child in the family, was brought up on Shuna from the age of three months. He is now living nearby on the Isle of Seil, which is linked to the mainland by road. "He's had 80 years of stewarding and looking after Shuna and trying to get all sorts of businesses going and has absolutely loved it the whole of his life," Mr Gully said. "My brother and I grew up on Shuna. We were home schooled by our grandfather [Donald Wells] on the island. "It's idyllic for a childhood being taught there, running the farm and the holiday cottages, and we still do that."

The Atlantic island's position in the Hebridean archipelago protects it from the ocean swells, but occasionally brings inhabitants the challenge of navigating the Corryvreckan whirlpools. (BBC/ Sotheby's/Knight Frank)