KATIE Morag’s home is up for sale – with an amazingly affordable £45,000 price tag.
The picturesque property on Lewis in the Western Isles has been used by the BBC to film exterior shots, complete with an “Isle of Struay” and “Shop and Post Office” signs.
The property featured in most of the episodes, can be seen in the opening sequence, and was used as the backdrop for the promotional material
The white-painted home is in the tiny, peaceful and very real Lewis village of Tolsta Chaolais, and the price tag also includes a substantial amount of croft land.
And the purchaser would be required by law to become a crofter – like Katie Morag’s adored grandmother, Grannie Island.
They will also have to do a bit of work to get the inside looking as it does on TV, because all the interior shots were filmed in a studio 20 miles away in Stornoway.
Currently listed with island Estate Agent Derek Mackenzie, for offers over £45,000, the particulars state: “An opportunity has arisen to purchase this traditional croft house and substantial croft land in the peaceful village of Tolsta Chaolais on the west side of the Isle of Lewis.
“The property is currently being used in the filming of the BBC’s Katie Morag Series.”
It continues: “The property would benefit from internal modernisation and improvements and offers excellent development potential.
“The main town of Stornoway is 20 miles away with all amenities and services including shops and supermarkets, education, healthcare, sports centre, art centre and transport links.”
The TV series, based on the books written and illustrated by Mairi Hedderwick, was shot at locations across the Western Isles.
The sites were made-up to look like the fictional island of Struay, believed to be based on the Isle of Coll in the Inner Hebrides where the author brought up her children.
In the books Katie Morag sets off from her home on adventures while her mother works as the postmistress and her father runs the general store – the only shop on the island.
The illustrated books are favourites of generations of children and are even taught in schools.
The TV adaptation has been hailed a great success, picked up several awards and has been commissioned for a second series by BBC bosses.
Tourism body VisitScotland predicted the show would see a boom of visitors flocking to the islands in the same way Balamory drew tourists to Mull.
Research conducted by the government body found that a fifth of all visitors to Scotland are influenced to visit after seeing it on film or television.
Meanwhile, for those Katie Morag fans with a bigger budget, there is also a croft house and land for sale on the island that inspired the books.
A two-bedroom property on the island of Coll is just a about mile away from where the author once lived.
It is on the market with agent Bell Ingram for £250,000 and comes with its own two-acre private island – perfect for adventures.
