Unique Property For Unique People

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Unique Property For Unique People: You!

This website is being overhauled in a major way.

Why? To be more helpful and increase the number of unusual properties for you to consider.

However, we have had an urgent favour to repay a friend called Michael Moore. It was Michael who taught our editor, Russ McLean, how to work websites.

So whilst we work on improving our Unique Property Bulletin website, and also discharge a debt of honour to our friend Michael Moore (at what should have been a website named “Michael’s List“), here is a pictorial note of where this publication, Unique Property Bulletin was born…. 

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Chapter 1 of The Now Free

Unique Property Manual

 

An Island Coastguard Station Home For

Just £5 A Year

Yes you read that correctly. In 1984, our editor leased this for

JUST FIVE POUNDS A YEAR…

This island is where Unique Property Bulletin started. It cost our editor, Russ McLean £5 a year…

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^^ The Old Lookout, Davaar Island, Kintyre, Argyll ^^

^^ Copyright Holder: Paul White. Thank you. Alamy Fee Paid: Click Here ^^

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^^ The Old Lookout Station In 1984 ^^
^^ Kind of Understandable That This Was Just £5 A Year! ^^
But a bit of tender loving care and the first renovation got the place very cosy and habitable…

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^^ The Old Lookout Station After Some Care & Love ^^
But a bit of tender loving care and the first renovation got the place very cosy and habitable.

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^^ The Old Lookout Station ~ Hatch Between Floors ^^
Still needed some work to enable the dog to climb up the old ladder.
Or rather find an alternative dog-friendly way to get upstairs and downstairs.
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^^ The Old Lookout Station ~ Hatch Between Floors ^^

Even though we gave up the Old Lookout Station in the 1990s, a constant stream of friends have visited the building…

^^ Friends Still Visit The Old Lookout Coastguard Station On Davaar Island ^^

It is owned by Mr & Mrs Turner and can be booked…

Click Here

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Although there have been several, very welcome renovations since our very first endeavour to make the rooms and building habitable in the 1980. This was part of the £5 deal with Mr Turner Senior when first we leased the building in 1984/1985.

Low rent at £5 a year, in exchange for modest renovation work.

The Old Lookout: Lounge & Bedroom

Before Renovation Work

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^^ Davaar Island: Old Lookout Before Renovations ^^
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After a lot of work, by many friends and through several renovations between 1985 and 2025…
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^^ Davaar Island: Old Lookout After Renovations ^^

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Mr “Chewing-A-Wasp” happy-face (pictured next) was actually very cheerful most days. Just some days when the incoming tide times meant a 4 hour as Davaar Island was a tidal-island and a “wait” to get back to the mainland as required, seemingly the waste of 4 hours time for the tide to come in and out (out of the way of the shingle causeway so that the Landrover could cross from the island to the mainland).
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^^ Mr Happy McChewing A Wasp! ^^
^^A Rare Photo of Russ McLean On Davaar Island: Long Before Camera Phones ^^
On reflection 30 years later, there was no wasted time on this island. It was and is a sublime place to work or to relax. Many times in life would those of us who frequented Davaar Island, give diamonds and precious stones for 4 more hours, at peace, on that tranquil piece of paradise…
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^^ Davaar Island & The Dhorlin Causeway ^^
^^Photo Courtesy of Simon Butterworth. Alamy Fee Paid: Here ^^
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^^ Davaar Island: Old Lookout After Renovations ^^
^^ & With The Island of Arran Just Across The Water ^^
More details on this Old Lookout building will follow in future updates. Plus living (economically) on small islands and crucially how this sort of (sometimes off-grid) lifestyle can help…
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=> Turbocharge your savings to the point were you have ample funds for a handsome deposit to place on your own house purchase/mortgage arrangements are included in the index page.
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=> In the several years our editor lived here (at £5 a year), he put themoney that would have “normally” earmarked for Normal” rent into savings.
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A total of…
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=> £39,741

=> in savings from living a simple, off-grid life on an island at £5 a year.

…was accumulated for a house deposit in London.
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When our editor moved from this small island in Scotland to the metropolis un London (where property was a huge order of magnitude more expensive), after several years in the Capital, when he came back home to Scotland, there was sufficient to buy a hotel in Argyll overlooking the Atlantic. Hotel + owner’s house + 6 chalets. Cash. Plus a ferry and several other buildings. Not a mortgage in site either!
A very strange feeling of good luck. Though, in a strange way it was the bad luck of becoming disabled and having spinal surgery etc., that started this journey through the rich tapestry of life
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^^ Moved Back North From A Stint Working In London ^^
^^ The Owners House, Plus A Spare Hotel Became Home! ^^
^^Putechan Lodge Hotel, Overlooking The Atlantic Ocean
^^ One of Several Empty Hotels ^^
^ Brought Back To Life With The Help of Many Friends ^^
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The reason for moving 535 miles from an island paradise down to London was to earn enough money to help start a ferry service from Campbeltown, in Argyll, Scotland to Red Bay, Antrim, Northern Ireland. The local economies in Argyll and Antrim needed repairing and the answer did occasionally sail past the front door of Russ’ home at the Old Coastguard Lookout Station…
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^^ Ferry Passing Davaar Island & The Old Lookout ^^
^^ Photo Courtesy of Allan Wright. Alamy Fee Paid: Click Here ^^
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The leap from being a harbourmaster to helping put the jigsaw pieces of a ferry service into place was not as difficult as might be imagined.
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The original 1970s ferry between Red Bay an Campbeltown was run by a family friend (John Rose). After all the discussions, and assembling a team with the skillset to run a new ferry service had concluded, John Rose uttered words that are memorable to our group of friends…
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“All we need now is a quarter of a million pounds!”
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Having checked behind the sofa for loose change and also our “Angels’ Share” fund, neither produced the required £250,000.
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So the bags were packed, and off to the financial shark infested waters at The City of London for several years of growing funds.
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Ironically London homes are similar to the ones we viewed from the Old Lookout Station. Literally.
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^^ There Is A Useful Lesson At This Point ^^
^^ That Being Onsite Or Nearby Helps Find Wonderful Unique Property Bargains ^^
From the Old Lookout Station it was a natural pastime to watch the ships sail by.
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Now, this being Unique Property Bulletin, an old ruin on the opposite shoreline was spotted (it was partially hidden from the main road), but could be seen from the Old Lookout Station.
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=> So one day, whilst back on the mainland (from Davaar Island) and driving up to the Claonaig-Lochranza ferry to go back to the island of Arran and visit family, the old Landrover seemed to instinctively pull into the layby and behind an old stable was found this tasty morsel…
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Deploying owner/search techniques that are in our original Unique Property Manual (and we shall feature later), the reply from the owners was that…
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“An Offer Over £19,000 Would Secure This!”
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^^ Very Old Baraskomel House + Separate Steading (Barn) ^^
^^ An Offer Over £19,000 Was Sought ^^
^^ To Buy or Not To Buy?
Would you buy this for around £19,000? The year was 2006.
For Russ, the view clinched the purchase…
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^^ Very Old Baraskomel House + Separate Steading (Barn) ^^
^^ The “Extra” Barn Can Be Seen Lower Left ^^
Russ Was Fond of Saying…
“You can see my hoose fae here!”

Turns out the folk who owned it were from Harrogate in Yorkshire, kindred spirits to Scots in many ways. Especially with padlocks on wallets, purses and sporrans. Apparently the “offers over” £19,000 meant £29,000 or £25,000 minimum.

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In the end, a cheque for £22,500 was agreed and the rest is history.

Conveyance inbound…

Click Here

& Title Deeds…

Click Here

So even when a casual digression about London property and ferries is on the page, it is worth keeping alert dear readers as this property may well be for sale again if you fancy?

Just keep an eye on our main social media page…

Click Here

& Follow/Subscribe To Avoid Missing Tasty Property Morsels

We will cover this old wreck and what you might like to do with it in a future edition.

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Being There!

Looking back, and the principle about being onsite still stands.

The old wreck above for £19,000 was actually lived in (the barn with the roof was dry-lined and made VERY comfortable as it helped a lot if there had been a part or a nice meal in town and the tide had just started to cover the causeway, so getting onto the island was a challenge. It was very helpful to have a bed + coffee making facilities to kip in on the mainland at Baraskomel until the tide had come fully in and gone out (this is an excellent remedy for island living).

The views from the Baraskomel home were just as good, looking towards the Old Lookout Station as they were from the opposite side of Campbeltown Loch…



^^ View From Baraskomel Home Looking Towards Davaar Island ^^

Unfortunately… actually that should be fortunately: a nice unique lighthouse station came up for sale in another part of the country, so a quick sale was arranged of Russ’ Baraskomel home. Having bought a very modest abode for £22,500 it was a very pleasant surprise to be offered £46,000 (proof for doubters: click here).

=> The Angels’ Share funds just took another big financial bump of an increase:-)

Returning to the efforts to reinstate the ferry service which is vital to the local economy, a petition had been organised (way before home/office computers and the internet were fully established. So these signatures were manually collected, door by door…

Click Here To View Ferry Petition SUPPORTING CalMac

Petition PE188  
Petition calling for the Scottish Parliament to enable Caledonian MacBrayne the state owned Scottish Ferry company to take over the Campbeltown to Ballycastle route which is critically important to the fragile economies of Argyll and Antrim.

Petitioner: Mr Russ McLean

Click Here To View Covering Letter To Scottish Parliament SUPPORTING CalMac

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Someone must have been listening, as the ferry service still exists to this day (2025: here). Though could do with a boost since CalMac Ferries and their shipbuilders ran into difficulties (here).

This has caused one of our Unique Property Mischief Club projects… the Sannox Hotel purchase/renovation on the island of Arran some discomfort too.

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^^ Sannox Hotel Renovation ^^
^^ This Is One of Nine Unique Property Projects ^^

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^^ Sannox Hotel Renovation ^^
^^ After The Pandemic + Ferry Problems ^^
^^ Plus The Managing Director's Stroke/TBI - Being Hit On The Head By The Ferry ^^
^^ This Renovation Is Relaunching In July/August 2025 ^^

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^^ Sannox Hotel Renovation ^^
^^ This Renovation Is Relaunching In July/August 2025 ^^
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^^ Sannox Hotel Renovation ^^
^^ This Renovation Is Relaunching In July/August 2025 ^^
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Here at Unique Property Bulletin we have a dilemma. Our managing director was brought up at the nearby Blackrock House Hotel in Corrie. However, that was many decades ago and he is no longer fit enough to run a hotel.
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=> So it is likely the Sannox Hotel will be leased to a suitable hotelier/restaurateur, or sold.
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=> Though for sure, with Russ moving across to Sannox Hotel in the summer to oversea the final 10% to 15% of renovation works, we will be taking the restoration across the finish line to re-opening.
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We know the hotel will either need a new manager of leaseholder.
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=> The question for our whole organisation is whether to move our north office (“1”) below from the east coast to the west cost?
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What do you, our reader reckon? If we have offices at Sannox hotel on the Island of Arran, it wil make it a much nicer experience to come and visit for business.
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^^ Plans Are Coming Right At Last ^^
^^ The Three Unique Property Bulletin Locations ^^
^^ Should Help Prove The Benefit of Our ^^
^^ Two-Summers-No-Winters Philosophy For UPB Members ^^

Righty oh, for this nascent DRAFT chapter of the new “Unique Property Manual“ we draw this first iteration to a close.

In the next few days, we will institute a dedicated segment at the top of this page to post the unique property “finds” we make and link them to the top for you… with a fresh property every couple of days.

The main text and video VLOGS of this page (at the lower segment) will now be nudged towards an online “Unique Property Manual” with all the techniques we use to find unusual property. That way, you should be able to achieve our aim for you and all of readers…

 

For our next chapter, we move onto the “bank heist.” That term came from one of the Calum’s List + Creditcare Money Advice Charity clients.

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Chapter 2 of The Now Free

Unique Property Manual

 

We Banned Mortgages

On All Of Our Buildings

Curious?

Back on the mainland (from the Davaar Island birthplace of the Bulletin and Property Manual publications) we had been getting into an unusual form of Unique Property mischief (we prefer former railway stations + castles + lighthouse stations to old bank buildings).
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But when a bank… Santander Bank “sticks” to money that does not belong to them – especially a registered charity’s money, this sort of thing happens…

 

^^ Jackie & Russell Calum McLean ^^

A very good friend, Michael Moore taught Russ McLean how to work internet websites. But Mick said to Russ that he should not to use his real name on the internet.

Russ felt uncomfortable not using his real name. so instead deployed a midway solution…

Russ used his middle name “Calum” when on Mick’s websites.

In amongst all of the money advice charity part of what Russ and the crew were doing, this happened…

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^^ Michael Moore Registered This Website ^^

By the time Russ (Calum) found out, it was too late to change the name to anything else.

Below is an excerpt of the registered charity (that was helped into existence in the 1990s by Unique Property Bulletin’s core team of subscribers).

The Creditcare Debt Advice Association “charity” years were from 1996 to 2007.

However, due to demand, that continued after the trustees had asked the Charity Commissioner to deregister the charity (both trustees were police officers and sticklers for correct procedure), the demand grew like an avalanche

Alert readers will be aware that at this time, there followed a world banking crisis.

That put a new level of high demand on services that community members knew were available at the harbourmaster’s office (of all obscure places).

So the trustees continued the debt advice association in accordance with the Memorandum & Articles of the Association.

But just as a more simpler “not-for-profit” association.

This matters now, in 2025, because the Land Reform Act and Community Empowerment Act make it possible for a statutorily constituted community association to “repossess” bank buildings where “harm” has been, or is being done to the community.

 

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^^ A Friend of Russ, During His Time Working In London ^^
^^ Took His Own Life ^^
^^ The Best We Could Do Was Establish This Charity ^^

 

Perhaps it might be helpful to upload one of our TEST video VLOG to see if it might help to see some of the folk that volunteer with Unique Property Bulletin and engage with how, why, what, where we got here to a site about something very far removed to the first charity born and registered from these Unique Property pages.

One aspect is our BAN on mortgages as described here…

We Make No Apologies

For Repeating This Picture

The message at this byline will help you get the unique home

for which you are making a lot of effort to achieve.

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Add into the mix, a group of approximately 585 shareholders from our “Unique Property plc” days between the late 1990s/early 2,000s and we were certainly in a position to buy bank buildings as part of our…

“Unique Property Mischief” projects.

All of this ended up with a series of LEGAL bank heists to assist various charities and projects that have been born from Unique Property Bulletin.

In a very kind response on one of the “PTSD” days some of our team get, the Unique Property Bulletin Ltd., book keeper very thoughtfully put this together…

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^^ None Too Shabby For An Eccentric Blog ^^

^^ As Completed By 11 Volunteers + 1,000s of You Guys Reading This ^^

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who helped with this over the past 40 years.

As part of this Unique Property Bulletin website’s evolution, we are adding a new video log (VLOG) from Russ to see a YouTube format of articles might make them more digestible. Indeed, Russ has a question about a new, bespoke YouTube channel for Unique Property Bulletin, for which he raises a number of points that YouTube might make it easier to digest an thereby our readers will improve their chances of…

Well Worth Repeating These Words.

 

This current YouTube VLOG in the next segment from Russ McLean, proposes a real size double-decker bus be purchased for the purpose of touring around the UK and visiting owners of unique property. All of whom will have reached an agreement to interview (as opposed to being “doorstepped” by television crew).

=> Plus, of course, a video or each newly visited unusual property.

=> A particular emphasis is sought for those in the midst of renovation of their unique homes.

The resultant video footage, plus VLOG work at  video + VLOG (and aerial drone) will be capable of broadcast quality edit/processing and transmission from the edit-suite within the space afforded by a double-decker bus and interview studio within the vehicle.

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PLEASE FORGIVE RUSS BEING GROGGY

IN THIS NEXT VIDEO

It was 4am in the morning and the he had just awoken from a PTSD riddled nightmare echoing back to service as a police officer and having to attend post mortems of youngsters, which, when conflated with the death of his younger brother Jason McLean from leukaemia – brothers were 2 years and 6 years respectively, and possibly accounts for the first five minutes of this video being a little subdued.

However, never underestimate the healing power of a strong cup of coffee at 4am and the curative remedy of talking away for 30 minutes whilst the cortisol and adrenaline in his bloodstream subside/dissipate.

This is NOT typical of how these

VLOGS are progressing.

It is still early days yet…

^^ Russ McLean, Director: Unique Property Bulletin Ltd ^^

^^ 4am Middle of The Night ^^

^^ Test Vlog ^^

Please be patient, we are still working to get these videos into a workable state so they provide some benefit for our readers.

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Contact Details For Unique Property Bulletin

Direct Landline: 01241 852127

TEXT is more reliable as we are volunteers with day-jobs

TEXT: 0757 2768 795

Or get in touch…

Click Here

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Previous Editions of

Unique Property Bulletin

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