The UK’s most south westerly pub has gone up for sale – but it’s so remote it only stays open for about six months a year.
The Turks Head on St Agnes in the Isles of Scilly is on the market for £795,000 – and the mile-wide island it is on is home to just 72 people.
But it is so popular with tourists that previous landlords have claimed they have made enough money between April and October to keep it a viable business.
Estate agents Sibleys added previous owners would go on holiday for months, leaving winter punters to serve themselves and put cash in an ‘honesty box’.
The property firm said the pub was a ‘unique opportunity for someone looking for a complete lifestyle change’.
The Turks Head pub, pictured, on St Agnes in the Isles of Scilly has gone up for sale for £795,000 and is the most south-westerly pub in the UK – but is so remote it only opens for around six months a year because the island is home to just 72 people
The pub makes most of its money from the summer tourist trade and previous landlords say they made around £415,000 a year which is enough to keep the business viable. It features classic pub decor inside, pictured, and is on the market fully furnished
Estate agents Sibleys, who are marketing the pub, say it offers an ‘island dream’ experience but would also allow the new owner to take months off on holiday each year. It comes with an outdoor area, pictured, which has seating for 120 people
The pub, pictured, is the only watering hole on the island and is just 50 yards from the main quay, which means it attracts hungry and thirsty visitors between April and October. It also comes with a flat for the owner, five staff rooms, a beer celler and a indoor restaurant with seating for 70 people
This map shows where the pub is on the island, pictured, and how it is the most south-westerly in the UK
The Turks Head is the only pub on the island – which is 28 miles off the coast of Cornwall – and is 50 yards from the quay which makes it an ideal spot for thirsty and hungry day trippers arriving by boat.
It has been described as one of the most scenic pubs in Britain with spectacular views over Porth Conger towards the other islands of Tresco, Bryher, St Martin’s and the main island of St Mary’s.
The pub is named after the Turkish pirates who came to Scilly from the Barbary Coast in the 16th Century, has been operating for at least 35 years, making an average annual turnover of £415,000.
It comes with a main bar, kitchen, 70-cover restaurant and outside seating for 120 people. There is also a spacious flat for the owner, a beer cellar, various store rooms, newly-built workshop and five staff rooms.
While the western shore of the island is exposed to the Atlantic, the eastern side, where the pub is situated, is quite sheltered.
The pub is for sale fully furnished and equipped and also comes with two private moorings.
The pub is on the eastern side of the island and comes with two private moorings. This image shows its location in relation to the quay and how close boats are when they are moored on the harbour pier nearby
Sibleys said the pub, pictured, gets very busy in the summer due to an annual sailing races that attracts 50 to 60 boats and plenty of spectators who come to watch from the comfort of the building. It is also popular with birdwatchers
Sibleys said the current owners are leaving because they do not have much experience in the pub trade but claimed trade had been successful during their time there. Pictured is the inside restaurant
St Agnes is the most south westerly point of the British Isles, with nothing but 3,000 miles of sea between it and America.
The island is popular with birdwatchers as it often attracts rare bird species brought in on the Atlantic currents.
Ian Sibley, from the estate agents Sibleys, said: ‘It’s a fabulous location, the pub is nicely established and it has a good reputation.
‘It gets really busy in the summer and there’s an annual sailing race set in the cove by the pub so you get about 50 or 60 boats and visitors flock to watch from the pub.
‘The owners are a lovely couple who haven’t been there that long. They moved down because they loved the Scilly Isles, but they had no experience in the pub trade and the reality of running a busy pub wasn’t what they were looking for.
‘They’ve kept turnover up and trade has been good, but the island dream hasn’t quite worked out for them.
The pub, pictured, does open at weekends outside of spring and summer but past owners have gone on holiday for months, leaving it open to local punters who pour their own drinks and leave cash in an ‘honesty box’
Ian Sibley, of estate agents Sibleys, said: ‘The Scilly Isles is one of those places that gets under your skin. It’s just fabulous and unbelievably beautiful. There’s something about island life that attracts people.’ Pictured is the pub next to the cove
‘The owners before that had been there for ten years and had experience running a couple of restaurants.
‘I think it would suit someone with some experience in the trade but it’s likely to be someone from the mainland looking to make that lifestyle change to island life.
‘The community on St Agnes is close-knit and resilient, everyone makes their income between Easter and October.
‘During the rest of the year the pub tends to just open at weekends. In the past owners tend to go away for a month or two and spend the rest of the off-season taking it easy or catching up on maintenance.
‘The previous owners used to go away a lot in winter and just let the locals serve themselves because everybody knows everyone.
‘The Scilly Isles is one of those places that gets under your skin. It’s just fabulous and unbelievably beautiful. There’s something about island life that attracts people.
‘I moved here from the mainland about 25 years ago for the same reason and a friend of mine, a wealthy Frenchman who can go anywhere in the world, says a day on Scilly is worth three anywhere else.
‘It’s a place you can truly unwind.’