DEPOPULATION is a prob­lem that has afflicted the Highlands and Islands for many years.

At first glance, the islands themselves may be regarded as having fared better than the mainland - they had a combined population of 103,702 at the 2011 census, up four per cent from 10 years earlier. That figure, though, is skewed by sizeable increases in Orkney, Shet­land and the Western Isles. Smaller counterparts have not done so well.

Now comes news that the number of uninhabited islands has increased by one - the young family who lived on, and owned, Tanera Mor have moved to the mainland. It was the last populated component of the Summer Isles group - made famous through being associated with the fictional Summerisle, which featured in the 1973 film The Wicker Man (although it was actually filmed around Newton Stewart in Dumfries and Galloway).

The Summer Isles' other main claim to fame, other than their breathtaking, rugged beauty, is having one of the few private postal services in the UK.

Tanera Mor is now on the market for offers over £195,000. Prospective purchasers have the chance to put their own stamp on a unique piece of Scotland's heritage.