With breathtaking views across Loch Sween and the Sound of Jura, the small village of Tayvallich is, not surprisingly, a magnet for tourists keen to take in the glorious west coast scenery.

Peaceful and beautiful, its jetty offers an ideal spot to moor a small yacht while popping to the village shop for supplies, or to just sit and watch the sun slowly set over calm, untroubled waters.

In recent weeks, however, this serene corner of Argyll and Bute has been rudely awakened by bombshell news that has caused more than a ripple of anxiety and stirred locals into a sudden rush of activity.

Described as a “once in the lifetime” opportunity, Tayvallich Estate - in the hands of a single family for seven decades, has, without warning, hit the open market, taking locals by surprise and sparking fears for their tight knit community.

A snip at offers over £10,465,000, buyers with deep enough pockets could find themselves owning the entire 3,500 acres, including an 811 acres island with boathouse and two jetties, and a total of 13 properties, among them a former school, derelict blacksmith’s forge, and sheep and cattle farms.

Within the estate is just over 28 acres of open native woodland stretching to the shoreline of Linne Mhuirich, and almost 170 acres of rough grazing, marshland and woodland that clings to a tidal lagoon and offers precious habitat for migratory and resident waders and wildfowl. Beneath its surface are grey mullet, common dab and sea trout.

There is an impressive collection of delicate species and precious plant life: one of the estate’s several Sites of Special Scientific Interest is regarded as the best in Scotland for its dragonfly species, another has ‘highly unusual’ juniper scrub, and one harbours fragments of native ancient oak woodland where rare oceanic bryophytes survive at the very limit of their northern range.

There are even the remains of an Iron Age fort and the crumbled remains of the long uninhabited hamlet of Barnashaig.

According to selling agents Strutt and Parker, Tayvallich Estate is a “spectacular residential and agricultural estate occupying a picturesque peninsula… incorporating a variety of nationally important ecosystems.”

But for some locals, among them people born and bred in Tayvallich living in homes tied to the estate for decades, the unexpected sale has cast serious doubts over their future and the delicate natural treasures scattered across its land.

Out of just 17 affordable long-term rental properties on the peninsula, ten are owned by the estate, sparking concerns that long-standing members of the community may have to leave the area should new owners want their houses for holiday homes.

That ignites the disturbing prospect of a modern day ‘clearance’ with Tayvallich locals who have been in their rented homes for decades shifted to make way for more profitable occupants.

Losing properties which have provided accommodation for locals for decades is particularly worrying for an area where almost 40% of homes are second homes or holiday lets.

It is, of course, a common theme across the west coast: according to the National Records of Scotland, Argyll and Bute has lost around 5000 residents (5%) since 1981 and 2700 (3%) since 2011. A further drop of 10% is predicted by 2041.

However, locals fear the issue will hit their small community of just 200 even harder, threatening the futures of the village school, bus service, church and community-owned shop and café.

Adding to that are worries that important environmental work laid down by the estate’s previous owner, Catherine Pollock, whose family inherited the estate 17 years ago, may suffer.

A social worker at the now closed Argyll and Bute Hospital, she managed Tayvallich Estate for decades, carefully maintaining its rare species including marsh fritillary butterflies, otters and Greenland white-front geese, all of national or international importance, and grew and planted many native trees.

Her legacy is said to have made the peninsula one of the best places for nature in Argyll and Bute.

The possibility of not one but several new owners of a carved up Tayvallich Estate raises questions of how they might manage those natural treasures, and what will become of them should swathes of the estate be developed to provide holiday accommodation, roads and other facilities.

That aside, the community is also bruised by the way the estate has been offered for sale; either as a whole with its hefty £10.4 million price tag, or divided into 13 lots, which they say are packaged to make them unaffordable to locals.

“One house has been put together in a lot with a load of land at offers over £800,000,” said one. “That’s out of the range of someone living locally, but might be affordable by someone further away who wants a second home.

“There’s a lot of interest,” they added. “If you drive to Tayvallich, you’ll see there are a lot of people looking around to buy a house.”

There is also upset at the lack of warning that the sale was imminent. Blindsided, locals were left desperately trying to figure out if they might be able to stage a community buyout before its November deadline.

To their dismay, the estate’s current owners refused to delay the sale. Instead they have offered to gift the community a small area of land - if they agree to withdraw their community buy out request.

Undaunted, community organisation, the Tayvallich Initiative, is preparing a bid to the Scottish Land Fund (SLF) for financial support, while aware that it is unlikely to be fully confirmed in time for the close of sale.

Instead, hopes are being pinned on funding from other sources to at least give them enough to buy smaller plots.

“If the community owned more land we could build more affordable homes and provide workshops and studios,” said one local.

“It would also help us secure existing jobs in farming and create new jobs in starter farms or smallholdings, producing more local food.

“We could allow Atlantic rainforest to regenerate in areas that are not needed for grazing and look into renewable energy.”

Owning even part of the estate is being seen as a positive, they added. “This really is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and could transform the community by providing many opportunities for young people and following generations.”

Meanwhile for farmer Erik Riddell, 27, the community bid is probably his only hope of returning to Tayvallich, where he was born and raised.

“I want to move home and work there - instead I’m working and living an hour away,” he said.

“A lot of people I know feel the same: we want to move back to Tayvallich but we can’t because there is such a lack of affordable homes and long term lets as well as employment opportunities.

“The area is a victim of its own success,” he continued. “It’s great that tourists come to enjoy the scenery but that drives up house prices and means people like me can’t afford to compete when it comes to buying a property.

“I’d love to be able to purchase some land and run a small holding, sell produce to local shops and restaurants but there’s no way I could ever afford £800,000 to buy one of the estate lots.

“I would love to move back,” he added. “It was a special place for me to grow up, almost care-free. It needs families.”