Falkland island up for sale

An island that was the site of a major SAS raid during the Falklands War is going on sale, according to reports.

Covering 39.9 square miles, Pebble Island is the fifth-largest of the 778 isles that make up the Falkland Islands, a British overseas territory in the southwest Atlantic Ocean. The island is being sold by the ancestors of a merchant called John Markham Dean who bought it from the British government in 1869, reports The Times.

“His descendant, Claire Harris, has been unable to find anyone to value the island so will seek offers when it goes on the market this year,” the newspaper adds.

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Harris, the granddaughter of the last Dean to live on and farm the island full-time, said: “My father managed the island from the UK for many years and is passionate about the place, as are my husband and myself and most other members of our extended family.

“I have been managing the property for the last ten years and it’s because neither I nor my sisters, or our seven children, are now in a position to keep it going that we have decided, very sadly, to sell.

“Many would say Pebble is the most beautiful in the Falklands because it is varied, with three hills, beaches, cliffs and lakes.”

The island was also the site of a pivotal attack during the Falklands War, which saw the British pitted against Argentine forces for control of the archipelago. A 45-strong SAS team launched a raid on an airbase on Pebble on 14 May 1982 that resulted in the destruction of 11 Argentine planes.

Today, the island is home to two memorials from the war.

It is also famed as an “Important Bird Area” (IBA) as designated by BirdLife International, in recognition of the large number of rare birds there.

Riki Evans, 49, lives on Pebble from October to March while running the island’s guest house, which will not be included in the sale.

“I don’t think whoever is going to buy the island will turn it into Las Vegas, there is too much water,” he said. “I guess it will suit someone who likes peace and quiet, the fresh air, the silence.

“You would also have to like sheep, or at least not hate them.”

The island is a 45-minute plane journey from Stanley, the capital and largest town of the Falklands archipelago.