National Trust offers £1m farm for just £1 rent a year

Looking to live the rural dream in Wales? The perfect property may have just come on the market – for £1. But there is a sting in the tail: the workload is pretty hefty.

The National Trust is looking for a ‘farming hero’ with a ‘passion for nature, people and a lot of sheep’ to be the new tenant of Great Orme near Llandudno, North Wales.

The agreeable price comes because Great Orme’s coastal headland requires traditional grazing techniques, according to William Greenwood, National Trust general manager.

“Unless we implement a very specific grazing regime we will not see these most fragile habitats recover,” Greenwood said.

“Put simply, to ensure a healthy and beautiful landscape we need the most agriculturally productive pastureland to be grazed less, and the least agriculturally productive grassland to be grazed more,” he added.

This means that the huge number of sheep need to be moved around regularly on the tough terrain, while also while working around the 600,000 visitors to the Great Orme, each year.

“To give him or her a head start and the best chance of success, we’re taking away the financial pressure of having to cover the rent for the farm, the grazing rights and the farmhouse each year,” Greenwood added.

Serious applicants will need to complete a standard application form before Friday 10 June at noon.