There seems to be much commercial forestry sale at cheap prices (by UK standards anyway) in rural Scotland. For example this:
http://www.johnclegg.co.uk/uk-&-ireland-property-search/property-detail/?id=1218&filter_region=1/0/0&filter_price=&page=1 I shudder to think what this size plot would cost you further south.
So this type of land tends to have a lot of disadvantages but I feel these would be overcome by a longterm owner. It is typically a conifer, monocrop desert. My very limited understanding is that this ecosystem alters the soil quality so little else can grow or live there. But I would assume over time native species would take hold again if sections of the conifer crop were felled. Without the plantation what would the land eventually revert to ... heather moorland? Actually the cheapest land available is a forestry plantation which has just been felled. This must be because it would take several years to grow the trees again before any profit could be made from the land But bare land could be replanted with whatever you please. Smaller areas could be enriched with nitrogen fixing plants prior to growing crops. Then there is location. Rural Scotland is either a great thing or a disadvantage depending on your outlook. Probably the biggest difficulty would be planning permission. I have heard it is almost impossible to get permission to build on such plots. My guess is that it would take years. You could always live there in the mean time in a temporary structure. I grew up on a farm about 30 acres, and if forested even this size plot this would provide plenty of room and privacy to live tucked away. I've only ever visited Scotland as far north as Inverness, and this was in high summer... I gather it gets much colder =D I'm interested to hear thoughts from others about the feasibility of doing something like this. Is it possible to convert such land to grow crops on a very small scale, perhaps in a few polytunnels?
