Five huts on isolated beach on sale for £2.1million – but there’s a catch
FIVE huts on an isolated beach with no running water or mains electricity are on sale for a combined £2.1million.
The wooden cabins are priced from £395,000 to £450,000 each.
Only one has a loo and buyers must be ready to pay in cash as banks will not lend for mortgages as it is seen as too risky.
The huts, on Mudeford Sandbank in Dorset, can be reached only by ferry or a 20-minute walk.
They are among 360 huts with stunning views of the sea, the Isle of Wight and nearby Christchurch Harbour.
Average prices have shot up from £73,000 in 2002, to £270,000 in 2014 and £300,000 in 2017.
Demand surged again after the pandemic with people prepared to pay a staycation premium.
Owner Stephen Bath said: “The appeal of Mudeford is the island feeling. You can only get there by boat or a long walk so it’s like you are in a different world, away from it all.
“There’s also the social aspect – there is a slight commune feel to it, you get to know your neighbours well because they aren’t on the other side of a fence or wall and you are all pretty happy there. It’s like an exclusive club.
“I think there is also that feeling that you don’t really own one, merely look after it for the next generation – like the Patek Philippe watch advert.
“A lot of people who have inherited them don’t feel they can cash it in as they owe it to pass it on to their children and grandchildren to treasure as much as they do.
“People who have been brought up on Mudeford beach as children remember it as the most magical place in their lives.
“For £400,000 you could buy a 60ft Sunseeker in pretty new condition with its own toilet, shower, main bedroom. That is an extravagant asset but a beach hut at Mudeford is a way of life.”