Take a place on the wild side

Seaside homes are easy enough to find, provided you're a sociable type who enjoys the shriek of children playing on the beach. But people with a Robinson Crusoe complex, who want to hear only the cry of the gulls and the pounding of the waves, may find it takes years to find their perfect hideaway.

Seaside homes are easy enough to find, provided you're a sociable type who enjoys the shriek of children playing on the beach. But people with a Robinson Crusoe complex, who want to hear only the cry of the gulls and the pounding of the waves, may find it takes years to find their perfect hideaway.

Secluded homes, with views of sea, shore and sky, unbroken by rows of holiday chalets, tend to come with a higher price tag than you might pay for similar properties in an attractive coastal town or village.

Tim Jessop of Knight Frank, is selling West Pill, a traditional white-painted farmhouse, which crouches on an isolated strip of the rocky shore on the western coast of Pembrokeshire. He said: "Places like this, which are cut off are becoming rarer. The days when you could find a cheap, tumble-down fisherman's cottage in need of repair are pretty well gone."

West Pill (pictured below, right) is in the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, which should ensure that a caravan park is never built on the surrounding fields. There are unimpeded views across West Angle Bay to the mouth of the Milford Haven Waterway with the Irish Sea beyond. The house is walking distance from Angle village which has a primary school, shop and two pubs. The three-bedroom house costs an eye-watering £800,000, through Owen & Owen and Knight Frank (01432 273087). However, the price includes two two-bedroom holiday cottages, graded four star by the Welsh Tourist Board, which could provide an income, but at the cost of sharing the splendid solitude.

Less wild, but just as wet, is Horizons, one of four new four-bedroom houses in Tenby, built on the harbour (pictured below, left) and cleverly designed to merge with the older painted houses in this prettiest of Welsh towns. The harbour is sheltered, so sea storms are unlikely to lash at the house, but vicarious excitement is provided by a view of the lifeboat slip where heroic locals launch off for sea rescues. Horizons is £750,000 through Charles Birt & Co and Knight Frank (01432 273087).

Glan Menai, near Llanwnda, offers a cheaper seaside home at £275,000 through Carter Jonas (01248 362536). The three-bedroom, stone and brick house stands on a 12-acre small holding and borders Foryd Bay, Gwynedd, which is home to countless seabirds which stalk the sand flats at low tide. The house is also close to Dina Dinlle, a small village with a popular beach: but the best views are towards the mountains of Snowdonia. The house needs modernising and comes with the bonus of outbuildings which might be converted if planners agree.

At the other end of the country, The House of Knock, in Portpatrick, Wigtownshire, about 60 miles from Prestwick Airport, is being sold by FPDSavills (0141 222 5862) for over £625,000 and is expected to fetch well in excess of that price. The Edwardian mansion stands on a secluded cliff top, with spectacular views over Knock Bay to Killantringan Lighthouse, over the Irish Sea. With eight bedrooms and four bathrooms, it would be ideal for well-heeled people who like lots of guests. There are three acres of lawns, and nine acres of grazing land - enough acreage to halt most incursions from day trippers straying in from Portpatrick, a popular coastal village, three miles away. Stranraer, eight miles away, has schools, shops and restaurants.

You can't find a more romantic setting than Skye and you don't even have to live in an uncomfortable old croft. At £350,000, through Strutt & Parker (0141 225 3880), Morar is a modern house with a swimming pool and views over the Sound of Sleat to Mallaig. It is a short walk from Ardvasar, on the south east coast of Skye and would serve equally well as a holiday home or a main residence. Ardvasar has a primary school where teaching is in both Gaelic and English, a shop, post office, doctor and garage. The nearest supermarket is 16 miles away, but keen fishermen could probably supplement the family diet for free. A paddock at the back of the house leads to a kissing gate with direct access to the foreshore.

Northumberland contains many of Britain's most unspoiled beaches, and Druridge Bay is thought to be one of the county's finest stretches of coastline with six miles of beaches. No 3 Farm Court is a converted stone farm building just a short walk from the beach. The house is bright and unpretentious, with a spiral staircase leading to the first floor. There are four bedrooms, and two bathrooms. At £280,000, through Strutt & Parker (01670 516123), Farm Court would make a great holiday home for families from Newcastle-Upon-Tyne and could also be let out.