IT was the first big land buyout in Scotland where wealthy owners were forced to sell to the community. The Assynt Foundation used £4 million of taxpayer, charity and lottery cash to buy the vast Glencanisp and Drumrunie estates, and refurbish Glencanisp Lodge, but there have been questions about how great the return on the investment has been ever since the 2005 buyout. Now, after 15 years of effort, the foundation has decided to call in private cash and a high-powered entrepreneur to give it the boost it needs to achieve its goals. Hotelier Nick Dent is to lease the stunning Glencanisp Lodge, centrepiece of the Assynt Foundation’s 44,000 acres, and turn it into a boutique hotel.