A Scottish island with a population of just 15 residents has placed an ad to recruit two new families to take up residency there.

The loneliest schoolgirl in Britain, nine-year-old Caroline MacKinnon, hopes a family with children will be chosen, as being the sole student in the island of Canna's schoolhouse is not much fun.

"There are people to play with when I'm on holiday, but at school there are no people to play with," Caroline says. "It would be good if there were kids here and I'd have fun playing and doing stuff, but, as people can see, there's nobody here."

The National Trust for Scotland is inviting families to rent two four-bedroom houses on the island. They have already received 130 applications from families around the world, from places including Dubai, Japan and Australia.

Canna, which measures 4.5 miles long by a mile wide, does not have a pub, shop or doctor. The nearest shop takes four hours to get to by ferry. The doctor lives on a nearby island called Eigg. None of the residents lock their doors.

Caroline's aunt, Winnie MacKinnon, tells Reuters, "I am concerned people know what they are coming to. This is a life-changing decision."

"No one locks their doors here," MacKinnon says. "We don't live in each other's pockets, but when push comes to shove, we all pull together."

Some applicants say they are dying to get away from the rat race, but MacKinnon, also Canna's trust manager, warns that not everyone is built for life on the island.

"Life is very challenging ... winters are long, dark and can e hard for those not used to it," she says. "People have to be complete within themselves and extremely practical."