One of Scotland's Inner Hebrides, the island of Coll, 13 miles long and 3 miles wide in parts, is nowadays home to some 150 people.
Located to the north-west of the Isle of Mull,
it is just north of neighbouring Tiree.
Coll is rockier than Tiree and has more acid moorland.
Whether you want to walk on deserted beaches, go bird-watching, cycling, camping or simply gaze upon the sea, Coll
is an island where you get close to nature again.
The island was once home to Mairi Hedderwick, author of the children's books, Katie Morag. The fictional island of Struay is based on her experiences of living on Coll.
Her daughter Tamara lives on the island and produces pottery at Coll Ceramics near the ferry terminal (tel: 01879 230382).
How to get to Coll
By ferry
The ferry service runs from Oban Monday to Saturday (except Thursdays) to Coll and Tiree. Crossing time from Oban to Coll is 2 hours 45 minutes.
Bikes are carried at a cost of 2 pounds each way on all sailings.
The official Caledonian Macbrayne website lists all the current ferry timetables in detail. Winter timetables may have few sailings.
Vehicle reservation required - telephone 08705 650000. For enquiries, tel: 01475 650 100 / fax: 01475 635 235.
CalMac also operates a day cruise from Oban to Coll
in association with Coll Taxis. This package is available Sundays, Mondays, Thursdays from June until 28 September, and includes the ferry and a guided tour of the island.
Visit the CalMac ferry web site for details.
Non-landing cruises and evening dinner cruises from Oban are also available.
By air
You can fly to the neighbouring island of Tiree from Glasgow most days.
British Airways has an online searchable timetable.
After that, you need to get the ferry over to Coll about an hour from Tiree.
Travellers' Tips:
If you would like a qualified tour guide for your visit to the island, consult the Argyll Islands Tourist Guides Association.
My travellers' tips file may also be useful if you
are planning a trip to Scotland. It covers airlines, national car hire, train information,
accommodation web sites, etc.
Produced by the Ordnance Survey at a scale of 1.25 inches to the mile (2 km to 1 cm)
is the detailed map of Coll & Tiree available to purchase from Amazon UK.
For detailed and searchable maps online, visit
Streetmap.co.uk
and UK Multimap.com
What to see on Coll
The main township is Arinagour where the ferry arrives.
There is a general store selling a variety of produce (01879 230484) plus a craft/gift shop (called An Acarsaid) combined with a post office where you can also hire bikes (tel: 01879 230395).
The Coll taxi service is operated by the Barritts (tel: 01879 230402).
For a good view of the island and its neighbours, walk up the highest hill - Ben Hogh (340 feet) - it has a boulder perched on top which was probably left there from the Ice Age.
In the southern part of the island is Breachacha, a medieval castle with a square keep.
In the 15th century this was the stronghold of the Macleans. It was bought by Major MacLean Bristol in 1965 and restored.
The famous 18th century travellers Johnson and Boswell were stranded on Coll for 10 days because of storms.
They sheltered in the New Castle built in 1750 for Hector Maclean. Many additions were made in the 19th century by the then Stewart owners.
Archaeological sites on Coll include a cairn at Arinagour, a souterrain at the Arnabost crossroads and
Iron Age forts such as the ones at Dun an Achaidh and Feall Bay.
A dozen crannogs (ancient loch dwellings) have been
surveyed by Mark Holley.
Two standing stones can be found in the west at Totronald. These are called Na Sgeulachan
in Gaelic ('teller of tales' in English) and may have been used for astronomical purposes or they could have belonged to a temple.
On the north-west coast, at Killunaig on the road to Sorisdale
is a ruined medieval church and cemetery.
Accommodation includes:
Accommodation listings are provided on the
Argyll, the Isles, Loch Lomond, Stirling & Trossachs - Official Tourist Board web site
which includes brochure request
Info on Katie Morag books for Schools:
Clare van Schijndel from Knypersley First School (Staffordshire) has created a PowerPoint presentation about Coll and the Katie Morag books - to download the presentation - click here and you'll find it about halfway down the page.
Also visit the Random House publishers page on Katie Morag
which includes The Katie Morag Books PDF for parents, teachers - and fans.
Includes Teaching tips, Island facts and Fun activities. Written by Lindsey Fraser of Fraser Ross Associates.
For more information about the island visit:
Visit Coll
Coll Birds
The island's general store
Photos:
