Colonsay

It’s winter, which means it’s time for my yearly holiday somewhere really bleak and miserable. This time it’s Colonsay, a small island in the Inner Hebrides off the west coast of Scotland. I rented a small cottage and spent a very pleasant week there hiding from the storms in front of the solid fuel stove, and here are the photos.

Colonsay’s about 10km long and there’s evidence of population for at least nine thousand years — the island’s completely littered with ruined duns (iron age forts from about 1000 B.C.), which are now invisible unless you’re an expert. Currently the population’s a bit over a hundred and the island is used for farming and tourism. It’s home to a dramatic range of landscapes ranging from the usual Scottish bog (so wet you can have standing water on a 45° slope) to absolutely perfect golden sandy beaches, and has a remarkable amount of wildlife, including a herd of wild goats.

I was staying at Crumble Cottage, a traditional cottage, first ruined and then restored from scratch — solid and very comfortable, with a solid fuel stove for heat. This was very necessary in mid December, and I had many cozy evenings sitting in front of the stove while the wind blew around the eaves. It also had a That Which Lives In The Attic, which thumped and rattled impressively during the night; I hope I didn’t annoy it too much. The cottage is on the relatively wooly west side of the island and was an hour’s walk from the only shop on the island at Scalasaig (and the only pub, which is nearby). I did rent a bicycle with tow buggy but it turned out to have the hardest saddle I’ve ever encountered and I generally preferred to walk.

After spending the week walking gently across the island, visiting some of the amazing beaches, crossing the moors and generally not doing very much, I caught the Caledonian MacBrayne ferry home — on time, which was highly unusual.

I can definitely recommend Colonsay for a holiday if you like peace and quiet and superb views, although I’d probably suggest going in the summer.

First view of the bustling metropolis of Scalasaig. The shop is invisible off to the right, the café is invisible off to the left, and the hotel is the white building in the centre. That's all there is.

Looking across Kiloran Bay at Meall na Suiridh in the foreground and the mountains on Mull in the distance, with snow visible on Creach Beinn (698m).

Machair on the shore near Scalasaig --- it's a tough turf which grows in the tidal area at the high tide line. In the summer it's full of flowers, even when submerged.

Some sort of bog flower. A daisy?

Grass-covered dunes inland of Kiloran bay, covered in sheep and cattle. It's superficially similar to machair but quite different to walk on. Also, full of rabbits. The river is technically Abhainn a' Mhuilinn (trans.: Mill River) but it's really too small to be anything more than an unnamed local stream.

Kiloran bay as the sun is setting --- at 15:09.

Perfect golden sandy beaches.

The Kiloran Bay river at low tide. As the tide comes in, this area becomes submerged and there's huge turbulence between the two rocks; erosion has given them this odd shape.

Erosion!

A panoramic view of Kiloran Bay. In the distance is the highest peak on Colonsay, Carnan Eoin (trans.: Bird Rock), at 143m.

The three Highland bullocks in the field next to my house, eyeing my suspiciously, as I eyed them back. I was warned about these as being unusually aggressive. Given the horns I decided to stay out. Mull is in the distance, and Kiloran Bay to the right.

The windswept rocks of An Rubha (trans.: the point) at the western side of the island. I'm standing on the old iron age fort of Dùn Ghallain (trans.: Rock Fort), but completely failed to noticed this until I just saw it on the map --- there's nothing there now except for stones.

Rocks at the north tip of the island near Tràigh Bàn --- probaly Sgeir Nic Fhionnlaidh (trans.: the Rock of Finlay's Daughter); there's a beautiful untouched golden sandy beach behind me, but I've taken lots of those.

Sheep (and also cattle) peacefully grazing on the dunes at the north end of Colonsay.

Barren rocks at the north of the island: far out to sea is Mull, somewhere, and beyond that the Outer Hebrides.

Kiloran Bay again, at sunset, again. The close point is Rubha Mòr Nighean Eoin (trans.: the Point of Big John's Daugher, or possibly the Big Point of John's Daughter, or possibly the Point of John's Big Daugher).

The beach at Tràigh Ban at the north end of the island. The only tracks in the sand were mine (or sheep).

Not a beach! Loch an Sgoltaire (trans.: Cleaver Lake). All the island's drinking water comes from here. The building on the little island is a Victorian era summer house; there's also a 1615 private artillery fortification (one has to ask why).

Trees in the centre of the island. This is where most of the agriculture happens, at least in the non-boggy bits; it's mainly occupied by Colonsay House, dating from 1722. Apparently they have the finest rhodedendrons in Scotland.

The middle of the three different Loch Fadas at dusk (trans.: Long Lake).