Island of Coll May 2013

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Coll May 2013

Helen Rose Hill Diary

The Isle of Coll is a small hebridean island some four miles west of Mull. It is approximately 13 miles long and 4miles at it’s widest. It has a population of around 200 all-year residents and more in the summer. It is a holiday destination for many seeking peace and quiet and who enjoy nature and the natural beauty of the Hebrides. I spent a week there in the Spring with my friend and her dog, a Labradoodle called Muffin. I had exam study to do and to wind down before the operation to remove the metal plate from my leg. This was the perfect place to relax. The island is less than three hours by ferry from Oban. Unfortunately, the weather was very stormy and some boats were cancelled so I ended up in Oban for an unplanned extra night.

We stayed in a lovely cottage overlooking the sound in the main village Arinagour near the ferry terminal. Subsequent days were windy and wet but that did not stop us going out with Muffin for walks and driving to unspoiled beaches and inlets. This being Scotland, visits to the beach meant dressing in thermals and waterproofs but the fresh air was intoxicating and Muffin enjoyed running around on the beaches. It was lambing season so she had to be on a lead other than on the beach.

Coll was home for some 500 years to a branch of the MacLean. In 1590 the MacLeans of Duart invaded their cousins on Coll with the intention of taking the island for themselves. A battle was fought at Breachacha Castle where the Coll clan overwhelmed the Duarts, chopped off their heads and threw them in the stream which is still known as the ‘stream of the heads’. The Macleans of Coll retained their baronial fief and Castle of Breachacha until 1848. Arh, the joys of family. This castle is still there on a headland. My favourite beach was at Gortan, a very narrow bay with the wreck of the Harmony on the sand. There seems to be no available information about this ship. If you know anything about it, please contact me.

All the beaches we visited were deserted and the only signs of life were the lambs on the sand dunes. We even spotted a sheep with triplets! We visited most of the beaches on the island including Bigne Traill and Rubh a Binnein. They were all beautiful. What Coll has is quite special and often intangible with lots of wild, raw nature that thrives due to the solitude. It is why you should consider coming to somewhere where there is still in this day and age absolutely ‘nothing’.

We paid a visit to the RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) centre which is very active as Coll is noted for the summer residency of Corncrakes. Unfortunately, we were too early in the year for their arrival. The approach from the east side was a white knuckle ride over the dunes in the jeep as there was a large amount of puddling from the recent rain. There is a better road from the west side!

On the last day we went up Ben Hoc which is the highest point on the island offering panoramic views. It was a beautiful sunny day and we ended it with a superb meal in the Isle of Coll hotel noted for its seafood and local lamb. It was a restful and relaxing week in a peaceful island with beautiful views. We think Muffin enjoyed her first holiday away from home!

What Coll does have is quite special and often quite intangible. Coll definitely has lots of wild, raw nature that thrives due to the solitude. It is this that brings many to our island and, perhaps, that is why you too should consider coming to somewhere where there is still, even in this day and age, absolutely ‘nothing’.