Low-key Inner Hebridean island of sandy beaches, dark skies, and a tiny crofting community
Coll is one of Scotland's Inner Hebrides — thirteen miles long, three miles wide, and home to about 150 people. It sits northwest of Mull, just north of neighbouring Tiree, and is rockier and wilder than its flatter sibling.
The draw here is solitude. Coll has white-sand beaches that you will often have entirely to yourself (Feall Bay and Crossapol Beach are the pick), moorland full of wading birds protected by the RSPB reserve, and clear night skies that earned the island Dark Sky status. Walking, cycling, bird-watching, and simply staring at the Atlantic are the main activities. The island was once home to Mairi Hedderwick, author of the Katie Morag children's books — the fictional Isle of Struay is essentially Coll.
The single village, Arinagour, has the shop, the hotel, and the ferry pier. At the south-west end stand the two Breachacha Castles, where Johnson and Boswell stayed in 1773.
CalMac ferries run from Oban via Mull, taking about three hours. There is no public transport on the island, so bring a bicycle or arrange a lift.
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Eating Out
Options are short and largely centred on Arinagour. The Coll Hotel has the only proper restaurant on the island and is justly known for its seafood — Coll crab, langoustines straight from the boats, hand-dived scallops. Sit in the conservatory at sunset for the view across the bay.
The Island Cafe opens for daytime food (soups, sandwiches, home-baked cakes) and the village shop sells the basics for self-catering. First Port of Coll down by the pier doubles as a takeaway and bunkhouse cafe. Outside the village there is nowhere to eat at all, so stock up before you cycle out.
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Getting There
CalMac ferries run from Oban to Arinagour roughly once a day in summer, less often in winter. The crossing takes two hours forty minutes to three hours and continues on to Tiree. Book vehicle space well ahead in July and August.
Coll Airport, a single grass strip at the west of the island, takes Hebridean Air's small Britten-Norman Islander flights from Oban a few times a week. The flight is short and spectacular over the Firth of Lorne but is weather-dependent.
There is no public transport on the island. Most visitors bring a bike on the ferry, hire one from the Coll Bunkhouse, or arrange a taxi-style pickup with one of the island's residents. The single-track road runs the length of the island and is easy cycling, with frequent passing places.
