About Colonsay

The Isle of Colonsay is a small island 20 miles off the west coast of Scotland. It is approximately 8 miles long by 3 miles across and is connected at low tide to a smaller island, Oronsay, by tidal causeway. It is neighboured by the Islands of Islay, Jura and Mull. Pictureque and unspoiled, Colonsay has some of the most breathtaking scenery in Scotland, offering luscious beaches and spectacular sea views.

The following is intended to give you a brief idea of the kind of things that Colonsay offers, but is not exhaustive - please do contact us if you have any specific enquiries or questions.

Amenities

Although small, Colonsay has an impressive range of amenities for use. See the linked websites where available for opening hours and further details.

The Colonsay General Store - The shop has an excellent range of goods including fresh, locally produced meat and seafood. Additionally, a delivery service is offered so your shopping can be waiting for you at the cottage when you arrive.
The Colonsay Pantry - The pantry is a cafe located just left of the pier and stocks freshly baked cakes and pastries, barista grade coffee, locally themed gifts and is the only place on the island which stocks Colonsay wildflower honey.
The Colonsay Hotel - The hotel offers a welcoming, rustically themed bar stocking a range of malt whiskies, ales, locally produced Colonsay beer and gin. Additionally, the adjoining restaurant offers a range of meals using locally sourced seafood, Scottish lamb, beef and pork.
The Colonsay Bookshop - An independent publishing house which stocks a variety of quality titles for the discerning bibliophile. Books on subjects such as local and maritime history, roads and railways, genealogy and biographies from award winning authors are offered.
Wild Island Distillery and Colonsay Brewery - Colonsay is the smallest island in the world to sport its own distillery and brewery, which produces award winning gin and a range of artisan beers.
Colonsay House Cafe - Located in the beautiful woodland and rhododendron garden of Colonsay house, the cafe serves light snacks, tea and coffee. Postcards and local gifts are also available.
The Old Waiting Room Gallery - The gallery stocks an array of art, crafts and gifts created by both local and visiting artists, and also homes the tourist information point on the island.
Christine's Den - A gift shop which is home to local arts and crafts items, and also stocks gifts from further afield.
The Service Point - Provides clerical facilities for the use of the community, such as photocopying, faxing and Internet access. The library is also located here.

Activities

Your holiday on Colonsay can be as sedate and relaxing or as active as you desire. The island offers many unique activities for all ages and tastes - see the linked websites where available for further information.

Ceilidhs - Traditional Scottish dances are held in the community hall on Saturday nights from 8pm in the summer and school holidays.
Ceòl Cholasa music festival - The island hosts a popular folk music festival every September.
Colonsay book festival - Once a year, world renowned authors give short readings of some of their titles.
Spring and autumn festivals - Held in celebration of their respective seasons, content varies but the autumn festival is focused on food and drink. See the Spring festival and Autumn festival websites for further details.
Colonsay rugby festival - Rugby matches are held every year which are attended by many professional teams from around Scotland. This is all the more surprising when you consider that Colonsay doesn't have a permanent rugby pitch!
Guided tours - Local residents Kevin Byrne and Jim Johnstone offer tours of the Island, detailing both natural and cultural history. The tours available vary in length and topic - for further details see the Colonsay website.
Bike hire - Local resident Archie McConnell offers a variety of adult and childrens bicycles for hire on a daily or weekly basis.
Charter boat hire - Coastal connection have chartered boats for hire and tours around a variety of locations in the western isles, including Colonsay.
Fishing - In addition to sea fishing, visitors can fish in the local lochs. Loch an Sgoltaire and Loch Fada are resident to brown trout, descendants of fish introduced by the monastic community in Kiloran Abbey. Visitors desiring to fish in the lochs are requested to join the Colonsay fly fishing association at the hotel or Colonsay estate office, which gives access to the fishing log and boats.
Golf - Colonsay offers a largely natural 18 hole golf course with modest green fees (paid at the hotel), which is reputedly over 200 years old.
MacPhie climbing - A popular activity for walkers in Colonsay is that of MacPhie climbing, a MacPhie being a hill in excess of 300ft in height. 22 such peaks are recorded in the official list, with a total circuit of approximately 20 miles in length. Walkers often aim to visit all of these in one run, and record their route and time - locations, heights and OS references are available on the Colonsay website.

Flora and Fauna

For such a small island, Colonsay is home to a remarkable range of diverse habitats and consequently flora and fauna which are hard to find in other parts of Scotland. Flora highlights include the Sea Samphire, Marsh Helleborine and the rare orchis Spiranthes Romanzoffiana (Irish ladies tresses).

Naturally, where there are flowers, there are bees, and the island homes colonies of the only native honeybee species in Britain, Apis mellifera mellifera. This species is protected by law and it is an offence to keep or introduce other species to the island.

A birdwatchers paradise, Colonsay's most notable resident is the Corncrake, which can be often heard at dusk and dawn in moorland areas.

Colonsay is also home to a herd of wild goats which are said in apocryphal stories to be descended from those brought to the island on a shipwrecked vessel from the Spanish armada.

A comprehensive list of resident flora and fauna can be found on the Colonsay webpage.

History

Evidence of mesolithic occupation in Colonsay has been discovered that suggests the island has been inhabited since at least 7000BC. There are numerous ruined hill forts around the island which were likely used for military defense in the bronze and iron ages. Local legends state that Saint Columba initially stopped on the adjoining Oronsay before later settling and founding the monastery of Iona Abbey.

The rich and varied natural and cultural history of Colonsay has the subject of intense interest and study by academics and amateurs alike - some consider the book "Colonsay and Oronsay in the Isles of Argyll: Their History, Flora, Fauna and Topography" by John de Vere Loder (ISBN 0 9524509 0 9) to be one of the most definitive titles on the subject, although this can be hard to find in print. The House of Lochar catalogue also contains a number of excellent titles on local history.