Isle of Colonsay

Introducing Isle of Colonsay

Legend has it that when St Columba set out from Ireland in 563, his first landfall was Colonsay. But on climbing a hill he found he could still see the distant coast of his homeland, and pushed on further north to found his monastery in Iona, leaving behind only his name (Colonsay means ‘Columba’s Isle’).

Colonsay is a connoisseur’s island, a little jewel box of varied delights, none exceptional but each exquisite – an ancient priory, a woodland garden, a golden beach – set amid a Highland landscape in miniature: rugged, rocky hills, cliffs and sandy strands, machair and birch woods, even a trout loch. Here, hill walkers bag ‘McPhies’ – defined as ‘eminences in excess of 300ft’ (90m) – instead of Munros. There are 22 in all; the super-competitive will bag them all in one day.

Last updated: Feb 17, 2009