| Scottish Gaelic name | Cola |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | [ˈkʰɔl̪ˠə]ⓘ |
| Meaning of name | Pre-Celtic and unclear |
 View ofArinagour | |
| Location | |
  Coll Coll shown within Argyll and Bute | |
| OS grid reference | NM207584 |
| Coordinates | 56°38′N6°33′W / 56.64°N 6.55°W /56.64; -6.55 |
| Physical geography | |
| Island group | Mull |
| Area | 7,685 ha (29+5⁄8 sq mi)[1] |
| Area rank | 18 [2] |
| Highest elevation | Ben Hogh 106 m (348 ft)[1] |
| Administration | |
| Council area | Argyll and Bute |
| Country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 171[3] |
| Population rank | 32 [2] |
| Population density | 2.5/km2 (6.5/sq mi)[1][4] |
| Largest settlement | Arinagour[1] |
 | |
| References | [1][5] |
| Designated | 31 March 1995 |
| Reference no. | 723[6] |
Coll (/ˈkɒl/;Scottish Gaelic:Cola)[7] is an island located west of theIsle of Mull and northeast ofTiree in theInner Hebrides of Scotland. Coll is known for its sandy beaches, which rise to form largesand dunes, for itscorncrakes, and forBreacachadh Castle. It is in the council area ofArgyll and Bute.Arinagour is the main settlement on Coll. There is a ferry terminal on the island which connects it with the mainland of Scotland. Coll also has a small airport. The island is rural in nature and has been awarded Dark Sky status.
Coll is formed largely fromgneiss forming theLewisian complex, a suite ofmetamorphic rocks ofArchaean to earlyProterozoic age.[8] The eastern part of the island is traversed by numerousnormal faults most of which run broadly northwest–southeast.Dolerite andcamptonitedykes ofPermo-Carboniferous orTertiary age are also seen in the east of the island.Quaternarysediments includeraised beach deposits which are frequent around Coll's coastline whilst stretches ofalluvium occupy some low inland areas. There are considerable areas of blown sand in the west and along stretches of the north coast and ofpeat southwest fromArinagour.[9]
Coll is about 13 miles (21 kilometres) long by 3 miles (5 kilometres) wide.[3] It had a population of 171 according to Census figures released in 2024.[3] This is a decline from 195 in 2013.[4] Coll's sandy beaches rise to form large sand dunes. The highest point on Coll is Ben Hogh in the mid-west of the island, which is a ridge with two tops running northwest to southeast. It rises initially to a height of 104 metres (341 feet), with a triangulation pillar, and to 106 m (348 ft) 450 m (490 yd) to the southeast.[5]
Arinagour (Scottish Gaelic:Àirigh nan Gobhar),[10] is the main settlement on the island located at the head of Loch Eatharna, on the east coast.[11] Other inhabited locations include:
Coll is sometimes derived fromGaeliccoll, 'hazel'.[27] However, the name is given asColosus in theLife of St Columba byAdamnán, the seventh century abbot ofIona.[28] As /s/ between vowels had been lost inCeltic before Adamnán's time,Watson suggests thatColosus may represent a pre-Celtic name.[27]Richard Coates has proposed that the name may be related toGreekkolossós and may have referred to a humanoidstanding stone located on the island, like those still seen onNorth Uist andLewis.[29] AsKolossós is not originally a Greek word,[29] Coates suggests that the name could have been given to Coll at a time when thekolossói ofMediterranean culture were well-known, or named "by speakers of a language in which the ancestor of the word was the native term."[30] In Icelandic, the wordkollur (Old Norse:kollr, Norwegian:koll orkolle) means "a rounded protrusion, such as a rounded mountaintop, or a tussock".
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In the 6th century, an Irish invasion led to the establishment of theGaelic kingdom ofDál Riata, which included Coll. Dál Riata was divided into four kin-groups, of which theCenél Loairn ruled Coll,Mull, and the adjacent mainland, which together consequently became known asLorn, after them. Coll shared the history of Lorn for the next 1000 years, becoming part of theKingdom of the Isles under Norwegian dominion, then theMacDougall subdivision of that kingdom afterSomerled.[citation needed]
Coll, like other Hebridean islands, has severalcrannógs (artificial islands) located in some of itslochs, dating from this early period. It is difficult to estimate the exact age of these islands, but several are thought to date to the Norse period; local traditions describe three –Dùn Anlaimh,Dùn an Achaidh,Dùn Dubh – as having been Norse strongholds which survived until they were attacked by the Macleans.[citation needed]
The 1266Treaty of Perth transferred theNorwegian crown dependency to the Scottish king[note 1]. Following the MacDougall defeat in the dispute between kingJohn Balliol andRobert de Bruys (they had backed the former), the position ofsheriff of Argyll was created to haveshrieval authority over Lorn[note 2], and the MacDougall lands were merged into theLordship of the Isles. Though MacDougall authority was restored in 1357, by kingDavid II,the MacDougall heir had 3 years previously[note 3], quitclaimed any rights toMull (including Coll), which therefore remained with the Lord of the Isles.
In 1549Dean Monro wrote of Coll that it was:
He wrote of Rum:
In the 15th century, the island came under the ownership of theMacLeans of Coll who constructedBreachacha Castle.[32] The MacLeans exercised baronial control of the island until 1848.[33] The Maclean ownership of the castle was sold in 1851.[32]
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In the late 18th century there were about 1,000 people supported by agriculture and fishing.[1] However, the collapse in thekelp market after the end of theNapoleonic Wars, followed by theHighland Potato Famine, caused a great deal of hardship on the island. By the mid 19th century, much of the population had chosen to leave, many of them moving to Australia, Canada, or South Africa in a process referred to as theScottish diaspora. One source indicates that 23% of the island's population relocated.[34] The process took place alongside theclearances where many were removed from their land. In Coll, overpopulation was cited as a factor.[35]
In the2011 census, the island's population was recorded as 195, representing an increase over the previous decade of nearly 19%[4][36] During the same periodScottish island populations as a whole grew by 4% (to 103,702).[37]
In December 2013, Coll secured 'dark skies' status, the second location in Scotland.[38] The island has no street lights and little otherlight pollution, allowing unobstructed views of the night sky on clear nights. In winter theNorthern Lights are often visible.[39]
In January 2024, Coll experienced a 3.3 magnitudeearthquake according to theBritish Geological Survey.[40]
There are only two main roads on Coll. The main hub of the island is the island's largest settlement, Arinagour. Just over a kilometre (0.7 miles) south of Arinagour is theCaledonian MacBrayne ferry terminal.[41] The ferry travels fromOban to Coll toTiree; and a return trip from Tiree, to Coll, to Oban.[42][43] The ferry between Oban andCastlebay onBarra goes via Coll and Tiree once a week.
Theairport on the island, (IATA:COL) is located between Uig and Arileod.Highland Airways who originally operated the route to Oban went into administration in 2010,[44] but a new operator,Hebridean Air Services now operates the route under a PSO with flights to Oban, Tiree and Colonsay. The aircraft used for the flights are a BN2 Islander (G-HEBS). Hebridean headquarters are atCumbernauld Airport,North Lanarkshire.
| Preceding station | Ferry | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tiree | Caledonian MacBrayne Ferry | Oban |
Agriculture, primarily land owned farming as opposed to crofting is one of the major employment areas on the island.[45] There are also a few fishing vessels that operate from the island.[45]
The Isle of Coll's community centre, An Cridhe, and hostel, Coll Bunkhouse was opened in July 2012 byPrincess Anne.[46] Owned and managed by the community-led organisation Development Coll, the new facilities were built to provide much needed amenities on the island and a social hub for the local community. An Cridhe now hosts a series of annual events such as a half marathon, the Coll Show, a basking shark festival, a bird festival and a chamber music festival, as well as a range of music, comedy, theatre and dance throughout the year. The centre also has a film club, Screen Coll.[47] A remote outdoor disco is also held on the island.[48][49]
In September 2024, it was reported that the island had one shop, one restaurant, one hotel and a post office in operation.[47]
The charityProject Trust, which organises overseas volunteering and gap-years, has been based on the island since 1974.[50][51] The founder, Nicholas Maclean-Bristol, also restored Breacachadh Castle.[52][3] The island also has several tourist businesses.[3]
There is an extensiveRSPB reserve towards the west end of the island.[53] One of the main attractions is the rarecorncrake, as well asSkylarks.[54] Traditional local farming practices have helped this once common British bird to survive.
In the 1970s, scientists releasedsand lizards on Coll.[55] There is also a small population of sand lizards, as much of 39 individuals were introduced by scientists to test whether they can survive so far north in the 1970s and are still thriving today.
In 2010, a colony ofshort-necked oil beetles was found on the island. The beetle, thought to be extinct in the UK, is now known only to occur in southern England and Coll. It is parasitic on ground-dwelling bees, and is also flightless, raising the question of how it arrived on the island. It does not appear to be found on neighbouringTiree, possibly because of a difference in terrain. Modern farming methods had partly caused its demise elsewhere.[56]
Mairi Hedderwick, the illustrator and author, used to live on Coll and has used the island as the setting for herKatie Morag series of children's books. In the books, Coll is known by the fictional name of the Isle of Struay.[57][3]
InAlexander McCall Smith'sThe Charming Quirks of Others the protagonist, Isabelle Dalhousie, discusses Coll as a place for a honeymoon.[58]
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56°38′00″N6°33′26″W / 56.63333°N 6.55722°W /56.63333; -6.55722
