Published in Scotland Magazine Issue 33 on 22/06/2007.

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Secret island escape

Colonsay and Oronsay are two bleak but beautiful islands just south of Mull on Scotland’s west coast. John Hannavy reports

It was an oasis of light against the darkening night sky – Caledonian MacBrayne’s ferry making an evening departure from Scalasaig Pier on the Hebridean island of Colonsay. Generating more electric light than all the houses on the island put together, the bright shape of the departing ship could still be seen long after the deep rumble of her engines had faded away.

On every other night, the intense blackness – so far away from heavily populated centres that no orange glow from sodium lamps is visible in the night sky – is something we rarely get to experience in these days of widespread light pollution.

Colonsay is a beautiful island, and despite being only two hours 20 minutes from Oban, seems wonderfully remote. Once the ferry sails away, taking the bustle of modern life with it, the much more gentle pace of life on the island engulfs you. In winter, the island is accessible only from Oban, but in summer an additional service links Colonsay with Islay and Kennacraig on Kintyre.

In summer the island’s population of a hundred or so – centred on Scalasaig, Kiloran and Kilchattan – is swelled by holidaymakers and day-trippers. Aday trip, however, does not offer anything like enough time to savour the delights of the place.

Standing on the beach near Kilchattan on the western side of the island, it was a sobering thought to know that, if you started swimming, the next land with which you would make contact would be Canada. Alarge number of Colonsay residents did make the jo.....

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By John Hannavy

Section : Scottish Islands

Page number : 18