Colonsay Holiday House
Colonsay Holiday House
Colonsay is an island in the Scottish Inner Hebrides, located north of Islay and south of Mull and has an area of 4,074 hectares. It is the ancestral home of Clan Macfie and the Colonsay branch of Clan MacNeill.
The island was recently named in the top 10 “Under-The-Radar Islands of The World” It has glorious golden beaches (Kiloran Bay has been voted 2nd Best Beach in the UK!) It is also home to golden eagles, wild goats, colonies of seals and a huge range of flora and fauna.
Amenities include a hotel, pub, café, bookshop and a local village shop. Many possible activities include walking, beachcombing, drinks at the pub, kayaking, fishing, golf, cycling, eating out at the hotel or café, fast boat trips and of course most importantly relaxing away from it all.
Find out where the Isle of Colonsay is here
The Hebrides / Skye / Inner Hebrides region
The island of Colonsay lies in the Inner Hebrides off the west coast of Scotland. To the north lies the island of Mull; the eastern and southern horizons are bounded by the islands of Jura and Islay; and to the south west, just visible from a high point on a clear day, is the coast of Donegal in Ireland. To the west lies the Atlantic, with only the Du Hirteach lighthouse standing between Colonsay and Canada.
Although there is never any guarantees of the Scottish weather, Colonsay's own local weather patterns provide it with a "mini-climate" that is in most respects a favourable one. Being relatively low lying (with no hills over 500 feet high), Colonsay rainfall figures are only around half of the Argyll region it lies in - and like nearby Tiree, which is often quoted as the sunniest place in Britain by the weathermen, Colonsay receives above average sunshine figures in the long summer days.
The Isle of Colonsay area
The Isle of Colonsay is a small island paradise off the beautiful west coast of Scotland which is virtually unknown to the majority of even the UK population. The island is not widely advertised as it has a very limited supply of holiday accommodation and during the peak periods they are often booked up a year or more in advance, particularly as so many people return time and again to enjoy the unique beauty and tranquillity on offer. Our house is new to the rental market in 2012, having previously been lived in by island residents since it was built 8 years ago.
Colonsay is 10 miles long and 2 miles wide and has many fantastic beaches. The island is also home to much wildlife, as mentioned at the top of this page, including thousand of sea birds perched on dramatic cliffs, colonies of seals and a range of 500 different flora and fauna. In addition there are 120 friendly islanders and lots of sheep!
Once on Colonsay
Amenities include a lovely hotel, a cosy pub, a café, an excellent bookshop, a very well stocked local shop (although the newspapers can be up to 3 days behind!), a post office and there is also an island brewery.
Activities are too many to mention but include organised walks, days on the beach, pub quiz nights, weekend dances, eating out, having a picnic or BBQ on the beach, a few drinks down the pub, art exhibitions, wildlife spotting, fast boat trips round the island and much much more.
Colonsay has an equally beautiful neighbouring island called Oronsay which, as well as having yet more sandy beaches, also has the historic ruins of a 14th century priory. Oronsay can be reached by foot at low water when the tide exposes a mile of sand known as ‘The Strand’.
