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Colla

Island in Inverness-shire

Scotland

Colla

Setting up camp near Gighay Very remote, between Gighay and Hellisay. Manx Shearwaters came home to roost in the night. Very spooky sound!
Setting up camp near Gighay Credit: Phil Berry

Colla is a small island located off the west coast of Scotland in the region of Inverness-shire. With an area of approximately 8 square kilometers, it is one of the many islands that make up the Inner Hebrides archipelago. The island is mostly uninhabited, with only a few scattered houses and cottages along its coastline.

Colla boasts stunning natural beauty, with its rugged cliffs, picturesque beaches, and rolling green hills. The landscape is dominated by wild heather and grasses, making it an ideal habitat for various bird species, including puffins, guillemots, and terns. The surrounding waters are also teeming with marine life, attracting seals, dolphins, and occasional sightings of whales.

Access to Colla is primarily by boat, with regular ferry services connecting it to the mainland. The island is a popular destination among outdoor enthusiasts, offering opportunities for hiking, bird watching, and wildlife photography. Visitors can explore the island's walking trails that lead to breathtaking viewpoints, such as the prominent Colla Hill, offering panoramic vistas of the surrounding sea and neighboring islands.

Despite its remote location, Colla has a rich history, with evidence of ancient settlements dating back to the Bronze Age. Ruins of old stone structures, including a small chapel and a burial ground, can still be found on the island, providing glimpses into its past.

For those seeking tranquility and natural wonders, Colla offers a serene and unspoiled escape from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

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Colla Images

Images are sourced within 2km of 57.014439/-7.3305429 or Grid Reference NF7604. Thanks to Geograph Open Source API. All images are credited.

Setting up camp near Gighay Very remote, between Gighay and Hellisay. Manx Shearwaters came home to roost in the night. Very spooky sound!
Setting up camp near Gighay
Very remote, between Gighay and Hellisay. Manx Shearwaters came home to roost in the night. Very spooky sound!
Hintinish Bay, Hellisay The clear waters of Hintinish Bay, enclosed within the narrow sound between Hellisay and Gighay, provide perfect shelter for a small boat.
Hintinish Bay, Hellisay
The clear waters of Hintinish Bay, enclosed within the narrow sound between Hellisay and Gighay, provide perfect shelter for a small boat.
Sound of Gighay A secluded sound between the remote Hebridean islands of Hellisay and Gighay. Narrow, rock-bound entrances at both ends open into a sheltered lagoon. Martin Lawrence (in The Yachtsman's Pilot to the Western Isles) says that the flood tide either enters the sound from both ends, or it runs right through from SE to NW, or it does both, the former at springs and the latter at neaps. He also says that both entrances are choked with rocks, and, "Each visiting yacht seems to find more rocks, or perhaps the same rocks in different positions." The view is of the NW entrance, from Hellisay.
Sound of Gighay
A secluded sound between the remote Hebridean islands of Hellisay and Gighay. Narrow, rock-bound entrances at both ends open into a sheltered lagoon. Martin Lawrence (in The Yachtsman's Pilot to the Western Isles) says that the flood tide either enters the sound from both ends, or it runs right through from SE to NW, or it does both, the former at springs and the latter at neaps. He also says that both entrances are choked with rocks, and, "Each visiting yacht seems to find more rocks, or perhaps the same rocks in different positions." The view is of the NW entrance, from Hellisay.
Natural sheltered harbour This perfectly sheltered anchorage provided a perfect situation with no light pollution to observe the long-awaited gathering of the five naked-eye planets on the nights of May 4-5-6 in the western evening sky. In a single glance you could see all five planets, a feat not possible again for decades.
Natural sheltered harbour
This perfectly sheltered anchorage provided a perfect situation with no light pollution to observe the long-awaited gathering of the five naked-eye planets on the nights of May 4-5-6 in the western evening sky. In a single glance you could see all five planets, a feat not possible again for decades.
Mary Doune enters anchorage Not much room for manoeuvre here.
Mary Doune enters anchorage
Not much room for manoeuvre here.
A view into the natural harbour from Gighay/Gioghaigh
A view into the natural harbour from Gighay/Gioghaigh
Kayaking along the coast of Hellisay/Theiliseigh Taken during a kayak journey from Barra to Eriskay and back.
Kayaking along the coast of Hellisay/Theiliseigh
Taken during a kayak journey from Barra to Eriskay and back.
Beinn a' Chàrnain on Hellisay/Theiliseigh
Beinn a' Chàrnain on Hellisay/Theiliseigh
Looking up at Mullach a' Chàrnain on Hellisay/Theiliseigh
Looking up at Mullach a' Chàrnain on Hellisay/Theiliseigh
Along the coast of Gighay/Gioghaigh
Along the coast of Gighay/Gioghaigh
Càrais, Hellisay Looking down from Meall Meadhonach.
Càrais, Hellisay
Looking down from Meall Meadhonach.
Blue Lagoon, Hellisay Looking from Meall Meadhonach towards Gighay.
Blue Lagoon, Hellisay
Looking from Meall Meadhonach towards Gighay.
Blue Lagoon, Hellisay Looking from Meall Meadhonach towards Gighay.
Blue Lagoon, Hellisay
Looking from Meall Meadhonach towards Gighay.
South coast of Hellisay Looking down from Meall Meadhonach.
South coast of Hellisay
Looking down from Meall Meadhonach.
Meall Mòr The cliffs at the southern end of Hellisay.
Meall Mòr
The cliffs at the southern end of Hellisay.
Meall Mòr The southern end of Hellisay.
Meall Mòr
The southern end of Hellisay.
Paddling round Meall Mòr The southern end of Hellisay (or Healasaigh, or Theiliseigh depending on which maps you look at)
Paddling round Meall Mòr
The southern end of Hellisay (or Healasaigh, or Theiliseigh depending on which maps you look at)
Càrais, Hellisay
Càrais, Hellisay
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Colla is located at Grid Ref: NF7604 (Lat: 57.014439, Lng: -7.3305429)

Unitary Authority: Na h-Eileanan an Iar

Police Authority: Highlands and Islands

What 3 Words

///talking.zoom.commuting. Near CastleBay, Na h-Eileanan Siar

Nearby Locations

Càrnach Mullach a' Chàrnain Colla Eilean a' Ceud Gioghaigh Gighay

Related Wikis

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Hellisay (Scottish Gaelic: Theiliseigh) is a currently uninhabited island and is one of ten islands in the Sound of Barra, a Site of Community Importance...

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Nearby Amenities

Located within 500m of 57.014439,-7.3305429
Càrais
Place: locality
Lat/Long: 57.0123453/-7.3316946
OpenStreetMap
Google Maps
Bàgh Hintis
Natural: bay
Lat/Long: 57.0111957/-7.3355741
OpenStreetMap
Google Maps
The data included in this document is from www.openstreetmap.org. The data is made available under ODbL.
Eilean na Cartach Inverness-shire
Corr-eilean Inverness-shire

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