Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
GETTING AROUND AND INFORMATION
By minibus
Tiree has a Ring'n'Ride minibus service
(Mon-Sat 7am-6pm, Tues 7am-10pm;
T
01879 220419)
that will take you anywhere on the island, though you
should book in advance.
Bike/car rental
Based at Scarinish Pier, MacLennan
Motors (
T
01879 220555,
W
maclennanmotors.com)
offers both car (£45/day) and bike (£10/day) rental. They
can also drop cars at the airport.
Tourist information
For a map of the island and the
daily papers, you need to go to the supermarket at
Crossapol. The website,
W
isleoftiree.com, is also a
useful resource.
6
ACCOMMODATION AND EATING
Balinoe Camping
Balinoe
T
01879 220399,
W
wilddiamond.co.uk.
Located in the southwest of the
island, six miles from Scarinish, the island's only formal
campsite is operated by Wild Diamond Watersports, and is
well-equipped with showers, toile
ts,
a self-catering
kitchen and washing/drying facilities.
£24
/pitch
Elephant's End
Kirkapol
T
01879 220694.
Homely,
wonderfully named restaurant serving local goodies such
as crab, lobster and langoustine, alongside lamb and beef
from the island.
Mon-Sat 10am-4pm & 7-11pm, Sun
12.30-2.30pm.
Millhouse Hostel
W
tireemillhouse.co.uk.
This superbly converted early
twentieth-century barn now accommodates a colourful
hostel, with two dorms each sleeping six, and a couple of
doubles. The excellent open-plan kitchen/lounge opens up
onto a patio where y
ou c
an kick
back
with a beer and watch
the sunset. Doubles
£40
; dorms
£17
Scarinish Hotel
Scarinish
T
01879 220308,
W
tireescarinishhotel.com.
Super location overlooking
the old harbour offering six pristine rooms (a couple with
shared bathroom facilities), furnished in solid, if not
spectacular, fashion. The Upper Deck lounge is a lovely spot
to while away an hour or
so w
atching the comings and
goings around the harbour.
£80
Near Loch Bhasapol, in the
northwest
of
the
island
T
01879
220435,
Isle of Colonsay and around
Isolated between Mull and Islay,
COLONSAY
- measuring just eight miles by three - is
nothing like as bleak and windswept as Coll or Tiree. Its craggy, heather-backed hills
even support the occasional patch of woodland, plus a bewildering array of plant and
birdlife, including wild goats and rabbits, and a very fine quasi-tropical garden. he
current population of around a hundred is down from a pre-Clearance peak of nearly a
thousand. With only one hotel and infrequent ferry links with the mainland, there's no
fear of mass tourism taking over any time soon.
he ferry terminal is at
SCALASAIG
, on the east coast, where there's a post o
ce/shop,
a petrol pump, a brewery, a café and the island's hotel.
Colonsay House
Two miles north of Scalasaig • Gardens: April-Sept Wed & Fri noon-5pm; the house itself is closed to the public • £3 •
T
01951 200316,
W
colonsayestate.co.uk
Colonsay House
was built in 1722 by Malcolm MacNeil, but in 1904 the island and
house were bought by Lord Strathcona, who made his fortune building the Canadian
Pacific Railway (and whose descendants still own the island). He was also responsible
for the house's romantically dilapidated woodland
gardens
, home to one of the finest
rhododendron collections anywhere in Scotland. he gardens also shelter the strange
eighth-century
Riasg Buidhe Cross
, which is decorated with an unusually lifelike mug
shot (possibly of a monk) - ask for directions from the tearoom.
The beaches
To the north of Colonsay House is the island's finest sandy beach, the breathtaking
Kiloran Bay
, where the breakers roll in from the Atlantic. here's another unspoilt sandy
beach backed by dunes at Balnahard, two miles northeast along a rough track; en route,
you might spot wild goats, choughs and even a golden eagle.
