Argyll - The Rough Guide to Scottish Highlands and Islands - page 89

ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE ISLE OF COLONSAY AND AROUND

1

By plane Hebridean Air ( T 01631 524568, W hebridean
air.co.uk) operates scheduled flights to and from Oban
(Tues & Thurs 2 daily, plus Sat & Sun during school terms 1
daily; 25min), as well as Islay (Tues & Thurs 1 daily; 20min).
By ferry CalMac ferries run from Oban and once a week
from Kennacraig via Islay, when a day-trip is possible,

giving you around six hours on the island. Ferries also
make the trip from Port Askaig on Islay.
Destinations Kennacraig (Wed 1 daily; 3hr 40min); Oban
(daily except Tues & Sat; 2hr 15min); Port Askaig (Wed
1 daily; 1hr 10min).

GETTING AROUND AND INFORMATION
By minibus There's no public transport, but a minibus
meets the Wednesday ferry and takes folk on a tour of
the island.
Bike rental Archie McConnel ( T 01951 200355) rents

out bikes.
Tourist information There is no tourist o ce, but the
website W colonsay.org.uk is a useful resource.

ACCOMMODATION AND EATING
There are a couple of modern B&Bs to choose from, though most visitors rent self-catering accommodation, the
majority of which is run by the estate. Note that self-catering cottages tend to be booked from Friday to Friday, because of
the ferries. Wild camping is, of course, an option.

Backpacker's Lodge Overlooking Loch Fada about
two miles from the ferry terminal T 01951 200312,
W colonsayestate.co.uk. The Colonsay Estate's very
comfortable hostel consists of the house itself (a former
gamekeeper's lodge), with dorms, a lounge and real fire,
and a bothy with three cabins, each sleeping two people
and with a shower bloc k ou tside. Th ere's a well-equipped
dining bothy too. Dorms £20 ; cabins £15
The Colonsay Scalasaig T 01951 200316, W the
colonsay.com. A cosy eighteenth-century inn at heart,
and a short stroll from the pier, the island's only hotel has

transformed itself into a really stylish, comfortable place
to stay; it also has a good restaurant, serves very decent
bar snacks and acts as the isl and's social centre. Daily
noon-2.30pm & Sun 6-10pm. £100
The Pantry Above the pier in Scalasaig T 01951
200325. Offers light refreshments (tea, coffee and cake)
alongside substantial and scrumptious home-cooking
(smoked haddock scramble with chips for £9.75).
Wednesday evening is a designated seafood night, but in
any case, you must phone ahead for evening meals on any
night after 8pm. Mon-Sat 9am-8pm, Sun 3-8pm.

Mid-Argyll
Mid-Argyll loosely describes the central wedge of land south of Oban and north of
Kintyre. Lochgilphead , on Loch Fyne, is the chief town in the area, but has little to
offer beyond its practical uses. The highlights of this gently undulating scenery lie
along the sharply indented and remote western coastline. Closest to Oban are the
melancholy former slate-mining settlements known collectively as the Slate Islands .
Further south, Arduaine Garden is among Argyll's most celebrated horticultural
sights, while the rich Bronze Age and Neolithic remains in the Kilmartin valley
comprise one of the most important prehistoric sites in Scotland. Separating
Kilmartin Glen from the Knapdale peninsula is the Crinan Canal , a short cut for
boats disinclined to round the Mull of Kintyre, ending in the picturesque, pint-
sized port of Crinan .

The Slate Islands
Eight miles south of Oban, a road heads of the A816 west to the miniscule Slate
Islands , which at their peak in the mid-nineteenth century quarried over nine million
slates annually. Today the old slate villages are sparsely populated, and an inevitable air
of melancholy hangs over them, but their dramatic setting amid crashing waves makes
for a rewarding day-trip.