Inhabited, west coast Scottish islands - Colonsay and Oronsay

Colonsay is a small but attractive wee island located at the mouth of the Firth of Lorn, between Mull and Islay (and Jura) but slightly closer to Islay than to Mull.. It is about eight miles long by about two miles wide at it’s widest (around 4074 hectares) with a population of around 130. Note that most Internet articles say it’s about two miles wide but Wikipedia says it’s about three miles wide - and I’m not sure which is more accurate. Using my online map, and a rough estimation using a piece of card in conjunction with the scale shown, I actually think it looks closer to three point four miles between Sguide an Leanna (on the west) and Rubha Dubh (on the east).
The island is served by a circular road around the main part of the island with an arm leading to the north, from Kiloran to Kiloran bay, and another leading south to Garvard and the tidal island of Oronsay. From Kiloran Bay a track continues northwards to Balnahard near the northern tip of the island. The main centre, and where the CalMac ferry arrives, is Scalasaig on the eastern side of this circular road. The other main habitation area is Kilchattan on the western side of this ring road, although there are other small inhabited areas around, for example, Kiloran. I would not call Kilchattan a village but, instead, a township as there are no facilities there. All the facilities, in fact, would appear to be at Scalasaig. Those Scalasaig facilities include, for example, a hotel & bar, shop, post office and cafe. Scalasaig also hosts a small local microbrewery and a gin distillery. It should also be noted that Scalasiag is a scattered village with lots of space between each building. Apart from the alcohol production, Colonsay’s sources of income would seem to come from farming/crofting and tourism along with some oyster farming..
There are two methods, outside owning your own boat or small plane, of getting to Colonsay. The most common way is by Cal-Mac car ferry, either from Oban (daily) or Kennacraig, via Islay, (twice weekly). Keep in mind, however, that timetables can always change and are usually less frequent during the winter months. The other method of getting to Colonsay is to fly from Oban.  
I have, above, described the island as ‘attractive’ but I have to admit that on my first (and so far only) visit, I was a bit disappointed - but I think I have figured out why that was the case. Much as I like, and value, the rugged, west coast islands, a bit of variety also helps and I expected Colonsay to be a bit more lush than it turned out to be. I figure that this was because the only photographs I’d previously seen of Colonsay were taken around Kiloran Bay on the north west coast - which is quite a lush, green area. So, I was expecting the whole island to be similar, a bit like Gigha or Iona - but it isn’t. It was also late September when I visited and the summer colours had departed by this time. But, putting this aside, I now realise that Colonsay is indeed a very attractive wee island - just not in the way I thought it was going to be. There are a few lush, green areas but, on the whole, Colonsay is similar to most other west coast islands in that it’s basically a hill sticking out of the sea with the normal wild and rugged appearance of the west coast. This hill, to be more accurate, is actually three separate hilly areas rather than just one large area with a single, main summit. The ring road between the airstrip and Scalasaig runs through a low lying glen (unnamed on my map) and south of this lies the first of the three areas. There are several low summits in this area, the highest would appear to be Beinn Eibhne, at the south eastern tip, at about 320 feet. North of this lies the largest of the three areas which runs all the way to the northern tip of the island. Within this area lie many low summits, the highest of which is Carnan Eoin at about 460 feet. Carnan Eoin, perhaps surprisingly, does not sit in the centre of this jumble but instead lies slightly to the north and east of Kiloran Bay. The road north out of Scalasaig has to climb over the northern slopes of Glas Aird to reach Kiloran (which is why I’ve described this area as a single area). The third area lies in the north west of this second area. The ring road between Kiloran and Kilchattan also runs down a low level glen (again unnamed on my map) and this area, the smallest, lies to the north and west of the road. There are a couple of low lying summits in this area marked at about 390 and 425 feet with several other lower summits scattered about. Colonsay is noted for it’s cliffs and, going by my map, I would think most of those lie on the west coast of this area. Note also that in designating three areas that I am not saying that the gaps between them are at sea level throughout - just that it looks like they are at sea level or very close to being so.
What is there to do on Colonsay once you get there? Roughly in the middle of the west coast is one of the low lying, lush green areas. This area hosts the airstrip and an eighteen hole golf course. I don’t play golf so I can’t say how good, or fun, this golf course is - but it is there for anyone who wants a game (although, from what I read, you need to take out a membership to play). As already mentioned above, the island is a scattering of low summits which should provide some fine walking and views. Colonsay has, in fact, developed it’s own version of Munro bagging for the more dedicated hill walker. This is called MacPhie bagging which involves the climbing of all Colonsay summits over three hundred feet. The twist is that they all have to be done in a single walk and you have to start and finish below the high tide mark. There are quite a number of sandy beaches. There is the very fine strand at Kiloran Bay and another close to the golf course (Tobar Fuar). Both of those are situated close to the road. In addition to that there are several other beaches which require a walk to reach. The beach at Balnahard is near the north east tip and is reached by taking the track over the hills from Kiloran Bay. Going by Internet photographs, and what I’ve read, this is a fine stretch of sand and worth the walk. In addition to that there are several coves on the west coast south of the airstrip which my map suggests are sandy. These are squeezed between rocky fingers of land and cliffs sticking out into the sea and reached by a track that crosses the far west end of the airstrip runway, and I suspect that getting to them would make for a fine walk. It in fact looks possible to head down this track, close to the south western tip of the island, and then east along the south coast to Garvard, and then back via the public roads to the airstrip. In addition to walking, cycling is, of course, also an option - although I can’t say how good the many tracks are for this as I did not venture onto any during my short stay.  For those into ancient monuments, like duns, standing stones and cairns, there are several of those which can be visited along with more historical ruins. I did not have time to visit any of these, apart from the ones beside the road, so I am unable to say how interesting any of these might be. In addition to all of that there are the usual birds and mammals to go looking for. Birds to look out for include, amongst others; Kittiwakes, razorbills and corncrakes. The island is also home to, for example, wild goats and otters and you might be lucky to spot whales, dolphins and porpoises in the surrounding waters - not to mention the usual seal colonies. In addition to all the above, it seems that there are also rare plants and flowers to see. Bees are also kept on Colonsay - but, due to Scottish Government decree, only one specific species, the European Black Bee. This is to protect this species from invasion by other types of bees. In addition to all of the above there is a visit to Oronsay which can (and should) be included in any visit to Colonsay (tides permitting).

Oronsay (sometimes Oransay) is a small tidal island to the south of Colonsay. It would appear (from looking at the map) to be about two miles east to west and about a mile and a half north to south (1340 acres). It is, roughly, shaped like a twisted capital T. It’s highest point is Beinn Oronsay at about 300 feet. There are only about eight inhabitants living on Oronsay and all located at Oronsay Farm. It is separated from Colonsay by a large area of sand at low tide - which is totally covered by water at high tide. This is called The Strand. One Internet article I read said that this was sand and mud flat - but I only saw sand (although this sand was hard packed and wet it was still, to my eyes, all sand). The distance between Colonsay and Oronsay varies but the walk from Garvard (where the road on Colonsay ends) is about a mile. At some points the distance between the two islands is not as great as that - but, as said, the distance from Garvard to Oronsay is about a mile and it would be as well crossing there instead of walking east or west to find a shorter crossing point. Another reason for crossing at Garvard is that I have no idea how firm the sand is at other spots - so, if wanting to cross away from Garvard, it might be an idea to first check if it’s safe doing so.
I can’t really say much more about Oronsay as I did not have time to explore it (well, I probably did but I didn’t know the tide times and feared being stuck on it). I only had one full day on Colonsay. I started by visiting Kiloran Bay and then worked my way down the west coast. On heading east towards Scalasaig (from the airstrip) I first took the road to Garvard on the south - just to have a look at The Strand. My intension, when reaching Scalasaig, was to check the tide times at the Post Office (see note below) - but when I arrived at Garvard the tide was clearly pretty far out - maybe totally out. I decided to head out across the sand to see how far I could get. Maybe, I thought, I could get right across? Shortly after starting my walk I was passed by the post van - so I figured getting right across was most likely - and this proved to be the case. I didn’t know, however, how long The Strand would remain crossable (as I hadn’t checked with the Scalasaig Post Office) so I decided I best return to Colonsay shortly after reaching the north end of Oronsay. This unplanned, brief visit to Oronsay meant I did not have time to explore the island, which was the downside of being lucky in finding the tide was out - so I, in effect, did no more than tick Oronsay off my bucket list. I also need to make clear that, at this time, Oronsay was not on my bucket list as I didn’t know it was inhabited. Seeing the post van cross suggested to me that it was inhabited - and later research proved this was the case (my general research into inhabited, west coast, Scottish islands was somewhat lacking when I first embarked on this). Although it is probably available elsewhere (like the pier or shop, maybe) the main source of information about the tide times can be obtained from the Scalasaig Post Office - no doubt because the PO have to know when the tide is out so that the post can be delivered.
What is there to do and see on Oronsay? There are the well preserved ruins of the Oronsay Priory, with (I read) two fine Celtic crosses and, if the map I was using is accurate, several very fine sandy beaches to see. A full exploration on a single day might well depend upon how long The Strand to Oronsay remains dry enough to cross without getting wet feet. I did read in one Internet article that it is crossable for a maximum of two hours either side of low tide - but, again, checking this at the Post Office is recommended. Seeing the post van cross The Strand might well suggest to some that driving across would more easily allow a more comprehensive tour of the island than walking would. This would not, indeed, seem to be banned but doing so is not recommended for several reasons. Firstly, the road on Oronsay is not a hard surfaced, public road - which is likely to invalidate car insurance and, perhaps, result in damage to your vehicle. In addition to that there is always the possibility you might break down crossing the sand - and that would result in more than your engine getting flooded. A bike, should there be access to one, would assist in touring round the island in sufficient time and the ‘road’  leading away from the crossing point looks good enough to cycle on (although I cannot say what the condition of it is beyond the farm and priory). It should also be pointed out, however, that there are no tourist, or local, facilities on Oronsay - so if planning to stay for a while (between, say, two low tides) then taking food and drinks with you would be a good idea.
Oronsay is a nature reserve run by the RSPB (including the farm) on behalf on the American owner (accurate as of June 2022 - but this always liable to change). As well as providing protection for endangered birds (like the corncrake) it is also home to sheep and a herd of Luing cattle. There are, therefore, several restrictions to keep in mind if visiting. This is also another good reason why you should probably leave your car on Colonsay and not drive it over The Strand as you'd be disturbing the peace and fouling up the air with exhaust fumes.

In summary, Colonsay is well worth visiting and if doing so then a visit to Oronsay is also recommended. If hoping to visit Oronsay, then an early visit to the Scalasaig Post Office would also be a good idea as this will help ensure that you are able to plan this in conjunction with a low tide. One full week for a Colonsay visit might be sufficient but if your interests and enjoyments match all that those two islands have to offer then I think a full two week stay would easily be filled - especially if a few days ‘down time’ is also wanted.
As always, the Internet provides many more detailed and informative articles than this post does. I end, as usual, by including some of the photographs I took while visiting.

 

The two photos above are of Scalasiag, the first one from the pier and the second from within the village. As can be seen, Scalasaig is a somwhat scattered village with plenty of space between each building.

 

The shot above is from the northern end of the ring road looking south west over Loch Fada towards Kilchattan.

The photo above is of the beach at Kiloran.

The photo above was taken just south of Kilchattan looking south.

The above shot is of the beach, Tobar Fuar, just to the west of the golf course.

The above photo was taken at Garvard where the road runs into The Strand. The wee lump to the right of the pictures has a standing stone on it's summit which if you zoom in you should be able to see.

The photo above was taken crossing The Strand - with the post van, heading for Oronsay, coming up to go past me.

The above photo was taken at Garvard where the crossing to Oronsay starts - but the day after the previous photo. As can be seen, the tide is now in and walking, or driving, across would not be advised.

The photo above is, clearly, of another standing stone - this time on Oronsay where the normal crossing of The Strand arrives.

The above photo is of Oronsay and the road heading away to the priory.