The Isles of Coll, Mingulay and Barra

These three fascinating islands form part of an exhilarating journey from the Inner to the Outer Hebrides.  Visit these islands on our Idyllic Isles of the Outer Hebrides and St Kilda and the Outer Hebrides 10 night cruises.

The island of Coll in the Inner Hebrides lies 4 miles north west of the island of Mull with the tiny island of Gunna between the two.  Gunna Sound is good place to look for basking sharks and other cetaceans.  The Island is 13 miles long and 4 miles at its widest with a vibrant community of only 200 residents.  Much of village life centres around Arinagour village and harbour, which is very picturesque.  Coll is a beautiful island; the panorama of other nearby islands makes a dramatic backdrop to Coll's flower-filled machair and sparkling white shell-sand beaches.  Coll is also known by the fictional name of the Isle of Struay.  Mairi Hedderwick, a well know author and illustrator, set her series of children's books around her experiences on Coll. She says she'll never tell if any of her fictional characters were for real!

 

The Cairns of Coll are a group of uninhabited islets and rocks off the northeastern tip of the island and renowned as a wildlife habitat and for sightings of Minke whale.  

In 2013, the Cairns of Coll were purchased by Scottish author Alexander McCall Smith, who intends to  leave the islands in Trust to the Nation

The isles of Barra and Vatersay are the most Southerly inhabited  islands in the Outer Hebrides and the most Westerly in the U.K. They lie 60 miles north west of Coll.  The much smaller isle of Vatersay is linked to Barra by a causeway and has beautiful white sandy beaches and flowering machair.  Both Islands are renowned for their wildflowers and butterflies.  Castlebay is the picturesque principal town on Barra, with the quintessential Scottish castle, Kisimul Castle in the Bay.  It is a vital safe anchorage in the southern outer Hebrides 

  

Located 12 miles south of the Island of Barra, Mingulay has been owned by the National Trust for Scotland since 2000. Mingulay Bay is a stunning white shell sand beach and a perfect sheltered anchorage.  It is ideal for a trip ashore to explore the abandoned village and the nearby sea cliffs. 

At night the resident grey seal population come ashore to rest on the beach in great numbers and can be seen from our vessel anchored out in Mingulay Bay.  This is not only a spectacular sight but also a wonderful sound as the seals ”sing” to each other as they come ashore.

The beaches and St Kilda-like stacs and cliffs of Mingulay are awe-inspiring to view, and also an important sea bird breeding ground. During the nesting season the granite stacs and high cliffs are festooned with nesting kittiwakes, razorbills and guillemots and large colonies of puffins.

Highlighting Islay and Jura in the Southern Hebrides

The island group of Islay and Jura in the Southern Hebrides is one of the most wildlife-rich areas in the UK.  These are two fascinating islands with a complex geology and a wide range of plant and animal species. The intertidal areas and stunning shorelines, with a backdrop of dramatic mountain ranges provides magnificent scenery while supporting internationally significant populations of bird species  and animals such as otter, seals and red deer.  The islands enjoy the gentle pace of life typical of the Hebrides.

Two of our cruise itineraries have the option of calling in at Islay and Jura.  Islay and the Southern Hebrides 10-day Cruise onboard our new vessel is designed to get to know the more far flung areas of these two Islands.For our 6-night cruise The Heritage and Wildlife of the Southern Hebrides this is more likely to be wind, weather and tide dependent:

The Isle of Jura lies just a few miles north-east from Islay, separated by the Sound of Islay.  The two islands are roughly the same size but with very different geology and populations.

The Island of Islay (pronounced (Eye-la) is also known as the Queen of the Hebrides.  It has a thriving community of over 3,000 inhabitants, known as Ileachs.  The island is home to eight of the worlds most famous single malt whisky distilleries: Ardbeg, Laphroaig, Lagavulin, Bowmore, Kilchoman, Caol Ila, Bunnahabhain and Bruichladdich.  Islay has a very long history.

There is evidence of hunters and fishermen settling on Islay as early as 7500BC.  Islay was once the main seat of power of the Lords of the Isles at Finlaggan, now a fascinating archeological site. The Lords of the Isles ruled the Southern Hebrides from 875AD – 1495AD.  To the east of Islay lies the tiny and beautiful Isle of Gigha and the Mull of Kintyre on mainland Scotland.

There are some lovely towns and villages on Islay; many are found along the shores of Loch Indaal, a spectacular sea loch on the west of the island which almost splits Islay in half. Bowmore is the largest town with its famous Distillery with Bruichladdich, Port Charlotte and Port Wemyss are scattered around the loch.  The whole 35 mile coastline of the loch is famous for its wildlife, especially birds. Port Ellen, on the southern shore of Islau is a charming small town built around Leodamus Bay and provides a sheltered anchorage.

The Isle of Jura is one of Scotland’s last wildernesses. A little over 200 inhabitants are outnumbered by 5000 native red deer; in fact the name Jura is thought to come from the Norse “Island of the Deer”.  It is almost impossible not to see a deer on Jura.  Craighouse is a lovely little village in the sheltered Sound of Jura.  It is the main settlement on the island and the location of Jura’s only distillery.

Dominating the view of Jura from almost any direction are the three, distinctive and easily recognized Paps of Jura found in the southern half of the island. The highest of the three is Beinn an Oir, the Mountain of Gold, at 785m. Beinn Shiantaidh, the Sacred Mountain, is 757m and stands to the east of Beinn an Oir, while Beinn a’ Chaolais, the Mountain of the Sound, stands to the south-west and is the smallest of the three at 734m.

To the north of Jura is the island of Scarba separated by the Strait of Corryvreckan with its famous whirlpool. To the west is the island of Colonsay, separated by the Atlantic ocean.

The Hebridean group of islands known as "The Small Isles"

On a cruise between the largest Inner Hebrides islands of Skye and Mull you will pass a group of magical islands known as “The Small Isles”.  The Isles of Canna, Rum, Eigg and Muck are, indeed, small islands but each one is equally fascinating with its own unique beauty, atmosphere and scenery.

A journey through these islands is a visual wonder with amazing ever-changing vistas of coastlines, mountain ranges and open sea.Each of the islands offers enticing anchorages and shore visits.  The largest island is Rum with a rugged mountainous landscape.  It is part owned by the community of 45 people and the National Trust of Scotland and a visit to Kinloch Castle is to be recommended. Eigg is dramatically dominated by the towering ridge of “An Sgurr” and is community owned with around 100 residents.  Canna is the furthest outlying island with a wild and remote beauty.  Owned by the National Trust for Scotland it has a population of only 12 people. Muck is the smallest and most fertile of the Small Isles. The population lives mainly round the tiny harbour of Port Mor with its picturesque horse-shoe anchorage.

Sad though it may be to departs these fascinating islands, on the horizon is the fabulous outline of the Cuillin Mountain Range and the promise of a magical journey over the sea to Skye.

We have several cruises which call in at The Small Isles.

Isle of Skye and the Inner Hebrides 6-night cruise from May to September 2016 onboard The Glen Massan and The Glen Tarsan

Skye and the Small Isles 6-night cruise in October 2016 onboard the Glen Etive

From Skye to the Shiants 10-night cruise in June, July and September 2016 onboard the Glen Etive

Cruise Highlight - the Idyllic Isles of the Outer Hebrides 10-night cruise

Our new vessel, The Glen Etive will be cruising new, exciting and longer itineraries for 2016 with each cruise offering no less than a choice of 16 islands to visit. The "Idyllic Isles of the Outer Hebrides" 10-night cruise will take you to the very edge of the Atlantic Ocean to visit rugged and mysterious islands, with evocative names such as Mingulay, the Monachs and the Shiants, which are populated only by thousands of seabirds and surrounded by crystal clear waters, home to whales, dolphins and basking sharks.   

Many of the other islands of the Hebrides that we visit are fertile with vibrant communities including the Isles of Coll, Vatersay, Barra, Eriskay and the Uists. Some islands have truly tiny communities such as the group known as the “Small Isles” but with a warmth and welcome that belies their size.  The larger islands of Harris, Skye and Mull provide sheltered anchorages, iconic castles and bustling townships against a backdrop of dramatic mountain ranges.

Throughout the entire cruise the scenery is breathtaking with huge skies and green seas providing a striking backdrop to white shell-sand beaches and the jagged crags of the unspoiled and enchanting islands of the Hebrides.   

Find out more about this cruise>