Activities
Golf
Colonsay Golf Course is reputedly over 200 years old, having first been played on in 1775. The course is owned and managed by Colonsay Estate and has an active Golf Club which organises tournaments during the season.
You can pay the very modest green fees, £10 per round per person, at the Hotel or the Estate Office, where you’ll be issued with a score card and map. Alternatively you can pay an annual membership fee of £60 and you will receive a tag to display on your bag (and to brag about back at your home club). You can also pay at the Honesty Box at the first tee.
The 18-hole course is situated on indigenous machair, shortish grass growing in sandy soil, typical of the finest Scottish links golf courses. When you arrive at the first tee, you will be struck by the beauty of the course’s setting. Two beautiful, sandy Hebridean bays form the western fringe of the course. Two burns traverse the course from east to west. From many points on the course, you can glimpse the sands of Ardskenish peninsular to the southwest. 20 miles out in the Atlantic Ocean (next stop, Canada), in most weathers, you can spot Dubh Hearteach lighthouse. The panorama is completed by Dun Ghallain, a cairned headland where a mediaeval fort once stood.
THE COURSE
No Name Yards (approx) Par No. Name Yards (approx) Par
1. Road Hole 312 4 10 Port Lobh 136 3
2. Westward Ho! 317 4 11 Sand Dunes 260 4
3. The Burn 271 4 12. Dubh Heartach 324 4
4. Moor and Fen 265 4 13. Dun Ghallain 161 3
5. Machrins 199 3 14. The Rushes 376 5
6. Vikings’ Grave 301 4 15. Ardharcan 160 3
7. The Fank 391 5 16. Muckle Carry 341 5
8. Ardskenish 238 4 17. Air Adhart 124 3
9. Reekin’ Kelp 206 3 18. Kilchattan 370 5
OUT 2,500 35 IN 2,252 35
Total 4,752 70
The course measures 4,752 yards and comprises four par 5s, eight par 4s and six par 3s.
Fishing
The lochs are managed with a view to conserving the native brown trout. There are no rainbows and no imported fish. The native stock are a distinct strain, descendants of the fish introduced by the monastic community of Kiloran Abbey. You may fish with a permit from March 17th to October 6th, using only fly fishing methods. A permit costs £30 per adult per week and can be purchased from the Office. There are boats on Mid Loch Fada, West Loch Fada and Loch Sgoltaire available for hire for £20 a day (plus £20 deposit for the rowlocks). Two good-sized fish (over 8 inches) per day may be kept for the table, all others to be returned.
Cycling
Hotel guests can hire bikes at the hotel, we have a selection of ladies and men's bikes. Tel 01951 200316
Bicycle Hire is also available from Jen and Matt who have men's, ladies’ and some children's bikes. Baby seats are available at no extra charge. It is advisable to book in advance. Tel 07572180552 (Matt).
Walks
There are many fantastic walks on Colonsay. The terrain is gently hilly and most parts of the island are easily accessible. We have a number of suggested walks available in the hotel and holiday cottages.
Hidden Colonsay: An energetic walking tour is often available with local naturalist and historian, Kevin Byrne. Sensible footwear and clothing required. Bring a packed lunch. Please contact Kevin in advance on 01951 200320.
Bagging MacPhies
Colonsay doesn't have any munros so we have named our highest hills MacPhies (after the clan MacPhie which originates on Colonsay).
A "MacPhie" is defined as an eminence in excess of 300ft in height, and is Colonsay's equivalent to a Munro, only smaller. The aim is to climb all the peaks on Colonsay and Oransay that exceed 300ft (91.46m), in the course of one connected walk. The journey has to start and finish with any point below High Water mark, and the "MacPhies" can be tackled in any order. There are 22 peaks in the Official List, and the distance is about 20 miles.
Although there is no competitive element in terms of speed, details of your favoured route and time may be of interest to other people. For example, Eric Brown took 6hrs 44mins on 11 July 1996.
More recently, on May 2 2002, Jethro Lennox managed the remarkable time of 3 hours 56 minutes and 44 seconds, having started at the Strand and finishing at Kiloran Bay.