The voyage on Macbrayne's ferry from Oban to Colonsay is a beautiful one. The ship sails through the narrow channel between the mainland and the island of Kerrera. As it emerges onto open water the hills of Mull are seen on the starboard side while to port are the islands of Seil, Luing, Scarba and Jura.
After settling in to our comfortable chalet, only a few seconds walk from the hotel bar, we set off for our first two MacPhies. A good track leads up between them passing a cluster of standing stones [picture 1]. A very new barbed wire fence began on the right so we crossed the broken wall just before it and struggled onto our first summit Carn nan Caorach through rampant heather, a foretaste of what was to come over the next two days. From the top we had an excellent view of evening light on the Paps of Jura [picture 2].
We could see a track up the next hill but the new fence formed an awkward obstacle which we eventually overcame by improvising a stile from a large plastic box lying nearby. We were soon on top of Beinn nan Guidairean which is obviously a popular hill with a trig point and an ancient and illegible viewfinder. We looked north across a couple of lochs to Colonsay's highest hill Carn an Eoin with the hills of Mull seen very faintly beyond [picture 3].
Next morning we cycled to the northern end of the road and set out for Carn an Eoin which is a SubMarilyn (a hill with between 140 and 149m drop all round) [picture 4]. First we visited its western satellite A'Bheinn Bheag seen on the left of the previous picture. A large cairn looks out over Kiloran Bay and a smaller one marks the summit with the rocky slopes of its higher neighbour towering above [picture 5].A little path winds up amongst the rocks of Carn an Eoin giving a marvellous bird's eye view of Kiloran Bay [picture 6]. The rocky summit carries a trig point and a large cairn [picture 7].
The traverse eastwards to A'Bheinn Bhreac undulated through rocky terrain made relatively easy by sheep tracks and burnt heather. From the summit we looked back to Carn an Eoin [picture 8].
The next hill A'Mhaol Bhuidhe was rather confusing. As one looks across at the ridge there are several tops, the easternmost carrying a conspicuous cairn. However the position of a small weedy lochan suggests that the grid reference refers to an unmarked and undistinguished flat top further west and this is the one we visited. There is possible a case for adding a further hill to the list here. Some friends who had climbed the MacPhies a week earlier later told us that they had visited both tops and probably the more easterly one would give splendid coastal views. The only shot I took from our top was another view back to Carn an Eoin and A'Bheinn Bhreac [picture 9].
The next hill Cnoc Mor Charraig nan Darach, although the lowest of the MacPhies at only 92m, was a far more distinguished eminence with a low cliff topped by heather along its northern side. We slanted up a rake eastwards which ended in an easy scramble onto the rather pleasant ridge heading back westwards above the sea [picture 10]. The summit gave superb sea views [picture 11] and a panoramic view of all the hills northwards which we had just been over [panorama 1].
It was an easy traverse to Dun Dubh a'Phairc Gharbh which gave an equally magnificent panorama with the added bonus of another glimpse of Kiloran Bay [panorama 2].
Ahead now lay an imposing hill Beinn nam Fitheach surrounded by cliffs which were overhanging in places like a miniature version of Sron Ulladale in the outer Hebrides [picture 12]. There seemed no obvious route of ascent until we spotted (around the middle of the picture) a rake cutting sharply back leftwards into the cliffs. This provided first a pleasantly sheltered lunch spot on a day with a rather bitter east wind and then an interesting way to the summit, cutting back sharply right higher up amongst unsuspected bog and bushes. From the top there is a view along the string of three long lochs which lie in a boggy valley between the northern and southern hills [picture 13]. After evading the cliffs by swinging southwards we crossed this valley and swung a bit right, keeping outside the fields to return to the road.
The afternoon was devoted to the hills which lie on a ridge above the west coast and which should definitely be done as a long one way traverse. The northernmost hill Beinn a'Sgoltaire lies isolated from the rest by its eponymous reservoir Loch an Sgoltaire and to reduce the road walk back for the bicycles we made the mistake of starting from its dam. The going was awful through waist high heather. After an awkward fence, negotiated at its junction with a wall, it became even worse amongst rhodedendron bushes as well. A small patch of grass and a broken wall just below the top revealed Colonsay House and its wooded gardens [picture 14] while from the top we had another glimpse of Kiloran Bay with Carn an Eoin beyond [picture 15]. The summit is crowned by three large cairns and several aerials so we felt there should be a track somewhere but we found no trace of it and had a most uncomfortable descent amongst more heather and eventually gorse bushes to the northern end of the loch. Looking back from the much easier slopes of the next hill we could see vehicle track marks up through the heather which we would have found had we started by following the road and track right round the northern end of the hill.
The first hill of the main ridge Beinn Uragaig is an oddity as the given reference refers to an unmarked north top which is followed with little drop by a significantly higher cairned summit. Here is scope for an addition to the list perhaps. Walking close to the northern edge on this section gives splendid coastal views back to the headland of Dun Uragaig [picture 16].
Beinn a'Tuath lies very close to this second top but is quite distinct with its own conspicuous cairn and an excellent view of the loch [picture 17] [panorama 3 (from just below the summit)].
Then it was back westwards to A'Bheinn Bhreach whose summit lies frustratingly far from the cliff edge although giving another glimpse along the coast towards the northern end of the island [picture 18].
A well built wall straddles the ridge, thoughtfully provided with a simple stile [picture 19]. Beyond lies Cnoc Mull-araich which is a slightly more significant hill than the map suggests as it gives the first view along the coast southwards and a foretaste of the delights to come [picture 20].
Binnean Riabach the southernmost hill of this ridge is without doubt its finest with a summit perched dizzily above cliffs. Although they do not plunge straight into the Atlantic Ocean the narrow coastal strip simply adds to the drama [picture 21 - looking down from the summit] [picture 22 - the summit from the south]. The descent to the road via the cottage of Gortain was quick and easy.
Next morning we made an early start. It is a very short and easy walk from the Baleromindubh track over grass to the summit of Cnoc an t-Samhlaidh. The sun was rising over Jura [picture 23] and there was a magnificent panorama southwards towards the Paps of Jura, Islay, our next hill Beinn Eibhne and Oronsay [panorama 4].
Beinn Eibhne was approached through some very rough heathery terrain but we found an enjoyable route to the top along a terrace part way up the cliffs which surround the western side of the hill. A bit more heather bashing brought us onto a flat top and we spotted the cairn which might not be at quite the highest point but which is beautifully situated where the hill narrows to a ridge above the sea [picture 24]. [panorama 5 - from the summit] We made our way more or less directly down the steep eastern side of the hill and returned around the coast on easy grassy going.
Several highland cattle with their calves were grazing on the edge of the shore [picture 25]. The tide was ebbing and although it was still three hours before low tide a lot of sand was already clear of water. We followed another couple across towards the tidal island of Oransay. A discouraging notice warned us that the RSPB reserve was closed as a precaution against foot and mouth disease. In view of the fact that we could wander at will over all of Colonsay and that we could only reach Oronsay by a long walk across a wet and salty strand this seemed quite ridiculous. We had no idea whether this notice applied to the whole of the island or just to a part of it which was the bird reserve but we were certainly encouraged by seeing two other couples setting out across the sands [picture 26]. Part way across we reached deep water so we went into a cluster of rocks for an early lunch after which we were able to reach the other side without water coming over the top of the boots. We headed straight for Beinn Oronsay and were soon at the summit without encountering any hostile wardens [picture 27]. We had beautiful views of the Paps of Jura [picture 28] and a scattering of rocky islands westwards [picture 29]. From just below the summit I took a panoramic shot looking back at Colonsay [panorama 6]. We came down more or less the same way and took the track for a quick look at the well preserved priory which should certainly not be missed. [picture 30] [picture 31]
We were very lucky to find the faint vehicle track which runs up onto the central hills opposite a small quarry just west of the road junction to Oronsay. From the col it was a very short climb onto the unmarked top of Cnoc a'Raon a'Bhuilg from which we could see all our remaining summits, the bold top of Carn Mor beyond Dubh Loch [picture 32] and what appeared to be the top of the next hill [picture 33].
The going to Beinn nan Caorach was quite awful through bog and deep heather and when we reached the top we saw that the real summit was further west through more of the same. When we finally reached the cairn we had lovely views of the Paps of Jura [picture 34] and a splendid panorama of the southwest coast [panorama 7].
Now we had to reverse the whole horrible route back to the track which we rejoined briefly onto the ridge of Carn Mor where the going was much better despite its more rocky nature since the heather had mostly been burnt. Evening was approaching as we stopped for a quick snack at the cairn [picture 35].
We returned along the ridge, crossed a boggy valley and another barbed wire fence and set foot on the pleasant grassy ridge which led up to the summit cairn of our last MacPhie Carn na Cainnle. It gave a view across a conspicuous grassy hill fort to the village of Scalasaig with its jetty and hotel where we were soon enjoying a celebratory pint [picture 36].
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