Coll 476913 224966553 2008-07-11T06:08:56Z Lightbot 7178666 Units/dates/other {{dablink|This article is about the Scottish island: for other uses, see [[Coll (disambiguation)]].}} {{Infobox Scottish island | |Map=Coll.PNG |GridReference=NM207584 |celtic name=Colla |norse name= |meaning of name=[[Hazel]] |area=7,685 ha |area rank=18 |highest elevation=Ben Hogh 104&nbsp;m |Population=164 |population rank=35 |main settlement=Arinagour |island group=[[Isle of Mull|Mull]] |local authority=[[Argyll and Bute]] |references=<ref>2001 UK Census per [[List of islands of Scotland]]</ref><ref name=Smith>{{cite book| author=Haswell-Smith, Hamish| year=2004| title=The Scottish Islands| location=Edinburgh| publisher=Canongate| isbn=1841954543}}</ref><ref name=OS>{{cite map| url=http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/oswebsite/getamap/| title=Get-a-map| publisher=[[Ordnance Survey]]}}</ref> }} '''Coll''' ([[Scottish Gaelic]]: '''Colla''') is a small [[island]], west of [[Isle of Mull|Mull]] in the [[Inner Hebrides]] of [[Scotland]]. Coll is known for its sandy [[beach]]es, which rise to form large [[sand dune]]s, for its [[corncrake]]s, and for Breachacha Castle. ==Geography and geology== Coll is about 21 km long by 5 km wide (13 miles by 3 miles) and has a population of less than 200. The island has a small village, [[Arinagour]], from which [[ferry|ferries]] operated by [[Caledonian MacBrayne]] sail to [[Scarinish]] on [[Tiree]] and to [[Oban]] on the mainland.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.calmac.co.uk/coll| publisher=Caledonian MacBrayne| title=route information| accessdate=2008-01-06}}</ref> The journey to Oban normally takes about two hours, but in stormy winter weather it can take much longer. Coll's sandy [[beach]]es rise to form large [[sand dune]]s. The highest point on Coll is Ben Hogh in the south west of the island which rises to a height of 104 metres (341 ft). [[Image:Coll.jpg|thumb|300px|View of Arinagour]] ==History== Coll was home to a branch of the [[Clan MacLean]] for 500 years, not all of which were peaceful. In 1590 the MacLeans of Duart invaded their cousins on Coll with the intention of taking the island for themselves. A battle was fought at Breachacha Castle where the Coll clan overwhelmed the Duarts, chopped off their heads and threw them in the stream which is still known as "the stream of the heads". The Macleans of Coll retained their baronial fief and Castle of Breachacha until 1848 when Alexander Maclean of Coll emigrated to [[KwaZulu-Natal|Natal]] where he died unmarried. [[Breachacha Castle]] on the south coast dates from the fifteenth century. It was restored by the [[Project Trust]],<ref>{{cite web| url=http://xweb.geos.ed.ac.uk/scotgaz/features/featurefirst1508.html| title=Overview of Coll| publisher=[[Gazetteer for Scotland]]| accessdate=2008-01-06}}</ref> a [[gap year]] organisation that sends school leavers abroad for a year's voluntary work. They send 17-19 year olds on a whole year abroad, and have extensive selection and training weeks.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.projecttrust.org.uk/| title=Project Trust| accessdate=2008-01-06}}</ref> An 18th century mansion house stands nearby. The population of Coll was much higher in the past. In the late 1700s there were about 1,000 people supported by agriculture and fishing.<ref name=Smith/> During the [[Highland Clearances]] of the 1830s and 1840s, half the population left, many of them moving to [[Australia]], [[Canada]] or [[South Africa]]. [[Image:Traigh Mhor - Isle of Coll.jpg|thumb|left|Traigh Feall (Feall Beach), Isle of Coll]] ==Project Trust== Project Trust, founded by Nicholas Maclean-Bristol and based on the island, has sent over 5,500 volunteers overseas, many of them [[gap year]] students. In 2008 this organisation, which brings over £370,000 per annum to Coll's economy, celebrated its 40th anniversary.<ref>Kerr, Moira ([[17 March]] [[2008]]) "Charity plays vital role in survival of remote island". Aberdeen. ''Press and Journal''.</ref><ref>[http://www.projecttrust.org.uk/aboutus.php?T=About "About Project Trust"] Project Trust. Retrieved [[5 April]] [[2008]].</ref> ==Wildlife== There is an extensive [[RSPB]] reserve towards the west end of the island.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/c/coll/index.asp| publisher=RSBP| title=Guide to Coll| accessdate=2008-01-06}}</ref> One of the main attractions is the rare [[corncrake]]. Traditional local farming practices have helped this once common British bird survive. == Coll in fiction == [[Mairi Hedderwick]], the illustrator and author, once lived on Coll and has used the island as the setting her ''Katie Morag'' series of children's books. In the books, Coll is known by the fictional name of the Isle of Struay.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.randomhouse.co.uk/kids/characters/mairi.htm| title=Random House - Mairi Hedderwick| accessdate=2008-01-06}}</ref> ==See also== * [[Religion of the Yellow Stick]] ==Footnotes== <references/> ==External links== * [http://www.visitcoll.co.uk/ Isle of Coll Website] * [http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/islandblogging/argyllandclyde/coll.shtml BBC Island Blog Website] * [http://www.collchurch.co.uk/index.php Coll Parish Church Website] * [http://www.collhotel.com/index.php The Coll Hotel Website] * [http://www.collmagazine.co.uk/ The Coll Magazine Archive] * [http://sharepoint.isleofcoll.org/communitycentre/default.aspx The Coll Community Centre Project] * [http://www.projecttrust.org.uk/ Project Trust] {{hebrides}} {{coord|56|38|00|N|6|33|26|W|region:GB_type:isle|display=title}} [[Category:Special Protection Areas in Scotland]] [[Category:Islands of the Inner Hebrides]] [[Category:Ramsar sites in Scotland]] [[da:Isle of Coll]] [[de:Coll]] [[fr:Coll (Hébrides intérieures)]] [[he:האי קול]] [[nds:Coll]]