Popular with surfers, Kiloran Bay is one of the best beaches on the Isle of Colonsay. Stroll along this golden crescent as you enjoy wonderful views, especially from the highest point, Carnan Eion where you can see the Isle of Jura.
Location
Colonsay draws visitors with its serene atmosphere and untouched beauty. Despite being one of the smallest inhabited islands in the Hebrides, Colonsay offers a rich array of natural wonders, including impressive sandy beaches and stunning sea and island views.
For those who love the outdoors, the island provides plenty of opportunities for activities like walking, cycling, golfing, and wildlife watching. Additionally, Colonsay is steeped in history and heritage, with numerous sites waiting to be discovered and explored.
Colonsay Hotel is a great base from which to explore the surrounding area including:
Kiloran Bay
Climb the 22 MacPhies
Looking for the a walk on Colonsay with a bit of challenge? Try bagging the MacPhies. A “MacPhie” is a hill in excess of 91.46 metres (300 feet) in height and there are 22 included in the Official List for Colonsay and Oronsay. Clonsay’s walking challenge is to climb all of them in one connected walk with a start and finish point below the high water mark. There is no official route, and the total distance is around 32 kms.
Carnon Eoin High Point
Carnon Eoin is Colonsay’s highest point and sits at the north end of the island above Kiloran Bay, one of the beast beaches on Colonsay. The highpoint offers the best views of Colonsay, the surrounding islands and the whale sculpture. As part of this walk it is possible to explore caves at the north end of Kiloran Bay and the sea arch at the south west end.
Colonsay Golf Course
The 18 hole golf course at Machrins on the west coast of the island is reputedly over 200 years old, having first been played in 1775, and was well-known and recorded as a feature of island life in the late 19th century. You are most likely to have the entire course completely to yourself.
Go to the Beach Balnahard Bay | Kiloran Bay |The Strand | Cable Bay | Tobar Fuar | Traigh nam Barc
Colonsay has a number of superb beaches dotted across the whole island. Whether swimming, family picnics, paddle boarding, surfing or walking you’ll always find one with a bit of shelter on most days. There’s plenty of ancient history and amazing natural features to discover on these beaches too.
Cycle the Island Circuit
With the island measuring around 2 miles wide and 10 miles long, cycling is the perfect way to see the sights.
Colonsay Whale Sculpture
“The Whale” by Julian Meredith is a 160 metre long stone sculpture of a whale on the raised beach near Port Sgibinis at Balnahard. The outline is clearly visible and passers-by are invited to fill in the outline by adding a stone. This giant piece of art has been classified as a geographic feature, a hill carving, by Ordnance Survey. The best views of it are from Carnon Eoin, the highest point on the island.