View source for Coll

{{Short description|Island and parish in Scotland}}
{{About|the Scottish island}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2024}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2013}}
{{Infobox Scottish island
|location_map=Scotland Argyll and Bute
|coordinates = {{coord|56.64|-6.55|display=inline}}
|caption=Coll shown within Argyll and Bute
|GridReference=NM207584
|celtic name=Cola
|gaelic pronunciation={{IPA|gd|ˈkʰɔl̪ˠə||Colla.ogg}}
|norse name=
|meaning of name=Pre-Celtic and unclear
|Image= Coll.jpg
|ImageCaption= View of [[Arinagour]]
|area= {{cvt|7685|ha|sqmi|frac=8}}<ref name=Smith/>
|area rank=18
|highest elevation=Ben Hogh {{cvt|106|m|ft|0}}<ref name=Smith>Haswell-Smith (2004) p. 118-122</ref>
|Population=176<ref name=RESAS>{{RESAS}}</ref>
|population rank=37
|population density ={{cvt|2.3|PD/km2}}<ref name=Smith/><ref name=RESAS/>
|main settlement=[[Arinagour]]<ref name=Smith/>
|island group=[[Isle of Mull|Mull]]
|local authority=[[Argyll and Bute]]
|references=<ref name=Smith/><ref name=OS>{{Ordnance Survey}}</ref>
{{Designation list
| embed = yes
| designation1 = Ramsar
| designation1_date = 31 March 1995
| designation1_number = 723<ref>{{cite web|title=Coll|website=[[Ramsar Convention|Ramsar]] Sites Information Service|url=https://rsis.ramsar.org/ris/723|access-date=25 April 2018}}</ref>}}
}}

'''Coll''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|k|ɒ|l}}; {{langx|gd|Cola}})<ref name=MacanT>Mac an Tàilleir (2003) p. 31</ref> is an island located west of the [[Isle of Mull]] and northeast of [[Tiree]] in the [[Inner Hebrides]] of Scotland. Coll is known for its sandy beaches, which rise to form large [[sand dune]]s, for its [[corncrake]]s, and for [[Breachacha Castle|Breacachadh Castle]]. It is in the council area of [[Argyll and Bute]]. [[Arinagour]] is the main settlement on Coll. There is a ferry terminal on the island which connects it with the mainland of Scotland. Coll also has a small airport. The island is rural in nature and has been awarded Dark Sky status.
== Geology ==
Coll is formed largely from [[gneiss]] forming the [[Lewisian complex]], a suite of [[metamorphic rock]]s of [[Archean|Archaean]] to early [[Proterozoic]] age.<ref>{{cite web |title=Tiree and Coll, Scotland sheet 42 and 51W (Solid and Drift) |url=http://www.largeimages.bgs.ac.uk/iip/mapsportal.html?id=1002385 |website=BGS large map images |publisher=British Geological Survey |access-date=3 February 2020}}</ref> The eastern part of the island is traversed by numerous [[normal fault]]s most of which run broadly northwest–southeast.  [[Dolerite]] and [[camptonite]] [[dike (geology)|dykes]] of [[Permian|Permo]]-[[Carboniferous]] or [[Tertiary period|Tertiary]] age are also seen in the east of the island. 
[[Quaternary]] [[sediment]]s include [[raised beach]] deposits which are frequent around Coll's coastline whilst stretches of [[alluvium]] occupy some low inland areas. There are considerable areas of blown sand in the west and along stretches of the north coast and of [[peat]] southwest from [[Arinagour]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Onshore Geoindex |url=https://mapapps2.bgs.ac.uk/geoindex/home.html |website=British Geological Survey |access-date=3 February 2020}}</ref>

== Geography ==
Coll is about {{convert|13|mi|km|0|abbr=off}} long by {{convert|3|mi|km|0|abbr=off}} wide.<ref name="STV">{{cite web | title=Children on 'Katie Morag island' sing in Gaelic to Duke and Duchess | website=STV News | date=2024-05-21 | url=https://news.stv.tv/highlands-islands/children-on-isle-of-coll-also-known-as-katie-morag-island-sing-in-gaelic-for-duke-and-duchess-of-edinburgh | access-date=2024-09-29}}</ref> It had a population of 176 according to the 2022 Census.<ref name="RESAS"/> This was a decline from 195 in 2011.<ref name=NRS>{{NRS1C}}</ref> Coll's sandy beaches rise to form large sand dunes. The highest point on Coll is Ben Hogh in the mid-west of the island, which is a ridge with two tops running northwest to southeast. It rises initially to a height of {{convert|104|m|ft|0|abbr=off}}, with a triangulation pillar, and to {{convert|106|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} {{convert|450|m|yd|-1|abbr=on}} to the southeast.<ref name=OS/>

===Settlements===
[[Arinagour]] ({{langx|gd|Àirigh nan Gobhar}}),<ref name=MacanT8/> is the main settlement on the island located at the head of Loch Eatharna, on the east coast.<ref name="townfirst673">{{cite web |url=http://www.scottish-places.info/towns/townfirst673.html |title=Arinagour |work=Gazetteer for Scotland |access-date=13 December 2009 }}</ref> Other inhabited locations include:
*[[Acha, Argyll and Bute|Acha]] ({{langx|gd|An t-Achadh}}),<ref>Mac an Tàilleir (2003) p. 1</ref> a crofting settlement located {{convert|5|km|mi|0|abbr=on|frac=2}} south-west of Arinagour.<ref name="townfirst3661">{{cite web |url=http://www.scottish-places.info/towns/townfirst3661.html |title=Acha |work=[[Gazetteer for Scotland]] |access-date=13 December 2009 }}</ref>
*Arileod ({{langx|gd|Àirigh Leòid}}),<ref name=MacanT8>Mac an Tàilleir (2003) p. 8</ref> located on the west coast; {{convert|7|km|mi|abbr=on|frac=2}} south-west of Arinagour.<ref name="townfirst3705">{{cite web |url=http://www.scottish-places.info/towns/townfirst3705.html |title=Arileod |work=Gazetteer for Scotland |access-date=13 December 2009 }}</ref>
*Arnabost ({{langx|gd|Àrnabost}}),<ref name=MacanT8/> located {{convert|3|km|mi|frac=2|abbr=on}} north-west of Arinagour. it is the junction for travel between Sorisdale, Clabhach and Arinagour.<ref name="townfirst3707">{{cite web |url=http://www.scottish-places.info/towns/townfirst3707.html |title=Arnabost |work=Gazetteer for Scotland |access-date=13 December 2009}}</ref>
*Ballyhaugh ({{langx|gd|Baile Hogh}}),<ref name=MacanT14>Mac an Tàilleir (2003) p. 14</ref> located on the northern part of Hough Bay; {{convert|5|km|mi|frac=2|abbr=on}} west of Arinagour.<ref name="townfirst3721">{{cite web |url=http://www.scottish-places.info/towns/townfirst3721.html |title=Ballyhaugh |work=Gazetteer for Scotland |access-date=13 December 2009}}</ref>
*[[Bousd]] ({{langx|gd|Babhsta}}),<ref>Mac an Tàilleir (2003) p. 21</ref> located {{convert|7|km|mi|frac=2|abbr=on}} north-east of Arinagour.<ref name="townfirst3741">{{cite web |url=http://www.scottish-places.info/towns/townfirst3741.html |title=Bousd |work=Gazetteer for Scotland |access-date=13 December 2009 }}</ref>
*Clabhach ({{langx|gd|A' Chlabaich}}),<ref>Mac an Tàilleir (2003) p. 29</ref> located on the north-west coast; {{convert|5|km|mi|frac=2|abbr=on}} north-west of Arinagour.<ref name="townfirst3763">{{cite web |url=http://www.scottish-places.info/towns/townfirst3763.html |title=Clabhach |work=Gazetteer for Scotland |access-date=13 December 2009 }}</ref>
*Cornaigmore
*Crossapol ({{langx|gd|Crosabol}}),<ref>Mac an Tàilleir (2003) p. 34</ref> located on the south-west coast.<ref name="townfirst4323">{{cite web |url=http://www.scottish-places.info/towns/townfirst4323.html |title=Totronald |work=Gazetteer for Scotland |access-date=13 December 2009 }}</ref>
*[[Grishipoll]]
*[[Sorisdale]]
*Totronald ({{langx|gd|Tobhta Raghnaill}}), located on the west coast {{convert|7|km|mi|frac=2|abbr=on}} southwest of Arinagour.<ref name="townfirst3586">{{cite web |url=http://www.scottish-places.info/towns/townfirst3586.html |title=Totronald |work=Gazetteer for Scotland |access-date=13 December 2009 }}</ref>
*[[Uig, Coll|Uig]] ({{langx|gd|Ùig}}),<ref>Mac an Tàilleir (2003) p. 116</ref> located {{convert|1|km|mi|frac=2|abbr=on}} north-east of the head of Loch Breachacha.<ref name="townfirst3592">{{cite web |url=http://www.scottish-places.info/towns/townfirst3592.html |title=Uig |work=[[Gazetteer for Scotland]] |access-date=13 December 2009 }}</ref>

==Etymology==
It has been suggested that Coll is derived from [[Scottish Gaelic|Gaelic]] ''coll'', meaning '[[hazel]]'.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|url = http://www.clanntuirc.co.uk/JSNS/V7/JSNS7%20Broderick.pdf#page=12|title = Some Island Names in the Former 'Kingdom of the Isles': a reappraisal|last = Broderick|first = George|date = 2013|journal = The Journal of Scottish Name Studies|page = 12|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150408212824/http://www.clanntuirc.co.uk/JSNS/V7/JSNS7%20Broderick.pdf#page=12|archive-date = 2015-04-08}}</ref> However, the name is given as ''Colosus'' in the [[Vita Columbae|Life of St Columba]] by [[Adamnán]], the seventh century abbot of [[Iona]].<ref>{{Cite book|title = Names in Multi-Lingual, Multi-Cultural and Multi-Ethnic Contact: Proceedings of the 23rd International Congress of Onomastic Sciences: August 17‒22, York University, Toronto, Canada|last = Coates|first = Richard|publisher = York University|year = 2009|isbn = 978-1-55014-521-2|location = Toronto|page = 236|chapter = A Glimpse through a Dirty Window into an Unlit House: Names of Some North-West European Islands|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150407205627/http://yorkspace.library.yorku.ca/xmlui/bitstream/handle/10315/3642/icos23_228.pdf#page=9|archive-date = 2015-04-07|editor-last = Ahrens|editor-last2 = Embleton|editor-first = Wolfgang|editor-first2 = Sheila|editor-last3 = Lapierre|editor-first3 = André|chapter-url = http://yorkspace.library.yorku.ca/xmlui/bitstream/handle/10315/3642/icos23_228.pdf?sequence=1}}* Early forms are listed in {{Cite journal|url = http://www.clanntuirc.co.uk/JSNS/V7/JSNS7%20Broderick.pdf#page=12|title = Some Island Names in the Former 'Kingdom of the Isles': a reappraisal|last = Broderick|first = George|date = 2013|journal = The Journal of Scottish Name Studies|page = 12|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150408212824/http://www.clanntuirc.co.uk/JSNS/V7/JSNS7%20Broderick.pdf#page=12|archive-date = 2015-04-08}}</ref> As /s/ between vowels had been lost in [[Celtic languages|Celtic]] before Adamnán's time, [[William J. Watson|Watson]] suggests that ''Colosus'' may represent a pre-Celtic name.<ref name=":0" /> [[Richard Coates]] has proposed that the name may be related to [[Greek language|Greek]] ''kolossós'' and may have referred to a humanoid [[Menhir|standing stone]] located on the island, like those still seen on [[North Uist]] and [[Isle of Lewis|Lewis]].<ref name="Coates 2009 236">{{Cite book|title = Names in Multi-Lingual, Multi-Cultural and Multi-Ethnic Contact: Proceedings of the 23rd International Congress of Onomastic Sciences: August 17‒22, York University, Toronto, Canada|last = Coates|first = Richard|publisher = York University|year = 2009|isbn = 978-1-55014-521-2|location = Toronto|page = 236|chapter = A Glimpse through a Dirty Window into an Unlit House: Names of Some North-West European Islands|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150408214115/http://yorkspace.library.yorku.ca/xmlui/bitstream/handle/10315/3642/icos23_228.pdf#page=9|archive-date = 8 April 2015|editor-last = Ahrens|editor-last2 = Embleton|editor-first = Wolfgang|editor-first2 = Sheila|editor-last3 = Lapierre|editor-first3 = André|chapter-url = http://yorkspace.library.yorku.ca/xmlui/bitstream/handle/10315/3642/icos23_228.pdf#page=9|access-date = 8 April 2015|url-status = live }}</ref> As ''Kolossós'' is not originally a Greek word,<ref name="Coates 2009 236"/> Coates suggests that the name could have been given to Coll at a time when the ''kolossói'' of [[Mediterranean]] culture were well-known, or named "by speakers of a language in which the ancestor of the word was the native term."<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|title = Names in Multi-Lingual, Multi-Cultural and Multi-Ethnic Contact: Proceedings of the 23rd International Congress of Onomastic Sciences: August 17‒22, York University, Toronto, Canada|last = Coates|first = Richard|publisher = York University|year = 2009|isbn = 978-1-55014-521-2|location = Toronto|page = 237|chapter = A Glimpse through a Dirty Window into an Unlit House: Names of Some North-West European Islands|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150407205627/http://yorkspace.library.yorku.ca/xmlui/bitstream/handle/10315/3642/icos23_228.pdf#page109|archive-date = 2015-04-07|editor-last = Ahrens|editor-last2 = Embleton|editor-first = Wolfgang|editor-first2 = Sheila|editor-last3 = Lapierre|editor-first3 = André|chapter-url = http://yorkspace.library.yorku.ca/xmlui/bitstream/handle/10315/3642/icos23_228.pdf#page=10}}</ref> In Icelandic, the word ''kollur'' (Old Norse: ''kollr'', Norwegian: ''koll'' or ''kolle'') means "a rounded protrusion, such as a rounded mountaintop, or a tussock".

==History==
===Early history===
[[File:Dùn Beic (photo, c.1900).jpg|300px|thumb|Dùn Beic (in about 1900), one of several Dùn on Coll traditionally claimed to have been Norse strongholds.]]
In the 6th century, an Irish invasion led to the establishment of the [[Gaels|Gaelic]] kingdom of [[Dál Riata]], which included Coll. Dál Riata was divided into four kin-groups, of which the [[Cenél Loairn]] ruled Coll, [[Isle of Mull|Mull]], and the adjacent mainland, which together consequently became known as ''[[Lorne, Scotland|Lorn]]'', after them. Coll shared the history of Lorn for the next 1000 years, becoming part of the [[Kingdom of the Isles]] under Norwegian dominion, then the [[Clan MacDougall|MacDougall]] subdivision of that kingdom after [[Somerled]].{{Citation needed|date=September 2024}}

Coll, like other Hebridean islands, has several ''[[crannóg]]s'' (artificial islands) located in some of its [[loch]]s, dating from this early period. It is difficult to estimate the exact age of these islands, but several are thought to date to the Norse period; local traditions describe three – [[Dùn Anlaimh]], [[Dùn an Achaidh]], [[Dùn Dubh]] – as having been Norse strongholds which survived until they were attacked by the Macleans.{{Citation needed|date=September 2024}}

The 1266 [[Treaty of Perth]] transferred the [[Norway|Norwegian]] crown dependency to the Scottish king{{refn|group="note"|rather than Scotland; they remained a crown dependency, like the [[Isle of Man]] (which had itself once been part of the Kingdom of the Isles)}}. Following the MacDougall defeat in the dispute between king [[John Balliol]] and [[Robert I of Scotland|Robert de Bruys]] (they had backed the former), the position of ''[[sheriff of Argyll]]'' was created to have [[sheriffdom|shrieval]] authority over Lorn{{refn|group="note"|Over Lorn only. Authority was only extended to the rest of the region now known as ''Argyll'' by a gradual process over the following centuries. [[Kintyre]], for example, was dealt with by the [[Tarbertshire|sheriff of Tarbert]] for many centuries after this.}}, and the MacDougall lands were merged into the [[Lordship of the Isles]]. Though MacDougall authority was restored in 1357, by king [[David II, King of Scotland|David II]], [[John Gallda MacDougall|the MacDougall heir]] had 3 years previously{{refn|group="note"|1354}}, quitclaimed any rights to [[Isle of Mull|Mull]] (including Coll), which therefore remained with the Lord of the Isles.

In 1549 [[Dean Monro]] wrote of Coll that it was:
:"''ane mane fertile Ile inhabite and manurit, with an castell and ane paroch kirk in it, gude for fishing and fowlers, with ane utter fine Falcons nest in it''".<ref name="Munro 1961 p. 66">Munro (1961) p. 66</ref>
He wrote of Rum:
:''"It pertains to McKenabrey of Coll".<ref name="Munro 1961 p. 66"/>''

In the 15th century, the island came under the ownership of the ''MacLeans of Coll'' who constructed [[Breachacha Castle]].<ref name="Historic">{{Historic Environment Scotland|num=LB4708|desc=Old Breachacha Castle including Battery Wall and Outbuildings (also known as Breacachadh Castle)|cat=A|access-date=29 September 2024}}</ref> The MacLeans exercised baronial control of the island until 1848.<ref name="n387">{{cite web | title=Information about the Isle of Coll | website=Explore and discover the Isle of Coll | url=https://visitcoll.co.uk/about/ | access-date=2024-09-29}}</ref> The Maclean ownership of the castle was sold in 1851.<ref name="Historic"/>

=== Departure ===
[[File:Derelict house at Sorisdale - geograph.org.uk - 808271.jpg|thumb|Derelict house at Sorisdale]]
[[File:Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland (1899) (14598330869).jpg|thumb|Map of [[Tiree]] (bottom, southwest) and Coll (top, northeast), 1899.]]
In the late 18th century there were about 1,000 people supported by agriculture and fishing.<ref name=Smith/> However, the collapse in the [[kelp]] market after the end of the [[Napoleonic Wars]], followed by the [[Highland Potato Famine]], caused a great deal of hardship on the island. By the mid 19th century, much of the population had chosen to leave, many of them moving to Australia, Canada, or South Africa in a process referred to as the [[Scottish diaspora]]. One source indicates that 23% of the island's population relocated.<ref name="Bueltmann">{{cite book | last=Bueltmann | first=Tanja | title=Scottish Diaspora | publisher=Edinburgh University Press | publication-place=Edinburgh | date=2013-11-20 | isbn=978-0-7486-5062-0 | page=}}</ref> The process took place alongside the [[Highland Clearances|clearances]] where many were removed from their land. In Coll, overpopulation was cited as a factor.<ref name="t893">{{cite book | last=Richards | first=Eric | title=A History of the Highland Clearances | publisher=Routledge | date=2023-01-09 | isbn=978-0-367-51450-1 | page=104}}</ref>

===Present day===

In the [[2011 United Kingdom census|2011 census]], the island's population was recorded as 195, representing an increase over the previous decade of nearly 19%<ref name="NRS" /><ref>{{GRO10}}</ref> During the same period [[List of Scottish islands|Scottish island]] populations as a whole grew by 4% (to 103,702).<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-23711202 "Scotland's 2011 census: Island living on the rise"]. BBC News. Retrieved 18 August 2013.</ref>

In December 2013, Coll secured '[[Dark-sky movement|dark skies]]' status, the second location in Scotland.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-25300740 |title= Isle of Coll secures 'dark isle' status|publisher=BBC News |date=9 December 2013 |access-date=9 December 2013}}</ref> The island has no street lights and little other [[light pollution]], allowing unobstructed views of the night sky on clear nights. In winter the [[Aurora (astronomy)|Northern Lights]] are often visible.<ref>{{cite news|last=Thomson |first=Andrew |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-17893195 |title=Residents of Coll in bid for first 'dark isle' status |date= 2012-04-30|access-date=2012-04-30|publisher=BBC News }}</ref>

In January 2024, Coll experienced a 3.3 magnitude [[earthquake]] according to the [[British Geological Survey]].<ref name="i389">{{cite web | last=Grant | first=Rachel | title=Earthquake on Mull felt like a 'car hit house' | website=BBC News | date=2024-01-30 | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cge72grq1wjo | access-date=2024-09-29}}</ref>

==Transport==
[[File:Heathrow it ain't^ - geograph.org.uk - 1449133.jpg|thumb|left|Coll airport]]
There are only two main roads on Coll. The main hub of the island is the island's largest settlement, Arinagour. Just over a kilometre (0.7 miles) south of Arinagour is the [[Caledonian MacBrayne]] ferry terminal.<ref name="iknow-scotland">{{cite web |url=http://www.iknow-scotland.co.uk/tourist_information/scottish_islands/isle_of_coll_tiree/coll_tourist_information.htm |title=Isle of Coll Tourist Guide Inner Hebrides Scottish Islands |work=iknow-scotland.co.uk |access-date=13 December 2009 }}{{Dead link|date=December 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> The ferry travels from [[Oban]] to Coll to [[Tiree]]; and a return trip from Tiree, to Coll, to Oban.<ref name="calmac.co.uk-coll">{{cite web|url=http://www.calmac.co.uk/coll |title=Coll: Getting there/around |publisher=Caledonian MacBrayne |access-date=13 December 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090506175608/http://www.calmac.co.uk/coll |archive-date=6 May 2009 }}</ref><ref name="calmac.co.uk-coll winter">{{cite web|url=http://www.calmac.co.uk/winter-timetable.html?id=winter-coll-and-tiree--oban-coll-tiree.gif |format=[[gif]] |title=Coll and Tiree timetable (25 October 2009 to 25 March 2010) |publisher=Caledonian MaBrayne |access-date=13 December 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071103142113/http://www.calmac.co.uk/winter-timetable.html?id=winter-coll-and-tiree--oban-coll-tiree.gif |archive-date=3 November 2007 }}</ref> The ferry between Oban and [[Castlebay]] on [[Barra]] goes via Coll and Tiree once a week.

The [[Coll Airport|airport]] on the island, {{Airport codes|COL}} is located between Uig and Arileod. [[Highland Airways]] who originally operated the route to Oban went into administration in 2010,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/highlands_and_islands/8586688.stm|title=Highland Airways goes into administration|publisher=BBC News|date=25 March 2010|access-date=25 March 2010}}</ref> but a new operator, [[Hebridean Air Services]] now operates the route under a PSO with flights to Oban, Tiree and Colonsay. The aircraft used for the flights are a BN2 Islander (G-HEBS). Hebridean headquarters are at [[Cumbernauld Airport]], [[North Lanarkshire]].
{{s-rail-start|noclear=yes}}
{{s-rail|title=Ferry}}

{{rail line |previous=[[Tiree]]|next=[[Oban railway station|Oban]]|route=[[Caledonian MacBrayne]]<br/><small>Ferry</small> |col={{CalMac color}} }}
{{s-end}}

==Economy==
[[File:Project Trust, The Hebridean Centre - geograph.org.uk - 30885.jpg|thumb|Project Trust centre]]
Agriculture, primarily land owned farming as opposed to crofting is one of the major employment areas on the island.<ref name="F&F">{{cite web | title=Agriculture and fishing on Coll | website=Explore and discover the Isle of Coll | url=https://visitcoll.co.uk/farming_fishing/ | access-date=2024-09-29}}</ref> There are also a few fishing vessels that operate from the island.<ref name="F&F"/>

The Isle of Coll's community centre, An Cridhe, and hostel, Coll Bunkhouse was opened in July 2012 by [[HRH Princess Anne|Princess Anne]].<ref name="a295">{{cite web | last1=Ltd | first1=grough | last2=Uk | first2=Enquiries At Grough Dot Co Dot | title=Royal opening for new Hebridean bunkhouse | website=grough | date=2012-07-09 | url=https://www.grough.co.uk/magazine/2012/07/09/royal-opening-for-new-hebridean-bunkhouse | access-date=2024-09-29}}</ref> Owned and managed by the community-led organisation Development Coll, the new facilities were built to provide much needed amenities on the island and a social hub for the local community. An Cridhe now hosts a series of annual events such as a half marathon, the Coll Show, a basking shark festival, a bird festival and a chamber music festival, as well as a range of music, comedy, theatre and dance throughout the year. The centre also has a film club, Screen Coll.<ref name="Guardian">{{cite web | last=Smith | first=Anna | title='A perfect place to build a film community': a tour of Scotland's island movie clubs | website=the Guardian | date=2024-09-20 | url=https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2024/sep/20/a-perfect-place-to-build-a-film-community-a-tour-of-scotlands-island-movie-clubs | access-date=2024-09-29}}</ref> A remote outdoor disco is also held on the island.<ref name="u975">{{cite web | title=My night at the world's most remote disco | website=Financial Times | url=https://www.ft.com/content/4b4cd1b5-db37-4db7-901b-157c0df2720f | access-date=2024-09-29}}</ref><ref name="a270">{{cite web | title='World's remotest disco' returns to Coll in aid of Doddie and MND | website=West Coast Today | date=2024-07-12 | url=https://www.westcoasttoday.co.uk/news/worlds-remotest-disco-returns-to-coll-in-aid-of-doddie-and-mnd | language=pt | access-date=2024-09-29}}</ref>

In September 2024, it was reported that the island had one shop, one restaurant, one hotel and a post office in operation.<ref name="Guardian"/>

The charity [[Project Trust]], which organises overseas volunteering and gap-years, has been based on the island since 1974.<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"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110414231751/http://www.projecttrust.org.uk/aboutus.php?T=About |date=14 April 2011 }} Project Trust. Retrieved 5 April 2008.</ref> The founder, Nicholas Maclean-Bristol, also restored Breacachadh Castle.<ref name="featuredetails1508">{{cite web |url=http://www.scottish-places.info/features/featuredetails1508.html |title=Coll |work=Gazetteer for Scotland |access-date=13 December 2009 }}</ref><ref name="STV"/> The island also has several tourist businesses.<ref name="STV"/>

==Wildlife==
[[File:Corncrake, near Arnabost - geograph.org.uk - 1342580.jpg|thumb|A corncrake, near Arnabost]]

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| access-date=2008-01-06}}</ref> One of the main attractions is the rare [[corncrake]], as well as [[Skylarks]].<ref name="a644">{{cite web | title=Coll Nature Reserve, Argyll & Bute, Scotland | website=The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB)  | date=2023-05-25 | url=https://www.rspb.org.uk/days-out/reserves/coll | access-date=2024-09-29}}</ref> Traditional local farming practices have helped this once common British bird to survive.

In the 1970s, scientists released [[sand lizards]] on Coll.<ref name="r746">{{cite web | title=Scotland's Secret Lizards | website=Froglife | date=2022-02-28 | url=https://www.froglife.org/2022/02/28/scotlands-secret-lizards/ | access-date=2024-09-29}}</ref> There is also a small population of sand lizards, as much of 39 individuals were introduced by scientists to test whether they can survive so far north in the 1970s and are still thriving today.

In 2010, a colony of [[Meloe brevicollis|short-necked oil beetles]] was found on the island. The beetle, thought to be extinct in the UK, is now known only to occur in southern England and Coll. It is parasitic on ground-dwelling bees, and is also flightless, raising the question of how it arrived on the island. It does not appear to be found on neighbouring [[Tiree]], possibly because of a difference in terrain. Modern farming methods had partly caused its demise elsewhere.<ref>Ross, John (16 July 2010) [http://news.scotsman.com/news/Beetle-mania-as-39extinct39-insect.6423196.jp "Beetle mania as 'extinct' insect found on Scots isle"]. ''[[The Scotsman]]''. Retrieved 19 July 2010.

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== In fiction ==
[[File:Island on Loch Renard - geograph.org.uk - 1449893.jpg|thumb|Island on Loch Renard, one of the many [[lochan]]s and [[loch]]s on Coll. In the foreground, [[Ericaceae|heather]] and a [[rowan tree]].]]
[[Mairi Hedderwick]], the illustrator and author, used to live on Coll and has used the island as the setting for 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| access-date=2008-01-06}}</ref><ref name="STV"/>

In [[Alexander McCall Smith]]'s ''[[The Charming Quirks of Others]]'' the protagonist, Isabelle Dalhousie, discusses Coll as a place for a honeymoon.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Smith|first1=Alexander McCall|title=The Charming Quirks of Others|url=https://archive.org/details/charmingquirksof00|url-access=registration|date=2010|publisher=Anchor Books|location=New York|page=[https://archive.org/details/charmingquirksof00/page/98 98]|isbn=9780307379177 }}</ref>

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==See also==
{{Portal|Scottish islands}}
* [[List of islands of Scotland]]
* [[List of Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Mull, Coll and Tiree]]
* [[Cairns of Coll]]
* [[Land raid]]
* [[Religion of the Yellow Stick]]

==Notes==
{{Reflist|group="note"}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
* {{Haswell-Smith}}
* {{Gaelic Placenames}}
* Munro, R. W. (1961) Electronic ''Monro's Western Isles of Scotland and Genealogies of the Clans''. Edinburgh and London. Oliver and Boyd.
* [[William J. Watson|Watson, W. J.]] (1994) ''The Celtic Place-Names of Scotland''. Edinburgh; Birlinn. {{ISBN|1841583235}}. First published 1926.

==External links==
{{Wikivoyage}}
{{Commons category}}
* [http://www.visitcoll.co.uk The island of Coll]

{{Argyll Islands}}
{{Hebrides}}
{{Islands of Scotland}}
{{RSPB sites in Scotland}}
{{Portal bar|Scotland}}
{{Authority control}}
{{Coord|56|38|00|N|6|33|26|W|region:GB_type:isle|display=title}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Coll}}
[[Category:Coll| ]]
[[Category:Islands of the Inner Hebrides]]
[[Category:Ramsar sites in Scotland]]
[[Category:Special Protection Areas in Scotland]]
[[Category:Royal Society for the Protection of Birds reserves in Scotland]]
[[Category:Islands of Argyll and Bute]]
[[Category:Parishes in Argyll]]