Glendyke
As our own holiday cottage,
modernised to our own standards, Glendyke will not disappoint! Originally
part of the Laird of Coll’s estate, the cottage nestles in a hollow on the
shores of the
Glendyke sleeps 4, in one twin and one double room,
and is comfortably furnished
throughout. No linen is provided though duvets and pillows are. The kitchen is
well equipped, including an electric cooker, and fridge-freezer. The property is
not overlooked. Each room has its own special view, with the kitchen and living
room having panoramic windows facing the castle-park and bay.
The property lies in its own fenced 1/4 acre plot, alongside a stream that is regularly visited by otters. Corncrakes frequent adjoining fields, and can be heard calling in June and July.
Access is across a grassy field, and is passable by normal saloon car most times of the year. In winter, the field can be very boggy and a 4 x 4 is really needed. There is parking on the field outside the cottage.
The estuary and village of Arinagour is 5 miles away, where there is also a community playground with swings/slide climbing tower etc. The island boasts a dozen superb beaches with the nearest two hundred yards away. The east coast beaches are generally current free and safe for bathing, if mum and dad are feeling hardy! Coll has a 9 hole golf course. With the highest point of the isle only 300ft, Coll is ideal for cycling, and the roads are normally very quiet, and drivers very courteous.
A 2 1/2 hour ferry is needed to reach Coll, leaving Oban first thing in the morning.
However, this relative inaccessibility creates much of the appeal. Island communities have their own very special character, and none more so than Coll. The ferry journey itself is a wonderful trip in its own right, with unparalleled views of the Inner Hebrides on a clear day. We suggest you get to Oban the day before, spend the night in a hotel, and enjoy the journey in all its glory!
People are generally very friendly and laid-back, and do strange things like saying hello to strangers, and thanking you when you pullover on the single-track roads!!
The island affords superb walking, with abundant bird and plant life. The coast boasts a number of seal colonies which can be approached from the shore. Dolphins and porpoises frequent the coastal waters with whales occasionally seen. With settled high pressure, large numbers of basking sharks may be seen.
The Isle is a favourite among scuba-divers -if you have a wet suit, come and snorkel with seals! Windsurfers will know that neighbouring Tiree is the windsurfing capital of the world, with Coll sharing the same favourable weather.
Ornithologists will equally know of the reputation that of Coll, though there is more to the Isle than just corncrakes, with breeding arctic skuas, waders such as dunlin and snipe, red throated divers and much more. In winter, large numbers of migrants arrive including barnacle and Greenland white-front geese, and great northern divers.
A corncrake in the garden of Glendyke
Holiday lets are normally Saturday to Saturday, though out of season (only!) we are flexible regarding both starting days and duration. We are happy to consider four day ‘weekend breaks’, along with longer winter breaks at a very favourable rates.
Getting there Ferries depart 4 or 5 days a week from Oban, the journey taking approx 2.5 hours in summer, 3 in winter. Details from Caledonian MacBrayne (08705 650000)
From Manchester, it takes the best part of 6 hours motoring, going fairly hard. We find the best route to be Loch Lomond, Arrochar, and over. Alternatives include Lomond, Crianlarich, or Callender, Tyndrum. The ferry timetable has changed for 2003, on a trial basis – see their website for full details. Ferries depart fairly early in the morning, and we usually stop overnight in Oban. On certain ferries you can board the boat the night before. There are places to stay in Oban who welcome the early morning ferry passenger, e.g. Maridon Hotel (01631 562670) and Falls of Lora Hotel at Connel (01631 710483). Both do bed only without charging you for a breakfast you do not take. The Falls also do excellent (though not cheap) evening meals.
For a real start to the holiday, try The Manor House just 400 yards from the ferry terminal, tel 01631 562087. Four-star luxury and great food at the price you would expect. Dogs accepted.
M.6. North bound .Tebay Services just beyond Junction 38. Privately owned services good little coffee shop by the entrance door, which sells pastries and good expresso. Excellent farm shop for local produce (and butty-fodder) Good also for a pleasant & sensibly-priced overnight stop.
M.74. To Glasgow. Annandale services Junction 13. New services which are OK. There is a manmade lake and park area.
Follow M.8.
Signs for
Luss
Services:
all amenities are found at the
At Tarbet turn left and take the A.83 to Inverary.
Just before Inverary on the right hand side is The Loch Fyne Oyster Bar and The
Tree Shop. Snacks/restaurant meals available.
At Inverary, turn right, through the archway, towards Oban.
As an alternative, and slightly longer route, go
via Lochgilphead. Great restaurant/coffee shop and visitor centre at Kilmichael,
with very interesting and informative audio-visual display of local archaeology
and history (which we normally consider deadly boring!) The Loch Melfort hotel
is a good place to extend or start your holiday - lovely food in a spectacular
setting - and they accept dogs.
Oban
The
Kitchen Garden,
Foot
passengers. The railway station is right on the pier, with
services from
The Isle now has its own taxi service. This gives
you the option of driving to Oban, leaving your car, travelling by foot or by
bike. Your luggage can then either by freighted over for you (Derek Wilson
Carriers) or you can take what you can carry, and taxi to the cottage.
Alternatively, you can send your luggage by carrier from home, and get it
delivered to the cottage, and walk or taxi to the property. If cost is an
important issue, this can work out much cheaper than taking your car.
Arrival. We do have to clean the property between guests, and this does take time! – not only can you not move in before the place is cleaned, we cannot clean until you move out, and we therefore have to insist that our guests vacate the property by 9 am. (for some reason, the parties that want to come in before we have had time to clean are the same parties who are never out on time!!!) Entry time is around 2.00 pm.
Access. The main access to Glendyke is across The Castle Park. Follow any of the numerous tracks, except the one hard left through the gate towards the barn. Our usual track is marked by a series of white boulders (not always visible if grass is long). In winter and spring, the field can be too boggy to drive a vehicle across,if this is so, park by the field gate and walk down. See appendix for diagram of how to cross the field.
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Fuels
The electricity system
runs off a slot meter taking £1 coins. Central heating is through programmable
convector heaters. There is a multi-fuel stove in the lounge to snooze in front
of. You will need to bring your own fuel. Driftwood is not suitable as it
produces too much tar, which clogs the window and flue. The 24hr Esso petrol
station on the right hand side 2 miles before Oban at Dunstaffnage stocks
smokeless fuels, and the peat briquettes (which are actually very good).
Seasoned logs are also OK to burn.
Diesel,
leaded and unleaded petrol are available on the island
(at a hefty price premium, so fill up before sailing). The opening times are
related to ferry arrivals/days so please check at the station for these times.
Septic
Tank.
The property is not on mains sewerage and is serviced by a septic tank. Please
don’t dispose of undegradables down the lavatory. We
also must insist that you do not use bleach or other such cleaning agents.
Eating
and drinking There
is just one shop on the island. This shop supplies most essentials. There is no
fresh meat, and rarely fresh fish. (bring your own and freeze it!) They do sell
fresh veg, milk, bread etc. Food can be ordered in advance (tel 01879 230 335 )
Excellent fish can be bought from ‘
Newspapers arrive with the ferry, a day late!
Cooking
The kitchen is well
equipped and includes a fridge-freezer. There is no auto-washer or
dish-washer as there is unsufficient water pressure.
There is a cooker with a ceramic hob. PLEASE DON’T USE
ABRASIVE CLEANERS ON THIS!
The
Coll Hotel
serves food, lunchtimes and evenings, tel 01879 230334 (They will also do
laundry on request). They accept VISA & Access.
First
Port of Call is a café restaurant on the main street.
Telephone
There is no telephone at the property (nor is there a TV). If you have a mobile,
you can usually get reception at most places with uninterrupted views of the
mainland. There is a phone box in the village.
Money
There
is no
bank on the island, but there is a Post Office.
Midges
We are often asked about
midges. Coll is much better than mainland
Medical
There is a doctor and
nurse on the isle, but no hospital or dentist, but there is a special constable.
Doctor’s tel 230326.
Vets
There is a vet on Tiree,
but not on Coll. Phone them if you have a problem, and you can jump on the
ferry, be seen on the pier at Tiree, and jump back on the returning ferry. Being
a sheep farming area, sheep ticks can be an occasional problem. However, they
can carry the potentially dangerous Lyme-disease
bug. We recommend you treat your dog before you go with ‘Frontline Spot-On’.
This preparation kills ticks very quickly, minimising the chance of them
transmitting any disease.
Seals.
If you want to swim with seals (wet suit recommended), Torastan is probably the
best spot. For simply bathing,
Birds.
The R.S.P.B. warden does guided walks in summer. The R.S.P.B. Visitor Centre is
situated at Totronald Farm. The reserve itself is informal – you may wander
more at less at will, excluding the corncrake hay meadows in summer.
Bike
Hire Bikes
are available from Tammy at the pottery studio on the pier.
Otters
Otter watching is an
acquired art, but there are a few about if you know how and where. Find yourself
a vantage point, preferably on a promontory, and sit tight making sure you do
not break the skyline. Mid-tide is often best. If you see otters far away,
approach them whilst they are under water, which is normally for at least 12
seconds. Therefore walk for 10 seconds once they dive, crouch, wait for them to
surface and dive again, and repeat! The bay at Arinagour is an extremely good
spot, observing from the roadside.
Golf
There is a 9 hole golf course. Fees payable to Coll Hotel.
Rainy
days Tammy
Hedderwick has a pottery workshop which will keep the kids amused for an hour or
two.
You will find her studio at the foot of the Cal Mac pier.
Breakages.
Please let us know, as soon as possible, if
any item is damaged. We can then ensure it is replaced in readiness for our next
guests.
Guests will be billed for major damages and breakages.
Rubbish.
Please don’t leave bags outside, as seagulls raid them! We have a wheelie bin
(the grey one) at the field gate. New regulations mean that the bin will only be
emptied if the lid shuts.
Water
Supply.
The water comes from a spring that flows even in times of drought, and the water
is of excellent quality and taste. The water has not been chemically treated .We
therefore recommend it should be boiled before use by the very young and
elderly.
Sanitation.
The property has a septic tank. Please do not dispose of non-degradable products
such as sanitary items and nappies down the toilet, or
use bleach or other chemicals.
Smoke Alarms have been fitted in the kitchen
and hall areas
Special
interests. Please
ask us for further information or contacts regarding out-door interests such as
angling, boating/trips, diving, bird-watching, etc.
Dogs One well-behaved dog is
permitted, though as the isle is still a thriving sheep-farming community, your
dog must be sheep-steady.
Departure . Please vacate
the property by
IMPORTANT
NOTICE
The property is bounded on two sides by a deep dyke. Steep banks fall to
deep water, with no immediate crawl-out point. Young children should therefore
be kept under supervision.
Useful
phone numbers
Doctor
01879 230326
Vets (Tiree)
01879 220435
The Coll Hotel
01879 230334
CalMac, Coll
01879 230 347
CalMac, Oban
01631 566688
Cal Mac reservations
08705 650000
Island Stores
01879 230335
First Port of Coll
01879
230262
Co-op on Tiree
01879 220326
Maridon House B&B
01631 562670
Falls of Lora Hotel
01631 710483