Isle of Coll of Isle

Home , Arinagour, Coll, Isle of Mull, Oban

flowers fields the beach white 740-0300-14-15

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thousands of of thousands from calling stunning

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ducks offshore. ducks

colours of of colours corncrakes a down

Look out to sea to spot divers and long-tailed long-tailed and divers spot to sea to out Look

Soak up the the up Soak Hear stroll a Take

hunting over the reserve. the over hunting

Catch a glimpse of merlins and hen harriers harriers hen and merlins of glimpse a Catch

wildlife haven haven wildlife

and keep an eye out for otters. for out eye an keep and

A wild and remote remote and wild A

3 Watch the sun set over the Outer Hebrides Hebrides Outer the over set sun the Watch

across to distant islands. distant to across

Helping to give nature a home a nature give to Helping 2 Walk along the beach for breathtaking views views breathtaking for beach the along Walk

charity, inspiring everyone to give nature a home. home. a nature give to everyone inspiring charity, geese feeding in the fields. the in feeding geese

1 The RSPB is the country’s largest nature conservation conservation nature largest country’s the is RSPB The Hear the sound of huge numbers of wintering wintering of numbers huge of sound the Hear

during the chillier months. chillier the during

rspb.org.uk/coll

Five things not to miss miss to not things Five

Tel: 01879 230301 01879 Tel:

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Autumn/winter

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Isle of Coll of Isle

Totronald

RSPB Isle of Coll nature reserve nature Coll of Isle RSPB

shearwaters feeding offshore. feeding shearwaters

RSPB Isle of Coll nature reserve nature Coll of Isle RSPB

5 Spot seabirds like razorbills, puffins and Manx Manx and puffins razorbills, like seabirds Spot

our work are welcome. are work our call of corncrakes in the evening. the in corncrakes of call

Admission is free, but donations to help us continue continue us help to donations but free, is Admission early May. Listen out for the rasping”crex-crex” rasping”crex-crex” the for out Listen May. early

Admission charges Admission

4 The best time to see corncrakes is late April to to April late is corncrakes see to time best The

and whales. and

is open at all times. all at open is

Scan the waves for dolphins, basking sharks sharks basking dolphins, for waves the Scan The reserve – including the information room – – room information the including – reserve The

Opening times Opening

flowers on the machair. the on flowers

Soak up the sight and smell of thousands of of thousands of smell and sight the up Soak nature reserve nature

post office. office. post

Isle of Coll of Isle Arinagour from available is hire bicycle bicycle: By

and snipe nesting in the fields. the in nesting snipe and

1 Watch huge numbers of lapwings, redshanks redshanks lapwings, of numbers huge Watch

miles west of Arinagour, on the B8070. the on Arinagour, of west miles

the car park and information room is six six is room information and park car the road: By great time for you to explore. to you for time great

a and nature for time busy A Arinagour on Coll. on Arinagour

Coll is reached by ferry from Oban, landing at at landing Oban, from ferry by reached is Coll

Spring/summer Nearest town: Arinagour town: Nearest

How to get here get to How do to things Top Corncrake by Steve Knell(rspb-images.com) Take part with us Coll is stunningly Discover more of the amazing sights and sounds beautiful and a Coll has to offer by joining one of our weekly walks in spring. really special place for birds. As soon For dates and full details about all our events, ask the reserve warden as I arrived I heard or call 01879 230301. a corncrake calling. Jo Kingsbury, Glasgow Welcome In this area… This rugged and remote reserve is Other local attractions: teeming with some of the nation’s Kayak hire in Arinagour Bay most special and important wildlife. [email protected] visitcoll.co.uk At the Isle of Coll nature reserve you are truly Feeling adventurous? On a clear day, why not off the beaten track. Explore this stunning hire a kayak and explore Arinagour Bay? You’ll landscape with a walk across a shell-white beach, be treated to fresh air, beautiful scenery and surrounded by the vibrant colours of the Coll £25 maybe even a seal or two. machair. Around 300 species of flowering plants have been found on the machair, making it a sight Tiree Rural Centre, Crossapol, not to be missed! If you are very lucky, you may PA77 6UP Tel: 01879 220677 even spot a rare great yellow bumblebee bee isleoftiree.com amongst the wildflowers. Approximately one hour by ferry from Coll, Tiree is home to some of Argyll’s most The reserve is a special home to corncrakes – fascinating wildlife, with turquoise seas visit on a warm spring or summer evening to hear and sandy beaches. the rasping “crex-crex” call of males. Stop by our corncrake viewing area and you may be rewarded Mull Eagle Watch, Visit Scotland with a glimpse of this rare and elusive bird. Information Centre, Craignure, PA65 6AY Tel: 01680 812556 Whatever the season, the incredible views across rspb.org.uk/mulleagles land and sea make a visit to the Isle of Coll an The Isle of Mull is 45 minutes by ferry from unforgettable experience. Oban. If you are exploring the Inner Hebrides, the Mull Eagle Watch is an experience not to be missed. Take a trip to our hide to try and spot Mull’s magnificent white-tailed eagles, and lots of other wildlife such as otters and grey seals. Chris Gomersall (rspb-images.com) Chris Gomersall

Isle of Coll £20 Finding your way around

RSPB Isle of Coll is a truly wild place, with no formal walking routes. However, we have suggested some well-worn routes on the map below. These will take you through the best of what Coll has to offer, whether you are after stunning views, fantastic wildlife experiences or a family picnic on the beach. Please note these routes have no markings. Visitors are free to explore the reserve how they choose, but please remember this is active farmland with special habitats. Keeping to the well-worn routes will help you make the most of your visit and avoid disturbing wildlife.

Look out for basking sharks

Key

Farmland The reserve is managed as a safe home for breeding birds, so please keep dogs In summer the machair is a sea of vibrant Moorland on a lead at all times. flowering plants, including orchids. Please note there are no public toilets or Sea catering facilities on the reserve. Totronald Rock There are no formal walking paths on this Stables Visitor reserve. For more information about the Information Room Beach accessibility of RSPB Isle of Coll, please visit rspb.org.uk/coll

Dunes This nature reserve is an important place for wildlife. RSPB Scotland welcomes Parking responsible access, in line with the Scottish Outdoor Access Code. We hope Corncrake viewing area you enjoy your visit. The viewing area is perfect for spotting corncrakes in specially- Suggested walking route maintained vegetation.

Keep a look out for otters along Airport the shoreline.

To Arinagour

W E

01500 m km