248. Little Feall

I always had the Isle of Coll in my sights for 2025 and I originally pencilled in a three-day trip in June via the Calmac ferry. Circumstances meant I needed to cancel so instead I looked into the prospects of taking a day trip via Hebridean Air’s excellent service from Oban Airport, which flies to Coll a few days a week. I liked the idea of being dropped onto the remote airstrip in the south of the island and exploring the SW peninsula by foot for eight hours, in time to catch the evening flight back to Oban. This felt like proper hiking, no car, just a backpack, a walking pole and a map. My opportunity arose thanks to a prolonged spell of dry sunny weather which meant I could plan with confidence. Everything went smoothly. The 25 minute flight was superb, courtsesy of ex-Air Force pilot Hugh (35,000 flying hours!) and it was great to literally walk out of the plane and onto the road to begin my trek. My route for the day was well-planned and memorised, but as it turned out, I hardly needed to refer to the map all day because Coll, like its near neighbour Tiree, is low, tree-less and easily navigable. First up was the climb to the highest point on the island, Ben Feall, which overlooks the magnificent Feall Bay. But first, a slight detour to Little Feall, a small inlet to the east of the hill. The hors-doeuve to the main course lying just around the corner.