An article I wrote in the Sunday Mail about bagging hills known as MacPhies on the Isle of Colonsay. Read the pdf, or the copy below.
MacPhie bagging
What is it?: The MacPhies are the Isle of Colonsay’s answer to the Munros.
Instead of being mountains with a summit of at least 3000ft, like the Scottish Munros, MacPhies are hills on Colonsay with a summit of 300ft (91.44m).
MacPhie Bagging is the challenge of walking to the top of all of the MacPhies.
Tell me more: Some 20 years ago, Colonsay farmer David Hobhouse found himself listening to a radio programme about the Munros.
He was en route to the island’s only bar to meet the then Colonsay Hotel owner Kevin Bryne when he suddenly thought: “If Scotland can have the Munros then why can’t we have our own hills list?”
David and Kevin decided that they would identify all of Colonsay’s 300ft hilltops and call them MacPhies, after a historic Colonsay clan.
Within months, Kevin had organised the first McPhie Bagging hike to walk all of the hills.
Kevin, the island’s enthusiastic walking guide, said: “We defined a MacPhie as an eminence in excess of 300ft in height.
“There are 21 official MacPhie peaks on Colonsay and another one on the neighbouring island of Oransay.
“The aim is to climb all the peaks in the course of one connected walk of around 20 miles.”
In addition, a MacPhies bagging rule dictates that walkers should start and finish at any point below the High Water mark.
Kevin admits that only a few people have completed the feat in a day.
The island has few well-trodden paths and navigation over rough and heathery ground can be tricky.
Baggers must also tie in with tide timetables to reach Oransay across a causeway of almost a mile.
Although there is no competitive element in terms of speed, Glasgow runner Jethro Lennox has set a record of an impressive three hours 56 minutes and 44 seconds.
Scottish adventurer Mark Beaumont also completed a full round earlier this year in around six hours.
It takes Kevin, who is now 69, closer to eight hours “but if I am walking with other people it takes about nine or 10 hours”.
He said: “I have done it myself a few times in one day but I have the advantage of knowing the terrain and the route very well.
“It’s not an easy hike but it is very rewarding because you see so much of the island.
“Adding in Oransay also brings an even greater sense of adventure to the round.
“Of course, realistically, people can hike all these peaks over two days or even a week if they so choose.”
A MacPhie bagging weekend
My partner Gordon and I decided to walk all of the Colonsay MacPhies on a Saturday followed by Beinn Oransay (305ft/93m) the following day.
We are keen Munro baggers and we imagined that the 21 peaks on day one would be quite tiring but manageable.
Fortunately, the weather was dry and sunny and we had the advantage of being able to see clearly across the island.
Kevin kindly suggested a route marked on to an old map and told us we would “easily see one peak from the next” on the island that measures only eight by three miles.
Yet we found a day of hiking the Colonsay MacPhies very challenging.
The island’s autumn landscape is wild and covered in thick heather, grassy tussocks and tall ferns.
On numerous occasions we wondered if we had missed a peak and retraced our steps to check.
We also found it tempting to linger on hilltops to take in the stunning views of the island’s scenery, superb beaches and neighbouring islands, such as Jura, Islay and Mull.
And when we reached a road that took us close to the Colonsay Hotel we called in for a thirst quenching local beer.
The final two peaks after a pint of Colonsay IPA were ticked off beneath a setting sun.
In contrast, Sunday’s outing to Beinn Oransay was straightforward and easily bagged.
We walked the sandy causeway, followed a track towards the famous priory ruins and climbed the MacPhie close by in sunshine.
The MacPhies offer a superb island adventure and provide a great goal for keen walkers.
If you would prefer an easier outing I suggest walking the six MacPhies to the north of the island over one day.
It’s simple enough to park the car near the fabulous sands of Kiloran Bay and walk a look via these six summits.
Another day could be spent hiking the summits to the west of the island, followed by a separate outing to walk the summits to the south-east of Colonsay.
A final and leisurely day would be to bag the Oronsay summit, as long as you are aware of the tide.
Anything else to know?: Kevin will lead a fundraising MacPhie Bagging walk in May 2017. He is raising money for educational travel for the children of the island’s primary school.
Keep an eye on Friends of Colonsay on Facebook for further details.
Getting to Colonsay: CalMac ferries sale daily in the summer season and a few times a week in the winter from Oban to Colonsay. See www.calmac.co.uk
Where to stay?: See www.colonsay.org.uk/Accommodation
To find out more: MacPhie Bagging
Also read New adventures: MacPhie Bagging on Colonsay.