The tiny hotel bar is also the village’s only pub and the island’s social hub. It is often, though not always, startlingly awake. You can never be sure what turn the night will take, or who you might meet, from the volunteer fire brigade after training, or students attending evening painting class, to a stag party, and members of the committee planning a much-needed community centre - and it’s not unheard of for one individual to represent all four at once.

Among personalities who could appear are a Scottish rugby hero, the charismatic pier master, and a palette of talented artists, including Tammy Hedderwick, who manages the pottery (where you can buy clay corncrakes for your own garden) and Kip Poulson, whose shed-gallery-studio is worth a visit.

There is no Tourist Information Office on Coll, and no need for one. The answer to every question you might have is available free from anyone you meet in the shop, the post office, the pier, and particularly the pub, where alcohol flows freely and conversation is compulsory. One thing is certain - you won’t be sitting in that corner for long.

NEED TO KNOW

Travel: Trains and Citylink coaches to Oban from Glasgow run approximately three times a day. Information about flights should be available shortly. Caledonian Macbrayne ferries to Coll are daily between March and October, otherwise three times a week, weather permitting. Coll’s petrol station is closed on Sundays, afternoons and non-boat days.

Accommodation: Coll Hotel has en-suite rooms from £35 a night. Island Café has charming self-catering flats attached. Tigh na Mara is the main guest house. Larger groups can book catered hostel-style accommodation at the Hebridean Centre, home to the charity Project Trust.

Sharks: The Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trusts and Marine Conservation Society conduct basking shark research and visitors are encouraged to report any sightings to one of them. Colin Speedie, director of the Wildlife Trust’s Basking Sharks Project says: “If people wish to view sharks from a boat they should keep their speed down and not approach too close, as these animals can move unpredictably. Courting animals should be treated with extreme caution – they should not be disturbed.” Shark-spotters are asked to follow the Scottish Marine Wildlife Watching Code or take a tour approved by the WiSe scheme.

Links and information: For island news, photographs, an overview of attractions and details of self-catered cottages, B&Bs and caravans for hire www.visitcoll.co.uk. To arrange a shooting break or honeymoon at Cliad, visit www.isleofcoll.net. See Kip Poulson’s pictures at www.kippoulson.com. Find out more about Katie Morag at www.randomhouse.co.uk/childrens/katiemorag.

Times recommends

• Oasis of the Seas: the Times review
• The 20 best new year party places to stay
• Green Spaces 2009: are you the winning writer?