Little Colonsay ( gd, Colbhasa Beag) is an uninhabited island west of the island of the Isle of Mull in

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

. The geology of the island is columnar

basalt Basalt (; ) is an aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the surface of a rocky planet or moon. More than 90 ...

, similar to that of neighbouring

Staffa Staffa ( gd, Stafa, , from the Old Norse for stave or pillar island) is an island of the Inner Hebrides in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. The Vikings gave it this name as its columnar basalt reminded them of their houses, which were built from ver ...

. It is part of the

Loch Na Keal Loch na Keal ( gd, Loch na Caol), meaning Loch of the Kyle, or Narrows, also Loch of the Cliffs, is the principal sea loch on the western, or Atlantic coastline of the island of Mull, in the Inner Hebrides, Argyll and Bute, Scotland. Loch na Keal ...

National Scenic Area, one of 40 in Scotland. In 1841 the population was 16 individuals in two households, but by 1881 no population was recorded, the island having been cleared in 1846 by F.W. Clark, the notorious owner of

Gometra Gometra ( gd, Gòmastra) is an island in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland, lying west of Mull. It lies immediately west of Ulva, to which it is linked by a bridge, and at low tide also by a beach. It is approximately in size. The name is also app ...

and

Ulva Ulva (; gd, Ulbha) is a small island in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland, off the west coast of Mull. It is separated from Mull by a narrow strait, and connected to the neighbouring island of Gometra by a bridge. Much of the island is formed f ...

. The censuses of 1891 and 1931 recorded two inhabitants. In the early 20th century the island was farmed by John MacColum, known as "Johnny Colonsay", but he and his family were forced out by a plague of rats. The island is owned by the family of Viscount Blakenham but has not been permanently inhabited since the 1940s. The 2nd Viscount's daughter,

Cressida Cowell Cressida Cowell FRSL (born 15 April 1966) is a British children's author, popularly known for the book series, '' How to Train Your Dragon'', which has subsequently become an award-winning franchise as adapted for the screen by DreamWorks Ani ...

, the author of children's books including ''

How to Train Your Dragon ''How to Train Your Dragon'' (abbreviated ''HTTYD'') is an American media franchise from DreamWorks Animation and loosely based on the eponymous series of children's books by British author Cressida Cowell. It consists of three feature films: ' ...

'', spent childhood summers on the island and cites the Inner Hebrides as an inspiration for her books, suggesting they are "one of the most beautiful places on Earth" and "the kind of place where you expect to see dragons overhead"."Film based on little island" (5 April 2010) ''Press and Journal''. Aberdeen.

Footnotes

Private islands of the United Kingdom Uninhabited islands of Argyll and Bute Islands of the Inner Hebrides {{Argyll-geo-stub