Graham Little wrote up Coll for the guide but I was writing the introduction which was a bit odd as I had never set foot on the island, so I decided to go at the start of February.

The Hebrides are brilliant in winter, no tourists and no midges.

I left Glencoe at 05.10 to catch the ferry. On Coll I got a lift to the bunkhouse which was a good start but after that all the traffic was going the wrong way so I walked the four miles to the road end. The Hogh crags are an easy walk from there.

I had a great time and soloed 14 short routes on perfect gneiss in the winter sunshine.

I am hoping to get sponsored by Sportiva or Dunlop.

Another weekend I went to Balmeanach with the drill. I knew the crag would be wet so lacked enthusiasm, I sat in the car for a while then decided against it. On the way home Ben More was just clear so I went up there in my wellies (ice axe in the car, map and compass at home). I could see Coll from the top.

With a good forecast at the end of February I decided on Coll again. I thought I would be able to make better use of my time if I took the car. I phoned Calmac at Craignure but got Gourock! They asked the usual stuff, what’s your mobile number in case of bad weather (I don’t have a mobile and I didn’t expect any bad weather). He wanted me to pay and said the ferry might be full as it was the end of the school holidays. I said I didn’t have my credit card so would take my chance. I had forgotten the set reply, “I’ve already got tickets”.

When I got to Coll they announced “All vehicle drivers and their passengers make their way to the car deck now”, the announcement was for me as my car was the only vehicle going onto Coll.

I had a look at some different crags at Hogh and soloed a few routes, then drove north to see that part of Coll.

I had a pint and talked about otters with an islander, I later found his otter blog.

http://ottotheotter.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/first-meeting-my-friend-peter-opened.html

Next day was cold and windy so I did the tourist bit; went to the castle and beaches and looked at a crag at the south west of the island. In the afternoon I went back to Hough, managed to get out of the wind and soloed a dozen routes, most of them new.

The third day was a short one as the ferry leaves before mid day. I looked at another crag. There was a slabby buttress at the left hand side that didn’t have any routes on it so I started soloing. My fingers were getting cold and a couple of small holds broke so I reversed then scrambled round to have a look at the finish, the top of the crag was coated in verglas so I gave up.

‘The Isle of Coll enjoys a relatively mild climate, influenced by the Gulf Stream, with frosts and snow being a rarity!’

The man from Calmac showed me where to park at the pier. I had never met him before but he knew what I had been up to, he told me about several crags he had climbed on and where he bouldered, I suspected my new routes the previous afternoon were not new.

My photos are here Coll