My stay on Iona was for 5 nights. I stayed at the Argyll Hotel which is centrally located and creates wonderful meals. Iona is said to be a "thin place" with a light veil between heaven and earth. St. Columba landed here in 563 from Ireland and founded a monastery where the Book of Kells was written. It moved to Kells to keep it from the Vikings who constantly raided the island 800-900. A Benedictine abbey was founded in 1200. There is also the ruins of a nunnery dating back to the same period. All the skeletons found were women. There are a few walks to either end of the isle which I took and a boat ride to Staffa which is about 1 hour north. It goes to a small, tall basalt island where there are caves and puffins. I attended various services at the abbey and the Bishop's House (Anglican). They were not particularly memorable.
Iona is owned by the Dukes of Argyll. They donated the land of the abbey to the Scottish Historic Society or something. A man named Rev. George McLeod started an ecumenical Christian community in 1938 to try to raise money to maintain the abbey and help poor folks in Glasgow. They run the church services at the abbey and are into peace, justice, and nature issues. They land they do not use is used by crofter to graze sheep. The biggest worry on my walks was not stepping in sheep dung.
June 14
The 1:25 drive across the island of Mull was just gorgeous. Might be worth returning to rent a cottage there for a week or two. Getting on and off the little ferry to Iona was like timing when to enter waves because the water came up way above the entry point.
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| View from bus on Mull |
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| Iona ferry |
June 15. 14,243 steps
I waked to the north end of the island and was blown away by the beauty every where you looked. I had to walk back in pouring rain and wind. The sun came back out and I took a boat ride to Staffa, about an hour north of Iona. It was the inspiration for Mendelssohn's Hebrides Overature. This small island is made of basalt that cooled quickly. The rock is in columns. I scrambled over rocks to see Fingal's Cave at the south end, then went to the north end to see the puffins roosting in little holes in the cliff.
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| The small town is on the east side in the middle of coast. It's called Baile Mor. |
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| On walk north |
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Stone Celtic crosses abound on Iona.
Pilgrims prayed at each on their way to St. Columba's shrine. |
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| Staffa |
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| Fingal's Cave on Staffa |
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| Puffin in north end of Staffa |
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| I loved watching the waves come through this small channel on Staffa. |
June 16. 16,891 steps
On Saturday I walked to the south end to the bay where St. Columba landed. It was a 4-hour rt hike through meadows and over rocky craigs. Very beautiful in all parts even the natural golf course that the sheep strolled over.
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| On walk to St. Columba's Bay (south end of Iona) |
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| View of St. Columba's Bay on trail |
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| St. Columba's Bay (very rocky) |
June 17. 4,689 steps
The weather was quite poor on Sunday. I went to the abbey for a Eucharist then wandered about this rebuilt 1200 monastery. There is a shrine to St Columba but it was originally made of timber. It was built of stone about 500 years later. I walked back through the hotel's gardens where they grow the food we eat -very impressive. It rained all afternoon and evening so I read a book from the hotel about the
Holy Maid of Kent and started writing this blog post. The internet was insufficient to upload the post.
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| Nunnery ruins |
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| Benedictine Abbey, restored - note the ferns growing out of the wall |
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| St. Columba's Shrine attached to the abbey |
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| Stone grave covers in the museum |
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| Chapel by the Abbey |
June 18. 12,747 steps
The Internet was down all of over the island so I couldn't see the weather forecast. I went ahead and walked up to the top of Dun I (101m). They said there was a clear easy path..... there were lots of paths - made by sheep. I got to the top and also walked over to the Well o' Eternal Youth. Then I returned downhill using 3-point contact in several places. I also walked back out to the north end of the island and strolled along the NE beach.
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| Heilan' Coo |
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| Cairn on top of Dun I |
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| Well o' Eternal Youth on Dun I |
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| Wild Iris - all over Iona |
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| Beach on the northeast side of Iona |
Stopped into a gallery and snapped a pic of this painting by one of the Scottish Colorists. I'm going to try to copy it.
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| Painting by Scottish Colorists from last Century |
Food
I mostly ate at the Argyll Hotel because the food was so delicious. I had a smoked Guinea fowl Caesar salad with brioche croutons, broad bean salsa, bacon candy, and crispy whitebait. Some of my main dishes included 1) Iona hogget (lamb), potato croquettes, garden broad bean salad, roast garlic & herb emulsion, forestiere, smoked muscle salsa, toasted sesame seeds; 2) pan seared salmon with little potatoes and cockles in a tomato and langostine broth; 3) pan seared halibut with micro greens on Parmesan & herb polenta with tomatoes, flowers, and cockles; and Jersey Royal potatoes with a chickpea tangine, mint & sumac creme fraiche, roast apricot purée, and Swiss chard.
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| Lamb at Argyll Hotel |
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| Salmon at Argyll Hotel |
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| Goat panna cotta with chocolate pieces, raspberry compote and asparagus sponge |
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| Halibut at Argyll Hotel |
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| Lamb chops at Martyr's Bay Restaurant |
June 19. 5,696 steps
I got the early ferry to Mull, cross-island bus, ferry to Oban, and train to Glasgow, arriving around 4pm. My hotel in Glasgow, Hotel Indigo, was very fancy. I walked a block away and got a sushi burrito for dinner, really too big to eat easily.
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| Sushi burrito in Glasgow |
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Scottish breakfast - bacon, eggs, and a Tattie Scone
This was at Hotel Indigo in Glasgow but I ate this a lot on Iona.
I asked them not to bring me the baked beans, black pudding,
or haggis that usually comes with breakfast. |
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| "Giant's Tears" - This was taken from the cross-Mull bus. |
