Iona.
So…on our first full day on Mull, we went to Iona. I hadn’t realised that Iona was off the coast of Mull until we got to Mull. It just so happened that our campsite was also on the road to Fionnphort where you catch the ferry to Iona. The day started off overcast but it brightened up in the afternoon.
Wikipedia says:
Iona is an island in the Inner Hebrides, off the Ross of Mull on the western coast of Scotland. It is mainly known for Iona Abbey, though there are other buildings on the island. Iona Abbey was a centre of Gaelic monasticism for three centuries and is today known for its relative tranquility and natural environment. It is a tourist destination and a place for spiritual retreats. Its modern Scottish Gaelic name means "Iona of (Saint) Columba" (formerly anglicised as "Icolmkill").
Iona's resident population is about 180. In March 1980, the Hugh Fraser Foundation donated much of the main island (and its off-lying islands) to the current owner, the National Trust for Scotland. The abbey and some church buildings are owned by the Iona Cathedral Trust.
One publication, describing the religious significance of the island, says that the island is "known as the birthplace of Celtic Christianity in Scotland,” and notes that “St Columba came here in the year 563 to establish the Abbey, which still stands".
Ha! “Known for its relative tranquility”!?
When we were visiting the Abbey, they were testing the fire alarms and when they had all finally stopped there was a thunderous roaring sound outside and a huge helicopter landed in the field next to the Abbey. Noting the registration number on the side of it, I looked it up and it turns out that it is used for ferrying VIP’s all over the country. One lady who got out of it was wearing a gaudy gold lame jacket and had pumped up lips that looked like they were about to explode! She appeared to be speaking Russian to the fellow behind her. I wondered if they had come from the large ship anchored out in the bay. Did it belong to a Russian Oligarch?
It turns out it didn’t. ( I did some detective work on that too) It was a fancy, luxury cruise ship on its way back from a fortnights cruise around Iceland. (The cheapest cabins were £9000 per person!).
No, the helicopter had flown in from Inverness and later in the day, left Iona and flew back to London.
After looking round the Abbey and avoiding the Russian invasion, Will and I climbed to the highest point on the island, Dun I. From here we could see all across the island and out across the sea to Staffa and could just make out Fingal’s Cave. We then walked to the northern end of the island to look at two beautiful, white sandy beaches. Will did some sound recording in some of the rock pools and then we headed back to the ferry and back to Mull.
