Iona

Columba arrived on Iona from Ireland in 563 CE. He had been expelled from his homeland over a dispute about a manuscript: he secretly copied a psalter belonging to Abbot Finnian of Movilla without permission, was caught, and the resulting legal case produced the first copyright ruling in Irish history (“To every cow her calf, and to every book its copy”). The dispute escalated into a battle; thousands died. Columba went into voluntary exile, landed on Iona, checked that the Irish coast was not visible from the hilltop, and founded the monastery that would become one of the most influential centres of early Christian scholarship in Europe. The Book of Kells was almost certainly produced in the Iona scriptorium; it is now in Trinity College Dublin.

The Island

Iona is 877 hectares, 120 permanent residents, no cars for visitors, a 10-minute ferry crossing from Fionnphort on Mull. The combination of early Christian history and specific Atlantic light has made it one of the most visited small islands in Scotland.

Iona Abbey

The current buildings are primarily a 13th-century Benedictine monastery built over Columba’s original foundation. St Oran’s Chapel (11th century) is the oldest standing building. Reilig Odhrain adjacent is the burial ground of Scottish kings including Macbeth and Duncan. The St Martin’s Cross outside the abbey west door (8th century, one of the best-preserved Celtic high crosses in Scotland) is a cast; the originals are in the abbey museum.

Walking

The island can be crossed in 45 minutes. The Bay at the Back of the Ocean on the western edge has clear water and white shell sand facing open Atlantic. The south of the island passes the hermit’s cell associated with Columba. The abandoned marble quarry on the north end produced the green-streaked Iona marble used in the abbey altar and exported across medieval Europe.

Staffa (10 km north by boat tour): basalt sea cave inspired Mendelssohn’s Hebrides overture; puffins from April to July.

Staying

St Columba Hotel and Argyll Hotel both have dining rooms serving Scottish food; book dinner in advance in summer. Staying one night gives you the island in the morning before the day-trip crowds arrive at 10am, which is a different experience from the afternoon version.

Getting There

Oban to Craignure (Mull) by CalMac ferry, 45 minutes. Drive or bus across Mull to Fionnphort, 45 minutes. Then the 10-minute Iona crossing. Total from Oban: about two hours each way. Book the Oban-Craignure ferry well ahead in summer if bringing a car.