Iona: Three Miles of Island, Fifteen Hundred Years of History

Iona is less than 5 kilometres long and about 2 kilometres wide at its broadest point. It has a permanent population of around 170 people. There are no cars allowed for visitors (locals use them), no ATMs, one pub, two small restaurants, and a ferry that stops running in the late afternoon. It is also one of the most significant places in early Christian history in Britain and Ireland, and for some visitors, it has a quality of atmosphere that is genuinely difficult to describe without sounding credulous.

Whether or not you share that response, the island is worth visiting for the combination of history, the short distances involved, and the fact that the crowds who come over on the day-trip ferry largely thin out by 3pm when the last practical boat leaves.

How to Get There

Iona is a 10-minute ferry ride from Fionnphort at the western tip of the Isle of Mull. Getting to Fionnphort requires either a 60-minute CalMac ferry from Oban to Craignure on Mull, followed by an 80-kilometre drive across Mull, or a similar drive from the north of Mull if you have approached via Tobermory.

Oban is the practical starting point for most visitors. It is reachable by train from Glasgow in about 2.5 hours. The journey itself, through Loch Awe and the Argyll hills, is worthwhile.

The Iona ferry (CalMac) takes foot passengers only; no cars cross to Iona. It runs frequently in summer and on a reduced schedule in winter. Check CalMac’s website for current timetables.

Iona Abbey

The first monastery on Iona was founded by Saint Columba in 563 AD. Columba had come from Ireland (some accounts say he was exiled; others say he came voluntarily to evangelise) and established a community that became the primary centre for the Christianisation of Scotland and Northumbria over the following century. The Book of Kells, now in Trinity College Dublin, was almost certainly produced here before the community fled the Viking raids that devastated Iona multiple times in the 790s and 800s.

The current abbey buildings date largely from the medieval period and were substantially restored in the 20th century. The Iona Community, an ecumenical Christian movement, now manages the site and holds regular worship there. The abbey is a living religious building rather than a pure heritage site, which gives it a different quality from most historic churches. Admission costs around £9.

The adjacent graves of Reilig Odhrain are traditionally held to contain the remains of 48 Scottish kings including Macbeth. Historical evidence for this is mixed, but the burial ground itself is ancient and the small Romanesque chapel of St Oran nearby is the oldest surviving building on the island.

The Rest of the Island

The Bay at the Back of the Ocean (Camas Cuil an t-Saimh) on the island’s west side is a wide beach of pale sand and extraordinary transparency of water. The 20-minute walk there from the village crosses the island’s low central ridge. On the right day, the colour of the water here is genuinely Caribbean in character; on the wrong day, with North Atlantic winds and horizontal rain, it is magnificently wild. Either version is memorable.

The Marble Quarry on the south coast has Iona marble, a distinctive green-and-white stone that was quarried from the medieval period and used in building across Scotland. The quarry is no longer working; the exposed rock face and the sea-smoothed marble boulders at the shoreline are the draw.

The Hill of the Angels (Sithean Mor) on the western part of the island is where, according to tradition, Columba was seen conversing with angels. It is a low granite knoll with a good view over the west coast. Getting there requires walking through rough pasture and paying attention to your route back.

Where to Stay and Eat

The St Columba Hotel and the Argyll Hotel are the island’s two main hotels. Both are modest in scale and priced higher than comparable mainland accommodation, which is expected given the logistics. Booking ahead for summer is essential; there are not many rooms.

Self-catering cottages are the alternative and work well for family groups or longer stays. The island’s general store and post office has limited provisions; stock up in Oban or Fionnphort for extended stays.

For dinner, the Argyll Hotel restaurant is reliable. The menu is limited and changes by season. Book the same day for dinner in summer; tables are few.

Stay at least one night to experience the island after the day-trippers leave. The evening light across the Sound of Iona toward the Mull coast is worth waiting for.