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View from our B&B window, to the pier, in Craignure MORE scenes from Mull and the Ferry to Iona

Beach in Craignure

Next a.m. we got the two-driver scenario sorted out to the tune of 10 more pounds...single-track-road-robbery! But it was certainly worth having the car. We drove down to Iona that a.m. and arrived in time to be the last folks on the little ferry that goes across ever 15 or 30 minutes, I've forgotten which. We literally made the ferry by ONE minute. The rocks on the Mull side of the bay were a pinkish granite and very pretty. When we got to Iona we were surprised to see a number of buildings there. We'd expected just the abbey, nunnery and maybe a tourist info place and store, but there were homes, crofts, even a few cars which surprised me because I thought there were NO cars on Iona. We stopped at the nunnery first. It was 13th century and in ruins, but I really liked the feel of it a lot. There were pretty flowers around, and a stillness that I'd read about and didn't really expect to notice. I liked being in a place that for 300 years had been a dedicated site for women with a spiritual calling.

Moggie at the nunnery on Iona

Lauren and Kyle at the nunnery

Jim and Moggie at the nunnery on Iona

Back to Mull from the Abbey

The abbey

Celtic design on a marker in the graveyard

Moggie at the chapel in the grave yard at the Abbey. Many Scotish, English and Irish kings are buried here. One Danish king is buried here.

Moggie on the walk to the beach at the north end of Iona

After that, we walked down the one lane that goes through the community of Iona. Next came St. Oran's Chapel, the oldest building to survive intact on Iona. It was tiny and had a little candle burning on the altar up front, and small wooden kneelers (don't know what you call them) on each side. Very quiet and no one else was in there. I went in and stood in the silence for a short while, appreciating it. In the St. Oran chapel cemetery, there are 48 Scottish kings, 4 Irish kings and 8 Norwegian kings buried there, all in unmarked graves. Duncan and Macbeth are both buried here. I was really surprised there were no markers, and disappointed about that.

The beach at the north end of Iona

The beach, again

We spent 4 hours on the island and had to compromise on what to see. Since the Abbey had been renovated in the 60's, I think, we decided we'd rather go out to sit on the beach and look for rocks and shells. I would have liked to see the abbey and museums, but to walk that walk from the centre of the community to the north shore was very satisfying. And the rocks were the most amazing color...the ones still attached are the ones I'm speaking of. They had streaks of green and rust and black and browns...just gorgeous and unlike anything I'd ever seen before. There were so many that I wanted to pick up, but managed to come away with just a couple of pockets full. I thought Iona might be a place to find some good gifts, but everything was pretty uninteresting. I keep hoping to find amongst the Celtic jewelry one that represents the mandorla, the almond shaped space formed by two overlapping circles...representing the realm of opposites...also a goddess symbol (I may have mentioned this in another e-mail to you). So far I haven't found anything that looks quite like it...some are close.

Close up of the rocks that you see in the right hand side of the picture on the right, just above.

A little opening for the persistent water to make its way.

Colorful beach rocks. these are just submerged.

Close up of the rocks, with the rope-like sand pattern visible.

A large house on Iona

Sheep & hill on the way to the beach.

There was much more island to explore, museums to go to, which had closed by the time we got back from the beach, as had the Abbey. There was a walk up to a high peak, where there was a cairn. That would have been fun to do, but the last ferry was to leave at 6:15 and we wanted to leave before that so we could get back before it got too dark. Those roads are a strain in the dark. I did buy a booklet about Iona which I am glad to have since there was so much we didn't see. Even though we couldn't do it all, we certainly did enough for me to really appreciate having been there. There are several B&B's and two hotels on the island...perhaps next time, I'll plan to stay out there for a couple of days, at least.