Iona Abbey

Iona is three miles long and sits off the western tip of Mull, which is itself a ferry ride from the mainland, so getting there takes most of a day. Columba arrived from Ireland in 563 and founded a monastery that sent monks across Scotland and northern England for two centuries afterwards. The Benedictine abbey standing now dates from around 1200, was roofless by the eighteenth century, and was rebuilt through the twentieth by the Iona Community, who still run it as a working place of worship rather than a monument. St Martin's Cross has stood outside the west door since the eighth century, unmoved. The burial ground beside it is traditionally the resting place of early Scottish kings.

Highlights

• St Martin's Cross - an eighth-century high cross standing where it was raised.
• The abbey church - twelfth-century fabric brought back into use last century.
• Reilig Odhrain - the old burial ground and the small chapel of St Oran.
• The Infirmary Museum - carved grave slabs and crosses brought in out of the weather.

When to go

Ferries and abbey opening are fullest from April to October. May and June give the longest light and the machair in flower. Day trips arrive mid-morning and leave mid-afternoon, so the island is quiet before and after them. Winter crossings depend on weather and the timetable thins considerably.

What to expect

The journey is three legs each way and a missed connection costs hours; day trippers see the abbey and very little else. Accommodation on the island is limited and books out months ahead. Visitors' cars are not allowed, so it is walking or the occasional taxi. Rain comes sideways here, and the abbey interior is plain compared with mainland cathedrals.

Nearby

Staffa and Fingal's Cave by boat, and the white beaches at the island's north end.

Key facts