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 A Night on Iona

A 2 Day Adventure

If you are looking to get in on one of the UK’s best kept secrets and aren’t afraid to travel for it, then this might be the place for you. Located a mile off the East coast of the Isle of Mull, Iona is a 9 squared km island unlike many others.

Cars aren’t allowed on Iona without a permit and with only 177 residents, the island boasts a pace of life worthy of it’s spectacular natural beauty.

Difficulty:

With two nice hotels (St Columba & Argyll) as well as campsites, staying a night on the island can be as comfortable or adventurous as you like. We chose to stay in the only other option, an Iona Pod, which was a great in-between and made for a pretty easy yet cool adventure.

The only thing that elevates the Iona experience from entry level difficulty to slightly more advanced is the mission to get there. You have to take a small passenger ferry from the far side of Mull, meaning that at least two ferries and a fair bit of driving are required from the mainland.  

Time:

We spent less than 24 hours on the island. Is this enough? Well yeah I suppose so if you’re pushed for time. Would we have liked more time? Yeah, there is no question you could stay a couple of days on the island. The only thing to factor in is where you park your car in Fionnphort, if you leave it in the pay and display car park it might get quite expensive, however if you take the left just before you reach the post office you can find a stretch of land where you can park for free and out of people's way. At least this is true at the time we write this article.

The Adventure:

Setting off from Fionnphort on the far west coast of Mull, we boarded the one and only small passenger ferry and made the 20 minute journey over to Iona. Tickets can be bought at the terminal and cost £10 per person. Even before you step foot on the ferry, the unique beauty of Iona captures your attention. You can see its entire length from Mull and this profile is punctuated by a series of pretty little buildings leading to a disproportionately large church. This is Iona Abbey, but we’ll come onto that in a moment.

Stepping off the boat, you leave behind any last semblance of ‘mainland mentality’ and straight into island pace with the calmness of Iona washing over you with immediate effect. The sea front cottages, tiny post office and breathtaking beach hint that those who live here might just be onto something.

As mentioned we had chosen to stay at Iona pods, a small collection of wooden pods 10 minute walk from the port. Our pod was small but comfortable with a bed, fridge and electric hob inside and benches outside. Other onsite facilities include a very clean shower block, washing up area and washing machine room. At £80 per night this is the cheapest of the non camping options on the island and in our opinion a very good affordable choice.

Once checked in we slowly made our way to St Columba Hotel, to have dinner in their restaurant. A large old building, the hotel has a strange charm about it. From a decor perceptive it is almost stuck in time, however do not let that fool you into thinking the menu might also be dated.. it is not. Fresh seafood, Scottish cheeses and Iona meat all cooked in contemporary fusions using fresh vegetables from the hotels on sight organic garden, make the food here very tasty. That, combined with lovely staff and gorgeous views back over Mull, make eating here are real pleasure. We stuffed our faces and drank a bit too much. It was great.

In order to digest we walked North, to the island’s extremity. 5 minutes after leaving the hotel and we were away from civilisation, out in nature and soon discovering a pocket of little hidden beaches, each with a new incredible view. By that time it was 9:30 and the sun was beginning to slip off and the clouds were turning all shades of pink. Despite a heavy Atlantic blast whipping across our faces, it was the feeling of peacefulness that stood out. We took up position in some sand dunes that rolled into a vast beach and tried our best to absorb the moment. We sat as the sun set over the ocean, feeling a real sense of gratitude.

It’s almost impossible to recreate moments like this near to home. These extreme corners of the UK are where you are able to feel a real sense of awe and wonder. The remoteness, scale and feeling of being totally engulfed in nature combine to deliver a really special experience.

Which is exactly what we got that evening.

The next morning we woke up slowly, cooked up some breakfast and walked to the south of the island to see the crystal clear waters and take in the sea air. A short walk back into town and we found ourselves in Iona Craft Shop drinking delicious coffee (seriously go there and try it), talking to the lovely owners and trying not to buy too much of their beautiful products.

Next thing we knew it was time to head back to Mull, unfortunately our time was up!

Short but very sweet, thanks Iona.

The Numbers:

/ 24 Hours

/ 2 Ferries

/ 4 White sand beaches

/ £80 per night (pod)
 

Pointers:

There is only one shop on the island, a little Spa. It was relatively well stocked with fresh fruit and veg, however once it’s closed you have no where else to go other than the two restaurants, so make sure to plan ahead in this department!

It’s worth pre booking the restaurants. If you don’t and they’re full you’ll be in a tricky spot!

Conclusion:

An easy, very comfortable adventure. Iona offers a unique UK experience by combining extremity, comfort and stunning nature. We really would have liked to have stayed longer, but if like us, you are tight on time a one night or even day trip, is definitely worth it. We will be back!