Our first day in Scottish waters was a day of balmy sunshine and sweet Hebridean breezes. The morning was spent on the famous Isle of Iona, where St. Columba, following the Western seaways from Ireland, had established his pioneering early Christian community in 567 AD. From there, missionaries went out to spread the Word throughout Pagan Scotland and England. Iona itself became a center of the scholarship, craftsmanship and political importance. As we admired the 8th century St Martin's cross, still breathtaking after almost 1300 years, and the lovingly restored later medieval abbey, the corncrake ( an extremely rare and retiring bird) rasped loudly in an adjacent meadow on one side, while a flock of sheep were hand-shorn on the other - enchanting impressions of the natural beauty, glorious past and present-day life of this island.
After lunch, in flat calm waters, we paid an unforgettable visit to the tiny island of Staffa. Here, magma had cooled into extraordinary basaltic columns 65 million years ago, creating a remarkable landform. Our zodiacs took us deep into Fingal'a Cave, the same cave which had inspired Mendellsohn to write his Hebridean Overture. Meantime, on the orchid-studded grassy plateau above, puffins waited to be encountered at close hand.
A full day was rounded off with another unscheduled stop, this time at the colorful seaside town of Tobermoray on the Isle of Mull, for a stroll and a convivial evening in the local pub.
