Isle of Iona & Duart Castle, Isle of Mull, Scotland
The early morning sun promised good things for the day and happily that promise held true. After breakfast we boarded our coach to make the journey west across Mull to the ferry port for Iona. Our driver/guide kept us informed and highly entertained with his insights into island life and local history. We made the connection with the Iona ferry in good time and were pleasantly surprised to find that the island was quiet with very few other visitors.
Steve and Konia lead us up through the little street to the 12th century nunnery where their interpretation of this small but important island began. It was here in 563AD that St Columba with his small band of followers settled after being banished from Ireland. During his long life Columba spread the word of the Christian religion from Iona to every corner of Scotland and on as far as Northern England. From this early start a great monastic tradition evolved right across Europe. Today the restored buildings of the early medieval abbey are used by the Iona Community and it is amazing to realize we were standing in a place where the same religious observances have been held for over 1,500 years.
Lunch was at the bright and welcoming St Columba Hotel and after a delightful meal of food grown in their own vegetable gardens we returned on the small ferry back to Mull, boarded Steve’s coach and headed east towards Duart Castle. This is the seat of the Clan MacLean and is still the home of the clan’s current chieftain. Sitting high on the rocks overlooking the Sound of Mull and the Firth of Lorne it commands respect from all who enter these busy waters. From there it was but a short drive back to the Lord of the Glens sitting at the pier in Craignure where a very welcome and delicious afternoon tea with scones, cream and jam awaited.
However the day’s events were not over. Following dinner we were introduced to Richard who runs an organization called “Wings Over Mull.” This is a raptor rescue and rehabilitation centre on Mull and Richard had brought some of his feathery friends with him! These birds have all been raised in captivity and for various reasons cannot be released into the wild. But they serve as wonderful ambassadors for Wings Over Mull and thanks to Richard’s clear and concise commentary, and thanks to the birds’ noisy but beautiful presence, we gained a much higher appreciation of the importance of organizations like Richard’s and the importance of Lindblad contributing to such small-scale, local operations as well as the bigger, world-renowned animal and bird protections schemes.
The early morning sun promised good things for the day and happily that promise held true. After breakfast we boarded our coach to make the journey west across Mull to the ferry port for Iona. Our driver/guide kept us informed and highly entertained with his insights into island life and local history. We made the connection with the Iona ferry in good time and were pleasantly surprised to find that the island was quiet with very few other visitors.
Steve and Konia lead us up through the little street to the 12th century nunnery where their interpretation of this small but important island began. It was here in 563AD that St Columba with his small band of followers settled after being banished from Ireland. During his long life Columba spread the word of the Christian religion from Iona to every corner of Scotland and on as far as Northern England. From this early start a great monastic tradition evolved right across Europe. Today the restored buildings of the early medieval abbey are used by the Iona Community and it is amazing to realize we were standing in a place where the same religious observances have been held for over 1,500 years.
Lunch was at the bright and welcoming St Columba Hotel and after a delightful meal of food grown in their own vegetable gardens we returned on the small ferry back to Mull, boarded Steve’s coach and headed east towards Duart Castle. This is the seat of the Clan MacLean and is still the home of the clan’s current chieftain. Sitting high on the rocks overlooking the Sound of Mull and the Firth of Lorne it commands respect from all who enter these busy waters. From there it was but a short drive back to the Lord of the Glens sitting at the pier in Craignure where a very welcome and delicious afternoon tea with scones, cream and jam awaited.
However the day’s events were not over. Following dinner we were introduced to Richard who runs an organization called “Wings Over Mull.” This is a raptor rescue and rehabilitation centre on Mull and Richard had brought some of his feathery friends with him! These birds have all been raised in captivity and for various reasons cannot be released into the wild. But they serve as wonderful ambassadors for Wings Over Mull and thanks to Richard’s clear and concise commentary, and thanks to the birds’ noisy but beautiful presence, we gained a much higher appreciation of the importance of organizations like Richard’s and the importance of Lindblad contributing to such small-scale, local operations as well as the bigger, world-renowned animal and bird protections schemes.
