Iona and Staffa

Leaving Islay we motored north and anchored off the southwest tip of Mull, in the narrow channel between Mull and Iona.  Iona is the most spiritually important site in Scotland, and perhaps in all the British Isles, rivalled only by Canterbury Cathedral.  Here Saint Columba arrived in 563 A.D. with his small band of Irish monks, to found a new church.  Banished from home, he had sailed far enough that he could no longer see Ireland.

The abbey buildings you see today are of course not the original, though some of the lower courses of stone certainly date back to medieval times.  It fell into decay after the Reformation, but was restored in the 20th century by the Iona Cathedral Trust.  The Iona Community is an active spiritual group and retreat centre to this day.

Starting in 1203 an early Lord of the Isles rejuvenated the abbey and also established an Augustinian Nunnery.  We paused here, remembering our earlier trip years before with our daughter and her friend.  I loved the stonework here, the contrast between the pink and the nearly black.

The history of Iona is the history of early Scotland - before it even became known as Scotland.  Following St. Columba's introduction of Christianity to the area, with the blessing of the local king, the tradition of burying kings on Iona began.  There are said to be 48 kings, including a few from France, Norway and Ireland, buried in the church graveyard.  Although such claims are likely in part a myth, the 'Street of the Dead' is still recognized (above) today as a path of stones leading up to the Abbey.

In the early years of this fascinating history, numerous remarkable carved stone crosses were created, this one St. John's Cross.  This is a replica, the original is in the Abbey's museum.  Many were destroyed by Viking raiders starting in the late 700s.

In any case we enjoyed looikng around the Abbey church and the cloisters.  This sculpture in the centre of the cloisters is said tor represent 'Descent of the Spirit'.  Since I had read much of the history, our visit to Iona was absolutely enchanting!

Leaving Iona we motored a short distance north to anchor off the tiny but fascinating Isle of Staffa (a Viking name).  Staffa is entirely of volcanic origin and features both cliffs and caves made up of vertical hexagonal columns of basalt, similar to the formation of the Giants's Causeway in Ireland.

In the southeast corner is the largest cave, Fingal's Cave, named after the 3rd century Irish folk hero.  It became a star attraction in Victorian times, with Queen Victoria herself visiting.  Mendelssohn also made a pilgrimage here and subsequently wrote the Hebridean Overture, inspired by the sound of the waves in the cave.  Look it up on YouTube, it's quite dramatic. 

This site is an Earthcache, a list of geologically significant sites around the world and I needed a picture of myself to prove that I'd been there.  You can see other people on the island, but our captain was erring on the side of safety so this was as close as we got.

Now on to the Outer Hebrides!