Day 16 - With St Columba

The British have a strange thing about bathrooms. It seems to me that unless the circumstances are overwhelmingly inhospitable they must have a bath in the bathroom. No matter how small the surface are of the bathroom floor there MUST be a bath. Evidence of this was found in the Edinburgh apartment we had – the one up three flights of stairs (60 in total) – where the loo was sandwiched between the bath and the wall to the extent that a bottom of larger dimensions had great difficulty in squeezing in. Further evidence is provided by our otherwise very comfortable place in Oban (www.alltavona.co.uk/). (I am getting ahead of myself here as we do not check in until tonight!!

View from the B&B window in the early morning light.  David Hutcheson's obelisk is visible at the right

And another thing … what is it with British showers? They are all mechanical monstrosities. All seem to depend upon a white plastic device on the wall invariably with two knobs. One knob seems to turn the water on and off and the other regulates the temperature. Now I am aware that plumbing regulations here are slightly different than in other countries but one would think that a more obvious and reliable arrangement could be found – like perhaps a mixer tap. Instead the temperature regulator works so that 0.0001 of a degree relates to a change in temperature of 10 degrees making it almost impossible to set the temperature. I am looking forward to a proper shower when I am home.

The control panel on a British shower

We were picked up at the crack of dawn this morning (0645) and we nearly didn’t make it. I set the alarm the night before – as I thought – but when I awoke by chance at 0530 I realised I had set the alarm for 0645 not 0545 but no harm was done!! The participants of the coach were no more communicative than this morning – except for one who – together with the Lone Australian – we teamed up with. Our new friend is The Dortmunder.

We are due to go to Iona today. Iona is – as I am sure you know – a small island in the Inner Hebrides off the Ross of Mull on the western coast of Scotland. It was a centre of Gaelic monasticism for four centuries and is today renowned for its tranquility and natural beauty. It is a popular tourist destination and a place for retreats

The way to Iona is a ferry ride of about 45 minutes to Mull. Then you drive across Mull to Fionnphort. There you take a small ferry – which did not take the bus – to Iona. 

As one leaves Oban there is an obelisk on a hill on the port side. This stone obelisk which overlooks the north entrance to Oban Bay is a memorial to one David Hutcheson who set up a regular steamer service to the Hebrides in 1835. He was clearly a foresighted and public spirited dude – and a man with an eye to a dollar. We were riding on a vessel that can no doubt trace its pedigree to the man himself.

Duart Castle. The castle dates back to the 13th century and is the seat of Clan MacLean. You can see this from the ferry as you cruise by

The drive across Mull is not far. Mull is the second largest island of the Inner Hebrides (after Skye) with a population of about 3,000. It’s a lot like the rest of the countryside – nonetheless beautiful for being similar. The height of the journey across was the sight of – and the ability to photograph at close quarters – a highland cow. Or, as our guide Sue said, a “heeland coo”. She has a gorgeous Scottish accent.

The Isle of Mull

Lochs on Mull

This sort of view is typical of the end of a loch. Very pretty but hard to capture on celluloid

A "heeland coo" 

A baby "heeland coo"

Ffionport on Mull from where you catch the ferry to Iona. An unprepossessing little place

There isn’t a lot on Iona apart, really, from history – and there’s a bundle of that, including an Abbey. The main settlement is where we disembarked – this is called “the village” – there’s a tiny post office and, surprisingly, a school. The population is about 170 (there are apparently 7 children at the school). Wikipedia tells me that “the island was the site of an important monastery (Iona Abbey) during the Early Middle Ages. According to tradition the monastery was founded in 563 by the monk Columba (later Saint) who had been exiled from his native Ireland as a result of his involvement in a battle where he felt responsible for the deaths of a large number of people. Columba and twelve companions went into exile on Iona and founded a monastery there. The monastery was successful, and played a crucial role in the conversion to Christianity of the Picts of present-day Scotland in the late 6th century and of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Northumbria in 635.

Iona

A garden somewhere - possibly on Iona!!

Before we went all ecclesiastical, however, we decided a cup of tea was called for and we found the Argyll Hotel (www.argyllhoteliona.co.uk). This cup of tea was accompanied by a Victoria sponge that was just cooled after being baked and was up there with any Vistoria Sponge I have ever tasted. Succulent doesn’t even come close!!

The legendary Victoria sponge. Words fail me

MacLean's Cross: Medieval pilgrims paused here to pray on their way to the Abbey. Erected around 15000 the cross was paid for by the MacLean family

Then we made our way to the Abbey. The Abbey has been built, rebuilt and extemded over the last 1500 years. The Duke of Argyll gifted all the abbey buildings to the Church of Scotland in 1899. The present Abbey is the result of a restoration following following the Duke's gift. In 1938, the inspiration of Reverend George MacLeod led a group which rebuilt the abbey, and founded the Iona Community (www.iona.org.uk).

Our Christian readers will be interested in the Iona Community

... and here is the other side

The monastery built in the 6^th century lasted unitil the 9^th when the Vikings came and laid waste the settlement and slaughtered 86 monks. In spite of this other monks had managed to escape to Ireland with the Book of Kells.

Something was operating again by the 10^th century but in the 13^th century a new monastery was built.  A nunnery had been founded in the 12^th century and this was conveniently situated just up the road from the monastery. The Abbey church was substantially expanded in the fifteenth century, but following the Scottish Reformation, Iona along with numerous other abbeys throughout the British Isles were dismantled, and abandoned, their monks and Libraries dispersed – and that was that until 1899 when the Duke of Argyll came to the rescue.

The Abbey with the Sound of Iona in the background

A closer view of the Abbey

Another view of the abbey. This was taken from the Abbot's chair (I think that's what it was called) which is a small mound close to the Abbey

Clearly the Medieval monks left their herb garden for it is still going strong. Only Lungwort has a label. Who knows why?

Thistles. Bloody big thistles - these are the size of oranges!

The chancery

The chancery - again

The VIIIth Duke and Duchess of Argyll - only she is here; the Duke is buried elsewhere with his first wife

Stained glass window

Columba's chapel - I suspect the furnishings are not the originals

Inside the church from the altar to the front door

A ruin

We lunched at the Argyll Hotel because our Victoria sponge experience had been so good and we were not disappointed. I had a Cullen Skink which was full of fish and very very nice. The hotel appears to be run by a slightly eccentric English woman – but she runs it extremely well. The G checked out the mussels to verify the view we had formed after last night's meal at Ee-usk. These mussels are really good!

A view of he Argyll Hotel on a far sunnier day than the one we were there

On the way back we stopped by Duart Castle (www.duartcastle.com) where – rather than take a picture of a castle clad in scaffolding – we took a picture, through the mist and in the distance, of Lismore (after which is named our Lismore at home).

Lismore Island

We had decided, with the Lone Australian and the Dortmunder, to eat at a restaurant called Room 9 (there’s no website but see http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurants-g186501-Oban_Argyll_and_Bute_Scotland.html). We had no particular recommendation but it was tucked away and looked as if it might be interesting. It was very good (even though I see not-so-good recommendations on Tripadviser). We sat at a table next to a couple who spoke not a single word to one another for their entire meal.

Thus suitably fed and watered we made a damp way back to our B&B through the Oban drizzle. The fine weather has gone and now we have the more customary Scottish variety.