{"id":115,"date":"2016-08-23T11:55:55","date_gmt":"2016-08-23T11:55:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.isleofmullcottages.com\/?p=115"},"modified":"2022-06-23T08:44:20","modified_gmt":"2022-06-23T08:44:20","slug":"exploring-iona","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.isleofmullcottages.com\/blog\/exploring-iona\/","title":{"rendered":"A Quick Guide To Exploring Iona &#038; Iona Abbey"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>When you visit the Isle of Mull you can also visit the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.isleofmullcottages.com\/isle-of-mull-islands.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">other islands<\/a> that are situated off Mull\u2019s coast. &nbsp;Iona is undoubtedly the most popular of them all and it\u2019s easy to see why, not least because of the stunning Iona Abbey.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_116\" style=\"width: 1010px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-116\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-116\" src=\"http:\/\/www.isleofmullcottages.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/iona-baile-mor.jpg\" alt=\"Iona from St Ronan\" width=\"1000\" height=\"667\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.isleofmullcottages.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/iona-baile-mor.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.isleofmullcottages.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/iona-baile-mor-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.isleofmullcottages.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/iona-baile-mor-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-116\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Arriving at Iona and the waters of St Ronan&#8217;s Bay<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The journey starts in Fionnphort, Mull\u2019s most south westerly village.&nbsp; You can tuck into fresh seafood on the slipway whilst you wait for the ferry.&nbsp; The return ticket will set you back a very reasonable \u00a33.30 for an adult or \u00a31.70 for a child.<\/p>\n<p>The crossing takes ten minutes and you will arrive at Iona\u2019s largest settlement, Baile Mor.&nbsp;&nbsp; The sea in St Ronan\u2019s bay is such a striking blue colour, the white sandy beaches and stone cottages couldn\u2019t be any more picturesque.<\/p>\n<p>Watch our video guide to visiting Iona:<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/mq_oeI810kg?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" gesture=\"media\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Most visitors make a bee line for the Abbey, a short walk that takes in some of the sights of Iona on the way.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_119\" style=\"width: 1010px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-119\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-119\" src=\"http:\/\/www.isleofmullcottages.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/st-ronans-bay-iona-abbey.jpg\" alt=\"Iona Abbey as you arrive on the ferry\" width=\"1000\" height=\"428\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.isleofmullcottages.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/st-ronans-bay-iona-abbey.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.isleofmullcottages.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/st-ronans-bay-iona-abbey-300x128.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.isleofmullcottages.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/st-ronans-bay-iona-abbey-768x329.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-119\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Iona Abbey as seen across St Ronan&#8217;s Bay<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"attachment_117\" style=\"width: 1010px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-117\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-117\" src=\"http:\/\/www.isleofmullcottages.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/bench-iona.jpg\" alt=\"Iona bench\" width=\"1000\" height=\"562\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.isleofmullcottages.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/bench-iona.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.isleofmullcottages.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/bench-iona-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.isleofmullcottages.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/bench-iona-768x432.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-117\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A bench on Iona encourages visitors to absorb the peace<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"attachment_118\" style=\"width: 677px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-118\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-118\" src=\"http:\/\/www.isleofmullcottages.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/post-office-iona.jpg\" alt=\"Iona post office and ferry\" width=\"667\" height=\"1000\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.isleofmullcottages.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/post-office-iona.jpg 667w, https:\/\/www.isleofmullcottages.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/post-office-iona-200x300.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 667px) 100vw, 667px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-118\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Iona post office with the ferry turning in the distance<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The site of Iona Abbey dates from 563, when St Columba established a monastery on the island.&nbsp; Tickets to enter the Abbey are purchased at the Historic Scotland ticket office.<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s lots to see in the abbey including the impressive cloisters, which have undergone restoration and feature many impressive stone carvings:<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_121\" style=\"width: 1010px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-121\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-121\" src=\"http:\/\/www.isleofmullcottages.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/iona-abbey-cloisters.jpg\" alt=\"Iona abbey cloiseters\" width=\"1000\" height=\"667\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.isleofmullcottages.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/iona-abbey-cloisters.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.isleofmullcottages.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/iona-abbey-cloisters-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.isleofmullcottages.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/iona-abbey-cloisters-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-121\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The cloisters in Iona Abbey<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"attachment_120\" style=\"width: 1010px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-120\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-120\" src=\"http:\/\/www.isleofmullcottages.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/iona-abbey-carving.jpg\" alt=\"Abbey Iona cloisters\" width=\"1000\" height=\"667\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.isleofmullcottages.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/iona-abbey-carving.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.isleofmullcottages.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/iona-abbey-carving-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.isleofmullcottages.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/iona-abbey-carving-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-120\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A face carved in stone in the cloisters of Iona Abbey<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"attachment_123\" style=\"width: 1010px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-123\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\" wp-image-123\" src=\"http:\/\/www.isleofmullcottages.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/stone-carving-iona.jpg\" alt=\"stone carving on iona\" width=\"1000\" height=\"667\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.isleofmullcottages.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/stone-carving-iona.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.isleofmullcottages.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/stone-carving-iona-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.isleofmullcottages.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/stone-carving-iona-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-123\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">One of the corner carvings of Iona Abbey cloisters<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"attachment_122\" style=\"width: 618px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-122\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-122\" src=\"http:\/\/www.isleofmullcottages.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/iona-abbey-stonework.jpg\" alt=\"Abbey cloisters columns Iona\" width=\"608\" height=\"1000\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.isleofmullcottages.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/iona-abbey-stonework.jpg 608w, https:\/\/www.isleofmullcottages.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/iona-abbey-stonework-182x300.jpg 182w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 608px) 100vw, 608px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-122\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Detail of the stone columns of Iona Abbey&#8217;s cloisters<\/p><\/div>\n<p>After you have looked around the Abbey you can enjoy lunch at one of Iona\u2019s eateries before exploring other areas of the island.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_134\" style=\"width: 1010px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-134\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-134\" src=\"http:\/\/www.isleofmullcottages.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Iona-isle-of-mull.jpg\" alt=\"Iona from above\" width=\"1000\" height=\"415\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.isleofmullcottages.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Iona-isle-of-mull.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.isleofmullcottages.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Iona-isle-of-mull-300x125.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.isleofmullcottages.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Iona-isle-of-mull-768x319.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-134\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The whole of Iona from south to north<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Many visitors climb Dun I, the island\u2019s highest point.&nbsp; North beach at Iona\u2019s northern most tip is a stunning beach too, with great views back to Mull.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_124\" style=\"width: 1010px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-124\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-124\" src=\"http:\/\/www.isleofmullcottages.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/dun-i-sign-iona.jpg\" alt=\"Dun I sign on Iona\" width=\"1000\" height=\"667\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.isleofmullcottages.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/dun-i-sign-iona.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.isleofmullcottages.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/dun-i-sign-iona-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.isleofmullcottages.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/dun-i-sign-iona-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-124\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A sign points the way to Dun I, the highest point on Iona<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"attachment_125\" style=\"width: 1010px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-125\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-125\" src=\"http:\/\/www.isleofmullcottages.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/north-beach-iona.jpg\" alt=\"Iona north beach Mull\" width=\"1000\" height=\"665\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.isleofmullcottages.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/north-beach-iona.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.isleofmullcottages.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/north-beach-iona-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.isleofmullcottages.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/north-beach-iona-768x511.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-125\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The white sands of North beach on Iona with Mull in the distance<\/p><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>On Iona\u2019s west and southern coast you can enjoy relative peace and quiet as most visitors stick to the island\u2019s east coast and the area around Abbey.<\/p>\n<p>Iona makes a great day out from Mull and is on most visitors \u2018to do\u2019 list.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\">Have you visited Iona Abbey? What&#8217;s your favourite spot on the island?<\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When you visit the Isle of Mull you can also visit the other islands that are situated off Mull\u2019s coast. &nbsp;Iona is undoubtedly the most popular of them all and it\u2019s easy to see why, not least because of the stunning Iona Abbey. The journey starts in Fionnphort, Mull\u2019s most south westerly village.&nbsp; You can [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3,1419],"tags":[314,310,313,311,312],"yst_prominent_words":[93,149,279,90,82,196],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.isleofmullcottages.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/115"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.isleofmullcottages.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.isleofmullcottages.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.isleofmullcottages.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.isleofmullcottages.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=115"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.isleofmullcottages.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/115\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.isleofmullcottages.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=115"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.isleofmullcottages.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=115"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.isleofmullcottages.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=115"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.isleofmullcottages.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=115"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}