Easy hikes and walks around Iona

Iona Abbey is an abbey founded in the sixth century by Saint Columba. From here, Christianity spread throughout Scotland. Sixty kings, mainly Scottish, found their final resting place there. In 1203, a Benedictine abbey was founded (by Reginald MacDonald of Islay, son of Somerled) on the site where several churches dedicated to Saint Columba presumably stood. The new church was dedicated to the Virgin Mary. This marked the beginning on Iona of the Roman church, which replaced the Columban (Celtic) church. (Wikipedia)

Around 1205, Benedictine monks came to Iona. At the same time as Augustinian nuns. These religious groups helped to revive the dilapidated abbey. The nuns wore black habits; the Gaelic word for nun is "cailleach-dhubh", the woman in the black robe. The inhabitants of Iona call the nunnery "an eaglais dhubh", "The Black Church". It is suspected that the first nuns came from Ireland. The nuns lived off the land they received upon arrival, but their resources were modest. It is said that their cemetery was used to bury women of noble descent from far and wide. The peaceful, neat ruin in the village of Baille Mor is one of the best-preserved medieval nunneries in the country. Next to the nunnery is Teampull Ronain (St. Ronan's Chapel), the medieval parish church for the inhabitants of Baille Mor until the Reformation in 1560. Under the church, remains of a chapel from the early 8th century can be found. Today, gravestones found in the nunnery are kept there. (Seaview B&B)

At the abbey, in front of the entrance to St Columba's Sanctuary, stands a beautifully reconstructed replica of the 8th-century St John's Cross, an impressive cross with a large span. The original is kept in the museum behind the abbey, to the northeast. The St John's Cross was structurally flawed and probably collapsed shortly after its creation. With a span of 2.2 metres, it was one of the widest crosses known in the British Isles. Originally, it was a ringless cross, and it is thought that the four ring segments were added later to strengthen it. Even its recent history is sad: it was glued together with concrete and rebuilt in 1927, but was blown down in 1951 and again in 1957. It was then decided to move the fragments to the abbey museum for safety. The concrete replica we now see on the spot was placed in 1970 on the original stone pedestal. (Seaview B&B)

Baile Mor is a small village (and the only one) on the island of Iona. It is located on the east coast of the island and overlooks the Sound of Iona and the village of Fionnphort on Mull. Baile Mor was the location of a 6th-century monastery and nearby are 13th-century remains and a 15th-century Celtic cross (MacLean's Cross). Iona's parish church is a parliamentary church, funded by the British government, designed by engineer Thomas Telford (1757-1834) and built in 1828. Iona Abbey and St Columba's burial ground are located north of the village. In the village you will find several eateries, various shops, public toilets, etc. Although the island of Iona has fewer than 200 permanent residents, it attracts over 100,000 visitors annually.

Medieval pilgrims stopped here to pray on their way to the abbey. On this side of the cross, they could contemplate the eternal, intertwined patterns that sprang from the tails of two animals. On the other side is the poignant image of the crucifixion. The cross, erected around 1500, was paid for by the powerful MacLean family as a public display of their support for the abbey. (Information board on site)

This was the burial chapel of the MacDonald Lords of the isles. Built in the 12th century, it is the oldest intact structure on Iona. Go through the ornate doorway to see the remains of an impressive tomb and a collection of richly carved tombstones from the West Highlands. (Information board on site)

If you're on the island, you should visit the church. But it's better to buy a postcard of the saints in the stained-glass windows from the shop a little further up the street.

Easy to miss the gate for the turn off, it's nestled between homes.