A Full Day on Iona and Staffa

Sunday began with a large breakfast served by our host at the B&B. Eggs, bacon, ham, oat cakes, cereal, mushrooms, tomatoes, coffee and juice. Needless to say when we were done all that we were full!

Then it was off to the Abbey for the Sunday Morning Communion service. Unlike the service of the previous evening, this one was done well and was a joy to participate in. They really do a good job of welcoming and including all people in their worship services. The presiding minister that morning was an Scottish Episcopalian Priest and his leading of the Eucharist was very gracious and inviting, yet at the same time reverent. There were some new songs that were part of the service that I quite liked and so I knew I would need to check out the bookstore. Which is what I did following the service, but oh what a dangerous place that bookstore was… too many interesting titles. I did some initial checking but decided that I would have to come back the next day when I had more time to sort through which ones I wanted the most (I couldn’t get everything I was interested in because it would make my wallet too light, and our suitcases too heavy).

Early in the afternoon we boarded a boat heading to Staffa Island (a small island about 5 miles north of Iona). On the island we were able to see puffins up close, really close (though it took a little time for them to come in from the ocean where the flock was hanging out as a protection from the ravens and gulls). Once they started flying we discovered how fast those little birds are - they don’t look like they are built for speed, but it was hard to get a picture of them in flight! Eventually when they started landing near us we got some great close up shots of these colourful and interesting birds.

At the opposite end of the island to where the puffins were is the large cave called Fingal’s Cave. It is in this place that Mendelssohn got inspired to write a symphony. The geological formation of the island is partly what makes this cave a fascinating place to visit, patterns of hexagonal rocks form most of the island, like stepping stones around the perimeter. It is actually on those ‘stepping stones’ that we walked to get to, then into the cave. Once inside Fingal‘s Cave one is surrounded by the sound of the sea. There was even a deep booming sound made by the waves crashing into the cave. I made a recording in the cave (though much of it has other tourists talking, mostly about posing for pictures… I was getting a little irritated, but didn’t think I could say “Could I please have a minute of no talking so I can record these sounds”. The boat was soon leaving so I had to stop recording and head back to the docking point.

We’ve been told by many locals, including the folks on the boat, that we had exceptional weather for visiting Staffa. I can attest to that because I came back with a bit of a sunburn! The only thing that could have made the trip better was to have spotted a whale, which is what one of the tours the previous day did. But we did see the puffins, and that was what we were looking forward to. The day wasn’t even over and it already was packed with great sights, sounds and experiences.