Pilgrimage to a Scottish Isle

tim and emma!

Since we our last post we've driven over 1800 miles (just under 3000km) which has included picking up our great friend and all round happy person (Emma Podmore) from Gatwick airport following her flying visit to Uganda, made our individual pilgrimages to the stunning Scottish isle of Iona, seen the first snows of the winter in the wilds of the Highlands, visited our old pastor (not that he is old!) from South Africa in his new parish in Aberdeen-shire and collected our youngest son, Arron, seeing him again for the first time in 14 months. 

sunset over loch long

It's been quite a journey and 'Colin' (the name of our little Vauxhall Corsa) never missed a beat providing us with over 60 miles per gallon performance which we are so impressed with, well done Colin. We hope that the next few paragraphs will capture some of that adventure so sit back, grab a coffee and come along for the ride!

It would be remiss of us to pass over the real reason for our latest epic so without going any further we'll provide you with some background to the amazing island of Iona. 

emma and maz enjoy some tasty scottish food

Iona sits around one mile off of the Hebridean island of Mull in the country of Scotland, both of which can only be reached by ferry, Iona has been a place of pilgrimage for hundreds of centuries starting soon after Saint Columbus established a monastery there in 563AD around 1400 years ago! 

The island boasts the oldest high crosses in Britain, Saint Martin's cross has stood in the same place since the ninth century and is the burial place of many Scottish as well as Irish, Norwegian and French Kings showing the long established reverence for the place. in more modern times a Scottish minister in a poor community in Glasgow had the idea to reestablish a Christ centered community at the site of the old Abbey, so with the help of some local unemployed (it was the time of the depression remember) Glaswegian tradesmen rebuilt the Abbey and in the 1930's created new buildings to become the home of the Iona community.

ferry trip from Oban

It was with all this in mind that wanted to spend a week living and sharing with the ecumenical (people made up from various expressions of the broad church) community, living within their daily rhythm of prayer and worship and taking time once again to hear God's voice as we seek Him for our futures.

Highland cattle

Our journey started on a trip down south to pick up Emma, who has recently left the work she was doing at the Village of Hope to pursue a life of service with another charity in Uganda, Emma was going to make the trip to Iona with us but the 6.30am pick up was a shock to the system however it was wonderful to catch up with her news. following a night in Bucks we made the start of the trek up north stopping with Emma's cousin and husband in Blackburn.

High cross on Iona

We ventured over the border into Scotland at Gretna and enjoyed some glorious weather passing by Loch Lomond before stopping at the top of Loch Long for the night prior to our first ferry crossing from Oban to Craignure on Mull. 

Upon waking we were greeted by snow on the tops of the surrounding mountains and once the sun had risen over the high peaks our drive took us up and over some tricky conditions with fresh lying snow on the roads, unbeknownst we would experience more of this later on during the trip.

sunrise over the abbey

Our ferry to Mull sailed at 10am so we made sure we were there in good time to grab a coffee and book Colin (the car) onto his berth alongside those others who's vehicles were venturing across the short sound between the mainland and the first of the islands we were to visit that day.

sunset over Mull from Iona

The drive from Craignure to Fionnphort was spectacular with the snow capped peaks keeping our heads up as we passed through glens (Scottish term for a valley or kloof) filled with Highland cattle with their young and gushing waterfalls providing a stunning backdrop to the traditional scene.

crazy girls

After a wonderful lunch next to a warming fire we joined around twelve people, as well as a crowd of school children, who we learnt were performing at the Abbey later that day. it was a strange feeling as we made the short ferry trip onto the Holy island, thoughts filled of what the week would hold, who would we be sharing our time with and what structure the week would take? 

stone labyrinth on Iona

It is funny to think that those who we now consider friends were just strangers on a journey perhaps with the same feelings about their week and who we might be....time and experience is a weird thing and that was shown during the week as we grew closer together as a group and ourselves with our God.

chappel on Iona with ancient grave stones from kings of yore 

Upon disembarking we gathered our bags and made the short walk up from the harbor past the ruined structure which used to provide a home to the women folk connected to the Abbey. walking onto the grounds of the Abbey heightened our sense of awe as we gazed at the huge High Stone Crosses that dominate the foreground of the Abbey, then on into the accommodation which was to be our shared home for the week. the buildings are truly stunning with history seeping from the very stones. our rooms were very simple affairs, all slightly different but home to a bed, side table and lamp, and much needed electric heaters.

atop Dun I

The group of people who joined us for this week long retreat were from all walks of life and parts of the United Kingdom, including one lady who had joined us from Texas, in the United States of America. some had visited before for others like us it was their first visit but there was an air of expectation as we joined together for our first shared meal.

Iona Abbey

Our days were varied but also followed a 'rule' that has been part of the community since the 1930's, this included sharing meals together, and wow the food was fantastic with much the produce sourced locally and organically, homemade soups and bread along with a wide use of vegetables (we did have meat and cakes too!), we then joined the community of paid staff and volunteers at the chapel (the Abbey is used in summer months) for the morning service which is led by staff along a liturgical theme with people groups and countries receiving thoughts and prayers as well as singing of songs and scripture reading. This along with the daily evening service provided us with great solace and with the knowledge that their 'healing service' had taken place every Tuesday for over 70 years provided us with a connectedness to those who had gone before.

St John's cross

The island is still a center of pilgrimage and receives thousands of visitors every year, thus during summer months this tiny place could seem a little crowded, we however had timed our visit perfectly, meaning we visited in the winter where the summer crowds were tucked up at home or at work in their office buildings and factories around the world, thus the isle was so still and peaceful and for that we were truly blessed.

There were many highlights during the week, quite apart from the giggles we had between the three of us, there were times of peace in the vast library, a pilgrimage walk following some of the ancient paths and sights to the bay where Saint Columbus is reported to have landed as he ventured across the sea from Ireland all those centuries ago. we also enjoyed a night of fun, song and laughter as we joined together around an open fire at the weekly Ceilidh and joined the wider local community for their film night which was held in the village hall, all very quaint.

our top floor accomadation

All too soon the week was drawing to an end, in fact the weather reports were so bad that two of our group, including the pastor from the USA, had to make an early exit to ensure that flights and other commitments were met. in fact our whole group had to leave on the Friday due to the worry that the ferries wouldn't run. It was with a slight tinge of disappointment that we left each other early but it did give us the chance to explore Oban prior to our further travels up into the Highlands.

our snow man!

We said our sad goodbyes, again to Emma who was taking the train to spending a couple of days in Edinburgh, and drove through some dramatic scenery up past Ben Nevis (the highest mountain on the British Isles) into the predicted wintry weather of the Highlands where we were to spend the night. the snow was falling slowly as we took to our beds but by the morning Colin (the car, remember) was covered with snow and the roads out of town were quite a picture, fortunately we made our way out of the Highlands before the heavy snow arrived.

Newtonmore high street in the snow

Wending our slippery way past Aviemore (site of the Scottish ski industry) the mountains were invisible due to the low cloud but we gained a sense of awe as the vista opened up the further east we travelled. Our destination was to be a visit to see Neil Meyer and his wife and family who moved from Grabouw a few years ago to take up the post of vicar of a Church of Scotland congregation in Kintore, west of Aberdeen.

tim and neil outside his new church

Our first night in Kintore was spent sharing our story with the youth group that meets on a Sunday evening, after Neil led some worship we were interviewed by some of the young people who asked us about our experiences in South Africa and what it means to share 'the gospel' via works rather than words. this was a fantastic time and we hope we inspired a few of the people there to reach out to their community and be Christ's hands and feet right there in Scotland.

We only had time to spend two nights with in Kintore but there's a couple of things that Scotland is famous for and we were intent on experiencing them both, (and no we're not talking about the famous 'battered (fried) Mars Bars', however we did see the fish and chip shop in Stonehaven where they were said to be invented), no we are talking about Castles and Whiskey. We had woken to a sunny day and drove through Royal Deeside (yes the very same Dee that flows along the Balmoral estate (the Scottish residence for the British Monarch) to Dunnottar Castle, a ruin dating back to the thirteenth century which sits atop a cliff top outcrop and which was home to both William Wallace and Mary Queen of Scots, among others.

Dunnottar castle

After a wonderful lunch of 'Cullen Skink' (a seafood soup made from Haddock) we made our way back inland to the Glen Garioch whiskey distillery at Oldmeldrum for a tour of their premises and a wee dram of their finest produce. We're not great whiskey drinkers but we were impressed with the fine quality of single malt that they produce and the incredible process that goes into making this valuable commodity.

Glen Garioch distillery

Sadly our time in Scotland had drawn to an end and after we had walked Neil and Michelle's two girls to school we said goodbye to Aberdeen and had an interesting journey south through further snow on the A9 in Perthshire. Our destination that night was to be a superb Youth Hostel (and yes they do still accept Grandparents in those establishments!) in Swaledale situated in the beautiful Yorkshire Dales.

After a good nights sleep following our near on seven hour drive and visit to the local pub in Grinton we ventured towards Leeds to pick up Arron who had been staying with friends he'd met during his Central American adventures earlier in the year.

Arry all back home

In a way we're glad to be back in Bucks, once again living out of a suitcase and traveling so far is quite a challenge, however we have wonderful memories to remind us of the awesome time we spent on the islands and highlands of the wild and rugged Scotland!

As a post script we are off to see one of our all time favourite folk/rock bands, 'The Waterboys', on Saturday and their lead singer Mike Scott has a strong connection with Iona and has produced a couple of inspiring albums with songs that mentioned Iona in their title, we think that 'Iona Song' captures a little of what we experienced:-

Peace of the glancing dancing waves
Peace of the white sands
Peace of Iona

Peace of the singing winds
Peace of the stones
Peace of Iona

Iiiiii oooooo nnnnnaaaaaa

Peace of the crying gulls
Peace of the humming bees
Peace of the noon-time stillness

Peace of the dreaming hills
Peace of the breath of angels
Peace of Iona

Iiiiii oooooo nnnnnaaaaaa
Iiiiii oooooo nnnnnaaaaaa

Peace of the saints and seekers
Peace of the monks and Druids
Peace of the resting place of kings

Peace of the ruins
Peace of the doves in the bell tower
Peace of Iona

Iiiiii oooooo nnnnnaaaaaa
Iiiiii oooooo nnnnnaaaaaa

Peace of the rested mind
Peace of the glad heart
Peace of my lover's pots and potions

Peace of her healing hands
Peace of her lazy laughter
Peace of Iona

Peace of the unseen
Peace of the spirit
Peace of Iona

Iiiiii oooooo nnnnnaaaaaa
Iiiiii oooooo nnnnnaaaaaa
Iiiiii oooooo nnnnnaaaaaa
Iiiiii oooooo nnnnnaaaaaa

Oh and for those of you who are little more cultured you might be aware that Felix Mendelssohn wrote some amazing music inspired by his visit to the Herbries in the 1900's. we would invite you to complete the reading of this post by listening to his stunning 'Fingals Cave' click here for a link to youtube, sit back and be transported to that remote part of the world that has so inspired our last few weeks!