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tim and emma! |
sunset over loch long |
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 |
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 |
High cross on Iona |
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 |
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 |
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 |
St John's cross |
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 |
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.
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tim and neil outside his new church |
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 |
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!
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