Pilgrimage on Iona

Every Tuesday, Iona Abbey guests are led by staff and volunteers on an off-road or on-road pilgrimage around Iona. It is a weekly highlight for all.

Pilgrimage on and to Iona began nearly 1500 years ago, on the southern end of the island. In 563, St Columba and twelve monks landed on the bay now named for him, and founded a monastery which would convert huge numbers of Picts and Gaels to Christianity. Over a millennium later, thousands of people follow his path to that very same island and retrace his steps in pilgrimages for spiritual and religious connection. Pilgrimage has been a vital part of Iona’s heritage since the beginning.

What is pilgrimage? And who is it for?

All major world religions make some kind of pilgrimage. Muslims make theirs to Mecca as part of Hajj, Jews have been travelling to the Temple since it was built by Solomon, and Hindus travel from the Ganges to shrines in India’s largest annual pilgrimage, the Kanwar. This one practice is shared by billions of people and connects people from Australia to Ethiopia, from the Middle Ages to today – and you can join them.

Anyone and everyone can be pilgrims, and even celebrities have made their way to Iona on pilgrimage. In 2022, seven famous people of different faiths made their way from Donegal, the birthplace of St Columba, to Iona for the BBC series Pilgrimage. Following in Columba’s footsteps, they explored how pilgrimage can help us to consider the turning points in our own lives.  It is an opportunity to remember things that may hold us back from making a fresh start, or that weigh us down as we journey on.

“The pilgrimage is such a big challenge but it’s so good. It was just a really good achievement.”

You see versions of pilgrimage all around the island today. Every Tuesday, Iona Abbey guests participate in one to the bay where it all began, crossing the hills and rocks of the island much as St Columba would have done. Informal and full of conversation, it is the perfect way to meet other pilgrims. Those preferring solitude can walk the route to the bay and other major sites such as the Hermit’s Cell alone.

Victoria was a recent guest at Iona Abbey. Initially nervous about the off-road pilgrimage, Victoria kept going, supported by her walking partners. She said, “It was very tough but I did it and I’m so excited that I did it. I held people’s hands and people helped me. It was great.”

Pilgrims on the way

The Sràid nam Marbh – “Street of the Dead” – is a short pilgrimage route which was frequented by pilgrims of old which leads to the Peace Garden, outside the abbey. The small surviving section of this ancient route reminds us that the journey to Iona Abbey is a pilgrimage in itself. The trip by ferry, car, bus or train – and often by all four modes of transport –  inspires reflection. Visitors make their way from all over the world to the abbey, in groups or by themselves. Johnson and Boswell, when visiting Iona Abbey  in 1773, were amazed at the sight of it across the Sound of Iona.

When it comes to pilgrimage at Iona, it can be whatever you want it to be. By yourself or in the Tuesday group, coming from afar or walking across the island, for the deeply religious or atheist, it is up to you. Whether you’re looking for connection, salvation or merely to learn more about yourself and your faith, the journey to and around Iona will be a turning point.

Writing credit: Solenne Scholefield