The Iona Community warmly invites you to stay in Iona Abbey as our guest. Join us – for a short break or a week-long programme – in community life and in the work and worship that frames our day.
In our programmes, guests engage in conversation and action focused on justice and peace, embedded in the concerns of the Iona Community. We explore faith, take part in creative activities, and discover community over meals.
Time staying at Iona Abbey includes time spent sharing in the practical tasks of communal living, including helping with cooking, cleaning and hosting. There is time and space to relax outdoors, explore the beautiful island with its white sandy beaches and inspiring wildlife, or simply to be quiet in the peace of the church.
Take your pick from our varied and interesting programme below. And don’t forget to have a read through our essential booking information before making a booking. You’ll find all the dates available for short breaks in the essential booking information too. If you are thinking about bringing a group of 8 or more people to Iona, please contact us by email to let us know a few more details at [email protected].
We want to make sure your stay with us goes as smoothly as possible but as we all know life and weather can often get in the way! We strongly advise that you have adequate travel insurance in place to cover your needs. And we need to let you know that you will have to take full responsibility for any losses incurred as a result of your cancellation. Thank you for your understanding in this matter.
Come and help us get Iona Abbey Centre ready for the 2025 season. This week is for energetic people who don’t mind getting their hands dirty. This week is available at a discounted rate.
Do you need some time and space in your life? Come to Iona Abbey. Share in life at the Abbey and enjoy the beauty of the Isle of Iona. Arrive on Saturday or Tuesday of this week for a 6 or 3 night stay. Single room occupancy available at no extra cost from 15th March - 15th April 2025.
Do you need some time and space in your life? Come to Iona Abbey. Share in life at the Abbey and enjoy the beauty of the Isle of Iona. Single room occupancy available at no extra cost from 15th March - 15th April 2025.
How do creative mindfulness activities help us to see the world differently? Iona artist, Mhairi Killin, and island mindfulness teacher, Kerstin Felleiter, will help us explore a Gaelic way of seeing and being in the world through the rich visual history of Iona, from the Book of Kells to the present day. Single room occupancy available at no extra cost from 15th March - 15th April 2025.
Are you curious about how yoga intersects with Christian spirituality? Join Pauline Steenbergen, Steve Carter and Una Bentley, at the beginning of Lent, to explore the spiritual benefits of practicing yoga. Single room occupancy available at no extra cost from 15th March - 15th April 2025.
An invitation to adults and children to experience 3 days without media, and to reap the benefits of shared pleasure in the moment and deep relaxation. Single room occupancy available at no extra cost from 15th March - 15th April 2025.
This Holy Week and Easter journey will use guided conversations and creative arts to explore new perspectives on Jesus' death and resurrection. Children and young people are very welcome and will be offered their own programme sessions. Led by Alison Adam, Lesley Orr and Cara Riley.
Explore the intimate relationship between the body and the brain. Learn why body-based spiritual practices work. Explore how different styles of meditation impact our well-being. Honour and care for our whole selves. Led by seasoned practitioners and instructors Rev. Christopher Rowe and Rev. Keller Hawkins.
How can we think positively about the future when so much news and conjecture is bleak? We will be considering whether a faith which should essentially be liberating can offer positive pathways to the future. Led by John Bell.
A week for gentle exploration, reflection, and inspiration about what it means to belong to a vibrant, global, hopeful community today. This week for Associate Members will be co-led by Ruth Harvey, Iona Community Leader, and Caitlin Wakefield, Membership Manager.
Do you need some time and space in your life? Come to Iona Abbey. Share in life at the Abbey and enjoy the beauty of the Isle of Iona.
Do you need some time and space in your life? Come to Iona Abbey. Share in life at the Abbey and enjoy the beauty of the Isle of Iona.
Explore how singing together shapes faith, heals brokenness, transforms lives, and renews peace. For beginner and intermediate hymn/songwriters, singers, and enthusiasts. Led by The Hymn Society in the US and Canada.
Join us as we celebrate St Columba. We’ll follow in his footsteps on Iona, discovering how his remarkable story resonates within us. Led by Simon de Voil.
Do you need some time and space in your life? Come to Iona Abbey. Share in life at the Abbey and enjoy the beauty of the Isle of Iona.
What inspires and sustains us in this time of anxiety about the climate? During this environment week we will discover tools to raise our spirits, and change our climate anxiety into climate action.
Do you need some time and space in your life? Come to Iona Abbey. Share in life at the Abbey and enjoy the beauty of the Isle of Iona.
Welcoming all varieties and generations of families. Come and gather together on the wild and wonderful island of Iona.
The world's gone wild so why does worship matter? An interactive week exploring creative, participative and playful ways to worship, led by the Wild Goose Resource Group, Jo Love, Iain McLarty and Jane Bentley.
Do you need some time and space in your life? Come to Iona Abbey. Share in life at the Abbey and enjoy the beauty of the Isle of Iona.
A special week for Members of the Iona Community to gather on the Isle of Iona. Please note you must be a Member of the Iona Community to attend this week.
YouthFest on Iona is a great space for youth groups to make friends, explore the island and experience community life. Bring your youth group!
A week of creative reflection with experienced peace builders, we will explore what peace and security means in the local and wider context. Hosted by the Peacemaking CCN with input from Fellowship of Reconciliation, Rethinking Security, Quaker peace work and Ulster University.
Do you need some time and space in your life? Come to Iona Abbey. Share in life at the Abbey and enjoy the beauty of the Isle of Iona. Arrive on Saturday or Tuesday of this week for a 6 or 3 night stay.
How do places shape our spirituality? This programme is for those who are curious about the spaces we inhabit. We’ll have the opportunity to learn from history and archaeology. We’ll create maps of our own inner and outer landscapes to help us renew our commitment of care for the land upon which we live. Led by Dr Julian Richards.
What better place than Iona to rediscover the Bible as an ecological and indigenous text? If you breathe Earth's air, drink her water, eat of her bounty, and enjoy her beauty, this week will equip you as a contemplative activist and lifelong member of Team Earth going forward. Led by Brian McLaren.
Do you need some time and space in your life? Come to Iona Abbey. Share in life at the Abbey and enjoy the beauty of the Isle of Iona.
In the season of change we embrace the spiritual journey of ageing, navigating transitions and letting go, guided by Elspeth Murray and Rachel Weiss.
Do you need some time and space in your life? Come to Iona Abbey. Share in life at the Abbey and enjoy the beauty of the Isle of Iona. Arrive on Saturday or Tuesday of this week for a 6 or 3 night stay.
John Bell explores the often overlooked and fascinating minor figures and incidents in the Bible that humanise the scriptures and reveal hidden gems.
This Faith & Friendship retreat is for those engaged in the vital, often pressurised, and demanding work of building community and bringing people together across difference.
Join our Writers’ Festival to workshop with renowned Wild Goose Publications authors. Explore various creative processes, develop your literary skills, and enjoy fireside readings and storytelling. For writers and story enthusiasts of all ages.
Do you need some time and space in your life? Come to Iona Abbey. Share in life at the Abbey and enjoy the beauty of the Isle of Iona.
Curious about contemplation? Experienced in the practice? We invite you to join us for this special week of contemplation in community with experienced facilitator, Stephen Wright.
Come and help the team prepare Iona Abbey Centre for the quieter winter months. This week is for energetic people who don’t mind getting their hands dirty. This week is available at a discounted rate.
During the Stillness in Community Weeks, each guest will have their own room, offering a peaceful space for personal reflection and quiet contemplation. Not a completely silent week. Sharing community meals, work, and worship. We look forward to welcoming you to a Stillness in Community Week at Iona Abbey in 2025.
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