Heavy rain during the night had
stopped by morning but there was still a lot of cloud around. I was
packed up and away by 07:20 to continue my ride towards Fionnphort.
The ride was similar terrain to the last few miles yesterday but now
I was about to leave the coast behind for a while. It was
interesting looking at the line of the old road which was mostly
close to the line of the current road but much narrower. I briefly
reached the coast again at Bunessan, which seems to be the only
settlement of any size on this part of Mull. I reached Fionnphort
about 08:40, 5 mins before the ferry was due to leave for Iona. |
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Chapel
on the approach to Fionnphort. |
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The Calmac office was closed but a
notice said to buy tickets on the ferry. A few cars drove on then I
wheeled my bike down the ramp and onto the ferry. Several people
bought their tickets before me and I was the last. £5.05 for a
return which is valid for a month. The crossing is only 10mins and
as we approached the Iona jetty I could see many people queuing to
return to the mainland. The only vehicles allowed on the island are
those belonging to the residents and delivery vehicles. I wheeled my
bike up on to the island and Stella was there saying goodbye to the
guests she’d helped to look after at Bishop’s House. When the ferry
had gone and the waving done with I wheeled my bike while Stella led
the way to Bishop’s House near the Abbey. |
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Magnificent camp neat Iona Abbey |
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I wanted to camp on the island and was
prepared to used the only official campsite. Fortunately I was told
that it was OK to camp in the Bishop’s House grounds. A grassy
walled area to the rear was a good area but through a gate were some
nice grassy patches by the shore and just above high water mark. It
was a superb position. The house staff stop for tea break at 10:30
so after putting my tent up I set off on a short exploration of the
island. |
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I Followed a
rough road to meet the main access road to the west part of the
island called the Mhachair. There were too many tourists wandering
along the road for my liking so I returned to the house for coffee
break with Alma, Jane, Robby and Toben. Afterwards I set off on the
bike again to follow the road north past the Abbey. There were still
a lot of tourists wandering along the road. At the end of the road
the continuing path had a sign saying no bikes. There was even some
cycle parking bays available. I left my bike and walked across the
grass to the wonderful coastal area and the northern end of the
island. |
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St
Columba - originally found in the garden. |
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The
original Iona graveyard |
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The weather had improved considerably and the sky was blue
but the wind was cold. I walked along the edge to the east side and
some shelter from the wind. It was amazing how warm the sun felt
there. I walked back to my bike. and cycled back to Bishop’s House
for lunch at 13:00. Stella still had more work to do after lunch so
I set off on my bike again this time back to the west side of the
island again and the Machair. I took the tarmac road to the gate at
the end then across the grassed area to the shingle beach. |
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John
Smith (Labour leader) buried 1994 |
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The sky was mostly clear and
picturesque against the sea. I was mostly able to cycle north above
the shore, through a gate and on to another bay. I left my bike and
wandered around to take some photos. There were quite a few people
out enjoying the sunny weather. I returned to Bishops House then
later in the afternoon set off walking with Stella as she had some
brochures to deliver around the island. On the way we were able to
climb to the summit of Dun I, The highest point on the island at
just over 100m. There was also an Ordnance Survey trig post there
which was circular post made of concrete. |
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We
descended the way we’d climbed then down to an outdoor centre to the
north. On the way back we went into the Abbey grounds by the north
gate. It’s interesting to note that there is an entry fee at the
south gate but not the north or east gates. We left by the east gate
and across the field back to Bishop’s House. In the evening we went
to the bar near the pier but only had one drink. The main reason was
that a beer and small house white wine cost an extortionate £7.50.
Returning under a dark clear sky just before 22:00 there was a
magnificent view of the ISS (International Space Station) appearing
very bright overhead then fading to nothing. |
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Bishop's
House library / sitting room. |
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19th
century painting of Iona Abbey |
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Rt Revd
James Alexander Chinnery-Haldane
(1840 - 1906), Bishop of Argyll & the Isles
1883 to 1906 |
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