There are rare, special places in the world which are called ‘thin’, a term first used by the Celtic Christians to describe where the veil between heaven and earth is said to lift. They are where the boundaries between the material and spiritual are supposed to dissipate.
On the remote Scottish island of Iona, the air smells of salt. Rainbows circle pathways across the sky. White sands roll into water. Gulls drift. The peace deafens. No matter how sceptical anyone might be of spiritual notions, to travel to Iona, arguably the first place to be recognised as ‘thin’, is undeniably a place to experience something different.
This is where sheep pee indifferently over ancient mounds, where pink buds of toadflax sprout from rocks, where a population amounts to only one-hundred and sixty. It is where the sea meets the sky, and a wild salty wind whispers an armistice upon troubles.
Celtic crosses, tiny paths, ruins abandoned to grass and a dark granite abbey lure visitors here. They walk in the steps of pilgrims, of antediluvian life, of Christian roots and Viking ghosts. This is where St Columba and his followers first landed in 563AD, establishing a monastic settlement that became a focal point for spreading Christianity across Europe. This is where the past meets the present.
Catch the island on a clear mid-summer evening, when the island’s latitude fights darkness, when the Skylarks sing, when the Corncrakes make a rare show, when the light dissolves to soft marshmallow, when far-off islands float past on a wide horizon, then you begin to understand the wonder of ‘thinness’.
Iona holds a stillness that is there even in a gale. That stillness is capable of transformation. The kind that forces contemplation. It makes you stop. Makes your heart slow. Makes you breathe. And, makes you rethink. It also makes you consider what heaven might look like. And that, as far as I understand it, is what makes a place thin.
Where to Stay: There are two hotels on the island, both small, locally owned and a million miles away from anything corporate. The St Columba Hotel: www.stcolumba-hotel.co.uk and The Argyll: www.argyllhoteliona.co.uk You can also camp on the island and there are a couple of bed and breakfasts.
Getting there: From Oban on the mainland, take a ferry to Craignure on the island of Mull. Drive or take the bus to Fionnphort, then park your car in the free carpark and take a further ferry across to Iona. Westcoast Tours also offer day trips: https://westcoasttours.co.uk
Where to eat: St Columba Hotel is fully organic and fully delicious. For ready-made picnics, they sell sandwiches and more in their ‘Larder’.
When To Go: May to September offer good chances for clement weather and long summer evenings. The island largely closes over the winter months.
For more details: http://www.welcometoiona.com