Walking on the Isle of Iona

People tend to cross the Sound of Iona with a weight of expectation on them. Iona is a beautiful little island, friends tell you, a special island. There's something about that place... hard to explain, but you'll see for yourself when you go there.

Iona is only three miles long, and about half that wide: the perfect size to roam on foot. Down on the north shore the sands shine creamy white, the shallows an intense glass-green. The sea is as clear as ice water.Tramp up across the dunes and climb Dun-I, three hundred feet of ancient rocks, for the view: a horizon-filling gallery of basalt masterpieces, from the great cliffs and ledges of Mull to the strange submarine shapes of the Treshnish Isles out to the west.