Iona

An island of about 180 people off the Ross of Mull, and the centre of Gaelic monasticism for three centuries. St Columba came here in 563 and founded the abbey that still stands, which is why the place is described as the birthplace of Celtic Christianity in Scotland. Its modern Gaelic name means Iona of Columba. Pilgrims still come, and so do people on retreat, drawn as much by the quiet as by the history. The Hugh Fraser Foundation gave most of the island to the National Trust for Scotland in March 1980; the abbey belongs to the Iona Cathedral Trust.