About
Iona Abbey, located on the Isle of Iona off the west coast of Scotland, is one of Scotland’s most historic and sacred sites. In AD563, Columba came to Iona from Ireland with twelve companions and founded a monastery. The abbey was transformed into a Benedictine monastery in about 1200. Its buildings were restored in the 1900s, and in 1938, the Iona Community was founded to revive its traditions of work, worship, and teaching. The Abbey is well known as being ‘the cradle of Christianity’ in Scotland.
Dog-Friendly Policies
While the Isle of Iona itself is very dog-friendly, Iona Abbey has restrictions. Dogs are not allowed inside the Abbey or the associated museum, however, dogs can accompany you in the outdoor areas around the Abbey, including the Abbey grounds and gardens, as long as they are kept on a lead.
Things To See & Do
Although you can’t go inside you can:
- See the four iconic high crosses
- Admire the abbey church, its architecture spanning the 13th to 16th centuries, now restored as an active place of worship
- Stand on Tòrr an Aba, the little hill above the abbey where St Columba is said to have had his writing hut
- View the vallum – a boundary ditch and bank of earth
- Walk the Street of the Dead, a cobbled stretch of road flanked by the medieval St Martin’s Cross and a replica of St John’s Cross
Or just use the location to take in the beauty of Iona.
Access and Facilities
Access to Iona is pedestrian-only; visitors must leave their cars on the larger Isle of Mull.
The ferry from Mull to Iona is short and dog-friendly. Once on Iona, everything is within walking distance with the abbey being 600m uphill from the ferry pier.
