Do not worry about
the short changes the train station is beside the ferry and the ferry will wait
for the train and the bus for the ferry
Return journey::
most pilgrims catch the 0900 from Iona and take the above journey in reverse
getting into Glasgow Queen Street at 15:25 until 16 May and from 26 September
- otherwise it arrives at 15:59.
Very useful
web sites
Caledonian MacBride (for ferry timetables
from Oban to Craignure on Mull)
Bowmans
(for bus timetables on Mull from Craignure to Fionnphort on Mull)
Caledonian
MacBride (for ferry timetables from Fionnphort to Iona)
Trainline (for trains to and
from Oban)
Citylink (for buses from Glasgow
Airport/Bus Station to Oban)
RESOURCES ON THE NET
LOCATION
The Isle of Iona is situated off the island of Mull however it is well served
by public transport. The best way to get there (unless you are travelling
from North or North east Scotland) is from Glasgow. It is necessary to
travel to Oban by means of coach or train and then catch the ferry to Craignure
on the Isle of Mull. A coach meets the ferry and takes passengers to Fionnphort
from where the final ferry is caught to Iona. This journey takes between 6 and 7
hours. Further details are set out below .
TRAINS
There are three Scotrail trains
Monday to Friday from Glasgow
Queen Street Station to Oban (nb
if you are travelling to Glasgow from England you will arrive in Glasgow Central
and will need to take the shuttle bus to queen Street Station which links the two stations). The
first train leaves Queen Street around 0820. A second train leaves
at 1221. There is also
an evening train but this will not connect
with the onward coach on Mull
with the result that you will need to stay overnight in Oban.
Snacks are served on the train or can be purchased in the station. The train
station in Oban is situated very close to the quayside, turn left on leaving the
station. A return between Glasgow Queen Street and Oban costs £30.70
with a £17.20 Value Advance ticket sometimes possible if you book in advance. If
you want to plan a journey by train in advance
The
Trainline or
QJump offers a journey planning and ticket purchasing service.
COACHES
Coach services run by Citylink to Oban from Glasgow
from
Buchanan Street Bus station and
other parts of Scotland. The bus stop in Oban is very close to the
ferry terminal. There is a useful journey planner on the
Citylink website and
National Express run
frequent services to Glasgow from various parts of England
Coaches on Mull (from the ferry
at Craignure to Fionnphort) are run by
Bowmans
FERRIES
The ferries between Oban and Craignure and Fionnphort and Iona are run by
Caledonian
Macbride.
The first photo shows the MV Isle of Mull coming to the
quayside in Craignure from Oban and the second the smaller ferry arriving at
Iona from Fionnphort. It is not necessary
to book unless you plan to take your vehicle to Mull (NB cars of non residents
are not permitted on Iona and must be parked in Fionnphort). The mid morning ferry from Oban departs at
12:30 shortly after the arrival of the train and the coach and takes 45 minutes
to arrive in Craignure. There is a cafeteria on board from which meals,
snacks and drinks may be purchased.
A single for a
foot passenger costs £3.95.
Prices vary to take a car over
depending on the crossing and season but you can book online at the
Caledonian MacBride website. It is good to make sure you
have something to drink for the rest of the journey as the coach across Mull
takes about one hour and ten minutes.
The second ferry to Iona
(see photo on left) is a
very small roll on roll off one and the crossing only takes about 8 minutes. A
return which does not need to be booked in advance costs £3.70.
Cars belonging to non-residents are not allowed on the island.
PLANES
Some pilgrims choose to shorten the travel time by flying to
Glasgow Airport
in order to avoid an overnight stay in Glasgow or Oban. To do this you should aim to arrive in Glasgow at about 10:30.
This should allow sufficient time to get to Queen Street Station by the shuttle coach
(about 25 minutes) or by taxi (this
costs in the region of about £15) in time for the lunchtime train to
Oban.
If you are flying from abroad you
should enquire if there are direct flights to Glasgow otherwise you can transfer to Glasgow easily from London, Birmingham or Manchester. Flights to Glasgow
from the UK and Republic of Ireland airports shown below tend to take between 45 - 90 minutes.
Aer Lingus flies
from Dublin
Air Berlin flies from Stansted
Air Canada flies from Toronto
Air Southwest flies from Plymouth
Air Transat flies from Calgary,
Toronto and Vancouver
British
Airways fly from London Heathrow, London Gatwick, London City,
Londonderry, Birmingham,
Bristol, City of Derry, Cork, Manchester,
Paris and Southampton
BMI flies
from Birmingham, London Heathrow, Leeds/Bradford, Manchester,
Jersey and
Copenhagen
BMI Baby flies from Cardiff, Nottingham East
Midlands
Continental flies from New York
(Newark)
Fly BE
flies from Belfast City,
Birmingham, Cardiff, Exeter, Guernsey, Jersey, Liverpool, London
Gatwick, Manchester, Newquay, Norwich and Southampton
Easy Jet
flies from Amsterdam, Belfast International,
Berlin, Bristol, London Gatwick, Luton, Paris and Stansted
Fly Globespan flies from Boston
KLM Cityhopper flies from Amsterdam
US Airways fly from Philadelphia
Zoom Airlines flies from Calgary, Toronto and Vancouver
It is
also possible to fly to Prestwick Airport. The airport has its own
train station, and the 80 metre walk to the station is
under a covered walkway. Trains run to and from
Glasgow Central every half and hour and the journey
takes about 45 minutes. (Remember to allow another half
hour at least to get to Glasgow Queen Street if travelling onward by train).
Stagecoach Airbus
Western No. 4 bus runs to and from the airport and Glasgow Buchanan Street
Coach Station every half an hour at peak times and
every hour during the rest of the day. This services runs 7 days a week. The
journey time is about 50 minutes, and there may be special offers available on
bus travel if you can show a valid airline
ticket (ask for details).
CAR
Travelling to Oban by car is straightforward. From Glasgow one should
take the M8 then the A82 and A85 after Loch Lomond. If you intend to take
your car to Mull you should book with Caledonian
Macbride who run the ferry between Oban and Craignure. There
is parking in Oban by the station but it is expensive. It takes
about an hour to drive between Craignure and Fionnphort. Non residents are
not permitted to take their vehicles onto Iona but there is free parking in
Fionnphort - although not by the quayside - drop your luggage off first and park
up the hill in the village in the free carpark by the Columba
Centre. If you want to plan your
route in more detail try the AA route planner.
ACCOMMODATION
Bishop's House
The majority of pilgrims stay in
Bishop's House which is an Anglican retreat
house run by the Episcopalian Church of Scotland and which has made us welcome
over the past few years. The retreat house is situated overlooking the
sound between Iona and Mull at the end of the village street. Luggage is
transported from the pier to and from the House. The accommodation provided
consists of 1 double room and 8 twin bedrooms - there are a few single rooms
but these are reserved for the pilgrimage leaders and
clergy, however if any become available they will be offered to pilgrims with
special needs. Given
its nature as a retreat House, Bishop's House do not allow children to stay.
The staff provide excellent home made food and breakfast, lunch, dinner,
morning coffee and afternoon tea are
included in the charge. Special diets can be provided advance notice is
given and fasting food is also available on fast days. The large
common room overlooking the sea with an open fire is always popular and there
will be a social evening during the week. Anglican services are also held here each day as the Chapel is the
focus of the Episcopalian Church of Scotland's presence on the island.
Iona Cottage
In 2001 we also booked Iona
Cottage which is situated in the heart of the village beside the jetty and the
post office, a few minutes walk from Bishop's House. Breakfast, lunch and
dinner were provided and arrangements made for residents to have
morning coffee and afternoon teas with other pilgrims in Bishop's House.
Alternative arrangements
For those pilgrims with children who wish
to make their own arrangements there are two small hotels on the island and
local families offer bed and breakfast. It is also possible to purchase
meals at lunchtime at the cafe beside the heritage centre or at the pub which
offers a self service selection at lunchtime in the cafeteria attached to it.
Waitress service in available in the evening. Meals may also be obtained
from the two hotels (the Argyll
and St Columba's) on the island
and there are two small grocery shops for those who prefer to self cater. Click
here for further
details on accommodation available.
