Iona

If there is a place I most enjoyed in Scotland, it was here.

Iona is a small Scottish island off the coast of Mull, another island. To get to Iona from the closest mainland city, Oban, you have to take a ferry from Oban to a port town called Craignure on the isle of Mull, drive (or catch a bus) across that entire island to the port at Fionnphort, ditch the car, and then catch a much smaller passenger ferry from there to Iona. Because of Iona’s extremely remote location, getting there is a bit of a challenge. Apparently there used to be a more direct route, but as of 2025, the best route seems to be through Oban, so we left from there.

Getting There Is Not Easy

A model ferry model in the ferry terminal (actual ferry for scale).

The most important concern about the ferries is that they are regularly delayed and cancelled due to inclement weather. When we were in Oban getting ready to make the journey out to Iona via Mull, we were informed that multiple ferries from Mull to Iona were being cancelled that day. To maximize our chances of actually getting on a ferry from Mull to Iona, Caledonian MacBrayne staff advised us not to dilly dally upon our arrival in Craignure, and instead to drive immediately from Craignure to Fionnphort to catch the Iona ferry in hopes of beating the expected inclement weather. We were lucky that all our ferries proceeded on schedule, but I would strongly urge anyone who chooses to make this journey to plan a buffer travel day on either side of a scheduled ferry.

The ferries to Mull are much larger than I expected, likely because they seem to be designed to carry automobiles. The ride takes about an hour, and while it’s generally fine, folks who might become sea sick should be prepared in case the weather acts up.

Cars and trailers fill the ferry to within inches of its capacity.

The views between Oban and Craignure are spectacular. There are castles, lighthouses, islands, and mountains all within view.

Enjoying the views of Eilean Musdile lighthouse.

After arriving on Mull, the real challenge of the journey begins. Getting to Fionnphort means driving 35 miles on the A849, a single track road, where encountering another vehicle means someone needs to stop to allow the other to pass at a designated passing place. This takes a bit of patience, concentration, and really being willing to take a break when you need to. I’d strongly recommend anyone making the journey to review the etiquette on how to navigate these, because you’ll need to be ready for anything (including rain, which we encountered quite a bit of, and free-roaming livestock).

When you find yourself navigating both oncoming traffic and oncoming cows, you know you’re on Mull.

Iona

The Fionnphort-Iona ferry.

Only permanent island residents are allowed to have cars on Iona. Thus, when you arrive at the ferry terminal at Fionnphort, you’ll leave the car behind and hop on the ferry. Then your vacation really begins.

I would certainly recommend a room with a view of the harbor.

We stayed at Argyle hotel. It was adorable. While not the cheapest place we stayed in Scotland, compared to the prices in Edinburgh, it’s downright reasonable.

Iona Abbey

There are a few bonafide tourist attractions on the island, and most of the visitors are pilgrims visiting the Iona Abbey. But the main attraction if you ask me is the island’s natural beauty. There are plenty of sandy beaches you’ll have all to yourself if you’re willing to walk a bit. Hiking up mountains and through valleys was genuinely delightful. One afternoon we went to see a concert, which was just a musician that lives on the island and plays small shows for free at the village hall. But I came here for the golf course.

Yes, the village is tiny. It’s cute. I keep telling people it feels like something out of a Wes Anderson movie, and that hasn’t changed. It’s so tiny that I was recognized as “the golfer” because one of the locals saw me get off the ferry carrying my golf bag.

The Golf Course

The course is free to play. It’s about a mile walk from the center of the village, and is quite a nice introduction for what to expect on the island. Still, it’s about two miles round trip on top of an 18-hole round of golf, so pack light and plan accordingly.

Setting off to the course

The walk is quite nice.

There are sheep along the road…

And cattle along the way to the course.

I saw maybe two other people playing golf there. I’m sure there are more people during the high season, but you’ll very likely have the whole place to yourself, only sharing the course with sheep, cattle, and the occasional person on their way to the beach.

Spoiler alert: if you don’t want to see images of the golf course, stop reading now.

There seems to be a strong contingent of folks in the golf space that want to preserve the specialness of the Iona golf course. I rarely see pictures shared. I’d seen very little of the course before arriving. Only a couple youtube videos. I’m not really sure why though, as Finlay MacDonald, the greenskeeper, regularly posts videos of his rounds there.

The course routing.

There’s really no point in me describing the course. If you want to visit, it will be because you want to visit a course that’s really still the way it was 150 years ago: free, with sheep and cattle mowing the fairway, and a bit of attention, albeit imperfect, paid to keeping the greens as true as is practicable. It won’t matter if I recommend hiking boots instead of golf shoes or explain why there are shovels next to the greens. It won’t matter if I describe how spectacular the views are. It won’t matter if I mention how irreverent the back nine can be. If you want to visit, it will be obvious. So with that, I’ll leave it to the photos to tell the story.

Setting my golf bag down on Iona for the first time is incredibly satisfying.

The first tee couldn’t be more breathtaking

The view from the first tee.

The round begins

The first shot was a bit offline, and the squall behind me might hint at the strength of the wind.

In for bogey. I chose an orange ball simply because some of the videos suggested that balls can get lost in the flowers.

The wool on the ground is another reason to choose a high vis ball.

The view from the second tee.

Ruins by the second green.

The second green.

If there is a famous hole on Iona. It’s the third. Tom Doak called it one of the best holes in Scotland.

Another view, but with more sheep.

The view from the bunker.

The small green has a bit of a backstop. I somehow managed to get away with par here.

The view behind the fourth tee was my favorite golf photo of the year. All the dots there are sheep.

The view from the fourth tee.

The sheep along the way.

The view of the green over the mound in the center of the fairway.

A memorial on the course.

The fourth green.

The view from the fifth tee.

Some cattle along the way.

And cattle on the fifth green.

The view from the sixth tee.

The approach to the sixth green over the burn.

The reverse angle that shows the steps for crossing fences when you absolutely airmail your approach past the target.

The blind tee shot on the seventh.

The generous bowl that is the seventh green.

The eighth tee.

The eighth green.

The ninth hole plays directly over the eighth green.

The ninth green is one of the wildest greens I’ve ever seen. Just a bowl that funnels everything to the hole. If you can hold the green, you’ve likely got a tap in for birdie.

An old roller.

The 10th tee with my raincoat on.

The blind green is tucked between the rock outcroppings on the right.

The 10th green.

The blind tee shot on the 11th.

The gorgeous view from the alignment marker offers little assistance finding the green. It is tucked behind the rock outcropping on the left.

The hint of a rainbow.

The 11th green, which was missing its shovel, making putts here especially difficult.

The blind 12th tee shot.

The 12th green is another absurdly irreverent green. It’s shaped like a taco.

Double rainbow.

Double rainbow all the way.

The 13th tee. It’s difficult to know where to play, because you’ve passed the 15th green on the way there. However, you want to play along the fence to another hidden green.

The bathtub trough means you’re headed in the right direction.

The 13th green.

The 14th was one of my favorite holes. The green complex is dramatic, and you’re likely playing straight into the wind.

The ground falls away sharply short-right of the 14th green, which is exactly where the wind wants to push your ball.

The 15th tee plays directly over a fence and over long grass. Good luck finding your imperfect tee shot.

The 16th green from the side. The line of play is left-to-right here.

The ocean from the 16th tee.

We turn back toward home at the 16th tee, but not before visiting the beach once more. The green is, yet again, hidden. It’s behind the mound in the distance.

The view of the 16th green, which is near the corner of the fence line.

The 17th plays back over the burn from the first and sixth holes.

The 17th green.

The 18th plays back over the burn one last time.

One last trip across the bridge.

The 18th green and the end of the round.

It is a different kind of course. We had a wonderful time on the island. The effort to get there meant everyone else wanted to be there as much as we did.

If there is an image that stuck with me, it’s this view from the third green looking over the course. The sheep, the ocean, and the mountains are all spectacular.