Iona is home to many places of sacred pilgrimage where simple rituals have been held for many centuries by the pilgrims who have visited this holy island. Journey with us to two of these special places on Iona – the Well of Eternal Youth and St. Columba’s Bay. Many of our guests who stay with us in our beautiful retreat house Traigh Bhan on the northern shores of the island visit these places and upon their return have their own tales to tell …

The Well of Eternal Youth

Tobar na H-Aoise the Well of Eternal Youth – also known as the Well of Age or the Pool of Healing – is a natural basin of water on the top of the island's highest hill, Dun-I. In the shape of a heart, resting within the crystalline granite rock facing north, it feels like an enchanted place from which to take in the most magnificent views over the surrounding islands.

A portal to the ‘Land of Eternal Youth’

In Celtic folklore this well is seen as a portal to the Otherworld, also known as the 'Land of Eternal Youth'. It is said that the Goddess Bride lived here in times long gone and was nourished by the beauty of this ancient landscape whilst herding her sheep. She blessed the well with the powers of healing and rejuvenation to make them available for all who are longing for a new beginning in their life. Many pilgrims come up here during the nights of the full moon to see the reflection of the moon in the pool of water, or in the early hours of dawn to touch the healing waters as the first rays of the sun come over the horizon. Until this day many pilgrims who seek clarity and direction in life visit this mystical place to wash their faces in the water of the well. They do this to heal their past and step rejuvenated into the new – many are said to have received the clarity and guidance they needed…

St Columba’s Bay

St. Columba’s Bay at the southern end of the sacred Isle of Iona is believed to be the place where St. Columba and his fellow monks landed in 563. It is one of Iona’s places of sacred pilgrimage, holding many mysteries of the natural and spiritual world waiting to be explored …

St. Columba arrived here to settle on Iona and build his monastery, which became one of the most important and influential in the British Isles

A silent pilgrimage to connect to the unseen realms

The walk from the village to the bay leads you through stunning landscapes full of natural beauty, wonder, and magic. If you take time to open your senses to the simple miracles along the way you will be able to experience many wild and wonderful sights, smells, sounds, and sensations. Walking all or parts of the path in silence will give you the opportunity to deeply commune with nature and to enjoy the abundance of wild flowers, lichen, moss, grass, rocks, birds, wide open skies, the ever changing sea-, land- and cloudscapes, and many other wonders along the way …

Maybe you will even pick up on the energies of the unseen realms, as many others have done here before? It is said that on one of the hills next to the path St. Columba has been seen in prayer, surrounded by angels. According to legend the veils between the worlds are thin on this holy land and many who have been here return with stories of otherworldly experiences …

Mermaid’s Tears

At the bay it is easy to connect with the spiritual impulse of this ancient landscape, which seems to be held within each rock, pebble, and grain of sand. On the beach you will find pebbles of all shapes and colours and many people like to search for the white and green Iona marble amongst them. These special pebbles are called ‘mermaid’s tears’ and it is believed that they have the power to protect you from drowning. Countless seafarers have been carrying mermaid’s tears from St. Columba Bay with them on their journeys across the sea for many centuries and still do so to this very day.

Pebble ritual

Collecting pebbles for the manifestation ritual

The pebbles on St. Columba’s Bay are said to hold mystical powers, a beautiful ritual has developed here. You choose two pebbles, one representing something in your life you would like to let go of, and one representing something that you would like to manifest for your future. The first one you throw into the sea, the second one you plant on a place that calls you somewhere around you – on the beach, the rocks, the grass. Put your hopes and dreams energetically into the stone, put it into its new place and walk away without looking back. Trust that the earth, the wind, the sea, will carry your prayers to wherever they will be heard, to whomever can support you in making your dreams come true.

Time for contemplation at the Well of Eternal Youth on the top of Iona’s highest hill Dun-I

Maybe you'll come and visit one day and wash your face in the Well of Eternal Youth, look for Mermaid’s Tears or make your dreams come true by wishing upon a green Iona stone?

Of course there are many more places of sacred pilgrimage to discover on this beautiful island. If you would like to read more about what members of our global community have experienced on Iona, please find more articles below …

Read more about the sacred places on the Isle of Iona …