The Waters of Hope and the Well of Renewal:
A Celtic Pilgrimage to Iona and Loch Lomond
May 11-17, 2025
"Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your many efforts and inspirations to guide us through the heart of Scotland and engage our own hearts in the process. Our pilgrimage surpassed all my expectations — one rich experience after another with the strands of our Celtic braid, the precious and beloved community that arose from our shared experiences."
"The pilgrimage that you planned and facilitated was rich and full beyond my wildest expectations. You artfully and successfully wove together our five themes of music, poetry, graphic art, scenery and friendship, and I experienced unanticipated wonders and delights in each category. Even the logistical aspects of our trip — accommodations, mode of transportation, drivers and tour guides — enhanced and contributed to the magic."
"This was an utterly life-changing, mind blowing experience of profound beauty and soulful meeting that I will cherish for the rest of my life. I can't thank you enough."
-Letters of gratitude from our 2024 pilgrims
In this time of turmoil, how do we find a "still point" of inner peace ?
Our journey to stunningly beautiful sacred sites in Scotland will offer us a well of renewal and experiences and practices which we can bring home to our lives as seeds of hope and joy.
Join Mythica for an intimate pilgrimage in Scotland as we immerse ourselves in the Celtic path of beauty. Following in the ancient steps of wisdom seekers across the centuries, we will weave together a tapestry of song, poetry, art, nature and friendship while we listen for the still small voice within. This is a contemplative journey designed to provide an oasis of tranquility and a cradle for creativity. In the monastic spirit of this place, our days will be bookended by times of contemplation and song and we will introduce practices of creative writing and art journaling, culminating in your own illuminated "soul book" that will help you find the still point in our turning world.
Sunday May 11: Arrival Day
A comfortable private coach will pick you up from the Glasgow Airport Hotel at 10 am . Passing stunning scenery, we will arrive at the seaside town of Oban for lunch then board the ferry to cross over the Island of Mull together, arriving at St Columba 's Hotel where we will stay for four nights. As voyagers across the centuries have done, we will inaugurate our pilgrimage at St Oran's Chapel with a Vesper service of song, silence and offerings of intentions before savoring a three course meal in a private dining room overlooking the sea as the sun sets.
Monday 12 May – A day to explore the beauty and spiritual history of Iona. At the three standing stones, we will learn about the Celtic legends of this "Isle of Women" a site sacred to ancient Druids centuries before Christianity arrived on these shores. In the ruins of the Nunnery chapter house we will discover the rhythm of monastic life designed to "tune our hearts to the Good" and we will practice chanting psalms in the chapel. After lunch, we will walk down to the Bay where St. Columba arrived in the 6th century to found a monastery revered for its artwork that birthed the Book of Kells. In the afternoon, we will create our own earth art mandalas looking out on the vast azure sea and gather the famed green and white stones of Iona for a collective poetry project. In the evening, we bathe in the light of the rising full moon .
Tuesday 13 May – Today after our circle of contemplation, we visit the Isle of Staffa and the spectacular Fingal's Cave, site of legends and seed of inspiration for writers across the centuries from James MacPherson to J.K. Rowling. The sight of the dark basalt columns jutting out of the sea is cause for awe- and we will likely encounter communities of puffins and dolphins leaping in delight as well. The natural wonders we encounter will find expression in our art journals as we play with writing our own poems of joy and learn ancient Benedictine chants of praise of the earth in St Oran's Chapel at Vespers. After dinner, those who wish will say farewell to a glorious day by partaking in the candlelit evening service at Iona Abbey.
Wednesday 14 May – A walk to the north of Iona. For those who are able, we will climb to the top of the highest point on the island after learning about the legend of Brigid, the Cailleach and the Well of Youth and a ritual in which we reclaim parts of ourselves. After lunch, we take a flat and gentle stroll to the White Strand of the Monks where we will create a labyrinth in sand. Our afternoon and evening will allow for a deepening into the contemplative rhythms of song, silence and art journaling.
Thursday 15 May – From Iona, we will follow the Cailleach's path through stunning scenery of verdant mountains and shade-dappled glens along the shores of breathtakingly beautiful lochs. As we do so, we will experience an extraordinary once-in-a=lifetime "synesthesia" as we learn about how the very sites we have experienced and are viewing from our warm window seats were the seed of inspiration for two of Felix Mendelssohn's greatest orchestral works: Fingal's Cave ( The Hebrides Overture) and the "Scottish" Symphony in A Minor. Even pilgrims who have had no previous interest or experience with classical music describe this as an "unforgettable, mind-opening" sensorium. In the afternoon, we check into the luxurious five star Cameron House Hotel for one night. Our day will end with a circle of poetry and a festive three course dinner in our own private dining room.
Friday 16 May – After a sumptuous breakfast, we explore the enchanting landscape of Loch Lomond. We will learn the stories of Celtic women saints, including Saint Kentigerna. This 8th-century Irish princess became a hermit who after her widowhood, founded a monastery on the island of Inchcailloch which stands in the middle of Loch Lomond. We depart in the late afternoon for Glasgow where, after an early supper, a farewell gala performance of Mendelssohn and Brahms awaits us in the elegant Royal Concert Hall. We will cheer on our trip manager, Stephen Carpenter, as he takes the stage to deliver the pre-concert lecture for the world-renowned Scottish National Chamber Orchestra.
Saturday 17 May – Our voyage draws to a close after a breakfast and a morning circle of gratitude where we reflect on how we will take the seeds of beauty we have discovered into our lives.
Our hotels for our journey:
St. Columba Hotel, widely regarded as the best hotel in Iona, is a mere three-minute walk from Iona Abbey, allowing those who wish to join in the community's celebration of Evening Pryer every night at 9 pm. The hotel is renowned for its creative cuisine based on sustainably harvested from its organic gardens. OUu private dining room and gathering place for meetings has panoramic vistas of the ocean, and many of the comfortable and warm ensuite bedrooms have ocean views as well.
The Cameron House, a five star hotel at Loch Lomond, has a long and distinguished history of gracious hospitality, hosting guests including Winston Churchill, Felix Mendelssohn and Barrack Obama. Plushly appointed bedrooms, an elegant tea room, fine dining and spa facilities are adornments to the main attraction: the oasis of natural beauty right outside the door..
COSTS of the Pilgrimage
$3980 (paid to Carpenter Holidays as £2950) per person based on sharing a double or twin room
Single supplement: $650 (paid to Carpenter Holidays as £490)
What is Included:
Tour price includes: Daily classes and circles of contemplation with Kayleen Asbo, six nights accommodation, breakfast daily, five three course dinners, entrance fees to Iona Abbey, coach transportation throughout, all tips for guides and coach driver, ferry crossings to the Isles of Mull and Iona and boat trip to Staffa and Fingal's Cave, the services of Stephen Carpenter as tour manager, zoom gatherings for orientation and preparation for the journey, song books.
What is Excluded
Travel to and from Glasgow, lunches, drinks with meals, travel insurance.
The above rates are based on payment via bank transfer. Details of the bank account of Carpenter Holidays will be sent to you after you have completed your booking form. It is also possible to pay via PayPal, but a 5% surcharge will be added to the above prices. Let us know in the booking form how you wish to pay for the holiday (via bank transfer or PayPal).
A deposit of £1000 is due at time of booking, with the balance of the costs due by December 31, 2024.
"I want to come! What's next?"
Please complete the online application below. Once your selection is confirmed, your deposit of £1000 will be due. You will then be connected with Stephen Carpenter who will warmly guide you through the next steps of booking, offer travel guidance and be available to answer any pragmatic questions. We plan on having an initial pilgrimage meeting via zoom in January and another in spring to help prepare us all for this amazing adventure!
