Last Day on Iona.

I had a ferry that I needed to catch from Iona to Mull at 2:15, so with that extra time I had planned on going to the marble quarry which is the south end of the island. Uist said that he was going there so I went to go meet with him.

This is the view directly outside of the hostel. I didn't think to take a picture of the hostel itself... 

On the way to go meet Uist. Lots of sheep lounging around. 

Lambs. They "baa'ed" at me after I took the picture. 

With the lack of phone reception, I managed to meet Uist alright. It was a decent day and even though it had not rained in a while, there were bogs everywhere on the way.

A part of the small community of Iona

Ground might look solid enough but there were bogs hidden underneath the grass. 

Another path to the coast, this isn't where the quarry is though. 

So as we were approaching the quarry down a slope, I slipped on a patch of grass and slid into a bog... My butt and hands were all muddy. I wasn't able to take a picture of the quarry until we got down and I cleaned up with some napkins I happened to have.

The marble quarry. Slabs of marble laying around. 

One of the pieces of the equipment they used. Painted to prevent rusting and preserve a bit of history. 

The rest of the equipment and marble left behind. 

There used to be a dock for boats here on the left. It's old and unused now. 

I took a piece of white marble as a souvenir. Uist came with the intention of bringing a slab of marble with him for a project he plans to work on. He took with him a big head sized piece which was pretty heavy. I was impressed how he managed to get it back alright.

We took another route back. 

This used to be Iona's drinking water reservoir. They now get water pumped from Mull so they no longer use this according to Uist. 

Iona golf course. "The the only ones that play is the sheep"

The west end beach

After we got back it was almost time to board the ferry. I had about 30 min to change my muddy pants and clean up.

When I got to Mull I was supposed to meet the RV couple but I did not see them. Because the waters were a little rough, the ferry could only take 50 people at a time and while I was cleaning up, 2 tour groups were getting in line to board meaning they had to do 2 trips, and I got on the second one. I was thinking the couple either left because they didn't know about the second trip the ferry needed to make, or they were just caught up and were still on their way. I couldn't call them because there was no signal. Either way, there was no point in waiting around. I started walking down the only road that led to the  Fionnphort port and if they were still on the way I would spot them. Sure enough they came after about 45 min of walking to my relief.

They told me they were blocked by cattle and even recorded it. It was hilarious.

Roy drove his wife, Sandra, and I to a place which they called Chris's place because a memorial bench was erected there for a person named Chris. Sandra made dinner and I set up my tent next to their RV. We talked until it got dark and they offered an extra sleeping bag and blanket to help me stay warm during the night. It helped tremendously. I slept with no issue.