Iona

When we lived in Scotland, every year we used to stay at Traigh Bhan (Gaelic for 'White Strand'), on the north east coast of the island of Iona.

So, here is the QTVR image of the island. To help locate yourself, start at the cairn that was built on top of Dun I, the highest hill on the island. It is easy to recognise because Natalja Heijbroek is sitting on top of it! That direction is west.

If you now move and look to the southwest (panning left in the image), you can see the Machair lands, with small farms and the links golf course. A little further south is the Spouting Cave. Looking directly south is the direction of St. Columba's Bay, the Port of the Coracle and the Marble Quarry, although they are hidden from view by hills. Coming round to the southeast, the isle of Erraid is visible and the southern reaches of the Sound of Iona. Moving north now, the island of Mull fills the field of view, until it disappears into the distance in the northeast. Looking back, in line with Erraid, is Iona Abbey, the wooden original of which was founded by St. Columba, shortly after he landed on the island in 563 AD.

Further north, the Mull - Iona ferry is visible in the Sound, with Imogen Forster sitting on a granite outcrop in the foreground. The town of Fionnophort (pronounced fin-a-fort), site of the ferry's jetty on Mull, can also be seen.

Just about visible in the northeast, by the beach of Traigh Bhan nam Manach, is the house of Traigh Bhan itself. A little further north is a small island close to Iona, with a sandy beach where seals commonly rest at low tide. For those who know Iona, at the very bottom of the picture to the north is the Well of Youth. A local myth states that everlasting youth will be granted to those who bathe in its waters at dawn

Finally, in the distance to the north are the islands of Staffa, famous for its rock formations and for Fingal's Cave, and Dutchman's Cap, an island mainly inhabited by Puffins.