Satellite: Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 by EOX (CC BY 4.0). Outline and points © OpenStreetMap contributors / Natural Earth. North up.
In numbers
8.5km²
Area
23km
Coastline
97m
Highest point
177
People
14°C
Warmest sea
August
779km
To the mainland
When to go to Iona
Good all year round.
The sea is warmest in August (14 °C) and coolest in March (8 °C). The water never reaches 21 °C: bring a wetsuit.
Averages 1991–2020. Sea: NOAA OISST, the water within 35 km of the coast. Air, rain and sun: NASA POWER. Best months weigh warm afternoons (23–30 °C), sea of 24 °C or more and few wet days.
Island off the west coast of Scotland, UK
Iona is an island in United Kingdom. It belongs to Inner Hebrides. It covers 8.5 km², with 23 km of coastline. Its highest point rises to 97 m. About 177 people live on it. The nearest mainland is 779 km away.
Getting there
- Tiree Airport (TRE)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 34 km in a straight lineCar hire at GLA airport (Glasgow)Discover Cars · Affiliate link↗
- FerriesIona Ferry
- 779 km from the mainlanddistance to the nearest continental coast
Plan the trip
Ferries, stays and things to do
Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.
On the island
What you find on Iona.
- 23beachesThe Bay at the back of the Ocean, Martyrs Bay, Port Ban and 20 more
- 2ferry terminalsIona, Iona Ferry Terminal
- 6named peaksDùn Ì, Cnoc Druidean, Druim Dhughaill and 3 more
- 5ruins and archaeological sitesMarble Quarry (Dis.), Dun Cul Bhuirg, Cladh an Diseart and 2 more
- 1waymarked walking routesSt Conan Pilgrim Way
- 1campsitesIona Campsite
- 17hotels, guesthouses and apartments
- 1restaurants, cafés and bars
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit, inside the island's outline. A low number may only mean nobody has mapped it yet.
The shape of the land.
On average the island stands 28 m above the sea. 100 % of it is below 200 m.
- 86 %0–50 m
- 14 %50–200 m
Share of the island's area in each altitude band, from the Copernicus DEM (30 m, read at 30–240 m on large islands).
Size, for real
Next to islands you may know.
5 km
All outlines drawn to the same scale (Natural Earth and OpenStreetMap).
Month by month
The weather on the island.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoon high (°C) | 7 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 12 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 12 | 10 | 8 |
| Night low (°C) | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 6 |
| Sea (°C) | 9 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 10 |
| Rain (mm) | 180 | 131 | 122 | 84 | 101 | 104 | 119 | 142 | 134 | 174 | 167 | 182 |
| Wet days | 23 | 20 | 20 | 17 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 20 | 22 | 23 | 23 |
| Sun h/day | 0.3 | 1.9 | 3.8 | 6.4 | 7.6 | 7.0 | 6.2 | 5.3 | 3.8 | 2.2 | 0.7 | 0.1 |
| Wind (km/h) | 32 | 30 | 27 | 23 | 21 | 19 | 19 | 20 | 24 | 27 | 30 | 30 |
Averages 1991–2020 for the ~55 km NASA POWER cell over the island; the sea from NOAA OISST.
Recent years
Warmer and cooler years at sea.
Each month's sea temperature compared with its 1991–2020 average, in degrees.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | +0.3 | ±0.0 | +0.2 | +0.4 | +0.3 | +0.3 | −0.2 | +0.2 | +0.1 | ±0.0 | +0.4 | +0.3 |
| 2021 | −0.6 | −0.2 | +0.3 | +0.2 | ±0.0 | −0.1 | +1.2 | +0.8 | +0.5 | +0.5 | +0.6 | +0.4 |
| 2022 | +0.5 | +0.6 | +0.8 | +0.6 | +0.8 | +0.6 | ±0.0 | +0.3 | +0.9 | +0.7 | +1.2 | +0.9 |
| 2023 | +0.9 | +0.9 | +0.9 | +0.9 | +1.0 | +1.8 | +1.1 | +1.1 | +1.2 | +1.0 | +1.0 | +0.6 |
| 2024 | +0.8 | +1.0 | +0.8 | +0.7 | +1.2 | −0.1 | −0.1 | −0.2 | +0.1 | +0.2 | +0.5 | +0.6 |
| 2025 | +0.9 | +0.6 | +0.8 | +1.1 | +1.6 | +0.6 | +0.7 | +0.9 | +0.7 | +0.6 | +0.9 | +0.6 |
+1 warmer than usual −1 cooler than usual
Photos
Seen by visitors.
Nearby
More islands nearby.
Isle of Mull
United Kingdom883 km²966 m29 km away
StaffaUnited Kingdom0.30 km²42 m13 km away
UlvaUnited Kingdom18 km²313 m21 km away
TireeUnited Kingdom79 km²141 m35 km away
JuraUnited Kingdom363 km²785 m49 km away
ColonsayUnited Kingdom41 km²135 m32 km away
IslayUnited Kingdom615 km²491 m65 km away
EiggUnited Kingdom30 km²393 m65 km awayAbout these numbers
| Names, area, population | Wikidata (Q610) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Outline | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Sea temperature | NOAA OISST v2.1 · 1991–2020 |
| Climate | NASA POWER · 1991–2020 |
| Relief, 3D model | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Beaches, ports, lighthouses, trails | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Towns | GeoNames · CC BY 4.0 |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
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