The Iona Community offered us accomodation on our first night at the beautiful and remote Camas centre, which was at one time Quarriers cottages.

The team say goodbye to our most hospitable host, Becky Chenery...

We wheel-barrowed all our gear 1 mile from the vans over the fields - one of the bigger adventures to and from our accomodation we'll have on the run!

We were privileged to start this year's Scottish Leg of the World Harmony Run on the beautiful isle of Iona. Becky represented the Iona Community in the magnificent Abbey which was built on the site of ST Columba's 6th century Church.

A 1000 year old Celtic Cross. A very auspicious morning.

Some gargoyles in the Abbey...

Becky, one of the Iona Community's gardners, read out a prayer for us and we presented her with a certificate and a Sri Chinmoy rose bush for the Community garden.

A bright group sing the World Harmony Run song for the first time in Scotland in the very special and peaceful setting of the Iona Abbey.

With the torch lit from a candle in the Abbey we start our Scottish leg of the European World Harmony Run.

Within 400 meters we met our first super enthusiastic school children, who joined us to run a short distance to their school.

Their Headmistress, Mrs Kennedy, was also super enthusiastic in her participation around the school playground with the torch!

The 8 children of Iona Primary school all hold the torch and add their wishes for harmony for us to carry with us.

Now we begin running accross Mull, the long and beautiful roads of Scotland ahead of us.

Our next warm Mull welcome was from the school children of Bunessan Primary - their smiling waving hands helping us up the hill to reach them!

Who wants to run with the torch?

They all became World Harmony Runners by joining the team on a lap of the school.

These children have the amazing good fortune to have this stunning view from their window everyday - surrounded by natures harmony of mountains and sea.

As we continued on our run across the island every hill we crested and every turn in the road opened up another amazing view.

The local wildlife was also plentiful from sheep and deer to birds of prey.

It was a truely PERFECT day to run - Scotland had blessed us with one of it's gorgeous days!

In the afternoon we visited Lochdonhead Primary school where the children all took a moment to make their individual wish for something more harmonious in the world. We then answered their interesting questions about the run.

After which they were all enthusiasm to join us out on the road by running to the end of their village with the torch.

A wee Mull robin red breast poses on the wall of Lochdonhead Primary school's garden.

Our last sights of Mull.

Managing Director of the Isle of Mull hotel, Bob Walker, holds the torch as the team say thank-you for his spontaneous and heartfelt generosity of Hot soup and sandwiches to warm us up at the end of our days running. This was thoroughly enjoyed and appreciated by us all - and all the more so as the hotel has such a stunning view over the bay at Craignure.

Looking overboard from the ferry back to Oban

The sunsets on a truely perfect day! Thank you to the islands of Iona and Mull for such an amazing start to our Scottish journey this year.

– Shyamala

Distance: 60 km

Team Members:
Dipavajan Renner (Austria), Apaguha Vessely (Czech Republic), Roos de Waart (Netherlands), Zoltan Theobald (Hungary), Kastura Panenkova (Russian Federation), Karolina Hausenblasova (Czech Republic), Karnayati Morison (Canada), Enyi Juarez (Guatemala), Kokila Chamberlain (Wales), Sunanda Minarikova (Czech Republic), Janani Spence (Scotland), Shyamala Stott (Scotland), Dhavala (Scotland), Uranta Kane (Scotland)

Harmonemail:
You can send a message to the runners or read the messages.

Gallery: See more images!