Inchcolm - Tourist Attraction

Tourist Attraction

There are currently two ferry services that operate trips to Inchcolm island, and allow passengers 1.5 hours to explore the island. The Maid of the Forth http://www.maidoftheforth.co.uk/ and the Forth Belle http://www.forthtours.com/ both operate from the Hawes Pier in South Queensferry between Easter and late October.

The main feature of the island is the former Augustinian Inchcolm Abbey (Historic Scotland), Scotland's most complete surviving monastic house. In former times, and perhaps partly due to its dedication to Columba, it was sometimes nicknamed 'Iona of the East'. The well-preserved abbey and ruins of the 9th-century hermit's cells attract visitors to the island.

It was the home of a religious community linked with St Colm or St Columba, the 6th-century Abbot of Iona. King Alexander I was storm-bound on the island for three days in 1123 and in recognition of the shelter given to him by the hermits, promised to establish a monastic settlement in honour of St Columba. Though the king died before the promise could be fulfilled, his brother David I later founded a priory here for monks of the Augustinian order; the priory was erected into an abbey in 1223.