A Spiritual Retreat House
A Place to Listen, Renew, Imagine and Create
Just steps from the shore, Traigh Bhan is a place for deep rest, reflection and new beginnings. The house welcomes people from around the world who feel called to step away from the demands of everyday life and listen more deeply.
A retreat on Iona is an opportunity to reconnect with what matters, strengthen personal resilience and return to life with renewed vision and a greater capacity to act.
Traigh Bhan, which sleeps only four to six people, is an opportunity to experience collaborative community living.
Coming up at Traigh Bhan
Celebrate the Celtic festivals, design your own Pilgrimage Retreat, or enjoy hands-on weeks of loving care for the Sanctuary of the White Strand.
Celtic and Seasonal Festivals
You’re invited to retreats marking the Celtic Festivals and the seasonal turnings of the year. A retreat leader will guide your experience, giving you enough time to explore and reconnect with your own seasonal rhythms.
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Price: £875 per person, per themed week (6 nights)
£450 per person for a hosted retreat (6 nights)
Pilgrimage Retreats on Iona
Enjoy a personal, self-catering retreat to explore the island and enjoy the quiet beauty of the landscape at your own pace. An onsite retreat host will support your stay. Choose your own dates, with a minimum three-night visit.
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Work Weeks at Traigh Bhan
Join us for practical, hands-on, love-in-action weeks where you enjoy the peace of Traigh Bhan while helping to care for the house and garden, making a lasting difference. Many of these weeks offer reduced rates in exchange for your contribution.
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Contact us for details.
Price: £75 per person, per night.
There is a 3-night minimum for each booking
Any dates between 13 and 22 November
Pilgrimage Retreats — Time to Pause on Iona
Come to Traigh Bhan for a personal pilgrimage retreat, with space to rest, reflect and reconnect with what matters most. Rooted in Iona’s long tradition of pilgrimage, these stays offer time to explore the island’s sacred places, walk its shores and enjoy the quiet beauty of the landscape.
Stays are self-catering, with breakfast provisions provided. An onsite retreat host is there to welcome you and offer support during your stay.
Whether you come with a particular intention or simply a desire to slow down, let the rhythm of the island guide your days.
Minimum stay: 3 days
Choose any dates between 10 and 22 January
Pilgrimage Retreats — Time to Pause on Iona
Minimum stay: 3 days
Come to Traigh Bhan for a personal pilgrimage retreat, with space to rest, reflect and reconnect with what matters most. Rooted in Iona’s long tradition of pilgrimage, these stays offer time to explore the island’s sacred places, walk its shores and enjoy the quiet beauty of the landscape.
Stays are self-catering, with breakfast provisions provided. An onsite retreat host is there to welcome you and offer support during your stay.
Whether you come with a particular intention or simply a desire to slow down, let the rhythm of the island guide your days.
30 January - 5 February 2027
Imbolc — First Signs of Spring
Imbolc marks the traditional beginning of spring in the Gaelic calendar and is associated with the lambing season and the return of ewes’ milk – signs of new life after winter. It shares its date with St Brigid’s Day, when crosses woven from rushes were traditionally hung in homes and farm buildings to ask for protection and blessing.
At Traigh Bhan, take time to notice the lengthening days and the first signs of growth. A quiet opportunity to reconnect with the seasonal rhythms of the land and reflect on what you wish to nurture in the months ahead.
Choose any dates between 7 and 12 February
Pilgrimage Retreats — Time to Pause on Iona
Come to Traigh Bhan for a personal pilgrimage retreat, with space to rest, reflect and reconnect with what matters most. Rooted in Iona’s long tradition of pilgrimage, these stays offer time to explore the island’s sacred places, walk its shores and enjoy the quiet beauty of the landscape.
Stays are self-catering, with breakfast provisions provided. An onsite retreat host is there to welcome you and offer support during your stay.
Whether you come with a particular intention or simply a desire to slow down, let the rhythm of the island guide your days.
Minimum stay: 3 days
13–20 February 2027
Maintenance Work Week
Join us for a practical week of volunteering, helping to care for Traigh Bhan and prepare the house for the season ahead. Depending on what is needed and the skills of those joining us, tasks may include painting, small maintenance jobs, cleaning and organising shared spaces.
A reduced rate is offered in exchange for your time and contribution, with space alongside the work to rest, enjoy Iona and share companionship. Your help will make a lasting difference to this much-loved retreat house.
Choose any dates between 21 and 27 February
Pilgrimage Retreats — Time to Pause on Iona
Come to Traigh Bhan for a personal pilgrimage retreat, with space to rest, reflect and reconnect with what matters most. Rooted in Iona’s long tradition of pilgrimage, these stays offer time to explore the island’s sacred places, walk its shores and enjoy the quiet beauty of the landscape.
Stays are self-catering, with breakfast provisions provided. An onsite retreat host is there to welcome you and offer support during your stay.
Whether you come with a particular intention or simply a desire to slow down, let the rhythm of the island guide your days.
Minimum stay: 3 days
Spend a week close to the earth, helping bring the garden at Traigh Bhan into the new season. Volunteer tasks may include weeding, clearing beds, preparing soil, pruning and planting, guided by the weather and the garden’s needs.
A reduced rate is offered in exchange for your help. Enjoy the satisfaction of working outdoors together, with time to explore Iona and notice the first signs of spring. Whether you’re an experienced gardener or simply happy to lend a hand, your contribution will help nurture a welcoming space for everyone who stays.
Gardening Week — Preparing for Spring
6–13 March 2027
16-22 March 2027
Spring Equinox — Balance and Renewal
With day and night approximately equal, the spring equinox offers a moment to pause and find balance. Welcome the growing light with time for reflection and walks through Iona’s awakening landscape.
Experience this season of renewal on an island with a deep Christian heritage. At the heart of Easter is the celebration of resurrection—a message of hope, love and new life. In the beauty and stillness of Iona, make space for contemplation, rest and the promise of new beginnings.
Easter Retreat — Hope and New Beginnings
25–31 March 2027
Choose any dates between 11 and 24 April
Pilgrimage Retreats — Time to Pause on Iona
Come to Traigh Bhan for a personal pilgrimage retreat, with space to rest, reflect and reconnect with what matters most. Rooted in Iona’s long tradition of pilgrimage, these stays offer time to explore the island’s sacred places, walk its shores and enjoy the quiet beauty of the landscape.
Stays are self-catering, with breakfast provisions provided. An onsite retreat host is there to welcome you and offer support during your stay.
Whether you come with a particular intention or simply a desire to slow down, let the rhythm of the island guide your days.
Minimum stay: 3 days
30 April – 7 May
Beltane: Welcoming Summer
Beltane marks the traditional beginning of summer in the Gaelic calendar, when cattle were moved to summer pasture. Customs included lighting bonfires and passing livestock between them as a ritual of protection, while homes were decorated with flowers to welcome the season.
On Iona, the longer days offer time to explore the island and notice the growth around you. Enjoy a stay rooted in the pleasures of the season: fresh air, walks, companionship and time to appreciate the land that sustains us.
Lughnasadh marks the beginning of the harvest season in the Gaelic calendar. Named after the god Lugh, it was traditionally celebrated with gatherings, feasting, games and the sharing of the first fruits of the harvest.
At Traigh Bhan, our vegetable garden brings this celebration into everyday life: noticing what is ripening, gathering what is ready and enjoying seasonal food together. Take time to appreciate the land’s generosity and the care and work that bring food to our table.
Lughnasadh — The First Harvest
31 July – 6 August 2027
7 –13 August
14 – 20 August
21 –27 August
August Retreat Weeks
We celebrate the beauty and abundance of summer. Join us for one of three week-long hosted retreats.
Choose any dates between 11 and 17 September
Pilgrimage Retreats — Time to Pause on Iona
Come to Traigh Bhan for a personal pilgrimage retreat, with space to rest, reflect and reconnect with what matters most. Rooted in Iona’s long tradition of pilgrimage, these stays offer time to explore the island’s sacred places, walk its shores and enjoy the quiet beauty of the landscape.
Stays are self-catering, with breakfast provisions provided. An onsite retreat host is there to welcome you and offer support during your stay.
Whether you come with a particular intention or simply a desire to slow down, let the rhythm of the island guide your days.
Minimum stay: 3 days
Autumn Equinox — Gratitude and Balance
18 - 24 September 2027
As day and night return to near balance, pause to gather the gifts of the year. Iona offers space to reflect, give thanks and consider what you wish to carry into the quieter months.
Help put the garden at Traigh Bhan to bed for winter. This volunteer week is a chance to gather the remaining harvest from our vegetable garden, clear and weed beds, protect the soil and tend the compost heap—returning goodness to the earth for the seasons ahead.
Tasks will depend on the weather and the garden’s needs, with opportunities for both experienced gardeners and those simply happy to lend a hand. Alongside the work, enjoy time to rest, explore Iona and share the quiet pleasures of autumn.
A reduced rate is offered in exchange for your time and help caring for this much-loved place.
Autumn Gardening Week — Gathering the Harvest and Preparing for Winter
16–22 October 2027
Choose any dates between 23 and 29 October
Pilgrimage Retreats — Time to Pause on Iona
Minimum stay: 3 days
Come to Traigh Bhan for a personal pilgrimage retreat, with space to rest, reflect and reconnect with what matters most. Rooted in Iona’s long tradition of pilgrimage, these stays offer time to explore the island’s sacred places, walk its shores and enjoy the quiet beauty of the landscape.
Stays are self-catering, with breakfast provisions provided. An onsite retreat host is there to welcome you and offer support during your stay.
Whether you come with a particular intention or simply a desire to slow down, let the rhythm of the island guide your days.
Samhain — Harvest, Remembrance and Reflection
30 October–5 November 2027
As the harvest season draws to a close and the darker months begin, Samhain marks the transition into winter in the Gaelic seasonal calendar. It is a time to give thanks for the year’s abundance, honour those who have shaped our lives and turn towards rest and renewal.
This stay embraces All Hallows’ Eve, All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day—occasions that invite us to remember loved ones and reflect on our connections across generations. In the quiet beauty of Iona, take time to walk, reflect and gather the memories and gratitude you wish to carry into winter.
Choose any dates between 13 and 19 November
Pilgrimage Retreats — Time to Pause on Iona
Minimum stay: 3 days
Come to Traigh Bhan for a personal pilgrimage retreat, with space to rest, reflect and reconnect with what matters most. Rooted in Iona’s long tradition of pilgrimage, these stays offer time to explore the island’s sacred places, walk its shores and enjoy the quiet beauty of the landscape.
Stays are self-catering, with breakfast provisions provided. An onsite retreat host is there to welcome you and offer support during your stay.
Whether you come with a particular intention or simply a desire to slow down, let the rhythm of the island guide your days.
Choose any dates between 4 and 10 December
Pilgrimage Retreats — Time to Pause on Iona
Minimum stay: 3 days
Come to Traigh Bhan for a personal pilgrimage retreat, with space to rest, reflect and reconnect with what matters most. Rooted in Iona’s long tradition of pilgrimage, these stays offer time to explore the island’s sacred places, walk its shores and enjoy the quiet beauty of the landscape.
Stays are self-catering, with breakfast provisions provided. An onsite retreat host is there to welcome you and offer support during your stay.
Whether you come with a particular intention or simply a desire to slow down, let the rhythm of the island guide your days.
18– December - 2 January 2027 · Flexible stays
Midwinter on Iona — Stillness and Returning Light
A special opportunity for those who cherish quiet, this midwinter stay at Traigh Bhan offers space to slow down and enjoy the simplicity and beauty of Iona.
Mark the Winter Solstice on 22 December, when the shortest day signals the gradual return of the light, or spend Christmas in peaceful surroundings, with time for reflection, rest and companionship.
Come for the solstice, Christmas, or both. Within these dates, we can discuss a stay that suits you—a chance to reconnect with what matters most and reflect on what you wish to nurture in the year ahead.
Take a step…
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Bring a group
You are invited to offer a retreat, workshop or creative programme at Traigh Bhan, or to bring your own group for reflection, renewal and shared exploration.
Also see Online programmes, to create the Peace of Iona and Sanctuary, wherever you are.
Online programmes
