A unique bookbinding workshop in a unique place. The course begins with making our own fish parchment using fish caught locally and ethically in the waters around the island by our local fisherman, Neil of Iona Seafood. We’ll clean and scrape the parchment a few times before stretching it out to dry. While the parchment dries we’ll begin our books in preparation for using the dried skins on the covers. You’ll leave the workshop with new skills and hopefully a couple extra bits of parchment to play with.

This workshop is aimed at intermediate level binders. You should be comfortable with sewing and completing books on your own. If you’re unsure if your skill / experience level is appropriate please get in touch with me prior to registering so we can discuss.

The workshop runs over four days, from 13 to 16 September. We will run from 10am to roughly 5pm each day with a break for lunch. There will be one afternoon off to allow our fish skin parchments to dry, and for an opportunity to explore Iona. You could take a boat trip out to nearby Staffa, go for a sail on an old wooden fishing boat, go around the Heritage Centre or Abbey, enjoy the island’s beaches and natural beauty, get a massage with Sandra, or go shopping.

The fee for the workshop is on a sliding scale based on your ability to pay, see this page for more information. It is inclusive of tuition, materials, tool use for parchment making, and one meal together during the workshop (no sense letting all that fish go to waste!) It does not include travel to and from Iona, accommodation, or the rest of your meals. You will be sent a tool / equipment list prior to the workshop for the bookbinding kit you need to bring with you.

How to get here

Iona is an island off an island off the west coast of Scotland. Getting here is half the adventure of visiting.

The local community council has a helpful page with information on travelling to Iona. If travelling by public transport please keep in mind there are only a few buses a day (not one for every ferry), and the Sunday bus from Craignure does NOT meet the last Iona ferry – so travelling to Iona on a Sunday is only possible if driving.

If you are driving, it’s important to note that you will not be able to bring your vehicle onto Iona. There’s a free car park at the Columba Centre in Fionnphort. The ferry from Oban to Mull books up really early – best get your tickets now. If you can’t get on that ferry there is a longer route around to the Lochaline-Fishnish ferry via Glencoe and Corran. The entire island is walkable and nothing is very far away, and you can also hire bicycles at the Craft Shop. Many accommodation providers are able to meet you at the jetty if you need assistance with your luggage.

Where to stay

There are lots of places to stay on Iona, from camping or glamping pods to two hotels, B&Bs and self catering units. But as they all book up fast and sometimes a year in advance it’s best to make your reservations as soon as possible. The timing of the day would allow you to stay on Mull and commute across each day, but the ferry is liable to disruption even in the middle of summer – I’d heartily recommend staying on Iona if at possible. Many of the self-catering options run a Saturday to Friday booking week, which this workshop has been scheduled to accommodate and would allow an extra full day of time on Iona.

Where to eat

There are a number of lovely places to eat on the island, of which I’d recommend you try both Ailidh’s (takeaway only, lunch and dinner, 5 days a week) and The Rookery Cafe (lunch only, every day except Sunday). Both hotels serve food, there’s a pub/cafe, and a small Spar shop for picking up basic groceries.