The Marble Quarry

For all the news attention to Ophelia, and the damage it caused in Ireland, it caused little harm by the time it arrived here on Iona, although bringing lots more rain.  The day after Ophelia we wandered the shops in the village, knowing the upland moors needed to drain and dry out.  Fortunately, on Wednesday, the day dawned with just clouds and scattered sunshine. 

The marble quarry is far from the beaten path.  It operated for short periods in the late 1800's and early twentieth century until all usable marble was removed.  One islander had recommended a trail to us.  When we tried it several days earlier, it proved to unreliable.  Instead we took the trail down to Columba Bay before turning off to the east.

Fortunately we were hiking along at the same time as a guided group, so I asked the guide where to trail turned off to the east side and the quarry.  He pointed to the place in the rocks to our left, and described some landmarks.  There were several times that I led the way to what appeared to be the described ravine, only to discover it led to a different bay.  This one is the Gully of Pat's Cow.  I wonder what stories were told about it in the past!

Eventually we found the correct ravine, and the abandoned equipment, including the tall marble cutting frame seen here.  What was surprising was how many large blocks of marble are still lying at the edge of the Sound of Iona.  Yet the whole area is now protected, and the equipment has been coated with something to prevent it from rusting away to nothing.  It was worth the hard hike, and slogging through lots of boggy areas still full of water from Ophelia.  My smart phone recorded climbing the equivalent of 54 floors!