Finding Inspiration on Scotland’s Isle of Cumbrae

retreat (noun): the act of withdrawing to a place of privacy or safety, often for meditation or instruction.

Every year or two, I like to go on a Patchwork Farm creative writing and yoga retreat held somewhere tranquil and beautiful around the globe.

This summer, I retreated to the United Kingdom, to the country of Scotland, to Cumbrae (an island just a few miles off the western coast not far from Glasgow). There, in the village of Millport, adjacent to the 1850s-era Cathedral of the Isles, is the College of the Holy Spirit, originally built to house and educate seminarians. Inside the College of the Holy Spirit are rooms named after Celtic saints (St. Mungo, St. Patrick, St. Ninian) and the Virtues, including Patience, Joy, and Kindness.

Behind the door of Kindness was a cozy room where I spent a week resting, reading, writing, and gazing out the window at the picturesque neo-Gothic church and a small, historic cemetery with elaborate Celtic crosses. When I arrived, afternoon sun flooded into my room, inviting me to nap.

Scotland may seem like a long way to go for a Coloradoan in search of rejuvenation, but half the fun of a retreat is exploring a new place and getting to know yourself in a different environment.

And although my trip to Cumbrae involved planes, a bus, a train, a ferry, another bus, and my own two feet, the journey was not arduous. I found public transportation in Scotland to be efficient, punctual, and comfortable. And it’s the eco-friendly way to travel, too. (Air travel, alas, is not—although you can buy carbon offsets to compensate for your flight’s heavy footprint. In fact, the United airline website where I booked my flights offers carbon offsetting at the point of purchase.)

A Sweet Island Getaway

Tucked away among the Cathedral of the Isles’ 160-year-old buildings with slate roofs, a church spire, a tree-lined walkway, and exuberant hydrangeas, I did yoga and wrote as part of my yoga and writing retreat. Ten minutes’ walk took me down to the harbor and beach of the island. What could be more uplifting and inspirational than the ocean, the company of fellow writers, and a church bell that happily chimed every 15 minutes? The Cathedral of the Isles was the perfect hideaway for creative pursuits and personal restoration. And when I beheld my little room, with a private bathroom, I felt right at home. (You can read about a past retreat I attended in Jamaica a few years ago.)

Situated in the Firth of Clyde, the four-mile-long island of Cumbrae has one town, Millport, with a variety of shops, restaurants, pubs, and a couple of hotels. On the island, you can kayak among the seals and sea birds (the water is pretty cold, though!), or hike or bicycle one of the island’s many trails.

A number of the people on my retreat biked around the entire island or hiked to the top of the highest hill for scenic views of nearby islands. I had an infected toenail, so I stayed at the College with a few short ventures into town and to the beach. I would have loved to see more of the island, yet the Cathedral gardens were so lovely that I was content to stay put.

Creativity in a Scottish Church

Yoga and writing are the perfect pair for creativity, as Patchwork Farm founder Patricia Lee Lewis has taught me. This is part of why I’m such an aficionado of her international retreats, and I’ve followed Patricia to Mexico, Guatemala, Wales, Ireland, and now Scotland.

Each day at the Cathedral of the Isles began with yoga, which was led on this retreat by Penfield Chester. She knew just how to help us retreat attendees—20 British and American women—limber up our bodies and get the creative juices flowing. After breakfast, we gathered to write (drawing from prompts given by Patricia) and read our work aloud to each other.

Afternoons brought free time, followed by dinner and another session of writing in the evening. I worked on my novel, which I’m afraid had been languishing for months. These retreats always jumpstart my fiction writing.

It was fortunate that the location for this creative retreat was the College of the Holy Spirit. The words inspire and spirit share a common etymology: the Latin spirare, meaning “to inhale” or “breathe in.”

I like to think that those stone walls, the sea, the trees, the flowers in the cloisters, the yoga practice, and the writing practice all helped me breathe deeply into my own creative soul.

A Place for Visitors of All Kinds

Although I visited the island of Cumbrae for an organized retreat, the College of the Holy Spirit also offers individual B&B rooms at very reasonable prices. In other words, you don’t have to be part of a group to stay there.

The rooms are modest, but charming. There are singles and doubles, and a few rooms have en-suite bathrooms, while others share a bathroom just a short distance away. All accommodations are free of telephones and TVs, which assures peace and quiet.
 (One caveat: the doors and floors in these old buildings are creaky, so you can hear people tiptoeing through the hallways at night on their way to the loo. Bring earplugs.)

And I can vouch for the remarkable food, lovingly served, at the College. Our meals ranged from quite good to excellent, and the staff and chef bent over backwards to accommodate dietary requirements. Breakfasts were always cooked to order, and the coffee was wonderful!

The atmosphere of the College of the Holy Spirit is lovely. You can go into the beautiful cathedral anytime during the day—and you might catch the organist practicing. I was lucky enough to be there for a Bach recital. Magnificent!

The cathedral hosts many wonderful musicians, and quite a few of the retreats held there are of a musical nature. So, if you enjoy hearing concerts in a historic church with wonderful acoustics, the College of the Holy Spirit is your place—just as it was my place for the restorative power of yoga and writing.

—Laurel Kallenbach, freelance writer and editor

Read more about my travels in Scotland:

• 5 Reasons “Outlander” Fans Will Love Scotland’s Isle of Lewis 
• The Magic of Scotland’s Ancient Callanish Stones
• Uncovering Callanish’s Secrets: An Archaeological Tour
• Scottish & Sustainable: A Farm B&B Near Callanish