Visitors flock to community almost completely free of road traffic

The Isle of Iona is the tenth most visited historical site in Scotland and welcomes more than 250,000 visitors to its largely car-free roads every year.

Most visitors must leave their vehicles on Mull, with Argyll and Bute Council carefully controlling who is allowed to take a vehicle on to the island.

There are strict terms to meet if you take your car on the ferry, including being a Blue Badge holder, the driver of a delivery vehicle or being a permanent resident on the island.

Of the 170 who live on the island, however, fewer than 30 are understood to keep a car there.

Day visitors park cars at Fionnphort, where over the past decade parking charges have only been enforced in one area.

Other spots to park on Mull, include a 150-space site at the former museum at the St Columba Centre.

Until now, visitors and residents who do not need a car on the island have been allowed to park at no cost.

Iona, with its 13th Century Abbey, is Scotland’s tenth most-visited historic attraction