staffa

The now uninhabited Isle of Staffa is a 70 acre Island of cliffs and caves, of which the best known is Fingal's Cave, a full 227 ft (69 m) deep and 66 ft (20 m) high - formed out of columnar basalt by volcanic action. Staffa means " Pillar Island ", which only begins to describe the breathtaking formations of columnar basalt. It is an island of caves.

The scale of these columns is unique to Staffa and it has been visited by a host of notable persons including Mendelssohn, whose Hebridean Overture is commonly known as ' Fingals Cave '. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert landed on Staffa in 1847, the queen recording the visit in her diary. Other visitors include Sir Walter Scott, Keats, Wordsworth and the artist Turner, who in 1832 exhibited his Staffa: Fingal's Cave at the Royal Academy. It was sold to a buyer in the United States.

The island has been uninhabited for well over a century although regular boat trips especially in season take visitors out from Oban and Mull.

Staffa holds a wonder that is only magnified by its relative inaccessibility.

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