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Staffa's columned cliffs from a boat.
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Fingal’s Cave on Staffa

The great basalt sea cave on Staffa, off Mull, whose echoes inspired Mendelssohn's Hebrides Overture.

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Fingal's Cave is the great sea cave on the little island of Staffa, off the west coast of Mull, its entrance framed by tall hexagonal columns of basalt, formed millions of years ago when lava spread out into the Atlantic and cooled, and hollowed out over the ages by the waves.

Inside, the sea surges in over the broken stumps of more columns, and the sound it makes inspired Mendelssohn to write his Hebrides Overture.

The botanist Joseph Banks made the island famous in 1772, and visitors followed: Queen Victoria, Keats, Tennyson, Jules Verne and Robert Louis Stevenson among them. Staffa has been cared for by the National Trust for Scotland since 1986 and is a National Nature Reserve; it is open daily and free. Boat trips run from Fionnphort on Mull and from Iona, landing on the island in calm weather, and in summer puffins nest on the cliff tops. Whales, dolphins and basking sharks are sometimes seen on the way out.

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Before you go

Staffa is open daily and free to land.

Boat trips run from Fionnphort on Mull and from Iona; landings depend on the weather.

Getting there
Boat trips from Fionnphort or Iona.
Entry
Free.

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Where it is

Staffa, off the west coast of Mull.

Close byOff Mull.
  1. Isle of StaffaIsle of StaffaThe little island of hexagonal basalt columns off Mull, home to Fingal's Cave and, in summer, to puffins.Under a mile 1 min by road
  2. The white sand and turquoise water of Iona's north end beaches from above, green machair behind.North End BeachesThe white-sand beaches at the north end of Iona, with the White Strand of the Monks, looking to Mull and the Treshnish Isles.Under a mile 4 min by road
  3. Coastal garden with flower beds overlooking a sailing boat on the waterTraigh Bhan nam MonachThe White Strand of the Monks, a beach near the far north point of Iona, reached across a field.Under a mile 4 min by road
  4. The Keel Row in Fionnphort, low granite buildings with picnic benches behind a stone wall.The Keel RowA traditional pub and restaurant in Fionnphort, by the Iona ferry, with views across the sound to Iona.3 miles 9 min by road
  5. A table laid with glasses and white napkins at Ninth Wave, a painting of pebbles on the wall behind.Ninth Wave RestaurantA croft restaurant near Fionnphort on Mull, where Carla Lamont cooks long lunches from John's catch and their garden.3 miles 11 min by road
  6. The Iona Community's Welcome Centre and Shop, a low white building with its sign on the grass in front.Iona Community ShopThe Iona Community's shop and welcome centre opposite the abbey, with books, local crafts and Iona Abbey bread.3 miles 10 min by road
Directions
AttractionsIona Abbey3.2 miles
AttractionsSt Oran’s Chapel & Reilig Odhráin3.2 miles
Shelves of snacks, jars and treats inside the St Columba Larder.RestaurantsSt Columba Larder3.2 miles
Inside Oran Creative Crafts: shelves of candles, glass and gifts on a wooden counter.ShoppingOran Creative Crafts3.2 miles
Scattered cottages and a stone church overlook a coastal bay from grassy hillsideAttractionsIsle of Iona3.2 miles
Iona's shore and the Sound under a pale sky.AttractionsIsle of Iona3.2 miles
Iona Nunnery Ruins, Isle of IonaAttractionsIona Nunnery Ruins3.2 miles
The whitewashed front of the Iona Craft Shop with blue window frames, bicycles and chairs outside.ShoppingIona Craft Shop3.2 miles
The white sand and blue water of the bay, rocks beyond.AttractionsBay at the Back of the Ocean3.2 miles

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From the magazineIsland Adventures On The West Coast
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