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Isle of Staffa

The little island of hexagonal basalt columns off Mull, home to Fingal's Cave and, in summer, to puffins.

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Welcome

Staffa is a little island off the west coast of Mull, half a mile long and a quarter of a mile wide, and it looks as though it came from another planet.

Its cliffs are made of great hexagonal columns of basalt, formed millions of years ago when a vast blanket of lava spread into the Atlantic and cooled, and the waves have worn into them the famous Fingal's Cave, whose echoes moved Mendelssohn to write his Hebrides Overture.

The botanist Joseph Banks made the island famous in 1772, and it soon became a sight that no traveller could miss; Queen Victoria, Tennyson, Jules Verne, Robert Louis Stevenson and Keats all came. Boats land at a jetty, and a path leads up to the grassy top of the island, with a panorama of Hebridean islands all round. Black guillemots, eiders, fulmars and puffins nest here, and whales, dolphins and basking sharks pass offshore. The National Trust for Scotland has cared for Staffa since 1986.

Before you go

Staffa is reached only by boat, on trips that land at the island's jetty.

Entry to the island is free; boat operators pay a small landing charge.

Entry
Free.
Getting there
By boat, landing at the jetty.
Size
Half a mile by a quarter.

Did you know

A narrow passage between basalt columns floods with still water, the rock reflected dark and green in its surface.
Did you know

An overture from a cave.

The astonishing acoustics of Fingal's Cave inspired Mendelssohn to compose his Hebrides Overture.

Tall hexagonal basalt columns form a sheer cliff face rising from the sea, waves breaking at the rocky base.
Did you know

Made by lava.

The columns formed millions of years ago, when a vast blanket of lava spread into the Atlantic Ocean.

Rows of dark basalt columns rise beside open water, a distant boat a small speck on the horizon.
Did you know

Famous since 1772.

The botanist Joseph Banks wrote of the island's wild beauty in 1772, and travellers soon followed.

A headland of basalt columns steps down to the sea, distant hills visible across the water.
Did you know

Visitors of note.

Queen Victoria, Tennyson, Jules Verne, Robert Louis Stevenson and John Keats all came to Staffa.

The hexagonal tops of basalt columns form a honeycomb pattern where the rock meets the water's edge.
Did you know

A birthday present.

An American, John Elliott Jr, gave Staffa to the National Trust for Scotland in 1986 in honour of his wife Elly's birthday.

Basalt columns catch small yellow flowers growing in their crevices, grass softening the jagged rock face.
Did you know

The only tree.

The only tree on Staffa is the creeping willow, which never grows more than a few centimetres tall.

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Where it is

Off the west coast of Mull, in the Inner Hebrides.

Close byOn Staffa.
  1. Staffa's columned cliffs from a boat.Fingal’s Cave on StaffaThe great basalt sea cave on Staffa, off Mull, whose echoes inspired Mendelssohn's Hebrides Overture.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
The Daily for 20 October, from Scotland with love. The broken stone walls of a lochside castle rise from a small tree-covered island, autumn foliage glowing orange against the dark water and forested hillside beyond.

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