Visit the small, uninhabited island of Staffa and you will find one of Scotland’s most inspiring natural wonders, the Fingals Cave.
On the small, uninhabited island of Staffa you will find one of Scotland’s most inspiring natural wonders, Fingal’s Cave. Famous composer Felix Mendelssohn was so moved by his visit to this large, arched sea cave with its hexagonal basalt columns and strange, echoing sounds that he wrote The Hebrides Overture. Similar to the Giant’s Causeway in Ireland or Reynisfjara beach in Iceland, the unusual landforms here are also said to have left impressions on selected works by Jules Verne, John Keats and even Pink Floyd.
But the earliest admirers of this geologically unique island were the Vikings, who named it Staffa in Old Norse for "stave” or “pillar”. And the early Gaelic locals, impressed by the cave’s remarkable auditory illusions, named it “The Cave of Melody”. Perhaps you’ll leave here with some creative inspiration of your own.
The Isle of Staffa is accessible through boat tours.
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