ISLAND OF STAFFA, SCOTLAND - A Unique Geological Wonder

The Island of Staffa (Island of Pillars) is a tiny uninhabited island in the Inner Hebrides, W.Scotland. It is famous for its basaltic formations that are the result of volcanic eruptions - a lava flow that has solidified into characteristic hexagonal columns - 60 millions years ago. The most impressive feature is /click/Fingal's Cave. It is inundated by the sea. It is breathtaking, according to those who visited it. Walter Scott describes it as: "…one of the most extraordinary places I ever beheld. It exceeded, in my mind, every description I had heard of it …composed entirely of basaltic pillars as high as the roof of a cathedral, and running deep into the rock, eternally swept by a deep and swelling sea, and paved, as it were, with ruddy marble, baffles all description." Those who like Mendelssohn might know that the/click/"Hebrides Overture/Fingal's Cave" was inspired by his visit to this place. In 1832 Joseph Turner made a painting called Staffa, Fingal's Cave.
The island is not easy to get to. It is only possible to land in small boats from the island of Mull or Iona. Click IONA