Staffa

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Geography

The island is only 200 by 600 meters and uninhabited, but every day started in the summer of excursion boats, as there are several well-known attractions.

On Staffa there are hexagonal columns of basalt that formed on cooling of lava. The geological cause of these forms is seen in a large underground explosion, which took place in front of about 60 million years ago. These columns set under the sea to go back to Northern Ireland for the Giant's Causeway. Also located there Fingal's Cave, which was shaped by the force of the waves. It is 80 meters long and 10 meters wide and was named after invented by the writer James Macpherson Celtic legendary hero Fingal.

Among the most important neighboring islands of Staffa are of Mull and Iona.

History

In the 19th century traveled many well-known personalities to Staffa. Among them were Queen Victoria and her husband Prince Albert. William Turner came to Staffa to paint there. William Wordsworth was exploring the island and Carl Gustav Carus created there also several paintings. The Fingal's Cave inspired the composer Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy after his visit in 1829 to his Hebrides Overture. Theodor Fontane also visited the island on his trip to Scotland in the summer of 1858. He described his impressions in the book Beyond the Tweed.

Since 1986, the island is administered by the National Trust for Scotland.

Fauna

On Staffa there is a seabird colony, which includes several hundred puffins.