Staffa, an Exotic Island on the West
Most people often associated the word “exotic place” with Asia or Africa; this is not definitely true when you know an exotic island on the west named Staffa. Yeah, this island has another name the Old Norse for stave or pillar island, it is located in the Inner Hebrides in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. This tiny island is only about 33 hectares in width with the highest elevation 42 meters or 138 feet above sea level, but it is adorned with picturesque scenery. This beautiful island has a long story about how it is formed; it was a long time ago when ice sheets were covered Atlantic Ocean including Scotland, inner and outer Hebrides. It takes thousands of years of geology processes until finally this small island is completely formed. Nowadays, this island looks like a small green mat in the middle of Atlantic Ocean. You definitely need to visit this miraculous island; here are things you may need to know before visiting this island.
You may travel to Staffa Island by boat from Oban, Ulva Ferry and Fionnport on Mull. It takes around 45 minutes for you to get on this island from Mull, you may enjoy the scenery while waiting for the boat to land. Getting off from your boat trips, green land with rocky cliffs will welcome you. The sound of waves echoing on the Fingals’s Cave wall is a nature sound that you may never find in other places in the earth. This, Fingal Cave, is the main tourist attraction spot in this inhabitant’s island; it is a giant cave with the vertical rocky wall that forms pillars, therefore it is named as Pillar Island. Fingal Cave is a must for you who have Hebrides Island tours. You may walk on the cave, enjoying hexagonal basalt that joined and formed gigantic pillars that look like a cathedral. Combining with its acoustic sound comes from the wave that crash on the rocky cliffs; Fingal Cave is worth place to visit in Staffa Island. It is definitely an awe sea cave that has breathtaking scenery.
You may visit Staffa Island on May to September, but of course you may only visit this island in possible calm condition since Scotland is famous for its changeable weather condition. Make sure that you wear safety devices during your boat trips to this inspiring island. Your boat may land on Inhabitants Island named Treshnish; it is only a few meters away from the Fingal Cave entrance, so you may start to explore the beauty of this sea cave from this spot to causeway.
Beside Fingal Cave, Staffa Island also hides other beauty treasure on the north of the landing place. On the northwest of Staffa you will see a chain of inhabitant’s islands called Treshnish Isles which have two main islands. These two main islands are mysteriously shaped in Dutchman’s Cap and Lunga. You can walk on these two islands, enjoying the shag, puffin and guillemot colonies. You may also hike to hill and enjoy the awe of this tiny island from the highest spot.