My quest to visit all the islands in the Hebrides is never really going to happen, why, because there are 500 plus islands. I read about people who have visited quite a few, so I will have to make do with reading about the unachievable ones and try to visit all the ones that are achievable. I have already posted about my number one Island, Iona, the second Island on the list was Staffa.
I had always wanted to visit Staffa and see Fingal’s Cave, but I never thought it would happen, but in 2012 we made the trip. I am not a good sailor and spent most of my time in the bowels of the very small boat that took us there. I did get brave when we arrived and came up on deck to take some photos with one hand, whilst holding on for dear life with the other. We had to jump from the boat because of the waves and all I could think of was that I would have to jump back on.
It is an amazing place and I was so glad that we made the trip, now all we had to do was carefully make our way to the cave, which was a bit scary when there were other bodies making their way back along the steep path.
After marvelling at the wonder of the cave, going in as far as you feel safe to, there really is not a lot to save you, if you slipped. So I didn’t linger inside, I was quite happy to watch a little way back. It is enormous, its very hard to get the size right of this amazing hole in the cliff.
So this is really a visual tour of our trip to Staffa in 2012 and I just hope you find it amazing as much as I did.
The following photos were taken from the boat.
Theses photos are on the Island and visiting the cave.
Once you have visited the cave you can then climb up to the top of the Island and survey the surrounding Islands. The Island was given to to the National Trust for Scotland by John Elliott Jnr in honour of his wife Eleanor Thomas Elliott on 26th April 1986.
Echoes of the Past 
Absolutely stunning, Lynne! You were very brave to go on a boat trip if you’re not a brilliant sailor – I remember it was a bit choppy when we went, and although I’m usually fine I remember I felt a bit queasy. Isn’t Staffa just incredible?! I love your photos. Those columns are absolutely amazing. I believe the Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland is a part of the same formation – I have always wanted to go there. I agree with your dream of visiting every single Scottish island – wouldn’t that be a wonderful life mission? A great way to spend your life.
I think I’m going to have to settle for easy reachable Islands, I love the island thats call the dutch cap, I think its call that, but it only has sheer cliffs, so you can’t land, but I have lots of photos and we did get quite close to it. I thought I would do posts on the ones I have been to, mainly so I can keep a record for myself and see have far we get and what we have seen. I was pleased that I did Staffa, only because I thought I would chicken out and the weather was really bad, but I did it. As you know its something thats stays with you forever, the experience of going into that cave entrance. Oh dear….Ireland as a whole has some wonderful places to visit and the taster I had last year, my day trip to Southern Ireland, left me so wanting to spend lots of time there, but thats just not going to happen yet 🙂
I am really enjoying your posts on the islands and the west coast of the mainland (not that I don’t enjoy the other ones, too). So many places dear to my heart! 🙂
Thank you Jo 🙂
Jo is right, absolutely stunning. When we flew over in the summer we could see the boats taking people to the island, we flew quite close, but nothing as dramatic as these fabulous pictures! It is an incredible place, when I was much younger, we went on a day trip from Oban – sailing past, not stopping, and it was a fairly high sea – Mum and I loved it, but Dad turned green – good waves at the cave though. I don’t see why you shouldn’t make it to all of them if you try!
I envy you….. your flight over the Islands, you were a lucky girl, but you did share your photos with us 🙂 The boat takes you right into the entrance of the cave and the skipper slows the engine right down, so the boat ends up really bobbing like a cork …..horrible, but worth every moment on the Island. I think I would like to do a sail past on one of the much bigger ferries, just so I could get to see it from a distance, because I didn’t see a thing until we were there, just waves and more waves 🙂 I think I have left it a little too late to cover all the islands, but will have fun trying to do as many as we can, I expect you and Jo have quite a few under you belts…….I will have a lot of catching up to do 🙂
Whoa! I never even knew there were caves on the islands, so unique!!
This is the best and most famous cave which is on Staffa, there are some smaller ones on the other Islands but not like this one 🙂
Wow, thats one of the coolest things I have ever seen! Thanks!
Thank you, it was quite amazing 🙂
Wow. just wow! I am terrified of sailing, so I will never see these in real life, so thank you very much for capturing these 😉 Truly a sight to be seen, but I will never see ;(
Oh I was terrified, right up to the last moment I was not going, but my husband said I would always regret it and I can swim, so whats the problem (he was in the merchant navy) so I was very brave and sat huddled in the bows of this tiny, tiny boat, I hasten to say it was not only me. But in the end it was worth every sea sick moment to see that cave and then we went and jumped on another island and had lunch with the puffins……the best thing ever. Going to the outer hebrides in 3 three weeks, thats quite a long trip, so fingers crossed the weather is fine 🙂 I’m glad you enjoyed the photos and especially if you are that terrified that you will never see the cave in real time, at least you have seen them in my time 🙂