Staffa

Staffa is a Scottish island, best known for it basalt column formations.

Staffa has been uninhabited since 1800. Although it is said that around 13,500 years ago Staffa was a large plate encompassing many surrounding islands like Iona, Isle of Tull and the Treshnish Isles, although still being separate from the Outter Hebrides. Now, Staffa is a comparatively minuscule kilometer long and half a kilometer wide, encompassing an outer perimeter of three kilometers, and totaling roughly 33 hectares in area. Staffa is located 10 kilometers west off Mull, and 6 kilometers northeast off Iona.

Staffa received its name for the same reason that it is still a popular destination, and the main reason for its acclaim. From the sea, it can be seen that a layer of Staffa is comprised of a Basalt rock layer. This appears to be column like in nature, this lead to Viking explorers dubbing the island Stafa after their vertical log houses.

Staffa also attracts tourists due to its caves. The most prominent and admired of these is Finagl’s Cave. This cave is 20 meters wide and set in the midst of the basalt columns of Staffa. Fingal’s Cave on Staffa has attracted many prestigious visitors including Sir Joseph Banks and Queen Victoria.