The scenic route through the island is via Glen More to Fionnphort where a small ferry - operated by Gordon Grant Marine departs for Staffa. Two islets are given names on Ordnance survey maps - they are Am Buachaille, The Herdsman, alongside the Causeway, composed entirely of twisted columns and Eilean Dubh The Black Isle which is home to several sea-bird colonies. There are important colonies of seabirds that breed on Staffa and as you approach the island during the summer months, you will notice the variety of birds flying to and from the island. Staffa Apartment sits on the harbour front in Tobermory and is an ideal base for a self-catering holiday on Mull for two people. On arrival in Oban we will board the late afternoon ferry for Craignure on Mull. So unusual is this kind of distortion that the place on Staffa where it occurs is often called  The Bending Columns.


The lowest layer if, manner. Sailing time is 40 to 50 minutes with an hour spent ashore on. Return to Oban in the afternoon via Fionnphort, Glen More and Craignure.

With luck occasionally you will see whales,dolphins,porpoises,basking sharks and otter. Islands. Following breakfast we will visit Duart Castle, the 13th century home of the Chief of Clan MacLean.

Perhaps, when the flow here was cooling, the tops of the columns were better insulated than elsewhere and so remained for longer in a plastic state.

A little way inside there is a narrow opening to a tunnel on the right hand side; at low-water on a still day it is possible to walk dry-shod to Cormorants Cave, through this winding, dark slippery tunnel to emerge at the back of MacKinnon's Cave which, from that approach, is glistening and impressively vast and resonant. This is the starting point for our wildlife cruise to the Treshnish Isles and Staffa, during which we can expect sightings of Whales, Dolphins, Basking Sharks, Puffins and Sea Eagles. A visitor in 1826 reported finding cows, horses and sheep "without a guardian and without shelter".

After our full Scottish breakfast we will depart for Tobermory, the island’s ‘capital’, whose multi-hued buildings lining the waterfront will be familiar from a hundred calendars. Staffa (weather and sailing conditions permitting) to visit the spectacular atmospheric Fingals Cave with its splendid basalt columns formed 59 million years ago and see the bid and wild life, especially the Puffins. As further weight was added above, the columns would have been able to yield to it.

We can explore the dungeons, the state rooms and appreciate the strategic position of the castle from the top of the keep. Puffins are a particular favourite with visitors because of their brightly coloured beaks and clown-like appearance. from April through to the end of October. Gaels migrated into Scotland from Ireland until the Norsemen began their raids on the Scottish coast, and the stories of Fingal would doubtless have come across too. Faujas, the French geologist, visiting Staffa in 1784 found the population to be 16, living in two huts"constructed of unhewn blacks of basalt roofed over with sods.
The diverse pattern of soil types on Staffa arising form the basaltic lavas, allows a great range of plant communities to flourish. The answer is quite straight forward - sight of Staffa from the south shows that most of the visible part of the island that can be seen slopes downwards to the east.

We depart from our designated pick up points and head for the Western Highlands, stopping in Inveraray for lunch (not included). Surrounded by wildflowers and stunning scenery, the main attraction that can be seen close up is the large Puffin colony nesting in burrows in the grassy hillside. All rights reserved.

It has however allowed the wild flowers to grow - plants to look out for include wild thyme and bird's-foot trefoil on shallow rocky soils, white flowered brook weed in wet areas and yellow flowered tormentil on dry heath-land. The lazy beds were used to grow potatoes necessary for their survival and surprisingly, in view of the harsh weather, oats grew moderately well too.

The island became internationally renowned through Felix Mendelssohn's Hebrides Overture (Fingal's Cave).

October afternoon sun lighting up basalt columns Isle of Staffa.

In the sea and around the island seals are often in evidence; and fisherman can be seen catching crabs, lobsters and other fish.

hundreds of seabirds and set within waters teeming with marine life. Now it is widely assumed that the structure was a folly erected in the 1820's. Staffa's largest surviving building is a stone ruin, still visible today, which was long believed to be the remains of a medieval chapel or hermit's cell. Taking them clockwise they are, Animals, however have gone on spending time on Staffa.

This is of course a simplification of a complex geological story. Want to explore more of our holidays in Scotland?

Thereafter for the following decade, herdsmen and their families resided on Staffa from spring to autumn and then habitation came to an end. When the columns were taking shape a persistent white deposit settled in the spaces left by the contraction of the rock. Getting to Staffa.

Mere models or playthings, imitations as his works will always be when compared to those of nature.".