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Fingal's Cave

Staffa, S of island, Argyllshire.

A spectacular sea cave on the uninhabited island of Staffa and one of the iconic Scottish tourist destinations. Famously 'discovered' by Sir Joseph Banks in 1772, it was actually well known to locals before this and was actually brought to the attention of Sir Joseph by ?. After his visit, however, the cave became one of the most visited of Scotland's caves becoming part of the essential tour of the Highlands. Visitors included Keats, Turner and of course Mendelssohn, amongst many others.

It became known as Fingal's Cave after the eponymous hero of an epic poem by 18th-century Scots poet-historian James Macpherson. According to Faujus de Saint Fond, who visited the island in 1799, the true name of the cave is "an Uamh Bhin", the Musical Cave. This a very appropriate name for the cave descriptive of the resonant booming noise which echoes in its vault whenever the sea surges in. There is no doubt that this "musical" resonance inspired Mendelssohn, in 1830, to write his overture "Fingal's Cave" ... Sir Joseph Banks, the botanist and explorer, visited Staffa in 1772 and he wrote "We asked the name of it. Said our guide The Cave of Fiuhn. What is Fiuhn? said we. Fiuhn MacCoul, who the translator of Ossian's works has called Fingal". ... Now, the pronunciation of "Uamh Bhin" sounds like "Uamh Finn" ... so, unfortunately, the guide, without conferring with his informant, assumed the wrong meaning which was, perhaps, more romantic and therefore more obvious to his ears. So Sir Joseph assumed that the name of the cave was Fingal's Cave.' (Maclean, 1997, p.8).

Access along causeway south from landing point near Clamshell Cave.

"Leaping into the boat, he seized the oars and skillfully pushed out into the eddying sea; then, waiting an instant for the reflux of an enormous wave, he was carried right in front of the cave. Here the boat was nearly upset, but with a dexterous movement of the oars, Oliver succeeded in keeping her straight. Had she been caught amidships , she would inevitably have been capsized."..."A cry of horror came from the spectators, for it seemed that the boat must inevitably be dashed against the rocks to the left of the entrance." Jules Verne, The Green Ray, 1885. 120 years later and nothing has changed! All exciting stuff due to the swell and a certain inability on my part to swim. A rope was rigged across the inlet and later used as a tyrolean (even more exciting!). The NW wall of the cave was pegged and a length of handline installed for future use by photographers and surveyors. [Tony Jarratt, 2005]

Alternative Names: Musical Cave, Melody (Cave of ), Great Cave (The), Mhor (Uamh), Bhin (Uamh an)

Notes: The Island of Staffa is now in the Care of the National Trust for Scotland. See Staffa (Overview).

Boat trips from Tobermory, Oban, Ulva Ferry and Fionnphort on Mull, and Iona are available between May and September, as well as occasional cruises from further afield land at the pier on the east side of the island (tide and weather permitting) and general allow about 1 hour ashore which is just enough time to traverse the path/walkway around the base of the basalt cliff to Fingal's Cave.

Archaeological remains limited to historical graffiti.