Staffa
Location
Staffa
Staffa shown within Scotland.
OS grid reference:	NM323355
Names
Gaelic name:	Stafa [2]
Norse name:	stafi-oy
Meaning of name:	Old Norse for 'stave or pillar island'. The British national grid reference system is a system of geographic grid references commonly used in Great Britain, different from using Latitude and Longitude Scottish Gaelic ( Gàidhlig) is a member of the Goidelic branch of Celtic languages. Old Norse is the North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age
Area and Summit
Area:	33 ha
Area rank (Scottish islands):	0
Highest elevation:	42 m
Population
Population (2001):	Uninhabited since 1800
Groupings
Island Group:	Mull
Local Authority:	Argyll and Bute
References:	[1][2]

Staffa (Scottish Gaelic: Stafa^[3], pronounced [s̪d̪̊afa]; Old Norse for stave or pillar island), is an island of the Inner Hebrides in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. Scotland covers an area of 78782 km² or 30341 mi², giving it a Population density of. For local government purposes Scotland is divided into 32 areas designated as "council areas" which are all governed by unitary authorities designated as This article is about the council area For the constituencies see either Argyll and Bute (UK Parliament constituency or Argyll and Bute (Scottish Parliament constituency Scottish Gaelic ( Gàidhlig) is a member of the Goidelic branch of Celtic languages. Old Norse is the North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age The Inner Hebrides ( Scottish Gaelic: Na h-Eileanan a-staigh - the inner isles is an Archipelago off the west coast of Scotland, to the south This article is about the council area For the constituencies see either Argyll and Bute (UK Parliament constituency or Argyll and Bute (Scottish Parliament constituency Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain. The Vikings gave it this name as its columnar basalt reminded them of their houses, which were built from vertically placed tree-logs. A Viking is one of the Norse ( Scandinavian Explorers Warriors Merchants, and pirates who raided and colonized wide areas Basalt (bəˈsɔːlt ˈbeisɔːlt ˈbæsɔːlt is a common Extrusive Volcanic rock. ^[4]

Staffa lies about 10 kilometres (6 mi) west of the Isle of Mull. The kilometre ( American spelling: kilometer) symbol km is a unit of Length in the Metric system, equal to one thousand A mile is a unit of Length, usually used to measure Distance, in a number of different systems including Imperial units United States The Isle of Mull (or simply Mull; Muile in Scottish Gaelic) is the second largest Island of the Inner Hebrides, off the The area is 33 hectares^[5] and the highest point is 42 metres (135 ft) above sea level. Explanation The hectare is commonly used in most countries around the world especially in domains concerned with land planning and management such as Agriculture, The metre or meter is a unit of Length. It is the basic unit of Length in the Metric system and in the International A foot (plural feet or foot; symbol or abbreviation ft or sometimes &prime – the prime symbol) is a non-SI unit Mean sea level (MSL is the average (mean height of the Sea, with reference to a suitable reference surface

The island came to prominence in the late eighteenth century after a visit by Sir Joseph Banks. Sir Joseph Banks 1st Baronet, GCB, PRS (13 February 1743 &ndash 19 June 1820 was an English naturalist, botanist and patron of He and his fellow travellers extolled the natural beauty of the basalt columns in general and of the island's main sea cavern which Banks re-named 'Fingal's Cave'. Fingal's Cave is a Sea cave on the uninhabited island of Staffa, in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland, part of a National Nature Reserve owned Their visit was followed by that of many other prominent personalities throughout the next two centuries, including Queen Victoria and Felix Mendelssohn. Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901 was from 20 June 1837 the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, born and generally known as Felix Mendelssohn (February 3 1809 &ndash November 4 1847 was a German Composer The latter's Hebrides Overture brought further fame to the island, which was by then uninhabited. The Hebrides Overture (German Die Hebriden) opus 26 also known as Fingal's Cave, is a Concert overture composed by Felix Mendelssohn It is now in the care of the National Trust for Scotland. The National Trust for Scotland (NTS ( Scottish Gaelic: Urras Nàiseanta na h-Alba) describes itself as the conservation charity that protects and promotes ^[6]

Aerial view of Staffa with The Colonnade in the foreground and Am Buchaille to the right.

Geology and pre-history

In pre-historic times Staffa was covered by the ice sheets which spread from Scotland out into the Atlantic Ocean beyond the Outer Hebrides. The Outer Hebrides, ( officially known for local government purposes by the Gaelic name Na h-Eileanan Siar) comprise an island After the last retreat of the ice around 20,000 years ago, sea levels were up to 125 metres lower than at present. Although the isostatic rise of land makes estimating post-glacial coastlines a complex task, circa 14,000 BP it is likely that Staffa was a larger island, just off the coast of mainland Scotland, which at that time would have included what is now the Isle of Mull, Iona and the Treshnish Isles. Isostasy (Greek isos = "equal" stásis = "standstill" is a term used in Geology to refer to the state of gravitational equilibrium between the Before Present (BP years are a time scale used in Archaeology, Geology, and other scientific disciplines to specify when events in the past occurred The Isle of Mull (or simply Mull; Muile in Scottish Gaelic) is the second largest Island of the Inner Hebrides, off the Iona is a small island in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland that has an important place in the history of Christianity in Scotland and is renowned for its tranquility The Treshnish Isles is an archipelago of small Islands and skerries, lying west of Mull, in Scotland. ^[4]

Steadily rising sea levels since that time then further isolated this little island, which is entirely of volcanic origin. Plate tectonics and hotspots Divergent plate boundaries At the It consists of a basement of tuff, underneath colonnades of a black fine-grained Tertiary basalt, overlying which is a third layer of basaltic lava lacking a crystalline structure. Tuff (from the Italian "tufo" is a type of rock consisting of consolidated volcanic ash ejected from vents during a volcanic eruption The chuprichondira geological time interval covers roughly the time span between the demise of the non- avian Dinosaurs and beginning of the most recent Ice Age, approximately Basalt (bəˈsɔːlt ˈbeisɔːlt ˈbæsɔːlt is a common Extrusive Volcanic rock. By contrast, slow cooling of the second layer of basalt resulted in an extraordinary pattern of predominantly hexagonal columns which form the faces and walls of the principal caves. ^[1] The lava contracted towards each of a series of equally spaced centres as it cooled and solidified into prismatic columns. The columns typically have three to eight sides, six being most common. The columns are also divided horizontally by cross joints. ^[7] Similar formations are found at the Giant's Causeway In Ireland, on the island of Ulva and Ardmeanach on the Isle of Mull. The Giant's Causeway (or Clochán na bhFómharach is an area of about 40000 interlocking Basalt columns the result of an ancient volcanic eruption Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world Ulva ( Scottish Gaelic: Ulbha) is an Island in the Scottish Inner Hebrides, off the west coast of Mull. The Isle of Mull (or simply Mull; Muile in Scottish Gaelic) is the second largest Island of the Inner Hebrides, off the ^[6] Grooves in the roof of MacKinnon's cave indicate either a pyroclastic flow or a series of eroded ash falls in the rock above the columnar basalt. ^[8] The 'Staffa Group' is the name given to the series of olivine tholeiite basalts found in the vicinity of Mull which erupted 55-58 million years ago. The Mineral olivine (when gem-quality also called Peridot) is a Magnesium Iron silicate with the formula ( Mg Tholeiitic basalt is an Igneous rock, a type of Basalt. Like all basalt the rock type is dominated by Clinopyroxene plus Plagioclase, with minor The Isle of Mull (or simply Mull; Muile in Scottish Gaelic) is the second largest Island of the Inner Hebrides, off the ^[9]

Geography

Rock layers on Staffa: tuff, columnar basalt, amorphous basalt

Staffa lies about 10 kilometres (6 mi) west of Mull, and 9 km northeast of Iona. The kilometre ( American spelling: kilometer) symbol km is a unit of Length in the Metric system, equal to one thousand A mile is a unit of Length, usually used to measure Distance, in a number of different systems including Imperial units United States The Isle of Mull (or simply Mull; Muile in Scottish Gaelic) is the second largest Island of the Inner Hebrides, off the Iona is a small island in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland that has an important place in the history of Christianity in Scotland and is renowned for its tranquility It is longitudinally oriented north-south, and is a kilometre long by about half a kilometre wide. The circumference is almost 3 km in extent. In the northeast the isle shelves to a shore, but otherwise the coast is rugged and much indented, numerous caves having been carved out by rain, stream and ocean. There is enough grass on the surface to feed a few cattle, and the island contains a spring.

On the east coast are Goat Cave and Clamshell Cave. The latter is 10 m high, about 6 m wide at the entrance, some 45 m long, and on one side of it the ridges of basalt stand out like the ribs of a ship. Near this cave is the pyramidal rock islet of Am Buachaille (Gaelic: The Herdsman), a pile of basalt columns fully seen only at low tide. Scottish Gaelic ( Gàidhlig) is a member of the Goidelic branch of Celtic languages. Other outlying rocks include Eilean Dubh to the north-west and a series of skerries stretching for half a kilometre to the south-west. On the southwest shore are Boat Cave and Mackinnon’s Cave (named after an 15th century Abbot of Iona), which has a tunnel connecting it to Cormorant Cave. Iona is a small island in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland that has an important place in the history of Christianity in Scotland and is renowned for its tranquility These caves lie to the south-west and can be accessed from the bay of Port an Fhasgaidh at low tide. In 1945 a mine exploded near Boat Cave causing damage to the cliff face which is still visible. ^[1] At 107 metres, Mackinnon's Cave is the 79th longest sea cave in the world. ^[10]

Staffa's most famous feature is Fingal's Cave. Fingal's Cave is a Sea cave on the uninhabited island of Staffa, in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland, part of a National Nature Reserve owned This is a huge sea cave near the southern tip of the island some 20 m high and 75 m long formed in cliffs of hexagonal basalt columns. A sea cave, also known as a littoral cave, is a type of Cave formed primarily by the Wave action of the Sea. Basalt (bəˈsɔːlt ˈbeisɔːlt ˈbæsɔːlt is a common Extrusive Volcanic rock. This cliff-face is called the Colonnade or The Great Face and it was these cliffs and its caves that inspired Felix Mendelssohn's Die Hebriden (English: Hebrides Overture opus 26),^[11] which was premiered in London in 1832. Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, born and generally known as Felix Mendelssohn (February 3 1809 &ndash November 4 1847 was a German Composer The Hebrides Overture (German Die Hebriden) opus 26 also known as Fingal's Cave, is a Concert overture composed by Felix Mendelssohn London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. ^[12] The original gaelic name for Fingal's Cave is An Uamh Bhin - 'the melodious cave' - but it was subsequently renamed after the 3rd century Irish warrior Fionn MacCool. Fionn mac Cumhaill (ˈɸʲiːn̪ˠ mˠak ˈkũw̃aːlʲ in Irish, ˈfɪn mə ˈkuːl in English) (earlier Finn or Find mac Cumail or mac ^[1][13][14] Mendelssohn was nonetheless inspired by the sound of the waves in the cave and waxed lyrical about his visit, claiming that he arrived in Scotland: "with a rake for folk-songs, an ear for the lovely, fragrant countryside, and a heart for the bare legs of the natives. "^[15]

History

Engraving based on sketches made of Fingal's Cave by John Cleveley Jnr. originally published in 1772^[16]

18th century

Little is known of the early history of Staffa, although the Swiss town of Stäfa on Lake Zurich was named after the island by a monk from nearby Iona. John Cleveley the Younger was the son of John Cleveley the Elder. Switzerland (English pronunciation; Schweiz Swiss German: Schwyz or Schwiiz Suisse Svizzera Svizra officially the Swiss Confederation Stäfa is a municipality in the district of Meilen in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland. Lake Zurich ( Swiss German / Alemannic: Zürisee; German: Zürichsee) is a Lake in Switzerland, extending Iona is a small island in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland that has an important place in the history of Christianity in Scotland and is renowned for its tranquility ^[1] Originally part of the Ulva estate of the MacQuarries until 1777, it was brought to the English-speaking world's attention after a visit by Sir Joseph Banks in August 1772. Ulva ( Scottish Gaelic: Ulbha) is an Island in the Scottish Inner Hebrides, off the west coast of Mull. Sir Joseph Banks 1st Baronet, GCB, PRS (13 February 1743 &ndash 19 June 1820 was an English naturalist, botanist and patron of En route to Iceland in the company of the painter Johann Zoffany, the Bishop of Linköping, and a Dr. Iceland, officially the Republic of Iceland ( ( Ísland or Lýðveldið Ísland ( Johann Zoffany, Zoffani or Zauffelij (b March 13, 1733 &ndash November 11, 1810) was a German neoclassical Linköping is a city in southern Sweden, with a population of 97885 (2006 Solander, Banks, (later a president of the Royal Society) was entertained by Maclean of Drummen, on the Isle of Mull. The Royal Society of London for the Improvement of Natural Knowledge, known simply as The Royal Society, is a Learned society for science that was founded in 1660 The Isle of Mull (or simply Mull; Muile in Scottish Gaelic) is the second largest Island of the Inner Hebrides, off the Hearing about Staffa he resolved to visit and set out from Tobermory the next day. The winds were light and they did not arrive until darkness had fallen. ^[17][18] Banks wrote:

It was too dark to see anything, so we carried our tent and baggage near the only house on the island, and began to cook our suppers, in order to be prepared for the earliest dawn, and to enjoy that which, from the conversation of the gentlemen we had, now raised the highest expectations of. ^[19]

They were not disappointed. Despite becoming infested with lice during his short stay on the island, he provided glowing reports of his visit. ^[1] He confessed that he was:

forced to acknowledge that this piece of architecture, formed by nature, far surpasses that of the Louvre, that of St. Peter at Rome, all that remains of Palmyra and Paestum, and all that the genius, the taste and the luxury of the Greeks were capable of inventing. The Louvre Museum (Musée du Louvre located in Paris is the world's most visited art museum a historic monument and a national museum of France The Basilica of Saint Peter (Basilica Sancti Petri officially known in Italian as the Basilica di San Pietro in Vaticano and commonly known as St Palmyra ( Arabic: تدمر Tadmor) was in ancient times an important city of central Syria, located in an Oasis 215 km northeast of Damascus Paestum is the classical Roman name of a major Graeco-Roman city in the Campania region of Italy. ^[6][20]

Samuel Johnson and his protege James Boswell visited The MacQuarrie on Ulva in 1773, the year after Banks' visit. Samuel Johnson (often referred to as Dr Johnson) (18 September James Boswell 9th Laird of Auchinleck ( October 29, 1740 - May 19, 1795) was a lawyer diarist and Author born in Edinburgh Perhaps aware that Banks considered that the columnar basalt cliff formations on Ulva called 'The Castles' rivalled Staffa's^[21] Johnson wrote:

When the islanders were reproached with their ignorance or insensibility of the wonders of Staffa, they had not much to reply. They had indeed considered it little, because they had always seen it; and none but philosophers, nor they always, are struck with wonder otherwise than by novelty. ^[22]

Amongst the first^[23] eminent overseas visitors to Staffa were Barthélemy Faujas de Saint-Fond, a wealthy French zoologist and mineralogist and the American architect and naturalist William Thornton. Barthélemy Faujas de Saint-Fond ( May 17, 1741 &ndash July 18, 1819) French Geologist and traveller was born at Montélimar Dr William Thornton ( May 20, 1759 - March 28, 1828) was an American physician inventor painter and Architect who designed Visiting in 1784, they were suitably impressed, Faujus writing: "this superb monument of nature, which in regard to its form bears so strong a resemblance to a work of art, though art can certainly claim no share in it. "^[24]

19th and 20th centuries

Subsequently a stream of famous visitors came to view Staffa's wonders including Robert Adam, Sir Walter Scott (1810), John Keats (1818), J. M. W. Turner, whose 1830 visit yielded an oil painting exhibited in 1832, William Wordsworth (1833), Jules Verne (1839), Alice Liddell (the inspiration for Alice in Wonderland) in 1878, David Livingstone (1864), Robert Louis Stevenson (1870) and Mendelssohn himself in 1829. Robert Adam ( 3 July 1728 &ndash 3 March 1792) was a Scottish neoclassical Architect, Interior designer Sir Walter Scott 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 &ndash 21 September 1832 was a prolific Scottish Historical novelist and Poet popular throughout Joseph Mallord William Turner (23 April 1775 &ndash 19 December 1851 was an English Romantic landscape painter, Watercolourist and Jules Gabriel Verne ( February 8 1828 &ndash March 24 1905) was a French Author who pioneered the science-fiction Alice Pleasance Liddell (May 4 1852 &ndash November 16 1934 was the inspiration for the children's classic Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865 is a novel written by English author Charles Lutwidge Dodgson better known under the Pseudonym Lewis Dr David Livingstone (19 March 1813 &ndash 1 May 1873 was a British Congregationalist pioneer medical Missionary with the London Missionary Society Robert Louis Balfour Stevenson (13 November 1850–3 December 1894 was a Scottish novelist poet and travel writer, and a representative of Neo-romanticism in ^[6][25] Wordsworth, however, found the volume of tourism disappointing.

Boat Cave

Writing more than a century later the writer W. H. Murray agreed, complaining that the visitors spoiled the "character and atmosphere", and rather stand-offishly suggesting that "to know Staffa one must go alone". William Hutchi(nson Murray ( 18 March 1913 – 19 March 1996) was one of a group of active Scottish ^[27]

Others were more enthusiastic, despite the presence of numerous others. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert were rowed into the cave in the royal barge in 1847,^[25][28] and The Times correspondent recorded:

As the Royal Squadron cleared out of the Sound of Mull, and round the northern extremity of the island, a noble prospect lay before it, the steep and barren headlands of Ardnamurchan stretching away into the Atlantic on the right, on the left the precipitous cliffs of the Mull coast, and far away and embosomed in the ocean, the fantastic and varied forms of the adjacent islands. Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901 was from 20 June 1837 the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland Ardnamurchan ( Scottish Gaelic: Àird nam Murchan: land of the great seas is a 50 Square mile Peninsula in Lochaber, The horizon toward the north was a good deal obscured by haze, but, notwithstanding, Skye was distinctly visible. Skye or the Isle of Skye ( Scottish Gaelic An t-Eilean Sgitheanach əɲ tʰʲelan s̪kʲiə . . The deserted and solitary aspect of the island was brought out with a strange and startling effect by the presence of so many steamers; and as Her Majesty's barge with the Royal Standard floated into the cave, the crew dipping their oars with the greatest precision, nothing could be more animated and grand than the appearance which the vast basaltic entrance, so solemn in its proportions, presented. ^[29]

Fingal's Cave around 1900

Keats complained about the expense of the ferry, but was captivated by what he saw nonetheless. Displeased with his first efforts to describe this "cathedral of the sea" he finally settled on:

Tenants and owners

Basalt columns on Am Buchaille

However inspiring the scenery, it was not an easy place to live. In 1772 there was but a single family living on a diet of barley oats, flax and potatoes, and whatever their grazing animals could provide. ^[1] By the end of the eighteenth century they had deserted Staffa, apparently terrified by the severity of winter storms. ^[6] Signs of ‘rig and furrow’ agriculture can still be seen on the island but the only surviving building is the ruin of a 19th century shelter for travellers. ^[31] By 1800 the island was under the ownership of Colin MacDonald of Loch Boisdale. Lochboisdale ( Scottish Gaelic: Loch Baghasdail) is the main population centre on the island of South Uist, Outer Hebrides, Scotland In 1816 it was sold by a Ranald MacDonald into the care of trustees. There were several private owners during the twentieth century, including Alastair de Watteville, a descendant of Colin MacDonald^[1] who wrote a book about the island,^[32] until finally it was gifted to the National Trust for Scotland by Jock Elliot Jr. The National Trust for Scotland (NTS ( Scottish Gaelic: Urras Nàiseanta na h-Alba) describes itself as the conservation charity that protects and promotes of New York in 1986 as an imaginative way to honour the 60th birthday of his wife, Eleanor. A grateful National Trust bestowed upon her the honorific 'Steward of Staffa'. ^[33] In a 2005 poll of Radio Times readers, Staffa was named as the 8th greatest natural wonder in Britain. An opinion poll is a survey of Public opinion from a particular sample. For the US radio series see WHYY-FM. Radio Times is the BBC 's weekly Television and Radio programme ^[34]

During the 20th century there have been issues of bogus postage stamps, created to deceive collectors, bearing Staffa's name. In general philatelic fakes and forgeries refers to labels that look like Postage stamps but aren't Stamp collecting is the Collecting of Postage stamps and related objects such as covers (envelopes or packages with stamps on them ^[35]

Wildlife

Sea cliffs

In 1800 there were three Red Deer on the island, later replaced by goats and then a small herd of black cattle. The Red Deer ( Cervus elaphus) is one of the largest Deer species ^[1] Subsequently the summer grazing was used for sheep by crofters from Iona but in 1997 all livestock was removed. A croft is a fenced or enclosed area of land usually small and arable with a crofter's Dwelling thereon This has led to a regeneration of the island's vegetation. ^[31]

Puffin, Black-legged Kittiwakes, shag and gulls nest on the island and the surrounding waters provide a livelihood for numerous seabirds, grey seals, dolphins, basking sharks and minke and pilot whales. Puffin describes any of four Auk species (or alcids) in the Bird genus Fratercula (Latin little brother — probably a reference The Black-legged Kittiwake, Rissa tridactyla is a Seabird species in the Gull family Laridae Gulls (often informally Seagulls) are birds in the family Laridae Dolphins are Marine mammals that are closely related to Whales and Porpoises There are almost forty species of dolphin in seventeen genera. The basking shark, Cetorhinus maximus, is the second largest Fish, after the Whale shark. Minke Whale ( or Lesser Rorqual is a name given to two species of Marine mammal belonging to a Clade within the suborder of Baleen whales The The pilot whale is either of two Species of Cetacean in the Genus Globicephala. ^[31]

Visiting Staffa

Boat trips from Oban, Dervaig on Mull, Fionnphort and Iona allow visitors to view caves and the puffins that nest on the island between May and September. Oban ( An t-Òban in Scottish Gaelic meaning The Little Bay) is a Resort Town within the Argyll and Bute council area Fionnphort ( Scottish Gaelic: Fionnphort ˈfjun̪ˠafɔrˠʃt̪ is the principal Port of the Ross of Mull, and the second largest settlement Iona is a small island in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland that has an important place in the history of Christianity in Scotland and is renowned for its tranquility ^[36]

There is a landing place used by the tourist boats just north of Am Buachaille but disembarkation is only possible in calm conditions, with a somewhat vertiginous climb up the cliff, and the island lacks a genuine anchorage. ^[1]

See also

• Fingal's Cave
• Hebrides Overture

References and footnotes

Above The Colonnade

The landing place

View looking north east to Ulva

Basalt columns inside Fingal's Cave

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i j} Haswell-Smith, Hamish. Fingal's Cave is a Sea cave on the uninhabited island of Staffa, in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland, part of a National Nature Reserve owned The Hebrides Overture (German Die Hebriden) opus 26 also known as Fingal's Cave, is a Concert overture composed by Felix Mendelssohn (2004) The Scottish Islands. Edinburgh. Canongate.
2. ^ Ordnance Survey 1:50,000 First Series (1976) Sheet 48
3. ^ Mac an Tàilleir, Iain, (2003) "Placenames P-Z" (pdf) Edinburgh. Pàrlamaid na h-Alba. Retrieved 08 June 2008. Events 68 - The Roman Senate accepts emperor Galba. 536 - St Silverius becomes Pope (probable 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
4. ^ ^{a b} Murray, W. H. (1973) The Islands of Western Scotland. London. Eyre Methuen.
5. ^ This is Haswell-Smith's estimate. Keay (1994) states 28 ha.
6. ^ ^{a b c d e} Keay, J. & Keay, J. (1994) Collins Encyclopaedia of Scotland. London. HarperCollins.
7. ^ Mitchell, Colin and Mitchell, Patrick (2005) Landform and Terrain: The Physical Geography of Landscape Brailsford Press. ISBN 1904623565 3.pdf
8. ^ Grampian Speleological Group Newsletter Number 128 (September 2006) To Staffa with Ladder. [1]
9. ^ Bell, B. R. and Jolley, D. W. (1997) Application of palynological data to the chronology of the Palaeogene lava fields of the British Province: implications for magmatic stratigraphy. Journal of the Geological Society. London. Vol. 154, pp. 701–708.
10. ^ Long Sea Caves of the World Retrieved 14 April 2007. Events 43 BC - Battle of Forum Gallorum: Mark Antony, besieging Julius Caesar 's assassin Decimus Junius Brutus in Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Note however that the list only features entries from North America, Hawaii, and Europe.
11. ^ Galveston Symphony Program Notes: Mendelssohn Retrieved 10 December 2006. Events 1041 - Empress Zoe of Byzantium elevates her adoptive son to the throne of the Eastern Roman Empire as Michael V Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar.
12. ^ Program Notes: Mendelssohn: "Hebrides" Overture by Geoff Kuenning Retrieved 10 December 2006. Events 1041 - Empress Zoe of Byzantium elevates her adoptive son to the throne of the Eastern Roman Empire as Michael V Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar.
13. ^ Keay & Keay (1994) op cit state that the re-naming was done by Banks, although showcaves. com states that Mendelssohn is blamed for the 'misnaming'.
14. ^ Bray (1996) op cit notes that James Macpherson's Fingal, an Ancient Epic Poem was a "runaway bestseller" in many European countries at the time, and that Banks may later have regretted his choice when it became clear that Macpherson's claims to have translated the work from an ancient Gaelic manuscripts proved to be bogus. James Macpherson (Seumas Mac a' Phearsain 27 October 1736 17 February 1796) was a Scottish Poet, known as the "translator"
15. ^ The New Encyclopedia Britannica (1978) Chicago. Encyclopedia Britannica Inc.
16. ^ Cleveley accompanied Pennant (1772) op cit on his voyage.
17. ^ Bray, Elizabeth (1996) The Discovery of the Hebrides: Voyages to the Western Isles 1745-1883. Edinburgh. Birlinn.
18. ^ Bray (1996) ibid suggests that Banks' companion was a Bishop of Iceland, but this seems unlikely as Cooper (1979) op cit provides him with a name and a bishopric - see note below.
19. ^ Pennant, Thomas (1772) A Tour of Scotland and a Voyage to the Hebrides. London. Benjamin White. Quoted in Bray (1996) op cit page 90.
20. ^ However, Cooper (1979) op cit is unequivocal in stating that this "hyperbole" was penned by The Bishop of Linköping, Uno von Troil, who accompanied Banks.
21. ^ MacNab, Peter (1993) Mull and Iona: Highways and Byways. Edinburgh. Luath Press.
22. ^ Johnson, Samuel (1775) A Journey to the Western Islands of Scotland. London. Chapman & Dodd. (1924 edition).
23. ^ In fact Cooper (1979) op cit states that Faujus was the first such person to be attracted to the Hebrides (page 16), but then later (page 26) refers to a prior visit by Uno von Troil in the company of Banks. Perhaps he did not consider Swedish bishops to be sufficiently important to merit this accolade.
24. ^ Faujus de Saint Frond, B. A Journey through England and Wales to the Hebrides in 1784, edited by Sir Archibald Geikie (1907) and quoted in Cooper (1979) op cit.
25. ^ ^{a b c} Cooper, Derek (1979) Road to the Isles: Travellers in the Hebrides 1770-1914. London. Routledge & Kegan Paul.
26. ^ Bartleby.com Retrieved 3 May 2007
27. ^ Murray, W. Events 1491 - Kongo monarch Nkuwu Nzinga is baptised by Portuguese missionaries adopting the baptismal name of João Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. H. (1966) The Hebrides. London. Heinemann.
28. ^ Keay & Keay (1994) op cit state 1836, which is unlikely.
29. ^ The Times correspondent writing in the Illustrated London News (1847), quoted in Bray (1996) op cit page 244.
30. ^ Bray (1996) op cit page 88, suggests that both Keat's and Wordsworth's attempts are "rather poor verse" and it is hard to disagree.
31. ^ ^{a b c} Scottish Natural Heritage:Staffa Retrieved 10 December 2006. Events 1041 - Empress Zoe of Byzantium elevates her adoptive son to the throne of the Eastern Roman Empire as Michael V Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar.
32. ^ de Watteville, Alastair (1993) The Island of Staffa: Its Astonishing Rock Formations Include World-renowned Fingal's Cave. Romsey Fine Art.
33. ^ Obituaries:Eleanor Elliot (8 December 2006) The Scotsman newspaper. Events 1609 - Biblioteca Ambrosiana opens its reading room the second public library of Europe. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Edinburgh.
34. ^ BBC report of poll result Retrieved 10 December 2006. Events 1041 - Empress Zoe of Byzantium elevates her adoptive son to the throne of the Eastern Roman Empire as Michael V Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar.
35. ^ International Society of Worldwide Stamp Collectors: Bogus Issues Retrieved 14 April 2007
36. ^ Show Caves of the World Retrieved 10 December 2006. Events 43 BC - Battle of Forum Gallorum: Mark Antony, besieging Julius Caesar 's assassin Decimus Junius Brutus in Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1041 - Empress Zoe of Byzantium elevates her adoptive son to the throne of the Eastern Roman Empire as Michael V Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar.

External links

• The Wrath of Staffa - video blog about a rainy expedition to Staffa
• National Trust for Scotland: Fingal's Cave