Wild, windswept, and fantastic – Staffa is likely one of the most pleasant Scottish Islands I’ve visited. When you’re questioning find out how to get to Staffa to see the puffins that nest there – it’s lots simpler than you suppose. On this information, I’m sharing the historical past of the island, my suggestions for visiting, and find out how to plan your good journey to Staffa.
Welcome to one of many wildest islands off Scotland’s coast! House to comical puffins, otherworldly rock formations, and mysterious sea caves, the journey to Staffa is well worth the journey.
This tiny island is only one/2 a mile lengthy, and 1/4 mile huge, and you’ll simply discover it in simply a few hours. There’s one thing I like about small, wild islands; perhaps it’s as a result of they are often explored simply, or as a result of if you’re on a tiny distant island it forces you to decelerate.
No matter purpose, there’s something magical about Staffa and I encourage you to go to the ‘pillar island’.
I visited Staffa whereas on my 3-Day tour to Mull and Iona with Rabbies. The journey to Staffa was optionally available, however how might I cross up seeing puffins and the legendary Fingal’s Cave?
Learn how to get to Staffa
Staffa is situated off the west coast of Scotland, tangled between many Scottish islands. It lies within the North Atlantic sea round 7 miles off the west coast of Mull and 6 miles north of Iona.
Staffa is a well-liked island to go to for anybody visiting Mull and to get to Staffa you typically need to go through Mull.
The truth is, you may simply have an island hopping journey and go to Mull, Iona, Ulva, the Treshnish Isles, and Staffa, as a result of all of the islands are situated intently collectively.
There are a number of boat excursions that depart from completely different locations to achieve Staffa.
Map of Staffa and surrounding islands
Learn how to attain Staffa from Mull
Staffa Journeys, Staffa Excursions and Turus Mara all present excursions from the Isle of Mull to Staffa.
- Staffa Journeys departs from Fionnphort (£30 grownup return).
- Staffa Excursions departs from Tobermory (from £55 grownup return) or Fionnphort (£30 grownup return).
- Turus Mara departs from Oskamull (the ferry port to Ulva) and prices £35 return per grownup.
You possibly can ebook your tickets on their web sites.
Learn how to get to Staffa from Iona
You may also catch a ferry from the island of Iona to Staffa. This can be a common possibility for anybody who desires to additionally discover Iona, earlier than the journey to Staffa.
- Staffa Journeys and Staffa Excursions are the 2 primary firms that provide excursions departing from Iona. Each value £30 for one grownup return.
Learn how to get to Staffa from Edinburgh or Glasgow
One of the best ways to get to Staffa from Edinburgh or Glasgow is by driving to Oban and catching the CalMac ferry throughout to Mull and catching a ferry tour from there. Or you are able to do what I did and ebook a guided tour that departs from one in all these cities.
I extremely advocate Rabbies. I did the 3-Day tour to Mull and Iona departing from Glasgow. Staffa was an possibility so as to add, and I needed to pay for my ferry ticket with Staffa Journeys moreover, which value £30.
What I like about this tour with Rabbies was they organised every little thing for you. It was a simple strategy to expertise these three islands with out the trouble of planning a number of ferry instances. My 3-day tour was additionally a really affordable worth, and I received to expertise many different issues on this tour.
It made visiting Mull, Iona, and Staffa tremendous simple!
The Journey To Staffa
Staffa Journeys (who I visited Staffa with) can match 40 folks on their ferry. The journey from Fionnphort took 45 minutes, passing alongside the breathtaking mountainous surroundings of the west coast of Mull.
Our guides informed us to look out for wildlife as we sailed north – wild animals you may have the chance to identify from the ferry embrace:
- Dolphins
- Otters
- Seals (often bathing on the smaller islands)
- Minke whale (when you’re fortunate!)
There are additionally many several types of seabirds you may spot, together with:
- Cormorants
- Guillemots
- Razorbills
- Black Guillemots
- Shearwaters
- Fulmars
- Gannets
- Eiders
- Turnstones
- Arctic Terns
- Nice Skua
Most excursions will cross by the towering basalt caves, together with the Boat Cave and Fingal’s Cave, so you may have the possibility to see what they seem like from the ocean.
Ferries and boats land on Staffa close to Am Buachaille, a tidal islet on the southeast aspect of the island which is surrounded by beautiful curved basalt columns.
>> Learn extra: Finest Birdwatching Websites in Scotland
The place To See The Isle of Staffa Puffins
Staffa offers a house to nesting puffins from Could to the beginning of August.
The perfect place to see the Staffa puffins is on the east aspect of the island. When you disembark the ferry you’ll stroll up a steep staircase that rises above Clamshell Cave. The staircase accommodates round 40 steps, and hear out for the eerie calls of shags from their nests inside the cave.
If you attain the highest, comply with the trail to the appropriate to stroll anticlockwise across the island. It takes about 10 minutes to achieve the Staffa puffins – you’ll know you’re in the appropriate place if you see a pink marker (a buoy).
Sit down, chill out and look forward to the puffins to look on the cliff! They’re pleasant, curious birds, and after they see people round they’ll come as much as say hey from a protected distance.
You will notice the puffins dip into small holes within the aspect of the cliff, the place their nests are situated. Maintain a watch out for puffins carrying small fish of their beaks to take to their pufflings.
I might have simply laid by the cliffs watching these comical birds all day, however we solely had 1.5 hours to discover the island, so I begrudgingly walked again to the ferry.
Visiting Fingal’s Cave on Staffa
Fingal’s Cave is a sea cave and designated Web site of Particular Scientific Curiosity.
It’s distinguishable by the tall, black columns of basalt rock that look so rigorously crafted you would possibly consider they have been carved by Gods.
Thomas Pennant, a Welsh naturalist and author on the time, wrote when he visited Staffa: ‘’In comparison with this, what are the cathedrals and locations constructed by males?’’
A few of the basalt columns are curved and twisted into dramatic formations, When you look down on the columns you’ll discover they’re the form of a hexagon.
The identical volcanic exercise is what fashioned the Big’s Causeway in Northern Eire.
The cave is known as after legendary Irish hero Fhinn McCoul (generally known as Fingal in Scotland), who is alleged to have defended the Hebrides from Viking raids through the third century.
Apparently, it’s unknown if he ever visited the cave on Staffa that was named in his honour!
There are additionally a number of different caves on Staffa. There’s the Boat Cave, McKinnon’s Cave (or Cormorants Cave), situated on the west aspect of the island. The west aspect is tougher to entry by boat.
Suggestions For Visiting Staffa
- Puffins nest on Staffa from late April to early August. Ensure you plan to go to inside this timeframe if you wish to see puffins.
- Carry a heat, waterproof jacket with you. It may possibly get windy on Staffa.
- Carry a pair of binoculars with you. This may make wildlife recognizing from the ferry and from the island a complete lot simpler!
- Don’t get too near the puffin’s nests- it’s simple to by accident step on a nest and trigger injury.
Do you may have a query about visiting Staffa? Pop it beneath and I’ll do my greatest to reply it for you!
