In 1772, a year after Joseph Banks returned home from his first round-the-world voyage – accompanying Captain Cook on HMS Endeavour to the land that would become known as Australia – he made another discovery.
Leading the first British expedition to Iceland, Banks sailed by the Hebrides off the north-west coast of Scotland. And he was captivated by one tiny (33ha) island in particular. Staffa would fit into Australia several million times, but it seemed to enchant Banks just as much, with his declaration that this island “surpasses in beauty the Louvre, the Church of St Peter in Rome, the ruins of Palmyra and all the creations of Greek genius”.
Although Banks was a botanist, with a keen interest in plants and animals, it was Staffa’s geology that really thrilled him, the strange basalt cliffs, caves and columns fashioned by the elements into an extraordinary piece of art-architecture.
Seeing Staffa’s coastline is a highlight of the final day of our Ponant cruise around the North Atlantic. Earlier today we docked on the nearby island of Mull at the port of Tobermory, a little town characterised by its brightly painted houses and shops, and after lunch back on our ship, we’re zipping around Staffa on a Zodiac, our attention switching from passing seabirds to the island itself. Measuring about 1km in length and 300m across, it’s believed to have been named by the Vikings, with Staffa translating to “pillar island” in the old Norse language.
A solitary herdsman was living here when Banks called in, but the island has had no permanent residents since the end of the 18th century when the last family deserted it, reportedly terrified of the winter storms.
In the northern spring, when we’re here, it’s a nesting spot for birds like guillemots, razorbills and puffins.
At the helm of our Zodiac, Ponant pilot-guide Constance is explaining the formation and nature of the island, which, like Giant’s Causeway on the nearby north-east coast of Ireland, was conjured 60 million years ago by volcanic eruptions and cooling lava.
Legend has it that Staffa and the causeway were at the ends of an ancient bridge built by the Irish giant, Finn McCool.
Staffa’s most famous feature is Fingal’s Cave, revered for its acoustics and known as An Uaimh Bhinn in Gaelic — meaning the “melodious cave”. An excursion here in 1829 inspired Felix Mendelssohn, the German composer, to compose his Hebrides Overture. Two years later JMW Turner painted the cave and other visitors spellbound by Staffa included Queen Victoria, Robert Louis Stevenson, Sir Walter Scott and Jules Verne.
The Staffa jetty is closed for boat landings until March 2025 while repairs and improvement works are made to the island by its custodians, the National Trust for Scotland.
The Atlantic winds and waves, plus Staffa’s popularity with tourists — it pulls in about 100,000 visitors annually — have eroded some of its paths and cliffs. When Staffa reopens, visitors will be able to tread the island’s incredible columns, sing in the cave, and hike and picnic around the island, while keeping a lookout for puffins, whales, seals, basking sharks and dolphins in the churning waters below. + Steve McKenna was a guest of Ponant. They have not influenced or seen this story. Joseph Banks fact file
+ Banks introduced the eucalyptus, acacia and banksia (the genus named after him) to the Western world.
+ Around 80 plant species bear his name.
fact file + You can admire Staffa on Ponant’s 10-day cruise beginning in Glasgow on May 21, 2025. Calling in at ports in Scotland and the Faroe Islands, before returning to Glasgow, it’s priced from $10,420 per person, with the fare including excursions and more. See au.ponant.com + If travelling independently, there are several tours to Staffa departing from the Isle of Mull and the Scottish mainland port of Oban. + For more information on visiting Scotland and Britain, see visitscotland.com and visitbritain.com
