Old photograph of tourists on a boat trip to the Clamshell Cave on the Island Of Staffa, Inner Hebrides, Scotland. Staffa lies about six miles west of the Isle of Mull. The Vikings gave it this name as its columnar basalt reminded them of their houses, which were built from vertically placed tree logs. The island came to prominence in the late eighteenth century after a visit by Sir Joseph Banks. 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 renamed Fingal's Cave. Their visit was followed by that of many other prominent personalities throughout the next two centuries, including Queen Victoria and Felix Mendelssohn. The Clamshell Cave, on the East coast, is 10 metres high, about 6 metres wide at the entrance, and some 45 metres long, and on one side of it the ridges of basalt stand out like the ribs of a ship.
All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.
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