Island 496 - Staffa

I finally made it to Staffa, 13 years after my first unsuccessful attempt.  The weather for the first 6 days of our week on Mull in June 2021 was either too wet or too windy but on the final day it was perfect - calm, sunny and warm, so we booked two of the remaining few spaces on one of the trip boats running from Fionnphort (Staffa Trips and Staffa Tours).  Boats also leave from Ulva Ferry (Turus Mara).  Landing on Staffa is only possible on very calm days and when there is no swell.  You only get just over an hour ashore on Staffa but that is long enough to see Fingal's Cave and also walk to and round the top of the island.

The only landing place is on the east coast.  It is a simple concrete platform with a flight of steep concrete steps leading up from it to the top of the island. 

Staffa is just over half a mile from north to south by quarter of a mile from east to west and the highest point on the island is 42 metres above sea level.  

The island has been uninhabited since about 1800 but in 1772 it was home to one person and in 1784 16 people were living there. The island was originally part of the MacQuarrie's Ulva Estate but they sold it in 1777.  It then had a succession of owners - Colin MacDonald of Lochboisdale, Ranald MacDonald, Gerald Newall, Alastair Watteville, the Langs and in 1986 it was bought by an American - Mr Jock Elliott Jr as a 60th birthday present for his wife Elly and donated to the National Trust for Scotland, who still own it.

Staffa is made of fine-grained black Tertiary basalt. Slow cooling caused the lava to form hexagonal columns.  The same period of volcanic activity formed the Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland.  The coast of the island is indented with many caves, the most famous of which is called Fingal's Cave. It is named after Fionn MacCool, a 3rd century Irishman, who defended the Hebrides against Viking raiders.  He is known in Gaelic as Fionn na ghal, which means chief of valour.  In Gaelic, Fingal's Cave is known as An Uamh Bhin, which means the melodious cave. The name Staffa means pillar/post island in Old Norse, referring to the basalt columns.

A natural path, known as The Causeway leads from the landing place down the east coast of the island, across the hexagonal blocks to the mouth of Fingal's Cave and then into it.  In places the path has been made safer by the addition of some concrete steps. The acoustics in the cave are extraordinary, as the seawater moves in and out of it.  The walls of the cave are all composed of tall hexagonal basalt columns. The cave is unique and absolutely amazing.

The other main caves on Staffa are Clamshell Cave, which is located next to the landing place; Boat Cave, McKinnon's Cave and Cormorant Cave on the south coast; Goat Cave on the east coast. McKinnon's Cave and Cormorant Cave are linked by a narrrow tunnel.  The cliff near Fingal's Cave was damaged in 1945 when a sea mine exploded.

In 1772 the botanist Joseph Banks brought Staffa to the world's attention.  He spent the night in the house of the only family on the island and became infested with lice as a result. He publicised the island on his return to London and tourists started to visit.  The famous people who came to see Fingal's Cave included Sir Walter Scott, John Keats, William Wordsworth, Queen Victoria & Prince Albert, Jules Verne, Dr David Livingstone, Robert Louis Stevenson and JWM Turner. The composer Felix Mendelssohn visited Staffa in 1829 and the magnificence of Fingal's Cave inspired him to write his Hebridean Overture (also known as Fingal's Cave).

The top of the island is reasonably flat and a few puffins nest in burrows on the cliffs.

Landing place

Clamshell Cave is hidden in the shadow to the right of the steps

Ferry at the landing place

Fingal's Cave

Fingal's Cave

Fingal's Cave

Path to Fingal's Cave

Inside Fingal's Cave

Path to Fingal's Cave

East coast of Staffa

Puffin

Clamshell Cave

East coast of Staffa

East coast of Staffa

Am Buachaille - 'the herdsman'

Eilean Mhuire, Shiant Isles, Outer Hebrides

Eilean Mhuire (Mary's Island) is the 3rd largest of the Shiant Isles.  I wasn't able to visit it but the island could clearly be seen from Eilean an Tighe.  The island, which is L shaped, has high cliffs on all sides but there is a cobble beach on the southern side where landings can be made and at this point the cliffs are slightly less steep and climbable.  The top of the island is an undulating plateau.

Eilean Mhuire has been used for grazing and cultivating crops in the past, as there is evidence of lazy beds.  It may or may not have had permanent inhabitants at one time.  There are slight remains of turf walled huts.  There are also the remains of what is thought to be a chapel dedicated to St Mary, hence the name of the island. Today the island is home to thousands of puffins.

Eilean Mhuire from the sea

Eilean Mhuire from the beach between Eilean an Tighe and Garbh Eilean

 

 Eilean Mhuire from the summit of Eilean an Tighe

Island 299 - Rathlin, County Antrim, Northern Ireland

Rathlin Island is the only permanently inhabited island off the coast of Northern Ireland.  It is located off the coast of County Antrim 6 miles to the north of the town of Ballycastle. The population is around 125 and the island is served by a year round ferry service from Ballycastle.  There are two boats - a vehicle ferry (MV Canna) and a passenger ferry (MV Rathlin Express).   The vehicle ferry takes 45 minutes and the passenger ferry only 20 minutes.  In the summer months there are up to 10 sailings a day each way and in the winter there are 5.  Unless you are disabled or staying on the island for more than 6 nights, you need to obtain a permit from Moyle District Council if you want to take a vehicle to Rathlin.

Rathlin is an L shaped island but the L is back to front and upside down.  The island is 4 miles from east to west and 2.5 miles from north to south at its widest point. The highest point on the island is 134 metres above sea level. Roads run from the main settlement at Church Bay on the south coast to the west end of the island; south from Church Bay towards Rue Point and north east towards the East Lighthouse.  

Rathlin was inhabited by Stone Age people who manufactured axes from porcellanite quarried from Brockley on the island.  Their axes were exported to England, Scotland and elsewhere in Ireland.

St Comghall, Abbot of Bangor, may have established a church or monastic settlement on Rathlin in 580.  The current St Thomas's Church of Ireland occupies the same site.  There are remains of monastic sites at Knockans, Ballygill and Carrivindoon.  The monastery on Rathlin was pillaged by the Vikings in 795.

Robert the Bruce fled to the island after his defeat by Edward I in 1306.  He took refuge in a castle to the north of Portawillan.  Bruce's Cave, where he is said to have been inspired by a spider not to give up (the maxim "If at first you don't succeed - try, try again"), is located near the East Lighthouse.  He went on to defeat the English at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314.  Other caves in Scotland also claim to be location for this story.

In 1575 hundreds of people were massacred on Rathlin by John Norris/Norreys and Francis Drake after they had taken the island's castle by force.  They were acting on the orders of Henry Sidney (Lord Deputy of Ireland) and the Earl of Essex.  The entire family of Sorley Boy MacDonnell were among those killed.

In 1642 the Covenanter Campbell soldiers landed on Rathlin and slaughtered the Catholic MacDonalds/MacDonnells living on the island.

In 1746 the Reverend John Gage bought Rathlin Island from Lord Antrim.  His son Robert built the Manor House in a Georgian style.  The Gage family owned the island for nearly 200 years.

In the mid 19th century the population of Rathlin Island was over 1,000.  At the time of the 2021 Census it was 141.

Rathlin has 3 lighthouses: West Lighthouse, East Lighthouse and Rue Lighthouse. It also has 2 churches (Catholic and Church of Ireland), a shop, visitors'/heritage centre, Water Shed Cafe, McCuaig's Bar and Restaurant, art studio, gift shop and post office and public toilets.  Sadly Emma's Chip Ahoy had recently closed when I visited for the day in early September 2015.  I didn't go in McCuaig's Bar but did pay to visits to the Water Shed Café where I ate one of the best muffins I have ever had (and I consider myself to be somewhat of a connoisseur when it comes to cake!). 

I caught the 8am sailing to Rathlin and so was the first visitor of the day to the Boathouse Visitors' Centre when it opened an hour or so later.  However the lady staffing it on the day I visited was presumably not enjoying her day, as she barely greeted me as I entered.  I then stood right in front of her desk for several minutes, as I wanted to ask a question, while she completely ignored me and was busy looking at a rota or something. Eventually had to cough to get her attention.  When she did finally look up at me, she was actually quite helpful - I asked if the bus to the West Lighthouse would be running that day and she told me when and where to catch it.   

This proved useful, as there were no timetables for the bus displayed anywhere and an hour and a half later when the next ferry arrived, several passengers got off and asked me if the bus was running and where to catch it.  The slightly dilapidated Puffin Bus turned up on time driven by a very friendly lady and we all got on and she drove us the 3 miles to the RSPB Seabird Centre.  

I took the option to walk back along the road but it wasn't the world's most exciting walk, although it did have a few geocaches along it and a picnic bench about halfway along it.  Like everywhere else in Northern Ireland there are few footpaths on Rathlin and therefore off road access is only allowed on the RSPB reserves at the west end of the island and at Roonivoolin on the west coast of the south arm of the island and on designated trails at Kinramer, Kebble and Ballyconagan.  If these were waymarked from the road, then I missed them all except the one at Roonivoolin.

The Kebble and Kinramer Nature Reserve is located at the western end of Rathlin.  It is an area of grassland and dry heath with a freshwater lake and marshy area.  It is bounded on three sides by precipitous cliffs.  There are six sea stacks offshore.  Guillemots, razorbills, kittiwakes, fulmars, peregrine falcons, buzzards and ravens breed on the cliffs and stacks from May to July and puffins nest in burrows on the grasslands. Ducks, snipe, grebes and coots nest in the marshy areas. Orchids flower on the grasslands in early summer.

Roonivoolin Nature Reserve is located at the southern end of the island.  Lapwing, snipe, corncrakes, choughs, ravens, wheatears and hares can all be seen on the reserve at different times of year.

Having seen Rathlin Island from the end of the Kintyre Peninsula several years ago, I was greatly looking forward to my visit.  Despite an overcast day, Rathlin didn't disappoint.

 Kelp House in Church Bay

The Kelp House was built by the Gage family.  Kelp seaweed was burnt in stone kilns around the island to produce soda and iodine.  This was then stored in the Kelp House before being exported.  The industry was at its height during the Napoleonic Wars of 1808-12 when the price of kelp was high.  It declined a few years later when the price dropped after the end of the wars. 

 Throne!

 Boathouse Visitor's Centre

 

 Marconi Plaque in Church Bay

The wording on the plaque reads "This plaque was unveiled by Councillor Oliver McMullan, Chairman of Moyle District Council on 6th September 2005 to commemorate the first Commercial Wireless Telegraphy link in the world, which was established for Lloyd's of London between the East Lighthouse, Rathlin Island and Kenmara House, Ballycastle in Autust 1898 by Guglielmo Marconi with Edwin Glanville Engineer and George Kemp, Technical Assistant; Lighthouse keepers Michael Donovan and John Sullivan  who assisted in operating the Telegraph Equipment; Lloyds Agent J. Byrne.

 Seabird cliffs and stacks looking north from the West Lighthouse

 

 West Lighthouse

This is the only "upside down" lighthouse in Ireland.  It was built between 1912 and 1917 and was first lit in 1919.  It was automated in 1983 and its foghorn was removed in 1995. The light is red and can be seen from a distance of 22 nautical miles if the visibility is good.  By 2016 it should be possible to go on a guided tour around it. 

All those stairs to climb from the lighthouse back up to the visitor's centre!
 

 West Lighthouse and seabird viewing platform from above

 New Visitor's Centre at the West Lighthouse 

 The edge of Kinramer Wood

 The trees don't look as though they are thriving on this windswept island.  It was planted 50 years ago and although as a commercial woodland it hasn't been a great success, it provides a home to short eared owls and sparrowhawks.

 Famine Stone 

The wording on the stone reads "1845-1848 In memory of the 500 inhabitants of Rathlin Island who emigrated to America and England during the Great Famine.

Church of the Immaculate Conception - Catholic

 Interior of the Catholic Church

 Virgin Mary in Grotto

 St Thomas's Church of Ireland

 Picnic table in Church Bay
These heavy stone benches and table aren't in any danger of being blown away in a storm!

 Former walled garden of the Manor House

 Harbour at Church Bay, Rathlin

 East Lighthouse

This is the oldest of Rathlin's lighthouses.  Construction began in 1849.  It was automated in 1981 and the light has a range of 26 nautical miles.  This is as close as you can get to the lighthouse without trespassing - the Keep Out notices are very visible all around here both for the light itself and all the adjacent fields.

 East Lighthouse

 Fire station

 Church Bay

 Lovely garden in Church Bay

 Beach at Church Bay

 Memorial garden to those lost at sea

 Unusual memorial in St Thomas's Church

 Graves of sailors whose bodies washed up on Rathlin Island

 The Water Shed Cafe

 Plaque commemorating Richard Branson's unscheduled visit to Rathlin

Richard Branson's hot air balloon crashed into the sea off the coast of Rathlin Island in 1987 after crossing the Atlantic Ocean from Maine. He was picked up by an RAF helicopter and his companion Per Lindstrom was rescued from the sea by a Rathlin islander.  Richard Branson later gave the island £25,000, which was used to restore the former tithe barn of the Manor House and to convert it into the Richard Branson Activity Centre.

 I liked the alternating black and white coping stones

Entrance to the RSPB's Roonivoolin Nature Reserve
I heard, but didn't see, the choughs that live here.

 Manor House Guest House

 Vehicle Ferry - MV Canna

 On the way back to Ballycastle - looking west towards Sheep Island - a wonderful display of crepuscular rays