Fionnphort to the Isle of Staffa and Fingal's Cave

After a very pleasant coach trip from Craignure we are about to embark on the next stage of the Three Isles Tour which is, Fionnphort to the Isle of Staffa to explore Fingal's Cave.
The village of Fionnphort is at the end of the A849 road we have travelled. Here you can either board a ferry that will take you across the short stretch of water to Iona or take the small boat that will be taking us to Staffa.
The village is small but it does have a general store which also sells gifts and souvenirs. There is also toilet facilities, a cafe/restaurant as well as bed and breakfasts.
The small boat we are meant to take filled up quite quickly although we were assured the next one would only be a few minutes. This was ideal as it gave us time to take some pictures of Iona and the Abbey across the water and pictures of the inviting beach at the side of the Quay.
Departing Fionnphort
Sure enough the second boat arrived in about 10 minutes and seemed to swing in from the Iona side. We picked a seat inside and upfront to see where we were going.
The skipper invited everyone on board and due to his microphone being broken proceeded to give us the mandatory health and safety instructions and information about the journey.
This he did with a loud clear voice and also informed us that they had just seen dolphins in the stretch of water between Fionnphort and Iona. As you would imagine everyone was excited especially when he informed us that he would swing back out in that direction to try and catch site of them again for our benefit.
Sure thing there they were. Three of them, swimming around the boat. That done he headed in a northerly direction towards Staffa.
Leaving the area, we have Iona on our left and some new views of Ardmeanach peninsula which we previously passed on the coach on our right. Views of the peninsula and of Ben More will accompany us on our route to Staffa.
Arriving at Staffa
Arriving at our destination the skipper brought the boat into a small cove with a well-practised skill and soon we were on the path to Fingal's Cave. There is a metal cable and handrails for holding onto in any difficult parts. The footing was excellent and was either concrete or a footpath created from the naturally sea worn columns of lava.
The Fingal's Cave Hebrides Overture Mendelssohn composed way back in 1830, must have created fantastic visions of the cave phenomena to people in those days. Whereas today we can be there in person in just a few hours for not a lot of money.
Soon we were in the mouth of the cave which might be a bit scary for some, as passing those coming out meant that someone had to let go of the railings. But the amazing sights were worth it as is the whole island.
We are allocated one hour on the island before the boat would sail. So if you wanted to see the Puffins up on the top of the island you would need to be smart.
As it was the end of August that we were on this trip we missed seeing the Puffins as they leave midway through August. So next year we plan to go to the Treshnish isles or somewhere prior to the Puffins leaving as they apparently are pretty friendly.
All to soon our hour on shore was up. After taking a headcount we were on our way to Iona.
Depending on the weather when you do this trip, the sea might be a bit rough. If it is the crew provide waterproofs for those sitting at the back of the boat to protect them from any spray.
A great time we had and now we will be arriving at Iona to have lunch and do some sightseeing with the 2 and a half hours or sa we will have here.
In my next video we will show you some of the things we did while on Iona.