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| Seal of approval |
After a far rockier boat ride than we'd anticipated we arrived at Fingal's Cave a little worse for wear, having passed this happy little camper on the way (^). So what is Fingal's Cave? We came across it when doing our research for our roadtrip and were instantly intrigued. Essentially its a uninhabited island made up of volcanic rock. However, technical science speil aside, the way the island has formed over time renders it quite spectacular to the eye and ear. As we approached the island and we drew closer we were confronted by a magnificent cave held up by what looked like hundreds of columns anchored to the sea bed by boulders of gold. Our boat travelled around the island to find a place to dock mercifully we pulled up next to a man made port protruding from the ocean. Once onland, and with only an hour to peruse, we made a beeline for the cave.
Having clambered around large golden and ashen boulders, we eventually made it to the mouth of the cave. At this point we truly began to feel the immense vastness of this natural cathedral like structure... it was huge. We climbed inside, and having been the first of the tour to arrive, we had a precious few minutes to sit inside and take it all in. Our eyes were busy taking in everything the cave had to offer. The walls and roofs arched overhead and beneath us the ocean strolled in and out of the cave in an almost mesmerizing rhythm, gently crashing into the rear wall. With every crash the music changed track... it was like holding the worlds largest shell to your ear, a truly magical place.
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| Entering the mouth of the cave |
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| Panoramic view of the inside of the cave |
As the crowds funnelled in we made our escape and walked 30 minutes to the far side of the island on the hunt for puffins (an added bonus if we could find them). Just as luck would have it they had began to fly ashore from their watery daytime bed of the ocean. Apparently Puffins love humans, not so much seagulls, so with the arrival of our boat tour we had managed to chase off the land dwelling seagulls providing an open invitation to the puffins to nestle on dry land for a little while. They were wonderful looking creatures, tiny little penguins gliding through the air, cute enough to touch if they weren't prone to positioning themselves so precariously on the edge of the cliff face!
All in all a trip that proved to be very worthwhile. The pictures don't do this island justice and if you have the chance i'd strongly recommend you take the time to see it for yourself... just make sure you take your sea legs!
