Fingalova Cave: in this unique place on the edge of the earth was even Queen Victoria

This amazing place, located in Scotland, has been attracting travelers for centuries. It's all about the unusual structure of the walls and the atmosphere that reigns in the cave itself. Here you can hear the sounds of real music, and the walls of this sea cave, which can only be reached by water, resemble a magical castle.

Fingal's Cave is located on the Scottish island of Staffa on the northwestern coast of Great Britain. It was first discovered and described in 1772 by the English naturalist Joseph Banks, who was struck by the unusual appearance of the cave and its incredible acoustic properties. The fact is that the walls and arches of the cave, whose length is 113 meters, are composed of basalt columns, mainly in the form of hexagons. The ceiling of the cave has a concave shape and in a special way reflects the sounds of sea waves.

It should be noted that the rest of the island of Staffa, which from Old Norse translates as “island of pillars”, is composed of the same basaltic rocks. But from the Scottish dialect, the name of the cave translates as "cave of melodies." This is due to the fact that, while in a cave, travelers can hear unusually harmonious sounds resembling music. You can get to the cave by boat, but you can only move around the cave on foot, stepping on steps from basalt columns. According to scientists, these basalt pillars were formed as a result of the slow crystallization of lava during the turbulent volcanic past of this region.

No one lives on the island of Staffa: in this wild land there is not a single apartment building. But Fingalova Cave is quite popular with tourists visiting this part of Scotland. The cave of melodies, which has wonderful acoustics and unique appearance, was once visited by such famous personalities as the British Queen Victoria, writers Jules Verne and Walter Scott, as well as composer Felix Mendelssohn. Thanks to his overture "Fingal's Cave", the unusual basaltic cave got its modern name.