Fingal’s Cave is a famous and other worldly cavern located on Staffa island off the coast of Scotland, and the best day of the year to view the cave, Dec. 16, is rapidly approaching. Seventy-two feet high and 227 feet deep, every inch of the Fingal is made of hexagonal-jointed basalt columns that look like nothing else in nature, and Dec. 16 is the only time when the cave is completely illuminated by the sun, if weather cooperates. The cave is so spectacular that it’s served as a muse for creatives such as Jules Verne, Pink Floyd, and composer Felix Mendelssohn’s, whose famed ode to Fingal, the overture “The Hebrides,” celebrates its 182nd anniversary on Dec. 16. Check out this vaulted wonder below.

A short boat ride is required to see Fingal’s Cave. Weather permitting, you can land on the island and explore the cave on foot. Image by Michelle O’Connell

The cave is a natural echo chamber, a feature most evident when waves roll in. The cave’s Gaelic name, An Uaimh Bhinn, means “the melodious cave.” Image by Anne Roberts

The name Fingal comes from the hero of an epic poem by James Macpherson that was popular at the time the cave was rediscovered, in 1772. Image by Seth M

Most of the year it’s impossible for sunlight to reach the deep recesses of Fingal’s Cave. December 16 is the only day of the year when the angle is right to totally illuminate the cavern. Image by Seth M

A lava flow sometime in the Paleocene era created the island, and the hexagonal columns are the result of the way the lava cooled. Image by Graeme Pow

While the light is good in winter, the weather is often not. Tour companies typically recommend visiting in spring and summer for the most cooperative seas. Image by Andrew

The author of the epic poem that gives Fingal’s Cave its name claimed at the time that his poem was actually a retelling of ancient Scottish Gaelic legends he had recently uncovered. It’s now thought he made that part up. Image by Simaron

The basalt columns are not confined to the area around the cave, but can be seen all over Staffa and the surrounding islands. Image by Anne Roberts