Jagged coastal sea stacks at Mangersta, Isle of Lewis, Outer Hebrides
© Cody Duncan/Cavan Image
Stacks of time
Epic landscapes are plentiful here in the Outer Hebrides, where scores of impressive rock formations, including spiky sea stacks, sea arches and towering cliffs, have been created over millions of years. Formed from Europe’s oldest rock, Lewisian Gneiss, these islands off mainland Scotland’s north-west coast have been sculpted by volcanic heat, ice, wind and the constant pounding of the sea.
This awesome scene can be found on the west coast of the Isle of Lewis near Mangersta Beach, where steep pink granite sea stacks rise out of the crashing waves and line up for the perfect photograph. Huge Atlantic waves crash into the craggy rocks here all year round, crushing shells into a finely-ground white sand while sea eagles, gannets and fulmars fly overhead. The beaches around here are framed by machair - a rare dune grassland habitat rich in wildflower species, built on seashell fragments laid down over thousands of years.
Related Images
Peggys Point Lighthouse at dusk, Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia, Canada
The Cove of Spires in Kenai Fjords National Park near Seward, Alaska, USA
Bioluminescent algae along the shores of the Matsu Islands off the coast of Taiwan
Tŵr Mawr lighthouse on Llanddwyn Island in Anglesey, North Wales
An old farm in the Shetland Islands, Scotland
Midnight sun at North Cape, Norway
Path to San Juan de Gaztelugatxe, Basque Country, Spain, for the new season of Game of Thrones
Shoreline near Tofino on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada
Bing Today Images
