The singing sea cave
© gmsphotography/Moment/Getty Images
The columnar basalt bounding Fingal's Cave make this cavernous inlet on the isle of Staffa a sight to behold. The sea cave's other remarkable quality is one photos can't show you: its astounding acoustics. Thanks to the arched roof and irregularly shaped walls, visitors have long described the sound of the waves in Fingal's Cave as harmonious and hypnotic. That includes a few musical innovators who've drawn inspiration from the cave's melodies, from Felix Mendelssohn to Pink Floyd.
Not so desolate after all
A twilit lighthouse
An imperiled paradise
A stone sentry
Nobody's home
Of tarn and tower
Peninsular paradise
Polygon patch