Loving Life in Scotland – St. Kilda Islands

Welcome to St. Kilda Islands, the fourth and last of a series of posts about our tour of Scotland. This segment of our tour required us to abandon our trusty campervan and head out onto the open sea to these incredible, isolated islands of Scotland’s Outer Hebrides. The trip brought us close to the history and culture of the St. Kildans, why they abandoned the islands, the wildlife they left behind, and the rugged beauty of the islands.

St. Kilda Islands is the only dual UNESCO World Heritage Site in the UK, and one of only 39 dual sites in the world. UNESCO recognizes the islands for both their natural and cultural significance.

We took a day trip to St. Kilda Archipelago from a small fishing port, Leverburgh, on the Isle of Harris. The logistics of our visit to the islands, including the tour company we used, are covered at the end of this post.

Click on the photos below to see them full size.

After reading about our fascinating tour of these remote islands click on Travel Scotland for more stories about our adventures in Scotland, including the rest of our tour of the Highlands and Outer Hebrides, by campervan.

The Islands

St. Kilda is an archipelago about 64 kms. north-west of Scotland, in the North Atlantic Ocean. The islands are part of Scotland and are owned by the National Trust for Scotland.

Simple stone tools found on the islands suggest these islands were first visited from the Scotland some 4,000 to 5,000 years ago, during the Bronze Age. It is unclear when the visitors first settled the islands, but they have for at least 2 millennia, until the population dwindled to 36 in 1930 and they requested evacuation to the mainland. Their story is fascinating.

Today, the islands are one of the most important breeding grounds for birds in the North Atlantic. We were told we might see puffins on the islands. We saw no puffins. 😟

A pod of playful dolphins did accompany us along side the boat.

Puffins: We are convinced that puffins are creatures of fantasy. While planning our adventures throughout 2017, we were told we might see puffins in Iceland, Madeira, Ireland and Scotland. But upon arriving at each location we were told that we just missed them. Either the puffins just left for their winter homes, or for their summer homes., or that they were feeding out at sea at that time of day. Before we left Isle of Harris we were told the puffins were feeding at sea; once we were at sea we were told that the puffins had returned to their nests. Hmmm! Something was afoul.😄 We think someone stuck clown feet and a clown nose on other birds for all those pictures of puffins we’ve seen.

The British Ministry of Defence has their own facilities on the main island. Unfortunately, those facilities do not blend in with the natural setting or the original residents’ buildings. The military buildings look very, well, military. But don’t let that deter you from visiting the islands. The military facility is very small and low profile, and the Ministry is now rebuilding their facilities to blend in with the landscape and the original structures. That project is scheduled to complete in 2018.

On our approach to the St. Kilda Islands, a big, beautiful rainbow welcomed us. A lovely way to start our visit.

Our first clear view of St Kilda Islands was not so clear. Clouds obscured the top half of Boreray Island.

Hirta, the Main Island

The dock for the islands is at Village Bay, which is on the main island of Hirta and has the remains of the only St. Kilda village. A massive hill, named Gonachair, looms behind the village. Originally, the St. Kildans were a mix of Celts and Norsemen who carved out lives on this remote, inhospitable archipelago, completely self-sufficient with no communication to the mainlands. That changed in the 1800s and the islanders became too dependent on visitors. When that contact dried up after WWI, depopulation occurred due to emigration of the young people, an influenza outbreak, and a food shortage caused by a decrease of sea birds. In 1930, the remaining 36 residents requested and obtained evacuation to the mainland. Now, St. Kilda Archipelago is a tiny tourist destination, an animal research station, a small military base, and once again a major breeding ground for gannets, fulmars and puffins.

In the village, there is a church, manse, school, and a row of houses, some restored. One house is a museum displaying the natural wonders of the islands and the history of the St. Kildans.

A cleit, shown above, is a food and fuel storage hut or bothy built by St. Kildans. There are over 1200 cleitean on Hirta and about two hundred more on the sea stacks and other islands of the archipelago. Ironically, the islanders ate very few fish and they could not swim; they survived on barley and oats, and the birds and eggs they collected from the islands and sea stacks. The native sheep were almost exclusively used for milk and wool.

Oiseval is another massive hill behind the village. Between Oiseval and Gonachair is “The Gap” that rises quite high itself. I climbed The Gap of Hirta and shot the photos above. If you can manage the hike up The Gap it is highly recommended. The photo on the left is a view of Village Bay from the top of The Gap. In addition to cleitean on The Gap, there are stone enclosures which we were told were gardens. I don’t know; they look more like animal pens to me.

The backside of Gonachair, Oiseval, and The Gap drops precipitously to the ocean. Gonachair is the highest point on Hirta, and the cliff behind Conachair is the highest cliff in Britain. Clouds and birds encircle the cliffs in a continuous dance. The silence is palpable.

The Sea Stacks and Other Islands

Boreray Island, Stac Lee, and Stac an Armin are offshore from the top of The Gap of Hirta. These are the land masses we saw on our initial approach to St. Kilda Islands. Cloud cover still obscured the top half of Boreray Island.

A sea stack results when water or wind erosion wears away at a headland, causing part of the headland to collapse. The stack is the part separate from the new headland. Gradually, the separation grows wider.

After exploring the Island of Hirta on foot, the tour company took us among the other islands and sea stacks for a close look and photos. Thousands of seabirds engaged in a nonstop to-do on and off the rocks. Some of my favourite shots of the day trip were from the boat using my Fujifilm X-T2 mirrorless camera and Fujinon Aspherical 55-200 3.5-4.8 zoom lens.

In the photo above, gannets and their young (the dark feathered birds) are nesting on a ledge. At close to a million birds, St. Kilda has the largest seabird colony in Europe and one of the most important colonies in the North Atlantic.

The original St. Kildans took boats from Hirta to the other islands and sea stacks where they gathered birds and eggs for food, feathers and oil. After mainland Britain exerted its influence on the islands, most of the St Kildans’ catch was used to pay the rent for their plots of land on Hirta. The men from Hirta spent days on the other islands; barefoot young boys were tethered to their fathers for safety as they learned the traditional skills.

St Kilda is fabulous for diving because of the clear water and the submerged caves, like the one above.

Seals bask in the sun on the islands.

Two breeds of wild sheep are native to the St. Kilda Archipelago. The breeds are named after two of the smaller islands, Soay and Boreray. In the photo above, a Boreray sheep is grazing in peace and total safety.

The massive sea stacks above house thousands of birds. St. Kilda has the tallest sea stacks in Britain.

Just before leaving the islands to return to Leverburgh, I shot the setting sun highlighting the rugged beauty and incredible colours of Boreray Island. Cooperative birds added their own splash of interest to the shot. A fitting end to a fabulous excursion.

The Logistics

We took a day trip to St. Kilda Archipelago from Leverburgh, which is a small port on the Isle of Harris. Day trips by boat are the only way to tour these islands; no accommodations are available on the islands. We booked with the tour operator Sea Harris and were very satisfied. Their boat, the Enchanted Isle, was roomy, comfortable, and quick.

With an 8:00 a.m. departure, we had to be in Leverburgh early on the day of our tour to St Kilda. The day before, we took our camper van on the ferry from Ulg, on the Island of Skye, to Tarbert, on the Isle of Harris. After the short drive to Leverburgh, we parked for the night in the long-term parking area within easy walking-distance to the Leverburgh pier. Cancellations due to weather are always possible. Regardless which operator you choose for your tour of St Kilda, be sure to read their policies regarding cancellations. 

Travel time to the St Kilda Islands was 2 1/2 hours each way, affording us 5 hours to explore the islands.

We suggest a tour of these islands is suitable for anyone over age 11 with good mobility and health. Pets are not allowed on the islands due to the fragile ecosystem. Check with your tour operator. 

Please click here for more about our adventures in Scotland, including the rest of our tour of the Highlands and Outer Hebrides, by campervan.