St. Kilda is the name given to a group of islands lying off the western coast of
Scotland that make up part of the Outer Hebrides. There are three main islands – Hirta, Soay and Boreray – and several smaller islets. The only settlement here was on Hirta and it is the longest continuously occupied island dating back to prehistoric times.
There were Gaelic speaking people on St. Kilda when the first missionaries arrived in about 200 A.D. Throughout the centuries, the people lived here by tending sheep, fishing, growing some crops and collecting the eggs of the seabirds living in the cliffs. This practice of climbing the cliffs has led to the belief it brought about a unique genetic quality for the people living on St. Kilda – that of having unusually long toes.
The last permanent residents left here in 1930, when they requested that they be moved to the mainland. Today there are no permanent residents and the only people that do reside on St. Kilda are in Hirta. These are the civilians that work on the military base, which is part of the Hebrides missile tracking range. There are also scientists that stay here carrying out research on the feral Soay sheep.
The Marquis of Bute purchased St. Kilda in 1931 and bequeathed the islands to the National Trust if Scotland in 1957. This organization still owns the islands. They are also designated as an UNESCO World Heritage Site as the home of the largest seabird–nesting colony in the North Atlantic. The spectacular cliffs are home to more than one million birds. These include the world's largest colony of gannets, as well as colonies of puffins and Leach Petrels. The small island of Dun is home to the largest colony of fulmars in Britain.
The sheer beauty of the black cliffs of these islands is one that will stay in your memories for many years, once you get the chance to visit here. To get to the islands you can hire a tour boat operator to take you close to the islands and ashore on Hirta Island. The boat ride itself takes about three hours each way. If you want to spend some time on Hirta, the only way to do so is through a two–week work program with the National Trust of Scotland.
All St. Kilda photographs © Chris Jackson 2005 MV Chalice
