Hirta's south and west coasts

We turned north west and began our journey below the cliffs of Hirta's southwest coast.  This stretch is exposed to the full effect of the North Atlantic swell, we were lucky to experience it on a quiet day.

However, "quiet" is a relative term and there was still a considerable swell surging at the cliff bases.  We kept offshore a little to avoid the worst of the clapotis and to get a wider view of the cliffs.

Looking back to Mullach Bi, yet another dramatic skyline is revealed

The scale of the cliffs constantly caused us to have to adjust perspective - I couldn't get Morag and the top of this cliff near An Campar in the frame even at the widest angle my camera could manage!

Rounding An Campar, the northwest tip of Hirta, we got our first view into the Sound of Soay which separates Hirta from Soay (sheep island), where we'd arranged to meet Cuma for a lunch date with a difference

Across Hirta

From the 430 metre summit of Conachair our walk would take us west to the rounded top of Mullach Mor with its crown of antennae and radomes, then south along the ridge dividing Village Bay from Gleann Mor (big glen) to Ruabhal overlooking Dun.

Right on the summit of Conachair, on the edge of 400 metre cliffs, we were surprised to see this Heath Spotted Orchid (Dactylorhiza maculata).  It's a common species in damp ground throughout Scotland but isn't normally associated with cliff edges, especially ones so exposed as here.

From Mullach Mor we had a view out to the northern arm of Hirta, An Campar, and beyond to Soay (Sheep Island).  The difficult nature of any landing in Glen Bay can also be seen in this picture.

Gleann Mor stretched out below us, facing north.  The oldest archeaological finds on Hirta have been made in this glen.  There are hut circles and a set of remains known as "The Amazon's House" which is probably a bronze age wheel-house.

We followed the vehicle access track from Mullach Mor to a dip, then left the track and followed a contouring path to Ruabhal (western hill) and the cliffs of Hirta's south coast.  The view was, as everywhere we looked, stunning.

To the north west were the dramatic cliffs we hoped to paddle along the following day.  The pointed summit in the distance is the 358 metre Mullach Bi which is about half way along to the northwest tip of Hirta.

After some searching, we found the Mistress Stone, a fallen block bridging an eroded dyke.  Apparently, the young men of St Kilda balanced on the very edge of this rock as a test of balance and nerve (the drop is very considerable) although it may equally have been a stunt for the benefit of Victorian tourists.... 

We went right to the edge of the 130 metre high cliff overlooking Dun Gap.  How calm and easy it looked compared to the previous evening! 

We'd had a great day ashore.  I think we were all grateful to have had the opportunity to explore the village and some of Hirta, and of course to a hillwalker Conachair is a rare "tick"!

The weather signs were encouraging; the calm conditions in the Dun gap was an indication that both wind and swell had dropped away. We headed back to the pier in Village Bay to rejoin Cuma for another of Murdani's super meals.  All ears were on the weather forecast for the following morning

Bonxies - big, brown and bad to the bone!

The summit area of Conachair is home to a colony of the largest, most powerful and predatory of seabirds in northern waters, Great Skuas (Cataracta skua), known in Scotland as "Bonxies".  As soon as we approached they got airborne in preparation.

They began a concerted series of low level attacks on us, normally at head height.  These are big birds, muscular and with a wingspan of 1.5 metres.  An attack, accompanied by a tearing rush of air as the bird passes, gets your full attention.  We were most careful to avoid any area where there was a possibility of a nest, but it seems that the mere presence of a human (or anything else) in the area is enough to trigger an aggressive response...

Everything about Bonxie behaviour and body language exudes menace, even when they are not attacking.

Relatively recent arrivals on St Kilda, Bonxies are predatory pirates, they will attack and kill smaller birds, kill lambs and make a speciality of ganging up on Gannets, grabbing wings or tail and forcing the Gannet to disgorge its load of hard-earned fish.

It's fair to say they don't mix well with others......

Amongst ornithologists, small and nondescript birds are known as LBJ's (Little Brown Jobs).  We christened this group of Bonxies as BBB's, which needs no further explanation!

In an attempt to get good pictures of an attack, Gordon and Douglas formed a team, Gordon standing as a target and Douglas taking the pictures.

I was having my own personal issue with a Bonxie.  One individual took great exception to the fact that I wasn't ducking under attack but standing my ground to take pictures.  Clearly this was a grave insult to his Bonxie pride and he attacked with renewed menace.  It became a battle of wills.

In this post, Douglas has captured the attacks from about 25 metres away, including the moment just before......

The bird powered in and hit me a resounding slap on the forehead with its feet.

Honour was restored, the Bonxie went off to perch on a cleit and  I moved away.  We were rather glad to move out of the combat zone!

Conachair and the cliffs

We spent all morning exploring the village and its immediate surroundings.  We had our lunch by the pier and dozed in the warm sunshine for a short while (Murdani's Cloud Lever was still in the "Open" position).  We could see there was still a swell running into the bay, so the unanimous decision was to go for a walk, taking in Conachair, at 430 metres the highest point of Hirta.

The climb to the Gap, a bealach (col) on the edge of the northeastern cliffs, goes initially up to the head dyke.  This wall separates the in-bye land from the open hill and like most of Hirta is dotted with dozens of cleitean, the work of many decades.

Above the head dyke we passed the irregularly shaped drystone enclosures at An Lag Bho'N Tuath.  The original purpose of these enclosures has been debated for some time; they are unusual in that some don't have entrances.  Originally thought to be livestock enclosures, it is now believed that they were used to protect crops.

The slope steepens above, the views back down to Village Bay and across to Dun provided a good excuse for regular rest stops!  Our walk would eventually take us to Ruabhal (western hill) above the Dun Gap and back to the pier above the eroded cliff and shore.

The climb ends suddenly at the edge of the cliffs where the St Kildans lowered themselves on home-made ropes to harvest birds and eggs.  We can attest that it's a fair drop!

The views to Boreray and the stacs are very, very fine

The most numerous birds of the upper cliffs here are Fulmars (Fulmarus glacialis). Superficially resembling gulls, they're part of the Petrel family and have a wingspan of a little over a metre.  They fly with a distinctive stiff-winged style and use long effortless glides.

The tube above the bill provides a means of excreting excess salt as brine; Fulmars prefer the colder and more saline waters of the North Atlantic and North Pacific to feed, spending many months at sea.  Young Fulmars spend several years at sea before returning to their birth colony to set up a territory and find a mate.

Sea kayakers paddling around the UK will be familiar with these birds, they readily make close approaches to kayaks, planing past at head height and giving a long, cool inspection on the way by.  A less endearing trait is that they readily projectile vomit an evil smelling oily substance over intruders around the nest; if it gets onto clothes the smell never leaves!

The St Kildans killed thosands of fulmars each year, apparently with very little effect on numbers.  The birds were valuable for their oil, each Fulmar yielding about a quarter of a litre.  Feathers and meat were also prized and eggs were eaten too.  Nothing was wasted, the entrails were ploughed in as manure.  A report from the mid 19th century noted that the 180 St Kildans ate around 22,600 birds in a year, mostly Fulmars and Gannets but also including Kittiwakes, Guillemots and Puffins.  This didn't include the birds preseved and exported.

We skirted the highest sea cliffs in the UK on the very steep pull to the summit of Conachair.  Just below and to the east of the summit we came across this aircraft propellor and engine parts.  It is part of the wreckage of Bristol Beaufighter LX 798, a long range night fighter based at Port Ellen, Islay which crashed here on the night of June 3rd 1943 killing both crew.  Most of the wreckage slipped back off the cliff but parts were strewn across the hillside.  There is a memorial to the crew in the Kirk in the village.

We were almost at the summit of Conachair, but as we were to discover, it is defended by a different type of airborne combatant...

Life and death in St Kilda

We left the Kirk and schoolhouse and wandered over to the most iconic view of the Village, simply known as The Street.

Again, it will be well worth reading this post on Douglas' blog along with the one here.

The view along the Street is instantly recognisable as the same view portrayed in old photographs, particularly those forming part of the George Washington Wilson collection held by Aberdeen University.
What is particularly noticeable is the alternating styles of house along the Street.  the older style "Blackhouses" are interspersed with newer cottages.

The Blackhouses had actually been rebuilt on their present site by the St Kildans in about 1834-1836, having originally been sited higher up.  Like most blackhouse designs they had a rounded appearance like an upturned boat, tiny doors and if they had windows at all they were heavily recessed.  The roofs were of turf and thatch held down with stones suspended on ropes of twisted heather or straw.  The smoke from the constantly burning peat fires exited through the thatch.  Simple and primitive they may have appeared, but they were well adapted to the environment.

In 1860 the Landlord, Sir John MacPherson Macleod of Dunvegan, had 18 new houses built at his own expense.  Historically, landowners have had a justifiably bad reputation throughout much of Scotland, but the MacLeods deserve much credit for their treatment of and support to the community on Hirta.  The St Kildans paid rent in kind in Fulmar oil, Gannets, Puffins, feathers, wool  and the like but the MacLeods put back far more than they ever received.  The MacLeods and their factors, in particular John MacKenzie, seem to have been good men.  As the community declined, rents were adjusted downwards and necessary supplies sent in addition.

The new houses were among the most advanced in the Hebrides.  They had two or three rooms, windows each side of the door and chimneyed fireplaces. They also had zinc roofs, which unfortunately carried away in a storm.  These were replaced, but were found to be unsuitable as they let in rain and acted as condensors, leaving the interior of the houses damp. The roofs were replaced with felt and tar which cured the damp, but the houses remained noisy, their hard edges resisting the wind and in gales the smoke couldn't rise from the chimneys.  The old blackhouses were retained as byres or stores, and some St Kildans moved back into these during the winter.  Perhaps the most significant aspect of the houses is that they were built by MacLeod's masons and used mortar, which meant that they had to be maintained using materials from outside; another blow to the St Kildan's independent way of life.

This baulk of timber was set into the drystone wall facing the houses on the street.  It is an old piece, polished from being sat upon and there seems every possibility that it is the same timber shown in Washington Wilson's glass plates.

The National Trust for Scotland has seasonal work parties on Hirta who are restoring some of the cottages and field drains.  A check curtain at the window was a homely touch amongst the stone landscape.

We moved to the end of the Street and beyond to the burial ground.  One of our team, Donald Thomson, led the first successful unsupported return voyage in sea kayaks to St Kilda and has since studied the islands.  He has a passion for and a deep knowledge of the history of  the islands and was an excellent guide. He pointed out that the level of the ground inside the burial enclosure is much higher than outside.  The ground was so thin and stony that earth and seaweed had to be piled up inside to permit sufficient depth for burials.

Bones often had to be moved aside to permit fresh burials in the confined area.  Most graves are marked with a simple stone bearing no inscription.  Later burials have more formal stones, and represent those who left the island but whose remains were brought back to be interred here. 

Yellow Flag Iris were in flower amongst the gravestones.


Disease played a part in depopulating St Kilda, the smallpox epidemic which left a party stranded on Stac an Armin for nine months because there were not enough people to man a boat to recover them is the best known example. Contact wwith Victorian tourists and do-gooders was probably a more potent factor. The Victorians seem to have treated the island as a zoo and its people as quaint exhibits. There are records of tourists throwing sweets at the St Kildans and entering their houses to gawp. Contact with the outside world also introduced the concept of a cash economy, and showed opportunity outside the harsh confines of the islands.

Between 1866 and 1928 the population halved from 77 to 37. Without enough manpower to catch birds, carry peats increasing distances and man boats the community was doomed.  Increasing dependence upon charity seemed the only future if they were to remain on Hirta. In 1930 and after after long discussions, the islanders petitioned the Secretary of State for Scotland to be evacuated.  The catalyst seems to have been the death of Mary Gillies from appendicitis, she could not be moved to the mainland in time to save her life.

In April 1930 the islanders case was pressed by the MP for the Western Isles, T.B. Ramsay.  It was a painful affair. The press went overboard on the human drama, the Admiralty fretted about adverse publicity and a place had to be found for the community to resettle. Finally, all was arranged. On 28th August 1930 the people carried their possessions to the pier to await the arrival of the SS Dunara Castle and HMS Harebell the following day. The dogs were drowned, the sheep were transported to the mainland and the cats left to fend for themselves.

At 7am on 29th August 1930, each St Kildan family left an open bible and a small pile of oats in their houses, according to tradition.  They then walked down to meet the ships.  By 9am, HMS Harebell had weighed anchor and thousands of years of permanent habitation in St Kilda came to an end.  It was reported that the people bore their evacuation with dignity.

A well-meaning Argyllshire county Council settled the folk in Ardtornish, where they were given employment in forestry. None of the evacuated islanders had ever set eyes upon a tree.

The Kirk and School, Hirta

Although sheltered from the worst of the weather,Cuma rolled heavily at her anchorage overnight in the swell wrapping around Rubh an Uisge (water point) and there was little sleep to be had. 

The forecast was unpromising, but Murdani has a most wonderful possession, and one that is a rare thing indeed. Deep within Cuma, he has a "Cloud Lever".  It can be used only sparingly, but today he set it to Full Open and the day turned out much, much better than the forecast. A few of the team expressed a desire to put their feet on terra firma, and since the residual wind and swell would have made paddling close to the cliffs tricky, a morning ashore was decided upon.  Gary ferried us to the pier in Cuma's inflatable and we gathered to meet the NTS warden for our introductory briefing.

In order to show as many aspects as possible of the village, it will be well worthwhile reading this post alongside this one on Douglas' blog to get the full "St Kilda Stereovision" (tm) effect!


Village Bay provides the only sheltered anchorage in the whole archipelago, and in easterlies or southeasterlies even this is untenable.  Most of the habitation is clustered around the bay, though as we were to learn, earlier settlers lived right across the islands.

After visiting the Feather Store and the naval gun, we headed across to the largest of the older buildings, the Kirk and Schoolhouse

The interior of the Kirk is plain and simple with a cool, calm ambience.  It has been renovated, having been stripped of timber following the evacuation in 1930 and by all accounts is a much lighter and more pleasant place than for much of its history.  A Gaelic bible lies on the lectern, which totally dominates the kirk.

One of the many influences which eventually led to the decline and evacuation of the St Kildans lies here.  Organised religion arrived on the island in1705 when a Rev Alexander Buchan was sent as a missionary by the Church of Scotland.  He stayed for four years, then there were sporadic incumbents with increasingly puritanical views culminating in the appointment of Rev John Mackay in 1865.  He had been ordained by the Free Kirk (which had by this time split with the Church of Scotland) specifically with St Kilda in mind and he set about establishing a harsh Sabbatarian regime.

The obsevances Mackay introduced seem today to be excessive, but the St Kildans didn't resist.  There were three Sunday services, each lasting 2 to 3 hours, which all must attend. No work of any kind could be undertaken on the Sabbath, not even the drawing of water.  Conversation between the islanders was forbidden from Saturday evening until Monday morning.  Prayer meetings were held on Wednesdays, no work could be undertaken for 12 hours either side of the meeting.  Music was forbbidden, as were children's games.  Children were expected to carry a bible everywhere under their arms.

For a community so intimately bound to fluctuating natural resources and so reliant on constant cooperative labour to remain viable, these restrictions were to prove catastrophic.  Though more enlightened minsters were sent following MacKay's four year reign, it was too late.

The history of St Kilda's people is superbly told in charles MacLean's book "Island At The Edge Of The World" published by Canongate.

The lectern cloth is extremely beautiful.  It seems to reflect the natural surroundings with the blue of the sea and the green of the island slopes.  It's hard to see Mackay entertaining such things during his time though!

Various plaques in the kirk commemorate events on the islands, as here with the origin of the kirk bell.  Other plaques commemorate aircrews lost in plane crashes on the island, and the designation of St Kilda as a dual World Heritage Site.

This collection box is in front of the lectern, lit by morning sunlight streaming through a window..  It's beautifully crafted and has the names of the main islands inscribed on it.  I struggled to get the composition, focus and exposure in balance, the slightly soft effect in this image seems to suit the light and the atmosphere well.

Connected to the Kirk is the school classroom.  Teachers were occasionally sent to "improve" the lot of the St Kildans from 1709 onwards with a more permanent arrangement from the late 1800's.  Most of these teachers were overseen by the incumbent Ministers, but in 1906 a Mr and Mrs MacLachlan arrived and seem to have been a real asset to the islanders.  The children were taught formal lessons from 10am until 4pm in a variety of subjects.

It's unlikely that they had a teacher like Douglas though!