St Kilda

After nearly eight years of living in the Outer Hebrides, I finally made it to St Kilda today. I've thought about it and even had it booked a few times, but never been able to afford it, or been thwarted by the weather. Last year, mum and I booked on twice (a treat for my mum's 70th birthday) and both times the trip got cancelled because of bad weather. But today it all worked out for us. It was foggy and with a bit of light rain in the air when we set off from Leverburgh at 7am, but it was a very calm for the three hour crossing and the weather improved vastly by the time we got there. 

The boat took us into the harbour of Hirta, the main island of the St Kilda archipelago, where we transferred to a RIB to get on to the island (a precaution put in place to ensure no rats get on to the island). We were welcomed by a NTS staff member who gave us a quick talk and some guidance and then left us to our own devices. We explored village bay and The Street and I walked up the hill for a view over the bay. I didn't go too far up the hill as my mum can't walk too far, so I'll leave the long walks for next time I go. We had a look in the church and school room, and bought some souvenirs in the little shop. 

After a few hours on Hirta we got back on the boat, where we were served tea and home baking, then set off for a tour round Boreray and the sea stacks. We saw lots of gannets and puffins; the gannets flying from the cliffs in their hundreds was an amazing sight and at one point the sea around us was full of puffins. Around half an hour into the trip back we were lucky enough to spot a pod of killer whales (orcas), which was just the perfect end to a great trip; or maybe that was the dram of whisky served just before we got back into Leverburgh! It may have been my first visit to St Kilda but it most definitely won't be my last. I've added a few shots to my 'extra photos' if you'd like to see more of our amazing day. 

We ended the day with dinner at the Anchorage Restaurant in Leverburgh the collapsed in bed at the B&B absolutely shattered!