St Kilda

Hurrah! The 6am rise for 7.15am showing at Miavaig was rewarded. St Kilda bound.

But by eck was it cold! But with calmer than usual seas, and blue skies overhead, Lewis looked beautiful as it passed out of view to be replaced by a glassy reflective Atlantic Ocean. The 3 and a half hour crossing does drag somewhat when the majority of the time is spent with nothing but the horizon in sight, and there are not cetaceans about to play ball, but it's worth it for that first pass of Borreraig (with the biggest Gannet colony in the land) and St Kilda lying just beyond.

It's an odd place this, hard to imagine people eking out an existence - hunting Fulmars and baby Gannets on the cliffs of this collection of jutting rocks. But eke it out they did, for around 2000 years. Now the last inhabitants' cottages are a ruinous reminder of their passing after the final few were resettled, at their request, on the mainland - a small number of the cottages living on as a museum and 'offices' for the National Trust Warden, and civilian force that mans a radar station on the island. Modern (50s) barracks, and a strange grey building we presume to be the island's own power station, instead dominate the bay. But get beyond them, into the neat single high street, and the hundreds of 'cleits' (little dry stone storage buildings), and the history of the landscape is there right before you.

The only disappointment was not spotting a St Kilda Wren, but Mel got some Soay sheep lambs (though sadly for her not literally). Coming back the hazy weather that had descended an hour or so out of St Kilda had turned into gloomy grey skies, meaning if anything it was even colder than the outward leg, and most people sought shelter in the cabin of the boat rather than outside.

We offered a couple who were on the trip a lift back to their campsite about 3 miles from the pier (they were on a cycling trip through the Hebrides, and tomorrow have to cycle to Stornoway and the on to Garve near Inverness, and we have the bike carriers on the roof and it was starting to get dusky and spitting with rain); and with them safely deposited, wishing them well for the journey to the mainland, it was back to our temporary home and some warmth.

A good day, but kinda glad we don't have to get on a boat tomorrow...

Eider
Common Snipe
Puffin
Guillemot
Great Skua
Bird Count: 40

St Kilda Village Pano
Village Bay
Cleits (for food storage, they're everywhere)
Sopay Lamb
Cleits overlooking the village