In 2010 I had the pleasure of flying three sightseeing trips to the St Kilda archipelago
Inhabited since prehistoric times and finally abandoned in
1930, St Kilda lies in the Atlantic
110 miles 180 km off the UK mainland and 40 miles 65 km beyond the Outer Hebrides.
St Kilda is a naturally cloudy and windy place and the weather was different on each visit
....but views were always spectacular
The photos have been arranged by area to appreciate the dramatic variations
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Fuel stop on Benbecula |
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Our first-ever view of the archipelago as we approach from the south-east, joining the tiny percentage of the world's population who have actually seen St Kilda |
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Dùn, Hirta and Levenish materialize as we approach at 1500 ft 460 m from the south-east
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Approaching Hirta |
HIRTA
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Dùn, Loch Hiort and Hirta (Loch Hiort is also known as Loch Hirta, St Kilda Bay and Village Bay) |
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Clockwise around Hirta starting beside the radar stations on Mullach Sgar 715 ft 281 m and Mullach Mor 1164 ft 355 m with St Kilda's highest peak Conachair 1394 ft 425 m on the right |
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The same area in on a different day |
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Radar station on Mullach Mor and St Kilda's highest peak Conachair with Boreray barely visible in the distance |
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Seen from the south Claigeann Mor 925 ft 282 m in front of the Mullach Mor and Conachair |
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Mullach Bi 1164 ft 355 m with Mullach Mor and Conachair peak behind |
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Mullach Bi |
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More of Mullach Bi as the clouds briefly parted |
Looking north there is the Unnamed Peak 892 ft 272 m
and the separate island Soay on the left
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Unnamed peak on the western side of Hirta with the radar station on Mullach Mor and Conachair peak in the distance |
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Cambir 692 ft 211 m with Boreray in the distance |
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The same Cambir, Boreray and Stacs on another day |
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Loch a' Ghlinne (Glen Bay) |
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Continuing clockwise around Hirta we pass the An Campar headland. Loch Hiort and a small part of the village are visible behind the cliff. To the right is Conachair peak sloping down to the An Campar ridge and cliffs, with the radar station on Mullach Mor behind
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A closeup of the same area but the radar station is barely visible
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Passing closer to the cliff, the road from the village up to the radar station on Mullach Sgar is visible. To the right of the domes are Claigeann Mor and Mullach Bi |
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An Campar headland on the north-east corner of Hirta with the square Stac Mina |
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Stac Mina with Soay in the distance |
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'Square' Stac Mina seen from a different angle |
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An Campar 1053 ft 321 m ridge and cliff sloping down from Conachair, St Kilda's highest point 1394 ft 425 m |
THE VILLAGE
We would have liked to have seen more of the village but on the cloudy days it was mostly obscured, a few photos snatched as the clouds passed.
St Kilda is always windy but on our clearest day there was a strong wind from the north-west creating causing severe turbulence in the lee of the hills ...so we had to observe that side of
the island from a distance.
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Oiseval 948 ft 289 m looming over Loch Hiort and the village with Boreray and Stacs in the distance |
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On cloudy days we circled over the bay and darted in to snatch a few photos when a clear patch appeared |
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The modern part of the village reminding us that the UK MoD has a presence on St Kilda |
SOAY
On the clear day, turbulence caused by strong winds kept us at a distance so we never saw any of the Soay Sheep reportedly still running wild on the island National Trust Unique Wildlife
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Soay seen from the south with it highest point Choc (or Cnoc) Glas 1224 ft 373 m and the Gob a' Ghaill headland on the left - arguably the western-most point of the UK ( although Rockall and the overseas territories would disagree ) |
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Soay's most western point Gob a' Ghaill on the left in front of Am Plastair rocks with Boreray on the horizon and Hirta's Cambir on the right |
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Soay seen from the north-west with Hirta behind |
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Soay and stacs seen from the north-east |
The north-eastern edge of Soay putting in a brief appearance on a very cloudy day
Soay's north-western cliff and Am Plastair were stunning
to see with the cloud pouring over
BORERAY
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Approaching on the cloudiest day but seeing a clear patch coming from the north, we went past Levenish and Hirta directly to Boreray |
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Approaching Boreray, Stac Lee and Stac An Armin |
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Approaching Boreray on another day, surprised by the colour difference |
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Stac Lee, Stac An Armin and Boreray |
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Stac An Armin and Boreray sporting its 1243 ft 379 m peak (possibly named Mullach an Ellern) |
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Stac An Armin |
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Stac An Armin |
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Stac Lee with An Armin to the left |
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Stac Lee |
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As the clouds moved in again we departed Boreray, following the clear patch south to Hirta
On the way back we spotted a sub near Barra and one of the Hebridean ferries with the Paps of Jura in the distance
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END OF St Kilda PHOTOS |
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