A chartered trip aboard Shingleback to St Kilda will allow you to experience first hand why the remote Hebridean Island holds a unique place in the history of Scottish island life and why it holds UNESCO Dual World Heritage status. This dual status ranks the island’s significance alongside Machu Picchu in Peru and Mount Athos in Greece.

Sitting at the edge of the Continental Shelf the archipelago of St. Kilda enjoys stunning unrivalled natural beauty. The dramatic sea cliffs are not only the highest in Europe at 1400 feet (200 feet higher than the Empire State building in New York) but they are also a paradise for ornithologists due to the presence of magnificent breeding colonies of Puffins, Gannets and Fulmars.

As UNESCO have already recognised it’s not just the stunning inaccessible beauty that makes St. Kilda special it also has a unique cultural history and one worthy of study and research.

Settled over 2000 years ago the inhabitants of St.Kilda had little or no contact with the mainland of Scotland. With over one hundred miles separating the island from the Scottish mainland the remoteness ensured the St. Kildans developed their own unique customs and traditions – drawing on Celtic, Viking and Christian beliefs.

Core to their way of life was their reliance on the bird colonies as a source of food: fresh in the summer, cured in the winter. Surprisingly, fishing was not a core activity for the island community and less surprisingly farming was particularly difficult.

The decline of the community was assured when it became a popular destination in the 19th Century. Gradually they became reliant on incomes derived from their visitors and also grew increasingly dependent on imports from the mainland. In time their self sufficiency was undermined and with the migration of many to the mainland and the introduction of new illnesses the demise of the community was assured. In the end with the community at an unsustainable level of less than 40 they requested a voluntary evacuation from the island which was carried out in August 1930. 

To see the remarkable beauty of St. Kilda, enjoy the site of huge breeding colonies and to touch a piece of unique social history we can highly recommend a trip aboard Shingleback to St.Kilda – it’s not just a journey it’s a cruise back in time. To book your unique St. Kilda experience call us today on 01786 841225.