Tours of Scottish Islands | USA Today Tours of Scottish Islands The Shetland Isles are more than halfway between London and the Arctic Circle. (Photo: Hemera Technologies/AbleStock.com/Getty Images ) Rail Travel From Glasgow to Edinburgh Scotland is a relatively small country with a total land area slightly smaller than that of Maine. A significant proportion of Scotland's total area, and a large part of the country's total coastline, is found in the many Scottish islands. From the major Scottish cities of Glasgow, Edinburgh, Inverness or Aberdeen, you can reach Scotland's western or northern isles by joining a group organized tour, arranging a private tour or traveling independently. Inner Hebrides The Inner Hebrides are an archipelago of islands off the west coast of Scotland, distinguished from the Outer Hebrides by their relative proximity to the Scottish mainland. Tourism is a primary commercial activity on these islands, of which only 36 are inhabited as of March 2011. Some of the larger islands include Coll, Eigg, Islay, Jura, Mull, Skye and Tiree. Organized group tours of the Inner Hebrides are offered by operators based in Oban, Glasgow and Edinburgh.

If you prefer to tour independently, the Inner Hebrides can be reached by scheduled ferry from Kintyre, Oban and Mallaig. You can reach Oban by national rail from elsewhere in Scotland or the United Kingdom. Outer Hebrides The Outer Hebrides, also referred to as the Long Island or the Western Isles, sit to the northwest of the Inner Hebrides and further from the Scottish coast. Fifteen of the islands that make up the Outer Hebrides are inhabited as of March 2011; there are approximately 50 more uninhabited islands of reasonable size. Tourism is an important source of revenue in the Outer Hebrides, as is weaving, fishing and small-scale farming. Visitors can reach the Outer Hebrides on scheduled ferry services from Oban or Ullapool on the mainland or Uig on the Inner Hebrides island of Skye. Some ferries operate only during summer months. Flights are also available between Hebridean islands, and from the Hebrides to the Scottish mainland. The Outer Hebridean island of Barra is the only airport in the world to use a beach as a runway for scheduled flights.

Flight times are arranged to depart and arrive in Barra during the hours the beach runway is not underwater. St. Kilda St. Kilda is a group of islands some 50 miles west of the Outer Hebrides. Until 1930, a community of crofters inhabited the larger of these remote islands. As of March 2011, the village of St. Kilda is abandoned and the islands are home to massive puffin, guillemot, fulmar and gannet populations. Boat tours to St. Kilda operate from the island of Harris, taking approximately three hours to make the 50-mile journey between islands. On St. Kilda, tourists can birdwatch, explore the abandoned village and visit the permanent museum. Orkney and Shetland Orkney and Shetland are two large inhabited islands to the north of the Scottish mainland. Regular scheduled ferries and flights to Shetland and Orkney depart the northeast Scottish city of Aberdeen. You can join an organized tour to the Northern Isles from Aberdeen, or travel from Edinburgh or Glasgow via group bus and ferry.

Independently, you can take a scheduled flight from Aberdeen to Shetland or Orkney with British Airways or using Atlantic Airways' summer service. Orkney and Shetland offer spectacular scenery and wildlife, many miles of coastline and heritage sites including archaeological museums and historical shipwrecks of Scapa Flow. References St Kilda books, photos, postcards, posters, Hebrides Scotland Plus a book (described below) Voyage to St Kilda by photographer Monica Weller. This 72-page paperback book contains 70 b/w photos chronicling the author's long-awaited journey by boat from Harris to the wildest of the Western Isles, St Kilda, in August 1997. To quote John-Murdo Morrison of Harris: 'This book provides another dimension to the epic story of the The Islands on the Edge. To travel with Monica Weller in poem, prose and photography is a moving and exhilarating experience. The photographs indicate a perceptive eye and add tremendously to the drama and dignity of Hirta, inspiring the reader to an inexplicable feeling of awe and appreciation of these Jewels of the Western Ocean.' I personally found Monica's words to be a close echo my own feelings for the Hebrides.

She portrays their magnetism very well. If you have already experienced the isles, you will understand completely, if you have never yet been, you will want to go! The book is available from the author for 7.99 UK pounds plus 85 pence postage within the UK. For international orders the cost is 7.99 pounds plus 2 pounds postage. To order your copy, please send a UK cheque or international money order to: Monica Weller A.R.P.S., 1 Durleston Park Drive, Bookham, Surrey KT23 4AJ, England. Bill Lawson Publications , based on Harris, specialises in the Western Isles and has books about St Kilda and other Hebridean islands for sale online, plus online archive at hebridespeople.com St. Kilda Archipelago, Outer Hebrides, Scotland May 19, 2014 - National Geographic Explorer Panoramic view of the village site on Hirta Island, St. Kilda Archipelago, Scotland. This small and extremely remote archipelago has been inhabited for nearly 2,000 years.

Lying over 60 km west of North Uist, they form the westernmost islands of the Outer Hebrides. The largest of these islands, Hirta, has likely never had more than 200 inhabitants in its long history. However, the islands and volcanic stacs have been home to hundreds of thousands of nesting seabirds for millennia. With the largest population of nesting gannets at over 60,000 pairs, 139,000 pairs of puffins and Britain's largest population of fulmars, at nearly 70,000 pairs, the land air and sea literally teems with life. The inhabitants, throughout their history, sustained themselves on the abundant bird life and rich sea life around the islands. The practice of fowling, a risky food gathering technique on some of the highest sea cliffs in Europe, allowed the men to gather eggs and birds in a sustainable manner to provide a year-round source of food. The islanders also had an ancient form of sheep called the Soay which still roam the island of Hirta today in a feral state.

With little or no evidence in the archeological record to provide a reason for the colonization of these islands, their isolation and lengthy occupation, up until 1930 when the remaining handful of islanders were evacuated, had produced a unique culture that today only exists in a small collection of films, writings and the now protected and restored ruins of the village and its associated buildings. The islands were given to the National Trust for Scotland and declared a nature reserve in 1957, protecting both the cultural and natural history of this spectacular site. With the forward thinking of our expedition leader and captain we altered our schedule for the expedition in order to avoid forecasted high winds which would have made landing here impossible. Arriving a day earlier than planned, we managed to make our landing on this significant and all-too-often inaccessible site. Strolling amongst the stone structures, green fields and the wild Soay sheep, it was almost as if one could picture the hardy and resourceful inhabitants making the most of this remote island.

St Kilda's last native Rachel Johnson has died aged 93 | UK | News | Daily Express UK 'End of an era' Last native of remote island St Kilda dies TRIBUTES have been paid to the last native of the remote island St Kilda whose death has marked the "end of an era". 00:00, Thu, Apr 7, 2016 | UPDATED: 16:12, Thu, Apr 7, 2016 GETTY St Kilda's 36 residents were evacuated from the remote Atlantic archipelago in 1930 Rachel Johnson, 93, was just eight years old when the remaining 36 residents were evacuated from the remote Atlantic archipelago in 1930. The island sits on the outermost reach of the Outer Hebrides, 110 miles off the west coast of Scotland, and was routinely cut off by stormy seas and plagued by illness. Mrs Johnson, born in July 1922, was just a child at the time of the evacuation aboard HMS Harebell on August 29 1930.

She lived out the last years of her life in a care home in Clydebank, Dunbartonshire. Related articles St Kilda was an important part of her life Ronnie Gillies Johnson And the mere mention of St Kilda was said to cause a gentle smile to light up her face. St Kilda is now owned by the National Trust for Scotland which, together with Scottish Natural Heritage and the MoD, run conservation projects on the island. Alexander Bennett, the general manager for countryside and islands north at the National Trust for Scotland, said Mrs Johnson's death marked the end of an era. UNS Rachel Johnson was eight years old when she left the island on the HMS Harebell He said: "It is a sad day and truly the end of an era to learn that the last of the native St Kildans has passed away. "I was privileged enough to have met Rachel on a number of occasions. She was intensely private but extremely kindly." As a youngster growing up in the close-knit community, Mrs Johnson's duties included being lowered by rope off cliffs to scoop up puffin, gannet and fulmar eggs.

She would help her mother prepare meals and often walk along the shore to collect seaweed which the islanders would dry and burn as fuel. Children on the island received basic schooling and once the day's lessons were over, they would go and play down by the water's edge. Mrs Johnson's son, Ronnie Gillies Johnson, 61, from Clydebank, Dunbartonshire, said: "If you asked her about St Kilda now, she would look at you and smile. "St Kilda was an important part of her life, but she did not speak much about it." The St Kildans lived in a semi-circle of 16 cottages and Mrs Johnson stayed at number 13 with her parents Christina, Donald and her older sister Cathie. Their remote life was based on a strong sense of community where each member had to do their bit - including the children. Ronnie, a draftsman, said: "The people would meet in the morning and decide what the day's work was. "It could be fishing, looking after the sheep or basic building work. My mother would often go down to the cliffs and collect bird's eggs.

"The men would lower her down with a rope and she would pick the eggs from a nest on the ledge and put them in a wee coracle. "She would help to prepare meals or pick up seaweed from the beach. The people would dry it in a hut and then use it as fuel. "It was a very hard life on St Kilda, but there was a great sense of community. SWNS Mrs Johnson lived out the last years of her life in a care home in Dunbartonshire "But if they had stayed there any longer more people would have probably died." Unlike those born on the mainland, the islanders had little resistance to diseases, and when Mrs Johnson's aunt Mary died of appendicitis after giving birth, they decided to leave. The St Kildans petitioned the government to be resettled to the mainland and boarded the Harebell for Lochaline, Highlands, on 29 August 1930. Mrs Johnson was only eight years old when the once close-knit community was broken up and scattered to the four winds.

PA Former St Kilda residents returned for the 50th anniversary of the island's evacuation But the Gillies family did not venture far - they settled in a cottage at Larachbeg, near Lochaline in the Highlands. Mrs Johnson spoke Gaelic and only very little English at the time, but she managed to catch up at nearby Claggan School, Highlands. At weekends she worked at the Ardtornish Highland estate, where she helped out with general household duties. Mrs Johnson was also a dedicated and talented highland dancer and she competed at events across Scotland, where she caught the attention of a young house builder. SWNS St Kilda is now owned by the National Trust for Scotland which run conservation projects on the isla Ronnie Johnson from Luss, Argyll and Bute, spotted Mrs Johnson at the Lochaline village hall and after winning her heart he proposed and married her in Oban, Argyll and Bute. The couple moved to a small tenement in Scotstoun, Glasgow, in 1949 and then settled in Clydebank with their two sons, Ronnie and Malcolm.

Mrs Johnson worked as a dinner lady at Kilbowie Primary School in Clydebank and never pursued a career as she dedicated herself to family life. GETTY The St Kildans lived in a semi-circle of 16 cottages And although she had found a new home on the mainland, she would keep some traditions of the devout St Kilda community alive. Ronnie said: "Her family would walk to church in any weather, no matter if it was rain or hail. "This was one of the main things. Sunday was always just a day of rest. That is the way it used to be. "She was always very family-orientated wanted to do the best she could. 11 of the world's most remote islands Tue, April 21, 2015 Fancy getting away from it all? Why not jet off to explore one of the world's most remote islands. 1 of 10 Tromelin Island, France, is situated 450km east of Madagascar [AFP/Getty Images] "My mother never wanted to be in the limelight.

She was just a family person who looked after me, my brother and my dad - that was good enough for her." Mrs Johnson only went back to St Kilda on two occasions - once for a documentary and once on invitation of the army to see the transformation the island had gone through. She became an honorary member of the National Trust and their annual meeting would be one of the only times she would speak of her heritage. Ronnie added: "She would answer questions at this gathering, but she would never give interviews. "Her family were not interested in all of the publicity or making a fortune - they just attended to what they had and they were happy with the simple life." Mrs Johnson had five grandchildren. Related articles St Kilda Visitor Guide, Hotels, Cottages, Things to Do in Scotland The End Of St Kilda The story of the end of St Kilda as an inhabited island... Friday 29th August 1930 was the end of the life of St Kilda as it had been for centuries. For a least 1,000 years the inhabitants of this remote group of islands had been tenants of the Macleods of Dunvegan on Skye .

In earlier days the trip from Skye , undertaken in longboats, would require 16 hours of rigorous rowing and sailing. Even now, the trip to St Kilda is no easy matter. St Kilda consists of several islands. Hirta, the main habitable island, is now a permanent home only to the largest colony of fulmars in Britain. Across a narrow channel lies Dun. Nearby Boreray is home to the world's largest colony of gannets. Soay virtually completes the group. There are several dramatic 'stacs' rising sheer from the Atlantic Ocean. At 430 m, the sea cliffs at Conachair are the highest in the British Isles. Until 1930 the islanders had been supported by the mainland by the provision of a nurse and a post office. But the Scottish Office decided that their subsidy of the islands was no longer economic. This meant that life for the residents without those facilities would be untenable. Now owned by the National trust for Scotland, St Kilda is a National Nature reserve.

Each year, during the brief summer months when travel to the islands is possible, teams of volunteers work on Hirta, maintaining what remains of the abandoned houses, studying the wildlife and glorying in the peace and isolation of the place. But in 1930, to the younger of the 36 residents, including a man with nine children, evacuation was an attractive prospect. There would be better schooling for the children, and better health care. Although many had never seen a tree, a new life in forestry appealed. The more elderly residents, most of whom had never left the island and who could not speak English, must have viewed the drastic change with alarm. But the younger majority view prevailed and evacuation was planned. There were five hundred Soay sheep to be moved first. Their coats of fine wool were not sheared but plucked by the inhabitants with just the help of a penknife. The resultant locally woven tweed, either shipped ashore or sold to rare visitors, had provided the inhabitants' only contact with actual money. No taxes on income or on anything else were paid. Their internal economy took the form of barter. The plentiful supply of gannets, when dried, provided winter food.

No inhabitant had ever fought in any war. Their distance and isolation earned them no consideration by the rest of Scotland. Despite protestations by The Canine Defence League, all dogs were destroyed. Just two were put down by injections of hydrocyanic acid. The rest, at the islanders' insistence, had stones tied around their necks and were hurled from the jetty. Small boats, holding only a dozen or so sheep, were used to ferry them out to the SS Dunara Castle. Ten cows with four calves were also evacuated. Then HMS Harebell, of the Fishery Protection Service, came on the final day to take the islanders to the mainland. The Under Secretary of State for Scotland imposed a ban on photography, thus ensuring the people of St Kilda privacy during the evacuation. It was not possible to house all of the inhabitants in Argyll, as had been hoped, so the community was split, their communal lives coming to an end. The history of the island has been documented in a number of scholarly works, including The Life and Death of St Kilda by Tom Steel, and Island on the Edge of the World (Google Books), by Charles Maclean.

The Hebridean archives have scanned the log-book of Hirta school which provides a first hand chronicle of the final days on St Kilda. You can view the pages of the log book here . Region The Outer Hebrides: St Kilda - Hirta - Western Isles Whaling Station - Bunavoneader St Kilda - Western Isles - Outer Hebrides This group of Hebridean islands are the most remote in the British Isles, being 40 miles from the nearest land. It can be seen from the Sounds of Harris and also from near the Isle of Pabbay which is near to the Isle of Lewis and also from Barra. St Kilda - Astonishing Sea Stacks & Cliffs St Kilda has astonishing cliffs and sea stacs, where there is the most important seabird breeding station in north-west Europe. Village of St Kilda The village , or the remains of a village, is of great historical value. You can see restored cottages, church and the school where the St Kildans resided until their evacuation in 1930.

What Remains Now of St Kilda - Hirta What remains there now are the ruins of both their original houses, mainly blackhouse type houses, alongside slightly newer houses which had been built for them in the later years. The layout of the 19th-century village remains to this day, and over 1,400 stone-built Cleit for storing food and fuel are scattered all over the islands, and even on the sea stacs Story of the St Kildans It is a fascinating story, the life of the St Kildans, a village people so remote from the mainland, who led a really simple, some would say primitive existence, only seeing other peoples very infrequently, when either their landlords, who at one time were from the Isle of Sky, sent the factor to collect their "rents" or indeed when various ministers and schoolteachers were sent to the island. Occasionally too, boats from the mainland visited and "bought and traded" their wares to and from the islanders. The villagers had such a hard life, in brief, they lived and survived off just what they could obtain from the island and the smaller few islands that make up the group of St Kilda islands.

Smallpox In 1726 a St Kildan visited Harris, caught smallpox there, and died from it. His clothes were returned to St Kilda in 1727, and brought the disease with them. Most of the islanders died, only 1 adult and 18 children survived the outbreak. However, 3 men and 8 boys escaped the disease as they had been left on Stac an Armin to collect gannets. The disease spread while they were there and nobody could go to fetch them. They were eventually rescued by the Steward 9 months later. The owner of St Kilda had to send people from Harris to repopulate St Kilda. Before I begin to tell you about this wonderful trip, I will just say for any others who may be thinking of doing such a trip, that we give all praise to Seatrek and the two staff members who took us out in the boat. The two staff members were both brilliant and really did go the extra mile to make the trip memorable.

As we were so fortunate in that the weather was lovely, full beaming sun, when the visit to the St Kilda village had been completed, and we visited the awesome rock stacks with the bird colonies, the Seatrek staff arranged that we spent at least an extra hour or so than was on the schedule at the sea stacks. As we were all having such a great time, and no one had a want for the trip to end, we enjoyed the extra time. So a big thank you to Sea trek staff! Amazing trip with Seatrek - July 2013 Village Street - St Kilda Summary of St Kilda Islands and the Earlier Residents Many of you may not have heard or read about St Kilda, to really understand what you are seeing on the island, I think you really need to have read at least a few articles on the amazing history of the islands and the past residents. St Kilda - All That Remains Above Sea After Volcano 60 million Years Ago! This group of islands are all that remains above the sea of a large volcano thought to have been active 60 million years ago.

The underlying rocks which are granite, gabbro and dolerite, have been eroded by ice, rain and sea to form an impressive coastline of the four main islands and offshore stacs. Stac an Armin, being 191 metres is the highest sea stac in the British Isles In brief to summarise, St Kilda is a group of islands, though most people when quoting St Kilda, really mean the largest island where the actual village was, that called Hirta. Hirta Hirta was occupied for many thousands of years by various residents and there were many traditions handed down the generations, traditions influenced by monks, viking sailors, medieval rulers and landowners. In later times though there were actually very few residents left and in 1930 the very last remaining villages asked the government to evacuate them to the mainland as life there was no longer sustainable. By this time there were only 30 residents left. It was a very sad occasion when they left the St Kilda village behind.

The Seatrek Boat Sea Loch Seen Along the Walk Soay Sheep on Hirta - St Kilda View From a St Kilda Old House Window Fuel Fuel was the hardest thing to acquire for the St Kildans, whilst there was some peat on the island, it was only in a few spots and was too far away for the islanders to carry. They dried turf in special narrow houses built specially for this purpose. Remotest Islands in the British Isles This group of islands are the most remote in the British Isles, being 40 miles from the nearest land. It can be seen from the Sounds of Harris and also from near the Isle of Pabbay which is near to the Isle of Lewis and also from Barra. St Kilda has astonishing cliffs and sea stacs, where there is the most important seabird breeding station in north-west Europe. World Heritage Site - St Kilda St Kilda is a world heritage site, there are three organisations that work together to protect and care for and conserve the site. These are The National Trust for Scotland, Scottish Natural Heritage and the MoD, St Kilda is one of only 24 global locations which has been awarded 'mixed' World Heritage Status for its natural and cultural significance.

History of St Kilda and the St Kildans The history of the site and the history of the St Kildans tells a fascinating story which captures the interest and imagination of many people for many years. The way of life that the St Kildans lived, was very harsh and thee villagers had much to be proud of, though their story is at times somewhat sad. The last of the villagers was evacuated to the mainland in the 1930. The Name St Kilda - Derivation The name St Kilda, actually does not derive from there being a "Saint Kilda" The main island was called" Hirte" or "Hirta" . A a map was published in 1540 which detailed the name St Kilda, but it was given for another island near Lewis, however in 1592 it was used for the St Kilda archipelago consisting of five islands, Hirta, Soay, Boreray, Dun and Levenish. There are also two very large rocks or sea stacks Stac an Armin and Stac Lee.

The St Kilda Village - Great Historical Interest The village , or the remains of a village, is of great historical value and you can see restored cottages, the church and the school where the St Kildan residents lived until their evacuation in 1930.ere are several species of dolphins that can be seen around the Western Isles. Exactly what kind of houses the very early St Kildans lived in isn't known for certain, however there are remains of blackhouses and early stone structures. The village as its is today, was laid out by a minister in the 1830's, a kind of half moon shaped long street of house sand their small cultivation plots of land next to each house Meadow Pipit Seen on Hirta - St Kilda World War 1 - Hirta - shelled by German submarine Early in World War I the Royal Navy erected a signal station on Hirta, and daily communications with the mainland were established for the first time in St Kilda's history. In a belated response, the German submarine SM U-90[88] arrived in Village Bay on the morning of 15 May 1918 and, after issuing a warning, started shelling the island.

Seventy-two shells were fired, and the wireless station was destroyed. The manse, church & jetty storehouse were damaged, but no loss of life occurred. As a result of this attack, a 4-inch Mark III QF gun was erected on a promontory overlooking Village Bay, but it never saw military use. Food - Fulmars - Gannets - Puffins The main source of food was gained from the actual birds, the gannets & fulmars being the two main birds, but the St Kildans also ate puffins. They went to amazing feats of agility to obtain the young birds, climbing the rock stacks barefoot, carrying their spoils on their backs to the small boats which they used & back to Hirta. The birds eggs provide a much needed fresh food in the summer months, the gannets, fulmars were harvested each season to be plucked, dried & stored for the next winter. It was around 1860 when they were visited by ornithologists who suggested to the St Kildans that there was money to be made from actually selling birds eggs, especially the fulmars of which there weren't any in Great Britain that the islanders began to do this also.

The feathers & oil were kept for export and helped pay their rent, the bones were shaped & used as implements and tools, the skins were used for shoes. They also grew what crops they could, barley and the like and either used the crops and like the birds these provided either food, fodder or they were traded to the mainlanders as rent or exchanged for various necessary items. Being that the stacks were the highest in the UK - 400 metres in height and in some places are almost vertical, this really was a feat! I have detailed a few facts below about the Island and its people, and made this page using the photographs we took during the trip.

In 1912 after a really sever winter there was a great shortage of food Teachers Desk at the Schoolroom- Hirta 4inch Mark111 QG Military Gun at St Kilda A Cleit on Hirta - St Kilda - Used for Storage Purposes Gannets Nesting on The Stacs at St Kilda Ruins in Front of the Bay at Hirta - St Kilda Hirta - The St Kilda Church Highest Cliffs in the UK St Kilda has the highest cliffs in the Uk, being 400 metres high, also the highest underwater cliffs which support incredible sea life. with caves and caverns an underwater spectacle. The stacs that are part of the St Kilda archipelago are incredible. The main stacs area) Stac an Armin, Stac Lee and of course the lovely island nearby of Boreray. Stac an Armin. Stac an Armin is a sea stack in the St Kilda archipelago, and is 196 metres in height. It is the highest sea stack in Scotland and The British Isles. The name Stac an Armin means stack of the soldier/warrior.

The St Kildans didn't actually stay on the stac, but visited to harvest the birds and their eggs and it is thought that there were occasions when because of the weather, they were forced to remain on the stac overnight until the weather cleared and the sea was calm enough to travel back to St Kilda. The St Kildans climbed barefoot or with thick socks on and used ropes made of horsehair. Stac an Armin a quarter of a mile north of Boreray and also quite near to Stac Lee Stac Lee (Gaelic Stac Li) Stac Lee is 172-metre-high and is home to the worlds largest colony of Northern Gannets. It is four miles North East of Hirta. Seen from the south, the rock appears as an imposing cliff as broad as high, while from the west it has the aspect of a thin needle with a top bevelled at an angle of 45°. The most impressive view is that obtained from the south-east, from where Stac Lee looks like a giant hook. This stac is also home to fulmars and kittiwakes Boreray Boreray island reaches 384metres in height.

Boreray is the smallest of the Scottish islands to have a summit over one thousand feet. On Boreray there are three small bothies which the St Kildans regularly used when they did their fowling expeditions. When in 1724 there was an outbreak of smallpox, three men and eight boys were marooned on Boreray until the following May. It is said that there are 130 different flowering plants on the island. Long ago also there were a primitive variety of sheep called "Boreray" sheep. Stac Lee at St Kilda - Western isles The Village Street - Hirta - St Kilda Pulpit in the St Kilda - Hirta Church Boreray - St Kilda - Hebrides The Church Bell The bell that the St Kildans used for some years had quite a story to it, a ship the SS Janet Gowan built in Quebec and registered in Greenock was wrecked on St Kilda in 1864 On a voyage - Calcutta to Dundee The Ship had been on a voyage from Calcutta to Dundee with a cargo of jute.

After a month the ships captain decided to set off for the mainland using one of the ships small boats that had survived and a small boat that the St Kildans leant him. The ships boat proved to be unsuitable and the crew cut that boat loose and used the St Kildan boat. Bell From the Wreck Used for 60 Years They eventually made it to the West coast of Harris and then on to Tarbert, where they left the boat and returned back via Stornoway to Greenock. Some months later the St Kildans received a consignment of meal and flour and 9 pounds being to cover the St Kildans cost in getting their boat returned from Harris to St Kilda and the loan thereof. The bell from the wreck was used by the St Kildans for over 60 years, the replacement for the old bell was gifted by W.M.Hume & Co Ltd - Greenock as the original bell disappeared at the time of the evacuation The Schoolroom The Schoolroom was part of the church and was completed in 1899.

The church was renovated in 1899 and the schoolroom was finished, in 1938 it was describes as having two desks, sheet of linoleum used as a blackboard, a calendar for 1930 and a map showing England but not Scotland! Prior to the schoolroom., there had been several "schools" or at least teachings that were either carried out in the church itself or in peoples houses. In 1860 each family was said to be well off, keeping 1 or two cows or a few sheep, along with a common stock of sheep. No Thieving and Only 1 Illegitimate Child There was no thieving and there was only one illegitimate child in the last twenty years. There were family prayers in every house, each day, the children reading the Gaelic bible, the people were said to be very clean, however their houses were not very good at all, with no exit for the smoke and soot which was three inches thick at least. Actually the soot was used in manure and each year the black straw from inside of the roof was removed and fresh straw laid inside.

Bronze Age Its not clear at all when the first settlers arrived at St Kilda, but tools found on Hirta do suggest that Bronze age travellers were there 4000 - 5000 years ago Land Apportionment Each tenant would have had their own portion of land, which could have been anywhere on the island, but these land apportionments were reallocated annually until in the 1830,s there were agricultural reforms which resulted in each tenant would have had his own strip of land on which he built his own house. Birds - Sea Breeding and Fowling The St Kildans took gannets, fulmars and puffins which were used for food as well as some going towards paying their rent. The breeding season bering March to September, this was the time when the islanders caught the birds, by hand or with a fowling rod. The world's largest colony of gannets nests on Boreray and the sea stacs and St Kilda also has the British Isles largest colony of fulmars. Way of Life - Religion - Houses There were no roads and the St Kildans carried all their produce, birds, or grain etc on their backs.

They went from island to island in small open boats. The produce was landed precariously on the rocks right up until 1901 when a small jetty was built. Catholics In the 1600's it is recorded that the St Kildans who spoke Gaelic, were really quite a lively bunch and loved music, singing and dancing, they were originally Catholics as many Catholic priests visited and stayed for different periods on the island. Free Church - Tokens for Communion As time went on and different ministers came and went, the St Kildans became supporters of the Free Church of Scotland which meant that they had a more quiet sedate life as frivolity was not part of the Free Churches teachings at all. In the 18th century ministers were sent to the island and a church was built in the nineteenth century, along with a school in 1884. From the seventeenth century tokens were issued to parishioners as a sign that they were fit people to receive communion.

Population 1690 - Population of 180 who rented the land 1690 a population of around 180 has been recorded, these people rented the land from a landlord from the Island of Skye, a Macleod. from Dunvegan. Until the 19th century, the rents that were actually paid would have been the produce from the island, which the landlord would then have sold on. The factor who collected these payments would have in turn given the islanders some much needed goods in return. The islanders would have given the factor barley, oats, fish, produce from their cattle, sheep, and especially seabirds In 1697 the population is reputed to have been 180 In 1834 there were 93 inhabitants of twenty one families In 1852 about a third of the population emigrated to Australia.

In 1860 it was said that the eldest lady on the island was sixty, although there seems to be some dispute about this Landing on Hirta - St Kilda In 1860 the only means of landing on S Kilda or Hirta, would be to clear out an indentation amongst the rocks ( currently filled with large stones), erect a crane on the cliff above only 30ft high, and hoist up the boats, a committee of the Agricultural Society were involved with this project and it was agreed that £100 be set aside for this Soay Sheep Soay Sheep lived on the Island of Soay, these sheep lived as feral animals and belonged to the owner of the island. The Soay sheep are believed to have been the remnants of the earliest sheep to have been kept in Europe The Soay sheep are usually small, brown, with white bellies and short tails and their fleeces moult on their own naturally. Quite a few Soay sheep live on St Kilda, after the evacuation of the villages they were transferred to Hirta. These sheep have survived and are from really primitive breeds which date back to the Bronze age.

As a part of an ongoing survey and with the onset of DNA technology, it has been possible to tell which rams have fathered which lambs each year. It's usual that a Soay ram would only father one or two lambs however it has been proved that one ram actually fathered detailed as "Old Green 23" had fathered 27 lambs! Mice - the St Kilda mouse There were two types of mouse on St Kilda, the field mouse and the St Kilda house mouse and both of these were much larger than those on the mainland. They are sub species maybe brought in the Viking times by Norsemen. The house mouse is now extinct but the St Kildan field mouse still remains. Daily Meeting - Parliament The St Kildans days always began with a daily 'Parliament', a meeting held in the street every morning after prayers. All the adults males in the village went to this meeting, and helped to decide upon the day's activities. No one led the meeting, and all men had the right to speak. The St Kildan Wren This lovely bird is also a sub species of the wrens and is somewhat larger than other wrens.

It is detailed now that there are believed to be around 115 pairs left on Hirta. The St Kilda wren is less streaked than the mainland Ness - Isle of Lewis - Folklore or Fact? It is said that the people of Ness used to say to their children if they were misbehaving " I wish you were in Hirta, I'll put you on a cows back and send you there" Cleits There are many many cleits all over the St Kilda island, these were used for storage. These are turf covered dry stone walled storage buildings. The wind was able to pass through the walls, keeping the items stored cool and dry, the cleits situated near the houses would have been primarily used to store the seabirds and the eggs, that were the mainstay of the St Kilda diet Lady Grange and Her Cleit - Fact or Fiction Lady Grange was the wife of the Scottish Lord Advocate, however they separated in 1730. She spread rumours that he was a Jacobite sympathiser, and generally made a nuisance of herself. She was imprisoned by him on North Uist, then was exiled to St Kilda in 1734.

Eventually, she managed to alert friends to her circumstances, and they tried to rescue her. This was unsuccessful and she was removed to Skye where she died in 1742.A large cleit in the Village meadows is traditionally said to be the house where she was held prisoner, but is this story true or just a tale? Lover's Stone Rumour or stories have it that young men of St Kilda, before they could marry, had to prove they were able to provide for a family by climbing the rocks to catch birds for food. They had to balance on their left foot over the edge of a large protruding rock, place their right foot in front, bend down and make a fist over their feet. This balancing act was proof of their agility on the rocks. Two rocky outcrops are associated with the legend, these are – the Lover's Stone and the Mistress Stone.

The Schoolchildren of Hirta - St Kilda View between the St Kilda Houses ©2014 Virtual Hebrides Last surviving St Kilda native dies aged 93 | Daily Mail Online Next Last surviving St Kilda native dies aged 93, more than 80 years after islanders were evacuated from the Outer Hebrides enclave where her duties included collecting puffin eggs and seaweed Rachel Johnson, 93, was 8 when the remaining 36 residents were evacuated from the Atlantic island in 1930 The remote island sits on the outermost reach of the Outer Hebrides, 110 miles off the west coast of Scotland As a child her duties included being lowered by rope off cliffs to scoop up puffin, gannet and fulmar eggs Children on the island received basic schooling - learning to speak only Gaelic with very little English St Kilda was routinely cut off by stormy seas, plagued by illness - and children had to do their share of island chores

Question: Which remote island in the Outer Hebrides was evacuated in 1930 and is no longer inhabited?
Answer: St Kilda