With Go To St Kilda, you can visit the most remote islands in the UK. Here photographer Ali Horne recalls his memorable trip
THE Isle of Skye is one of the most visited islands in the whole of the UK for good reason. The landscape is unlike anything else I have explored or seen in any other area around Scotland and cannot be described until you have set your eyes on it. Finding out that it was possible to travel to an even more breathtaking and unique place from these shores was an opportunity I could not resist.
I was fortunate enough to travel to St Kilda, a set of isolated islands 40 miles off the west coast of the Outer Hebrides, in June 2019, while working with Go To St Kilda as photographer of their newest boat, Finn Mara.
The islands are not only a dual UNESCO World Heritage Site, but they are also home to over one million birds, making it one of the most important bird colonies in Western Europe.
Many people opt for the day trip to Hirta, the main island, but I was fortuitous to camp on the island for four nights (one more than expected due to the rough seas). With no service or internet access for the duration, it’s a great way to refresh your own batteries and really embrace the cultural and historical aspects of St Kilda to the fullest.
At over 400 metres, the islands have the highest sea cliffs in the whole of the UK, which you get really close to on your return boat journey. It’s difficult to comprehend that locals once climbed them to gather birds eggs to eat.
As a result of the male population leaving for the war or the mainland for work, the elderly and children left behind struggled to cope with this extreme way of life and the challenges of St Kilda’s harsh climate. By 1930 the islands had been evacuated of their final 36 residents.
Highlights from my trip included solitary walks to every edge of Hirta, photographing puffins in their hundreds, witnessing the brutal Scottish west coast weather and discovering the history of the islands and just how the locals survived in such a remote setting. A truly unforgettable trip, and one that I cannot encourage enough.
Go To St Kilda trips set off from the Isle of Skye. You can opt for a day trip or a camping adventure of one night or more. The trips are run through the summer months by Go To St Kilda, which also runs trips to the Isle of Harris and to the Small Isles.