The St Kilda archipelago, the remotest part of the British Isles, lies 41 miles (66km) west of Benbecula in Scotland’s Outer Hebrides.
The archipelago consists of the main island of Hirta, along with Boreray, Dun and Soay, and the sea stacks Levenish, Stac an Armin (191m) and Stac Lee (165m) – the highest in Britain.
With their exceptional cliffs and sea stacks, the islands form the most important seabird breeding station in north-west Europe. The world’s largest colony of gannets nests on Boreray and the sea stacks.
St Kilda is one of the best places in Britain for diving because of its clear water and its submerged caves, tunnels and arches.
Unique species
St Kilda mice
Two kinds of mouse used to be found on St Kilda. Both were larger sub-species of the mainland house mouse and wood mouse. The St Kilda house mouse became extinct after the evacuation in 1930. The St Kilda fieldmouse is still common on Hirta and is also present on Dun. It mainly feeds on snails, insects, moss and seeds, but will also feed on the carcasses of dead sheep, birds and any apples, or other delicacies foolishly left around by work party members!
St Kilda wren
The St Kilda wren is a larger sub-species of the mainland wren; there are only a few hundred pairs, making it a great rarity. Specimens of the adult birds and their eggs were highly prized and the St Kildans used to collect eggs for selling to collectors. Today, it’s fully protected on St Kilda.
