Power of Nature

Few who have been to St Kilda and stood in the Village, surrounded by the cries of a million seabirds, can fail to have been moved by the place and its story. This tiny Hebridean archipelago is a place of drama, a place apart. Its inaccessibility amplifies its remoteness creating a perception of being at the edge of the world.

While the steep cliffs and pounding seas around the archipelago give a sense of the overwhelming power of nature, the very visible remains of human habitation can only fill the visitor with a sense of awe and respect for past generations of inhabitants.

St Kilda stands for isolated societies the world over. The extraordinary spirit of the place comes from the imprint left after the ultimate failure, largely through external pressures, of a way of life. The twin aspects - a people’s resilience in a hostile environment and economic change - give the place its emotional power and universal applicability.