Natural Heritage - St Kilda

St Kilda

The Project is also inspired by St Kilda, the place. St Kilda lies in the Atlantic Ocean, 100 miles from the Scottish mainland and due west of the Outer Hebrides. It is a stunningly beautiful archipelago of islands and home to the immense flocks of seabirds which sustained the St Kildans from Bronze Age times.

These isolated and spectacular islands were formed from a volcanic eruption more than 50 million years ago when the cliffs passed through Lewisian gneiss - the oldest rock in the world - on their journey skywards. At 1,394 feet (425 metres) above sea level, the cliffs of Conachair stand higher than the Empire State building and the Eiffel Tower. Neighbouring Stac An Armin, meanwhile, is the UK's highest sea stac.

Wildlife

St Kilda’s outstanding terrestrial and marine landscapes are home to Western Europe’s most important seabird colony. More than a million birds frequent the islands in summer, including 228 migratory species and one quarter of Britain’s nesting puffins (over 40,000 pairs). Boreray, Stac Lee and Stac An Armin host the world's largest colony of gannets with over 120,000 pairs. The islands are also home to unique species of wren, mouse and wild Soay sheep. The combination of oceanic influences and local geology create a marine topography that is just as remarkable beneath the waves as above.

St Kilda is the only location in the UK to hold Dual UNESCO World Heritage Site status due to the significance of its outstanding natural and cultural landscape.