Stunning Images - St Kilda, Hebrides, Scotland

Stunning Images - St Kilda, Hebrides, Scotland

St Kilda is a group of five remote islands: Hirta, Soay, Boreray, Dun and Levenisha, which lie in the North Atlantic 100 miles off the west coast of Scotland.

The clear oceanic waters around the islands support a diverse and stunning range of animals and plants while the cliffs are home to the largest colony of seabirds in Europe. The sheep, fieldmice and wrens on the islands are unique to St Kilda. The last residents were evacuated in 1930, bringing to an end  thousands of years of human occupation. They had survived in this seemingly harsh environment by catching seabirds for food, feathers and oil, farming crops and raising livestock.

The archipelago is a spectacular landscape of vertical cliffs and sea stacs, surrounding the safe haven of Village Bay. In addition to its mixed World Heritage status, St Kilda is a National Nature Reserve, a National Scenic Area, a Site of Special Scientific Interest and a European Union Special Protection Area.