8 Aug 2024

From the edge of the world 2024 – part 2

Written by Sue Loughran, St Kilda ranger

A single storey white painted cottage stands at the top of a stone pier, surrounded by a drystane wall. Bags of building materials are neatly stacked in front of the wall. Ministry of Defence buildings can be seen in the background, against the hillside.

The white Manse cottage on Hirta

Our St Kilda ranger shares an update on the highs and lows of the 2024 season so far.

I write this as I wait for the helicopter to take me back to St Kilda, following my summer break. I can’t believe that I’ve only been away for a few weeks; it feels like a lifetime since I last saw my colleagues and the island. So much has happened and the transition to and from St Kilda always takes a bit of time. Invariably, I feel a sense of ‘jet lag’ when I come off the island … the sheep seem huge (after our relatively tiny Soays), and there are dogs, babies, shops, family and friends to reconnect with. The explosion of plant life since being last on the mainland is phenomenal. I take great delight in just drinking it all in and enjoying the sensory overload.

Similarly, on the return, there is a sudden need to switch back into ranger mode and quickly get up to speed with who will be working on the island, changes of staff and volunteers, what has been happening and what may need urgent attention. There is a big sense of anticipation, heightened by the excitement of preparing for the flight across.

So many times already this season we have been hampered by the changeable weather, and the arrival of the helicopter and boats has been at the mercy of the prevailing winds and swell on the sea. Projects have been delayed and some seabird work had to be cancelled due to missing windows of opportunity. However, it has not all been bad news by any means! We have continued to welcome visitors whenever possible, and most planned cruise visits have arrived safely (albeit with a little adjustment on landing times). We even managed a Norway Day parade along Main Street.

A small cruise ship is anchored in Village Bay, fairly close to shore. It has been photographed from a smaller boat, the side of which can be seen at the bottom of the photo.

A number of small boats and a tall sailing boat are dotted around Village Bay on a sunny day, with the water sparkling. The stone pier is in the foreground.

A large group of sailors, and some visitors, prepare to set off for a parade on St Kilda. Most carry a small Norwegian flag to wave.

A huge amount of repair work has been carried out on the stone structures on Hirta, with teams of drystane dykers, builders and skilled volunteers forming a very productive and positive team. It was a joy to see Main Street alive with an industrious workforce!

Two women carry out repair works to the exterior of a small stone cottage on St Kilda. A number of repair materials are laid out on the path in front of the row of cottages.

A woman uses an electric drill to repair a green wooden door that is laid out on a patch of grass.

A man smiles for the camera as he adjusts the rope inside a sash window in a small cottage. A hammer lies on the outside windowsill beside him.

Four people take a break from DIY outside the row of stone cottages on St Kilda. Two men lie back onto a grass verge, a man leans on a spade and fork, and a woman stands with her hands in her pockets. They are all chatting.

We had the pleasure of a visit from musicians earlier in the season, when Garefowl came to work on and record their second album, drawing all their inspiration from the islands. They were particularly interested in gaining recordings of animate and inanimate objects on St Kilda, and it will be really interesting to hear their completed work. They turned House 1 into an informal ceilidh place on a couple of evenings.

A group of 6 musicians sit around a coffee table in a cottage, playing their various instruments. They are watched by a group of people sitting round another coffee table on the other side of the room. Various drinks bottles and glasses stand on the tables.

Garefowl playing in House 1

We carried out our annual beach clean with help from our neighbours in QinetiQ, contractors and volunteers. Thanks to everyone for helping to harvest as much as possible. By sorting and weighing the rubbish into categories, we found that we’d removed 105kg of assorted plastic, rope, nets, etc from the whole sweep of Village Bay.

8 people stand in a row on the pier at St Kilda, each with a large bag of rubbish or bundle of rope in front of them. All are wearing waterproof clothing; it is raining!

A group of people search through large stones and boulders on a beach, collecting rubbish. A small hand saw and a litter hoop lie beside them.

I’ll finish on an amazing coincidence (which often happens in relation to this island). I was working my way back via Glasgow, and in an unfamiliar station. I asked a lady with a suitcase if she too was going for the airport bus, and we walked to catch it together. In our brief conversation, it turned out that she was a direct descendent of the Gillies family from St Kilda. You couldn’t make it up! It made me feel like the island was calling me back … so here I come!