Looking along the west cliffs of Hirta, St Kilda towards Mullach Bi with some cleits in the foreground
The archipelago of St Kilda lies 40 miles WNW of North Uist in the Outer Hebrides off the west coast of Scotland. The islands are believed to have been permanently inhabited for at least 2000 years prior to their evacuation in 1930. The most common man-made structure on St Kilda is the cleit of which there are about 1260 on Hirta. They are small drystone structures which were used to store birds, eggs, feathers, crops and peat. St Kilda holds a globally important seabird colony with significant numbers of Northern Gannets, Leach's Petrels, Atlantic Puffins and Northern Fulmars. The islands are now owned by the National Trust for Scotland and have been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site for both their natural and cultural significance. There is a small military base on Hirta which is operated by QinetiQ. It was established in 1957 as a radar tracking station for the missile range on Benbecula, Outer Hebrides.
Size: 4365px × 2910px
Location: Hirta, St Kilda, Outer Hebrides, Scotland, UK
Photo credit: © Michael McKee / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: cleitan, heritage, island, isle, national, remote, scotland, site, trust, unesco, uninhabited, world
