Day 14: St Kilda, Outer Hebrides, Scotland
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Returning to St Kilda after two
years: A hike to "The Gap",
a walk around the village, a Zodiac cruise and a
visit to the Stacs.
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In June 2021, we were
here as part of a trip called "Natural Wonders of the
British Isles". Covid restrictions were still in place
and we were not permitted to go ashore, but we were still
able to do Zodiac cruising and take in the beauty of St
Kilda. The archipelago isn't known for good weather, but
for the second time, we were extremely lucky in that regard.
It was a pleasure and a privilege to be back here for another
visit. This video is our record of our previous visit. |
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Back
to the present and this was our first view of the islands when we
woke up. |
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Village
Bay, with the old settlement on the island of Hirta ahead of us. |
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The island
of Dun is on the left, Hirta on the right. |
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Bruce
chose to do the shorter strenuous hike. Geoff decided to relax on
the ship. |
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A look
around the village would come later. First, it was time for the
hike, starting above the village. |
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The walk
became steeper as we approached the edge of the cliff. |
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The views
from this high up were lovely, looking across to Boreray and the
Stacs. |
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The cliffs
below us were full of life. |
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A view
in both directions. |
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Coming
back down, there was time for a look around the old settlement.
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Returning
to the ship for lunch. |
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Food
on the ship is always beautifully presented, but the staff has made
an extra-special effort today. |
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Disembarking
again, this time for a Zodiac cruise in the bay. |
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Looking
through the island of Dun to the other side. Too risky to sail through
this one... |
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...but
this gap looked more promising. |
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Susan,
our driver, decided to go through it. |
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We were
the first ones through the gap. Soon others joined us. |
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...and
these were the scenes on the other side. |
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We went
back through the gap to return to the bay. |
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Geoff
kept an eye out for Bruce's arrival back to the ship. |
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Afternoon
tea was another special occasion. |
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Soon
afterwards, the anchor was raised and we began our cruise over to
Boreray and the Stacs. |
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Another
wonderful day was over as we spent our last night aboard en-route
to Oban. |
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