St Kilda and Callanish, Isle of Lewis
Overnight we had sailed from the shelter of the Isle of Rum and out into the Atlantic, heading West, for the archipelago known as St Kilda. By breakfast time we had reached these isolated and rugged islands, home to tens of thousands of birds, mainly gannets and fulmars. We circumnavigated Stac Lee and Boreray, one of the largest gannet colonies in the world, and watched as the thousands of birds flew to and forth in search of food. Even from the deck of the ship we could hear their incessant calls and chatter.
During breakfast we repositioned to Village Bay on the main island of Hirta. We could clearly see the remains of the little village, hundreds of the famous St Kildan cleits (stone-built drying sheds) and the rather out of place modern buildings connected to the radar installation. Our two guides, Susan and Neil, came aboard and gave us a brief description of what we would see and, more importantly, how we should behave on this World Heritage Site. Soon we were making the short and smooth Zodiac drive to shore where Susan and Neil took us on a guided walk of the poignant little abandoned community. Several of the old houses have been restored and work was taking place while we were there in repairing and restoring others as well as re-roofing many of the different sized cleits.
Wild Soay sheep roam freely everywhere and at this time of year they are accompanied by their lambs. Apart from the soft whistle of the wind through the grass the only other sound to be heard was the calling of mother to lamb and lamb to mother, a sound which would have been familiar to the last St Kildans who left the island on 29th August 1930. It is not every time that landings can be made here. We felt extremely lucky and privileged to walk the length of the ancient Village Street, stand in the houses where these remote and enduring people lived and share the same views of dramatic scenery as did generations of gentle St Kildans, some of whom still lie in the walled cemetery next to the street.
After lunch we steamed directly for our next landing of the day – the fantastic standing stone complex at Callanish on the Isle of Lewis. During our sea-time Jim and Carol kept us informed and educated. Jim gave a presentation on the geology of the British Isles, a fascinating conglomeration of different rocks, ages and disturbances. Later Carol helped set the scene for our after dinner landing by giving an illustrated presentation on Callanish and the people who built the monument.
Dinner was a buffet which allowed us more time to spend ashore at Callanish. The drive was long but dry. In the evening sun we got a good glimpse of the Isle of Lewis as we made our way along Loch Roag to the landing. It was a short walk from there to the site itself but even from the pathway we could see other stones and stone circles in the distance all of which contribute to the whole Callanish landscape. The stones themselves are incredible. Set in the form of a Celtic cross (although pre-dating Christianity by millennia) they stand on a slight hilltop and command a view of the entire surrounding area. Carol had earlier shown us some slides of the features of the horizon, which we should pay attention to. Now we stood on the spot where these ancient stones align to other stones, the rising and setting of the Moon and to the other megalithic monuments in the area. This silent and enigmatic monument holds many, many secrets but just being there and savoring the beauty, mystery and wonder of the place is an experience that should not be missed.
The Zodiac drive back to ship was interrupted by an unexpected stop at the Endeavour’s bar which had floated out to greet us! Hotel manager Bob and everyone’s friend Marek had driven a Zodiac half way out from the ship and offered us hot chocolate or something stronger to warm us as we sped back to the ship and a hot shower. What a delight!
Overnight we had sailed from the shelter of the Isle of Rum and out into the Atlantic, heading West, for the archipelago known as St Kilda. By breakfast time we had reached these isolated and rugged islands, home to tens of thousands of birds, mainly gannets and fulmars. We circumnavigated Stac Lee and Boreray, one of the largest gannet colonies in the world, and watched as the thousands of birds flew to and forth in search of food. Even from the deck of the ship we could hear their incessant calls and chatter.
During breakfast we repositioned to Village Bay on the main island of Hirta. We could clearly see the remains of the little village, hundreds of the famous St Kildan cleits (stone-built drying sheds) and the rather out of place modern buildings connected to the radar installation. Our two guides, Susan and Neil, came aboard and gave us a brief description of what we would see and, more importantly, how we should behave on this World Heritage Site. Soon we were making the short and smooth Zodiac drive to shore where Susan and Neil took us on a guided walk of the poignant little abandoned community. Several of the old houses have been restored and work was taking place while we were there in repairing and restoring others as well as re-roofing many of the different sized cleits.
Wild Soay sheep roam freely everywhere and at this time of year they are accompanied by their lambs. Apart from the soft whistle of the wind through the grass the only other sound to be heard was the calling of mother to lamb and lamb to mother, a sound which would have been familiar to the last St Kildans who left the island on 29th August 1930. It is not every time that landings can be made here. We felt extremely lucky and privileged to walk the length of the ancient Village Street, stand in the houses where these remote and enduring people lived and share the same views of dramatic scenery as did generations of gentle St Kildans, some of whom still lie in the walled cemetery next to the street.
After lunch we steamed directly for our next landing of the day – the fantastic standing stone complex at Callanish on the Isle of Lewis. During our sea-time Jim and Carol kept us informed and educated. Jim gave a presentation on the geology of the British Isles, a fascinating conglomeration of different rocks, ages and disturbances. Later Carol helped set the scene for our after dinner landing by giving an illustrated presentation on Callanish and the people who built the monument.
Dinner was a buffet which allowed us more time to spend ashore at Callanish. The drive was long but dry. In the evening sun we got a good glimpse of the Isle of Lewis as we made our way along Loch Roag to the landing. It was a short walk from there to the site itself but even from the pathway we could see other stones and stone circles in the distance all of which contribute to the whole Callanish landscape. The stones themselves are incredible. Set in the form of a Celtic cross (although pre-dating Christianity by millennia) they stand on a slight hilltop and command a view of the entire surrounding area. Carol had earlier shown us some slides of the features of the horizon, which we should pay attention to. Now we stood on the spot where these ancient stones align to other stones, the rising and setting of the Moon and to the other megalithic monuments in the area. This silent and enigmatic monument holds many, many secrets but just being there and savoring the beauty, mystery and wonder of the place is an experience that should not be missed.
The Zodiac drive back to ship was interrupted by an unexpected stop at the Endeavour’s bar which had floated out to greet us! Hotel manager Bob and everyone’s friend Marek had driven a Zodiac half way out from the ship and offered us hot chocolate or something stronger to warm us as we sped back to the ship and a hot shower. What a delight!
