You are here: Frequently Asked Questions Frequently Asked Questions Who was St Kilda? The name St Kilda is misleading as there never was a St Kilda associated with islands. It was first used instead of Hirte, or Hirta, on a map published in 1540, but for an island near Lewis. On a map of 1592 it was used for the St Kilda archipelago. The word may be a corruption of the Old Norse word 'Skildir' meaning shields, and possibly refers to the shape of the islands when viewed from a distance at sea. How do I get there? Apart from joining an NTS work party or going on an NTS cruise, the best way to get to St Kilda is by chartering a boat (unless you have your own!). Companies offering charters to St Kilda operate from various ports, including Mallaig, Oban and the Western Isles. For details of times and prices, you should contact the charter boat operators directly. How long does it take to get there? The journey time is dependent on weather and tide conditions, as well as the type of boat chartered. A motor vessel from Oban, for example, will probably take around 14 hours minimum to travel to St Kilda. From the Western Isles it might be around 8 hours. There are times when the boat has to turn back due to bad weather. Does anyone live there? There are no permanent residents on St Kilda today. However, the main island of Hirta is occupied all year round by the people who work on the military base, now almost entirely a civilian workforce. The National Trust for Scotland/Scottish Natural Heritage wardens are resident on the island from April to September every year. National Trust for Scotland work parties visit the islands during the summer months, and many researchers spend time there studying all aspects of the natural and cultural history. Are there any original St Kildans left? As far as we know there are only three original inhabitants left who lived there before the evacuation in 1930. Are any of the evacuees still alive? A number of the islanders evacuated in August 1930 are still living on mainland Scotland. Where can I buy postcards, videos, DVDs, etc? The St Kilda club run a small shop on St Kilda where you can buy a wide range of books, postcards, videos and DVDs. These are also available at the St Kilda Club re-union on the 2nd Saturday in November. Two one-hour DVDs are available by Mail Order from the producer and cameraman, Chris Mylne - 24 Kinloch View, Blackness Road, Linlithgow, West Lothian, EH49 7HT. They are priced at £17.50 each (incl post and packaging). They are also available as videotapes (VHS/PAL) at approx £20 each from Panamint Cinema (see their website). Each DVD (or video) covers two half-hour films, with a total running time of approximately 1 hour: 1. "St Kilda" - including "St Kilda Story", the history of the islands as recorded on film from 1908 to 1980, including archive film of the village up to the evacuation of the community in 1930; and "Wildlife of St Kilda" featuring the plants, animals and birds, including a million sea-birds as well as the unique St Kilda wrens, field mice and Soay sheep. 2. "Sea stacks and Solitude" - including "St Kilda, the lonely islands", made for Films of Scotland as shown on BBC1 and BBC2 in 1966, as well as "Fair Isle, the happy island" (1978), a portrait of the other remote island community owned by the National Trust for Scotland and which is still thriving. Colin Baxter produces a range of postcards of St Kilda can be ordered from Colin Baxter Photography Ltd, Grantown-on-Spey, PH26 3NA or email: enquiries@colinbaxter.co.uk Are the sheep still there? Who looks after them? At the time the people were evacuated, the Lewis Blackface sheep were removed from Hirta, but still remain on Boreray. Two years later Hirta was restocked with Soay sheep from the neighbouring island of Soay. These sheep have remained there ever since, with almost no active management by humans. This extraordinary population of sheep has been the subject of scientific study since the mid-1950s, initially under the Soay Research Team and latterly as part of a larger, more detailed research project currently being carried out by the Soay Sheep Project. In particular, the study aims to examine the patterns of population growth and decline and to determine the reasons for any changes. Soay Sheep Project website Is there other material about St Kilda not mentioned on this website? There is a great wealth of material about St Kilda – too much to detail here. Two major sources are: The George Washington Wilson Collection, University of Aberdeen holds an important photographic archive. George Washington Wilson Collection Queen Mother Library University of Aberdeen Meston Walk Aberdeen AB24 3UE United Kingdom The Scottish Life Archive has a large archive of material including photographs Royal Museum of Scotland Chambers Street Edinburgh EH11JF United Kingdom Tel: (+44) 0131 225 7534