Thursday 4 July - The end of the World!

The last 2 days on St Kilda were free days but sadly the weather was not great for walking - in fact it was doubtful if we would get off the island on the Wednesday.  However the weather (and thus the forecast) were fickle and changed from hour to hour.

The rather enigmatic title: the cruise ship "The World" was due to arrive off St Kilda on Tuesday. We had been offered a visit. Sadly, due to adverse weather, the itinerary was changed so we did not get the visit.  I see from the Highland Park web site that the ship did manage to visit Orkney, and presumably (hopefully) the passengers managed to try some of the golden nectar!

A disconsolate Fal trudges back to House 1

People did their own thing - and Alison (our excellent cook) organised something rather different for the Monday evening.  Many work parties pose as the St Kilda Parliament (an excellent picture taken by Norman McLeod in August 1886 of the Parliament posing outside House 10). Alison went a stage further. Over the 2 weeks, we had been collecting Soay wool. This was carded and made in to beards similar in style to those sported by the men in the original  picture. With help from friends from the base (Bev produced white shirts and black waistcoats (don't ask!) for everyone), and with Gregg from the base and Kevin (the archaeologist) coming to make up numbers, we posed dressed as closely as we cold to the original picture. Alison was our producer, and Alex, the NTS artist in residence was our artistic director. He placed people as closely as he could to the places occupied in the original picture and then took a series of photographs. Once he has tarted these up, we will be e mailed them and one will appear as the last entry on this blog - watch this space.

Alison and Jana look out beards

What on earth is Bev doing to Fal?

The tension mounts as the time for the shoot approaches

Wednesday dawned with the wind of the day before having died away. By 8am, with no word, we knew that Orca must be on her way to collect us. Tidy up our houses, finish packing, and ferry everything down to the jetty for departure.

One work party, 2 weeks!

Our luggage is safe behind Janice on the 2 stages

With some botanists arriving, 2 NTS volunteers and some campers, there was quite a bit of luggage to come off as well as luggage to go on. It is a case of putting our luggage up on the jetty till all the luggage coming off is out the way, watching everything like hawks to make sure that none of our luggage gets left behind. Good teamwork meant that our chain soon got the luggage well away and our luggage off to Orca.

The Cambir - last week we ate lunch at the top

A wild landscape

The wee pinnacle of rock is the Lovers Stone - we stood on that last week

Gannets literally "flow" off Stac Lee

The crew offered to take us round the stacs - not just Stac Lee and Stac an Armin, but round Dun, round by Soay, back to Connachair then off to Boreray and the big stacs there. A magical journey.

Connachair - 2nd Highest sea cliffs northern Europe. 1340'

Then, full speed for Leverburgh.  Dinner was booked at the Anchorage, and the following morning (was it really just yesterday?) we began to disperse. First Derek and Ranete went off by ferry from Leverburgh; then Fal went off to Stornoway by bus, then the rest of us waved goodbye to Jo and Janice who are staying on for a few days, and we set off to Tarbert. In Tarbert, some went with Sara to the Hostel, and Alison and I set to our respective homes.

Looking at this amazing landscape

Paul and camera - never apart

And, when the pressure gets too much...

Fal resorts to binoculars to look at the vegetation

Syncronised meditation

An excellent 2 weeks, a great deal of work done and objectives achieved, good company and some good walking.  Hopeful as many as possible will make it to the St Kilda Club reunion in November, but perhaps the last word (or last "picture" rather) should go to the members of Work Party 3, 2013. An excellent team!