In the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, there is a faraway group of islands with a long history and a story of people living alone. These islands are called St Kilda. They are 40 miles away from North Uist. The story is about the last 36 people who lived there. They chose to leave their old home and this was a big change after hundreds of years of being by themselves.
For a long time, the people of St Kilda lived away from others. They had to deal with tough weather and a hard life. But even with these problems, they found their own way of surviving. They hunted seabirds such as Puffins and Gannets and also grew food and fished. They had their own traditions, language, and life that was different from others. The people depended a lot on the environment around them. But the modern world was coming closer, and it was hard to keep their old way of life.
Around the early 1900s, the people of St Kilda had more and more problems. They couldn't find enough food from hunting birds, and growing food was tough too. They also didn't talk much to the mainland so couldn't rely on them for extra food. The islands didn't have a lot of things they needed, and this made the people sick.
By Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=17529718
Because of these problems, the people decided to leave St Kilda. On this day 29th August 1930, the last 36 people said goodbye to their old home. This was a big change for them. They left behind their old way of life and started a new life on the mainland.
When the last people left, it was a very sad time. But this wasn't the end for St Kilda. In 1986, St Kilda became a special reserve. It's one of the five special World Heritage Sites in Scotland.
Today, St Kilda shows others how strong people were and how nature is important. The National Trust for Scotland takes care of the islands. They keep the old sites safe and take care of the animals and plants. When people visit, they can see the old village, the stone storage places called "cleits," and the old ruins. This lets them think about the big choices that changed St Kilda's story.
Check your understanding
Where is St Kilda located, and what is the story about?
How did the people of St Kilda survive even though they faced challenging weather and conditions?
What were some of the problems that the people of St Kilda faced in the early 1900s?
Why did the last 36 people decide to leave St Kilda, and when did they do so?
How has St Kilda's story been preserved and recognized in modern times, and what can visitors see when they visit the islands today?
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