The Islands of St Kilda

These volcanic islands lie 40 miles to the west of the main archipelagos chain and have the most dramatic and foreboding landscape of anywhere in the UK. A number of documentaries have been made about the wildlife and culture of the islands through the years, but unknown to the audience, millions of people all over the world have set their eyes on the islands' volcanic rocks in the last year as it had a brief but important scene-setting role in the box office smash Harry Potter!

But there's a lot more to St Kilda than stunning scenery; St Kilda is the most important sea bird breeding station in North West Europe. This World Heritage Site has the largest colony of guillemots in the world, the oldest and largest colony of fulmars, the biggest colony of puffins in Britain and over one million birds in total. Owned by the National Trust for Scotland, St Kilda was once populated by the unique and hardy Kildians, who due to poverty and starvation (caused by the influx of visitors) were forced to leave the islands in the last century. There is an abandoned village on the island where the houses are still relatively intact and lots of stories and folklore about life on St Kilda has been preserved. To find out more about St Kilda, have a look at the National Trust's St Kilda web site... (www.kilda.org)