St Kilda and Stac Lee

St Kilda and Stac Lee

ID: QZP99_97193_09_11 DESCRIPTION: St Kilda and Stac Lee, photographed by George Washington Wilson, who visited the islands in the 1880s. The archipelago of St Kilda, the remotest part of the British Isles, lies 41 miles (66km) west of Benbecula. It consists of the islands of Hirta (the largest and also known as St Kilda), Soay, Boreray and the Dun. Their cliffs and sea stacks are the most important breeding grounds for sea birds in Europe. There are around 40,000 pairs of gannets on Stac Lee alone. Stac an Armin (191m) and Stac Lee (165m) are the highest sea stacks in Britain. Stac Lee lies about 550 metres west of Boreray. Sea stacks are blocks of erosion-resistant rock detached from the land by sea. Sea stacks begin as part of a headland or sea cliff, until relentless pounding by waves erodes the softer, weaker parts of the rock leaving harder, more resistant rock, behind. This image comes from a collection gifted to Edinburgh Central Library by Dr Isabel F. Grant. The collection includes photographs taken by a number of different photographers. PLACENAME: St Kilda DISTRICT: Harris OLD COUNTY/PARISH: INVERNESS: Harris CREATOR (AV): George Washington Wilson PERIOD: 1900s SOURCE: Edinburgh and Scottish Collection, Edinburgh Central Library COLLECTION: I F Grant Photographic Archive Asset ID: 38939 KEYWORDS: