The Puff Inn - End of an Era

Occasionally I learn something from my blog stats. It's a page that shows how many views each post receives over time. During the past week it indicated that there had been a lot of views of a post I did on the Puff Inn (the St Kilda bar) in 2016 (see this link). Why the sudden interest in the Puff Inn? A quick search answered the question. It turns out they are demolishing the building that housed the Puff Inn as part of the St Kilda Base rebuild. And a newspaper story on August 16th had an excerpt from my 2016 post that described the first time I'd been to the Puff Inn in 1999. 

I am not too saddened by the news, as the Puff Inn had been closed to the public for the past 12 years. They will be opening another bar (for residents only) at some point, and I hope they reuse all the wonderful decorations, banners, and flags that adorned the old pub. Oh how I wish they'd scan and make available the old membership book. I remember signing it as I paid my one-pound fee to join, and then ordering a beer and a double Scotch. 

Since there is no pub for visitors these days, when I go ashore on Kilda I always throw a can of beer in my pack. Then, after the stiff climb to the top of Conachair, I take a seat by the old sundial to set up my own pop-up pub. You are welcome to join me - no membership fee - just BYOB.

Lonely Levinish - St Kilda

I doubt if it's in my future to climb any of the stacks of St Kilda, but it would be interesting to have done so. I have, however, had the privilege of motoring up close to the major stacks; Stac Dona, Stac Biorach, Soay Stac, Stac Armin, Stac Lee, and lonely Levenish.

Levenish is indeed lonely. Connected to Dun by a submerged ridge, it stands all by itself two miles out from Village Bay. Rising to just over 200 feet above the sea, it pales in comparison to the other stacks. But being visible from Village Bay, it shows up in the background of many photos.

Stac Levenish on a grey Kilda day

A Kilda landing - Stac Levenish in the distance

I've only come across one description of someone landing on Levenish, and that was Dr. A M Cockburn who visited it in 1927. He reported finding wild marguerites, sea-pinks, and scurvy-grass on the summit. When I sailed by a few dozen fulmars were nesting in cracks on the side of the rock, but nothing like the massive bird life found on the other stacks.

Levenish would be a star if was all by itself. It is four times as high as Rockall, and difficult to land on. But the superstar stacks, Stac Armin and Stac Lee, draw all the attention. If you ever sail to St Kilda, be sure to appreciate this rugged sentinel in the sea, one the Kildans of old could see most every day. 

St Kilda Visitors Centre

In July I paid a visit to the site in Uig (Lewis) where they are going to build the St Kilda Visitors Centre. It lies on the clifftop a mile north of Islibhig. In WWII the site was home to an aircraft detection radar base, one of a whole system of stations built across the country with the code name Chain Home. You can read about the Islibhig station on this CANMORE page.

These old abandoned radar sites dot the Long Isle. Another station was just down the road at Mealasta, and there were ones on the Eye Penninsula, at Cross and Eorodale near Ness, and above Rodel on the south tip of Harris.

I do not know if they are going to incorporate any of the old radar buildings into the new centre, but they are substantial structures, and demolition would not be trivial. The site has a magnificent view over the sea, and north to the dramatic Mangursta cliffs.

On a clear day, St Kilda, 60 miles to the southwest, is just visible from the site. (If it was another five miles away it would be below the horizon.) When I was there low lying clouds blocked any view of Kilda, but what was visible, only 20 miles to the northwest, were the Seven Hunters, the Flannan Isles. I hope the centre will include something on the Flannans, as they are visible from the site, and the infamous lighthouse would be clearly seen through a telescope. In the following photo (not zoomed), you can just see the Flannans on the horizon (above the boulder to the left of the building). The photo after that is a zoomed in shot.

For more on the future St Kilda Centre see their website at ionadhiort.org. I look forward to visiting the centre when it opens. I'm not sure what admission will cost, but my visit to the site cost a lot. After seeing it I drove south through Ishlibhig and Brenish to road's end at Mealasta. Along the way there is a wide gap running completely across the road. I hit it doing about 30 mph and ruptured a front tire, causing £200 worth of damage. (Fortunately insurance covered it.) If you visit the area, be sure to drive very, very slow.

That said, the drive down this road is pure magic. At its end there is a magnificent view over to Mealasta Island. Mealasta is in a very exposed position, so you need calm seas (and calm wind) to land. It's one of those islands that has eluded me over the years. Five failed attempts so far, but I hope to try again, someday. 

Mealasta Island

The Stacks of Soay - St Kilda

One of the many highlights of a visit to Kilda is traversing the narrow channel between Soay and Hirta. It is especially exciting if the sea and wind are opposing each other. Lying at the narrowest part of the passage are Stac Biorach (the pointy stack, 236 feet high), and Sòthaigh Stac (Soay Stac, 200 feet high).

The channel narrows in to 200 feet as the ship threads its way between the 500 foot high cliffs of Hirta on the one side, and Soay Stac on the other. 

Approaching the passage

Approaching the passage - from left to right are Soay, Stach Biorach, Soay Stac and Hirta

As you approach the stacks it is easy to see how they were once part of a land-bridge between Soay and Hirta.

The Soay stacks seen from Hirta

As its name implies, Stac Biorach is a pointy rock rising out of the sea, and is said to be the hardest of all the Kilda stacks to climb. This description of the climb, which I found in Haswell-Smith's The Scottish Islands, dates to 1698:

...after they landed, a man having room for but one of his feet, he must climb up 12 or 16 fathoms high. Then he comes to a place where having but room for his left foot and left hand, he must leap from thence to another place before him, which if hit right the rest of the ascent is easy. But if he misseth that footstep he falls into the sea.

Stac Biorach

Based on that description, I don't think a climb up Stac Biorach is in my future. I've not come across descriptions of a climb up Soay Stac, but it looks just as daunting. A tunnel pierces it completely through the middle, which when approaching from the south makes the stack look like a crouching otter. 

Soay Stac - crouching otter?

Over the years I have been fortunate to have made this passage about four times. Three of those were in calm seas, but the last one was the best, as the wind and sea were roiling, and if conditions had been any worse I doubt if we'd have tried to motor through.

Looking back to the stacks after traversing the passage in calm seas

The exciting passage between Soay and Hirta is not usually done by the day-boat trips to Kilda, so if you want to do it your best bet is on one of the six or nine night cruises offered by Northern Light Cruising Company.

From left to right - Hirta, Soay Stac, Stac Biorach, Soay

Gleann Mor of St Kilda

It takes a lot of time and effort to visit the most remote and, to me, the most interesting, part of St Kilda: Gleann Mor.  A visit to the glen can take four to five hours, which allows for spending a couple of hours in the glen to visit all its amazing ruins and make the descent to Tunnel Cave. Day trips to Kilda just barely allow time to make this long trek, so the best way to see Gleann Mor without having to hurry is to visit the island on a cruise that allows at least a full day ashore.

The typical route to the glen first involves climbing 800 feet to the saddle below Mullach Sgar. From there you can descend directly into the glen. But since you've gone to the effort of climbing so high, before descending into Gleann Mor I'd suggest strolling to the northwest along the ridge to Mullach Bi and pay a visit to the Lover's Stone.

Gleann Mor seen from near Mullach Bi

Descending into Gleann Mor

Like many areas on Kilda, Gleann Mor is bonxie country. So as you walk down the glen be prepared for a surprise attack from behind.

Bonxie on the attack

Along the way down you will also come across pieces of the Sunderland flying-boat that crashed here the day after D-Day in 1944.

Flying-boat remains in Gleann Mor

The ancient ruins in Gleann Mor are astounding. Over a dozen sets of beehive cells, some linked together with odd, horn-shaped forecourts. No one knows for certain how old these things are, but some may date back as far as the 4th century. The most complex cluster is what's known as the Amazon's House (see this CANMORE page for more). 

Clusters of ruins in Gleann Mor

Horned structure

Soay sheep mowing the lawn of Glenn Mor

No visit to Gleann Mor is complete without making the descent to Tunnel Cave. At the tip of the cliff on the east shore of the bay you will find a natural ledge that leads down to the sea, and the entrance to the cave. (You can see the sloping ledge in the next photo.) The last bit of the descent can be slippy, so be careful. Once in the cave you can walk to its far end where there is a great view over to Boreray.

The sloping ledge down to Tunnel Cave

Boreray seen from the tunnel

From the tunnel you have your work cut out for you to return to Village Bay. The saddle below Mullach Sgar is a mile to the south (and 800 feet up). Alternately you can climb directly SE up the ridge to Mullach Mor, and then on to the top of Conachair. That route is only three-quarters of a mile as the gannet flies, but has 1234 feet of elevation gain. Either way can be tough going through thick grass and attacking bonxies. The climb up Conachair is one you'll remember for a long time; especially the view from the top down to Village Bay on one side, and Boreray on the other.

If you do make the effort to walk to Gleann Mor, chances are you'll have it mostly to yourself. My last visit there was in 2015. Five day-boats and three cruise ships were in village bay. A hundred visitors were ashore, but when I was in Gleann Mor I only saw one other person.

The Puff Inn

My first visit to St Kilda's Puff Inn was in the spring of 1999. We arrived late in the evening, went ashore in the twilight, and made our way to the pub. The joint was jumpin' - loud music playing, air thick with cigarette smoke, and most of the tables occupied by a mix of sailors, base workers, NTS folks, yotties, naturalists, seasoned skippers, and first-timers like me.

After paying the one-pound membership fee (which, I believe, went to the RNLI), I had a few beers before going out back to pitch my tent in the camping enclosure. I was also able to phone home with the help of an MOD operator using one of the two radio-telephone booths in the hallway. The pub was known for its cheap drinks. They were not allowed to make a profit, and so the booze was sold at cost - you could get a double Scotch for 50p (they did not sell singles).

My next visit to the Puff Inn was in 2004. Inflation had hit St Kilda, and the price of a large Scotch had risen to 94p. I did not know at the time, but it would be my last time in the pub, as they closed it to the public after the events of July, 2005. (See this page for the official statement on why the Puff-Inn is no longer open to visitors.) Oh how I wish I'd taken more photos inside the Puff Inn, as it was well decorated (including the ceiling). Unfortunately, the only photo I took is this one of the sign that hangs in the hallway leading to the rest rooms.

St Kilda International

Access to St Kilda will improve next year with the opening of St Kilda International Airport. It will have three runways, allowing planes to land regardless of the wind direction. Several major hotel chains are now bidding for a license to build a 300 room hotel atop Connachair, the highest hill on the island. The views should be outstanding, and each room will come with a bag of Bonxie chow, so you can feed the Skuas from your deck. Fantastic!

St Kilda International

Soon to be a common sight over Village Bay

I look forward to flying to St Kilda next year. But I do hope they improve the passenger lounge.

A Day on St Kilda

In October of 2014, some ten months ago, I signed up for an Outer Hebrides trip on Hjalmar Bjorge operated by Northern Lights Charters. The cruise was for this August, and included a visit to St Kilda. As the date approached I started paying attention to the weather news from Scotland. The news was not good: a record number of day-trip cruises to Kilda were being cancelled due to the bad weather. A week before the trip the weather looked like it was still going to be terrible, and the Northern Lights cruise during that week was unable to get to Kilda, and had to spend a good deal of time hiding from the winds in and around Skye.

But we were lucky. As we set out from Oban on August 8 the weather took a turn for the better, and we were able to get to Kilda. Greeting us as we arrived in Village Bay was the beautiful tall ship Bessie Ellen.

Bessie Ellen in Village Bay

The first few hours on the island were a bit crowded. For in addition to the passengers on Bessie Ellen, there were another 90 people ashore, as all the day-boats had taken advantage of the break in the weather to make the trip. I had about seven hours, long enough to escape the crowds and make a long walk around the island.

Once past the Helipad and beach, I started up the grassy slopes to Ruabhal and the Mistress Stone.

The Mistress Stone

From Ruabhal a gentle grassy slope leads to Mullach Bi and the dramatic west ridge of Kilda.

Day Boats from Harris, Lewis and Loch Alainn - Hjalmar Bjorge at far right

Looking NW to Soay

From the above viewpoint over Soay I made a steep descent into Glen Mor to take a close look at its cluster of horned structures that, from a distance, resemble ant-heads with giant pincers.

Glen Mor

Ruins in Glen Mor

Horned Structure - 1

Horned Structure - 2

Scattered across the glen are bits and pieces of the Sunderland flying boat which crashed here in June of 1944.

Sunderland Wreckage - 1

Sunderland Wreckage - 2

From Glen Mor it was a stiff climb of some 1200 feet up the slopes to the top of Mullach Mor, where I encountered the not-so-picturesque radar complex at the top of the hill

Summit of Mullach Mor

From Mullach Mor an enjoyable walk led to the top of Conachair, the highest point on Kilda. To the NE there was an amazing view over to Boreray, and the south side offered a view directly down to the village. I could see that all the day-boats had now left, and the only ships at anchor were Halmar Bjorge, Elizabeth G, and two others.

Boreray seen from Conachair

Village Bay seen from Conachair

From the top of Conachair it was a steep descent down the grassy hillside to the Gap. There I took a seat at the cliff edge to enjoy the view of Boreray.

Boreray seen from the Gap - with one of the day boats on its way to the stacks

Bonxies had harassed me all day, and as I descended to the village I had to keep a fist in the air to ward off their attacks. I still had an hour left, and so I leisurely wandered through the village before making my way to the cannon by the feather store.

Village Street

Site of the post office

Number 5

The canon - with Hjalmar Bjorge & Elizabeth G at anchor

I was soon back aboard Hjalmar Bjorge enjoying a cold beer and a wonderful dinner. The next morning we motored out of village Bay to head for the Monachs. The plan was to spend the night there, but the conditions were too rough, so we ended up at Loch Maddy, where I was offered the opportunity of making a through-hike across the hinterlands of North Uist. It would be a trek from Loch Maddy to Loch Euphort via North and South Lee, which will be the subject of the next post.