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Isolation

I have never felt so off the grid and isolated than during my time on Hirta. 40 miles from the Outer Hebrides, all you can see for miles around is the Atlantic Ocean and the scattering of islands that make up St Kilda. One of these, Boreray, is visible after hiking to ‘the Gap’, a precipice above the highest UK sea cliffs at over 400 metres. Carefully watching my step, this was the view I was treated to - Boreray and the two tallest sea stacks in the UK (Stac an Armin, 196m and Stac Lee, 172m). A lone boat off the east coast shows just how grand these monoliths are.

These remote stacks and island were sailed to annually by the Hirta residents, where they harvested birds as their main food source. A five mile sailing was treacherous with dangerous conditions and shabby boat designs - a smallpox outbreak on Hirta in 1727 meant three men and eight boys were marooned on Stac an Armin until the following May. What a life they used to live.

A lone fulmar flies into view - history flashes before my eyes.

Creator

Ali Horne

alihorne.eth

I’m Alistair, a Scottish freelance photographer specialising in the outdoors and the natural world. I have worked on award winning social media campaigns with a variety of clients, including Visit Norway, Airbnb, Adobe and Visit Scotland. Having been brought up with the mountains and coastlines in my backyard, they have considerably shaped and influenced my work and photography style, leading to where I am today.

Properties

Rights

Extended Editorial

Location

St Kilda, Scotland

Subject

Island of Boreray and sea stacks with lone bird

Genre

Seascape

Artist

Ali Horne

Edition

1/1

Dimensions

5791x3866

Filetype

JPG

License

Extended Editorial

Can be used to display privately, or in commercial and non-commercial settings, or in groups with an unlimited number of participants. The license includes unlimited use and display in virtual or physical galleries, documentaries, and essays by the NFT holder. Provides no rights to create commercial merchandise, commercial distribution, or derivative works.

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