After This Barren Rock’s Settlers Finally Fled, They Left Behind A Ghost Town Surrounded By Sea

Located in the midst of the wild North Atlantic Ocean, St. Kilda is a strange and lonely place. Today, the jagged rocks and hillsides are populated by sheep and seabirds, the stubborn creatures who refuse to leave their island home. But less than 100 years ago, a community of men, women and children eked out a living on these far-flung rocks. Then, one day, they disappeared, leaving a haunting ghost town behind.

Of course, life on St. Kilda, like in many remote places, was never easy. As the locals battled against harsh winters and devastating storms, they had little to sustain them. And while the march of progress continued in the modern world, the people on this archipelago remained stubbornly stuck in the past.

For centuries, the residents of St. Kilda lived a life almost completely cut off from the rest of civilization. Hunting seabirds for food, they dug ramshackle homes out of the peaty soil, sheltering between the churning ocean and the rocky peaks. But today, these cottages stand empty, a huddle of eerie relics from a forgotten past.

So what happened to the families that once called St. Kilda home? And why did they abandon their village to the elements? The answer reveals a grim truth about the remote reaches of the British Isles and a way of life that has now vanished into the mists of time.

An archipelago of four islands located more than 100 miles off Scotland’s western coast, St. Kilda is considered the most remote spot in the British Isles. In fact, there are 40 miles of ocean between its wild shores and the nearest inhabited place: North Uist. And even today, the fastest boat crossing takes two-and-a-half hours.