CAMPING ON ST KILDA
The only accommodation for visitors on St Kilda is a small campsite. Prior to booking your travel with us, we recommend that you book the campsite. To do this please contact National Trust for Scotland – Susan Bain or Angela MacKenzie 01463 732645 / amackenzie@nts.org.uk / sbain@nts.org.uk . We can contact NTS on your behalf if you prefer. Note that NTS limit the number of consecutive nights on St Kilda to 5. On most dates, NTS limit the number of people camping to 6. The camping site cost per night is £12 payable directly to the warden on St Kilda.
TRIP INFORMATION
Independent camping trips can be arranged by taking one way trips on any of our day trips to St Kilda.
6:50am Day of departure: Meet at Stein Jetty, Skye for a briefing and departure at 7:00am.
Our fast and comfortable boat, Infinity will take you across the Minch and through the Western Isles to the exposed Atlantic Ocean, arriving at St Kilda after 85 miles and around 4 hours later (3 hours 30 mins on good days).
On arrival in Village Bay, we will make the short transfer by Zodiac dinghy to the main St Kilda island of Hirta. You are free to explore the Island. The St Kilda museum, school and Church provide a fascinating insight into the way of life of the St Kildans prior to their evacuation in 1930. The remains of the village, the graves and 2nd World War gun are all open to view.
A guided walk may be arranged at a cost of £5 per person. Please add this when booking your trip.
8.30pm Day of return: Arrive back at Stein Jetty, Skye. The return journey to Stein will take approximately four hours.
Note: You will be travelling on our day trips. All of our trips are weather dependent. In the event of you being booked one way inward to Skye on a trip which is cancelled due to weather we would move your booking to the first available place on subsequent sailings (at nil additional cost). Be aware that after a weather cancellation some sailings may already be fully booked (max 12 persons per sailing) and so the first available place may not be on the next sailing we make to/ from St Kilda. We would communicate with you via the NTS ranger to advise of any alternative available travel options we are aware of and to keep you advised on the weather forecast. Be aware of the risk of delayed return and plan accordingly. All risks associated with delayed travel due to cancellations are the responsibility of the customer and we do recommend carrying appropriate insurance. We want to be sure you are aware that when staying overnight on the remote islands of St Kilda there is a real possibility of weather changes resulting in an extended stay of many more days than planned. (In practice the longest delay we have seen actually occuring so far is for a group who intended to stay for 3 nights experiencing weather delays resulting in a 6 night stay.)
Please also be aware of this important part of our cancellation policy which affects both the outward and inward legs of your journey to and from St Kilda “In the event of the passenger cancelling there will be no refund of monies already paid, unless the seat can be re-sold in which case there will be a commensurate refund. ” This is an important part of our Terms & Conditions as we have only 12 places per sailing and a restricted number of sailings each year. Please only book one way outward and one way inward travel if you are 100% satisfied with this cancellation policy. (in practice we are often able to re-sell places at short notice, however not always).
Please note Requirements noted below and for additional information see trip info.
REQUIREMENTS
Mobility: Passengers require to be independently mobile with a reasonable degree of agility. Unfortunately the trip is not suitable for wheelchair users or anyone with back problems. National Trust for Scotland prohibit all cabin boats (including our boat) from berthing at the St Kilda, Hirta pier. The short transfer to the pier is by Zodiac dinghy/ tender. If you have any concerns about your ability then please contact the Go to St Kilda team for advice.
Age: Children under 16 accompanied by an adult are welcome. Not recommended for children under age of 12 or over the age of 65.
Dress required: Footwear suitable for walking on the island where ground can be uneven, steep and wet underfoot. Warm waterproof clothing (jacket, trousers and footwear) for use on the island and also to enjoy views from the rear deck during the journey, which is often wet from sea spray.
Food and drink: Passengers are required to bring their own food and drink as there are no catering facilities on the island.
Pets: Pets are strictly prohibited due to fragile ecosystem on the island. If you require kennels for your pets, see Trip Info for more details.
Camping equipment: You are responsible for providing your own camping equipment, and any cooking equipment. If you prefer an arrangement where we provide all the camping equipment please see the Trip Info.
Access: To download the NTS St Kilda Guide to Access and Camping Information see Downloads.
PRICE, BOOKING AND PAYMENT
Each trip can take up to 12 passengers.
The 2018 price for the day trip from Stein, Skye is £235pp for each one-way trip. The total cost will be £470pp. Camping on St Kilda costs £12pp per night. This is payable to the NTS ranger on St Kilda.
If booking more than 14 days in advance, a 30% deposit is required. The balance is payable by 14 days prior to date of travel.
