Soay Stac
United Kingdom · Europe
About
Stac Shoaigh (Scottish Gaelic: "stack of Soay") is a sea stack rising 62 metres (203 ft) from the Atlantic Ocean, located between the islands of Hirta and Soay in the St Kilda archipelago in Scotland. It is positioned east of the taller Stac Biorach. Historically Stac Shoaigh was visited by the St Kildans, who collected seabirds and eggs from its cliffs. Stac Shoaigh, along with the rest of the archipelago, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is managed by the National Trust for Scotland.
As was the case with Stac Biorach, Stac Shoaigh is uninhabitable but was an important part of St Kilda's subsistence economy because it provided seabirds and their eggs to the inhabitants of St Kilda. During the 18th and 19th centuries, St Kildans visited Stac Shaoigh regularly in search of eggs from gannets and fulmars, which were carried back to Hirta in woven grass baskets. This was a risky process because it was often undertaken using ropes and homemade climbing equipment. Harvesting on stacks in St. Kilda was last undertaken in the mid-19th century but was abandoned due to a decline in population and changes in economic circumstances.
Adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)。Photography via Wikimedia Commons.