32 Abandoned Cities That Are Slowly Being Reclaimed by Nature

By

Lisette Marie

May 21, 2025

23. St. Kilda, Scotland: Echoes on Europe's Edge

St. Kilda. Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons @Mick Crawley&#160

Imagine life on the wind-battered, isolated archipelago of St. Kilda, far off Scotland's coast. Inhabited for millennia, its unique human society finally succumbed to hardship and evacuated in 1930. Today, the haunting stone cleits (storage structures) and village ruins on Hirta stand as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, slowly being softened by hardy grasses and buffeted by Atlantic gales. The islands are now a vital seabird sanctuary, where nature’s raw power and the ghosts of a resilient community create an unforgettable, poignant landscape.

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