The curator of an Aberdeenshire museum who combined her interest in archaeology, Vikings and sailing last year will share the story of her adventure next week.
Henrike Bird took part in a once-in-a-lifetime expedition to St Kilda last summer to raise money for the Ocean Youth Trust Scotland.
The mother-of-two joined another 11 sailors, all of varying abilities, on the 75ft Alba Endeavour for the week-long trip from Oban to the Outer Hebrides and onto St Kilda.
For Mrs Bird, who is the curator of the Insch Connections Museum, it was a dream come true.
She said: “It was absolutely fantastic and much better than I expected it to be.
“We landed at night at 2am and couldn’t really see anything, but in the morning we got just the best view. It was bright sunshine and there was not a ripple on the water – it was just like paradise.
“I was really excited to see the place I’ve read so much about.”
Mrs Bird, who previously worked at the prestigious Helms-Museum in Hamburg, has always had an interest in history, and said the trip let her see how hard life would have been for the inhabitants of St Kilda.
“It was so removed that for months the people who lived there didn’t have any contact with anyone other than those on the island,” she said. “They were just on their own, they had their own parliament and were basically forgotten.
“In the 19th century ferries and visitors would come, but never in the winter so for six or seven months there was no one coming round – they were completely self-sufficient.
“It was a rough life, and so far away from the life we know.
“There were a few moments when I was walking, through the graveyard, when I found myself imagining what it would have be like to live there. It’s why I’m so interested in the past and history.”
Mrs Bird has put some of her treasured photographs from the trip on display in the museum, and is now preparing to give a talk on her adventure next week.
The talk, which is open to all, will be held in Insch Church Hall on Monday from 7.30pm.
Entry is £4, and proceeds will go the museum.