Stac Lee

Rising vertically from the North Atlantic, this formidable sea stack in the St Kilda archipelago is more a mountaineering challenge than a hike. Its sheer, guano-streaked cliffs host a massive seabird colony, offering a raw, remote experience for the very few who manage the treacherous boat landing and technical ascent.

• •The name likely derives from the Gaelic Stac Lì, meaning 'coloured' or 'bright' stack—a reference to the thick coating of white gannet guano that makes the rock gleam from a distance.
• •St Kilda's inhabitants famously climbed these vertical faces without ropes or shoes to harvest gannets; Martin Martin recorded in 1698 that they would even spend nights huddled on the narrow ledges.
• •Reaching the summit earns a dramatic perspective of the neighbouring Stac an Armin and the jagged, dark peaks of Boreray, set against the vast, empty horizon of the Atlantic.
• •It holds the distinction of being perhaps the most inaccessible Marilyn in the British Isles, as any attempt depends entirely on rare, calm sea conditions and significant climbing skill.
• •Labelling this vertical 172-metre wall of rock as a 'Hump' is a triumph of technical classification over common sense.