Visit the edge of the world

For the next fortnight Alex Hale, Archaeology Survey and Recording Projects Manager at RCAHMS, will be blogging from the remotest part of the British Isles. As a team member on the first of two summer expeditions by RCAHMS to map the archaeology of St Kilda, Alex will give a detailed account of what it's really like to eat, sleep, live and work on a near uninhabited island.

Situated 41 miles to the west of Benbecula in Scotland's Outer Hebrides, St Kilda is the only location in the UK to hold dual UNESCO World Heritage Status for both its environment and culture. The islands were evacuated on August 29, 1930, bringing to an end the troubled history of a unique community. In a three-year partnership project with the National Trust for Scotland, an RCAHMS team are using the most advanced modern surveying techniques to produce the first-ever comprehensive map of all the surviving archaeological sites on the archipelago.

In his blog Alex will describe a specific hour of activity from each day on St Kilda, moving from morning porridge, through afternoons identifying and recording remote archaeological sites, to how to find entertainment in the evenings. Updated daily – or when access to the island's military radar-station broadband allows – he will give a unique insight into the highs and lows of working in the field.

Click on the link to keep up to date with Alex's blog, and to leave any comments.