Inside the UK island ghost town evacuated by residents 90 years ago where three planes have crashed
A SMALL island in Scotland has become a ghost town after it was abandoned by residents more than 90 years ago.
Residents of the largest island in the St Kilda archipelago were evacuated from their homes in 1930.
The remote archipelago is around 100 miles off the Scottish mainland in the North Atlantic Ocean, and it's thought that humans happily lived there for 2,000 years.
One of those islands was Hirta where freshwater springs, fish, birds, crops, and other livestock made it possible to live on the island.
But according to the , harsh weather conditions, and a turbulent terrain made life on Hirta difficult.
Locals on the island were plagued by illness and crop failures, which led to a dwindling population.
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In 1930, only 36 residents lived in Hirta and they all opted to be resettled on the Scottish mainland.
The residents were evacuated on the HMS Harebell and were rehoused across Scotland in places like Oban, Inverness, and Fife.
Cattle and sheep were taken on boats too, but the island's working dogs were all drowned in the bay.
During the Second World War, Hirta and the St Kilda archipelago remained untouched apart from three planes that crashed there.
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While the island may have been used by the Ministry of Defence, the National Trust, and scientists in the years since the island was abandoned, there have been no permanent residents on the island.
Despite the island having no permanent residents, tourists can visit this deserted Scottish village.
From day trips to luxury cruises, several companies operate excursions to St Kilda where tourists can visit stone buildings that once housed residents.
Ferries to the island can take between three and six hours to reach the island from Scotland's Western Isles.
There are no cafes or restaurants on the island, so holidaymakers will need to come prepared with their own food and drink.
The island also has one small campsite where holidaymakers can stay but booking in advance is required.
Camping costs £20 per night per person and includes access to showers, toilets, and drinking water.
But this isn't the only place in the UK that's been abandoned by its residents.
Residents in the town of Imber in Wiltshire were ordered to leave in 1943 so American troops could use the village to practice street fighting ahead of D-Day.
To this day the town remains part of the Salisbury Plain Training Area, reserved for drilling soldiers in urban warfare.
Imber is now open to the public only a handful of bank holidays throughout the year and at Christmas.
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And another "ghost town" turned into a "boom town" attracting people from miles away.
