Between the Cliffs and the Sea: St Kilda and Heritage from Afar

This chapter explores alternatives to the binary position of visitor and resident, by promoting the notion of custodianship through the developing study of a remote access heritage centre for St. Kilda, Scotland. Intrinsic to heritage tourism is the valorisation of the past, which whilst providing a financial model is not necessarily in the interests of the local community. Custodianship offers an alternative where the future rather than the past is foregrounded and present ownership acknowledges the obligations to future generations. Therefore, it focuses on how ‘remote-access’ preservation can be a driver in the sustainable development of the St. Kilda Centre, on the Hebridean Isle of Lewis, and on the engagement of the critical tourist in the co-creation of heritage.