 In the 1860s unsuccessful attempts were made to improve the landing area by blasting rocks . A small jetty was erected in 1877 , but it was washed away in a storm two years later . In 1883 representations to the Napier Commission suggested the building of a replacement , but it was 1901 before the Congested Districts Board provided an engineer to enable one to be completed the following year . Nearby on the shore line are some huge boulders which were known throughout the Highlands and Islands in the 19th century as <unk> Hirt , Hirta 's pebbles . 
