1 00:00:09,167 --> 00:00:13,399 The seas around Scotland are a paradise of islands - 2 00:00:13,447 --> 00:00:15,642 700 at least. 3 00:00:15,687 --> 00:00:18,884 Some rise up in majestic splendour. 4 00:00:20,887 --> 00:00:23,799 Others barely break the surface. 5 00:00:25,687 --> 00:00:27,405 The Scottish lsles are home 6 00:00:27,447 --> 00:00:30,883 to some of the most close-knit communities in Britain, 7 00:00:30,927 --> 00:00:33,202 people ringed by the sea. 8 00:00:33,247 --> 00:00:37,365 lts their provider, their adversary and their inspiration. 9 00:00:39,607 --> 00:00:42,167 Ourjourney will explore the lifestyles 10 00:00:42,207 --> 00:00:46,166 forged by this extraordinary land and seascape. 11 00:00:46,767 --> 00:00:50,203 On Shetland, Miranda goes potty over ponies. 12 00:00:50,247 --> 00:00:53,557 - That's a really short one! - These are miniatures. 13 00:00:54,727 --> 00:00:59,243 Tessa Dunlop delves into the secrets of life in the deep. 14 00:00:59,287 --> 00:01:01,164 What is that? lt's got purple legs. 15 00:01:02,007 --> 00:01:04,760 At Fingal's Cave, Hermione seeks out 16 00:01:04,807 --> 00:01:07,879 the inspiration behind a world-famous melody. 17 00:01:11,127 --> 00:01:16,201 Neil discovers how a disaster at sea broke the heart of an entire island. 18 00:01:16,247 --> 00:01:18,238 The clock stopped. 19 00:01:18,287 --> 00:01:20,721 The world changed. 20 00:01:21,487 --> 00:01:24,365 And l'm unravelling Harris Tweed, 21 00:01:24,407 --> 00:01:26,398 hand-made by foot. 22 00:01:27,047 --> 00:01:29,038 This is Coast. 23 00:01:55,047 --> 00:01:58,039 We're sampling the delights of the Scottish lsles. 24 00:02:00,767 --> 00:02:04,760 My journey will take me across the islands of the Outer Hebrides. 25 00:02:04,807 --> 00:02:06,843 l'll be heading for Port of Ness 26 00:02:06,887 --> 00:02:10,084 but l begin in the south, on Eriskay. 27 00:02:13,207 --> 00:02:14,720 Arriving somewhere new, 28 00:02:14,767 --> 00:02:17,804 my first instinct is to make for the centre of town. 29 00:02:18,607 --> 00:02:21,360 Never mind the centre - where's the town? 30 00:02:25,967 --> 00:02:28,765 There are just 1 00 or so islanders 31 00:02:28,807 --> 00:02:31,605 but they're spread over six square miles. 32 00:02:34,727 --> 00:02:37,480 With so much space to do their own thing, 33 00:02:37,527 --> 00:02:41,998 l'm keen to know what binds Eriskay people together. 34 00:02:42,047 --> 00:02:45,722 What is it that creates an island's special community? 35 00:02:47,207 --> 00:02:50,677 The focus of village life is the local shop. 36 00:02:56,207 --> 00:02:58,437 This is a real Aladdin's cave. 37 00:02:59,607 --> 00:03:03,964 The islanders run this shop themselves, to suit their needs. 38 00:03:04,487 --> 00:03:08,002 Wooden clothes pegs. l didn't know those were still available. 39 00:03:08,047 --> 00:03:10,515 - Special socks for Wellington boots. - Yes. 40 00:03:10,567 --> 00:03:13,127 - Does it rain here? - (Laughs) Oh, not really. 41 00:03:14,967 --> 00:03:18,721 This isn't just the only shop on Eriskay - it's the post office too. 42 00:03:20,007 --> 00:03:21,201 - Hello. - Hello. 43 00:03:21,247 --> 00:03:22,600 - Are you Patrick? - Yes. 44 00:03:22,647 --> 00:03:25,844 - l'm Nick. Can l come round the back? - You can indeed. 45 00:03:28,967 --> 00:03:30,366 - Hello there. - Hello. 46 00:03:30,407 --> 00:03:32,796 Are these all your customers on the island, 47 00:03:32,847 --> 00:03:34,838 the people you deliver letters to? 48 00:03:34,887 --> 00:03:36,445 All the customers, yes. 49 00:03:36,487 --> 00:03:38,921 They're labelled by their Christian names. 50 00:03:38,967 --> 00:03:41,686 Labelled... Labelled by name, yes. 51 00:03:41,727 --> 00:03:44,605 Most of the other post offices go by their numbers. 52 00:03:44,647 --> 00:03:47,366 No, but l just go by name, and that's it, so... 53 00:03:47,407 --> 00:03:51,559 You must know the island better than anybody. Would you take me for a spin? 54 00:03:52,967 --> 00:03:56,642 How many jokes d'you have to put up with about Postman Pat, 55 00:03:56,687 --> 00:03:59,804 - given your name is Patrick? - Er, quite a few, actually. 56 00:04:00,567 --> 00:04:03,365 What did you do before you were Eriskay's postie? 57 00:04:03,407 --> 00:04:06,160 l was 1 5 and a half when l left home and went to sea, 58 00:04:06,207 --> 00:04:08,243 into the Merchant Navy. 59 00:04:08,287 --> 00:04:10,323 l did that for 20 years. 60 00:04:10,367 --> 00:04:14,440 But every time l was coming home, it was getting harder to go away, 61 00:04:14,487 --> 00:04:17,923 so l became the postman and 20 years later l'm still here. 62 00:04:18,727 --> 00:04:22,800 There's something about the islands out here that really draw you back. 63 00:04:24,287 --> 00:04:27,563 Strong ties bind people to this place 64 00:04:27,607 --> 00:04:31,077 and the islanders aren't the only ones drawn back here. 65 00:04:31,127 --> 00:04:35,040 There's another group of regular returners...offshore. 66 00:04:36,367 --> 00:04:38,676 - Permission to board? l'm Nick. - l'm Ben. 67 00:04:38,727 --> 00:04:40,718 My guide's Ben Wilson. 68 00:04:42,127 --> 00:04:46,723 For over ten years, Ben's been following a family of bottlenose dolphins 69 00:04:46,767 --> 00:04:48,883 who've shown up every summer. 70 00:04:51,927 --> 00:04:55,317 l'm hoping they haven't changed their plans this year. 71 00:05:01,087 --> 00:05:04,682 Right here! Right in front of us here. Right under the boat. 72 00:05:04,727 --> 00:05:08,766 BEN: There's a small community of animals. About 1 2 individuals. 73 00:05:08,807 --> 00:05:11,321 Ben and his colleagues want to know what it is 74 00:05:11,367 --> 00:05:13,835 that brings the dolphins back here. 75 00:05:14,727 --> 00:05:19,801 ln the summer, we tend to find them within about 1 0km of this spot. 76 00:05:19,847 --> 00:05:23,157 There's definitely a food supply that's keeping them here. 77 00:05:23,207 --> 00:05:25,402 Where they go in the winter, don't know, 78 00:05:25,447 --> 00:05:28,598 so l guess that's the jigsaw we've got to build up. 79 00:05:28,647 --> 00:05:32,640 Shared experience and fun keep communities together 80 00:05:32,687 --> 00:05:35,042 at sea and on land. 81 00:05:35,087 --> 00:05:37,362 (Scottish reel, clapping) 82 00:05:39,087 --> 00:05:42,397 l've been invited to the social event of the year- 83 00:05:44,407 --> 00:05:48,241 the golden wedding anniversary of Roddy and Peggy Mclnnes, 84 00:05:48,287 --> 00:05:51,757 islanders born and bred, who are having a ceilidh. 85 00:05:53,927 --> 00:05:57,124 lt looks like everyone on Eriskay has turned out tonight. 86 00:06:02,007 --> 00:06:04,077 There's a first for everything. 87 00:06:04,127 --> 00:06:07,324 For me, that's Scottish dancing. 88 00:06:11,647 --> 00:06:14,639 l've never needed a map so badly. 89 00:06:29,807 --> 00:06:33,117 The Scottish islands nurture communities 90 00:06:33,167 --> 00:06:35,840 and they can also inspire individuals. 91 00:06:37,367 --> 00:06:40,086 Around 40 miles southeast of Eriskay 92 00:06:40,127 --> 00:06:44,917 there's a tiny lump of rock with a grand musical reputation - 93 00:06:44,967 --> 00:06:46,605 Staffa. 94 00:06:49,047 --> 00:06:53,962 Hermione is on her way to the island to explore its inspirational sound. 95 00:06:56,047 --> 00:06:59,835 HERMlONE: For centuries, Staffa has been a place of pilgrimage 96 00:06:59,887 --> 00:07:02,447 for scientists, painters and musicians. 97 00:07:03,447 --> 00:07:06,598 Undoubtedly, the most famous composer to come to Staffa 98 00:07:06,647 --> 00:07:09,366 was this man, Felix Mendelssohn. 99 00:07:10,047 --> 00:07:13,005 lnspired by his visit here in 1 829, 100 00:07:13,047 --> 00:07:15,561 Mendelssohn wrote the Hebrides Overture, 101 00:07:15,607 --> 00:07:17,677 also known as Fingal's Cave. 102 00:07:21,407 --> 00:07:26,925 For nearly 200 years, this music has been associated with this island. 103 00:07:26,967 --> 00:07:29,606 Or, more exactly, this cave. 104 00:07:31,447 --> 00:07:35,076 l'm here with musician, Seonaid Aitken, who's packed her violin, 105 00:07:35,127 --> 00:07:38,836 and David Sharp, an acoustics expert from the Open University, 106 00:07:38,887 --> 00:07:40,923 who's brought his microphones. 107 00:07:40,967 --> 00:07:43,925 We're going to investigate the musical qualities 108 00:07:43,967 --> 00:07:46,481 of an awesome natural wonder. 109 00:07:51,927 --> 00:07:54,919 l am absolutely blown away by this cave. 110 00:07:59,367 --> 00:08:02,086 l wonder what Mendelssohn would have thought, 111 00:08:02,127 --> 00:08:04,322 seeing this for the first time. 112 00:08:04,367 --> 00:08:06,642 lt is truly inspiring. 113 00:08:08,527 --> 00:08:12,440 lts Gaelic name, Uamh-Binn, means ''melodious cave'', 114 00:08:12,487 --> 00:08:17,197 so called after the musical sounds the cave produces as the waves rush in. 115 00:08:23,207 --> 00:08:28,156 Felix Mendelssohn left Germany in 1 829 to embark on the Grand Tour. 116 00:08:29,687 --> 00:08:31,996 His trip included the Western lsles. 117 00:08:32,847 --> 00:08:35,645 They made quite an impact on the young composer. 118 00:08:36,407 --> 00:08:41,322 Got a copy of a letter here that Mendelssohn wrote to his sister. 119 00:08:41,367 --> 00:08:44,200 ln it, he says, ''ln order to make you understand 120 00:08:44,247 --> 00:08:47,876 how extraordinarily l've been affected by the Hebrides, 121 00:08:47,927 --> 00:08:49,918 the following came into my mind.'' 122 00:08:49,967 --> 00:08:52,527 And then he wrote out these bars of music. 123 00:08:53,327 --> 00:08:56,285 And this is the opening of his famous masterpiece. 124 00:08:56,327 --> 00:08:58,966 - Can you pick out the notes here? - Definitely. 125 00:08:59,007 --> 00:09:02,841 This here is the opening theme, which he would have on the cellos. 126 00:09:03,367 --> 00:09:07,645 And later on, you see it transferring up to the First Violin section. 127 00:09:07,687 --> 00:09:10,918 So, as you've got the violin, could you play us a bit of that? 128 00:09:10,967 --> 00:09:12,241 Absolutely. 129 00:09:33,047 --> 00:09:35,925 When Mendelssohn's overture was first performed, 130 00:09:35,967 --> 00:09:37,958 it was called The lsles Of Fingal. 131 00:09:38,007 --> 00:09:40,567 lt's better known today as Fingal's Cave. 132 00:09:40,607 --> 00:09:44,566 So, what is it about the cave that is so inspiring? 133 00:09:46,647 --> 00:09:48,717 David Sharp, our acoustics expert, 134 00:09:48,767 --> 00:09:51,406 is preparing to test the cave's musical quality, 135 00:09:51,447 --> 00:09:53,597 armed with his microphone. 136 00:09:53,647 --> 00:09:58,038 And Seonaid Aitken is tuning up. She's our one-woman orchestra. 137 00:09:59,607 --> 00:10:03,600 My bow was flattening itself, and fingers sliding all over the place. 138 00:10:04,767 --> 00:10:08,282 Fingal's Cave is often described as a natural concert hall 139 00:10:08,327 --> 00:10:11,876 but how do the acoustics compare with a modern auditorium? 140 00:10:13,127 --> 00:10:17,120 The sound is so different as you just come through the mouth of the cave 141 00:10:17,167 --> 00:10:18,646 to where we are here. 142 00:10:18,687 --> 00:10:22,726 lt completely changes. lt's so reverberant in here. lt's so echoey. 143 00:10:23,687 --> 00:10:27,999 Maybe that's the musical secret of this chamber- its reverberation. 144 00:10:28,047 --> 00:10:30,356 So that's what David's going to measure. 145 00:10:30,407 --> 00:10:33,524 How is the gun going to help us measure reverberation? 146 00:10:33,567 --> 00:10:35,637 OK, well, the thing about a gun 147 00:10:35,687 --> 00:10:39,680 is that the gunshot is a very high-energy burst of sound. 148 00:10:39,727 --> 00:10:41,763 So we get the initial burst of sound 149 00:10:41,807 --> 00:10:44,002 and then we get sort of reflected sound, 150 00:10:44,047 --> 00:10:47,562 reverberating sound, dying away. We're going to measure that. 151 00:10:47,607 --> 00:10:50,485 So my job is to fire the gun? 152 00:10:50,527 --> 00:10:52,961 - Don't forget your ear-defenders. - No. 153 00:10:54,487 --> 00:10:55,840 OK. 154 00:10:59,447 --> 00:11:01,085 (Echoing) 155 00:11:02,967 --> 00:11:05,640 - Has it shown up on the trace? - lt has shown up. 156 00:11:05,687 --> 00:11:09,396 This big jump up is you firing the gun. 157 00:11:09,447 --> 00:11:12,917 And then the sound level drops off quite gradually 158 00:11:12,967 --> 00:11:16,084 as we get the reflected sound just dying away slowly. 159 00:11:16,127 --> 00:11:19,597 So, actually, the reverberation time is about four seconds. 160 00:11:19,647 --> 00:11:24,004 Most concert halls have a reverberation time somewhere around two seconds. 161 00:11:24,047 --> 00:11:28,404 A cathedral - St Paul's Cathedral - over ten seconds. Maybe 1 1 or 1 2. 162 00:11:28,447 --> 00:11:32,156 So St Paul's incredibly echoey - much more than in Fingal's Cave. 163 00:11:32,207 --> 00:11:35,722 More so than here. But this is more echoey than a concert hall. 164 00:11:35,767 --> 00:11:38,839 So it's part way between a concert hall and a cathedral 165 00:11:38,887 --> 00:11:40,445 in terms of its acoustics. 166 00:11:40,487 --> 00:11:44,526 Now that you know the cave has a reverberation time of four seconds, 167 00:11:44,567 --> 00:11:46,603 d'you think that gives you an insight 168 00:11:46,647 --> 00:11:49,207 into how this place inspired Mendelssohn? 169 00:11:49,247 --> 00:11:52,637 l think it does, actually. lt was the waves that inspired him. 170 00:11:52,687 --> 00:11:57,044 lt's this four-second reverberation time which was one of the main factors 171 00:11:57,087 --> 00:11:59,760 in causing this change to the sound of the waves. 172 00:12:02,447 --> 00:12:05,439 Fingal's Cave attracts tourists by the score. 173 00:12:05,487 --> 00:12:07,842 Today they're in for a treat - 174 00:12:07,887 --> 00:12:13,245 a performance of Mendelssohn's overture in the cave that helped inspire it. 175 00:13:05,807 --> 00:13:09,686 NlCK: l'm continuing my journey north along the Outer Hebrides 176 00:13:09,727 --> 00:13:11,957 to the island of Benbecula. 177 00:13:15,487 --> 00:13:20,003 This causeway links the communities of South Uist and Benbecula. 178 00:13:21,167 --> 00:13:26,366 But back in the 1 960s, it wasn't only locals who were making this crossing. 179 00:13:29,647 --> 00:13:33,242 Trucks were rolling along these roads, laden with rockets. 180 00:13:34,807 --> 00:13:39,562 That's because Benbecula was the headquarters of a missile-testing range. 181 00:13:40,687 --> 00:13:42,962 lt was the height of the Cold War 182 00:13:43,007 --> 00:13:46,795 and Britain was desperate to keep up with the nuclear arms race. 183 00:13:47,687 --> 00:13:51,077 As the military mobilised in defence of the realm, 184 00:13:51,127 --> 00:13:54,961 the islanders were preparing to face an invasion of their own. 185 00:13:56,167 --> 00:13:58,635 With the rockets came soldiers - 186 00:13:58,687 --> 00:14:01,121 young men from all over the UK. 187 00:14:01,647 --> 00:14:06,357 Watching over his young chaps was the redoubtable Colonel Cooper. 188 00:14:06,887 --> 00:14:08,843 They get on very well indeed. 189 00:14:08,887 --> 00:14:13,244 They have settled down very nicely and the locals have accepted them. 190 00:14:13,287 --> 00:14:16,199 And l think our relations are extremely cordial. 191 00:14:18,927 --> 00:14:23,284 British military bases had their own shops and bars, run by the NAAFl. 192 00:14:23,327 --> 00:14:27,161 Here, the army and civilians might rub shoulders. 193 00:14:27,207 --> 00:14:29,323 Benbecula was no exception. 194 00:14:32,207 --> 00:14:34,960 l've come to meet Margaret Macdonald. 195 00:14:35,007 --> 00:14:35,996 Hello, Margaret. 196 00:14:36,047 --> 00:14:37,844 A local girl. Hello. 197 00:14:37,887 --> 00:14:41,562 She wasjust 1 9 when she went to work in the NAAFl shop. 198 00:14:41,607 --> 00:14:43,882 This is where the NAAFl shop was. 199 00:14:43,927 --> 00:14:46,839 You were there with friends who were also islanders. 200 00:14:46,887 --> 00:14:49,037 Yes, they were all island girls. 201 00:14:49,087 --> 00:14:51,237 lt was a meeting place, the NAAFl shop, 202 00:14:51,287 --> 00:14:54,438 because they knew the girls in the shop and we knew them. 203 00:14:54,487 --> 00:14:58,116 They used to come in and it was a sort of social event, really. 204 00:14:58,167 --> 00:15:00,635 - They didn't come to shop. - Really? 205 00:15:02,167 --> 00:15:04,806 So it was good fun for the island girls 206 00:15:04,847 --> 00:15:07,077 but what about the squaddies? 207 00:15:07,127 --> 00:15:12,076 Lance Corporal John Saxton was 22 when he was posted to Benbecula. 208 00:15:12,687 --> 00:15:14,962 - Got room for a hitch-hiker? - OK. 209 00:15:15,487 --> 00:15:16,806 Hello, John. 210 00:15:17,967 --> 00:15:21,755 l'd been told before l got here that there's a girl behind every tree. 211 00:15:21,807 --> 00:15:24,002 - You've seen what it's like. - No trees. 212 00:15:24,047 --> 00:15:25,036 Exactly. 213 00:15:25,087 --> 00:15:28,045 John's taking me to the site of his old barracks. 214 00:15:28,087 --> 00:15:30,920 lt must have been a floodgate opening for the girls. 215 00:15:30,967 --> 00:15:33,197 lf you've only got a very small community 216 00:15:33,247 --> 00:15:37,877 and then you get 300 fellas coming in... it's heaven for somebody. 217 00:15:39,327 --> 00:15:42,046 lt was really good. lt was a very good social life 218 00:15:42,087 --> 00:15:46,080 and they had lots of dances on the actual camp itself, in the NAAFl. 219 00:15:46,127 --> 00:15:48,880 And that's when l remember the green buses 220 00:15:48,927 --> 00:15:51,395 going round the villages in North Uist 221 00:15:51,447 --> 00:15:55,235 and picking up local girls and taking them to the army camp. 222 00:15:55,287 --> 00:15:58,199 Jiving and twisting and things like that. 223 00:15:59,007 --> 00:16:02,079 lf you went to the local dances, it was a hop. 224 00:16:02,127 --> 00:16:06,040 lt was one of these things that had a single fella sat on a chair, 225 00:16:06,087 --> 00:16:08,078 playing the accordion. 226 00:16:08,727 --> 00:16:12,766 Out of all the men who poured into that NAAFl, did you meet anyone special? 227 00:16:12,807 --> 00:16:17,198 l did. He was in the Royal Signals here. He had come in from Germany. 228 00:16:17,247 --> 00:16:19,397 Oh, l met the wife up here. 229 00:16:19,447 --> 00:16:21,915 l met him in the NAAFl, l think, and... 230 00:16:21,967 --> 00:16:26,324 l was one of the dancers and l spied her over and, ''That'll do me fine.'' 231 00:16:26,367 --> 00:16:29,723 - l think it was the NAAFl. - You can't remember where you met him. 232 00:16:30,367 --> 00:16:33,677 This is me on my wedding day in 1 969. 233 00:16:33,727 --> 00:16:35,843 lt's my wedding photograph. 234 00:16:35,887 --> 00:16:38,959 l can see why you went for John. Handsome man, eh? 235 00:16:40,047 --> 00:16:42,322 John and Margaret married. 236 00:16:43,807 --> 00:16:46,367 Then John was posted to Cyprus. 237 00:16:47,927 --> 00:16:52,717 But for Margaret, the Mediterranean was no match for Benbecula. 238 00:16:54,287 --> 00:16:59,281 The pull of the island community wasjust too strong to resist. 239 00:17:00,367 --> 00:17:03,200 When John left the army, they came home. 240 00:17:08,927 --> 00:17:13,398 lt's not just locals like Margaret who are connected to Benbecula. 241 00:17:13,447 --> 00:17:15,802 We all have a link to this island. 242 00:17:20,247 --> 00:17:22,397 Benbecula is still protecting us. 243 00:17:22,447 --> 00:17:24,881 lt's the front line of national defence. 244 00:17:26,127 --> 00:17:27,879 4023. 245 00:17:31,167 --> 00:17:33,397 Behind this fence is a piece of kit 246 00:17:33,447 --> 00:17:36,245 that's been guarding Britain since the Cold War. 247 00:17:37,527 --> 00:17:39,677 Squadron Leader Mark Philipson 248 00:17:39,727 --> 00:17:42,924 has agreed to throw open the doors of his base to Coast. 249 00:17:44,407 --> 00:17:46,477 And there are lots of doors. 250 00:18:05,207 --> 00:18:09,246 Wow! lt looks like something from a James Bond set. 251 00:18:09,287 --> 00:18:11,642 This is the radar Type 92. 252 00:18:11,687 --> 00:18:16,078 lt sees aircraft out to about 250 miles and up to about 90,000 feet. 253 00:18:16,127 --> 00:18:19,642 This radar is here to guard and to look out into the West Atlantic 254 00:18:19,687 --> 00:18:21,643 over the western part of Scotland. 255 00:18:21,687 --> 00:18:24,759 Now the Cold War is history, why d'you still need this? 256 00:18:24,807 --> 00:18:26,684 Well, as 9/1 1 proved, 257 00:18:26,727 --> 00:18:29,480 you still have to be able to defend your airspace. 258 00:18:29,527 --> 00:18:32,997 The enemy has changed, and without bits of equipment like this 259 00:18:33,047 --> 00:18:37,040 we wouldn't have a chance of finding the potential rogue airliner. 260 00:18:39,527 --> 00:18:42,246 And this is what the radar picks up. 261 00:18:42,887 --> 00:18:47,517 Each flashing green dot is a plane in airspace covered by Benbecula. 262 00:18:48,087 --> 00:18:50,601 And if, among these innocent green dots, 263 00:18:50,647 --> 00:18:53,639 there was a rogue aircraft, how would you spot it? 264 00:18:53,687 --> 00:18:58,238 By elimination. We have to maintain awareness on what all of them are 265 00:18:58,287 --> 00:19:01,518 so if we find something that we can't correlate or resolve, 266 00:19:01,567 --> 00:19:03,876 then, by default, that has to be a problem. 267 00:19:03,927 --> 00:19:07,124 ln the Battle of Britain you phoned and said, ''Scramble.'' 268 00:19:07,167 --> 00:19:08,725 What would you do now? 269 00:19:08,767 --> 00:19:11,600 We pass it up the chain and if they don't like it, 270 00:19:11,647 --> 00:19:14,400 then we pick up a phone and say, ''Scramble.'' 271 00:19:14,447 --> 00:19:18,076 And the fighters get airborne. So, not a lot has changed. 272 00:19:24,487 --> 00:19:28,878 While the RAF scans the skies for hostile intruders, 273 00:19:28,927 --> 00:19:33,079 others seek out the Scottish lsles for native wildlife. 274 00:19:50,087 --> 00:19:55,445 One of the most enchanting and elusive animals can be found on Shetland. 275 00:20:00,007 --> 00:20:03,522 Miranda's there on her own spying mission. 276 00:20:05,167 --> 00:20:09,319 l'm on the hunt for an animal that l've only seen a couple of times in the wild 277 00:20:09,367 --> 00:20:13,042 and here in Shetland is one of the very best places to find them. 278 00:20:13,087 --> 00:20:15,078 l'm looking for otters. 279 00:20:18,287 --> 00:20:22,565 Around one in ten of the UK's otter population lives on Shetland 280 00:20:22,607 --> 00:20:25,075 but that doesn't make them easy to find. 281 00:20:28,807 --> 00:20:31,879 John Campbell is a full-time otter spotter. 282 00:20:34,447 --> 00:20:38,804 He's taking me to a bay where he's seen a family of these shy creatures. 283 00:20:39,807 --> 00:20:42,879 Fingers crossed, but the weather isn't helping. 284 00:20:43,687 --> 00:20:46,804 We can hear one of them squeaking so we know they're there 285 00:20:46,847 --> 00:20:49,998 but it's so misty we can't see them. But hopefully... 286 00:20:50,047 --> 00:20:52,766 - You hear that squeaking? - (Distant calls) 287 00:20:52,807 --> 00:20:57,198 That's them communicating - the cubs trying to find the mother. 288 00:21:01,167 --> 00:21:04,284 lf you want to spot otters, it's a waiting game. 289 00:21:08,487 --> 00:21:12,765 We've been sitting here for ages and we still haven't seen them. 290 00:21:12,807 --> 00:21:14,604 l've seen a seal. 291 00:21:18,767 --> 00:21:20,837 And the midges are biting. 292 00:21:20,887 --> 00:21:22,878 But no otters. 293 00:21:23,447 --> 00:21:25,756 To cap it all, it's raining. 294 00:21:27,527 --> 00:21:32,282 You'd think these watery beasts would be happy in the rain, but they're not. 295 00:21:32,327 --> 00:21:35,956 lf they've been fishing sea for half an hour or so they get chilled 296 00:21:36,007 --> 00:21:40,398 and they like to come ashore, get themselves dry, get warmed up again. 297 00:21:40,447 --> 00:21:44,042 Obviously, if it's pouring with rain, they struggle to get dry. 298 00:21:44,087 --> 00:21:47,443 So they tend to go and fish and then go back to the holt, 299 00:21:47,487 --> 00:21:50,320 which makes life difficult for the likes of us. 300 00:21:50,367 --> 00:21:52,039 MlRANDA: We can't see them. 301 00:21:58,087 --> 00:22:01,477 At last our patience is rewarded. 302 00:22:03,847 --> 00:22:08,796 We've got a couple of cubs just playing in the water. lt's just beautiful. 303 00:22:08,847 --> 00:22:13,398 They're completely oblivious to us and they're just doing what kids do, 304 00:22:13,447 --> 00:22:16,086 just playing and rolling around each other 305 00:22:16,127 --> 00:22:19,722 and just look really happy and relaxed. lt's really special. 306 00:22:23,167 --> 00:22:26,637 There's one more member of the family who makes an appearance. 307 00:22:28,447 --> 00:22:30,915 lt's a male otter. lt must be Dad. 308 00:22:33,807 --> 00:22:37,004 You never know where they'll pop up, what they'll do next 309 00:22:37,047 --> 00:22:40,596 and that, for me, is the excitement of seeing wild otters. 310 00:22:40,647 --> 00:22:44,037 l've watched wild otters for the last 35, 40 years 311 00:22:44,087 --> 00:22:47,557 and every time there's a buzz. l absolutely love it. 312 00:23:00,327 --> 00:23:03,763 NlCK: We're on a tour of the Scottish islands - 313 00:23:03,807 --> 00:23:07,117 some 700 individual worlds... 314 00:23:07,727 --> 00:23:12,755 separated and united by the great seaway between them. 315 00:23:14,047 --> 00:23:16,800 For hundreds of years, sailors and navigators 316 00:23:16,847 --> 00:23:19,202 have charted courses over the water. 317 00:23:19,247 --> 00:23:22,922 But until recently, what lay beneath, in the deep ocean, 318 00:23:22,967 --> 00:23:24,685 was a complete mystery. 319 00:23:25,967 --> 00:23:29,118 The quest to discover the secret life of the sea 320 00:23:29,167 --> 00:23:31,522 began in the waters off Scotland. 321 00:23:32,527 --> 00:23:36,361 Historian, Tessa Dunlop, is in Oban on the west coast. 322 00:23:37,367 --> 00:23:41,246 She's on the trail of a great 1 9th century adventure. 323 00:23:45,087 --> 00:23:47,396 This state-of-the-art research vessel 324 00:23:47,447 --> 00:23:51,156 owes its existence to a voyage undertaken in the 1 9th century 325 00:23:51,207 --> 00:23:52,845 by HMS Challenger. 326 00:23:52,887 --> 00:23:55,845 Challenger was at sea for nearly four years. 327 00:23:55,887 --> 00:23:58,447 lt was an epic voyage around the globe 328 00:23:58,487 --> 00:24:01,604 to make the first-ever survey of the world's oceans. 329 00:24:03,687 --> 00:24:07,043 The voyage of HMS Challenger revolutionised our view 330 00:24:07,087 --> 00:24:09,237 of what lives in the deep sea. 331 00:24:09,287 --> 00:24:11,926 lt was one of the greatest adventures in science 332 00:24:11,967 --> 00:24:14,925 and it began off the coast of Scotland. 333 00:24:15,807 --> 00:24:20,835 lt took 50 volumes to report the findings of Challenger's global odyssey. 334 00:24:20,887 --> 00:24:24,038 Professor Laurence Mee knows the secrets of these books 335 00:24:24,087 --> 00:24:26,237 and their rare creatures. 336 00:24:26,287 --> 00:24:29,404 lt's one of the original specimens from the expedition. 337 00:24:29,447 --> 00:24:31,039 Obviously, it's a starfish. 338 00:24:31,087 --> 00:24:33,476 lt comes from the deep sea off Nova Scotia, 339 00:24:33,527 --> 00:24:37,042 so these animals live at depths below 1 ,000 metres. 340 00:24:37,087 --> 00:24:39,806 People had assumed there was nothing down there. 341 00:24:39,847 --> 00:24:42,839 This was a colossal scientific endeavour. 342 00:24:43,327 --> 00:24:45,636 The brains behind the expedition 343 00:24:45,687 --> 00:24:50,203 was a brilliant Scottish scientist - Charles Wyville Thomson. 344 00:24:50,247 --> 00:24:52,203 - Hi, Laila. - Hi. Good morning. 345 00:24:52,247 --> 00:24:56,126 People used to think the deep ocean was a barren, dead zone. 346 00:24:56,167 --> 00:24:58,556 Wyville Thomson thought otherwise. 347 00:24:59,327 --> 00:25:01,602 He set out to find proof of life below. 348 00:25:01,647 --> 00:25:07,005 ln 1 868, Thomson began his search in Scottish seas. 349 00:25:07,807 --> 00:25:11,561 Wyville Thomson was actually based at the University of Edinburgh. 350 00:25:11,607 --> 00:25:14,485 He persuaded the admiralty to lend him a small ship, 351 00:25:14,527 --> 00:25:18,998 which studied the region between the Faroes and the Scottish coast. 352 00:25:19,687 --> 00:25:23,566 They found sponges and cold-water corals on reefs just beyond us, 353 00:25:23,607 --> 00:25:27,600 and organisms with multiple legs that people did not believe could live 354 00:25:27,647 --> 00:25:30,081 in those dark, deep, high-pressure depths. 355 00:25:32,207 --> 00:25:35,483 lf such wonders were to be found in home waters, 356 00:25:35,527 --> 00:25:37,882 what would be discovered elsewhere? 357 00:25:40,887 --> 00:25:44,926 Buoyed with success, Wyville Thomson persuaded the British government 358 00:25:44,967 --> 00:25:47,481 to fund the Challenger expedition - 359 00:25:47,527 --> 00:25:51,361 the most ambitious scientific endeavour of the age. 360 00:25:53,007 --> 00:25:58,035 ln 1 872, they set sail on an epic voyage around the globe. 361 00:25:58,927 --> 00:26:01,760 They journeyed for three and a half long years. 362 00:26:02,567 --> 00:26:05,081 Challenger crossed all the great oceans. 363 00:26:05,727 --> 00:26:08,321 They travelled as far as the Antarctic, 364 00:26:08,367 --> 00:26:11,040 zig-zagging their way across the Atlantic 365 00:26:11,087 --> 00:26:13,760 before finally returning home. 366 00:26:15,567 --> 00:26:19,685 Everywhere they went, they took samples and looked for new creatures. 367 00:26:22,167 --> 00:26:25,239 The Challenger was also the first official expedition 368 00:26:25,287 --> 00:26:27,164 to have a photographer. 369 00:26:27,207 --> 00:26:30,995 They captured images of new cultures, all on photographic plates. 370 00:26:31,047 --> 00:26:36,167 The people, their costumes, traditions, were all recorded for the first time. 371 00:26:37,447 --> 00:26:41,076 They took the first-ever photo of an Antarctic iceberg. 372 00:26:41,647 --> 00:26:44,719 This is a rare image of a warrior from the Philippines. 373 00:26:47,047 --> 00:26:50,198 The Challenger revealed a world never seen before - 374 00:26:50,247 --> 00:26:52,283 above and below the waves. 375 00:26:54,647 --> 00:26:58,356 This is a dredge. lt's very similar to the one used on the Challenger 376 00:26:58,407 --> 00:27:01,956 and it's used for collecting animals that live on the sea bed. 377 00:27:02,007 --> 00:27:06,797 We can use similar dredges even in the deep oceans, thousands of metres deep. 378 00:27:08,127 --> 00:27:10,595 - That is chock-full, isn't it? - lt is. 379 00:27:10,647 --> 00:27:15,084 lt's mainly mud, stones, old shells. But there will be some animals mixed in. 380 00:27:15,127 --> 00:27:19,200 - What is that? lt's got purple legs. - That looks like a hermit crab. 381 00:27:20,007 --> 00:27:21,122 Yes. 382 00:27:21,167 --> 00:27:23,476 A little spider crab here. 383 00:27:26,167 --> 00:27:28,556 You never know what you're going to find. 384 00:27:28,607 --> 00:27:31,075 And if you're doing this in deep water, 385 00:27:31,127 --> 00:27:33,846 you can find species no-one's ever seen before. 386 00:27:33,887 --> 00:27:36,242 Which is what they did on the Challenger. 387 00:27:36,287 --> 00:27:39,643 They were sampling down to over 5,000 metres depth. 388 00:27:39,687 --> 00:27:43,316 They were catching things no-one had ever seen in human history. 389 00:27:43,367 --> 00:27:46,518 And now, today, how many species do we know of? 390 00:27:46,567 --> 00:27:50,799 There may be somewhere in the region of 1 .5 million species in the oceans, 391 00:27:50,847 --> 00:27:53,361 most of which we haven't even discovered yet. 392 00:27:57,087 --> 00:28:00,966 Once, scientists believed the deep sea was lifeless. 393 00:28:01,567 --> 00:28:03,683 Now, thanks to Wyville Thomson, 394 00:28:03,727 --> 00:28:07,925 we know the depths are teeming with weird and wonderful creatures. 395 00:28:09,247 --> 00:28:14,275 1 40 years after the science of oceanography started in Scottish waters, 396 00:28:14,327 --> 00:28:17,444 we've still only discovered a small fraction 397 00:28:17,487 --> 00:28:20,001 of the secret life of the sea. 398 00:28:39,567 --> 00:28:41,717 NlCK: My journey along the Outer Hebrides 399 00:28:41,767 --> 00:28:44,600 continues towards the port of Leverburgh. 400 00:28:46,647 --> 00:28:51,767 This is a tale of a business tycoon with a big appetite for fish. 401 00:28:52,967 --> 00:28:55,640 lmagine, nearly 1 00 years ago, 402 00:28:55,687 --> 00:28:57,678 trying to turn this tiny port 403 00:28:57,727 --> 00:29:01,436 into the centre of Britain's biggest fishing business. 404 00:29:01,487 --> 00:29:05,924 That was the vision of an extraordinary English entrepreneur. 405 00:29:06,647 --> 00:29:08,638 Who was this man? 406 00:29:08,687 --> 00:29:12,316 Well, the answer's in the name he gave this port - Leverburgh. 407 00:29:12,367 --> 00:29:16,758 lt was christened by the irrepressible Lord Leverhulme. 408 00:29:16,807 --> 00:29:18,718 At the turn of the 20th century 409 00:29:18,767 --> 00:29:22,123 he was one of the richest and most powerful men in Britain. 410 00:29:25,847 --> 00:29:31,444 ln 1 91 9 he used his vast wealth to buy the entire island of Harris. 411 00:29:37,327 --> 00:29:41,718 Lever had made it big making soap - Sunlight Soap. 412 00:29:41,767 --> 00:29:45,476 Now he planned to clean up in the fish trade. 413 00:29:51,367 --> 00:29:54,359 His grand design centred on this little port. 414 00:29:54,407 --> 00:29:56,875 Back then, it was a town called Obbe. 415 00:29:57,447 --> 00:30:02,919 He spent a fortune - the equivalent today of £21 million. 416 00:30:02,967 --> 00:30:06,039 And yet, some 90 years on, when you look around, 417 00:30:06,087 --> 00:30:10,797 there's remarkably little to be seen of Lever's huge investment. 418 00:30:12,527 --> 00:30:15,360 What happened to his big fish business? 419 00:30:16,127 --> 00:30:17,924 l've come to meet Tony Scherr, 420 00:30:17,967 --> 00:30:21,164 who knows all about Leverhulme's ambitions for Harris. 421 00:30:21,927 --> 00:30:26,796 He started with some unconventional home improvements at Borve Lodge. 422 00:30:26,847 --> 00:30:31,284 When he came, all he could see was this cliff going across, 423 00:30:31,327 --> 00:30:35,081 and then he could see Taransay above the cliff. 424 00:30:35,127 --> 00:30:39,405 So, being Leverhulme, he decided the best thing to do 425 00:30:39,447 --> 00:30:43,076 was to get rid of the cliff. So he blew it up. 426 00:30:43,127 --> 00:30:45,482 That was the man, really. 427 00:30:45,527 --> 00:30:50,078 lf he didn't like it, he blew it up. Or he changed it. 428 00:30:51,407 --> 00:30:55,400 Leverhulme was never one to sit back and admire the view. 429 00:30:56,407 --> 00:31:00,719 He was a man with a mission - to transform the lives of the islanders 430 00:31:00,767 --> 00:31:03,520 by building a monumental business. 431 00:31:06,087 --> 00:31:10,842 His plans were to make Leverburgh into a large fishing port. 432 00:31:10,887 --> 00:31:13,765 And he produced a map with this in mind... 433 00:31:14,487 --> 00:31:17,081 and all these were the fishing grounds. 434 00:31:17,127 --> 00:31:20,802 But everything centred around the port of Leverburgh. 435 00:31:20,847 --> 00:31:24,965 He could put up his curing sheds, he could put up his kilns. 436 00:31:25,007 --> 00:31:28,443 - And to get as many as 1 0,000 people... - 1 0,000? 437 00:31:28,487 --> 00:31:31,285 1 0,000 people living in Leverburgh, yes. 438 00:31:31,327 --> 00:31:34,125 - ln Hebridean terms, that's a city. - lt is indeed. 439 00:31:35,047 --> 00:31:37,720 This was ambition on an epic scale. 440 00:31:40,487 --> 00:31:44,719 At the time, Leverburgh's population was less than 200 441 00:31:44,767 --> 00:31:48,123 but Leverhulme was a man of extraordinary vision. 442 00:31:50,727 --> 00:31:54,037 He could see a more affluent Britain developing, 443 00:31:54,087 --> 00:31:58,000 a busy population demanding better, fresher food. 444 00:31:58,767 --> 00:32:03,443 Harris didn't have many people but it did have a lot of herring. 445 00:32:05,287 --> 00:32:08,484 Donald MacLean knows these waters better than most. 446 00:32:08,527 --> 00:32:10,518 - You got one. - Here it comes. 447 00:32:11,487 --> 00:32:13,478 He's not very old. 448 00:32:13,527 --> 00:32:18,043 Donald, back then, Lord Leverhulme was chasing the herring shoals 449 00:32:18,087 --> 00:32:21,477 and the catches were absolutely enormous, weren't they? 450 00:32:21,527 --> 00:32:26,157 Big, big catches of herring then. My grandfather worked for Lord Leverhulme. 451 00:32:26,207 --> 00:32:29,324 He was a foreman round the pier when they were building it. 452 00:32:29,367 --> 00:32:31,164 My auntie worked there, as well. 453 00:32:31,207 --> 00:32:33,801 She worked at the herring, salting the herring 454 00:32:33,847 --> 00:32:36,077 and curing the herring and into barrels. 455 00:32:36,127 --> 00:32:39,358 Did that make him quite a popular figure with local people? 456 00:32:39,407 --> 00:32:41,557 Oh, certainly. Yes. Yes. 457 00:32:43,687 --> 00:32:47,316 Leverhulme invested a fortune in the port. 458 00:32:47,367 --> 00:32:52,566 He built a new pier, a smokehouse and a refrigeration plant - 459 00:32:52,607 --> 00:32:55,280 on the face of it, a crazy scheme. 460 00:32:55,327 --> 00:32:58,922 But Leverhulme was the shrewdest of entrepreneurs. 461 00:33:00,327 --> 00:33:04,923 His plan was to control the fish business from sea to shop. 462 00:33:05,407 --> 00:33:08,843 To create an outlet for the catch landed at his Scottish port, 463 00:33:08,887 --> 00:33:13,483 he bought up 400 fishmongers throughout Britain 464 00:33:13,527 --> 00:33:15,961 and called them Mac Fisheries. 465 00:33:16,687 --> 00:33:20,839 By 1 924 his plan no longer seemed so mad. 466 00:33:23,447 --> 00:33:26,723 Steam-powered trawlers landed a huge haul of herring - 467 00:33:26,767 --> 00:33:30,726 so many that women from the mainland were brought in to help. 468 00:33:31,367 --> 00:33:35,758 Leverhulme and Leverburgh had success within their grasp. 469 00:33:36,767 --> 00:33:41,477 Yet, within months, the entire business came crashing down. 470 00:33:44,847 --> 00:33:49,204 ln 1 925 Lord Leverhulme caught pneumonia and died. 471 00:33:53,847 --> 00:33:58,363 30,000 paid their respects at his funeral in Port Sunlight. 472 00:34:00,807 --> 00:34:05,483 ln Leverburgh, sirens sounded on the pier and work stopped. 473 00:34:05,527 --> 00:34:07,438 For good. 474 00:34:07,487 --> 00:34:11,685 When Leverhulme died, his vision for Harris died with him. 475 00:34:12,447 --> 00:34:17,805 Today, there are just a few bleak reminders of his grandiose scheme. 476 00:34:19,887 --> 00:34:23,357 What d'you think he'd think or say if he saw Leverburgh today? 477 00:34:23,407 --> 00:34:27,195 He would be an extremely sad man, l think, 478 00:34:27,247 --> 00:34:30,717 to see his dream come to nought. 479 00:34:43,607 --> 00:34:47,441 The locals have learned to make the most of their island companions, 480 00:34:47,487 --> 00:34:51,605 whether they're fish, foul or any other creatures. 481 00:34:56,047 --> 00:34:59,437 ln the far north, there's a small animal business on Shetland 482 00:34:59,487 --> 00:35:01,762 that's enjoyed big success. 483 00:35:03,087 --> 00:35:05,726 Miranda is sizing up the stock. 484 00:35:07,007 --> 00:35:11,319 For over 4,000 years these little ponies have roamed around Shetland 485 00:35:11,367 --> 00:35:15,280 and you'll find them throughout the islands, grazing by the roadside, 486 00:35:15,327 --> 00:35:17,921 over on the hills and even down on the beach. 487 00:35:17,967 --> 00:35:19,446 Come on, then. 488 00:35:20,407 --> 00:35:24,559 You come across them everywhere and they cope with all weathers... 489 00:35:25,327 --> 00:35:27,238 which isjust as well. 490 00:35:27,287 --> 00:35:29,118 (Rumbling thunder) 491 00:35:32,487 --> 00:35:34,125 That's a doorbell. 492 00:35:37,607 --> 00:35:38,596 Hello. 493 00:35:38,647 --> 00:35:41,366 - Lovely to meet you. l'm Miranda. - That's right. 494 00:35:41,407 --> 00:35:43,443 Are you going to go out in the weather? 495 00:35:43,487 --> 00:35:45,603 Aye, l'll get my hat. Hold on a minute. 496 00:35:45,647 --> 00:35:48,366 Jim's family have been breeding Shetland ponies 497 00:35:48,407 --> 00:35:50,637 longer than anyone else on the islands. 498 00:35:50,687 --> 00:35:53,724 - How's that? - Great. All dressed for it. 499 00:35:55,167 --> 00:35:57,965 Shetland ponies are renowned for their strength 500 00:35:58,007 --> 00:35:59,998 and, of course, their size. 501 00:36:00,047 --> 00:36:02,481 Yes, this is a standard pony, 502 00:36:02,527 --> 00:36:06,315 which can be up to 42 inches at the shoulder. 503 00:36:06,367 --> 00:36:08,642 And that's a really short one! 504 00:36:08,687 --> 00:36:13,442 These are miniatures and they can be up to 34 inches at the shoulder. 505 00:36:13,487 --> 00:36:16,877 So a show Shetland pony, what are you looking for? 506 00:36:16,927 --> 00:36:22,604 You want a nice head, and l like them slightly dished, which is concave here. 507 00:36:22,647 --> 00:36:26,845 They have to have big, brown eyes, intelligent and kind. 508 00:36:26,887 --> 00:36:30,960 The forelock should be... have a lot of hair on it. 509 00:36:31,007 --> 00:36:34,124 - A shaggy look. Typical Shetland look. - That's right. 510 00:36:34,167 --> 00:36:38,160 And they're renowned for being a very tough breed. How tough are they? 511 00:36:38,207 --> 00:36:41,040 Well, as far as strength goes, 512 00:36:41,087 --> 00:36:44,204 they're the strongest horse for their size in the world. 513 00:36:45,287 --> 00:36:48,757 And they don't need to be stabled in the wintertime. 514 00:36:48,807 --> 00:36:50,798 They're always outside. 515 00:36:50,847 --> 00:36:54,635 - Even up here, when it's really cold? - Well, this is where they live. 516 00:36:54,687 --> 00:36:58,680 This is the place for them, out on the hills. They're tough characters. 517 00:36:58,727 --> 00:37:00,797 Like the islanders, l would imagine. 518 00:37:00,847 --> 00:37:03,315 No, no. We're not tough. We're very gentle. 519 00:37:11,247 --> 00:37:16,480 Today, Shetland ponies are sold worldwide as pets and show-horses. 520 00:37:16,527 --> 00:37:18,199 But look at this photograph. 521 00:37:18,247 --> 00:37:22,081 Going back over 1 50 years, the ponies from that island 522 00:37:22,127 --> 00:37:24,721 were destined for a life in heavy industry. 523 00:37:24,767 --> 00:37:27,361 They were to swap the fresh air of Shetland 524 00:37:27,407 --> 00:37:32,117 for the coal-dust and claustrophobia of a life underground as a pit pony. 525 00:37:35,367 --> 00:37:39,121 l'm with John Scott and we're going to the lsle of Noss. 526 00:37:39,167 --> 00:37:42,921 lt was the site of a breeding programme to produce a super-pony 527 00:37:42,967 --> 00:37:45,879 fit for hauling loads of coal. 528 00:37:48,687 --> 00:37:53,681 The finest mares and stallions were kept on the island in splendid isolation. 529 00:37:54,607 --> 00:37:58,202 This building was used to breed the best of the bunch. 530 00:37:58,247 --> 00:38:01,717 They finally bred this stallion, who they named Jack of Noss, 531 00:38:01,767 --> 00:38:05,282 who was the kind of ultimate of what they had been breeding for. 532 00:38:05,327 --> 00:38:08,717 He was, l think, the kind of Brad Pitt of the pony world. 533 00:38:08,767 --> 00:38:10,758 Brad Pitt, pit pony. 534 00:38:10,807 --> 00:38:16,677 And... And er, so he became the foundation of the whole stud-book. 535 00:38:17,367 --> 00:38:20,200 And so every Shetland pony in the stud-book 536 00:38:20,247 --> 00:38:22,715 has got blood from Jack of Noss. 537 00:38:22,767 --> 00:38:24,678 - From here. - Right from here. 538 00:38:27,087 --> 00:38:30,796 lt wasn't looks the breeders were after, but size and strength. 539 00:38:30,847 --> 00:38:32,838 And they succeeded. 540 00:38:32,887 --> 00:38:37,039 The Shetland pony could haul tubs of coal weighing up to a ton. 541 00:38:38,447 --> 00:38:40,438 Those dark days are over. 542 00:38:40,487 --> 00:38:44,639 Jack of Noss has long gone but his hardy characteristics live on 543 00:38:44,687 --> 00:38:46,996 in the DNA of these Shetland ponies. 544 00:38:47,647 --> 00:38:51,196 That's why they'll comfortably bear the weight of an adult. 545 00:38:51,687 --> 00:38:54,485 So l couldn't resist a ride. 546 00:39:06,247 --> 00:39:07,680 (Laughs) 547 00:39:09,527 --> 00:39:11,518 Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. 548 00:39:20,007 --> 00:39:22,157 NlCK: Many of the Scottish lsles 549 00:39:22,207 --> 00:39:26,519 have managed to export their products far out across the seas. 550 00:39:28,007 --> 00:39:31,443 The Outer Hebrides can boast their own global brand. 551 00:39:33,127 --> 00:39:36,483 That's what's brought me to Tarbert, on Harris. 552 00:39:39,927 --> 00:39:42,077 This is what l'm after. 553 00:39:43,327 --> 00:39:45,318 Harris Tweed. 554 00:39:45,367 --> 00:39:47,244 - Hello there. - Hi there. 555 00:39:47,287 --> 00:39:49,755 - May l look at your jackets? - Yes, of course. 556 00:39:49,807 --> 00:39:52,116 - Got some over here. - Look at those. 557 00:39:52,167 --> 00:39:55,318 They're very evocative of the colours of Scotland, 558 00:39:55,367 --> 00:39:57,517 with the grey rock, the heather. 559 00:39:57,567 --> 00:40:02,038 And this one seems to have little traces of blue in it, and autumn colours. 560 00:40:02,087 --> 00:40:04,555 Lots of colours. Would you like to try one? 561 00:40:04,607 --> 00:40:06,086 Yeah, why not? 562 00:40:06,127 --> 00:40:08,004 Try this one. 563 00:40:08,047 --> 00:40:11,357 This would be a...sartorial leap for me, 564 00:40:11,407 --> 00:40:16,561 to get rid of the old anorak and present Coast in a genuine Harr... 565 00:40:16,607 --> 00:40:18,996 Oh, it's very comfortable. That's lovely. 566 00:40:19,047 --> 00:40:21,845 That really is an improvement. Don't you think? 567 00:40:21,887 --> 00:40:24,685 - Yeah. Seems a good fit. - Coast and beyond. 568 00:40:27,647 --> 00:40:31,686 There's a reason why the colours of Harris Tweed mirror the landscape. 569 00:40:32,407 --> 00:40:36,286 Originally, the dyes were produced by local plants and lichens. 570 00:40:36,927 --> 00:40:41,284 Textile designer, Alice Starmore, is going to show me how it was done. 571 00:40:41,327 --> 00:40:43,124 - Very good to meet you. - And you. 572 00:40:43,167 --> 00:40:45,556 - You've got things started. - Yes, indeed. 573 00:40:45,607 --> 00:40:50,158 l have lit the peat fire. l have the water, which you need for dyeing. 574 00:40:50,207 --> 00:40:54,803 l have the fleece, and the only thing that l need now is the crottal lichen, 575 00:40:54,847 --> 00:40:57,361 which is going to actually give me the colour. 576 00:40:58,167 --> 00:40:59,805 What are we looking out for? 577 00:40:59,847 --> 00:41:05,205 We're looking out for a very unassuming and drab, grey, crusty stuff, 578 00:41:05,247 --> 00:41:07,841 which actually is black crottal. 579 00:41:07,887 --> 00:41:10,959 And here is a very nice crop of it. 580 00:41:11,007 --> 00:41:12,884 - ls this it here? - This is it here. 581 00:41:12,927 --> 00:41:15,122 Looks like a spillage of old porridge. 582 00:41:15,167 --> 00:41:18,364 lt does. But the dye comes out of it very easily. 583 00:41:18,407 --> 00:41:22,480 lt's the beautiful, rich, bronze-brown shades that you get from it. 584 00:41:22,527 --> 00:41:26,315 And you can see that it's actually ready to come right off the rock. 585 00:41:26,367 --> 00:41:29,404 The Harris people would say that was ripe and ready. 586 00:41:30,487 --> 00:41:34,366 Some lichens are protected but this one's safe to pick. 587 00:41:34,407 --> 00:41:38,400 Even so, we're just taking enough to dye one small fleece. 588 00:41:38,447 --> 00:41:41,245 - Now for the exciting part. - Time to get the pot. 589 00:41:41,847 --> 00:41:44,077 First, take one scoured fleece 590 00:41:44,127 --> 00:41:46,516 and moisten with peat-rich springwater. 591 00:41:46,567 --> 00:41:49,957 We're not just bunging it in. We're going to layer it a bit. 592 00:41:50,007 --> 00:41:53,886 lt's important that the dye should be as even as possible. 593 00:41:53,927 --> 00:41:56,885 - lt's a bit like making a lasagne. - lt is a bit, yes! 594 00:41:56,927 --> 00:41:59,680 And the whole thing is a little bit like cooking. 595 00:41:59,727 --> 00:42:01,877 Pour in the water. 596 00:42:03,167 --> 00:42:04,395 Yes. 597 00:42:04,447 --> 00:42:07,439 And as it slowly comes to the boil, rather like a stew, 598 00:42:07,487 --> 00:42:12,481 all the products and the... will come out and dye the fleece. 599 00:42:13,167 --> 00:42:15,556 While we wait for the chemistry to cook, 600 00:42:15,607 --> 00:42:18,201 Alice has some samples to show me - 601 00:42:18,247 --> 00:42:21,319 all colours produced from local lichens and plants. 602 00:42:21,367 --> 00:42:25,326 - Look at that. - lt's like silver wheat and ragweed. 603 00:42:25,367 --> 00:42:28,962 Here are the crottal colours and here is the rich, dark colour 604 00:42:29,007 --> 00:42:32,682 that you would get from cooking it overnight, as it were. 605 00:42:34,127 --> 00:42:38,325 lt's been cooking for some time now. lt's a rich, deep colour. 606 00:42:38,367 --> 00:42:41,439 - lt's beginning to get orange. - Look at that. 607 00:42:41,487 --> 00:42:44,126 That's it just really in the early stages, 608 00:42:44,167 --> 00:42:47,557 so you can see what a slow and painstaking process it was. 609 00:42:50,607 --> 00:42:54,885 The rules governing the Harris Tweed trademark are strict. 610 00:42:56,207 --> 00:42:59,643 The cloth must be woven by the people of the Outer Hebrides 611 00:42:59,687 --> 00:43:01,678 in their own homes. 612 00:43:04,047 --> 00:43:06,607 l can hear clattering machinery. 613 00:43:08,127 --> 00:43:12,598 Donald John MacKay has been busy with the fabric for over 40 years. 614 00:43:14,327 --> 00:43:16,887 My goodness! Donald, how is the loom powered? 615 00:43:17,967 --> 00:43:19,525 By my feet. 616 00:43:19,567 --> 00:43:23,003 - So ''hand-made'' really means... - Means ''foot-powered''. 617 00:43:23,047 --> 00:43:26,403 - You're not allowed to use electricity? - No, no. 618 00:43:26,447 --> 00:43:29,883 - What's this roll going to be used for? - This is going to Nike. 619 00:43:29,927 --> 00:43:32,043 For shoes and bags. 620 00:43:32,087 --> 00:43:34,123 - Really? To Nike? - Yes. Yes. 621 00:43:34,847 --> 00:43:37,839 - The big sportswear manufacturer? - Yes, yes, yes. 622 00:43:37,887 --> 00:43:41,084 That's incredible. What about the threads themselves? 623 00:43:41,127 --> 00:43:43,800 Each thread is made up of many, many colours. 624 00:43:45,207 --> 00:43:48,358 When you look closely, it's a whole rainbow of colours. 625 00:43:48,407 --> 00:43:51,285 - Comes alive. - Exactly. lt really comes alive. 626 00:43:51,327 --> 00:43:52,999 That's Harris Tweed for you. 627 00:43:53,047 --> 00:43:57,882 The colours of the island inspire the blends and patterns of the cloth. 628 00:43:59,047 --> 00:44:02,642 So l want to see what it looks like in the landscape. 629 00:44:02,687 --> 00:44:04,803 Now, let's have a look, Donald. 630 00:44:04,847 --> 00:44:08,283 Wow. l can see the yellow of the wild grasses out there 631 00:44:08,327 --> 00:44:10,318 coming on the cloth, and the heather. 632 00:44:10,367 --> 00:44:13,677 You can see the marram grass, which is the lighter one there. 633 00:44:13,727 --> 00:44:17,276 The roots, the grass, the darker one down there. 634 00:44:17,327 --> 00:44:21,115 There's blue, too. lt's the sea beyond. lt's all there in front of us. 635 00:44:21,167 --> 00:44:24,159 lt's as if you unroll the surface of the Outer Hebrides 636 00:44:24,207 --> 00:44:26,038 and carry it into your loom. 637 00:44:37,287 --> 00:44:40,836 Harris is separated from Lewis in name only. 638 00:44:41,647 --> 00:44:45,879 They're parts of the same island, separated not by water 639 00:44:45,927 --> 00:44:48,521 but by a range of mountains. 640 00:44:50,487 --> 00:44:52,876 Across those peaks, on the east coast, 641 00:44:52,927 --> 00:44:55,680 lies the capital of Lewis - Stornoway. 642 00:44:59,807 --> 00:45:03,482 A disaster at sea nearly a century ago 643 00:45:03,527 --> 00:45:08,043 shocked this community so much the pain is still raw today. 644 00:45:09,607 --> 00:45:15,682 lt's a tragic tale, not often told to outsiders, that Neil knows well. 645 00:45:20,167 --> 00:45:22,158 NElL: ln the First World War, 646 00:45:22,207 --> 00:45:25,916 half the male population of Lewis served in the armed forces. 647 00:45:27,767 --> 00:45:29,917 Many never returned 648 00:45:29,967 --> 00:45:33,164 but some perished cruelly close to home. 649 00:45:34,567 --> 00:45:39,163 More than 200 servicemen died in a disaster off the Scottish coast 650 00:45:39,207 --> 00:45:42,005 just days after the Great War ended. 651 00:45:48,127 --> 00:45:51,244 lt's late on New Year's Eve, 1 91 8, 652 00:45:51,287 --> 00:45:55,485 a cold, dark end to a terrible year. 653 00:45:55,527 --> 00:45:58,325 But the men aboard the lolaire are in high spirits 654 00:45:58,367 --> 00:46:01,518 because they're going home. The war is over. 655 00:46:02,487 --> 00:46:05,320 These are just a few of the 280-odd souls 656 00:46:05,367 --> 00:46:07,358 who were packed aboard - 657 00:46:07,407 --> 00:46:10,080 mostly sailors of the Royal Naval Reserve, 658 00:46:10,127 --> 00:46:12,482 men from the islands, the Outer Hebrides, 659 00:46:12,527 --> 00:46:15,519 who'd survived the horrors of the First World War. 660 00:46:19,407 --> 00:46:21,398 They were on a large civilian yacht 661 00:46:21,447 --> 00:46:25,884 pressed into war service and renamed Her Majesty's Yacht lolaire. 662 00:46:27,207 --> 00:46:29,960 By 1..50 in the morning, the boat was almost home. 663 00:46:30,527 --> 00:46:34,281 The servicemen aboard could see the harbour lights of Stornoway. 664 00:46:34,927 --> 00:46:37,964 They knew their loved ones would be lining the quayside 665 00:46:38,007 --> 00:46:40,157 at Stornoway, just half a mile away. 666 00:46:40,207 --> 00:46:43,438 But most of the men crammed aboard the lolaire that night 667 00:46:43,487 --> 00:46:45,921 would never see their families again. 668 00:46:48,247 --> 00:46:50,442 Minutes later, in stormy seas, 669 00:46:50,487 --> 00:46:54,275 the lolaire struck a notorious reef, the Beasts of Holm. 670 00:46:58,087 --> 00:47:00,078 They were only 30 yards from land... 671 00:47:00,767 --> 00:47:03,156 but of the 285 men on board, 672 00:47:03,367 --> 00:47:05,358 just 80 survived. 673 00:47:08,047 --> 00:47:10,277 More than half of those that did survive 674 00:47:10,327 --> 00:47:13,399 owed their lives to one man aboard the stricken ship - 675 00:47:13,447 --> 00:47:17,520 John Finlay Macleod - a Lewis man, a boat-builder, in fact. 676 00:47:17,567 --> 00:47:22,402 Somehow, amid the chaos, he managed to half scramble, half swim ashore 677 00:47:22,447 --> 00:47:24,438 with a line tied around his wrist. 678 00:47:27,687 --> 00:47:31,680 This monument stands on the spot where John Finlay swam ashore. 679 00:47:32,607 --> 00:47:36,600 lnterviewed in 1 973, he recalled that night. 680 00:48:03,887 --> 00:48:08,358 40 survivors owed their lives to the courage of John Finlay Macleod 681 00:48:08,407 --> 00:48:12,798 but 205 men died on that last night of 1 91 8. 682 00:48:14,207 --> 00:48:16,960 When dawn finally broke that New Year's Day, 683 00:48:17,007 --> 00:48:19,965 the people of Lewis were greeted to a dreadful sight. 684 00:48:21,087 --> 00:48:24,284 There's a photograph showing the wreck of lolaire... 685 00:48:25,047 --> 00:48:27,277 the bulk of her still submerged 686 00:48:27,327 --> 00:48:29,636 and just the mast sticking out. 687 00:48:32,407 --> 00:48:35,240 As news of the lolaire disaster spread, 688 00:48:35,287 --> 00:48:38,677 people walked the coastline, looking for relatives. 689 00:48:40,207 --> 00:48:43,836 At Sandwick Bay they found only dozens of bodies. 690 00:48:46,527 --> 00:48:49,758 Servicemen returning from the Great War, 691 00:48:49,807 --> 00:48:52,685 these Scots didn't die in a foreign field 692 00:48:52,727 --> 00:48:56,402 but in home waters, within sight of safety. 693 00:48:57,727 --> 00:49:00,446 Relatives and friends looking for loved ones 694 00:49:00,487 --> 00:49:03,638 picked their way through the wreckage of the lolaire. 695 00:49:03,687 --> 00:49:05,917 And what they found were toys... 696 00:49:06,647 --> 00:49:10,435 presents that fathers never got the chance to give to children. 697 00:49:14,327 --> 00:49:16,318 ln a remote part of Lewis, 698 00:49:16,367 --> 00:49:20,155 four-year-old Marion Smith was waiting for her father. 699 00:49:20,207 --> 00:49:22,198 Hello. Come in. 700 00:49:22,247 --> 00:49:24,477 Kenneth Smith survived the Great War 701 00:49:24,527 --> 00:49:27,246 but only his suitcase made it back home. 702 00:49:27,287 --> 00:49:31,121 ln his possessions that they found on the beach, 703 00:49:31,167 --> 00:49:35,160 - they found this box that we have here. - Mm-hm. 704 00:49:35,207 --> 00:49:39,678 lnside it are ration cards, 705 00:49:39,727 --> 00:49:41,718 with which they were issued. 706 00:49:42,447 --> 00:49:45,757 - So that's your dad. Kenneth Smith. - Yes. 707 00:49:45,807 --> 00:49:49,356 And he should have been on leave from 30th December 1 91 8 708 00:49:49,407 --> 00:49:51,967 - until 1 4th January... - Yes. 709 00:49:52,007 --> 00:49:53,440 ..1 91 9. 710 00:49:53,487 --> 00:49:55,955 That made it home and he didn't. 711 00:49:57,127 --> 00:49:59,846 What do you remember about your mum 712 00:49:59,887 --> 00:50:02,845 on the night when the news arrived at the house? 713 00:50:02,887 --> 00:50:08,120 She was sitting down and the neighbours were coming in, 714 00:50:08,167 --> 00:50:11,921 and also people whom l didn't know were coming in. 715 00:50:11,967 --> 00:50:15,403 And they all hugged her and they all cried. 716 00:50:15,447 --> 00:50:18,359 And my grandfather just sat. 717 00:50:19,207 --> 00:50:24,076 And l would go over and lean across his knees, 718 00:50:24,127 --> 00:50:28,643 and l remember the tears dropping off his cheeks 719 00:50:28,687 --> 00:50:31,201 onto the top of my head. 720 00:50:31,247 --> 00:50:35,206 l couldn't understand what had happened. 721 00:50:35,247 --> 00:50:37,238 The clock stopped... 722 00:50:38,327 --> 00:50:40,887 and the world changed. 723 00:50:45,527 --> 00:50:48,200 The people of Lewis were grieving their loss 724 00:50:48,247 --> 00:50:50,761 but alongside grief came anger. 725 00:50:51,727 --> 00:50:55,197 Why had the lolaire foundered on the Beasts of Holm? 726 00:50:56,007 --> 00:50:59,158 Why had so many died within yards of the shore? 727 00:51:01,767 --> 00:51:05,442 John Macleod has examined the events of that tragic night. 728 00:51:06,367 --> 00:51:10,280 The boat was very under-crewed. The officer had never sailed at night. 729 00:51:10,327 --> 00:51:14,366 lt was stormy. They weren't familiar with the waters and lost their way. 730 00:51:14,407 --> 00:51:18,719 The lolaire didn't have enough lifeboats or enough lifejackets. 731 00:51:18,767 --> 00:51:20,598 lt was a disaster waiting to happen. 732 00:51:20,647 --> 00:51:22,797 You would think that they were so close 733 00:51:22,847 --> 00:51:25,680 that it ought to have been possible to escape. 734 00:51:25,727 --> 00:51:28,116 You have these huge breakers hammering in, 735 00:51:28,167 --> 00:51:32,126 so the men who'd jumped into the water were mostly beaten to death. 736 00:51:32,167 --> 00:51:34,203 They were smashed against the rocks. 737 00:51:34,247 --> 00:51:37,478 lt was like being caught in a nightmarish washing machine. 738 00:51:39,447 --> 00:51:42,245 The appalling deaths in the lolaire disaster 739 00:51:42,287 --> 00:51:44,847 happened just after the Great War ended - 740 00:51:45,327 --> 00:51:49,798 a war that had already killed 866 men of Lewis. 741 00:51:50,767 --> 00:51:52,837 A terrible sacrifice. 742 00:51:53,647 --> 00:51:57,117 Of those who'd volunteered, one in six were dead. 743 00:51:57,167 --> 00:52:00,284 But the needless loss of all those men aboard the lolaire 744 00:52:00,327 --> 00:52:02,079 was the cruellest blow. 745 00:52:02,127 --> 00:52:06,040 And yet, for many years, the response from Lewis was silence. 746 00:52:06,767 --> 00:52:09,327 Because what could anyone say that mattered? 747 00:52:09,367 --> 00:52:11,358 And that's why, beyond the islands, 748 00:52:11,407 --> 00:52:13,921 the name lolaire is essentially unknown. 749 00:52:13,967 --> 00:52:16,879 Because this was a very private tragedy. 750 00:52:18,807 --> 00:52:22,516 Amongst the list of names here, Seaman Kenneth Smith. 751 00:52:23,567 --> 00:52:27,606 For his widow, Christina, his death and her grief 752 00:52:27,647 --> 00:52:29,922 were not something to be shared. 753 00:52:30,767 --> 00:52:35,522 Did she ever talk to you about your dad and about what happened? 754 00:52:35,567 --> 00:52:37,842 No. She didn't. 755 00:52:38,487 --> 00:52:42,958 She never talked about the tragedy at all. 756 00:52:45,567 --> 00:52:48,764 l remember that she only wore black. 757 00:52:49,847 --> 00:52:51,565 Black, black. 758 00:52:52,327 --> 00:52:55,717 lf she was baking, she still wore black. 759 00:52:56,887 --> 00:53:00,084 And, to this day, l remember. 760 00:53:01,567 --> 00:53:04,798 l just didn't like the colour and l still don't. 761 00:53:06,087 --> 00:53:08,681 To come so close to coming home. 762 00:53:10,167 --> 00:53:13,125 You know, to drown, to die on the doorstep of home. 763 00:53:13,167 --> 00:53:15,158 Yes. Well, as the song said, 764 00:53:15,207 --> 00:53:19,120 ''These brave men who'd gone so far 765 00:53:19,167 --> 00:53:21,965 Through the dangers of the war 766 00:53:22,007 --> 00:53:26,159 By the irony of fate Were drowned at home.'' 767 00:53:39,887 --> 00:53:44,517 NlCK: Many would envy the sense of community on the Scottish lsles. 768 00:53:46,127 --> 00:53:49,244 Language and traditions bind people together. 769 00:53:50,127 --> 00:53:52,322 But some of those traditional customs 770 00:53:52,367 --> 00:53:55,757 may seem at odds with life elsewhere in our islands. 771 00:54:00,087 --> 00:54:03,762 l've reached my final stop at the tip of the Hebrides - 772 00:54:03,807 --> 00:54:05,638 Port of Ness. 773 00:54:09,807 --> 00:54:11,798 lt looks like the end of the line 774 00:54:11,847 --> 00:54:14,680 but this little harbour is the point of departure 775 00:54:14,727 --> 00:54:17,116 for a group of men who set sail every August. 776 00:54:17,167 --> 00:54:21,206 lt's a voyage the men of Ness have been undertaking for centuries. 777 00:54:21,247 --> 00:54:24,159 Sons following fathers who followed their fathers. 778 00:54:24,207 --> 00:54:26,402 They've all headed for the same spot - 779 00:54:26,447 --> 00:54:30,838 a lonely, rocky island 40 miles from here, called Sula Sgeir. 780 00:54:33,647 --> 00:54:38,084 Nobody lives there but it's home to thousands of gannets. 781 00:54:41,247 --> 00:54:44,523 The men of Ness come to Sula Sgeir to hunt the birds. 782 00:54:46,647 --> 00:54:49,798 lt was a tradition captured on film in the 1 950s. 783 00:54:49,847 --> 00:54:51,758 Take a look at this. 784 00:54:55,007 --> 00:54:57,237 They're after the young gannets, 785 00:54:57,287 --> 00:54:59,198 known in these parts as guga. 786 00:55:00,207 --> 00:55:02,596 The guga-hunting season is August, 787 00:55:02,647 --> 00:55:04,877 when the chicks are almost fully grown. 788 00:55:05,767 --> 00:55:08,406 There's no shortage of people to buy them. 789 00:55:09,527 --> 00:55:12,803 Guga is an age-old delicacy in these parts. 790 00:55:14,887 --> 00:55:19,324 50 years on, the small boy in the film is doing as his father did. 791 00:55:21,047 --> 00:55:24,722 John MacFarlane is now the leader of the annual guga hunt - 792 00:55:25,527 --> 00:55:29,805 a time-honoured custom first recorded in 1 549. 793 00:55:30,647 --> 00:55:33,036 lt's a big thing in Ness, our community, 794 00:55:33,087 --> 00:55:35,840 this part of the island up by the Lewis end. 795 00:55:35,887 --> 00:55:38,606 lf you mention the community of Ness to someone 796 00:55:38,647 --> 00:55:42,799 it's always associated with the guga hunt - guga Niseach - 797 00:55:42,847 --> 00:55:47,079 which is the Ness gannet. lt's... lt's a Ness... lt's a Ness thing. 798 00:55:48,127 --> 00:55:51,881 Once, the men of Ness could take as many guga as they could carry. 799 00:55:52,527 --> 00:55:55,405 But now they operate under a licence 800 00:55:55,447 --> 00:55:58,325 to take no more than 2,000 birds a year. 801 00:56:00,487 --> 00:56:03,081 The Scottish government licenses the hunt 802 00:56:03,127 --> 00:56:06,278 which, it's argued, is culturally important. 803 00:56:07,967 --> 00:56:10,800 The ritual hasn't changed in living memory. 804 00:56:12,367 --> 00:56:16,121 We lift them out of the nest with a ten-foot pole... 805 00:56:17,207 --> 00:56:19,596 with a clamp at the end, around its neck. 806 00:56:19,647 --> 00:56:24,163 l pass it on to the next person behind me, who gives it a whock on the head. 807 00:56:24,207 --> 00:56:26,198 From the time l pick it out of the nest 808 00:56:26,247 --> 00:56:28,920 to the time it's dead, it's about three seconds. 809 00:56:30,327 --> 00:56:33,285 We start plucking them, taking their feathers off. 810 00:56:33,327 --> 00:56:36,205 The next part is what we call the factory. 811 00:56:37,327 --> 00:56:41,798 Two of the boys take the down off the birds by dipping them into the fire. 812 00:56:42,687 --> 00:56:45,679 And they're passed on to the next two guys, 813 00:56:45,727 --> 00:56:50,084 who actually split them open to leave four quarters of... 814 00:56:50,967 --> 00:56:52,719 ripe, prime guga. 815 00:56:52,767 --> 00:56:54,803 We then salt them 816 00:56:54,847 --> 00:56:56,326 and make a pile of them. 817 00:56:56,367 --> 00:57:00,246 There's a special way of doing it so that the meat doesn't go off. 818 00:57:03,167 --> 00:57:05,727 We build a chute to the bottom of the island. 819 00:57:06,287 --> 00:57:09,962 When we're going home, the gugas go down on the chute. 820 00:57:10,847 --> 00:57:17,002 What do you say to people who find the idea of killing wild seabirds... 821 00:57:17,967 --> 00:57:19,958 distasteful, abhorrent? 822 00:57:20,007 --> 00:57:24,159 l don't see any difference between that and going into a supermarket 823 00:57:24,207 --> 00:57:26,198 and buying a chicken or a turkey. 824 00:57:26,247 --> 00:57:30,718 Those who oppose us going to the island, if you could... 825 00:57:31,407 --> 00:57:34,001 lf they could put a guga and a chicken together, 826 00:57:34,047 --> 00:57:36,959 how could you explain to the chicken 827 00:57:37,007 --> 00:57:40,761 why it should be killed and the wild guga go free? 828 00:57:42,767 --> 00:57:46,316 There's no difference. lt's for human consumption. 829 00:57:48,727 --> 00:57:53,323 Guga and guga-hunting may not be to everyone's taste 830 00:57:53,367 --> 00:57:57,565 but the annual journey to Sula Sgeir is a centuries-old tradition - 831 00:57:57,607 --> 00:58:02,237 one fiercely defended by the men of Ness and their community. 832 00:58:05,927 --> 00:58:10,125 The Outer Hebrides are famously wild, rugged and beautiful. 833 00:58:10,167 --> 00:58:14,319 They share a quality that is far less conspicuous. 834 00:58:14,367 --> 00:58:19,441 The people l've met have a real sense of community, of belonging, 835 00:58:19,487 --> 00:58:23,560 a conviction that their island is truly their home. 836 00:58:23,607 --> 00:58:27,077 And that, maybe, is what it means to be an islander.