1 00:00:09,720 --> 00:00:12,800 We live in a country with some of the most diverse 2 00:00:12,800 --> 00:00:15,400 and beautiful landscapes in the world. 3 00:00:17,360 --> 00:00:21,800 So diverse, very few of us know every nook and cranny. 4 00:00:25,480 --> 00:00:28,920 And so beautiful, it'd be a crime to miss any of them. 5 00:00:31,440 --> 00:00:34,920 The British Isles are full of secrets and surprises 6 00:00:34,920 --> 00:00:37,080 just waiting to be discovered. 7 00:00:39,680 --> 00:00:41,640 - Good, Chris, good. Well done. - Thank you! 8 00:00:41,640 --> 00:00:44,000 Wow! Oh, my God! 9 00:00:44,000 --> 00:00:46,480 Out of nowhere, they came. 10 00:00:46,480 --> 00:00:49,400 It's easy to think Britain is a crowded place, 11 00:00:49,400 --> 00:00:52,560 but with more than 60 million acres out there, 12 00:00:52,560 --> 00:00:56,880 there's still plenty of the UK for us to discover and enjoy. 13 00:00:58,880 --> 00:01:02,280 The power of the elements really belittles you. 14 00:01:02,280 --> 00:01:05,280 In this series, we're going to escape the crowds 15 00:01:05,280 --> 00:01:07,000 and get off the beaten track. 16 00:01:08,400 --> 00:01:11,000 We're on the hunt for the unexpected. 17 00:01:11,000 --> 00:01:13,760 Did you see it? There we go. Ooh! 18 00:01:13,760 --> 00:01:16,160 The breathtaking. 19 00:01:16,160 --> 00:01:17,680 Oh, it's freezing. 20 00:01:17,680 --> 00:01:19,720 The hidden. 21 00:01:19,720 --> 00:01:21,600 I think we've found it! 22 00:01:22,680 --> 00:01:24,640 Look at the size of this place. 23 00:01:26,360 --> 00:01:29,080 This is the place we call home. 24 00:01:29,080 --> 00:01:30,880 This is our Secret Britain. 25 00:02:09,400 --> 00:02:13,080 We're on the western edge of the British Isles. 26 00:02:13,080 --> 00:02:17,280 This is one of the least touristy, but most spectacular 27 00:02:17,280 --> 00:02:19,760 and surprising places in the country. 28 00:02:21,040 --> 00:02:25,760 The mountains behind me were formed nearly 60 million years ago 29 00:02:25,760 --> 00:02:30,600 from volcanic rock and away over to the north lies the largest lake 30 00:02:30,600 --> 00:02:35,920 in the UK and a mountain range that was once as big as the Himalayas. 31 00:02:37,280 --> 00:02:39,360 This is Northern Ireland. 32 00:02:42,640 --> 00:02:46,040 This ancient landscape is the keeper of secrets 33 00:02:46,040 --> 00:02:48,200 that go back into the mists of time. 34 00:02:50,080 --> 00:02:52,560 Striking out on the paths less travelled, 35 00:02:52,560 --> 00:02:55,240 we're tracking down rare wildlife... 36 00:02:55,240 --> 00:02:58,120 Did you see it. See it. There we go. Ooh! 37 00:02:58,120 --> 00:03:00,760 ..trying out little known pastimes... 38 00:03:00,760 --> 00:03:02,560 You need to get focused, woman! 39 00:03:04,000 --> 00:03:08,400 ..and exploring the magic and majesty of Northern Ireland. 40 00:03:08,400 --> 00:03:11,240 I don't think I've ever seen anything like that. 41 00:03:23,760 --> 00:03:26,560 Heavily restricted and regularly patrolled, 42 00:03:26,560 --> 00:03:30,080 these sand dunes hide some of the best guarded secrets 43 00:03:30,080 --> 00:03:31,880 in Northern Ireland. 44 00:03:36,160 --> 00:03:40,600 The British Army has a long history of training cavalry and infantry 45 00:03:40,600 --> 00:03:44,040 on the stunning beach here at Ballykinler on the east coast, 46 00:03:44,040 --> 00:03:47,000 in the shadow of the Mourne Mountains. 47 00:03:47,000 --> 00:03:51,160 The army stopped using horses in battle after the First World War 48 00:03:51,160 --> 00:03:55,160 and they're rarely seen down on these sands nowadays. 49 00:03:55,160 --> 00:03:58,240 Thanks, Elaine. Lovely. 50 00:03:58,240 --> 00:04:01,320 In fact, this whole site has been cut off completely 51 00:04:01,320 --> 00:04:05,360 for more than a century, so it's packed full of wildlife secrets. 52 00:04:10,160 --> 00:04:14,800 Off limits and dangerous, the red flag keeps most people away. 53 00:04:14,800 --> 00:04:18,360 But in the heart of Ballykinler's training ground, is a rare 54 00:04:18,360 --> 00:04:22,080 and covert conservation project led by Northern Ireland's 55 00:04:22,080 --> 00:04:24,360 top squirrel man, Declan Looney. 56 00:04:26,000 --> 00:04:28,840 - Right next to the shooting range. You can hear them. - Indeed, yeah. 57 00:04:28,840 --> 00:04:31,440 - So, is this a good site for releasing reds? - It is, yeah. 58 00:04:31,440 --> 00:04:35,200 Anybody involved in red squirrel conservation will know that there's a number of things 59 00:04:35,200 --> 00:04:38,600 that need to be considered before we do a release and the most important of those 60 00:04:38,600 --> 00:04:42,640 is that we have an area we've confirmed there's no grey squirrels. 61 00:04:42,640 --> 00:04:46,520 Northern Ireland's native red squirrel is outnumbered six to one 62 00:04:46,520 --> 00:04:50,680 by invasive greys and the reds are under serious threat. 63 00:04:50,680 --> 00:04:52,960 Amazingly, their best chance for survival 64 00:04:52,960 --> 00:04:55,320 is in the middle of this firing range. 65 00:04:58,520 --> 00:05:02,440 Tagged and monitored, Declan's animals are ready for release 66 00:05:02,440 --> 00:05:05,240 into a red squirrel-only zone. 67 00:05:05,240 --> 00:05:07,640 Yeah, this is our soft release enclosure. 68 00:05:07,640 --> 00:05:10,440 The principle of a soft release enclosure is that 69 00:05:10,440 --> 00:05:13,360 the squirrels inside are given a period of time to gradually become 70 00:05:13,360 --> 00:05:15,320 accustomed to the external environment. 71 00:05:15,320 --> 00:05:17,720 So, we'll keep a close eye on things and how it develops 72 00:05:17,720 --> 00:05:21,960 and then once we're content that the squirrels are settled in, we'll open this hatch here at the top 73 00:05:21,960 --> 00:05:25,800 and we'll let the squirrels come out into these trees in their own time. 74 00:05:25,800 --> 00:05:28,720 - They've got the chance to go straight across there. - They have, yeah. 75 00:05:28,720 --> 00:05:31,120 So, if we look about we can see, for the most part, 76 00:05:31,120 --> 00:05:36,080 these are a species of conifer that's particularly favoured by red squirrels called Maritime Pine. 77 00:05:36,080 --> 00:05:41,240 - Ah-ha. - So, there's an abundant natural food resource within this stand of trees. 78 00:05:41,240 --> 00:05:43,760 Do you think we could actually get in close and see them? 79 00:05:43,760 --> 00:05:49,040 - We could. We can go in, if we keep it down a bit. We can have a look, yeah. - Keep it low down. Right. 80 00:05:57,440 --> 00:06:00,600 How ironic that I have to keep my voice down, 81 00:06:00,600 --> 00:06:03,240 when I'm in the middle of a firing range! 82 00:06:07,160 --> 00:06:08,720 (There's one here.) 83 00:06:14,120 --> 00:06:18,120 That's amazing. That lovely fluffy tail and the ear tufts. 84 00:06:22,200 --> 00:06:24,560 Oh, it's looking pretty bright and well, isn't it? 85 00:06:24,560 --> 00:06:27,280 Yeah, absolutely. This is one of the young males. 86 00:06:27,280 --> 00:06:29,720 The long term plan for this young male and the others 87 00:06:29,720 --> 00:06:32,840 is that they become established within Ballykinler Camp 88 00:06:32,840 --> 00:06:36,640 and then following years, we'll introduce some females 89 00:06:36,640 --> 00:06:39,680 and basically they supplement the captive breeding population 90 00:06:39,680 --> 00:06:41,360 in Northern Ireland. 91 00:06:41,360 --> 00:06:43,640 - So, the future's looking pretty good here? - It is. 92 00:06:43,640 --> 00:06:46,400 It's looking, it's looking well for the future. 93 00:06:48,400 --> 00:06:51,200 The squirrels certainly look happy enough, 94 00:06:51,200 --> 00:06:54,560 but I do wonder why they'd want to stick around with all these soldiers, 95 00:06:54,560 --> 00:06:56,680 once they're released into the wild. 96 00:07:05,160 --> 00:07:07,400 What the red squirrels don't know yet, 97 00:07:07,400 --> 00:07:11,520 is just how rare and special their new 1,300 acre home is. 98 00:07:15,680 --> 00:07:19,440 Tony Canniford runs the base and appreciates better than most 99 00:07:19,440 --> 00:07:22,160 what an important site this is for wildlife. 100 00:07:30,400 --> 00:07:33,120 That is such a view! 101 00:07:33,120 --> 00:07:35,360 Oh, how wonderful! 102 00:07:39,680 --> 00:07:42,000 - So, we've got a few seals hauled out here. - Yeah. 103 00:07:42,000 --> 00:07:44,520 There's normally a lot more. There's normally about 200 104 00:07:44,520 --> 00:07:47,920 - and a mix of common and grey seals. - Mm. - It's the premier site 105 00:07:47,920 --> 00:07:50,640 for the island of Ireland, or one of the premier sites. 106 00:07:50,640 --> 00:07:53,280 But when you've got all the 200 plus hauled out there - 107 00:07:53,280 --> 00:07:55,560 common and grey - it's an amazing sight. 108 00:07:57,120 --> 00:07:59,720 What is it about the geography of this place that makes it 109 00:07:59,720 --> 00:08:01,600 ideal for wildlife? 110 00:08:01,600 --> 00:08:06,120 The army has been here really since the mid 1850s, that sort of time, 111 00:08:06,120 --> 00:08:09,960 and that has enabled us to control the access of who's come in here. 112 00:08:09,960 --> 00:08:13,880 So, it's a nice, safe area for the wildlife we have here. 113 00:08:18,240 --> 00:08:20,120 You are lucky. 114 00:08:20,120 --> 00:08:23,000 - A good office, isn't it? - You are very lucky. 115 00:08:29,560 --> 00:08:33,920 From wildlife to a different sort of wild. 116 00:08:33,920 --> 00:08:35,280 Whoa! 117 00:08:35,280 --> 00:08:40,320 'I've seen a lot of sport in my time, but never anything like this.' 118 00:08:40,320 --> 00:08:43,120 And it's completely bonkers! 119 00:08:44,960 --> 00:08:48,400 50 miles west of Ballykinler is Armagh, 120 00:08:48,400 --> 00:08:52,720 where I'm being initiated into one of Ireland's best kept secrets. 121 00:08:57,720 --> 00:08:59,840 The game looks straightforward - 122 00:08:59,840 --> 00:09:03,400 chuck a heavy ball as far as possible down the road... 123 00:09:03,400 --> 00:09:05,080 CHEERING 124 00:09:05,080 --> 00:09:08,560 ..whoever gets the furthest in 20 throws, wins. 125 00:09:08,560 --> 00:09:10,360 How hard can it be? 126 00:09:11,600 --> 00:09:13,320 That was amazing. 127 00:09:13,320 --> 00:09:15,400 - That was a big shot. - That was big. 128 00:09:15,400 --> 00:09:17,480 This is Road Bowls. 129 00:09:17,480 --> 00:09:21,720 Chris Mallon is the chairman of the Armagh Road Bowling Association. 130 00:09:21,720 --> 00:09:25,400 - So, the car's just going through. - Yeah, yeah. We can't, we can't stop them. 131 00:09:25,400 --> 00:09:29,000 - And that's just quite normal - Oh, that's normal, yeah. We can't get the roads closed, 132 00:09:29,000 --> 00:09:31,840 so what you have to do is try and accommodate them. 133 00:09:31,840 --> 00:09:35,440 Be as good as you can with letting traffic run 134 00:09:35,440 --> 00:09:36,960 and not to hold it up, you know. 135 00:09:36,960 --> 00:09:39,760 No-one seems to know where road bowls came from, 136 00:09:39,760 --> 00:09:43,600 but it's been around in Ireland for several hundred years. 137 00:09:43,600 --> 00:09:46,880 Mostly played in just two counties - Cork in the south 138 00:09:46,880 --> 00:09:51,120 and here in Armagh - each has a unique throwing style. 139 00:09:51,120 --> 00:09:53,880 We've got a girl here to show you her Cork technique which... 140 00:09:53,880 --> 00:09:55,600 they throw like a windmill style, 141 00:09:55,600 --> 00:09:59,080 the full 360 degrees of the arm. 142 00:09:59,080 --> 00:10:01,240 Now, that was the Cork style. 143 00:10:01,240 --> 00:10:02,920 - So that was the Cork style. - Yeah. 144 00:10:02,920 --> 00:10:04,920 Right. And she's actually from Cork? 145 00:10:04,920 --> 00:10:06,200 She's from Cork, yeah. 146 00:10:06,200 --> 00:10:08,040 So this is Armagh style. 147 00:10:08,040 --> 00:10:10,160 And you deliver the ball under arm. 148 00:10:12,080 --> 00:10:14,920 - I'm amazed at how quickly he's actually running in. - Aye. 149 00:10:14,920 --> 00:10:17,160 - Yeah, he... - And how far he's gone back. 150 00:10:17,160 --> 00:10:18,760 He can get great speed, the bowler. 151 00:10:18,760 --> 00:10:21,320 I mean, that's almost what, 80 metres, maybe more? 152 00:10:21,320 --> 00:10:24,520 That'd be more. That'd be probably 100 yards up the road, maybe more. 153 00:10:24,520 --> 00:10:26,040 Phwoar! 154 00:10:26,040 --> 00:10:27,840 It looks easy enough for me 155 00:10:27,840 --> 00:10:30,440 to challenge Chris's daughter to a short match. 156 00:10:32,280 --> 00:10:34,520 What Chris failed to mention is 157 00:10:34,520 --> 00:10:38,720 that Kelly is the All Ireland Senior Road Bowling Champion. 158 00:10:38,720 --> 00:10:40,320 Do you want to go first or second? 159 00:10:40,320 --> 00:10:42,000 - I'm going to go first. - All right. 160 00:10:42,000 --> 00:10:43,800 - Happy now? - Right. - OK. 161 00:10:43,800 --> 00:10:45,680 - Right. - Right. - Here we go. 162 00:10:45,680 --> 00:10:48,800 We've got six throws each past the viaduct 163 00:10:48,800 --> 00:10:52,320 and we'll see who gets the furthest down the road. 164 00:10:56,240 --> 00:10:57,840 It's only money! 165 00:11:00,600 --> 00:11:01,840 There's pressure. 166 00:11:03,040 --> 00:11:05,640 A reputation to maintain now. 167 00:11:05,640 --> 00:11:07,920 Right. I'm coming back. 168 00:11:12,120 --> 00:11:14,000 Ooh-ah! 169 00:11:18,640 --> 00:11:20,760 Not bad for a first go! 170 00:11:20,760 --> 00:11:23,920 My ball's marked by a tuft of grass where it stopped, 171 00:11:23,920 --> 00:11:25,400 ready for my next throw. 172 00:11:32,000 --> 00:11:34,440 - I'm not sure. - Better. 173 00:11:34,440 --> 00:11:37,640 Yeah. That's not too bad. It's OK. 174 00:11:39,080 --> 00:11:41,080 OK, so she's good. 175 00:11:41,080 --> 00:11:43,600 Already 20 yards behind, 176 00:11:43,600 --> 00:11:47,960 I'm going to have to raise my game to give Kelly a run for her money. 177 00:12:01,120 --> 00:12:03,760 From the sands of Ballykinler in the east, 178 00:12:03,760 --> 00:12:07,720 to the remote back roads of County Armagh. 179 00:12:07,720 --> 00:12:11,280 And south to the mountainous border with the Irish Republic, 180 00:12:11,280 --> 00:12:13,800 steeped in myth and legend. 181 00:12:22,080 --> 00:12:24,040 This is Slieve Gullion, 182 00:12:24,040 --> 00:12:27,840 one of the most mystical mountains in all Ireland. 183 00:12:28,920 --> 00:12:34,320 Slieve Gullion means mountain of the steep slope. 184 00:12:34,320 --> 00:12:35,960 No kidding! 185 00:12:35,960 --> 00:12:40,960 But, apparently, at the top there's supposedly a witch's house 186 00:12:40,960 --> 00:12:42,960 and a mythical lake. 187 00:12:42,960 --> 00:12:45,600 But it strikes me as I'm climbing up here, 188 00:12:45,600 --> 00:12:47,760 there's a reason why it's secret - 189 00:12:47,760 --> 00:12:49,280 it's so difficult to get to. 190 00:13:00,720 --> 00:13:05,000 Now, I don't believe in fairies, but I love fairy tales 191 00:13:05,000 --> 00:13:06,920 and their mystical secrets, 192 00:13:06,920 --> 00:13:09,680 and the legend here is so tightly bound to 193 00:13:09,680 --> 00:13:13,880 the landscape that I'm irresistibly drawn to get to the bottom of it. 194 00:13:15,200 --> 00:13:18,800 And I can only do that by getting to the top of it. 195 00:13:20,400 --> 00:13:22,280 That was a bit of a walk, that, Claire. 196 00:13:22,280 --> 00:13:24,480 - Yeah. Good to arrive - Right. Good to arrive. 197 00:13:24,480 --> 00:13:26,920 I tell you, it was worth it, though, spectacular views. 198 00:13:26,920 --> 00:13:28,680 Claire Foley is an archaeologist. 199 00:13:28,680 --> 00:13:31,080 She's spent a lot of time up here 200 00:13:31,080 --> 00:13:34,760 trying to untangle the riddle of this mountain. 201 00:13:34,760 --> 00:13:39,440 Now, look, we've come all this way to talk giants and witches. 202 00:13:39,440 --> 00:13:41,440 - Mm-hm. - Now, I've done a bit of research. 203 00:13:41,440 --> 00:13:44,800 What I've heard is that Fionn the giant came up here to do 204 00:13:44,800 --> 00:13:46,240 - a bit of hunting. - Mm-hm. 205 00:13:46,240 --> 00:13:48,200 - And he lost one of his dogs. - Yeah. 206 00:13:48,200 --> 00:13:51,800 - OK. And all of a sudden, he came to this lake. - Yes. 207 00:13:51,800 --> 00:13:54,000 And he sees a beautiful woman, 208 00:13:54,000 --> 00:13:56,560 and he asks this beautiful woman, "Have you seen my dog?" 209 00:13:56,560 --> 00:13:59,520 And she says, "Excuse me, I'm a bit busy myself 210 00:13:59,520 --> 00:14:01,080 "because I've lost something." 211 00:14:01,080 --> 00:14:02,400 - Yes. - What had she lost? 212 00:14:02,400 --> 00:14:03,640 She'd lost her ring. 213 00:14:03,640 --> 00:14:08,280 She said it had dropped into the water and asked him to retrieve it. 214 00:14:08,280 --> 00:14:11,920 And so he dived in and rummaged round in the boggy water 215 00:14:11,920 --> 00:14:15,320 and found the ring, miraculously, but in retrieving the ring, 216 00:14:15,320 --> 00:14:18,040 he turned into an old man with long, grey hair. 217 00:14:18,040 --> 00:14:20,840 - So forever more he had grey hair. - Mm-hm. Mm-hm. 218 00:14:20,840 --> 00:14:23,040 Yes, beautiful women can do that to a man, you know. 219 00:14:23,040 --> 00:14:25,360 SHE CHUCKLES 220 00:14:25,360 --> 00:14:29,320 The woman who cursed Fionn the giant was Cailleach Beara, 221 00:14:29,320 --> 00:14:33,440 a bitter old witch who's said to have lived on this mountain. 222 00:14:33,440 --> 00:14:36,160 Surely the stuff of make-believe! 223 00:14:49,560 --> 00:14:53,760 But 200 years ago, locals looking for the witch 224 00:14:53,760 --> 00:14:57,480 found human bones inside a mysterious lair. 225 00:15:01,600 --> 00:15:05,600 So, this is the witch's cairn, is it? 226 00:15:05,600 --> 00:15:08,600 Well, this is where people believe she lived, yes. 227 00:15:08,600 --> 00:15:10,160 I can imagine that. 228 00:15:10,160 --> 00:15:12,760 With that view out there. 229 00:15:12,760 --> 00:15:15,880 And I can imagine she could have pounced on anybody. 230 00:15:17,800 --> 00:15:22,320 Today, a sinister-looking entrance entices the curious to 231 00:15:22,320 --> 00:15:24,240 explore the lair's secrets. 232 00:15:28,200 --> 00:15:29,840 You'll be able to stand up inside. 233 00:15:29,840 --> 00:15:31,480 - Hopefully, yeah. - Ah-ha. 234 00:15:33,680 --> 00:15:34,960 Whoa! 235 00:15:37,280 --> 00:15:43,160 This hidden chamber is made from huge slabs of overlapping granite 236 00:15:43,160 --> 00:15:46,320 and does, indeed, look like the work of giants. 237 00:15:46,320 --> 00:15:49,120 Oh, this is incredible. What is it? 238 00:15:49,120 --> 00:15:53,480 This is a Neolithic passage tomb dating to 5,000 years ago. 239 00:15:55,000 --> 00:15:57,360 This is 5,000 years old? 240 00:15:57,360 --> 00:16:01,960 This is a 5,000 year old highly-engineered structure 241 00:16:01,960 --> 00:16:05,800 built for burial and lots of other rituals probably, yes. 242 00:16:05,800 --> 00:16:08,520 I actually think they may have locked young men 243 00:16:08,520 --> 00:16:10,280 in here as in initiation ceremony. 244 00:16:10,280 --> 00:16:11,560 That's my theory. 245 00:16:11,560 --> 00:16:13,640 Now, obviously, it's very difficult to know 246 00:16:13,640 --> 00:16:15,880 because we don't know much about the Stone Age, do we? 247 00:16:15,880 --> 00:16:17,480 It's pre-history, really. 248 00:16:17,480 --> 00:16:19,400 You know when you said 5,000 years ago, 249 00:16:19,400 --> 00:16:20,840 for me, I'm trying to think. 250 00:16:20,840 --> 00:16:23,680 5,000 years, I always think about Egyptians 251 00:16:23,680 --> 00:16:25,240 and the great big pyramids. 252 00:16:25,240 --> 00:16:27,120 Are we talking about roughly the same... 253 00:16:27,120 --> 00:16:29,840 - Well, this is earlier than the Great Pyramids. - Wow. 254 00:16:29,840 --> 00:16:32,440 Probably contemporary with some of the minor ones. 255 00:16:33,880 --> 00:16:38,440 This is the highest-surviving passage tomb in all Ireland. 256 00:16:38,440 --> 00:16:41,400 It's an impressive achievement given the Stone Age people 257 00:16:41,400 --> 00:16:45,120 who built it must have lived way down in the valley. 258 00:16:46,520 --> 00:16:50,400 As we sit here having come out of there, I'm just trying to think 259 00:16:50,400 --> 00:16:56,040 and picture what sort of community would create something like this. 260 00:16:56,040 --> 00:16:58,120 Well, these people were farmers 261 00:16:58,120 --> 00:17:01,440 and they were following on a long tradition of at least 262 00:17:01,440 --> 00:17:05,960 1,000 years of farming before they developed this tomb type. 263 00:17:05,960 --> 00:17:08,840 And they farmed that beautiful land that we can see down below. 264 00:17:08,840 --> 00:17:11,520 And all those field enclosures almost remind me of what 265 00:17:11,520 --> 00:17:13,800 a Neolithic field system would look like, 266 00:17:13,800 --> 00:17:15,240 although these are more recent. 267 00:17:17,240 --> 00:17:20,920 Archaeologists are only starting to piece together 268 00:17:20,920 --> 00:17:24,240 the truth about this remote and weather-beaten monument. 269 00:17:24,240 --> 00:17:29,520 To my untrained eye, this really is the stuff of fairy tales. 270 00:17:31,880 --> 00:17:33,280 It's no wonder that myths 271 00:17:33,280 --> 00:17:37,080 and legends ended up trying to explain this, is it? 272 00:17:37,080 --> 00:17:39,400 Well, actually, we like myths and legends, as well, 273 00:17:39,400 --> 00:17:41,320 because myths and legends in Ireland 274 00:17:41,320 --> 00:17:43,280 have helped to preserve places like this 275 00:17:43,280 --> 00:17:45,120 because people are afraid of the fairies 276 00:17:45,120 --> 00:17:46,520 and they're afraid of the witch. 277 00:17:46,520 --> 00:17:48,920 You can still... There might be people still living here 278 00:17:48,920 --> 00:17:50,640 who believe that she was a real person. 279 00:17:50,640 --> 00:17:52,600 - Yeah, and so they didn't dare touch it. - Yeah. 280 00:17:52,600 --> 00:17:55,200 So people have that association with these sacred places 281 00:17:55,200 --> 00:17:58,240 and they like to try to keep them preserved. 282 00:18:05,120 --> 00:18:08,480 These ancient landscapes will forever be steeped 283 00:18:08,480 --> 00:18:10,600 in the tall tales of yesteryear. 284 00:18:14,760 --> 00:18:18,840 Telling stories remains a big part of Irish culture. 285 00:18:18,840 --> 00:18:21,320 Professional storyteller Colum Sands 286 00:18:21,320 --> 00:18:26,160 has dedicated his life to keeping this long tradition alive. 287 00:18:28,480 --> 00:18:34,600 'Come away, oh, human child, to the waters and the wild 288 00:18:34,600 --> 00:18:36,720 'With a fairy hand in hand, 289 00:18:36,720 --> 00:18:41,480 'for the world's more full of weeping than you can understand'. 290 00:18:45,120 --> 00:18:47,240 There were songs that told stories 291 00:18:47,240 --> 00:18:51,200 and then there were tunes that told stories in their own way. 292 00:18:51,200 --> 00:18:53,560 This is one my father used to play, 293 00:18:53,560 --> 00:18:58,240 and I always just imagined my own pictures when I heard this tune. 294 00:18:58,240 --> 00:19:01,640 It's called The King Of The Fairies. 295 00:19:16,600 --> 00:19:20,080 People often think of storytelling as something for children. 296 00:19:20,080 --> 00:19:22,960 I believe stories are being told to us all the time. 297 00:19:30,960 --> 00:19:36,200 I grew up in a part of County Down called Mayobridge in the early '50s. 298 00:19:36,200 --> 00:19:39,000 We didn't have electricity or running water in the house, 299 00:19:39,000 --> 00:19:45,040 so it was very much a part of life, both the storytelling and the music. 300 00:19:48,400 --> 00:19:50,320 There'd be stories of the locality - 301 00:19:50,320 --> 00:19:53,240 news, what was happening, who was going to get married. 302 00:19:53,240 --> 00:19:57,560 There would also be ghost stories, fairy stories. 303 00:19:59,040 --> 00:20:02,160 Some of them had been told for hundreds of years. 304 00:20:02,160 --> 00:20:04,360 Some of the tunes were very old, as well. 305 00:20:06,720 --> 00:20:08,720 They were all part of a tapestry of life 306 00:20:08,720 --> 00:20:11,320 and they still are to this day in this country. 307 00:20:22,080 --> 00:20:24,480 If you're walking through the landscape on this island, 308 00:20:24,480 --> 00:20:28,760 you may often come upon a field that is clear, but somewhere, 309 00:20:28,760 --> 00:20:31,800 maybe in the very centre of the field or to one side, 310 00:20:31,800 --> 00:20:33,200 there's a lone bush. 311 00:20:34,520 --> 00:20:36,280 They're known as fairy thorns, 312 00:20:36,280 --> 00:20:40,520 often regarded as being connected to the underworld. 313 00:20:42,960 --> 00:20:46,520 You don't touch them, you don't go too close to them. 314 00:20:49,080 --> 00:20:51,240 People come here to make offerings, 315 00:20:51,240 --> 00:20:54,040 to tie all kinds of things to the bushes. 316 00:20:54,040 --> 00:20:57,080 It could be something like the Calliagh, 317 00:20:57,080 --> 00:20:59,600 the last cutting of the harvest. 318 00:20:59,600 --> 00:21:03,080 The very last piece when you're cutting the corn or the wheat. 319 00:21:03,080 --> 00:21:06,920 The same kind of offerings that would have been made 320 00:21:06,920 --> 00:21:09,400 thousands of years ago in another culture. 321 00:21:13,600 --> 00:21:16,920 This is like a connection between two worlds. 322 00:21:18,920 --> 00:21:20,760 Here, it's in the stone circle. 323 00:21:20,760 --> 00:21:24,520 It's right beside these stones, which hold in 324 00:21:24,520 --> 00:21:25,960 who knows what story. 325 00:21:32,160 --> 00:21:36,080 You don't dabble with the fairies, but the fairy thorn - 326 00:21:36,080 --> 00:21:38,800 I've already come slightly close to it, but I won't 327 00:21:38,800 --> 00:21:41,000 get any closer than that - 328 00:21:41,000 --> 00:21:43,560 is a very special part of life 329 00:21:43,560 --> 00:21:45,000 in this country. 330 00:21:53,520 --> 00:21:56,280 In Armagh, I'm in big trouble. 331 00:21:56,280 --> 00:21:59,280 - CHEERING - Very good. Oh, listen to the cheers. 332 00:21:59,280 --> 00:22:01,680 They're clearly happy with that one. 333 00:22:01,680 --> 00:22:03,960 I've got to work on that technique. 334 00:22:05,080 --> 00:22:07,720 'I really thought I'd be better than this. 335 00:22:07,720 --> 00:22:10,320 'But then, I am up against a champion. 336 00:22:10,320 --> 00:22:13,480 'But that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!' 337 00:22:13,480 --> 00:22:17,600 - So, you're on your third shot. - Is this me or is this you? 338 00:22:17,600 --> 00:22:20,560 You might be down there, I might be just here. 339 00:22:22,000 --> 00:22:24,760 Oh, right, she's getting competitive now, eh? 340 00:22:25,840 --> 00:22:27,360 'I must be getting it wrong. 341 00:22:27,360 --> 00:22:30,480 'I seem to have attracted my own motivational coach.' 342 00:22:30,480 --> 00:22:31,880 Too much fun going on here. 343 00:22:31,880 --> 00:22:34,480 You're looking round you, like, you're not concentrating. 344 00:22:34,480 --> 00:22:36,560 - So, I need to focus? - Do you know what I mean, like? 345 00:22:36,560 --> 00:22:38,480 - No, I hear you. - Like we're in Sydney here. 346 00:22:38,480 --> 00:22:40,120 - You were in Sydney in 2000? - Yes. 347 00:22:40,120 --> 00:22:42,520 This is as big an occasion and you're not treating it as. 348 00:22:42,520 --> 00:22:44,320 You need to get focused, woman. 349 00:22:46,240 --> 00:22:49,520 - How's that? - That's good, that's good. 350 00:22:49,520 --> 00:22:51,760 - Right now, see where he is there? - Yeah. 351 00:22:51,760 --> 00:22:54,560 - You don't keep looking at the man. - OK. - You know what I mean? - Yeah. 352 00:22:54,560 --> 00:22:55,760 Go on, now. 353 00:22:55,760 --> 00:22:57,960 - All right. - Straight through his legs. 354 00:23:01,680 --> 00:23:03,960 That's very good, that was a great shot. 355 00:23:03,960 --> 00:23:06,600 That was a great shot. Look, it's bending round now. 356 00:23:06,600 --> 00:23:08,480 I tell you once you miss the point, 357 00:23:08,480 --> 00:23:11,600 once you miss the corner it... That's a good shot. 358 00:23:15,000 --> 00:23:16,200 Very nice shot. 359 00:23:17,960 --> 00:23:19,160 Got to admire that. 360 00:23:22,960 --> 00:23:24,800 - Oh. - Oh, too much! 361 00:23:25,840 --> 00:23:27,440 Too left, aah! 362 00:23:28,480 --> 00:23:31,080 'At first sight, I thought road bowling 363 00:23:31,080 --> 00:23:33,000 'was a quaint local tradition - 364 00:23:33,000 --> 00:23:36,360 'a bit of fun heaving an oversized ball bearing 365 00:23:36,360 --> 00:23:38,000 'down the road.' 366 00:23:38,000 --> 00:23:39,920 Right, I've got one more, one more throw. 367 00:23:39,920 --> 00:23:42,360 - One more, one more. - And I'm going to give it everything. 368 00:23:42,360 --> 00:23:44,080 Finish it off. 369 00:23:44,080 --> 00:23:45,840 This is for pride. 370 00:23:45,840 --> 00:23:49,400 'But how wrong was I? Pride? What pride?' 371 00:23:49,400 --> 00:23:51,840 Go on, now. Keep it down a wee bit there. 372 00:23:51,840 --> 00:23:53,800 Keep it down a small bit. Right? 373 00:23:55,120 --> 00:23:57,560 Come on, now, give this a lash. 374 00:24:01,000 --> 00:24:02,480 Good. Yes! 375 00:24:02,480 --> 00:24:03,920 APPLAUSE 376 00:24:03,920 --> 00:24:06,000 Yes! Well done. 377 00:24:08,920 --> 00:24:12,560 What I love about road bowls is it's inclusive. 378 00:24:12,560 --> 00:24:16,000 Men, women, children can take part. 379 00:24:16,000 --> 00:24:17,720 You're out in the open space 380 00:24:17,720 --> 00:24:20,600 and it's got a real sense of tradition here 381 00:24:20,600 --> 00:24:22,240 amongst the community. 382 00:24:24,040 --> 00:24:26,120 'And, yes, Kelly won!' 383 00:24:38,360 --> 00:24:41,400 Some secrets are hidden in plain sight, 384 00:24:41,400 --> 00:24:44,600 they could be staring you in the face, but if you don't know 385 00:24:44,600 --> 00:24:47,880 what you're looking for, you can walk straight past them. 386 00:24:50,360 --> 00:24:53,440 'Nature has a habit of reclaiming what we abandon. 387 00:24:55,120 --> 00:24:58,520 'There was a fluke discovery in 2014 at Ballykinler 388 00:24:58,520 --> 00:25:01,520 'that revealed this curious hidden feature 389 00:25:01,520 --> 00:25:03,320 'on the restricted army base. 390 00:25:07,880 --> 00:25:10,440 'Someone who's been puzzling over the unusual shape 391 00:25:10,440 --> 00:25:14,400 'of these earthworks, is historian Philip Orr.' 392 00:25:14,400 --> 00:25:18,680 You're actually having a look here at a piece of pure history 393 00:25:18,680 --> 00:25:22,880 because this is the line of a trench dug at the start 394 00:25:22,880 --> 00:25:25,600 of the First World War and it's been dug here 395 00:25:25,600 --> 00:25:28,760 so that young men, who were based at Ballykinler training 396 00:25:28,760 --> 00:25:31,720 in the army, can get a feel of what the Western Front's 397 00:25:31,720 --> 00:25:33,040 going to be like. 398 00:25:36,240 --> 00:25:38,840 'The war in France was mired in deadly 399 00:25:38,840 --> 00:25:41,400 'and claustrophobic trench warfare. 400 00:25:41,400 --> 00:25:43,520 'To make sure the new recruits experienced 401 00:25:43,520 --> 00:25:47,600 'authentic fighting conditions, a large area of Ballykinler 402 00:25:47,600 --> 00:25:52,520 'was turned over to create a realistic front-line trench system.' 403 00:25:52,520 --> 00:25:56,800 Here, for example, you might have practised hurling a grenade 404 00:25:56,800 --> 00:26:01,920 ie a tin full of stones out of the trench and over into no-man's-land 405 00:26:01,920 --> 00:26:05,240 towards the German trenches, as you were pretending they were there. 406 00:26:05,240 --> 00:26:06,920 Who were the men who trained here? 407 00:26:06,920 --> 00:26:09,880 The young men who trained here were straight on the train 408 00:26:09,880 --> 00:26:11,760 down from Belfast. 409 00:26:11,760 --> 00:26:14,640 They'd probably never been out of the city in their lives, 410 00:26:14,640 --> 00:26:16,680 they were young, working-class fellows. 411 00:26:16,680 --> 00:26:19,560 Some of them attempted to get back home at the weekend as 412 00:26:19,560 --> 00:26:23,360 if it was a Boys' Brigade camp or a Scout camp. 413 00:26:23,360 --> 00:26:27,160 You almost get the feeling, at times, that they were 414 00:26:27,160 --> 00:26:30,040 unaware of the intensity of what lay ahead of them. 415 00:26:41,480 --> 00:26:44,960 'These medals were awarded to one of the soldiers who trained here 416 00:26:44,960 --> 00:26:49,640 'and fought in France Paul Miskelly's grandfather, Henry.' 417 00:26:49,640 --> 00:26:51,320 You've got some photos in there? 418 00:26:51,320 --> 00:26:54,400 I do indeed, photographs both of my grandfather, Henry... 419 00:26:54,400 --> 00:26:57,480 - Yeah. - ..of the First World War. - Handsome man. 420 00:26:57,480 --> 00:27:00,040 He was just 17 when he joined up. 421 00:27:00,040 --> 00:27:03,240 - Oh, my goodness. - Just a boy. - Indeed. - Yeah. 422 00:27:03,240 --> 00:27:05,400 And that's Samuel, that's his brother. 423 00:27:05,400 --> 00:27:08,360 - Oh! His younger brother? - Older brother Samuel. - Older brother. 424 00:27:08,360 --> 00:27:11,680 Samuel was 20... 20 years of age when he joined up. 425 00:27:11,680 --> 00:27:14,360 So, what then happened to your grandfather and great-uncle? 426 00:27:14,360 --> 00:27:17,520 Well, my grandfather seen the war out, hence that's why I'm here. 427 00:27:17,520 --> 00:27:18,960 Of course. 428 00:27:18,960 --> 00:27:23,360 But unfortunately my great-uncle left the trenches in Tiefel Wood 429 00:27:23,360 --> 00:27:25,760 and went over no-man's-land. 430 00:27:25,760 --> 00:27:27,560 His body was never found again. 431 00:27:30,160 --> 00:27:31,400 Good gracious. 432 00:27:31,400 --> 00:27:34,400 He was 22 years of age when he was reported killed. 433 00:27:34,400 --> 00:27:35,560 22. 434 00:27:39,280 --> 00:27:42,000 And then how do your family remember them? 435 00:27:42,000 --> 00:27:44,760 I always remember my grandmother wearing a brooch. 436 00:27:44,760 --> 00:27:46,720 - A brooch? - A brooch. - Yeah. 437 00:27:46,720 --> 00:27:49,160 With a photograph of Samuel, which she never took off. 438 00:27:49,160 --> 00:27:51,400 - Have you got the brooch? - I have the brooch with me. 439 00:27:51,400 --> 00:27:52,680 Let's have a look. 440 00:27:52,680 --> 00:27:55,760 My grandma wore that all her life. 441 00:27:55,760 --> 00:27:57,840 - Every single day? - Every single day. 442 00:28:02,080 --> 00:28:05,480 'Henry and Samuel Miskelly weren't the only family members 443 00:28:05,480 --> 00:28:06,920 'to train here. 444 00:28:06,920 --> 00:28:10,840 'By a twist of fate, Paul was stationed at Ballykinler in 445 00:28:10,840 --> 00:28:13,160 'the '70s, three decades before these trenches 446 00:28:13,160 --> 00:28:14,880 'were unearthed again.' 447 00:28:16,480 --> 00:28:18,400 I served with the Ulster Defence Regiment. 448 00:28:18,400 --> 00:28:19,840 But you haven't seen... 449 00:28:19,840 --> 00:28:22,680 Aye, it's the first time I've actually been in these trenches. 450 00:28:22,680 --> 00:28:24,320 What do you make of it? 451 00:28:24,320 --> 00:28:28,000 This is where my grandfather and my great-uncle actually walked 452 00:28:28,000 --> 00:28:31,640 and trained prior to going away and, you know, actually walking 453 00:28:31,640 --> 00:28:33,880 in their footsteps made me feel proud, you know. 454 00:28:33,880 --> 00:28:36,160 And very emotional at times, you know. 455 00:28:43,480 --> 00:28:45,280 'Whether missing in action, 456 00:28:45,280 --> 00:28:49,480 'tucked away in secluded country lanes, or hidden on top 457 00:28:49,480 --> 00:28:54,440 'of a mountain, there are secrets waiting to be discovered everywhere. 458 00:28:54,440 --> 00:28:58,280 'To find them, you just need to know where to look 459 00:28:58,280 --> 00:29:00,040 'and a little bit of luck.' 460 00:29:13,840 --> 00:29:16,840 'Some secrets require personal sacrifice, 461 00:29:16,840 --> 00:29:19,800 'like getting up in the middle of the night.' 462 00:29:25,400 --> 00:29:26,920 It's a bit fresh. 463 00:29:26,920 --> 00:29:29,720 Yeah. Just watch your step there, Chris. 464 00:29:29,720 --> 00:29:31,480 Whoa! OK. 465 00:29:31,480 --> 00:29:33,120 Right. So, we've got... 466 00:29:33,120 --> 00:29:35,000 'Schoolteacher Mamraz Nagi, 467 00:29:35,000 --> 00:29:38,840 'is passionate about the Fermanagh landscape and, this morning, 468 00:29:38,840 --> 00:29:42,400 'he's promised to show me something really dazzling.' 469 00:29:42,400 --> 00:29:43,800 Any thermals in here? 470 00:29:43,800 --> 00:29:45,480 THEY LAUGH 471 00:29:45,480 --> 00:29:47,120 I'm afraid not. 472 00:29:47,120 --> 00:29:49,200 - Good to go? - Yeah, I'm ready. 473 00:29:50,800 --> 00:29:53,120 It's a bit foggy, isn't it, this morning? 474 00:30:00,000 --> 00:30:04,200 '20 minutes outside Enniskillen, in the far west of Northern Ireland, 475 00:30:04,200 --> 00:30:07,160 'we're off up the Knockmore escarpment. 476 00:30:08,560 --> 00:30:12,360 'And, at this time of the day, we've got the place to ourselves.' 477 00:30:23,720 --> 00:30:25,520 Oh, it's beautiful, isn't it, now? 478 00:30:25,520 --> 00:30:27,080 Absolutely stunning. 479 00:30:27,080 --> 00:30:29,520 - I keep looking that way, but have you seen down here? - Yeah. 480 00:30:29,520 --> 00:30:33,240 You're getting all the magentas over here and look at that ridge. 481 00:30:36,560 --> 00:30:38,880 It's going to be beautiful this morning. 482 00:30:40,280 --> 00:30:41,520 Oh, look at that. 483 00:30:41,520 --> 00:30:43,760 I don't think I've ever seen anything like that. 484 00:30:43,760 --> 00:30:47,240 Absolutely beautiful, and you're only ten miles out of town. 485 00:30:50,120 --> 00:30:52,680 I am admiring this view. What time does the sun rise? 486 00:30:52,680 --> 00:30:54,960 The sun rises just around 7.30. 487 00:30:56,120 --> 00:30:58,160 - Remember, you got me up at four. - Yeah. 488 00:30:58,160 --> 00:31:02,040 I better not miss this, otherwise you're going to be very upset. 489 00:31:02,040 --> 00:31:04,360 'Mamraz is an amateur photographer, 490 00:31:04,360 --> 00:31:08,480 'who will go to any length to get the perfect shot.' 491 00:31:08,480 --> 00:31:10,840 - Oh, this is it. - Look at this. - Oh, wow! 492 00:31:10,840 --> 00:31:14,520 And we've got the moon shining above as well. Everything! 493 00:31:14,520 --> 00:31:17,680 - And the sun's coming up! - Yeah, getting close. 494 00:31:17,680 --> 00:31:20,240 Wow, this little cave. 495 00:31:20,240 --> 00:31:23,680 I was going to say, I'll get the comfortable spot in here. 496 00:31:23,680 --> 00:31:27,760 - Not many seats. - Yeah. I think if you go to the inside... 497 00:31:27,760 --> 00:31:29,960 - OK. - ..against that wall. 498 00:31:29,960 --> 00:31:33,480 - And I'm going to perch here right beside you. - OK. 499 00:31:33,480 --> 00:31:36,800 Now, the sun comes up right to left? 500 00:31:36,800 --> 00:31:40,600 Yeah. Just follow the ridge down and the sun will come up to the right 501 00:31:40,600 --> 00:31:44,040 and the light should illuminate these walls and pour into the cave. 502 00:31:44,040 --> 00:31:46,880 Because that's the thing we're doing differently, right? 503 00:31:46,880 --> 00:31:49,000 Because most people take a photo of the sunrise. 504 00:31:49,000 --> 00:31:51,360 But we're going to get the reflections off the walls. 505 00:31:51,360 --> 00:31:53,680 - Yeah. - OK lens cap off. That's important, isn't it? 506 00:31:53,680 --> 00:31:55,600 That's the most important thing. 507 00:31:58,840 --> 00:32:00,320 'The wait sets in. 508 00:32:03,880 --> 00:32:05,680 'But so does the mist... 509 00:32:07,720 --> 00:32:10,680 'shrouding Mamraz's secret in mystery.' 510 00:32:12,800 --> 00:32:15,080 You promised me a nice sunrise down there. 511 00:32:15,080 --> 00:32:17,360 LAUGHTER 512 00:32:17,360 --> 00:32:19,880 It isn't happening, is it? 513 00:32:19,880 --> 00:32:22,560 I'm going to have a look round. 514 00:32:22,560 --> 00:32:23,840 Yeah, that is thick. 515 00:32:23,840 --> 00:32:25,160 Oh, what a shame. 516 00:32:25,160 --> 00:32:30,960 It is a total shame, but look, this is what we could have got. 517 00:32:30,960 --> 00:32:32,000 This one. 518 00:32:34,120 --> 00:32:37,080 - This is what I could have won? - This is what you could have won. 519 00:32:37,080 --> 00:32:39,440 Oh, well done that is a spectacular shot. 520 00:32:39,440 --> 00:32:42,240 - And we were right in that position to wait for it to happen. - I know. 521 00:32:42,240 --> 00:32:44,760 We're just not going to get it this morning, I'm afraid. 522 00:32:44,760 --> 00:32:46,880 - I'll just have a look. - Yeah. 523 00:32:46,880 --> 00:32:49,160 - Nothing. - That's going to hurt even more, isn't it? 524 00:32:49,160 --> 00:32:53,560 - It looks like a different country over there, doesn't it? - Yeah. 525 00:32:53,560 --> 00:32:59,200 'I'm disappointed and tired - an early start for nothing. 526 00:32:59,200 --> 00:33:04,200 'But Mamraz insists these clouds have a silver lining.' 527 00:33:04,200 --> 00:33:08,040 The one cave that we're right at now has intrigued me for years. 528 00:33:08,040 --> 00:33:09,840 When I first spotted it on the map, 529 00:33:09,840 --> 00:33:13,440 it just didn't say cave it said "letter cave." 530 00:33:13,440 --> 00:33:16,680 - Oh, right, yeah. - Which meant that there were inscriptions in it. 531 00:33:16,680 --> 00:33:18,560 - In there? - Yeah, right in there. 532 00:33:18,560 --> 00:33:21,000 Just right next to where we were standing. 533 00:33:21,000 --> 00:33:23,520 I'm really, totally unobservant because I've been 534 00:33:23,520 --> 00:33:26,440 - in there for, what? An hour. Let's have a look. - Yeah. 535 00:33:28,440 --> 00:33:30,320 Is it... Whereabouts? 536 00:33:30,320 --> 00:33:34,600 All along this wall, there's some lovely detail to be found. 537 00:33:34,600 --> 00:33:37,240 I was staring at that wall for hours waiting for the sun. 538 00:33:37,240 --> 00:33:40,080 - Yeah, yeah. - Oh, look. There's like a little man there, isn't there? 539 00:33:40,080 --> 00:33:42,520 What's that? Looks like a fish or a leaf or something. 540 00:33:42,520 --> 00:33:44,120 A fish or a leaf, yeah. 541 00:33:45,280 --> 00:33:47,440 Then if you move up here, you'll seen some, 542 00:33:47,440 --> 00:33:49,600 like, a Celtic symbol. 543 00:33:49,600 --> 00:33:52,480 And there's one here of particular interest and it looks like 544 00:33:52,480 --> 00:33:54,840 some sort of butterfly, which is just on the wall here. 545 00:33:54,840 --> 00:33:58,000 - Oh, yeah, here. Beautifully done, isn't it? - Yeah. 546 00:33:58,000 --> 00:33:59,480 'Covering the entire wall, 547 00:33:59,480 --> 00:34:03,880 'the carvings tell the stories of long-forgotten hill dwellers. 548 00:34:03,880 --> 00:34:06,800 'I just couldn't see for looking.' 549 00:34:06,800 --> 00:34:10,520 - Some of these inscriptions are just prior to 400 AD. - Really? 550 00:34:10,520 --> 00:34:13,600 Yeah. So, these would be pagan, so pre-Christian. 551 00:34:15,600 --> 00:34:17,320 This one as well, down there. 552 00:34:17,320 --> 00:34:21,840 And then a bit further up, we're into symbols that we recognise. 553 00:34:21,840 --> 00:34:24,760 - Yeah. - There's Christianity up here. - Yeah. 554 00:34:24,760 --> 00:34:28,000 - Some 21st century ones as well. - Yeah, unfortunately so. 555 00:34:28,000 --> 00:34:31,080 - It's all part of history. - Yeah, it's all part of history. 556 00:34:31,080 --> 00:34:34,320 Fascinating. I mean, you don't really need a sunrise, do you? 557 00:34:34,320 --> 00:34:37,360 You just could have spent the entire morning in here. 558 00:34:52,000 --> 00:34:56,000 'Fermanagh is a county riddled with hidden caves, sinkholes 559 00:34:56,000 --> 00:34:58,200 'and underground rivers - 560 00:34:58,200 --> 00:35:00,440 'not everyone's idea of a good day out, 561 00:35:00,440 --> 00:35:03,240 'but an adventure playground for the fearless.' 562 00:35:04,640 --> 00:35:06,520 Do you need any help, Bethany? 563 00:35:06,520 --> 00:35:08,480 Yes. 564 00:35:08,480 --> 00:35:11,240 'Caving to me, it's just a way to relax.' 565 00:35:11,240 --> 00:35:12,600 Good girl. 566 00:35:12,600 --> 00:35:16,200 'Tim Millen is a caver who shares his love of the sport with 567 00:35:16,200 --> 00:35:20,320 'three of his children - Annabel, Noah and Bethany.' 568 00:35:20,320 --> 00:35:23,360 'Once they reached six, we thought it would be OK to take them down. 569 00:35:23,360 --> 00:35:25,240 'They're a bit more steady on their feet 570 00:35:25,240 --> 00:35:27,760 'and they can overcome sort of the obstacles. 571 00:35:27,760 --> 00:35:31,360 'So Bethany, this year has been her first year actually, you know. 572 00:35:31,360 --> 00:35:33,720 'She turned six in December. 573 00:35:33,720 --> 00:35:36,240 'She took to it like a duck to water, she loves it.' 574 00:35:37,920 --> 00:35:44,120 I really like caving because I think it's like a special world to me. 575 00:35:47,360 --> 00:35:51,520 I feel like I'm on a special mission to do loads 576 00:35:51,520 --> 00:35:53,680 of fun stuff inside the caves. 577 00:35:55,120 --> 00:35:57,040 Watch that. 578 00:35:57,040 --> 00:36:00,280 'It's better than sitting in front of the TV playing video games all day long. 579 00:36:00,280 --> 00:36:03,200 'It gets them out, it gets them to see everything around them 580 00:36:03,200 --> 00:36:06,240 'and, you know, I think it's a wholesome activity, it really is.' 581 00:36:08,000 --> 00:36:10,080 - Are you OK, Noah? - Yeah, I'm fine! 582 00:36:14,480 --> 00:36:17,720 OK, Noah. Watch that slippy rock there. 583 00:36:17,720 --> 00:36:20,760 'The cave today is, it's called Pollasumera. 584 00:36:20,760 --> 00:36:23,280 'A bit of water just swishing round your feet at the start. 585 00:36:23,280 --> 00:36:26,600 'A nice open passage and then it narrows down as you go round 586 00:36:26,600 --> 00:36:30,480 'the bend a wee bit and gets narrower and narrower.' 587 00:36:30,480 --> 00:36:34,360 Noah, leave that stick alone, in case it falls down. 588 00:36:35,840 --> 00:36:37,440 That's a good boy. 589 00:36:37,440 --> 00:36:39,560 'One of the dangers is the flood risk. 590 00:36:39,560 --> 00:36:41,200 'The caves are underground rivers 591 00:36:41,200 --> 00:36:44,120 'and so we're always watching on the weather forecast to make sure 592 00:36:44,120 --> 00:36:47,040 'that you're going to be OK to get in and out before the water rises. 593 00:36:47,040 --> 00:36:48,480 'Another thing is fall hazards. 594 00:36:48,480 --> 00:36:50,760 'You know, you could fall on the rocks 595 00:36:50,760 --> 00:36:52,640 'or fall down a hole. 596 00:36:55,680 --> 00:36:58,440 'It's worth the risk. Ten times over.' 597 00:36:58,440 --> 00:36:59,920 OK. 598 00:36:59,920 --> 00:37:02,200 Almost at the squeeze, folks. 599 00:37:02,200 --> 00:37:05,240 'Our objective today is to try to get beyond the squeeze 600 00:37:05,240 --> 00:37:06,960 'that we didn't get to the last time.' 601 00:37:06,960 --> 00:37:08,200 Bethany. Yeah? 602 00:37:10,440 --> 00:37:13,560 'The squeeze in a cave is where you have to really push your body 603 00:37:13,560 --> 00:37:15,920 'through a very tight space.' 604 00:37:15,920 --> 00:37:18,520 OK. Right we've got as far as the squeeze. 605 00:37:18,520 --> 00:37:21,960 So if we get through this, we've achieved what we came to do today. 606 00:37:21,960 --> 00:37:24,400 - OK? So who's going to have a go at the squeeze? - Me. - Me. 607 00:37:24,400 --> 00:37:26,400 - Not me. - Not you? - Me. 608 00:37:26,400 --> 00:37:27,960 - I'll go first. - You go first Noah? 609 00:37:27,960 --> 00:37:29,320 - No, I want to go first. - Right. 610 00:37:29,320 --> 00:37:32,800 Well, Bethany'll go first, then Noah, and then Annabel. 611 00:37:32,800 --> 00:37:35,760 'You have to breathe out to empty all the air out of your lungs 612 00:37:35,760 --> 00:37:38,240 'so that you're as thin as possible to get through.' 613 00:37:43,120 --> 00:37:44,560 Are you OK, Bethany? 614 00:37:44,560 --> 00:37:46,560 My helmet's stuck. 615 00:37:46,560 --> 00:37:49,960 You need to be a wee, a wee bit lower Bethany. Follow Noah. 616 00:37:51,040 --> 00:37:52,400 It's no problem for the kids 617 00:37:52,400 --> 00:37:54,720 but last time I had my mobile phone in my pocket 618 00:37:54,720 --> 00:37:57,720 and that was probably an issue getting through. 619 00:38:02,760 --> 00:38:05,160 So, I'll breathe out, push on through 620 00:38:05,160 --> 00:38:07,760 and that'll be me through. 621 00:38:09,200 --> 00:38:10,840 Oh! 622 00:38:10,840 --> 00:38:12,280 Argh! 623 00:38:12,280 --> 00:38:14,480 - Almost there. - Well done. 624 00:38:16,000 --> 00:38:20,800 'At the end of the cave, I got through a really tight squeeze.' 625 00:38:22,240 --> 00:38:27,280 It wasn't that tight for me, but it was very tight for Daddy. 626 00:38:27,280 --> 00:38:29,040 Are you OK, kids? 627 00:38:29,040 --> 00:38:31,040 'I just love exploring and the challenges 628 00:38:31,040 --> 00:38:35,040 'that are involved in going to places that very few people get to see. 629 00:38:35,040 --> 00:38:38,000 'But the kids, whenever it comes to show and tell at school, 630 00:38:38,000 --> 00:38:40,800 'they have a really interesting story to tell that no-one else 631 00:38:40,800 --> 00:38:43,520 'really can relate to, and just something exciting. 632 00:38:43,520 --> 00:38:45,800 'A bit like Indiana Jones.' 633 00:38:57,480 --> 00:39:01,600 'It's just 130 miles from Northern Ireland's wonderful 634 00:39:01,600 --> 00:39:03,880 'western border back to its eastern shoreline. 635 00:39:06,200 --> 00:39:09,000 'And Britain's largest sea inlet... 636 00:39:11,000 --> 00:39:13,120 '..the beautiful Strangford Lough.' 637 00:39:18,360 --> 00:39:22,000 You might ask how this lough can contain secrets when it's 638 00:39:22,000 --> 00:39:25,640 one of the most popular places to live and visit in Northern Ireland. 639 00:39:25,640 --> 00:39:28,720 But the key, is to get off the tourist trail. 640 00:39:29,800 --> 00:39:34,120 'Just ten miles south of Belfast, most day-trippers who visit 641 00:39:34,120 --> 00:39:37,400 'Strangford Lough, stick to the scenic drives along the coast, 642 00:39:37,400 --> 00:39:40,640 'or pleasure boating in its deeper waters. 643 00:39:40,640 --> 00:39:43,960 'To discover the lough's less well known nooks and crannies, 644 00:39:43,960 --> 00:39:46,440 'I'm going to need some local knowledge. 645 00:39:46,440 --> 00:39:48,920 'Father and son Cadogan and Cadog Enright, 646 00:39:48,920 --> 00:39:54,520 'are on a mission to seek out all the hidden corners of the lough.' 647 00:39:54,520 --> 00:39:58,440 - OK. - Ellie in first. Up to the front. 648 00:39:59,640 --> 00:40:01,320 I'm in. 649 00:40:01,320 --> 00:40:03,120 - And now Cadog. - Me! 650 00:40:03,120 --> 00:40:06,520 You sit on there, Ellie. 651 00:40:06,520 --> 00:40:08,520 Woo! Steady on there, Cadog. 652 00:40:08,520 --> 00:40:10,240 All right? 653 00:40:10,240 --> 00:40:12,560 - Are we good? - Are we ready? - I'm good. 654 00:40:12,560 --> 00:40:15,080 - Off we go! - Ooh! I'm sliding backwards. 655 00:40:15,080 --> 00:40:19,000 - It's the beginning of the adventure. - We're away. 656 00:40:19,000 --> 00:40:21,200 This is going to be great. 657 00:40:21,200 --> 00:40:23,320 Are you going to shout some instructions at me? 658 00:40:23,320 --> 00:40:25,400 - Straight out beyond that ferry. - All right. 659 00:40:25,400 --> 00:40:28,000 - And then we'll turn left and head north. - OK. 660 00:40:28,000 --> 00:40:29,440 Wow! 661 00:40:29,440 --> 00:40:33,160 This is just blissful on its own, without even finding the secrets. 662 00:40:33,160 --> 00:40:36,120 Right. There might be a current coming out behind that pier. 663 00:40:36,120 --> 00:40:39,640 - OK. - So, just be aware of the fact it might want to push us out 664 00:40:39,640 --> 00:40:41,880 and we'll stay in to the shore. 665 00:40:41,880 --> 00:40:43,440 OK. 666 00:40:46,200 --> 00:40:49,200 The boys have promised me a unique perspective on this 667 00:40:49,200 --> 00:40:52,000 enchanting sea lough and its secluded islands. 668 00:40:53,480 --> 00:40:56,240 And navigating the shallows in a stealthy canoe, 669 00:40:56,240 --> 00:40:59,160 certainly rewards us with an exclusive experience. 670 00:40:59,160 --> 00:41:01,360 See that bird? 671 00:41:01,360 --> 00:41:04,560 - It's a heron. - Yeah. A grey heron. 672 00:41:04,560 --> 00:41:07,520 They look, they look like dinosaurs, don't they? 673 00:41:07,520 --> 00:41:09,000 I know. 674 00:41:09,000 --> 00:41:11,720 It's been great. I've seen oyster catchers, eiders, shanks. 675 00:41:11,720 --> 00:41:13,760 It's been really good for wildlife already. 676 00:41:13,760 --> 00:41:15,600 How many islands are there? 677 00:41:15,600 --> 00:41:18,560 Oh, there are 370 odd. 678 00:41:18,560 --> 00:41:20,640 So have you landed on them all, do you think? 679 00:41:20,640 --> 00:41:24,080 We've landed probably on 108. 680 00:41:24,080 --> 00:41:28,200 'The lads are taking me to their favourite uninhabited island. 681 00:41:28,200 --> 00:41:31,240 'But first we have some tricky waters to navigate.' 682 00:41:31,240 --> 00:41:34,120 It's certainly getting a bit lumpy now, the wind's picked up 683 00:41:34,120 --> 00:41:36,760 and the tide's on the turn. You can really feel it. 684 00:41:36,760 --> 00:41:38,560 - You see the left-hand side? - Yeah. 685 00:41:38,560 --> 00:41:41,640 That's the strongest tide I think outside the Menai Straits. 686 00:41:41,640 --> 00:41:43,920 Oh, no! 687 00:41:43,920 --> 00:41:45,720 The strongest current. 688 00:41:45,720 --> 00:41:48,840 Cadog and I have ridden that tide and shot up 12 miles 689 00:41:48,840 --> 00:41:51,720 to the top of the lough in less than three hours. 690 00:41:51,720 --> 00:41:54,800 Wow! The strength of that tide, that's incredible. 691 00:41:54,800 --> 00:41:57,480 We've certainly got to get across all this now. 692 00:41:58,960 --> 00:42:03,920 'The tidal waters are connected to the Irish Sea via a tight channel. 693 00:42:03,920 --> 00:42:08,480 'Four times a day, 77 million gallons of saltwater 694 00:42:08,480 --> 00:42:10,720 'rush through these narrows. 695 00:42:10,720 --> 00:42:14,520 'The dramatic tidal surges, put off your average paddler.' 696 00:42:16,920 --> 00:42:19,640 Here we go, this is getting quite bubbly now. 697 00:42:19,640 --> 00:42:23,680 - Woo! - Hold on! - Yeah! 698 00:42:25,080 --> 00:42:28,600 - We're picking up speed now. - I can feel it, I can feel it! 699 00:42:28,600 --> 00:42:30,840 Ellie, we'll head out through the middle. 700 00:42:32,440 --> 00:42:34,600 - Hee-hee! - If you see a big rock, steer away from it. 701 00:42:34,600 --> 00:42:36,080 All right. 702 00:42:38,240 --> 00:42:40,560 Oh! Here's the rocks. 703 00:42:42,800 --> 00:42:44,600 There we go. 704 00:42:46,920 --> 00:42:48,960 'Safely through the rapids, 705 00:42:48,960 --> 00:42:53,080 'we hope to reach the boys' secret island retreat before dark.' 706 00:43:04,440 --> 00:43:07,760 '20 miles from the lough are the Mourne Mountains, 707 00:43:07,760 --> 00:43:10,480 'the highest in Northern Ireland. 708 00:43:12,840 --> 00:43:16,240 'Bleak, steep and remote, 709 00:43:16,240 --> 00:43:20,200 'they're the guardians of the mysteriously named Silent Valley. 710 00:43:22,360 --> 00:43:25,240 This granite wall took 18 years to build 711 00:43:25,240 --> 00:43:28,640 and spans 15 mountains, top to bottom. 712 00:43:28,640 --> 00:43:31,720 It's an amazing feat of dry stone wall engineering. 713 00:43:33,720 --> 00:43:37,560 'Yet, this extraordinary 22-mile wall, 714 00:43:37,560 --> 00:43:41,160 'was just the beginning of a monumental construction project 715 00:43:41,160 --> 00:43:44,640 'through the heart of Northern Ireland's toughest terrain. 716 00:43:46,120 --> 00:43:49,520 'This is Silent Valley Reservoir. 717 00:43:49,520 --> 00:43:53,840 'It's hard to imagine how the dam was ever built, when the only way 718 00:43:53,840 --> 00:43:57,160 'in and out of these mountains, seems to be a farm track. 719 00:43:58,760 --> 00:44:00,760 'It's deathly quiet here 720 00:44:00,760 --> 00:44:05,520 'and the silence speaks volumes to hill walker Alan Kilgore.' 721 00:44:05,520 --> 00:44:08,640 So, talk to me about this road and where we are at the moment. 722 00:44:08,640 --> 00:44:10,920 Well, you're really in the heart of the Mournes 723 00:44:10,920 --> 00:44:14,760 and not far from where we are is the Silent Valley Reservoir. 724 00:44:14,760 --> 00:44:16,600 But this is a very important road, 725 00:44:16,600 --> 00:44:19,760 in that when the Silent Valley Reservoir was being built, 726 00:44:19,760 --> 00:44:23,120 the workforce all lived on site. In and around where we are now, 727 00:44:23,120 --> 00:44:26,000 there would have been a very busy town called Watertown. 728 00:44:26,000 --> 00:44:27,920 So, you say a town. 729 00:44:27,920 --> 00:44:31,760 I mean, I can't imagine any sort of town here. 730 00:44:31,760 --> 00:44:35,360 I mean, it's just beautiful, lush. But, what was it like? 731 00:44:35,360 --> 00:44:37,040 Well, you've got to think back. 732 00:44:37,040 --> 00:44:39,880 In this time there was a railway into the valley 733 00:44:39,880 --> 00:44:42,160 bringing all the material up here. 734 00:44:42,160 --> 00:44:44,880 The neighbouring villages couldn't accommodate a workforce. 735 00:44:44,880 --> 00:44:48,200 The workforce had to be given some accommodation where they could live. 736 00:44:48,200 --> 00:44:52,280 So this whole valley was a massive public work scheme with 737 00:44:52,280 --> 00:44:55,520 people living on it, people looking after them. 738 00:44:55,520 --> 00:44:58,400 So you had a whole community living here at one time. 739 00:45:05,920 --> 00:45:10,600 'Watertown sprang up overnight, with shops, an infirmary, 740 00:45:10,600 --> 00:45:12,920 'a police station and even a cinema, 741 00:45:12,920 --> 00:45:15,920 'catering for the 600 workers who lived here.' 742 00:45:17,800 --> 00:45:21,480 It's a bit of a clamber down. 743 00:45:21,480 --> 00:45:25,120 - A big step. - You have maybe a half century of growth in here. 744 00:45:25,120 --> 00:45:26,640 Well, it's a good job I'm fit. 745 00:45:26,640 --> 00:45:28,440 Ooh! 746 00:45:28,440 --> 00:45:32,720 'Alan insists remains are there to be found, if we make the effort.' 747 00:45:34,400 --> 00:45:36,360 - Well, there's a ditch here. - Yes. 748 00:45:36,360 --> 00:45:39,040 And it's a deep ditch. It's OK. 749 00:45:39,040 --> 00:45:41,480 I'm not sure that's what he had in mind. 750 00:45:41,480 --> 00:45:43,560 - Up! - There you go. Yeah. 751 00:45:43,560 --> 00:45:46,000 - And there you are. - There's our base. - Yes. 752 00:45:51,920 --> 00:45:55,480 This was where a family perhaps would have lived or, 753 00:45:55,480 --> 00:45:58,000 a group of men would have shared accommodation. 754 00:45:58,000 --> 00:46:02,520 And apart from this concrete base, just no evidence. 755 00:46:02,520 --> 00:46:05,480 There's very little evidence of people living here 756 00:46:08,120 --> 00:46:11,480 Work started on the dam in 1923, 757 00:46:11,480 --> 00:46:15,880 to create a three billion gallon reservoir to service Belfast. 758 00:46:17,120 --> 00:46:22,200 'A great din filled this now silent valley for a decade. 759 00:46:22,200 --> 00:46:25,200 'It was dangerous work for the men who laboured here. 760 00:46:25,200 --> 00:46:29,080 'Terry King will never forget the sacrifice some of them 761 00:46:29,080 --> 00:46:31,160 'made to get the dam built.' 762 00:46:31,160 --> 00:46:34,120 Terry, your uncle actually helped construct the dam. 763 00:46:34,120 --> 00:46:36,120 Tell me a little bit about him. 764 00:46:36,120 --> 00:46:37,640 Yes, Mick was a digger driver. 765 00:46:37,640 --> 00:46:40,560 He was the driver, or the controller of the machine, 766 00:46:40,560 --> 00:46:46,080 digging this place out and digging all the soil and stuff out of here. 767 00:46:46,080 --> 00:46:49,720 And then, when they had it all dug out and down to the depth, 768 00:46:49,720 --> 00:46:51,320 he was making the banks here. 769 00:46:51,320 --> 00:46:53,800 Do you have a picture of Mick that I could see? 770 00:46:53,800 --> 00:46:58,920 Yes, I do indeed, of Mick and my Aunt Bridget, his wife. 771 00:46:58,920 --> 00:47:01,880 And that was taken shortly after they were married. 772 00:47:03,160 --> 00:47:06,720 'The driver of a steam-powered excavator, 773 00:47:06,720 --> 00:47:09,760 'Mick dug down over 200 feet to bedrock. 774 00:47:11,760 --> 00:47:15,880 'But in difficult conditions, danger was never far away.' 775 00:47:17,680 --> 00:47:19,960 The machine rolled from the top, my mother said, 776 00:47:19,960 --> 00:47:22,320 right down to the bottom with him in it. 777 00:47:22,320 --> 00:47:25,560 So it was a complete wreck when they got to... 778 00:47:25,560 --> 00:47:27,680 Got down to him, you know. 779 00:47:27,680 --> 00:47:31,520 I mean his daughter was only six months old when he was killed. 780 00:47:31,520 --> 00:47:34,200 They had one daughter. 781 00:47:39,600 --> 00:47:43,440 'Mick was one of eight men who lost their lives building the dam. 782 00:47:46,560 --> 00:47:50,440 'The massive project was completed in just over a decade. 783 00:47:50,440 --> 00:47:55,040 'And today, the reservoir still channels 130 million litres 784 00:47:55,040 --> 00:47:57,640 'of water a day, to Belfast.' 785 00:47:59,960 --> 00:48:03,560 - Wow! Just look at this! - It's wonderful. 786 00:48:03,560 --> 00:48:07,480 So not only is it functional in what it does, 787 00:48:07,480 --> 00:48:10,440 just impressive masonry... 788 00:48:10,440 --> 00:48:11,880 Massive. 789 00:48:11,880 --> 00:48:14,240 And aesthetically something to really look at. 790 00:48:14,240 --> 00:48:16,680 Just to carry water, to think it's built like this. 791 00:48:16,680 --> 00:48:19,640 - Yeah. Very impressive. - Isn't it? 792 00:48:19,640 --> 00:48:24,160 'We're so lucky to have been given special permission to 793 00:48:24,160 --> 00:48:25,840 'go into the dam and embankment, 794 00:48:25,840 --> 00:48:29,360 'that Terry's great uncle helped build. 795 00:48:29,360 --> 00:48:32,160 'Every stone is beautifully dressed, 796 00:48:32,160 --> 00:48:35,520 'even those of the enormous reservoir overspill.' 797 00:48:35,520 --> 00:48:37,840 Ow! 798 00:48:37,840 --> 00:48:41,280 - VOICE ECHOES: That's breathtaking. - It's like a railway tunnel. 799 00:48:41,280 --> 00:48:43,760 - Wow, listen to the echo on that. - Yeah. 800 00:48:43,760 --> 00:48:45,720 Woo-hoo! 801 00:48:50,560 --> 00:48:53,480 - It's quite steep, Denise. - Yeah, the banks are really steep. 802 00:48:53,480 --> 00:48:55,640 Yeah, the side walls are. 803 00:48:55,640 --> 00:48:59,040 'Each brick down here was laid by hand, 804 00:48:59,040 --> 00:49:01,840 'a testament to the skill of the workforce. 805 00:49:01,840 --> 00:49:04,560 'And though it was built for functionality, 806 00:49:04,560 --> 00:49:07,400 'there's a beauty in its form and symmetry.' 807 00:49:10,840 --> 00:49:12,440 This is the end of the line, Denise. 808 00:49:12,440 --> 00:49:16,320 This is the end of the line and what an impressive stop it is. 809 00:49:16,320 --> 00:49:18,280 Wow! 810 00:49:21,080 --> 00:49:23,680 - It's just incredible, isn't it? - Isn't it? 811 00:49:23,680 --> 00:49:26,160 And all hand built by Mick and the other, 812 00:49:26,160 --> 00:49:28,960 all the other workers and their teams, built in ten years. 813 00:49:41,280 --> 00:49:45,120 'This impressive dam in such a remote and harsh location 814 00:49:45,120 --> 00:49:48,920 'is perhaps a fitting monument to the memory of Mick 815 00:49:48,920 --> 00:49:51,200 'and the men of Watertown. 816 00:49:52,320 --> 00:49:55,960 'So too the silence and the valley they left behind.' 817 00:50:01,200 --> 00:50:04,440 'On Strangford Lough, we've finally arrived 818 00:50:04,440 --> 00:50:07,360 'at Cadog and Cadogan's secret uninhabited island.' 819 00:50:08,480 --> 00:50:10,960 - All right. - Watch out! - Yes. 820 00:50:10,960 --> 00:50:12,520 About here? 821 00:50:12,520 --> 00:50:14,080 Okey doke. 822 00:50:14,080 --> 00:50:15,720 Well, this is pretty remote. 823 00:50:17,480 --> 00:50:20,760 'The boys love to camp in this isolated spot. 824 00:50:20,760 --> 00:50:22,840 'They're hoping they'll be able to show me 825 00:50:22,840 --> 00:50:28,760 'something really rare, the elusive swimming hare.' 826 00:50:28,760 --> 00:50:30,680 You're like a mountain goat, Cadog. 827 00:50:30,680 --> 00:50:32,840 - THEY CHUCKLE - Look at you on your nimble legs. 828 00:50:32,840 --> 00:50:33,880 Oh! 829 00:50:33,880 --> 00:50:36,680 I'll give you a pound if you spot a hare, Cadog. 830 00:50:36,680 --> 00:50:38,800 So, this is where they'll be. 831 00:50:38,800 --> 00:50:41,160 We'll probably see them race across, 832 00:50:41,160 --> 00:50:44,760 and find cover as far away as they can from you, you know. 833 00:50:44,760 --> 00:50:48,480 'Apparently, these Irish hares eat seaweed. 834 00:50:48,480 --> 00:50:51,400 'I'm told it's almost impossible to catch them swimming, 835 00:50:51,400 --> 00:50:53,800 'but we might just spy one on land.' 836 00:50:55,200 --> 00:50:57,640 How many hares do you think there are here? 837 00:50:57,640 --> 00:50:59,880 Well, we've always seen two or three. 838 00:50:59,880 --> 00:51:01,840 Erm, and it's pretty much on every island. 839 00:51:01,840 --> 00:51:04,760 It's just for some reason, every time we come here. 840 00:51:04,760 --> 00:51:06,960 Er, a hare races across. 841 00:51:13,120 --> 00:51:15,600 I thought I saw a flicker of movement down there. 842 00:51:15,600 --> 00:51:16,640 Oh, look! 843 00:51:17,760 --> 00:51:19,960 Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's just behind... 844 00:51:22,960 --> 00:51:24,800 Yeah, there it is. 845 00:51:24,800 --> 00:51:28,240 Past all these thistles here and all this vegetation. 846 00:51:28,240 --> 00:51:30,800 Oh, you just get tiny glimpses, but it's definitely there. 847 00:51:30,800 --> 00:51:33,360 - Yeah, I saw it. - Did you see it? - Yeah. See, it's on that... 848 00:51:33,360 --> 00:51:35,800 - There it is, it's going... That's it! - Oh, yeah I've got it. 849 00:51:35,800 --> 00:51:38,480 There we go. Ooh! That's good speeds. 850 00:51:40,520 --> 00:51:42,720 It's probably going to go swimming. 851 00:51:44,080 --> 00:51:46,480 - Yeah. I'm not sure about these swimming hares. - Oh, no. 852 00:51:46,480 --> 00:51:48,440 I think this is something you two see after... 853 00:51:48,440 --> 00:51:50,920 - I think they're hiding at the moment. - After the camp fire. 854 00:51:50,920 --> 00:51:54,200 If they're going swimming they'd go in that direction, wouldn't they? 855 00:51:57,240 --> 00:52:00,800 'Catching a glimpse of a wild animal in its natural setting 856 00:52:00,800 --> 00:52:02,960 'always feels very special. 857 00:52:02,960 --> 00:52:06,240 'And, to be honest, just getting off the beaten track and away 858 00:52:06,240 --> 00:52:10,280 'from the crowds in a setting like this, is reward in itself.' 859 00:52:13,400 --> 00:52:16,920 Well, thank you for letting me see your secrets of the lough. 860 00:52:16,920 --> 00:52:19,960 I mean, there's so much more. We've got 60-odd 861 00:52:19,960 --> 00:52:23,280 islands on that side, and we haven't even been near them. 862 00:52:23,280 --> 00:52:26,400 - I'll have to come back another day. - Yeah. - Cheers. 863 00:52:35,400 --> 00:52:38,560 'Strangford isn't the only lough in Northern Ireland with 864 00:52:38,560 --> 00:52:42,480 'a stunning collection of secluded islands. 865 00:52:42,480 --> 00:52:46,240 'In the far west of Fermanagh lies the lake district. 866 00:52:47,680 --> 00:52:50,520 'This is Lough Erne, 867 00:52:50,520 --> 00:52:53,240 'the UK's longest freshwater lake. 868 00:52:53,240 --> 00:52:55,320 'Heavily forested and remote, 869 00:52:55,320 --> 00:52:58,280 'it's also very close to the Atlantic Ocean. 870 00:53:00,280 --> 00:53:04,520 'Which meant this very spot was suddenly of huge strategic 871 00:53:04,520 --> 00:53:09,000 'importance during the Second World War.' 872 00:53:09,000 --> 00:53:11,800 It was the perfect place for a secret base, 873 00:53:11,800 --> 00:53:14,800 hidden between the mountains and that forest. 874 00:53:14,800 --> 00:53:17,080 I mean, it's still pretty difficult to find today, 875 00:53:17,080 --> 00:53:21,600 but at least I have this photograph to help me find my bearings. 876 00:53:26,080 --> 00:53:29,960 'With all these caravans dotted around on the tarmac, 877 00:53:29,960 --> 00:53:32,760 'it's hard to imagine this holiday park 878 00:53:32,760 --> 00:53:35,240 'was once an operational RAF base. 879 00:53:37,120 --> 00:53:41,520 'But in World War II, this was RAF Castle Archdale. 880 00:53:45,040 --> 00:53:49,080 'Sunderland and Catalina flying boats would've refuelled 881 00:53:49,080 --> 00:53:50,840 'and re-armed here, 882 00:53:50,840 --> 00:53:54,760 'before taking off on anti-submarine patrols over the Atlantic. 883 00:54:01,320 --> 00:54:04,960 'Breege McCusker met many of the veterans who flew from here, 884 00:54:04,960 --> 00:54:08,760 'and knows her way around the remains of this hidden air base.' 885 00:54:08,760 --> 00:54:12,720 This is the first time I can actually almost 886 00:54:12,720 --> 00:54:16,320 use my imagination and say, yeah, this does look like a base. 887 00:54:16,320 --> 00:54:19,040 What is this exactly, here? 888 00:54:19,040 --> 00:54:22,200 Well, what we're looking at is the Shetland Dock and that was 889 00:54:22,200 --> 00:54:26,640 built in 1945 just towards the end of the Second World War. 890 00:54:26,640 --> 00:54:31,200 And the idea was that the planes were going to be brought in here and serviced. 891 00:54:31,200 --> 00:54:35,560 And for those who don't know anything about flying boats, and so on, they are big. 892 00:54:35,560 --> 00:54:37,320 - Yeah. - I mean, they are big. 893 00:54:37,320 --> 00:54:40,120 There's Catalinas and the Sunderlands which were here. 894 00:54:40,120 --> 00:54:42,360 So the idea was that they came into this area here 895 00:54:42,360 --> 00:54:45,720 and the wings would be overlapping these two areas here, 896 00:54:45,720 --> 00:54:48,800 and the maintenance work would have been done on them. 897 00:54:50,520 --> 00:54:52,840 You can hear a pin drop here, can't you, now. 898 00:54:52,840 --> 00:54:55,080 But then it must have been very noisy. 899 00:54:55,080 --> 00:54:56,920 This was like a city, a town. 900 00:54:56,920 --> 00:55:00,480 To think they had over 2,500 personnel here. 901 00:55:00,480 --> 00:55:01,880 This was vibrant. 902 00:55:08,640 --> 00:55:12,360 'Flying up to 1,000 miles out over the Atlantic, 903 00:55:12,360 --> 00:55:17,360 'these flying boats shadowed convoys and attacked enemy submarines. 904 00:55:20,480 --> 00:55:24,400 'Missions could last 12 or 13 hours, so there were 905 00:55:24,400 --> 00:55:26,240 'galley kitchens on board 906 00:55:26,240 --> 00:55:28,840 'and even space to grab 40 winks. 907 00:55:31,480 --> 00:55:35,600 'Then, it was back to Lough Erne, to refuel and re-arm, 908 00:55:35,600 --> 00:55:37,360 'ready to go again. 909 00:55:39,520 --> 00:55:44,680 'New Zealander Godfrey Swann, was a Sunderland pilot at RAF Archdale. 910 00:55:44,680 --> 00:55:47,840 'His daughter, Pat, now lives just 30 miles away.' 911 00:55:47,840 --> 00:55:50,920 1944, it says there. 912 00:55:50,920 --> 00:55:54,120 So, in the '40s we know your dad was based here. 913 00:55:54,120 --> 00:55:57,560 - Right? - Yes. Yes. - Yeah. What do you know about him? 914 00:55:57,560 --> 00:56:02,720 Well, I just knew that he and my mum got married and the day after, 915 00:56:02,720 --> 00:56:06,360 - he was sent to train as a pilot and ended up here. - Right. 916 00:56:06,360 --> 00:56:08,920 Did he... Did he ever talk about it? 917 00:56:08,920 --> 00:56:13,720 He talked about the conditions of the weather, which he thought was appalling. 918 00:56:13,720 --> 00:56:19,440 But in the planes, they're incredibly noisy and cold and rattly, 919 00:56:19,440 --> 00:56:21,720 - they were like big tin sheds. - Yeah. 920 00:56:21,720 --> 00:56:25,920 And they always reminded me of those metal World War II trunks 921 00:56:25,920 --> 00:56:27,880 - that you see in war movies. - Oh, yes. 922 00:56:27,880 --> 00:56:30,280 You know, the whole plane was sort of like that. 923 00:56:30,280 --> 00:56:32,800 But, they were hunting for U-boats. 924 00:56:32,800 --> 00:56:35,080 My father could never find anything when he was home. 925 00:56:35,080 --> 00:56:37,280 He couldn't find socks in the airing cupboard 926 00:56:37,280 --> 00:56:40,680 So, God knows how they spotted U-boats. 927 00:56:40,680 --> 00:56:42,760 This is what it was like in the 1940s. 928 00:56:42,760 --> 00:56:45,400 - I don't know whether you've seen this photograph before. - No. 929 00:56:45,400 --> 00:56:48,440 I mean, it's so busy. It's so quiet now. Really busy back then. 930 00:56:48,440 --> 00:56:52,520 And did you know that this was the operations room where we've just had a coffee. 931 00:56:52,520 --> 00:56:53,920 - No. Not at all. - Yeah. 932 00:56:53,920 --> 00:56:56,520 It's interesting listening to your voice because there's 933 00:56:56,520 --> 00:56:59,880 obviously a lot of New Zealand, and there's a bit of Irish in there. 934 00:56:59,880 --> 00:57:02,520 You obviously have an affiliation to this place, too. 935 00:57:02,520 --> 00:57:04,760 I love it here. 936 00:57:04,760 --> 00:57:07,960 I came here 30 years ago and was so happy. 937 00:57:07,960 --> 00:57:10,840 From the second I got off the plane, 938 00:57:10,840 --> 00:57:13,200 I just felt like home, so... 939 00:57:13,200 --> 00:57:15,880 And I actually came here and settled here before I knew 940 00:57:15,880 --> 00:57:18,160 that my father had been based in Castle Archdale. 941 00:57:27,920 --> 00:57:30,560 'Northern Ireland has been a revelation. 942 00:57:36,000 --> 00:57:38,840 'It's given up some spectacular secrets, 943 00:57:38,840 --> 00:57:42,880 'and shown off its great natural wonders - 944 00:57:42,880 --> 00:57:44,920 'its man-made marvels, 945 00:57:44,920 --> 00:57:46,440 'stunning wildlife, 946 00:57:46,440 --> 00:57:50,120 'unique geology and ancient stories. 947 00:57:50,120 --> 00:57:53,960 'All of them wrapped up in majestic landscapes.' 948 00:57:55,800 --> 00:57:58,520 And there's no better way of soaking up the magic 949 00:57:58,520 --> 00:58:01,640 and majesty of Northern Ireland, than in the air.