0:00:02 > 0:00:07The far north-west of Scotland boasts some of the most spectacular
0:00:07 > 0:00:09lochs in the country.
0:00:09 > 0:00:12And travellers, be they holy men or warriors,
0:00:12 > 0:00:16have sought sanctuary here since the earliest times.
0:00:16 > 0:00:18But then, in the 20th century,
0:00:18 > 0:00:20when Europe was ravaged by war,
0:00:20 > 0:00:22the sea lochs of the West Coast
0:00:22 > 0:00:24provided a sheltered anchorage
0:00:24 > 0:00:27to convoys of ships heading to the Arctic.
0:00:29 > 0:00:33I'm on a loch-hopping journey across Scotland,
0:00:33 > 0:00:37where it's been estimated there are more than 31,000 lochs.
0:00:37 > 0:00:40They come in all shapes and sizes,
0:00:40 > 0:00:44many scoured out by glaciers during the last ice age.
0:00:46 > 0:00:50The great freshwater lochs of the central Highlands.
0:00:50 > 0:00:53The long, fjord-like sea lochs along our coast.
0:00:54 > 0:00:58And the innumerable lochans that stud the open moors or nestle
0:00:58 > 0:01:02beneath high summits in dark mountain corries.
0:01:03 > 0:01:06All are both beautiful and mysterious,
0:01:06 > 0:01:09sustaining life and firing our imagination.
0:01:11 > 0:01:16Distinctively Scottish, I want to explore just how these lochs
0:01:16 > 0:01:21have shaped a people and defined a nation. This leg of my journey
0:01:21 > 0:01:26starts in breathtaking Wester Ross, on the trail of fabled archers,
0:01:26 > 0:01:30sunken wrecks and every politician's dream - the money tree.
0:01:43 > 0:01:44For this Grand Tour,
0:01:44 > 0:01:49I'm travelling to three lochs on Scotland's beautiful west coast.
0:01:49 > 0:01:55The first is Loch Gairloch, just a 20-mile hop from the Isle of Skye.
0:01:55 > 0:01:58After a stop-off at a newly-created kingdom,
0:01:58 > 0:02:03I journey inland to Loch Ewe and the wondrous gardens on its shore,
0:02:03 > 0:02:07before seeking an ancient cure for madness at the mystical waters
0:02:07 > 0:02:09of Loch Maree.
0:02:10 > 0:02:14Like many of the earliest travellers who came here, I arrive by sea.
0:02:16 > 0:02:20In the Gaelic language, Gairloch means the short loch.
0:02:20 > 0:02:24But when you're paddling your own canoe against a headwind
0:02:24 > 0:02:27and the tide, it certainly doesn't feel that short!
0:02:27 > 0:02:28HE PUFFS
0:02:28 > 0:02:29Exhausted!
0:02:32 > 0:02:35Not to be confused with Gare Loch in Argyll,
0:02:35 > 0:02:38Loch Gairloch is the name of the loch,
0:02:38 > 0:02:42the village on its shore and the scattered communities round about.
0:02:42 > 0:02:48I'm paddling to the natural harbour that sits to the south - Badachro.
0:02:48 > 0:02:52Today there are more pleasure boats than fishing vessels here,
0:02:52 > 0:02:55but in the days of old, this was a thriving port,
0:02:55 > 0:02:58sending its catch far and wide -
0:02:58 > 0:03:02a business they had the Vatican to thank.
0:03:02 > 0:03:06Traditionally, the Roman Catholic Church required and expected
0:03:06 > 0:03:10the devout to abstain from meat on a Friday.
0:03:10 > 0:03:14Now, fortunately, the clerics never considered fish to be meat,
0:03:14 > 0:03:18which is why Friday remains the most popular day of the week for
0:03:18 > 0:03:22a fish dish - even for non-Catholics and an agnostic like me.
0:03:24 > 0:03:28Scottish fish, and in particular cod, was in high demand,
0:03:28 > 0:03:34and here in Gairloch it was caught, salted and sent all over the world.
0:03:38 > 0:03:41Ian McWhinney's grandfather was one of those fishermen,
0:03:41 > 0:03:46and today Ian fishes the same waters in a traditional wooden boat.
0:03:48 > 0:03:53But much of what Ian catches these days, his grandfather would have
0:03:53 > 0:03:55- thrown back.- What have we got here?
0:03:55 > 0:03:57- Tell us.- That's a nice lobster.
0:03:57 > 0:03:59Where's this lobster going to end up?
0:03:59 > 0:04:02- Probably it'll be in Spain, this one.- Spain!
0:04:02 > 0:04:05I want to see for myself how Gairloch's fishing folk
0:04:05 > 0:04:08are surviving in these more secular times,
0:04:08 > 0:04:13and in the absence of the cod that once swam in the loch.
0:04:13 > 0:04:18Today Ian depends on this - a traditional Scottish creel,
0:04:18 > 0:04:21designed to make any crustacean feel right at home.
0:04:21 > 0:04:24It's called a parlour pot. Kitchen... Anything going here
0:04:24 > 0:04:28has something to eat, and then there's this bit here called the parlour.
0:04:28 > 0:04:30Kind of but 'n' ben of the creel world.
0:04:32 > 0:04:36In these temperate waters, warmed by the Gulf Stream,
0:04:36 > 0:04:39lobsters can be found at about 40 metres.
0:04:39 > 0:04:43But to hit the jackpot, Ian has to go even deeper.
0:04:43 > 0:04:46- Is that your langoustine? - So that's a nice langoustine.
0:04:46 > 0:04:49- Right. He would bite you. - Lovely finger and thumb just here.
0:04:49 > 0:04:51Hold that and I'll show you what we'll do with these.
0:04:51 > 0:04:54Hello, little langoustine. Has he come up from 100 feet below me?
0:04:54 > 0:04:56150 feet, yeah.
0:04:56 > 0:04:59That was a surprise, wasn't it, Mr Langoustine?
0:04:59 > 0:05:00It certainly was.
0:05:00 > 0:05:04- Pop him in here.- Now, langoustines, or prawns, or scampi,
0:05:04 > 0:05:06they're all exactly the same thing -
0:05:06 > 0:05:08their proper name is Norwegian lobsters.
0:05:08 > 0:05:11It's just if you give them a fancy French name like langoustines
0:05:11 > 0:05:13you can charge twice as much for them, yeah.
0:05:13 > 0:05:16- Right.- So on this boat, we catch prawns and sell langoustines.
0:05:18 > 0:05:20But that's not all he catches.
0:05:20 > 0:05:23- And what is that? - This is a scorpion fish.
0:05:23 > 0:05:25Its spines there - tipped with poison.
0:05:25 > 0:05:28If you stand on them your whole leg will swell up to twice its
0:05:28 > 0:05:30normal size. Very painful.
0:05:30 > 0:05:32And definitely not edible.
0:05:33 > 0:05:37The beauty of this traditional type of fishing is that it's selective
0:05:37 > 0:05:39and sustainable.
0:05:39 > 0:05:43Anything that's too small gets thrown back, still alive.
0:05:43 > 0:05:47Each creel has to be hauled up and baited with fresh fish.
0:05:47 > 0:05:52Between 300 and 400 langoustines would be a good day's catch for Ian.
0:05:52 > 0:05:55Well, I think we're doing very well.
0:05:55 > 0:05:57Look at him. He's a beauty.
0:05:57 > 0:06:00And he's learned that it pays to keep one eye on the weather and
0:06:00 > 0:06:02the other on the football results.
0:06:02 > 0:06:05For one week in the summer the price shot up because Spain had won the
0:06:05 > 0:06:07World Cup, so everyone was eating shellfish.
0:06:07 > 0:06:10So who'd have thought Spain winning the World Cup would benefit a little
0:06:10 > 0:06:13- fisherman away on the west coast of Scotland?- Shellfish fiesta time.
0:06:13 > 0:06:16There you go. If the Germans win it they spend nothing on shellfish.
0:06:16 > 0:06:19- Well, they eat sausages. - Well, there you go.
0:06:19 > 0:06:24Within 24 hours, most of our catch will be in the markets of Barcelona,
0:06:24 > 0:06:28Beijing and beyond - still alive.
0:06:28 > 0:06:31But some are destined for a dinner table even closer.
0:06:32 > 0:06:35This tiny island on the edge of the loch
0:06:35 > 0:06:37is where Ian and his family live.
0:06:39 > 0:06:43When the tide is low, it becomes part of Badachro harbour -
0:06:43 > 0:06:46hence the name Dry Island.
0:06:46 > 0:06:49And I'm honoured with a special greeting.
0:06:51 > 0:06:52So we've got a welcoming committee here?
0:06:52 > 0:06:55This is Iona, my oldest daughter.
0:06:55 > 0:06:57- Hi, Iona.- And this is Isla, my youngest.- Hello, Isla.
0:06:57 > 0:07:01And these islanders are making their own bid for independence.
0:07:01 > 0:07:03This is your passport.
0:07:03 > 0:07:05A passport? Islonia.
0:07:05 > 0:07:08It's a mixture of mine and Isla's name.
0:07:08 > 0:07:12And then it's also got four letters of our brother's name, Finley.
0:07:12 > 0:07:13Right, very appropriate.
0:07:13 > 0:07:16And, look - we've got a crab and the Scottish flag.
0:07:16 > 0:07:19The Kingdom of Islonia.
0:07:19 > 0:07:20And who's the king?
0:07:22 > 0:07:24- What, your dad?- Yeah.- Yeah.
0:07:24 > 0:07:26So you are princesses, is that right?
0:07:26 > 0:07:28- Yes.- Thank you very much.
0:07:28 > 0:07:29I feel very honoured.
0:07:31 > 0:07:35And what better way to celebrate a declaration of independence
0:07:35 > 0:07:37than with a royal seafood feast,
0:07:37 > 0:07:41prepared by Islonia's young princesses, under the watchful gaze
0:07:41 > 0:07:44of Queen Jess I?
0:07:44 > 0:07:46Look at that!
0:07:46 > 0:07:48Beautifully presented.
0:07:48 > 0:07:50And I don't think there's any way I'm going to get through a huge
0:07:50 > 0:07:52mountain of shellfish all by myself.
0:07:52 > 0:07:54- Are you going to come and join me? - I'm going to try one of them.
0:07:57 > 0:07:58I couldn't eat another thing.
0:08:01 > 0:08:05Leaving the good citizens of Islonia, I get back on the loch.
0:08:05 > 0:08:09I've heard about a small island that figures large in the folklore of
0:08:09 > 0:08:15Gairloch, and I find it just a short distance of its southern shore.
0:08:15 > 0:08:19Here we are. Fraoch-eilean or Heather Island.
0:08:19 > 0:08:21Looks peaceful enough now,
0:08:21 > 0:08:26but back in the 1490s it bore witness to an amazing and deadly
0:08:26 > 0:08:29display of marksmanship. Back then,
0:08:29 > 0:08:34Gairloch belonged to Clan Mackenzie who were engaged in a long-running
0:08:34 > 0:08:38feud with the MacLeods from the nearby Isle of Skye.
0:08:38 > 0:08:42Legend has it that a MacLeod war galley sailed into Gairloch
0:08:42 > 0:08:45and anchored here, ready to attack.
0:08:45 > 0:08:48They were spotted by two brothers named Macrae,
0:08:48 > 0:08:53allies of the Mackenzies and famed for their skill with bow and arrow.
0:08:53 > 0:08:55The archers hid behind a rock ledge,
0:08:55 > 0:08:59which you can just make out on the mainland behind me,
0:08:59 > 0:09:01and rained arrows down on the galley.
0:09:01 > 0:09:04And when one of the MacLeod warriors climbed the mast to see where the
0:09:04 > 0:09:09firing was coming from, he was brought down by a single arrow shot
0:09:09 > 0:09:12fired from a distance of over 500 metres,
0:09:12 > 0:09:15which is an incredible thought and quite a feat.
0:09:17 > 0:09:21'To fully understand what a spectacular shot that was...'
0:09:21 > 0:09:24Looks like an ideal spot to set up my target.
0:09:24 > 0:09:27'..I'm conducting a little experiment.'
0:09:27 > 0:09:29To put the legend to the test.
0:09:29 > 0:09:34I've set up a target close to where the invading MacLeod met his fate.
0:09:34 > 0:09:38And now I'm crossing the loch to the exact place on the shore where
0:09:38 > 0:09:40the Macrae arrow was fired.
0:09:40 > 0:09:45Here we are - Leac nan Saighead, the ledge of the arrows.
0:09:45 > 0:09:47And here is an archer.
0:09:47 > 0:09:49Andrew, pleasure to meet you.
0:09:49 > 0:09:54I've enlisted the help of Andrew Greymuir who knows more than most about archery.
0:09:54 > 0:09:57Andrew, it's very nice to see that you've dressed for the occasion.
0:09:57 > 0:10:02Well, it's the formal dress for the Royal Company of Archers.
0:10:02 > 0:10:05The Royal Company of Archers. So if anyone can hit that island
0:10:05 > 0:10:07down there, you should.
0:10:07 > 0:10:11It would certainly be another feather in his cap.
0:10:11 > 0:10:14That's a good, what, 500 metres at least?
0:10:14 > 0:10:17- What do you reckon our chances are of hitting that?- I think enormous.
0:10:17 > 0:10:19THEY CHUCKLE
0:10:19 > 0:10:22- Let's put that theory to the test. - I think we should.
0:10:22 > 0:10:23Whoa!
0:10:27 > 0:10:31It was pathetic, really, wasn't it? It was miles short!
0:10:31 > 0:10:35The distance we're attempting is 500 metres -
0:10:35 > 0:10:39the furthest anyone has shot an arrow and hit a target.
0:10:43 > 0:10:44Oh!
0:10:44 > 0:10:47It seems an almost impossible challenge.
0:10:47 > 0:10:49Look at that!
0:10:49 > 0:10:51- You hit a seagull. - I hope not.
0:10:51 > 0:10:57Andrew's arrow falls 150 metres shy of the island.
0:10:57 > 0:11:00It makes that Macrae shot all the more impressive.
0:11:00 > 0:11:02What kind of bows do you think they would have had?
0:11:02 > 0:11:04They were yew bows.
0:11:05 > 0:11:07They would have been much thicker and much longer.
0:11:07 > 0:11:10- They must have been very strong. - Just to pull the bow back?
0:11:10 > 0:11:11Just to pull it back.
0:11:11 > 0:11:14Bow design and materials may have evolved,
0:11:14 > 0:11:17but the basic principle remains the same,
0:11:17 > 0:11:21making this simple weapon devastatingly effective,
0:11:21 > 0:11:23but only in the right hands.
0:11:23 > 0:11:26The thumb should be out of the way, from those three fingers.
0:11:26 > 0:11:29- I've got to let go, otherwise... - Yeah.- ..I'll skin my fingers.
0:11:29 > 0:11:32The real skill is in compensating for wind speed
0:11:32 > 0:11:34and judging trajectory.
0:11:35 > 0:11:39As in life, it's all about aiming high.
0:11:39 > 0:11:40It's going, it's going...
0:11:40 > 0:11:43Take that, MacLeod!
0:11:43 > 0:11:44150 metres.
0:11:44 > 0:11:46It's a long way short!
0:11:46 > 0:11:51Back in the 1500s, this was the shot of that archer's life.
0:11:51 > 0:11:54The MacLeods fled, never to return...
0:11:56 > 0:12:00..leaving the Mackenzies to reign supreme in Gairloch.
0:12:00 > 0:12:03It's amazing to think we're standing on the exact same spot where it all
0:12:03 > 0:12:07happened, where those two archers stood looking across at the island
0:12:07 > 0:12:10and seeing that MacLeod climbing up, saying, "Well, we'll take him down."
0:12:10 > 0:12:12It's just mind-blowingly difficult.
0:12:12 > 0:12:14- Or a fluke.- Or a fluke.
0:12:14 > 0:12:15A legendary fluke.
0:12:21 > 0:12:23Having run out of arrows,
0:12:23 > 0:12:27I leave one sea loch and travel inland to the southern shore
0:12:27 > 0:12:30of another, Loch Ewe.
0:12:30 > 0:12:34My route passes through some very wild and rugged country -
0:12:34 > 0:12:37a reminder, perhaps, that we're on the same latitude
0:12:37 > 0:12:40as frozen Hudson Bay in Canada.
0:12:40 > 0:12:45So the last thing in the world I would expect to find here is this.
0:12:45 > 0:12:46Or this.
0:12:46 > 0:12:47Or even this.
0:12:51 > 0:12:56On the edge of the loch lie 50 acres of what I can only describe
0:12:56 > 0:12:58as a subtropical paradise.
0:13:00 > 0:13:04This is Inverewe, the "impossible" garden.
0:13:05 > 0:13:09You could be forgiven for thinking that you've stepped into
0:13:09 > 0:13:11a rainforest or a savanna.
0:13:11 > 0:13:16There's Chilean rhubarb and rhododendron from the Himalayas,
0:13:16 > 0:13:19exotic species of olearia from New Zealand
0:13:19 > 0:13:22grows beside Tasmanian eucalyptus.
0:13:22 > 0:13:26It's an overwhelming feast for the eyes and the nose.
0:13:28 > 0:13:32Inverewe was the brainchild of an extraordinary, visionary
0:13:32 > 0:13:36but contradictory character, Osgood Mackenzie.
0:13:36 > 0:13:39A direct descendant of the great Mackenzie chiefs who once dominated
0:13:39 > 0:13:41this part of north-west Scotland,
0:13:41 > 0:13:47Osgood lived to a great age and when he died in 1922 he left these
0:13:47 > 0:13:51fabulous gardens and a memoir, A Hundred Years In The Highlands,
0:13:51 > 0:13:53as his enduring legacy.
0:13:55 > 0:13:58Osgood was an archetypal Highland gentleman,
0:13:58 > 0:14:02but he was actually born in France in 1842.
0:14:02 > 0:14:07When he was just a year old the family returned to their Scottish estates,
0:14:07 > 0:14:09which included land around Loch Ewe.
0:14:10 > 0:14:12Here Osgood grew up speaking Gaelic
0:14:12 > 0:14:15and learning how to kill wild animals.
0:14:15 > 0:14:17GUNSHOTS
0:14:17 > 0:14:20Shooting was a lifelong passion for Osgood.
0:14:20 > 0:14:23He was gifted a gun for his ninth birthday,
0:14:23 > 0:14:28and spent most of the next 70 years blasting at anything that moved,
0:14:28 > 0:14:31from golden eagles to pine martens.
0:14:31 > 0:14:35It seems his talent for nurturing plant life was equalled by his
0:14:35 > 0:14:37pleasure in slaughtering wildlife.
0:14:39 > 0:14:41In his memoir, Osgood writes,
0:14:41 > 0:14:45"What a big pile it would make if all the black game I'd shot
0:14:45 > 0:14:51"between 1855 and 1900 were gathered into one big heap.
0:14:51 > 0:14:56"Now, alas, there are none. And why? Who can tell?"
0:14:56 > 0:14:58Really, Osgood?
0:14:58 > 0:15:01It doesn't take a huge leap of imagination to work out the answer
0:15:01 > 0:15:03to that question, now, does it?
0:15:06 > 0:15:11Osgood the huntsman may seem very different to Osgood the gardener.
0:15:11 > 0:15:13But Inverewe became an obsession.
0:15:14 > 0:15:17He planted trees to provide shelter,
0:15:17 > 0:15:22imported the finest soil and added a special ingredient found here
0:15:22 > 0:15:24in plentiful supply -
0:15:24 > 0:15:26seaweed.
0:15:26 > 0:15:28And it did the trick -
0:15:28 > 0:15:33Osgood loved to boast about how big his crinodendrons were.
0:15:33 > 0:15:39By the time of his death in 1922 he had created an oasis of peace
0:15:39 > 0:15:41here in the Scottish Highlands.
0:15:43 > 0:15:49With a calm, Zen-like feeling I head north towards the narrow mouth of
0:15:49 > 0:15:54Loch Ewe. Its natural deep water is sheltered by the hills that run down
0:15:54 > 0:15:58to the shore and it provides a welcome respite to shipping passing
0:15:58 > 0:16:01across the stormy Atlantic Ocean.
0:16:02 > 0:16:05But there is a darker side to this picture-postcard place -
0:16:05 > 0:16:08one of violence, death and heroism.
0:16:13 > 0:16:18During the Second World War, this tranquil sea loch would play a vital
0:16:18 > 0:16:23part in protecting merchant ships from the menace of German U-boats.
0:16:24 > 0:16:29These wartime ruins once housed enormous guns to protect the
0:16:29 > 0:16:33entrance to the loch, which was also mined and closed by an
0:16:33 > 0:16:37anti-submarine boom stretched from headland to headland.
0:16:41 > 0:16:46This amazing film shot secretly at the start of the war shows
0:16:46 > 0:16:48the extent of the Loch Ewe defences.
0:16:50 > 0:16:54The Nazis were determined to stop arms and vital supplies
0:16:54 > 0:16:59from reaching the Soviet ports of Murmansk and Arkhangelsk.
0:16:59 > 0:17:02Protected by a fleet of warships,
0:17:02 > 0:17:06the Arctic convoys were crucial to the Allied war effort.
0:17:06 > 0:17:11They left from Liverpool, the Clyde and here at Loch Ewe.
0:17:11 > 0:17:16By 1941 the whole area had become one vast militarised zone with
0:17:16 > 0:17:20roadblocks and documentation checks so that only authorised personnel
0:17:20 > 0:17:22could gain access.
0:17:25 > 0:17:29These derelict structures are a tangible reminder of the importance
0:17:29 > 0:17:32of Loch ewe to the Allied victory.
0:17:34 > 0:17:38Making my way around the shore, I find myself suddenly transported
0:17:38 > 0:17:40back in time.
0:17:42 > 0:17:47An RAF Spitfire buzzes above while a Soviet tank
0:17:47 > 0:17:49blasts into the distance.
0:17:49 > 0:17:53Churchill rallies his troops while the Luftwaffe prepare for attack.
0:17:57 > 0:17:59This bizarre version of the past
0:17:59 > 0:18:02is all part of a World War II festival,
0:18:02 > 0:18:07a chance to celebrate victory and remember the fallen.
0:18:07 > 0:18:12For former seaman Geoff Shelton, this all brings back vivid memories.
0:18:12 > 0:18:14Geoff, you were the escort for the merchant ships.
0:18:14 > 0:18:16- We were the escort, yes. - How old were you?- 18.
0:18:16 > 0:18:18Were you ever scared?
0:18:18 > 0:18:20I was scared that first night.
0:18:20 > 0:18:24Swordfish came in and instead of landing on the ship it landed
0:18:24 > 0:18:26alongside it, and it sank immediately,
0:18:26 > 0:18:29taking the pilot with him.
0:18:29 > 0:18:34And I watched this lad in the dinghy, "Help, help, help."
0:18:34 > 0:18:38And slowly the hand came down and the voice got weaker.
0:18:38 > 0:18:43We picked him up within 15 minutes and he was dead.
0:18:43 > 0:18:44Frozen to death.
0:18:47 > 0:18:53The convoy ships made 78 journeys at a cost of 3,000 lives.
0:18:53 > 0:18:57And the people of Loch ewe have never forgotten their sacrifice
0:18:57 > 0:19:01and in particular the loss of one of those ships.
0:19:01 > 0:19:05It founded here in Black Bay.
0:19:05 > 0:19:0973 years after it went down, the twisted wreckage of the lifeboats
0:19:09 > 0:19:13from the William H Welch is still strewn on the shoreline.
0:19:16 > 0:19:22It was four o'clock in the morning on the 26th of February, 1944.
0:19:22 > 0:19:28The American troop ship was battling mountainous seas and violent winds,
0:19:28 > 0:19:32blinded by squalls of heavy snow and hail, the captain was desperately
0:19:32 > 0:19:34trying to find the entrance to Loch Ewe,
0:19:34 > 0:19:36and shelter from the storm.
0:19:37 > 0:19:42There were over 70 men on board that night when she struck a rocky skerry
0:19:42 > 0:19:44just to the north-west of me here.
0:19:44 > 0:19:48Then, as 50 foot waves crashed over the wheelhouse,
0:19:48 > 0:19:50the ship broke in two
0:19:50 > 0:19:54and men were thrown into the tumultuous seas and then dashed
0:19:54 > 0:19:56against the cliffs.
0:19:56 > 0:19:5862 lives were lost that night.
0:20:01 > 0:20:06Many tides have ebbed and flowed since then but, remarkably,
0:20:06 > 0:20:10after 73 years, the battered wreck of the William H Welch
0:20:10 > 0:20:13still lies beneath these waters.
0:20:13 > 0:20:19I've joined divers John Carpenter and Kenny Munro and local boatman
0:20:19 > 0:20:21Roderick MacIver.
0:20:21 > 0:20:24- You know where the wreck lies - how? - Just through local knowledge.
0:20:24 > 0:20:27We fish lobsters here a lot and you get rusty lobsters.
0:20:27 > 0:20:29- Rusty lobsters?- They come out covered in rust, they have been
0:20:29 > 0:20:32- under the metal plates. - Really?- Yes.- From the wreck itself?
0:20:32 > 0:20:34Yes, and the crabs, aye.
0:20:34 > 0:20:36- So that's how you knew the wreck was here?- Yeah.
0:20:36 > 0:20:39- Cos you were lifting rusty lobsters?- Yes.
0:20:39 > 0:20:41What kind of depth of water is she lying in just now?
0:20:41 > 0:20:44We're sitting in 12 to 13 metres of water so it is quite shallow.
0:20:44 > 0:20:47Normally they get pretty well broken up, don't they, Kenny?
0:20:47 > 0:20:50A wreck at 12 metres would usually smash to bits within
0:20:50 > 0:20:52five or six years.
0:20:52 > 0:20:55So this is where the bow section actually sank, so we are going to
0:20:55 > 0:20:58dive on that, have a look around and see what we can see.
0:20:58 > 0:21:01Because of the length of time it took the ship to go down
0:21:01 > 0:21:05it's believed that most of the crew managed to get clear of the wreckage
0:21:05 > 0:21:07only to be claimed by freezing temperatures
0:21:07 > 0:21:09or thrown onto the rocks.
0:21:09 > 0:21:13That is why this site is not classed as a war grave.
0:21:14 > 0:21:18This is very much for the experienced diver,
0:21:18 > 0:21:22so I am going to be snorkelling on the surface while the others plunge
0:21:22 > 0:21:24to the depths of the loch.
0:21:29 > 0:21:32Searching the seabed for fragments of wreckage is hampered
0:21:32 > 0:21:34by thick seaweed.
0:21:38 > 0:21:40But John spots something.
0:21:42 > 0:21:45Some twisted metal hidden under the sand.
0:21:50 > 0:21:54And then a remarkable discovery.
0:21:54 > 0:22:0073 years after she met her fate, this is the William H Welch.
0:22:02 > 0:22:06And, amazingly, much of the bow is intact.
0:22:11 > 0:22:12So what was it like inside?
0:22:14 > 0:22:18Quite dark. It was a wee bit eerie when you are inside.
0:22:19 > 0:22:21Broken pieces of hull.
0:22:21 > 0:22:23It's worthwhile getting cold for?
0:22:23 > 0:22:26- Very worthwhile. - Yeah, cos it's freezing.
0:22:26 > 0:22:30It's hard to believe how anyone could have survived this.
0:22:30 > 0:22:35But, astonishingly, 12 men did, and they owed their lives to the locals
0:22:35 > 0:22:37who ran to the rescue.
0:22:37 > 0:22:40One of them was a 12-year-old boy
0:22:40 > 0:22:43who set off across the moorland in a howling gale.
0:22:43 > 0:22:47His name is John-Murdo Mackenzie.
0:22:47 > 0:22:48What was the scene they were confronted with?
0:22:48 > 0:22:51- What did they see?- All the wreckage
0:22:51 > 0:22:58on the sea, on the shore and the oil, lifeboats, all kinds of things.
0:22:58 > 0:23:00Those two lifeboats are still there.
0:23:00 > 0:23:03They're still there. There were three lifeboats.
0:23:03 > 0:23:06That's all that's left of them now.
0:23:06 > 0:23:09- Were they used at all? - No, they were never used.
0:23:09 > 0:23:13They never got a chance to use them, they were washed off.
0:23:13 > 0:23:16People that lost their lives, they were lying just
0:23:16 > 0:23:18where the sea had left them.
0:23:18 > 0:23:21- The dead bodies had been washed in here?- That's right.
0:23:21 > 0:23:23And what assistance did the local people manage to bring?
0:23:23 > 0:23:27Blankets and everything they could lay their hands on.
0:23:27 > 0:23:32Flasks of tea and candles and stuff to light a fire.
0:23:32 > 0:23:34Really, to try and keep them warm?
0:23:34 > 0:23:36- Yes.- Because this was the middle of winter.
0:23:36 > 0:23:39- That was the main thing. - We've got some photographs here.
0:23:39 > 0:23:42- Are these some of the survivors? - Yes.- They look so young, don't they?
0:23:44 > 0:23:45So this is Russell Ross?
0:23:45 > 0:23:51In 2005, Russell Ross returned to the spot where he very nearly died.
0:23:51 > 0:23:55- Was this the first time he had come back?- The first time, yes.
0:23:55 > 0:24:00All those years and he had never told his wife or his family that he
0:24:00 > 0:24:03was in a shipwreck in the Highlands until he came up here.
0:24:03 > 0:24:05Really? It left such a scar.
0:24:05 > 0:24:09Yes. And he said that a load came off his shoulders.
0:24:11 > 0:24:15Before we leave, John-Murdo pays his tribute to the men this community
0:24:15 > 0:24:17have never forgotten.
0:24:23 > 0:24:24Leaving Loch Ewe,
0:24:24 > 0:24:28I head to one of Scotland's most intriguing destinations.
0:24:33 > 0:24:37This is the mysterious and sacred Loch Maree.
0:24:39 > 0:24:44Its 28 square kilometres contain more than 60 islands.
0:24:44 > 0:24:49It's also home to possibly one of the world's best-known landmarks.
0:24:49 > 0:24:50In name, anyway.
0:24:53 > 0:24:55These are the famous Victoria Falls
0:24:55 > 0:24:59which I have to say are just a wee bit disappointing.
0:24:59 > 0:25:04They hardly compare with the great African falls of the same name.
0:25:04 > 0:25:08But at least Queen Victoria actually came here and saw them.
0:25:08 > 0:25:11And as for the views of Loch Maree and the islands, well,
0:25:11 > 0:25:13they are just breathtaking.
0:25:15 > 0:25:19Not everyone came here to enjoy the scenery.
0:25:19 > 0:25:21These are sacred waters,
0:25:21 > 0:25:25and many pilgrims travelled here for Loch Maree's healing powers.
0:25:27 > 0:25:31It's named after 7th-century Irish monk Saint Maol Rubha,
0:25:31 > 0:25:35also known as Saint MaRuibhe, who was remarkably successful
0:25:35 > 0:25:38in converting the local people to Christianity.
0:25:41 > 0:25:46Historian Ceri Houlbrook has taken a special interest in the life of
0:25:46 > 0:25:50the loch's patron saint and in particular the little wooded island
0:25:50 > 0:25:52known as Eilean Maolruibhe.
0:25:52 > 0:25:55It's said to be the eye of the loch.
0:25:55 > 0:25:57Even though it is not technically at the very centre,
0:25:57 > 0:26:00it does feel like it is, and you can understand
0:26:00 > 0:26:04why Saint MaRuibhe chose to build his hermitage on that island.
0:26:04 > 0:26:06- A special place. - It is a special place. Definitely.
0:26:11 > 0:26:15It's thought that Saint MaRuibhe's success in converting so many
0:26:15 > 0:26:19was due to his tolerance towards certain pagan rituals,
0:26:19 > 0:26:24including animal sacrifice and other strange customs.
0:26:24 > 0:26:26People have been buried here for centuries and centuries.
0:26:26 > 0:26:28Yes.
0:26:28 > 0:26:33On this island where he built his chapel there is a remarkable example
0:26:33 > 0:26:35of one such practice.
0:26:38 > 0:26:41And this is the famous money tree?
0:26:41 > 0:26:42This is the famous money tree.
0:26:42 > 0:26:46So what is the purpose of leaving money here and putting coins into
0:26:46 > 0:26:51- the bark?- Originally it was seen as a cure for mental illnesses,
0:26:51 > 0:26:53what they called insanity.
0:26:53 > 0:26:57The patient would be bound with rope and placed in a rowing boat and then
0:26:57 > 0:27:00they would be rowed around the island three times,
0:27:00 > 0:27:05- dunked into the loch three times. - Really? It's a brutal treatment.
0:27:05 > 0:27:08Yes. And there was originally a holy well here.
0:27:08 > 0:27:12At the base of the tree the patient would be made to drink some water
0:27:12 > 0:27:15from it, and then leave their offering to the saint
0:27:15 > 0:27:18by placing a coin on the tree
0:27:18 > 0:27:22or tying a rag, a strip of clothing to the tree itself.
0:27:22 > 0:27:24What is the thought process behind that?
0:27:24 > 0:27:27It was believed that whatever clothing you wore contained
0:27:27 > 0:27:31- the illness you were suffering from. - I see, so the patient's illness
0:27:31 > 0:27:33- would be transferred onto the tree.- Yes.
0:27:33 > 0:27:36So that would leave the person cured
0:27:36 > 0:27:39and the tree would take the brunt of the disease.
0:27:39 > 0:27:41It certainly has taken the brunt of many diseases, hasn't it?
0:27:41 > 0:27:45Because this one has withered away to nothing, it's just sticks now.
0:27:45 > 0:27:47Yes, a lot of illness.
0:27:48 > 0:27:51One of these coins belongs to Queen Victoria,
0:27:51 > 0:27:54who made the pilgrimage in 1877.
0:27:55 > 0:27:59Though I don't imagine that here in the shadow of the mighty Slioch,
0:27:59 > 0:28:03she was tied up and dunked in the sacred waters.
0:28:03 > 0:28:08But to take the plunge in this freezing loch, you'd have to be mad.
0:28:10 > 0:28:12Luckily, I know a cure for that.
0:28:12 > 0:28:14It's lovely!
0:28:16 > 0:28:21I can't think of a better way to end my grand tour from Gairloch
0:28:21 > 0:28:25to Slioch than here in glorious Loch Maree.
0:28:29 > 0:28:33My next adventure takes me to the wilds of Rannoch,
0:28:33 > 0:28:37and another chilly swim, where I discover the power of water.