0:00:04 > 0:00:08The beautiful scenery of the far north-west of Scotland was created
0:00:08 > 0:00:13by some of the most powerful and destructive forces in nature.
0:00:13 > 0:00:18The hills and lochs of this wilderness are part of an ancient landscape
0:00:18 > 0:00:22that is said to have been formed millions of years ago
0:00:22 > 0:00:24by a truly cosmic impact.
0:00:27 > 0:00:30Lochs are Scotland's gifts to the world
0:00:30 > 0:00:35and are the product of an element that we have in spectacular abundance -
0:00:35 > 0:00:40water. It's been estimated that there are more than 31,000 lochs in
0:00:40 > 0:00:46Scotland. They come in all shapes and sizes from long fjord-like sea
0:00:46 > 0:00:51lochs, great freshwater lochs of the Central Highlands to the innumerable
0:00:51 > 0:00:53lochans that stud the open moors.
0:00:55 > 0:00:59In this series I am on a loch-hopping journey across Scotland,
0:00:59 > 0:01:04discovering how they shaped the character of the people who live
0:01:04 > 0:01:09close to their shores. For this Grand Tour I am heading from loch
0:01:09 > 0:01:10to rock bottom.
0:01:23 > 0:01:27My journey starts in Sutherland and travels along the length of
0:01:27 > 0:01:29Loch Shin to Loch Laxford.
0:01:29 > 0:01:33I then get to grips with our rocky past in some of Scotland's deepest
0:01:33 > 0:01:35limestone caves,
0:01:35 > 0:01:39before climbing a sugar-loaf mountain which is a sweet way to
0:01:39 > 0:01:41end any Grand Tour.
0:01:43 > 0:01:48This is the village of Lairg which lies at the southern end of Loch Shin,
0:01:48 > 0:01:51and this is the Wee Hoose.
0:01:51 > 0:01:57The story goes it was built in 1824 by a local poacher, Jock Broon.
0:01:57 > 0:02:01The island that Jock's house stands on was given to him as a reward by a
0:02:01 > 0:02:05local laird for teaching him how to distil whisky.
0:02:05 > 0:02:10Having become a member of the landed gentry, even if only in a small way,
0:02:10 > 0:02:15Jock felt that he needed a house to consolidate his new social status.
0:02:15 > 0:02:18And that was the biggest that he could build
0:02:18 > 0:02:20on his diminutive estate.
0:02:21 > 0:02:25Sadly, Jock didn't enjoy the pleasures of land ownership for long.
0:02:25 > 0:02:28He died after shooting himself in the foot.
0:02:28 > 0:02:30At least, that's what locals tell you.
0:02:30 > 0:02:34But whatever the truth, his Wee Hoose makes a fine talking point.
0:02:37 > 0:02:42What makes Jock's Wee Hoose seem even smaller is the country round about.
0:02:42 > 0:02:48This is a place of big skies and far horizons where the human scale
0:02:48 > 0:02:50is diminished.
0:02:50 > 0:02:54And to make you feel even smaller, the size of an ancient cosmological
0:02:54 > 0:03:00event that happened here shrinks you to the point of nonexistence.
0:03:00 > 0:03:05Aeons ago - geologists reckon at least 1.2 billion years ago -
0:03:05 > 0:03:11a huge asteroid hurtled from deep space and collided with the Earth
0:03:11 > 0:03:13with unimaginable force.
0:03:13 > 0:03:18Incredibly, the impact was right here, just a few kilometres
0:03:18 > 0:03:21from Lairg. It must have made one hell of a bang.
0:03:24 > 0:03:30Evidence of a huge impact crater with a diameter of 40km has
0:03:30 > 0:03:33been discovered from anomalies in gravity surveys.
0:03:33 > 0:03:37The crater is the only one of its kind known in Britain.
0:03:37 > 0:03:43The asteroid collided so long ago that during the 1.8 billion years
0:03:43 > 0:03:44that have passed,
0:03:44 > 0:03:48the crater was obliterated by later geological convulsions
0:03:48 > 0:03:53which include a clash of long-vanished continents.
0:03:53 > 0:03:57The hills around here have played a hugely important role in developing
0:03:57 > 0:04:01our understanding of the forces that created the landscape,
0:04:01 > 0:04:05and in particular how mountains were built.
0:04:05 > 0:04:09It took some very clever scientific detective work to figure out how.
0:04:12 > 0:04:14This is Loch Laxford,
0:04:14 > 0:04:18which has given its name to a geological feature which scientists
0:04:18 > 0:04:21believe is evidence for a continental collision.
0:04:23 > 0:04:29In 1883, two Victorian geologists - Ben Peach and John Horne - ventured
0:04:29 > 0:04:32north in an attempt to settle a fierce debate about how this
0:04:32 > 0:04:36- landscape was formed.- That is the black rock in front of us.
0:04:36 > 0:04:41Katherine Goodenough is a rock doctor with the British Geological Survey.
0:04:41 > 0:04:46She is taking me on a hike following in the footsteps of Peach and Horne.
0:04:46 > 0:04:50They achieved world renown by unravelling the secrets of how these
0:04:50 > 0:04:52mountains were created.
0:04:53 > 0:04:55These are some of the oldest rocks in the UK -
0:04:55 > 0:04:59something like almost 3 billion years old.
0:04:59 > 0:05:03What you can see here is that we have got these black rocks and then
0:05:03 > 0:05:06cutting through them you have these pink stripes.
0:05:06 > 0:05:10And these are granite so they were actually formed by partial melting
0:05:10 > 0:05:13- of the black rock.- What is the relationship between this and the
0:05:13 > 0:05:16process known as mountain building?
0:05:16 > 0:05:18We know this black rock,
0:05:18 > 0:05:22the stretches we can see in it were formed during continental collision.
0:05:22 > 0:05:25When two continents collide they are like bulldozers -
0:05:25 > 0:05:30they force up mountain ranges just as you see in the Himalaya.
0:05:30 > 0:05:33And when that happens you have a mountain range on the surface and
0:05:33 > 0:05:36deep down in the roots of the mountain you can get melting.
0:05:36 > 0:05:40And so you can see these sheets of newer rock that were formed when
0:05:40 > 0:05:41that melt has crystallised.
0:05:41 > 0:05:45And they kind of squeezed through the older rock, did they, to form those layers?
0:05:45 > 0:05:47Squeezed through the older rock, exactly.
0:05:49 > 0:05:54The area around Loch Laxford is known today as the Laxford Shear Zone,
0:05:54 > 0:05:58where rocks were squeezed like toothpaste deep beneath the earth.
0:06:00 > 0:06:04This is part of the wreckage of a continental collision.
0:06:04 > 0:06:05It is exactly that.
0:06:05 > 0:06:08And the shear zone that you are talking about,
0:06:08 > 0:06:12the collision zone as I would understand it, extends how far?
0:06:12 > 0:06:16This collision zone extends out to the coast there but we can trace
0:06:16 > 0:06:19similar structures out into Greenland.
0:06:19 > 0:06:22Because of course once upon a time Greenland and Scotland were
0:06:22 > 0:06:25connected as part of the same continent.
0:06:25 > 0:06:30Peach and Horne's pioneering work put geologists on a road to discovery.
0:06:30 > 0:06:33It would eventually lead to plate tectonic theory -
0:06:33 > 0:06:38an understanding of how entire continents move and collide over
0:06:38 > 0:06:40unimaginable periods of time.
0:06:41 > 0:06:45They were the first to come here and realise that these rocks that we are
0:06:45 > 0:06:49looking at were incredibly complex and preserved a whole range of different
0:06:49 > 0:06:52geological events and they called this the fundamental complex.
0:06:52 > 0:06:54The fundamental complex?
0:06:54 > 0:06:57The fundamental complex. And of course they didn't have the clever
0:06:57 > 0:07:00analytical techniques we have now but their observations were
0:07:00 > 0:07:04absolutely superb and we still make use of those observations today.
0:07:07 > 0:07:11The geology of this part of Sutherland has created a landscape
0:07:11 > 0:07:14of rugged mountains and beautiful lochs.
0:07:14 > 0:07:19Passing Loch More and Loch Stack, I return to Loch Shin.
0:07:19 > 0:07:23At 25km long, this is the biggest body of freshwater
0:07:23 > 0:07:27in Sutherland, famous for its salmon and trout.
0:07:27 > 0:07:32I have a very early memory of seeing my first ever salmon on this loch.
0:07:32 > 0:07:36It was just after dawn on the morning of my fifth birthday and I
0:07:36 > 0:07:39was down here and the water was like glass,
0:07:39 > 0:07:43when suddenly a huge salmon leapt up and then disappeared.
0:07:43 > 0:07:47I was absolutely amazed - I had never seen anything like it.
0:07:47 > 0:07:50And the memory has stayed with me ever since.
0:07:52 > 0:07:56Returning to the scene of this vision 50 years later, I enlist the
0:07:56 > 0:07:59help of top ghillie George Leligdowicz.
0:07:59 > 0:08:02He has promised to help me catch a fish.
0:08:02 > 0:08:04Not a salmon this time, but a trout
0:08:04 > 0:08:08for which Loch Shin is rightly famous.
0:08:08 > 0:08:10So, George, do you think this is a good day for fishing?
0:08:10 > 0:08:14It certainly is. We have a good wave on the water and the other good
0:08:14 > 0:08:16thing is we haven't got any midges.
0:08:16 > 0:08:19- That is a very important consideration.- It certainly is.
0:08:19 > 0:08:23Fish have always managed to elude me but I am hoping for success with
0:08:23 > 0:08:29George - I am going to be relying on his knowledge, guile and these.
0:08:29 > 0:08:31An amazing collection of flies you've got here, George.
0:08:31 > 0:08:33- Over 1,000.- Really?
0:08:33 > 0:08:37Yes. Just to give you an example, daddy-longlegs.
0:08:37 > 0:08:43There is a vast array of garish designs with weird names like Hairy Mary
0:08:43 > 0:08:47or Gold Bead Hare's Ear or - my personal favourite -
0:08:47 > 0:08:49the Woolly Bugger.
0:08:49 > 0:08:51These don't look like any insects I've seen...
0:08:51 > 0:08:53- Correct.- ..flying around here.
0:08:53 > 0:08:57Correct. Some flies I would say are tied to catch the angler
0:08:57 > 0:09:00as well as the fish.
0:09:02 > 0:09:08The true origins of the art of fly tying are lost in the mists of time
0:09:08 > 0:09:12but it is said that the Chinese used kingfisher feathers to lure fish
0:09:12 > 0:09:143,000 years ago.
0:09:14 > 0:09:18And according to legend a medieval nun called Juliana once used
0:09:18 > 0:09:22a fly to land her catch.
0:09:22 > 0:09:26The art of fly tying using distinct patterns was perfected in the
0:09:26 > 0:09:2918th century, when fishing became a leisure pursuit.
0:09:30 > 0:09:35During the age of Empire, bright feathers of tropical birds were used
0:09:35 > 0:09:38to lure salmon from the peaty waters of Loch Shin.
0:09:39 > 0:09:43But today, as we are fishing for trout, we are using a fly
0:09:43 > 0:09:46that imitates a more native species.
0:09:46 > 0:09:50That is called a phantom midge fly there.
0:09:50 > 0:09:53- And do they work? - They work very well, actually.
0:09:53 > 0:09:57Ironically, it is Loch Shin's real midges that get the upper hand
0:09:57 > 0:10:03by biting me before I even get the chance to cast my midge fly.
0:10:03 > 0:10:07George has chosen a special spot on the far shore, where he says I am
0:10:07 > 0:10:11almost guaranteed to hook a trout.
0:10:11 > 0:10:16My best tally with one guest in a day was 55 trout.
0:10:16 > 0:10:18- Good grief.- Yeah.
0:10:18 > 0:10:22We were literally getting a fish every third or fourth cast.
0:10:22 > 0:10:26Having presented me with a challenge I can't hope to match,
0:10:26 > 0:10:30George gets back to basics with some casting tips.
0:10:30 > 0:10:32Can I just show you quickly? Watch.
0:10:32 > 0:10:34You go, flick, flick.
0:10:34 > 0:10:37See that? Flick, flick.
0:10:37 > 0:10:39The more effort you put in...
0:10:39 > 0:10:40The worse it is.
0:10:40 > 0:10:44Yeah. So very, very, very little effort.
0:10:44 > 0:10:46OK?
0:10:46 > 0:10:47OK, very little effort.
0:10:47 > 0:10:52So for all these years, I have just been trying too hard.
0:10:53 > 0:10:55Maybe if we had a big, big juicy worm on the end...
0:10:59 > 0:11:02But it seems my midge fly isn't delivering.
0:11:02 > 0:11:07After an hour of fruitless casting I reckon the only thing I am likely to
0:11:07 > 0:11:09catch in this weather is a cold.
0:11:14 > 0:11:18Leaving the ever-hopeful George and Loch Shin's reluctant trout,
0:11:18 > 0:11:23I head north-west and back to the coast to a pinch point
0:11:23 > 0:11:24between two lochs.
0:11:28 > 0:11:30This is Kylesku
0:11:30 > 0:11:35at the junction of Loch Cairnbawn and Loch Gleann Dubh.
0:11:35 > 0:11:39For centuries, travellers heading north or south had no choice but to
0:11:39 > 0:11:44cross the kyle by boat - the famous Kylesku ferry.
0:11:44 > 0:11:49And if they missed the last ferry at night, they faced a 100-mile detour.
0:11:51 > 0:11:54The village of Kylesku existed because of the ferry,
0:11:54 > 0:11:56but it is changed days now.
0:11:56 > 0:12:00The last ferry stopped running in 1984,
0:12:00 > 0:12:03replaced by this impressive and elegant bridge.
0:12:03 > 0:12:07Beneath its shadow are the remains of one of the old ferries.
0:12:17 > 0:12:20This is a rather sad sight.
0:12:20 > 0:12:25After its last run, the ferry was hauled ashore and abandoned
0:12:25 > 0:12:29to the elements. It looks like the elements are winning.
0:12:29 > 0:12:33And up here is the old swing bridge where cars would have been trundled
0:12:33 > 0:12:35aboard then carried across the kyle.
0:12:37 > 0:12:41That's the old ramp. It would have been put ashore to allow cars to
0:12:41 > 0:12:45drive on board and there is even the ghost of the name -
0:12:45 > 0:12:47The Maid Of Kylesku, I think.
0:12:49 > 0:12:51Nature is taking over.
0:12:51 > 0:12:53Even got sea pinks growing from the old deck.
0:12:57 > 0:13:01Leaving the old wreck, I head over the Kylesku bridge battling against
0:13:01 > 0:13:07wind and rain in weather that has taken a decided turn for the worse.
0:13:07 > 0:13:11I'm heading for a memorial overlooking Loch Cairnbawn -
0:13:11 > 0:13:15a stone monument that commemorates the men who trained here during
0:13:15 > 0:13:18World War II for a daring and deadly
0:13:18 > 0:13:21raid on the German battle cruiser Tirpitz,
0:13:21 > 0:13:24which was hiding in a Norwegian fjord.
0:13:24 > 0:13:30The idea was to deploy a new and untested secret weapon, the X-Craft.
0:13:30 > 0:13:34These were mini submarines crewed by up to four men -
0:13:34 > 0:13:37the original X-Men of their day -
0:13:37 > 0:13:41and their mission was to infiltrate heavily defended enemy harbours
0:13:41 > 0:13:42and to wreak havoc.
0:13:46 > 0:13:49Six X-Craft took part in the raid.
0:13:49 > 0:13:53None survived, but their mission was a success -
0:13:53 > 0:13:57the Tirpitz was seriously damaged and disabled,
0:13:57 > 0:14:00only to be finished off by the RAF before she could sail again.
0:14:02 > 0:14:06The bravery of the men who undertook this near-suicidal mission was
0:14:06 > 0:14:09exceptional. The surviving crew members were awarded
0:14:09 > 0:14:10the Victoria Cross
0:14:10 > 0:14:14and this humble memorial commemorates their connection
0:14:14 > 0:14:16with this little part of Scotland.
0:14:20 > 0:14:24The road south from Kylesku threads its way below the flanks of
0:14:24 > 0:14:26a complex mountain called Quinag,
0:14:26 > 0:14:30which in Gaelic apparently translates as the "milking pail",
0:14:30 > 0:14:33though why this might be, I have no idea.
0:14:35 > 0:14:39The southern summit of Quinag overlooks one of the most beautiful
0:14:39 > 0:14:43and serene lochs in Sutherland - Loch Assynt.
0:14:43 > 0:14:48As if the view wasn't lovely enough, this beautiful stretch of water also
0:14:48 > 0:14:53comes with a mythological creature of unsurpassed gorgeousness,
0:14:53 > 0:14:57whose fate was sealed right here at Ardvreck Castle.
0:15:01 > 0:15:04According to local legend, as they say,
0:15:04 > 0:15:10this castle was built by Clan MacLeod with the help of the devil.
0:15:10 > 0:15:14Naturally, there is always a price to pay for enlisting the services of
0:15:14 > 0:15:18Beelzebub - in this case it was Eimhir,
0:15:18 > 0:15:20the MacLeod chief's beautiful daughter.
0:15:20 > 0:15:24The evil one wanted her to be his bride.
0:15:26 > 0:15:31Now unsurprisingly, Eimhir was unhappy with this arrangement and in
0:15:31 > 0:15:35despair she threw herself from the tallest tower of Ardvreck Castle.
0:15:35 > 0:15:39But, strangely, her body was never discovered.
0:15:39 > 0:15:43Instead it is said that she plunged into the deep waters of Loch Assynt
0:15:43 > 0:15:47and swam down into a cave, where she transformed herself,
0:15:47 > 0:15:51becoming the beautiful and elusive Mermaid of Assynt.
0:15:55 > 0:15:58When the loch's waters rise above normal levels,
0:15:58 > 0:16:02legend says it is because of Eimhir's tears of grief.
0:16:03 > 0:16:07The tragic story of Eimhir and the devil also offers a mythological
0:16:07 > 0:16:10explanation for the contorted landscape of Assynt.
0:16:11 > 0:16:13The devil was in a hellish rage
0:16:13 > 0:16:16because Eimhir had evaded his clutches
0:16:16 > 0:16:21but he got his revenge by hurling hot rocks across the landscape.
0:16:21 > 0:16:24Which isn't that far from the truth, when you think about the asteroid
0:16:24 > 0:16:28which impacted Scotland 1.2 billion years ago.
0:16:33 > 0:16:36And as for the caves that Eimhir chose to hide in, well,
0:16:36 > 0:16:38there are lots of them,
0:16:38 > 0:16:42including one that's partially filled with a secret loch deep
0:16:42 > 0:16:46inside a mountain, which is where I am heading next.
0:16:46 > 0:16:50Alan. A speleologist if I ever saw one.
0:16:50 > 0:16:51Yes, indeed, fully kitted.
0:16:51 > 0:16:56Alan Jeffreys and his team of cavers have spent many years exploring
0:16:56 > 0:17:01Assynt's vast underground system of passages and tunnels which stretch
0:17:01 > 0:17:03several kilometres beneath the mountains.
0:17:06 > 0:17:09Alan wants to take me literally to rock bottom
0:17:09 > 0:17:14to explore a fascinating underground world and a type of loch I have
0:17:14 > 0:17:16never seen before.
0:17:16 > 0:17:19The first bit is a bit low but you can stand up after that.
0:17:19 > 0:17:21A bit low? It's very low!
0:17:21 > 0:17:23Hence the overalls.
0:17:23 > 0:17:25Just think of something you've lost under the bed.
0:17:25 > 0:17:26Right.
0:17:27 > 0:17:29Never to be seen again.
0:17:29 > 0:17:33The cave system takes us into the heart of Cnoc Nan Uamh,
0:17:33 > 0:17:34the Hill of the Caves,
0:17:34 > 0:17:37where a fast-flowing torrent roars through the darkness.
0:17:39 > 0:17:41After two hours of wriggling and squirming,
0:17:41 > 0:17:44climbing and wading through water,
0:17:44 > 0:17:48we have only managed to travel about 500 metres.
0:17:48 > 0:17:52But it's far enough to reach an extraordinary sight.
0:17:52 > 0:17:54This is amazing.
0:17:54 > 0:17:57It's almost surreal being down here.
0:17:57 > 0:17:59- Take a seat.- Wow.
0:17:59 > 0:18:02A ringside seat in a spectacular location.
0:18:02 > 0:18:05- It's cathedral-like. - It is a natural cathedral.
0:18:05 > 0:18:07- You are quite right.- And it's all
0:18:07 > 0:18:10worn out by the erosive power of water.
0:18:10 > 0:18:12The erosive and acidic power of water.
0:18:12 > 0:18:15Water picks up acid from the soil
0:18:15 > 0:18:18and the peat on the surface and over
0:18:18 > 0:18:22thousands - sometimes millions - of years, it dissolves the limestone.
0:18:22 > 0:18:24That's an amazing sight.
0:18:24 > 0:18:26A lake in front of us, a black lake.
0:18:26 > 0:18:27And how deep is that lake?
0:18:27 > 0:18:32It's about eight metres deep and it has been dived horizontally
0:18:32 > 0:18:34for about 145 metres.
0:18:35 > 0:18:39There has been no exit yet, it pinched down to nothing.
0:18:39 > 0:18:43I can't think of anything worse than plunging eight metres into that
0:18:43 > 0:18:47black water and then making my way through an unknown passage
0:18:47 > 0:18:51to goodness knows what end in a cave under the ground.
0:18:51 > 0:18:54Yes, we are all lunatics.
0:18:54 > 0:18:59It's a common joke that climbers, that little worn-out phrase,
0:18:59 > 0:19:01"Why do you climb mountains?"
0:19:01 > 0:19:03"Because they are there."
0:19:03 > 0:19:07But for us it is because it MIGHT be there.
0:19:07 > 0:19:10We just don't know. Human beings are curious.
0:19:10 > 0:19:12What is round the next corner?
0:19:12 > 0:19:13BOTH: It could be this.
0:19:13 > 0:19:17Indeed. Some of the best caves in Britain have been long, arduous,
0:19:17 > 0:19:21tight crawls and then, suddenly, boom, you intersect something huge.
0:19:21 > 0:19:24And that is what we're all about - finding new caves.
0:19:24 > 0:19:26The first person in here...
0:19:28 > 0:19:32..is the first person in the history of the Earth to set foot and set his
0:19:32 > 0:19:35eyes on this. And it's a bit cheaper than going to the to moon
0:19:35 > 0:19:39to do the same thing. But then in the primitive times,
0:19:39 > 0:19:42people were afraid to come into caves because they thought there
0:19:42 > 0:19:45were bogles or ghosts in them.
0:19:45 > 0:19:49And you can see why, because the human imagination is such...
0:19:49 > 0:19:52In fact, I think being a slightly superstitious person myself,
0:19:52 > 0:19:56I need to make a little offering to whatever is down here, particularly
0:19:56 > 0:19:58- in the dark depths.- Why not?
0:19:58 > 0:20:00You never know, it might be a mermaid.
0:20:00 > 0:20:01Well, that would be a bonus.
0:20:03 > 0:20:06Do you think she would appreciate that?
0:20:06 > 0:20:08Not if she is sitting directly underneath.
0:20:08 > 0:20:10It's a pretty poor offering, that.
0:20:10 > 0:20:13I think maybe it gives us a good chance of getting out anyway.
0:20:17 > 0:20:21Having made my offering to Eimhir, the Mermaid of Assynt,
0:20:21 > 0:20:25it's time to return to the surface, following the river that emerges
0:20:25 > 0:20:29from the cave and flows eventually into the sea,
0:20:29 > 0:20:33and to a village that takes its name from the loch where it is situated.
0:20:34 > 0:20:39This is Lochinver, on the loch called Loch Inver.
0:20:39 > 0:20:42The village is the largest in this part of Sutherland,
0:20:42 > 0:20:45and is an important fishing port.
0:20:45 > 0:20:49Fish landed here makes its way to southern Europe,
0:20:49 > 0:20:51but I'm not here for the seafood.
0:20:51 > 0:20:57Much as I love fish, I am also very partial to pies, and Lochinver
0:20:57 > 0:20:59has become famous for them.
0:20:59 > 0:21:02A huge array of pies you've got here.
0:21:02 > 0:21:05Yes. We have 15 savoury and six sweet.
0:21:05 > 0:21:07Chestnut and mushroom.
0:21:07 > 0:21:09Vegetable curry. Pork, apple and cider.
0:21:09 > 0:21:11Have you got a favourite of your own?
0:21:11 > 0:21:13My favourite is the pork apple cider.
0:21:13 > 0:21:17- I think I might take one of those. - One of them, yes, sir.
0:21:17 > 0:21:19How many pies would you sell on a good day, do you reckon?
0:21:19 > 0:21:22In the height of summer it would be between 400 and 500.
0:21:22 > 0:21:23That is a lot of pies.
0:21:23 > 0:21:26- It is a lot of pies.- And are they made on the premises?
0:21:26 > 0:21:27Yes, they are made fresh every day.
0:21:27 > 0:21:29- Good grief.- Secret recipe, though.
0:21:29 > 0:21:31Right, OK. Mum's the word.
0:21:31 > 0:21:33- There you go.- Thank you.
0:21:33 > 0:21:35- There we are, sir. - Thank you very much.
0:21:35 > 0:21:36- Enjoy your pie.- Cheers now.
0:21:43 > 0:21:47Leaving Lochinver, I am hiking to my final destination,
0:21:47 > 0:21:49the mighty Suilven.
0:21:49 > 0:21:54But as I reach the start of my climb, the weather closes in again.
0:21:56 > 0:22:00Even the most experienced hill walker and climber can be caught out
0:22:00 > 0:22:03by the unpredictable Scottish climate,
0:22:03 > 0:22:06and it's easy to lose your bearings.
0:22:06 > 0:22:11Fatigue and exposure to the elements can quickly affect your faculties.
0:22:11 > 0:22:14Before you know it, you can find yourself in a desperate
0:22:14 > 0:22:17life-threatening situation.
0:22:17 > 0:22:21Grid reference is November Charlie 147 25...
0:22:21 > 0:22:25Thankfully, there are committed and experienced people who can be called
0:22:25 > 0:22:27upon to come to the rescue.
0:22:28 > 0:22:31On a hillside, Assynt Mountain Rescue team
0:22:31 > 0:22:33are on a training exercise.
0:22:33 > 0:22:37Many people owe their lives to their timely interventions.
0:22:40 > 0:22:42A key member of the team is Molly,
0:22:42 > 0:22:45and I am about to discover for myself
0:22:45 > 0:22:49just how she and dogs like her have become indispensable saviours in the
0:22:49 > 0:22:51most challenging conditions.
0:22:54 > 0:22:56My role as a volunteer casualty
0:22:56 > 0:22:59begins with a very enthusiastic greeting.
0:22:59 > 0:23:02I've been saved!
0:23:02 > 0:23:04- Hello.- Hello. Hello.
0:23:06 > 0:23:07- RADIO:- Go ahead.
0:23:07 > 0:23:14We found a casualty, I can give you his location, grid reference, over.
0:23:14 > 0:23:16Assynt, go ahead, ready to receive.
0:23:16 > 0:23:17I will just get a quick assessment
0:23:17 > 0:23:20of your breathing. How are you feeling with your breathing?
0:23:20 > 0:23:23- Any pain in your chest or anything like that?- No pain in my chest yet.
0:23:23 > 0:23:25- OK.- I'm just worried if your hands are cold.
0:23:25 > 0:23:28I'll tell you what I'll do, if you are breathing nice and easily,
0:23:28 > 0:23:30that all feels nice...
0:23:30 > 0:23:35The Assynt Mountain Rescue team has been saving lives for many years.
0:23:35 > 0:23:37It depends on the skills of volunteers.
0:23:37 > 0:23:42- So this is the team.- These are our hearty volunteers, yes.
0:23:42 > 0:23:44And, Charlie, this is your dog, Molly.
0:23:44 > 0:23:46This is Molly the collie.
0:23:46 > 0:23:49She is a Sarda Scotland search-and-rescue dog.
0:23:49 > 0:23:51- How old is Molly? - She is six and a half now.
0:23:53 > 0:23:57Molly and her canine chum Assynt belong to an illustrious group
0:23:57 > 0:24:00of Scottish search-and-rescue dogs.
0:24:01 > 0:24:05The man who first saw the potential for dogs to find the lost and
0:24:05 > 0:24:10injured in Scottish hills was the climbing legend Hamish MacInnes.
0:24:11 > 0:24:15The techniques he developed are still used to train dogs like Molly
0:24:15 > 0:24:19to find casualties, should someone like me need help.
0:24:19 > 0:24:23So the dog will come in,
0:24:23 > 0:24:27she will bark at you and then she will come back to me and take me
0:24:27 > 0:24:29back in to you.
0:24:29 > 0:24:31- Just like Lassie?- Just like Lassie.
0:24:31 > 0:24:33They're so intelligent, as well.
0:24:34 > 0:24:36Usually the handler gets in the way.
0:24:36 > 0:24:38It is the dog that is actually doing the work.
0:24:38 > 0:24:41It knows it needs to go and seek something.
0:24:41 > 0:24:45Absolutely. And it is driven by play, really.
0:24:45 > 0:24:48For her, the whole reward is playing with you.
0:24:48 > 0:24:50So this is all just a game.
0:24:50 > 0:24:54She loves this, this is what she absolutely loves to do.
0:24:57 > 0:25:00Having been restored to full mountain vigour
0:25:00 > 0:25:02by the playful Molly,
0:25:02 > 0:25:06I wait for the clouds to lift before continuing on my way,
0:25:06 > 0:25:08heading for the summit of Suilven.
0:25:10 > 0:25:13Suilven isn't a high mountain by Scottish standards,
0:25:13 > 0:25:17being just 731 metres above sea level,
0:25:17 > 0:25:19but it's certainly dramatic.
0:25:19 > 0:25:23Viewed end-on, it has the classic sugar-loaf outline.
0:25:26 > 0:25:30The lung-bustingly steep path I am taking leads to a breach
0:25:30 > 0:25:32in Suilven's defences.
0:25:38 > 0:25:41Geologists love this mountain
0:25:41 > 0:25:44and to be fair they love the whole of Assynt.
0:25:44 > 0:25:48But the landscape you can see below me with its low hills
0:25:48 > 0:25:53and lochans is composed of an ancient rock called gneiss,
0:25:53 > 0:25:55spelt with a "G".
0:25:55 > 0:25:59And it was formed deep within the Earth millions of years ago.
0:25:59 > 0:26:03In fact, the rock is thought to be part of a lost continent that is
0:26:03 > 0:26:07at least 3,000 million years old.
0:26:07 > 0:26:09And that makes you think, doesn't it?
0:26:13 > 0:26:16The next significant geological event occurred
0:26:16 > 0:26:21about 1,000 million years ago when rivers and lakes deposited
0:26:21 > 0:26:25a thick layer of sand and mud and buried the old landscape.
0:26:25 > 0:26:30The sand and mud then became the rock that now makes up Suilven.
0:26:30 > 0:26:35During the ice ages, the sandstone was worn away by the action of
0:26:35 > 0:26:37glaciers, except in a few places
0:26:37 > 0:26:39where it was tough enough to survive.
0:26:41 > 0:26:45Many of the curiously shaped and dramatic mountains of Assynt
0:26:45 > 0:26:48are those nuggets of resistance,
0:26:48 > 0:26:52and Suilven is definitely one of the toughest.
0:26:52 > 0:26:54HE PUFFS
0:26:58 > 0:27:03It's amazing to think of the aeons of time that it has taken to form
0:27:03 > 0:27:05this extraordinary landscape,
0:27:05 > 0:27:09and how insignificant and puny we are in this immensity.
0:27:11 > 0:27:14And yet we all try to leave our mark on the world -
0:27:14 > 0:27:15like here.
0:27:16 > 0:27:20Now, this is a bizarre sight, it's almost surreal.
0:27:20 > 0:27:25I don't know who was responsible but someone has built a great wall,
0:27:25 > 0:27:30a giant dry-stane dyke on the final summit slopes of Suilven.
0:27:30 > 0:27:34Now apparently it was built to mark a boundary,
0:27:34 > 0:27:36a boundary of ownership.
0:27:36 > 0:27:39Now that is a futile gesture, surely.
0:27:39 > 0:27:44But it makes me think, in an age when wall building has become
0:27:44 > 0:27:48popular again, I wonder who picked up the bill for this one.
0:27:52 > 0:27:55For the first time in days,
0:27:55 > 0:27:58Suilven's beautiful ridge is clear of cloud.
0:27:58 > 0:28:03The summit dome is an unexpectedly smooth grassy area -
0:28:03 > 0:28:05just the spot for a picnic,
0:28:05 > 0:28:10a place to contemplate the view which takes in the hills and lochs
0:28:10 > 0:28:15of Assynt in a grand sweep that reminds you of the enormity
0:28:15 > 0:28:17of geological time.
0:28:17 > 0:28:20With the world at my feet, I can't think of a better place
0:28:20 > 0:28:25to end my Grand Tour from Lairg to Lochinver, and to enjoy a pie.
0:28:31 > 0:28:35Join me for my final loch-hopping tour, when I will be heading
0:28:35 > 0:28:38up the Trossachs from lake to loch.