0:00:03 > 0:00:05'When we think of Scottish islands,
0:00:05 > 0:00:09'most of us think of The Atlantic and the Hebrides,
0:00:09 > 0:00:12'or the wild, northern isles of Orkney and Shetland.'
0:00:14 > 0:00:17But there's another group of fascinating
0:00:17 > 0:00:21and often overlooked islands much closer to home.
0:00:21 > 0:00:24These lie within sight of Edinburgh
0:00:24 > 0:00:26in the Firth Of Forth.
0:00:29 > 0:00:33'Islands have drawn people since the dawn of human history
0:00:33 > 0:00:36'and, in this series, I'm retracing the steps of some early
0:00:36 > 0:00:41'visitors who fell under the spell of Scotland's magical islands.
0:00:43 > 0:00:46'On this grand tour, I'm going to discover how the
0:00:46 > 0:00:50'islands of the Forth became fortresses to defend our shores.
0:00:54 > 0:00:57'Or prisons from which there was no escape.'
0:01:15 > 0:01:19'The historical riches and natural beauty of the Firth Of Forth,
0:01:19 > 0:01:23'have attracted visitors since the very early days of tourism.'
0:01:26 > 0:01:29There's an old rhyme in this guidebook which gives an
0:01:29 > 0:01:33indication of where these tourists went and what there was to see.
0:01:33 > 0:01:38It says, "Inchgarvie, Inchmickery, Inchcolm, Inchkeith,
0:01:38 > 0:01:41"Cramond, Fidra, Lamb, Craigleith,
0:01:41 > 0:01:44"around the Bass Rock to the Isle of May,
0:01:44 > 0:01:48"then past Car Craig to Dalgety Bay."
0:01:48 > 0:01:51Which pretty much describes the route I'm taking today.
0:01:54 > 0:01:58'Sailing from west to east, I'm island hopping from Inchgarvie
0:01:58 > 0:02:01to the Bass Rock, discovering a bewildering history
0:02:01 > 0:02:07that includes war, witchcraft, meditation and incarceration.
0:02:09 > 0:02:14'My journey starts here, in the shadow of the Forth Bridge.
0:02:14 > 0:02:18'South Queensferry has for decades been the traditional
0:02:18 > 0:02:22'starting point for daytrippers, seeking to enjoy an island cruise
0:02:22 > 0:02:27'and marvel at one of the world's most iconic structures.'
0:02:28 > 0:02:30I never tyre of the Forth Bridge.
0:02:30 > 0:02:34This has to be the best way to appreciate its sheer scale.
0:02:34 > 0:02:36It's truly immense.
0:02:38 > 0:02:42'This historic crossing is rightly famous.
0:02:42 > 0:02:44'But what is less well-known
0:02:44 > 0:02:47'is the island which supports it,
0:02:47 > 0:02:48'Inchgarvie.
0:02:52 > 0:02:54'When the bridge was constructed in 1882,
0:02:54 > 0:02:58'this rocky islet was used as a foundation
0:02:58 > 0:03:01'for one of its gigantic legs.
0:03:01 > 0:03:04'Like a stepping stone, as this huge structure
0:03:04 > 0:03:06'vaults across the Firth.
0:03:08 > 0:03:12'But this island has played more than just a supporting role
0:03:12 > 0:03:14'in the history of the Forth.
0:03:14 > 0:03:17'Because of the strategic importance of these waters,
0:03:17 > 0:03:20'Inchgarvie has had some form of fortification on it
0:03:20 > 0:03:22'since the Middle Ages.
0:03:24 > 0:03:26'And, even in more recent times,
0:03:26 > 0:03:31'this rocky outcrop has been used to defend our coastline.
0:03:33 > 0:03:38'In 1939, Britain declare war on Nazi Germany.
0:03:38 > 0:03:41'It was here, on the 16th October,
0:03:41 > 0:03:45'that the first air raid of the war took place.'
0:03:45 > 0:03:47AIR RAID SIRENS
0:03:48 > 0:03:51'Joining me this trip is someone
0:03:51 > 0:03:54'who saw the whole event unfold.
0:03:54 > 0:03:57'Ed Thompson was just ten at the time.'
0:03:57 > 0:04:01In here there's an artist's impression of the night of the raid.
0:04:01 > 0:04:03Here we are. It's very dramatic.
0:04:03 > 0:04:07We were on the Dundee train, just about 2:30, and
0:04:07 > 0:04:11we had just gone through the stone arch at the entrance to the bridge.
0:04:12 > 0:04:15There was the most enormous whoosh,
0:04:15 > 0:04:20and the water rose up as high as the top of the bridge.
0:04:20 > 0:04:27The little boat that was tied up alongside, which was HMS Southampton,
0:04:27 > 0:04:31it went up in the air in the fountain and crashed back down again.
0:04:31 > 0:04:35And then, further down the river, there were more explosions.
0:04:36 > 0:04:39And your train would have been stopped here.
0:04:39 > 0:04:44I could see the men scattering about down at Inchgarvie from the train.
0:04:44 > 0:04:49This is the original newspaper from the day after it happened.
0:04:49 > 0:04:52According to the newspaper, there were 15 people hurt.
0:04:52 > 0:04:55It says, "a number of casualties but no deaths."
0:04:55 > 0:04:57"Slight casualties on warships".
0:04:57 > 0:05:00It wasn't until many years later
0:05:00 > 0:05:04that I discovered what I had seen was 15 people getting killed.
0:05:04 > 0:05:07- How come that wasn't reported at the time?- I think it was security.
0:05:07 > 0:05:09- Was that a news blackout?- Yes.
0:05:09 > 0:05:12Well, I was about 40 before I discovered it!
0:05:14 > 0:05:18'Reports claimed that four of the German planes were shot down.
0:05:18 > 0:05:20'In reality, it was two.
0:05:20 > 0:05:24'The surviving crew were captured and imprisoned at Edinburgh Castle.'
0:05:24 > 0:05:28- It was the first air raid?- It was the very first air raid of the war.
0:05:28 > 0:05:31Extraordinary, and you witnessed it.
0:05:31 > 0:05:35That scene must have lived with you, in your imagination, for years.
0:05:35 > 0:05:36- As if it was yesterday.- Amazing.
0:05:41 > 0:05:43'Continuing my journey,
0:05:43 > 0:05:47'I'm going even further back into the history of these islands.
0:05:47 > 0:05:50'To visit a place which was the sacred isle
0:05:50 > 0:05:53'of the Firth Of Forth...
0:05:53 > 0:05:55'..Inchcolm.'
0:05:55 > 0:05:56MONKS SINGING
0:05:56 > 0:06:01'These monastic buildings date back to the 13th century.'
0:06:06 > 0:06:10'The ruined Abbey is the island's crowning glory.
0:06:10 > 0:06:14'But its religious history is much older.
0:06:15 > 0:06:19'According to legend, St Columba came here in the sixth century,
0:06:19 > 0:06:23'an event immortalised in the name
0:06:23 > 0:06:28'Inchcolm, which in Gaelic means Columba's Isle.'
0:06:29 > 0:06:32Because of its associations with St Columba,
0:06:32 > 0:06:35Inchcolm was known as the Iona of the east
0:06:35 > 0:06:38and became a significant religious centre.
0:06:38 > 0:06:43Nowhere is safe during war, not even a sacred island like this.
0:06:43 > 0:06:45During the frequent wars with England,
0:06:45 > 0:06:48Inchcolm suffered greatly.
0:06:48 > 0:06:51In fact, things got so bad, that after a series of vicious
0:06:51 > 0:06:54attacks, the monks abandoned the Abbey
0:06:54 > 0:06:56and the island for ever.
0:06:59 > 0:07:02'The monks, their prayers and religious chanting
0:07:02 > 0:07:04'have long gone.
0:07:04 > 0:07:07'In the five centuries which followed,
0:07:07 > 0:07:09'pilgrims were eventually replaced by tourists
0:07:09 > 0:07:15'and by the start of the 20th century, Inchcolm had become
0:07:15 > 0:07:17'one of the east coast's most popular destinations
0:07:17 > 0:07:21'for daytrippers, and so it remains.
0:07:21 > 0:07:25'Today the island is owned by Historic Scotland
0:07:25 > 0:07:29'and two of its staff are the only residents.
0:07:29 > 0:07:32'Lucy Cooke has agreed to show me around the Abbey.'
0:07:35 > 0:07:38- You are going to take me up to the bell tower.- I am, indeed.
0:07:38 > 0:07:40Nice and slowly.
0:07:40 > 0:07:42- Narrow, winding stair.- Absolutely.
0:07:42 > 0:07:45- A very small doorway. - One of the best I've seen.
0:07:45 > 0:07:48- Very small monks.- They must've been.
0:07:48 > 0:07:50'There's a real sense of the past here.
0:07:50 > 0:07:54'This was a place of meditation and contemplation.
0:07:54 > 0:07:59'And, up here, is the best place to fully appreciate this island.'
0:08:00 > 0:08:03- Here we are.- Wow! Magnificent view!
0:08:03 > 0:08:05It's not bad at all, is it?
0:08:05 > 0:08:07We've got Edinburgh across there.
0:08:07 > 0:08:09- Amazingly close, too. - Aye, really close.
0:08:09 > 0:08:12You can see the Castle, Arthur's Seat.
0:08:12 > 0:08:15Then the bridge is behind us.
0:08:15 > 0:08:17And then the whole of Fife around that side.
0:08:17 > 0:08:19- It's a perfect spot.- It is.
0:08:23 > 0:08:28'But Inchcolm hasn't always been a place of spiritual contemplation.
0:08:28 > 0:08:32'It's also had a part to play in defending our shores during wartime.
0:08:33 > 0:08:37'I've been told that somewhere on the island
0:08:37 > 0:08:38'is a secret military tunnel.'
0:08:42 > 0:08:43And this is it!
0:08:43 > 0:08:47It's designed to make access to a gun emplacement at the far end,
0:08:47 > 0:08:51easier and safer, in the event of enemy attack.
0:08:57 > 0:08:59It's dark in here.
0:09:03 > 0:09:07'Apparently, over 200 men were stationed on Inchcolm
0:09:07 > 0:09:09'during the First World War.
0:09:13 > 0:09:16'The defences were upgraded during the Second World War
0:09:16 > 0:09:20'when the guns were once again made ready to defend the coast
0:09:20 > 0:09:22'from the Germans.'
0:09:25 > 0:09:28Inchcolm wasn't the only island to be fortified.
0:09:28 > 0:09:32In fact, most of the islands in the Forth were.
0:09:32 > 0:09:34To discover more about this violent past,
0:09:34 > 0:09:37I'm heading to the most heavily fortified of them all,
0:09:37 > 0:09:39Inchkeith.
0:09:43 > 0:09:46'Inchkeith stands guard at the mouth of the Forth.
0:09:48 > 0:09:52'To get there, I'm taking a fast riverboat across the Firth.
0:09:54 > 0:09:57'With me on board is Ron Morris,
0:09:57 > 0:10:01'who has studied the extraordinary story of how these islands
0:10:01 > 0:10:04'were used to protect our shores.
0:10:06 > 0:10:10'Despite lying just two miles off the East Coast,
0:10:10 > 0:10:12'Inchkeith is rarely visited.
0:10:12 > 0:10:14This island has a colourful history.
0:10:16 > 0:10:20'In the Middle Ages it was here that victims of the Black death
0:10:20 > 0:10:22'were sent to die.
0:10:24 > 0:10:26'Today this island is uninhabited
0:10:26 > 0:10:28'and amongst the derelict buildings
0:10:28 > 0:10:32'nature is gradually reclaiming its territory.'
0:10:33 > 0:10:37It's a jungle of wildflowers, nettles, thistles...
0:10:39 > 0:10:41'It's hard to imagine that this was once
0:10:41 > 0:10:45'the nerve centre of a huge military operation.'
0:10:45 > 0:10:46I've a map here
0:10:46 > 0:10:50that can show the extent how the island itself
0:10:50 > 0:10:54became a major fort. In fact, it became the Gibraltar of the Forth.
0:10:54 > 0:10:58- This was The Rock? - This was The Rock.
0:10:58 > 0:10:59Where are we?
0:10:59 > 0:11:01We are about here.
0:11:01 > 0:11:04Looking down towards the West Fort.
0:11:04 > 0:11:06There was a battery here,
0:11:06 > 0:11:08a battery here and a battery here
0:11:08 > 0:11:11and one of the south end, all six-inch guns.
0:11:13 > 0:11:16There was three 9.2-inch guns in the high ridge of the island,
0:11:16 > 0:11:18right down the spine of the island.
0:11:18 > 0:11:21There was a whole network of other batteries on the islands
0:11:21 > 0:11:24and the shores of the Forth, which supported Inchkeith.
0:11:24 > 0:11:27This is really the epicentre of a military compound.
0:11:27 > 0:11:33- It very much is. This is the most important coast artillery site in Scotland.- That's extraordinary.
0:11:33 > 0:11:35How many men would have been stationed here?
0:11:35 > 0:11:38Up to 1,000 personnel at one time on the island.
0:11:38 > 0:11:40Sounds pretty crowded!
0:11:42 > 0:11:47'The huge guns positioned here where never called into action.
0:11:47 > 0:11:52'In 1956, they were decommissioned and the troops left.'
0:11:52 > 0:11:55I suppose it's worth saying though that Inchkeith,
0:11:55 > 0:11:57and all the other fortifications around here
0:11:57 > 0:11:59worked as a deterrent?
0:11:59 > 0:12:02Yes, it certainly served its purpose because the German Navy
0:12:02 > 0:12:06never made any attempt to make any
0:12:06 > 0:12:09attack in the Firth Of Forth.
0:12:16 > 0:12:18'As I explore the island alone,
0:12:18 > 0:12:23'I reflect on how everyone who has come here has left their mark.
0:12:28 > 0:12:30'Throughout the centuries, Inchkeith has seen
0:12:30 > 0:12:34'the arrival of soldiers, the terminally ill
0:12:34 > 0:12:35'and even royalty.
0:12:39 > 0:12:43'But, perhaps the most intriguing inhabitants of these islands,
0:12:43 > 0:12:46'arrived in 1493.
0:12:46 > 0:12:50'Two young children being brought up under bizarre conditions.'
0:12:50 > 0:12:54King James IV was something of a philosopher.
0:12:54 > 0:12:59He wanted to conduct an experiment into the origins of language.
0:12:59 > 0:13:02Theologians at this time believed the very first language
0:13:02 > 0:13:05spoken on earth was the language of Adam and Eve.
0:13:05 > 0:13:07In other words, Ancient Hebrew.
0:13:07 > 0:13:11They also argued that because we are all descendants of Adam and Eve,
0:13:11 > 0:13:15we should all be able to speak ancient Hebrew naturally.
0:13:19 > 0:13:21'To see if this were true,
0:13:21 > 0:13:24'King James put two babies in the care of a deaf woman
0:13:24 > 0:13:27'and sent them to live alone on Inchkeith.
0:13:31 > 0:13:33'If the theologians were right, reasoned the King,
0:13:33 > 0:13:37'then the language which the children would naturally develop,
0:13:37 > 0:13:42'would be Hebrew. Thereby further vindicating the truth of Scripture.'
0:13:44 > 0:13:46Unfortunately, this ambitious
0:13:46 > 0:13:51if somewhat inhumane experiment proved absolutely nothing.
0:13:51 > 0:13:54When the children were eventually returned to civilisation,
0:13:54 > 0:13:58no-one could understand a word that they said.
0:13:58 > 0:14:01Some people thought that the sounds that they made were nothing more
0:14:01 > 0:14:03than brutish grunts.
0:14:03 > 0:14:08Others interpreted the same noises as Ancient Hebrew.
0:14:08 > 0:14:11Since no-one had ever heard Ancient Hebrew before,
0:14:11 > 0:14:14they couldn't have known.
0:14:16 > 0:14:19'And, as for what happened to the children,
0:14:19 > 0:14:21'history is silent.'
0:14:23 > 0:14:25'It's clear that these islands have a fascinating
0:14:25 > 0:14:27'and diverse history,
0:14:27 > 0:14:31'but I'm happy to leave thoughts of war behind
0:14:31 > 0:14:33'and, in the hope of losing myself in nature,
0:14:33 > 0:14:35'I'm heading east.'
0:14:36 > 0:14:41'My next destination is the biggest island in the Firth Of Forth,
0:14:41 > 0:14:45'the Isle Of May, which is still pretty small.
0:14:45 > 0:14:50'In fact, it's under a mile long and just a few hundred yards wide.'
0:14:50 > 0:14:55It might seem perverse travelling to the Isle Of May in July
0:14:55 > 0:14:59but the name, May, has nothing to do with the merry month
0:14:59 > 0:15:03and everything to do with the old Viking Norse word, Mhaigh,
0:15:03 > 0:15:06which means "Gull Island"
0:15:06 > 0:15:08and there are plenty of them about!
0:15:13 > 0:15:17'The importance of the Isle Of May to wildlife was recognised
0:15:17 > 0:15:21'when it was designated a national nature reserve.
0:15:23 > 0:15:26'This may seem like an idyllic, unspoilt place
0:15:26 > 0:15:30'but this island harbours a sinister past.
0:15:34 > 0:15:39'Here you can experience, not only the natural world,
0:15:39 > 0:15:41'but also the supernatural.
0:15:41 > 0:15:44'Enter the wicked witch, Eppie Lang,
0:15:44 > 0:15:47'whose fate was curiously bound up with the story
0:15:47 > 0:15:51'of the first lighthouse to be built on the island.
0:15:54 > 0:15:58'For as long as boats have sailed the Firth Of Forth,
0:15:58 > 0:15:59'there have been shipwrecks
0:15:59 > 0:16:02'and many of them came to grief on the Isle Of May.'
0:16:06 > 0:16:08The predecessor to the lighthouse you can see on the hill
0:16:08 > 0:16:11was built in 1630
0:16:11 > 0:16:14and was actually Scotland's very first lighthouse.
0:16:14 > 0:16:16You can see the remains of it,
0:16:16 > 0:16:19just a stump to the right of the existing lighthouse.
0:16:19 > 0:16:21During its construction,
0:16:21 > 0:16:24the architect was drowned in a terrible storm.
0:16:27 > 0:16:29These were dark and superstitious times
0:16:29 > 0:16:33and some people believed that a witch, Eppie Lang,
0:16:33 > 0:16:35had raised the tempest
0:16:35 > 0:16:39to punish the architect for breaking the heart of a local lass.
0:16:41 > 0:16:44'Eppie was tried as a witch
0:16:44 > 0:16:47'and found guilty of being in league with the devil.
0:16:47 > 0:16:51'As was customary at this time, she was burned to death.
0:16:53 > 0:16:55'And the wind that had done her bidding,
0:16:55 > 0:16:58'fanned the flames to a scorching fury.
0:17:00 > 0:17:03'The wicked witch was dead!
0:17:03 > 0:17:04'Ding! Dong!'
0:17:07 > 0:17:11'Leaving the Isle Of May, I head back across the waters of the Forth.
0:17:16 > 0:17:18'Shipwrecks that were caused by witches,
0:17:18 > 0:17:22'or more likely by bad weather and rotten luck,
0:17:22 > 0:17:25'are very much part of the history of these islands.
0:17:25 > 0:17:28'And today, the seabed beneath the Firth Of Forth
0:17:28 > 0:17:30'not only tells a story,
0:17:30 > 0:17:34'but could be a source of untold wealth.
0:17:34 > 0:17:36'I'm joining diving expert, Mark Blythe,
0:17:36 > 0:17:39'to discover what lies beneath the waves.'
0:17:39 > 0:17:43Mark, we're bobbing around in the middle of the Firth of Forth here.
0:17:43 > 0:17:46As I understand it, it's quite a famous place
0:17:46 > 0:17:49for wrecks of all kinds.
0:17:49 > 0:17:50There is a lot of wrecks on the seabed.
0:17:50 > 0:17:53Probably around 100 wrecks,
0:17:53 > 0:17:55around this area.
0:17:55 > 0:18:00These waters must be pretty treacherous. It is dark and cold.
0:18:00 > 0:18:03Is it a challenging diving environment?
0:18:03 > 0:18:06Probably one of the most challenging places in Scotland to dive.
0:18:06 > 0:18:10In the darker, murkier waters, there is a lot of current.
0:18:10 > 0:18:14- It will be cool too, I imagine? - Temperatures vary, as well.
0:18:14 > 0:18:16This year we got down to 3.1 degrees.
0:18:16 > 0:18:20You could dive the Arctic probably easier than you could in the Forth.
0:18:20 > 0:18:24It would be better visibility and only one degree colder.
0:18:24 > 0:18:26I have to say, you're not really painting a very enticing picture.
0:18:26 > 0:18:29Why would anybody want to dive in such a dark,
0:18:29 > 0:18:32cold place where there is hardly any visibility?
0:18:32 > 0:18:35Well, really, if you can dive in the Firth,
0:18:35 > 0:18:37you can dive anywhere in the world.
0:18:43 > 0:18:47What is the allure, do you think, of diving on a wreck?
0:18:47 > 0:18:50It's really the mystery of what's in front of you
0:18:50 > 0:18:53and because they have been down so long, they are absolutely covered
0:18:53 > 0:18:54in anemones, Dahlia anemones,
0:18:54 > 0:18:57dead man's fingers...
0:18:57 > 0:19:00Very bright and very orange
0:19:00 > 0:19:02and white.
0:19:05 > 0:19:08Wrecks will always be an allure for divers.
0:19:08 > 0:19:11There's so much history and it's untouched,
0:19:11 > 0:19:14virtually from when it sunk.
0:19:14 > 0:19:19You've got moments in time, in a way, frozen on the seabed.
0:19:19 > 0:19:22- Yeah.- Those dramatic moments.
0:19:24 > 0:19:27- We are above a wreck here. - HMS Saucy.
0:19:27 > 0:19:30It was sunk in 1940.
0:19:30 > 0:19:33Left Burntisland about 7:30 in the evening.
0:19:33 > 0:19:38By 7:40 it was off radar. Quite a tragic sinking.
0:19:40 > 0:19:45There were around about 25 crew on it. I believe five or six survivors.
0:19:47 > 0:19:5019 perished, all from a little town
0:19:50 > 0:19:54in England called Brixham, in Cornwall.
0:19:54 > 0:19:59It was kind of the worst maritime disaster for that town
0:19:59 > 0:20:05throughout the war because you had fathers, sons, uncles...
0:20:09 > 0:20:12That's the scene of a tragedy.
0:20:12 > 0:20:15A war grave. What sort of thoughts go through your mind?
0:20:15 > 0:20:18You just have to pay respect when you're down there.
0:20:18 > 0:20:20You obviously don't touch anything.
0:20:22 > 0:20:25And all these wrecks have a story to tell.
0:20:25 > 0:20:27Very much so. Very much so.
0:20:27 > 0:20:32And you sometimes think of the moment of tragedy, when it struck.
0:20:32 > 0:20:36And you never know if the remains are still on the wreck today.
0:20:42 > 0:20:46People come from all over the world to dive with Mark in these waters,
0:20:46 > 0:20:51but he's also involved in an ambitious search for sunken gold -
0:20:51 > 0:20:55the treasure ship of King Charles I.
0:20:55 > 0:21:00Sunk around 1645 and it had, basically,
0:21:00 > 0:21:03- Henry VIII's dinner service on it. - Really?
0:21:03 > 0:21:07So, a lot of history steeped behind that one.
0:21:07 > 0:21:10I've worked on a project for a few years,
0:21:10 > 0:21:13but we haven't actually discovered anything yet.
0:21:13 > 0:21:15But...that would be a big one to find certainly.
0:21:15 > 0:21:18If you did find it, would you tell anybody?
0:21:18 > 0:21:23Once I got a couple of plates for my breakfast in the mornings, yeah.
0:21:24 > 0:21:27'But even the lure of sunken treasure can't tempt me
0:21:27 > 0:21:30'to brave these icy waters.'
0:21:30 > 0:21:34Oh! The Firth of Forth is freezing.
0:21:36 > 0:21:41Leaving Mark and his diving chums to their search, I make my way to the
0:21:41 > 0:21:46final destination of my voyage among the islands of the Forth -
0:21:46 > 0:21:48the infamous Bass Rock.
0:21:53 > 0:21:54And in this light,
0:21:54 > 0:21:59it almost looks as if there's been a fresh fall of snow on the summit,
0:21:59 > 0:22:02but this is July and not even Scotland can be that cold.
0:22:06 > 0:22:08When you get a little closer, you realise that what you're
0:22:08 > 0:22:12actually seeing are thousands upon thousands of gannets...
0:22:14 > 0:22:17..and several tons of their droppings.
0:22:18 > 0:22:23Faced with the daunting prospect of attempting to land on this
0:22:23 > 0:22:24sea bird stronghold,
0:22:24 > 0:22:28I've enlisted the help of tour guide Maggie Shedden.
0:22:29 > 0:22:32Now, Maggie, we're some distance from the Bass.
0:22:32 > 0:22:35I cannot only see the gannets up there, but I can hear them.
0:22:35 > 0:22:38It's an incredible noise. There must be thousands of them there.
0:22:38 > 0:22:39It's incredible, isn't it?
0:22:39 > 0:22:44I mean, it's the largest single rock colony for gannets in the world.
0:22:44 > 0:22:48I would say we're looking at possibly just under 160,000 birds.
0:22:48 > 0:22:50If you include the chicks and the non-breeders.
0:22:50 > 0:22:52And I think what makes it
0:22:52 > 0:22:55so special is we're just half-an-hour from the city.
0:22:55 > 0:22:56We're not wild and remote,
0:22:56 > 0:23:00so to have this on the doorstep of a city, we're incredibly lucky.
0:23:00 > 0:23:05But being so close to the mainland meant the gannets were easy prey.
0:23:05 > 0:23:09At first, they were prised for their feathers, oil and flesh,
0:23:09 > 0:23:14but in the Victorian age, they were hunted just for sport.
0:23:14 > 0:23:16The shooting parties used to come out, they would
0:23:16 > 0:23:20sit off the Bass, blast the gannets out the sky with guns and whatnot.
0:23:20 > 0:23:22I mean, how difficult is it to hit a gannet?
0:23:22 > 0:23:26You know, you would sit in a boat, just fire your gun.
0:23:26 > 0:23:28They're huge birds, wingspan of just under six feet,
0:23:28 > 0:23:31and they were just such an easy target.
0:23:31 > 0:23:33That's not sustainable, is it?
0:23:33 > 0:23:35By the time the 20th century came, there was
0:23:35 > 0:23:39- probably only about 3,000 gannets left here.- Really?
0:23:39 > 0:23:41The colony had dropped quite dramatically.
0:23:41 > 0:23:43- So, it's come back from the brink, really.- It has.
0:23:46 > 0:23:51Hunting these birds was banned and numbers gradually recovered.
0:23:51 > 0:23:55Visiting this bird sanctuary is by special permission only.
0:23:55 > 0:23:59And if that doesn't deter visitors, what might is the noise and,
0:23:59 > 0:24:02I have to say, the smell.
0:24:02 > 0:24:06Bass Rock, you have to take a really nice, deep breath...
0:24:06 > 0:24:10as you approach the Rock. It really has a very unique aroma to it.
0:24:10 > 0:24:12- Eau de Bass.- That's it.
0:24:12 > 0:24:15The Bass Rock has always intrigued me.
0:24:15 > 0:24:19Robert Louis Stevenson, whose cousins built the lighthouse here,
0:24:19 > 0:24:23featured it prominently in his novel Catriona.
0:24:23 > 0:24:27"With the growing of the dawn, I could see it clearer and clearer.
0:24:27 > 0:24:31"The sloping top of it green with grass.
0:24:31 > 0:24:34"The clan of white geese that cried about the sides
0:24:34 > 0:24:37"and the black broken buildings."
0:24:37 > 0:24:40It's easy to see how he drew inspiration
0:24:40 > 0:24:42from the Rock's dark history.
0:24:45 > 0:24:47Maggie, what's this wall I can see to the left here?
0:24:47 > 0:24:50It looks almost like an old castle.
0:24:50 > 0:24:53This is really the curtain wall to fortify this island.
0:24:53 > 0:24:55So, this island was a fortress at one time.
0:24:55 > 0:24:57- It was a fortress and a prison. - A prison?
0:24:57 > 0:24:59A prison for the covenanters -
0:24:59 > 0:25:02one group of men who disagreed with the king at the time
0:25:02 > 0:25:05over religion. So, it was actually many of our ministers
0:25:05 > 0:25:06and preachers that were sent here.
0:25:06 > 0:25:09So, they were incarcerated out here with not much
0:25:09 > 0:25:10prospect of getting back off.
0:25:10 > 0:25:12It was a dreadful place to be sent.
0:25:12 > 0:25:15I mean, it is called the "Alcatraz of the north" sometimes.
0:25:15 > 0:25:19And once you get behind this prison gate here there is no escape.
0:25:19 > 0:25:21The island is sheer all the way around.
0:25:21 > 0:25:24And you've got to remember, on this rock, they had food.
0:25:24 > 0:25:26The guards had food.
0:25:26 > 0:25:30It was rich, there was a well, but the prisoners got none of this.
0:25:30 > 0:25:33They drank out of puddles and that was just putrid.
0:25:33 > 0:25:35- Total depravation, really. - Absolutely.
0:25:35 > 0:25:38And, at the same time, they would witness friends
0:25:38 > 0:25:40and colleagues being hung across here,
0:25:40 > 0:25:42near to Tantallon Castle.
0:25:42 > 0:25:46So, I'm sure many a person walked this path with reluctance.
0:25:46 > 0:25:49- Chilling place. - Welcome to the prison.
0:25:49 > 0:25:53One 17th century prisoner described the hellish conditions they were
0:25:53 > 0:25:55forced to endure.
0:25:55 > 0:25:58"We are shut up, not permitted to converse,
0:25:58 > 0:26:00"envying the birds their freedom.
0:26:00 > 0:26:04"Shut up day and night to hear only the sighs
0:26:04 > 0:26:07"and groans of our fellow prisoners."
0:26:08 > 0:26:12Escape from here was thought to be impossible,
0:26:12 > 0:26:18but in 1691, four Jacobite prisoners staged an audacious breakout,
0:26:18 > 0:26:22which would eventually bring these walls tumbling down.
0:26:22 > 0:26:25The guards came down to collect coal at the landing site
0:26:25 > 0:26:28and they left just one guard in charge.
0:26:28 > 0:26:31They overpowered the guard, they closed the prison gate
0:26:31 > 0:26:33and they held the Bass Rock for almost three years.
0:26:33 > 0:26:35They held it for three years?
0:26:35 > 0:26:37The authorities were mortified.
0:26:37 > 0:26:40They tried everything in their power to take the rock back.
0:26:40 > 0:26:42They bombarded it, they tried to starve them out,
0:26:42 > 0:26:44they stopped shipping coming in,
0:26:44 > 0:26:48but under the cover of darkness anything can happen here and did.
0:26:48 > 0:26:51The French have been very sympathetic to the Jacobites
0:26:51 > 0:26:55- and they landed them some basic supplies.- Cheese and wine.
0:26:55 > 0:26:57Cheese and wine, that's basic supplies in my world.
0:26:57 > 0:27:00- As the French would.- Absolutely.
0:27:00 > 0:27:02And after three years, when the authorities said,
0:27:02 > 0:27:05"We have to discuss terms", they were invited out here.
0:27:05 > 0:27:08And when they came out, they were treated to this wonderful
0:27:08 > 0:27:10banquet of sole and goose - the gannet -
0:27:10 > 0:27:12fine French wines and cheeses.
0:27:12 > 0:27:15This was food for a king. This was like a banquet.
0:27:15 > 0:27:18Well, the authorities thought they were living like this every day
0:27:18 > 0:27:20when, in fact, they were actually starving,
0:27:20 > 0:27:21but it worked. The ploy worked.
0:27:21 > 0:27:24They were immediately given an honourable discharge
0:27:24 > 0:27:26and the Rock was very quickly de-fortified.
0:27:26 > 0:27:29It just goes to show that cheese and wine can be an affective weapon.
0:27:29 > 0:27:30Absolutely.
0:27:30 > 0:27:33- Let's go and have a look at the rest of the island.- Yes.
0:27:37 > 0:27:40It's ironic to think that to escape from here,
0:27:40 > 0:27:45those captives had to turn their prison into a fortress again.
0:27:46 > 0:27:51And I suppose that today this island still provides a safe haven
0:27:51 > 0:27:53for this protected species.
0:27:56 > 0:27:59The gannets defend the Bass Rock well.
0:27:59 > 0:28:02The noise and the smell are overpowering,
0:28:02 > 0:28:06yet this sea bird city is close to the human world.
0:28:06 > 0:28:09Edinburgh is just over there,
0:28:09 > 0:28:13a short gannet glide from this island fortress in the Forth.
0:28:16 > 0:28:19And if I can make good my escape from the Rock,
0:28:19 > 0:28:23my next journey will take me over the sea to Skye.
0:28:28 > 0:28:31Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd