0:00:05 > 0:00:09'For centuries, travellers have found a safe haven
0:00:09 > 0:00:12'and sanctuary among the islands of the Hebrides.'
0:00:14 > 0:00:18This landscape of sheltered bays, sweeping horizons
0:00:18 > 0:00:22and distant headlands has drawn a host of visitors,
0:00:22 > 0:00:26all looking to escape the turmoil of the modern world.
0:00:28 > 0:00:32'In this series, I'm on a grand tour of the Scottish islands,
0:00:32 > 0:00:35'visiting the Orkneys in the north,
0:00:35 > 0:00:39'and travelling as far as the island of Gigha in the southwest.
0:00:42 > 0:00:44'Generations of travellers have set out to explore
0:00:44 > 0:00:47'the magic of the Scottish islands.
0:00:47 > 0:00:51'I'm following in their footsteps, exploring remote
0:00:51 > 0:00:54'and fascinating places scattered around our coastline
0:00:54 > 0:00:59'and meeting the people who call these islands home.'
0:00:59 > 0:01:02- Hairpin left. Oh, sorry about that. - Come on, Paul, keep up.
0:01:02 > 0:01:04'For this grand tour, I'm heading for Mull
0:01:04 > 0:01:08'and its satellite islands, discovering why they've
0:01:08 > 0:01:12'become bolt holes from the hustle and bustle of the modern world.'
0:01:25 > 0:01:28The Isle of Mull is the second largest island
0:01:28 > 0:01:32of the Inner Hebrides, lying close to the coast of Argyll.
0:01:32 > 0:01:38My voyage takes me around its deeply indented 300-mile coastline,
0:01:38 > 0:01:40where I'll visit offshore islands
0:01:40 > 0:01:43that have offered both a refuge and an inspiration.
0:01:46 > 0:01:49'I've joined the crew of this traditional fishing boat
0:01:49 > 0:01:53'as we set off to sail around the Ross of Mull -
0:01:53 > 0:01:57'a long peninsula that thrusts into the dangerous Atlantic.'
0:01:58 > 0:02:02I'm heading to the beautifully named island of Erraid,
0:02:02 > 0:02:05sailing through a scattering of rocky islets and skerries.
0:02:05 > 0:02:07It's just over there.
0:02:10 > 0:02:13'Mark Jardine is the skipper of this beautifully restored ketch,
0:02:13 > 0:02:18'which operates as a charter vessel in the waters around Mull.'
0:02:18 > 0:02:21It's a very gentle breeze, but it's just serving our purpose.
0:02:21 > 0:02:24How long do you think it will take us at this speed?
0:02:24 > 0:02:26- We're doing 1.4 knots. - It could take...- A couple of hours.
0:02:26 > 0:02:29It could take a day trip to go just to Erraid today.
0:02:31 > 0:02:35'The seas here are full of hazards to shipping -
0:02:35 > 0:02:39'reefs and skerries known collectively as the Torran Rocks.'
0:02:40 > 0:02:43In this day and age, with modern navigational aids,
0:02:43 > 0:02:48it's a lot easier, but it's still an area to treat with respect.
0:02:48 > 0:02:52- A lot of those rocks are just below the surface.- Deadly, then.
0:02:52 > 0:02:56- Just ready to get you. - Hopefully we're going to avoid them.
0:02:56 > 0:02:58The great thing is to avoid getting
0:02:58 > 0:03:00a rock named after your skipper, you know?
0:03:02 > 0:03:04The Torran Rocks took such a toll
0:03:04 > 0:03:08on shipping that a lighthouse was eventually commissioned.
0:03:08 > 0:03:13Designed by Thomas Stevenson, of the famous family of civil engineers,
0:03:13 > 0:03:17it's known as the lighthouse of Dubh Artach - the black rock.
0:03:20 > 0:03:25Construction began in 1867 and ran for five years.
0:03:25 > 0:03:29Thomas Stevenson was the father of Robert Louis Stevenson,
0:03:29 > 0:03:33who penned such classics as Kidnapped and Treasure Island.
0:03:33 > 0:03:35As a young boy,
0:03:35 > 0:03:39Stevenson came to know this corner of Scotland very well indeed.
0:03:42 > 0:03:48Erraid is a small island, covering just one square mile.
0:03:48 > 0:03:51When the lighthouse of Dubh Artach was under construction,
0:03:51 > 0:03:54Erraid became the workers' base.
0:03:54 > 0:03:57The young Robert Louis Stevenson visited here,
0:03:57 > 0:04:01walking along these shell sands, drinking in the atmosphere.
0:04:03 > 0:04:05This was the imaginative source
0:04:05 > 0:04:08behind Stevenson's tropical Treasure Island
0:04:08 > 0:04:11and also the location that the writer chose
0:04:11 > 0:04:14for the shipwrecked hero of Kidnapped, David Balfour,
0:04:14 > 0:04:16to pull himself ashore,
0:04:16 > 0:04:19having spent the night clinging to a broken mast.
0:04:23 > 0:04:25"In about an hour of kicking and splashing,
0:04:25 > 0:04:29"I had got well in between the points of a sandy bay
0:04:29 > 0:04:32"surrounded by low hills.
0:04:32 > 0:04:34"The sea was here quite quiet.
0:04:34 > 0:04:38"There was no sound of any surf and I thought in my heart I had
0:04:38 > 0:04:43"never seen a place so desert and desolate."
0:04:43 > 0:04:47David Balfour thought he was marooned here on Erraid,
0:04:47 > 0:04:49cut off from the outside world.
0:04:49 > 0:04:52And, for a few days, he was forced to eat a diet of
0:04:52 > 0:04:54shellfish and limpets,
0:04:54 > 0:05:00until he discovered that Erraid is an island only at high tide.
0:05:00 > 0:05:04At low tide, it was quite possible to walk from the island to Mull.
0:05:04 > 0:05:07He must have felt such a chump!
0:05:11 > 0:05:14Reaching Mull - without getting my feet wet - I'm faced with
0:05:14 > 0:05:20the problem of how to explore the island's many highways and byways.
0:05:20 > 0:05:23In order to get around this beautiful island,
0:05:23 > 0:05:26I've chosen a green form of transport -
0:05:26 > 0:05:28this electric bike.
0:05:28 > 0:05:30Now, I've been told that the batteries are charged
0:05:30 > 0:05:33with electricity that comes from wind turbines.
0:05:33 > 0:05:37So let's see if I can go like the wind!
0:05:37 > 0:05:40Ooh! Yes, yes, we're off!
0:05:43 > 0:05:47'Hmm. No faster than a moderate breeze.
0:05:47 > 0:05:50'But quietly comfortable and sedate.
0:05:50 > 0:05:52'Plenty of time to take in the scenery
0:05:52 > 0:05:55'as I make my way around the rocky coast
0:05:55 > 0:05:59'and through a landscape of towering rocks and big skies.
0:06:02 > 0:06:04'Close to the village of Bunessan,
0:06:04 > 0:06:07'I come to a memorial at a crossroads.'
0:06:08 > 0:06:10This unassuming monument is dedicated to
0:06:10 > 0:06:15the memory of Mary MacDonald, who was born in 1789.
0:06:15 > 0:06:21Now, Mary never left the island but her legacy travelled the world.
0:06:21 > 0:06:23ORGAN PLAYS: Morning Has Broken
0:06:23 > 0:06:28'Mary wrote the original Gaelic hymn which, in the 20th century, became
0:06:28 > 0:06:34'Morning Has Broken - a smash hit that was covered by many a popster,
0:06:34 > 0:06:39'from Cat Stevens, Demis Roussos and even the whistling Roger Whittaker.
0:06:44 > 0:06:49'With the tune of Morning Has Broken going around inside my head,
0:06:49 > 0:06:53'I cycle to towards Glen Forsa, which, according to the guide books,
0:06:53 > 0:06:58'is the location for one of the prettiest airports in the country.
0:06:58 > 0:07:00'Or should that be airfield?
0:07:03 > 0:07:08'I meet the manager, David Howitt, at the control tower-cum-shed.
0:07:10 > 0:07:13'David's connection with Glen Forsa goes back to the early days
0:07:13 > 0:07:17'when the airfield was opened in 1966.
0:07:17 > 0:07:20'Since then, he's met a host of illustrious aviators
0:07:20 > 0:07:23'who've touched down here.'
0:07:23 > 0:07:24They've varied.
0:07:24 > 0:07:29From Robert Morley, Robert Wagner, Bette Davis,
0:07:29 > 0:07:30Tom Cruise.
0:07:30 > 0:07:34- Tom Cruise came here?- Yeah. - Top Gun himself?- Top Gun himself.
0:07:34 > 0:07:35Yes indeed. Delightful man as well.
0:07:35 > 0:07:38I had the pleasure of driving him around the island.
0:07:40 > 0:07:44Among the rich and famous to visit Glen Forsa was a veteran pilot and
0:07:44 > 0:07:50musician who arrived on Christmas Eve 1975 to celebrate his birthday.
0:07:51 > 0:07:54Peter Gibbs would become the focus of this country's
0:07:54 > 0:07:56most perplexing aviation mystery.
0:07:59 > 0:08:02During World War II, he had been a Spitfire pilot,
0:08:02 > 0:08:06seeing action in North Africa and at D-Day.
0:08:06 > 0:08:12In peacetime, he began a musical career as a professional violinist.
0:08:12 > 0:08:14That Christmas Eve,
0:08:14 > 0:08:18he enjoyed a birthday meal with his girlfriend and then surprised
0:08:18 > 0:08:22everyone by deciding to fly a night-time circuit of the airfield.
0:08:23 > 0:08:25He was never seen alive again.
0:08:25 > 0:08:28What he did is he took off, climbed out over the Sound of Mull
0:08:28 > 0:08:32and then performed a basic circuit as it's called in aviation.
0:08:32 > 0:08:33And you saw this take place?
0:08:33 > 0:08:36Oh, I was standing right there, watching it.
0:08:36 > 0:08:39The basic circuit is downwind and then you turn on what is
0:08:39 > 0:08:42known as base leg, before you turn onto what is known as final -
0:08:42 > 0:08:46the final approach. You usually lose aircraft behind the trees -
0:08:46 > 0:08:47you can see the trees there -
0:08:47 > 0:08:52when they go to turn onto final, for a minute or so,
0:08:52 > 0:08:54maybe not as long as that. 30 seconds or so.
0:08:54 > 0:08:56They're obscured by the trees.
0:08:56 > 0:08:58So we were expecting him to come back in but he never did.
0:09:01 > 0:09:06It soon became clear that Peter Gibbs was never coming back.
0:09:06 > 0:09:09Despite the efforts of an RAF search and rescue team,
0:09:09 > 0:09:13neither he nor his aircraft could be found.
0:09:13 > 0:09:17It was as if Peter Gibbs had vanished from the face of the earth.
0:09:19 > 0:09:21Four months later, his body was found by a shepherd,
0:09:21 > 0:09:25Donald MacKinnon. It was found 400 feet up a hill just about a mile
0:09:25 > 0:09:28- and a half down the road from here. - Was there an autopsy on the body?
0:09:28 > 0:09:31Oh, yes. An RAF dentist actually confirmed,
0:09:31 > 0:09:35without any doubt at all, it was Peter Gibbs by dental records. And...
0:09:35 > 0:09:39- And what was the cause of death? - Exposure.- Exposure?- Yeah.
0:09:39 > 0:09:43- There were no injuries? - Slight grazing on the left shin.
0:09:43 > 0:09:44That was it.
0:09:45 > 0:09:48If Peter Gibbs had been killed in a plane crash,
0:09:48 > 0:09:52you would expect him to have suffered serious injuries.
0:09:52 > 0:09:56You'd also expect wreckage to have been found nearby.
0:09:56 > 0:09:58But there was nothing.
0:09:58 > 0:10:01So where was the missing plane?
0:10:01 > 0:10:05The aircraft had done a...you know, just disappeared completely
0:10:05 > 0:10:07but the tyre and wheel, which I still have here,
0:10:07 > 0:10:09they were washed up across the shore.
0:10:13 > 0:10:15Since Peter Gibbs' mysterious death,
0:10:15 > 0:10:17there have been several claims to have found
0:10:17 > 0:10:22the aircraft in the seas around Mull, none of them conclusive.
0:10:22 > 0:10:27So did Gibbs ditch in the sea and swim ashore?
0:10:27 > 0:10:30What militates against that is the fact that the fatal accident enquiry,
0:10:30 > 0:10:32both the RAF doctor and the pathologist,
0:10:32 > 0:10:36said there was absolutely no trace of saltwater or marine deposits
0:10:36 > 0:10:39in the flying boots or the clothing or the watch.
0:10:39 > 0:10:43- It's a mystery, isn't it? I mean, I'm flummoxed.- Inexplicable.
0:10:46 > 0:10:49All kinds of wild speculation has grown up
0:10:49 > 0:10:52around the mysterious death of Peter Gibbs
0:10:52 > 0:10:56and it's incredible to think that, after all these years,
0:10:56 > 0:10:59there's so many questions that remain unanswered.
0:11:03 > 0:11:06'Leaving the perplexing and disturbing tale
0:11:06 > 0:11:09'of Peter Gibbs behind, it's time to move on.
0:11:10 > 0:11:16'Lying close to Mull's western shore is Ulva - the wolf's island.
0:11:16 > 0:11:18'Today, it's almost forgotten by the world
0:11:18 > 0:11:21'but, like a lot of Scottish islands,
0:11:21 > 0:11:24'its current status belies its historical importance.
0:11:26 > 0:11:29'From Ulva Ferry, a short crossing in an open boat takes
0:11:29 > 0:11:32'visitors from Mull to the island.'
0:11:33 > 0:11:35For over 1,000 years,
0:11:35 > 0:11:38Ulva was owned by the ancient Clan MacQuarrie
0:11:38 > 0:11:40until the last chief was forced to sell up
0:11:40 > 0:11:43to pay off his debts in the 18th century.
0:11:43 > 0:11:47Back then, about 700 people lived on the island.
0:11:47 > 0:11:50Today, the population is just seven
0:11:50 > 0:11:52and none of them are MacQuarries.
0:11:52 > 0:11:54But, despite the loss their ancestral home,
0:11:54 > 0:11:59the influence of Clan MacQuarrie on world affairs has been enormous.
0:12:02 > 0:12:07Lachlan MacQuarrie was born on Ulva in 1762,
0:12:07 > 0:12:10a poor relative of the last MacQuarrie chief.
0:12:10 > 0:12:12Like many impoverished Gaels,
0:12:12 > 0:12:16Lachlan found an opportunity for advancement in the Army.
0:12:17 > 0:12:20Rising through the ranks, MacQuarrie was appointed
0:12:20 > 0:12:24governor of New South Wales and the notorious prison colony there.
0:12:24 > 0:12:28'His enlightened and progressive approach to governorship
0:12:28 > 0:12:31'helped Australia to become established as a country
0:12:31 > 0:12:34'and not just a dumping ground for convicts.'
0:12:36 > 0:12:40MacQuarrie's success earned him the fortune he desired as a young man
0:12:40 > 0:12:44and, at the age of 45, he was able to return to Mull
0:12:44 > 0:12:45and buy his uncle's estate.
0:12:49 > 0:12:52'But Lachlan's homecoming wasn't easy.
0:12:52 > 0:12:54'The government refused to award him
0:12:54 > 0:12:57'the pension he thought he was entitled to.
0:12:57 > 0:13:02'On a trip to London to plead his case, he fell ill and died.
0:13:04 > 0:13:07'According to his wishes, he was buried on Mull,
0:13:07 > 0:13:09'close to the island of his birth.'
0:13:12 > 0:13:17This inscription proclaims him as "the father of Australia"
0:13:17 > 0:13:19and, with so many places named after him,
0:13:19 > 0:13:23from MacQuarrie Street in Sydney to the MacQuarrie River,
0:13:23 > 0:13:25perhaps that's no exaggeration.
0:13:26 > 0:13:30For a man who'd spent all his adult life overseas,
0:13:30 > 0:13:33it's appropriate that Lachlan MacQuarrie chose
0:13:33 > 0:13:38to end his days here, enfolded among the hills of his native land.
0:13:39 > 0:13:41It is very peaceful here.
0:13:41 > 0:13:43ENGINE ROARS
0:13:46 > 0:13:50Mull might be an idyllic island sanctuary but, once a year,
0:13:50 > 0:13:55the tranquillity is shattered by the arrival of 150 rally cars,
0:13:55 > 0:13:58taking part in the famous Mull Rally.
0:14:05 > 0:14:09'Emerging through the dust cloud is rally driver Louise Thomson,
0:14:09 > 0:14:13'a Mull local and one of the few female competitors.'
0:14:13 > 0:14:16Louise, that was quite an entrance. How are you doing?
0:14:16 > 0:14:19- I'm good, thank you. Lovely to meet you.- And you, too.- Yeah.
0:14:19 > 0:14:21Now, the Mull Rally, Louise,
0:14:21 > 0:14:23is a really important event in the motorsport calendar.
0:14:23 > 0:14:26- How did you get involved in it? - I got involved through
0:14:26 > 0:14:31my family being involved 45 years ago when the rally first started.
0:14:31 > 0:14:34My father was involved with the organising committee
0:14:34 > 0:14:38- and then he competed as well.- Right, so it's in your blood, is it?- Yes.
0:14:38 > 0:14:42Yeah, it is. I navigated first with a female driver
0:14:42 > 0:14:46and I competed, I think, about six times as a navigator.
0:14:46 > 0:14:49- But I always thought that women had a terrible sense of direction.- Oh!
0:14:49 > 0:14:52The female navigators are very, very good.
0:14:52 > 0:14:56I'm thinking of possibly joining you cos I'm a pretty good map reader,
0:14:56 > 0:15:00very good navigator, so I reckon that I'd love the opportunity
0:15:00 > 0:15:03of sitting beside you for a while and see if I can't get you lost.
0:15:03 > 0:15:08- No, that's absolutely great, yeah. - OK?- Yeah, no problem. Let's jump in.
0:15:08 > 0:15:10ENGINE ROARS/TYRES SCREECH
0:15:13 > 0:15:17- Is it a serious competition...- Yes. - ..the Mull Rally?- Very serious.
0:15:17 > 0:15:20People take it very seriously. It's a challenge.
0:15:20 > 0:15:23It's a very tough challenge on the driver and on the car.
0:15:24 > 0:15:27How is it rated in the rallying world?
0:15:27 > 0:15:31- It's rated as the best rally in the world.- Really?- Yes.
0:15:31 > 0:15:35Do you think the single-track roads have got something to do with that?
0:15:35 > 0:15:36Absolutely, yes.
0:15:36 > 0:15:38And how fast do these cars go?
0:15:39 > 0:15:43This little car can do probably close to 100mph
0:15:43 > 0:15:50and the top guys, at top speed, are probably going 120, 130-plus mph.
0:15:50 > 0:15:56At these speeds, and on these roads, reaction time is key.
0:15:56 > 0:16:00I'm beginning to see how crucial the navigator's job is.
0:16:00 > 0:16:03I need to know... When you're driving at high speed, you need to know
0:16:03 > 0:16:08whether the bend's going left or right and the degree of the bend.
0:16:08 > 0:16:11Otherwise, if you get it wrong, we could have a serious accident.
0:16:13 > 0:16:15'Oh, dear.
0:16:15 > 0:16:18'I hope I haven't overestimated my navigation skills.'
0:16:19 > 0:16:23A flat crest and flat... Oh!
0:16:23 > 0:16:27- Hairpin left?- A hairpin left.
0:16:27 > 0:16:31- Oh, sorry about that.- Come on, Paul, keep up.- A long square right.
0:16:32 > 0:16:35Caution. Medium left over bridge.
0:16:37 > 0:16:40Flat right. 500.
0:16:46 > 0:16:47Flat left over crest.
0:16:50 > 0:16:51400.
0:16:55 > 0:16:58Well, I think I've passed the test.
0:16:58 > 0:17:01We've managed to cover what seems to be most of Mull
0:17:01 > 0:17:05in the blink of an eye and without serious incident.
0:17:05 > 0:17:08But I can't say I'll be sorry to get back on my bike
0:17:08 > 0:17:12and make a more sedate entrance at my next destination.
0:17:16 > 0:17:21Tobermory - Mary's Well in Gaelic - is the capital of Mull
0:17:21 > 0:17:25and largest town and home to about 700 people.
0:17:25 > 0:17:28Although, in the summer months,
0:17:28 > 0:17:31tourists swell the population several times over.
0:17:31 > 0:17:34Tobermory Bay is a great natural harbour
0:17:34 > 0:17:38and has been used as a safe anchorage for centuries.
0:17:39 > 0:17:41In a yacht moored in the bay,
0:17:41 > 0:17:45I'm meeting a man for whom sailing became a way of life
0:17:45 > 0:17:49and a means of escaping the pressures of the modern world.
0:17:49 > 0:17:53'Hamish Haswell-Smith has been voyaging among the Scottish islands
0:17:53 > 0:17:55'for over 50 years.'
0:17:55 > 0:17:59Hamish, you are the author of the celebrated, I have to say,
0:17:59 > 0:18:02Scottish Islands, a true Bible for any sailor or
0:18:02 > 0:18:06lover of the West Coast of Scotland, and it's very many varied islands.
0:18:06 > 0:18:09In fact, this is part of the inspiration behind my own journey.
0:18:09 > 0:18:11Now, I'm fascinated to know
0:18:11 > 0:18:14what was your attraction to the Scottish islands?
0:18:14 > 0:18:18I think it's the sheer variety
0:18:18 > 0:18:23but coupled with the fact of the number of lovely anchorages.
0:18:23 > 0:18:25And the other thing I like with Scotland is you can
0:18:25 > 0:18:30get on some of the small, uninhabited islands and you can feel,
0:18:30 > 0:18:33"I'm the first person ever to stand on this island,"
0:18:33 > 0:18:37which you know you're not, really, but you can imagine you are.
0:18:37 > 0:18:39One of the delightful things about this book,
0:18:39 > 0:18:42apart from the historical information, is the way that
0:18:42 > 0:18:47you've illustrated it with your own line drawings and watercolours.
0:18:47 > 0:18:51Now, for someone without an artistic sensibility,
0:18:51 > 0:18:55what's so inspiring about the islands of the West Coast?
0:18:55 > 0:18:58Well, I think the light is certainly one of the things.
0:18:58 > 0:19:01You get all the effects of light here.
0:19:01 > 0:19:04A place like, say, Iona has attracted so many painters
0:19:04 > 0:19:07because the light is something that's quite different.
0:19:09 > 0:19:15You've got beautiful, white shell sands, you've got wonderful sea
0:19:15 > 0:19:19of turquoises and greens and blues and all sorts of lovely colours.
0:19:19 > 0:19:22'I love taking photographs.
0:19:22 > 0:19:26'But, unlike me, Hamish captures treasured moments with
0:19:26 > 0:19:31'exquisitely drawn sketches and water colours.
0:19:31 > 0:19:33'He makes it look so easy.'
0:19:34 > 0:19:36Is this Castlebay? It's just a few lines
0:19:36 > 0:19:38but it's instantly recognisable
0:19:38 > 0:19:42because of Kisimul Castle. It's wonderful.
0:19:42 > 0:19:44Even when it's raining,
0:19:44 > 0:19:48if you're out at sea and suddenly a little bit clears
0:19:48 > 0:19:53and there's a shaft of sunlight comes shining down and it catches
0:19:53 > 0:19:57an island or some distant mountains,
0:19:57 > 0:20:03the number of potential paintings that you can make out of all that
0:20:03 > 0:20:05is absolutely fantastic.
0:20:07 > 0:20:11The ancient and mysterious Inch Kenneth is one of the many
0:20:11 > 0:20:15islands described in Hamish's book.
0:20:15 > 0:20:19For centuries, people have come here to find peace and sanctuary.
0:20:19 > 0:20:21Inch Kenneth is one of
0:20:21 > 0:20:24the most historically important islands in all of Scotland.
0:20:24 > 0:20:29Like Iona, it was once a significant religious centre and, as a result,
0:20:29 > 0:20:31there are a number of high status burials
0:20:31 > 0:20:34surrounding the island's ruined chapel.
0:20:38 > 0:20:43'It's the tiniest of islands - a sheltered crescent of fertile land
0:20:43 > 0:20:47'nestling beneath the stark and forbidding cliffs of Ben More.'
0:20:49 > 0:20:53As well as high-ranking members of Clan MacLean,
0:20:53 > 0:20:57kings of Scotland and Norway are also buried here.
0:20:58 > 0:21:02Perhaps the island's most famous recent owners were the Mitfords,
0:21:02 > 0:21:05a minor aristocratic English family.
0:21:05 > 0:21:09They bought the island in the politically turbulent 1930s
0:21:09 > 0:21:12and they themselves were ideologically divided
0:21:12 > 0:21:16between communism on one side and fascism on the other.
0:21:18 > 0:21:20During the war, Inch Kenneth became a refuge
0:21:20 > 0:21:23for the most notorious member of the family -
0:21:23 > 0:21:28the hapless Unity Mitford, who took her love for fascism
0:21:28 > 0:21:31and for Adolf Hitler to personal extremes.
0:21:33 > 0:21:37'Writer Lorn Macintyre, himself from Mull, takes me into
0:21:37 > 0:21:41'the Mitfords' island home where Unity Mitford hid from the world.'
0:21:42 > 0:21:45How did she get to know Hitler? How did Unity get to know him?
0:21:45 > 0:21:50- Well, Unity is an example of a modern stalker.- Right.
0:21:50 > 0:21:52She went to a restaurant in Munich
0:21:52 > 0:21:55called the Osteria Bavaria and she sat, day after day,
0:21:55 > 0:21:58Friday after Friday, cos she knew that Hitler
0:21:58 > 0:22:03and his henchmen, plus his dog, came in for lunch.
0:22:03 > 0:22:05And, in time, it paid off
0:22:05 > 0:22:08because Hitler then invited her across for lunch.
0:22:08 > 0:22:10And, of course, he became smitten with her
0:22:10 > 0:22:13because he saw her as an English rose.
0:22:13 > 0:22:16She was a very beautiful woman, she was aristocratic, etc.
0:22:19 > 0:22:24Unity Mitford became the English voice of the Nazi Party in Germany.
0:22:24 > 0:22:28In the lead up to war, she addressed massed political rallies
0:22:28 > 0:22:31and delivered anti-Semitic speeches.
0:22:31 > 0:22:34She was infatuated with Hitler.
0:22:34 > 0:22:37When Austria was taken over by the Nazis in 1938,
0:22:37 > 0:22:39she had special tickets to go there
0:22:39 > 0:22:44and she raced her car to Vienna to welcome her beloved Fuehrer.
0:22:44 > 0:22:46- She was... For Unity... - Oh, yes, she...
0:22:46 > 0:22:48- ..the Fuehrer was "the beloved Fuehrer".- Oh, yes.
0:22:48 > 0:22:52The beloved Fuehrer, until the end of her days.
0:22:52 > 0:22:53In this house...
0:22:54 > 0:22:56..Hitler could do no wrong.
0:22:56 > 0:23:00When Unity was told about the millions of Jews
0:23:00 > 0:23:03that had died in gas chambers, she said, "Not at all.
0:23:03 > 0:23:05"They died in an epidemic."
0:23:07 > 0:23:12Idolising the Fuehrer, Unity loved being at Hitler's side.
0:23:12 > 0:23:17But when Britain declared war on Germany in 1939,
0:23:17 > 0:23:19her world fell apart.
0:23:20 > 0:23:23How did Unity react when war was declared on Germany?
0:23:23 > 0:23:25She had a little revolver.
0:23:25 > 0:23:29She went into the English garden on the Sunday morning in Munich
0:23:29 > 0:23:32and she shot herself in the head because she said she could
0:23:32 > 0:23:39not bear her beloved Germany and her beloved Britain to be at war.
0:23:41 > 0:23:45Unity was a broken woman when she returned to Inch Kenneth
0:23:45 > 0:23:47with a bullet lodged in her brain.
0:23:50 > 0:23:54Her condition and the remoteness of Inch Kenneth made Unity
0:23:54 > 0:23:56an exile from the world.
0:23:57 > 0:24:00Isolated and alone, she spent the last few years
0:24:00 > 0:24:03of her life in a fantasy world,
0:24:03 > 0:24:06conducting imaginary services in the ruined chapel
0:24:06 > 0:24:08and staring out to sea,
0:24:08 > 0:24:11perhaps in the hope of signalling to a passing U-boat.
0:24:12 > 0:24:15The end came in 1948.
0:24:15 > 0:24:19'She contracted meningitis and was taken to the mainland,
0:24:19 > 0:24:22'where she died with the bullet still in her brain.'
0:24:23 > 0:24:25She was just 34.
0:24:28 > 0:24:30'It's time to put some distance between me,
0:24:30 > 0:24:35'Inch Kenneth and the doleful memories of sad Unity Mitford
0:24:35 > 0:24:38'and her devotion to the Nazi cause.
0:24:38 > 0:24:42'In fact, I feel it's time for a little therapy.'
0:24:42 > 0:24:45And to get it, I'm heading for the Treshnish Islands,
0:24:45 > 0:24:50which lie in a chain about three miles west of Mull.
0:24:50 > 0:24:54'To get to there, I'm joining Iain Morrison, who regularly makes
0:24:54 > 0:24:57'the crossing with visitors who are all hoping to meet
0:24:57 > 0:25:00'the island's rather special inhabitants.'
0:25:00 > 0:25:04- Iain, what is the island right on the bow here?- That's Lunga.
0:25:04 > 0:25:08This is the one we are headed for now. This is where we go every day.
0:25:08 > 0:25:10Does anyone live on Lunga?
0:25:10 > 0:25:15No. No. Just puffins and guillemots and razorbills and kittiwakes
0:25:15 > 0:25:18and fulmars and shags and a whole lot of other birds.
0:25:18 > 0:25:21- So it's a sea bird city. - Absolutely. Absolutely.
0:25:23 > 0:25:26For those uninitiated in the ways of the wild,
0:25:26 > 0:25:30getting ashore on Lunga can be something of an ordeal.
0:25:30 > 0:25:33'And once safely on land, you are here to stay,
0:25:33 > 0:25:37'at least until the boat returns with the jetty.
0:25:38 > 0:25:40'And then what?
0:25:40 > 0:25:41'There's nothing much here.
0:25:41 > 0:25:43'Except the puffins, of course.
0:25:43 > 0:25:46'And there are plenty of them to entertain
0:25:46 > 0:25:49'even the most cynical of city dwellers.'
0:25:49 > 0:25:52- Iain, why do people come out here to Lunga?- Well, you can see them
0:25:52 > 0:25:55all arrayed along the edge of the cliff there. These are the boys,
0:25:55 > 0:25:57these puffins. That's the whole reason.
0:25:57 > 0:25:59But they do come out for all the other birdlife as well.
0:25:59 > 0:26:02Thousands of guillemots and lots of other sea birds.
0:26:02 > 0:26:03That's the main reason.
0:26:03 > 0:26:06What would you say is the great allure of puffins
0:26:06 > 0:26:08over other sea birds?
0:26:08 > 0:26:11They're very, very attractive. Very comical.
0:26:11 > 0:26:15Some places, they call them sea parrots.
0:26:15 > 0:26:20Various other names that they've got that indicate a comical creature,
0:26:20 > 0:26:23I think. And the way they get about, they kind of puff around.
0:26:23 > 0:26:26- Do you think we identify with them in some way?- Probably.
0:26:26 > 0:26:28I think we're probably quite like them, really.
0:26:28 > 0:26:30I believe that's why they're studying us. You know,
0:26:30 > 0:26:34I tell people that they're doing an ongoing study of homo sapiens
0:26:34 > 0:26:37and they should be...the people should be on their best behaviour.
0:26:39 > 0:26:42Iain describes these encounters as puffin therapy -
0:26:42 > 0:26:47a way of decluttering the urban mind and getting close to nature.
0:26:48 > 0:26:51People feel, or seem to be a lot happier
0:26:51 > 0:26:54when they come off this island after two hours communing with
0:26:54 > 0:26:57these creatures than they are when they arrive.
0:26:58 > 0:27:02I love them more than any other little bird on this whole planet.
0:27:02 > 0:27:03I just adore them.
0:27:04 > 0:27:07They don't seem bothered when we're, you know, inches away.
0:27:07 > 0:27:09They seem quite happy.
0:27:09 > 0:27:12It seems some kind of mutual respect between humans and animals.
0:27:12 > 0:27:15It's brilliant. I've never seen it anywhere else.
0:27:15 > 0:27:18Last year we missed out on this tour. We couldn't get on it.
0:27:18 > 0:27:22So we came back, really, this year, just to come and see the puffins
0:27:22 > 0:27:23and it's been incredible.
0:27:23 > 0:27:26I think that's what I love about them.
0:27:26 > 0:27:28The humour of the birds. They're very funny.
0:27:28 > 0:27:31I just wish I could talk their language.
0:27:35 > 0:27:38Having achieved a positive and contented mental state,
0:27:38 > 0:27:41I leave the puffins and their soothing vibes,
0:27:41 > 0:27:43to wander higher on the island.
0:27:45 > 0:27:47'Until the 1820s,
0:27:47 > 0:27:52'Lunga was inhabited and boasted a population of about 20.
0:27:52 > 0:27:55'Amazing to think that people once lived out here.
0:27:59 > 0:28:02'Leaving the empty houses with the ghosts of a lost way of life,
0:28:02 > 0:28:06'I climb to the highest point on this tiny island.'
0:28:08 > 0:28:12Wow. Look at that. The view from here is truly magnificent.
0:28:12 > 0:28:16A great sweep of islands on the horizon,
0:28:16 > 0:28:19from Iona and Erraid to the south of me,
0:28:19 > 0:28:22behind me, Ben More and Ulva
0:28:22 > 0:28:25and, below me, the Treshnish islands,
0:28:25 > 0:28:29all of them offering respite from the modern world.
0:28:31 > 0:28:34'Join me on my next Grand Tour
0:28:34 > 0:28:37'when I'll be lost in the mists on Jura,
0:28:37 > 0:28:41'and luxuriating in the gardens of Gigha.'