0:00:04 > 0:00:07Heading west from the Scottish mainland,
0:00:07 > 0:00:11a dark line between the sea and the sky can indicate a low-lying island,
0:00:11 > 0:00:18a wild scrap of land sculpted by ocean breakers and constant storms.
0:00:19 > 0:00:23Over there, just on the horizon, are two of the most windswept
0:00:23 > 0:00:24islands on the Scottish coast -
0:00:24 > 0:00:28the Atlantic twins of Coll and Tiree.
0:00:32 > 0:00:36In this series, I'm embarking on an island Grand Tour,
0:00:36 > 0:00:41travelling from the Orkneys in the north, to Gigha in the southwest.
0:00:41 > 0:00:44Generations of travellers have set out to explore
0:00:44 > 0:00:47the magic of the Scottish Islands.
0:00:47 > 0:00:50I'm following in their footsteps, exploring remote
0:00:50 > 0:00:54and fascinating places scattered around our coastline,
0:00:54 > 0:00:58and meeting the people who call these islands home.
0:00:58 > 0:01:00Like something out of a Western!
0:01:00 > 0:01:04For this Grand Tour, I'm sailing into the Atlantic to explore
0:01:04 > 0:01:08the islands of Coll and Tiree.
0:01:20 > 0:01:23Leaving the mainland, my route takes me first to the rugged
0:01:23 > 0:01:27isle of Coll and then onto the low-lying island of Tiree,
0:01:27 > 0:01:30before heading west to the lonely
0:01:30 > 0:01:32sentinel of Skerryvore lighthouse.
0:01:35 > 0:01:38The starting point of my journey is Oban,
0:01:38 > 0:01:42the "gateway to the isles". For at least 150 years,
0:01:42 > 0:01:47the town has been the main ferry hub for travellers to the Hebrides.
0:01:47 > 0:01:51'Oban has much to offer, but we're too near the islands to linger long
0:01:51 > 0:01:54'on the mainland. There's a salt tang on the air,
0:01:54 > 0:01:59'it quickens the pulse, fires the imagination, exhilarates the senses,
0:01:59 > 0:02:04'it's the call of the sea that is part of the irresistible call of the isle.'
0:02:06 > 0:02:09Scottish islands are often paired together - even though
0:02:09 > 0:02:12they sometimes make unlikely couples.
0:02:13 > 0:02:16In this programme, I want to discover just how closely
0:02:16 > 0:02:21related the Atlantic twins of Coll and Tiree really are.
0:02:25 > 0:02:29This is Arinagour - the capital of Coll.
0:02:29 > 0:02:35In Gaelic, Arinagour means the place of the goats - no goats today,
0:02:35 > 0:02:37but plenty of sheep.
0:02:37 > 0:02:41Coll is the most northerly of the Atlantic twins.
0:02:41 > 0:02:47It's a low-lying rugged island 13 miles long by three miles wide.
0:02:47 > 0:02:50Crossing the island, I'm following in the footsteps
0:02:50 > 0:02:55of the early Hebridean travellers Dr Johnson and James Boswell,
0:02:55 > 0:02:58who were blown ashore here during their famous tour of
0:02:58 > 0:03:02the Western Isles in the autumn of 1773.
0:03:04 > 0:03:08The literary gents from London and Edinburgh were storm-stayed
0:03:08 > 0:03:12on Coll for three days, but being the curious souls
0:03:12 > 0:03:17they were, they made the best of a bad job by visiting the locals.
0:03:21 > 0:03:23To meet my first islander,
0:03:23 > 0:03:26I'm heading the beautiful west side of Coll,
0:03:26 > 0:03:30where Angus Kennedy lives on a croft once occupied by his ancestors.
0:03:32 > 0:03:34My grandfather was the shepherd here.
0:03:37 > 0:03:39So it's kind of nice to come back
0:03:39 > 0:03:42after living and working on the mainland,
0:03:42 > 0:03:47to retire back here to the ancestral homeland.
0:03:47 > 0:03:49Back where you were as a boy.
0:03:49 > 0:03:51My mother and father were both Gaelic speakers.
0:03:51 > 0:03:54But Gaelic has more or less died out.
0:03:54 > 0:03:57You don't hear it on a day-to-day basis.
0:03:57 > 0:03:59You did in the '60s and '70s.
0:03:59 > 0:04:05It's a great shame because it had a richness that we've lost.
0:04:05 > 0:04:09Has Coll over the centuries suffered from depopulation
0:04:09 > 0:04:12with the Clearances a significant part of the history?
0:04:12 > 0:04:14Absolutely. I've...
0:04:14 > 0:04:20In 1820, 1830 there was the official census,
0:04:20 > 0:04:25they recorded 1,500 people living here on Coll.
0:04:25 > 0:04:32These people went to Nova Scotia, Australia and Queensland.
0:04:32 > 0:04:34To think of people coming from here
0:04:34 > 0:04:39to such a strange land, they must've had great courage, great character.
0:04:42 > 0:04:46The traditional way of life hasn't abandoned Coll entirely.
0:04:46 > 0:04:49Some of the island's residents maintain the Hebridean
0:04:49 > 0:04:52spirit of Angus's intrepid ancestors.
0:04:52 > 0:04:54HE CALLS TO THE SHEEP
0:04:56 > 0:04:59Tiugainn!
0:05:12 > 0:05:14Like something out of a Western!
0:05:17 > 0:05:20The woolly stampede headed our way is made up of one
0:05:20 > 0:05:24of the island's most ancient of breeds - the Hebridean sheep.
0:05:24 > 0:05:28Are these Gaelic-speaking sheep, Angus?
0:05:28 > 0:05:31Yes, well, tiugainn is "come" in Gaelic.
0:05:31 > 0:05:35They're technically North European short-tailed sheep.
0:05:35 > 0:05:40Over centuries, they've been kept by people who lived on the islands.
0:05:40 > 0:05:46In Barra and South Uist, the Catholic islands, they're known as the blessed sheep.
0:05:46 > 0:05:50- Blessed sheep!- Because they are technically multi-horn.
0:05:50 > 0:05:54- Ah-ha!- And the sun on a day like today, shining through the horns,
0:05:54 > 0:05:56made the sign of the cross on the ground.
0:05:56 > 0:06:01- Right.- That's one of their Gaelic names in the southern isles.
0:06:01 > 0:06:03Amazing-looking beasts, certainly.
0:06:03 > 0:06:05They are.
0:06:05 > 0:06:09Quite unlike the normal white woolly monster you see on the islands.
0:06:09 > 0:06:13- These are quite petite.- They were crossed with the indigenous sheep.
0:06:13 > 0:06:20And the end product, over 1,000 years now were the little black sheep, the Hebrideans.
0:06:24 > 0:06:28Leaving Angus, I set off to explore the rest of the island.
0:06:28 > 0:06:32Sadly, it's almost invisible now through thick mist and fog.
0:06:32 > 0:06:37From what Angus has told me, it seems that Coll has changed
0:06:37 > 0:06:40considerably since Johnson and Boswell's time.
0:06:40 > 0:06:44Of the 200 people who live here today - just four or five
0:06:44 > 0:06:48call themselves Collachs - true natives.
0:06:48 > 0:06:52One incomer with more of a connection to Coll than most
0:06:52 > 0:06:54lives at the southern end of the island.
0:06:56 > 0:07:00This is Breachacha - in Gaelic - the speckled field -
0:07:00 > 0:07:05and that is Breachacha Castle - the ancient seat of the Macleans
0:07:05 > 0:07:09of Coll - a place familiar to Johnson and Boswell.
0:07:11 > 0:07:12'From these walls,
0:07:12 > 0:07:16'the Macleans of Coll held sway over the island for centuries,
0:07:16 > 0:07:21'but when Johnson and Boswell came here it was in a ruinous state.
0:07:21 > 0:07:26'Restoration was begun 30 years ago by the present owner,
0:07:26 > 0:07:28'Nicholas Maclean Bristol,
0:07:28 > 0:07:32'whose front door forces people to bow before entering.'
0:07:32 > 0:07:33May I come in?
0:07:33 > 0:07:36- You certainly may.- Thank you.
0:07:36 > 0:07:40'In the great hall of Breachacha Castle,
0:07:40 > 0:07:44'modern visitors are confronted with a gallery of Maclean ancestors -
0:07:44 > 0:07:48'including some who would have been familiar to Johnson and Boswell.'
0:07:48 > 0:07:50Do you know who built this castle?
0:07:50 > 0:07:53Yes, it was built, erm, built by the first Maclean of Coll,
0:07:53 > 0:07:56my 13th great grandfather in about 1400.
0:07:56 > 0:08:00Erm, and his uncle was the Lord of the Isles,
0:08:00 > 0:08:03and the Lord of the Isles gave him the middle bit of Coll and
0:08:03 > 0:08:06Mull and other bits.
0:08:06 > 0:08:08- Uh-huh. - And, erm, but he had to fight for it.
0:08:11 > 0:08:15From the portraits on the walls, I get a strong impression that
0:08:15 > 0:08:18fighting skills have figured large in Maclean history.
0:08:20 > 0:08:21They're all military men.
0:08:21 > 0:08:24- They've all been soldiers right back as far as... - And you were a military man?
0:08:24 > 0:08:29Yes. My family, every generation since 1651 has been in the
0:08:29 > 0:08:31proper army, not, you know, not fighting in clan warfares.
0:08:31 > 0:08:34- Uh-huh.- And they were all killed, the head of the family
0:08:34 > 0:08:37and his two other sons were killed in battle of Inverkeithing.
0:08:37 > 0:08:40800 Macleans were meant to have gone to the battle and 40 survived.
0:08:40 > 0:08:43- You're very proud of that heritage, though, I can see. - Of course one is, yes, yes.
0:08:43 > 0:08:46- Hm.- The thing is to try and inspire one's children to take
0:08:46 > 0:08:49an interest in it and I haven't yet succeeded at it.
0:08:50 > 0:08:53I'm relieved to hear that Nicholas has long
0:08:53 > 0:08:57since done dodging bullets and has exchanged the gun for the pen.
0:08:59 > 0:09:03In the library, where he spends his time writing clan histories, he
0:09:03 > 0:09:07tells me how a chance meeting with an old school chum inspired him to
0:09:07 > 0:09:14use the castle which he'd restored with his wife Lavinia, to focus his energies on overseas development.
0:09:16 > 0:09:19This all started with the castle.
0:09:19 > 0:09:22I always saw the castle because of one's research,
0:09:22 > 0:09:25as a centre of something international, but what?
0:09:25 > 0:09:29Then I didn't know and I was in Aden with my battalion
0:09:29 > 0:09:32I saw a motorcade go past,
0:09:32 > 0:09:36and in the place of honour was a black face who'd been in my form at Wellington.
0:09:36 > 0:09:37We'd been friends.
0:09:37 > 0:09:39I rang him up and had a drink with him,
0:09:39 > 0:09:43and he advised me to go and stay in Ethiopia, he took me around,
0:09:43 > 0:09:47he was passionate about the development of Ethiopia.
0:09:47 > 0:09:53Nicholas's friend was Iskinder Desta the grandson of Haile Selassie -
0:09:53 > 0:09:55the last Emperor of Ethiopia.
0:09:55 > 0:09:59He said, "There's room for people in this country whatever the colour of their skin
0:09:59 > 0:10:01"to fall in love with Ethiopia." He said to leave the army,
0:10:01 > 0:10:04and help him do what I was going to do here.
0:10:04 > 0:10:06I had my blinding light on the road to Damascus
0:10:06 > 0:10:09so I thought my future's in the isle of Coll.
0:10:09 > 0:10:11But I'll send you first-rate people from Britain,
0:10:11 > 0:10:14and you make them fall in love with Ethiopia.
0:10:16 > 0:10:18- Are you from the Project Trust?- Yes.
0:10:18 > 0:10:21- Welcome to Coll, have you had a good journey?- Yes.
0:10:21 > 0:10:25Since 1967, Project Trust has been training young
0:10:25 > 0:10:28volunteers for overseas aid work.
0:10:28 > 0:10:33Back then, Nicholas and Lavinia ran the organisation from
0:10:33 > 0:10:36the half-built home at Breachacha Castle.
0:10:36 > 0:10:37Since those early days,
0:10:37 > 0:10:40Project Trust has developed beyond their wildest dreams.
0:10:40 > 0:10:44Not only has it reversed the drift of people away from Coll,
0:10:44 > 0:10:47it has become the island's biggest single employer.
0:10:49 > 0:10:52How many volunteers have been through Project Trust?
0:10:52 > 0:10:55- We've had 6,500 overseas.- 6,500?! - Yeah.
0:10:55 > 0:11:00- You must be very proud.- I'm pleased it worked.
0:11:03 > 0:11:06Nicholas's family are no longer lairds of Coll,
0:11:06 > 0:11:08but his ancestors were.
0:11:08 > 0:11:10When Johnson and Boswell stayed
0:11:10 > 0:11:13at what is still called New Breachacha Castle,
0:11:13 > 0:11:17the Maclean home was snootily dismissed by Dr Johnson.
0:11:17 > 0:11:20"There is nothing becoming a chief about it.
0:11:20 > 0:11:25"'Tis a mere tradesman's box."
0:11:25 > 0:11:27To get a more elevated perspective of the island,
0:11:27 > 0:11:32I approach Coll's only mountain - Ben Hogh - another place on
0:11:32 > 0:11:35Johnson and Boswell's tour.
0:11:36 > 0:11:40Dr Johnson never made it to the summit, preferring instead to
0:11:40 > 0:11:43read a book halfway up this modest protuberance,
0:11:43 > 0:11:49which rises to the less than dizzy 341 feet above the sea.
0:11:50 > 0:11:54Now this impressive rock was the reason for the literary
0:11:54 > 0:11:56gent's slog over heather and hill.
0:11:56 > 0:11:58What's quite unique about it
0:11:58 > 0:12:03is the fact that it's perched on three much smaller stones,
0:12:03 > 0:12:07almost as if had been carefully placed there by a giant.
0:12:07 > 0:12:09So it may come as no surprise
0:12:09 > 0:12:13that local legend does indeed mention a giant
0:12:13 > 0:12:18and a Mrs Giant and a gigantic domestic row
0:12:18 > 0:12:19and instead of dinner plates,
0:12:19 > 0:12:24this monstrous pair hurled boulders at each other.
0:12:24 > 0:12:26And this is one of them.
0:12:31 > 0:12:34In 1773, neither Johnson nor Boswell
0:12:34 > 0:12:38could explain how the boulder got here.
0:12:38 > 0:12:42Science was yet to discover Ice Ages and the power of long-since
0:12:42 > 0:12:48melted glaciers to carry rocks great distances on their icy backs.
0:12:49 > 0:12:52From the top of Ben Hogh,
0:12:52 > 0:12:56you get an absolutely breathtaking 360-degree panorama
0:12:56 > 0:12:59of all the neighbouring islands
0:12:59 > 0:13:02including, to the southwest down there,
0:13:02 > 0:13:04Tiree -
0:13:04 > 0:13:07my next island destination.
0:13:09 > 0:13:13Johnson and Boswell never made landfall on Tiree,
0:13:13 > 0:13:16which is almost the same size as Coll
0:13:16 > 0:13:18but it looks very different.
0:13:18 > 0:13:20It is much less rugged,
0:13:20 > 0:13:22and the land is very fertile.
0:13:22 > 0:13:25The current population of nearly 700
0:13:25 > 0:13:28is three times that of neighbouring Coll.
0:13:31 > 0:13:35Tiree derives its name from the Gaelic
0:13:35 > 0:13:38for "land of the corn", and from the earliest times
0:13:38 > 0:13:43produced an abundance of barley that was exported to other islands.
0:13:45 > 0:13:46Back in the 6th century,
0:13:46 > 0:13:48there was a monastery here.
0:13:48 > 0:13:51But 300 years later, it was destroyed
0:13:51 > 0:13:54when the Vikings invaded the island.
0:13:54 > 0:13:58Now, it's an odd thought, but it doesn't seem to matter
0:13:58 > 0:14:00how apparently remote an island is,
0:14:00 > 0:14:04conflict so often forms part of its history.
0:14:04 > 0:14:08During the Second World War, the flat, low-lying island of Tiree
0:14:08 > 0:14:12was converted into a giant air base -
0:14:12 > 0:14:16like an enormous, unsinkable aircraft carrier in the Atlantic.
0:14:19 > 0:14:22RAF Tiree opened in 1941
0:14:22 > 0:14:27on the site now occupied by the island's commercial airport.
0:14:27 > 0:14:28From here,
0:14:28 > 0:14:32Coastal Command flew dangerous sorties over the Atlantic
0:14:32 > 0:14:34to protect the vital convoys
0:14:34 > 0:14:37that kept Britain supplied during the war.
0:14:37 > 0:14:41Air crews also gathered data for the meteorological station on Tiree,
0:14:41 > 0:14:44which created the D-Day weather forecast
0:14:44 > 0:14:49that greenlit the Allied invasion of Europe in 1944.
0:14:49 > 0:14:51INDISTINCT CONVERSATION
0:14:51 > 0:14:55'Mabel McArthur was a young girl back then
0:14:55 > 0:14:58'and has clear memories of what life was like on the island.'
0:14:58 > 0:15:00There were over 3,000
0:15:00 > 0:15:03- RAF personnel based here on the island.- Uh-huh?
0:15:03 > 0:15:05And they had camps everywhere.
0:15:05 > 0:15:08There was the main camp, which was at the airport.
0:15:08 > 0:15:11But, erm, they just had camps everywhere
0:15:11 > 0:15:13and you can still see the foundations
0:15:13 > 0:15:17of some of these buildings, and some of the buildings
0:15:17 > 0:15:20- themselves are actually still standing.- So you're talking about
0:15:20 > 0:15:22- 3,000 RAF personnel.- Yeah.
0:15:22 > 0:15:25And what was the population of Tiree at the time?
0:15:25 > 0:15:28Now, I'm not quite sure what it was at THAT time.
0:15:28 > 0:15:31It might've been about the thousand but I'm not sure. I'm not sure.
0:15:31 > 0:15:34- So it's an overwhelming number of incomers.- Yes, it was. Absolutely.
0:15:34 > 0:15:37The roads were just busy ALL the time with these vehicles -
0:15:37 > 0:15:39big, huge trucks.
0:15:39 > 0:15:43We were very lucky when the RAF were here. They used to give us lifts.
0:15:43 > 0:15:46- Did they?- They would stop and give us lifts.
0:15:46 > 0:15:49And the vehicles were so big, the driver had to get out
0:15:49 > 0:15:51and physically lift us up into the seat.
0:15:51 > 0:15:53But they were very good like that.
0:15:53 > 0:15:55It made quite a difference getting a lift to school.
0:15:58 > 0:16:03There was a cosmopolitan mix of RAF personnel living on Tiree.
0:16:03 > 0:16:06They came from Canada, Australia,
0:16:06 > 0:16:09Poland, as well as the UK.
0:16:09 > 0:16:11They came from all over the country.
0:16:11 > 0:16:14- They were posted here and it wasn't a very popular posting.- Right.
0:16:14 > 0:16:17- Why was that?- Well, Tiree was a very different island in those days.
0:16:17 > 0:16:18It was a dry island.
0:16:18 > 0:16:21- A DRY island.- A dry island. - What do you mean? It didn't rain?
0:16:21 > 0:16:23No, no, no. No alcohol.
0:16:23 > 0:16:25- Oh, no alcohol?- Yes.
0:16:25 > 0:16:26- Right.- No licence.
0:16:26 > 0:16:28And also, there was no water -
0:16:28 > 0:16:32running water - or electricity in any of the houses.
0:16:32 > 0:16:37So I believe Tiree, um, Scapa Flow and Benbecula
0:16:37 > 0:16:39- were three very unpopular postings. - Right.
0:16:39 > 0:16:42When they were told this is where they were going, they dreaded it.
0:16:42 > 0:16:45- Did they not provide their own entertainment?- Oh, yes. Yes.
0:16:45 > 0:16:46Oh, they did, very much so.
0:16:46 > 0:16:49They had a cinema. They had a NAAFI, of course,
0:16:49 > 0:16:53and a cinema, and, um, they also put on live shows
0:16:53 > 0:16:54in, you know, like a theatre.
0:16:54 > 0:16:57So it really made a HUGE difference
0:16:57 > 0:16:59to life on the island, having them here.
0:16:59 > 0:17:01- They upgraded quite a number of the roads also.- Uh-huh.
0:17:01 > 0:17:05And they allowed the local people to use the NAAFI,
0:17:05 > 0:17:08- so suddenly Tiree had a pub.- Right.
0:17:08 > 0:17:12And the locals were allowed to go in. And at the cinema,
0:17:12 > 0:17:15very many people on the island
0:17:15 > 0:17:18saw films in a cinema for the first time ever.
0:17:21 > 0:17:26The war and the presence of the RAF brought Tiree into the modern world.
0:17:26 > 0:17:32But life on an island - even with all mod cons - has never been easy.
0:17:32 > 0:17:35Tiree's sunny climate and fertile soils
0:17:35 > 0:17:39may once have been good for growing oats and barley,
0:17:39 > 0:17:41but life here was always
0:17:41 > 0:17:44a relentless battle against the elements.
0:17:44 > 0:17:48The island is one of the stormiest places
0:17:48 > 0:17:51not just in Britain, but in the whole of Europe.
0:17:51 > 0:17:56On average, there's a gale blowing here 160 days a year.
0:17:58 > 0:18:02To protect themselves against ferocious Atlantic storms,
0:18:02 > 0:18:06islanders developed an architecture that's unique to Tiree.
0:18:06 > 0:18:10Now, this single-storey but and ben was fairly typical of the style.
0:18:10 > 0:18:13Walls could be up to six feet thick
0:18:13 > 0:18:17and sometimes they had no windows at all.
0:18:17 > 0:18:21More like a bunker against the elements than a house.
0:18:24 > 0:18:27The island's position in the stormy Atlantic
0:18:27 > 0:18:32might mean that crofting, or even standing upright, is a problem,
0:18:32 > 0:18:36but the conditions here are ideal for windsurfing.
0:18:36 > 0:18:40Every year, Tiree becomes a Mecca for windsurfers
0:18:40 > 0:18:44from around the world, keen to harness the wind and waves
0:18:44 > 0:18:46to spectacular effect.
0:18:49 > 0:18:53William Angus MacLean owns Wild Diamond -
0:18:53 > 0:18:55a windsurfing water sports company catering for
0:18:55 > 0:18:59those looking for adrenaline thrills along Tiree's coast.
0:18:59 > 0:19:03For such a small geographic area, as we've got here,
0:19:03 > 0:19:05we've got a dozen beaches pointing in every direction.
0:19:05 > 0:19:08Clean white sands.
0:19:08 > 0:19:10That's fantastic news. If you've wind coming from
0:19:10 > 0:19:13different directions, then you can always get a suitable beach.
0:19:13 > 0:19:14Additionally,
0:19:14 > 0:19:16Tiree is smack in the middle of the Atlantic, effectively,
0:19:16 > 0:19:18so we've an abundance of groundswell,
0:19:18 > 0:19:20generating good waves for windsurfing as well.
0:19:20 > 0:19:22Tiree hosts
0:19:22 > 0:19:26what is now the longest-running annual event in the world,
0:19:26 > 0:19:29which is the Tiree Wave Classic.
0:19:29 > 0:19:31It's been the longest-running professional
0:19:31 > 0:19:32windsurfing/wavesailing event
0:19:32 > 0:19:35which kicked off in the early '80s,
0:19:35 > 0:19:39and has run, with a couple of breaks, through until present-day.
0:19:39 > 0:19:42I think what's particularly unique about the event
0:19:42 > 0:19:47is that it attracts all the top UK professional windsurfers to it.
0:19:47 > 0:19:48And additionally, some of these guys
0:19:48 > 0:19:50are some the top guys in the world tour as well.
0:19:50 > 0:19:52The sailing ability is just through the roof.
0:19:52 > 0:19:54Fantastic sailors in the water
0:19:54 > 0:19:56doing very inspiring things.
0:19:56 > 0:19:58From a spectator's point of view, it's fantastic,
0:19:58 > 0:20:01and the guys seem to love coming here so it's all good news.
0:20:01 > 0:20:03Windsurfing isn't the only sport
0:20:03 > 0:20:06that's hosted by the beaches of Tiree.
0:20:06 > 0:20:10I'm delighted to be offered a shot in a sand yacht.
0:20:14 > 0:20:17'Willie tells me that these nifty craft are capable of
0:20:17 > 0:20:20'70mph in a good blow.
0:20:20 > 0:20:22'When the seat of your pants
0:20:22 > 0:20:25'is just four inches off the ground,
0:20:25 > 0:20:30'even 20mph feels like warp speed.'
0:20:30 > 0:20:33Here we go! Here we go! Phwoar!
0:20:33 > 0:20:35This is quite exciting.
0:20:35 > 0:20:37Neee-yow!
0:20:48 > 0:20:49Argh!
0:20:49 > 0:20:50Crass!
0:20:50 > 0:20:53'Willie warned me that this might happen.
0:20:53 > 0:20:56'But at least I can take comfort from the fact
0:20:56 > 0:20:58'that there is NOTHING new
0:20:58 > 0:21:01'in being shipwrecked on the shores of Tiree.'
0:21:02 > 0:21:05For centuries sailors ran the gauntlet
0:21:05 > 0:21:08of the treacherous seas west of here
0:21:08 > 0:21:11until the construction of Britain's tallest lighthouse
0:21:11 > 0:21:15warned shipping of the dangers lurking beneath the waves.
0:21:15 > 0:21:19Heading south, I'm making my way to the small village of Hynish,
0:21:19 > 0:21:24which was founded by the pioneering lighthouse engineer Alan Stevenson.
0:21:24 > 0:21:26It's immediately obvious that
0:21:26 > 0:21:29there's something different about Hynish.
0:21:29 > 0:21:31For a start, the architecture
0:21:31 > 0:21:34is unlike anything else I've seen on the island.
0:21:34 > 0:21:39There's an oddly institutional feel to the whole place.
0:21:39 > 0:21:44Now, the fact is that Hynish was built with a single purpose in mind,
0:21:44 > 0:21:48and that's the construction and maintenance of
0:21:48 > 0:21:49Skerryvore lighthouse.
0:21:52 > 0:21:55The village is maintained by the Hebridean Trust.
0:21:55 > 0:21:59'Monica Smith is part of the team dedicated to preserving
0:21:59 > 0:22:03'this unique part of the island's heritage.'
0:22:03 > 0:22:06The buildings that you can see all around you here are,
0:22:06 > 0:22:08or were, the shore station
0:22:08 > 0:22:11for the building of Skerryvore lighthouse.
0:22:11 > 0:22:14The harbour was constructed,
0:22:14 > 0:22:18the barracks building was the accommodation for the workers,
0:22:18 > 0:22:22and all the various outer buildings were an office, a laundry,
0:22:22 > 0:22:27sheds for cattle, walled gardens.
0:22:27 > 0:22:29- So the community...- Walled gardens and cows.
0:22:29 > 0:22:31So they had milk and fresh vegetables?
0:22:31 > 0:22:33They had their vegetables. They had their meat.
0:22:33 > 0:22:36So there had to be a self-sufficient community here
0:22:36 > 0:22:38on Tiree before you could even think about building...
0:22:38 > 0:22:41- Basically, yes. - ..the lighthouse out there?- Yes.
0:22:41 > 0:22:44There's also an area where the circumference of the lighthouse
0:22:44 > 0:22:47was actually mapped out on the ground
0:22:47 > 0:22:49so that they could work there with the stone
0:22:49 > 0:22:53- and...- So that they could make sure that each course would fit?- Yes.
0:22:53 > 0:22:55To make sure as much work was done as possible
0:22:55 > 0:22:58- onshore before they shipped it out. - That's amazing.- Yes.
0:22:58 > 0:23:01Skerryvore lighthouse was sort of built twice, in a way.
0:23:01 > 0:23:03- Well, you could say that.- Once here.
0:23:03 > 0:23:06- Course by course. And then, totally assembled on the reef.- On the rock.
0:23:08 > 0:23:12Stevenson built a temporary wooden platform on the rock
0:23:12 > 0:23:14to accommodate the offshore workforce.
0:23:14 > 0:23:19During the summer months, this is where they ate and slept.
0:23:19 > 0:23:21THUNDERCLAPS
0:23:23 > 0:23:26There was a story that during one particularly bad storm,
0:23:26 > 0:23:28when the men were all staying out there,
0:23:28 > 0:23:31the storm was so fierce and the sea was coming
0:23:31 > 0:23:33right over their wooden barracks
0:23:33 > 0:23:38and they actually braved a rope construction to get from the barracks
0:23:38 > 0:23:41onto the rock and get the shelter
0:23:41 > 0:23:44of just the first few courses of the stone.
0:23:44 > 0:23:47- They must've been desperate. - Absolutely desperate, yes. Uh-huh.
0:23:49 > 0:23:53It took Alan Stevenson and his dedicated workforce
0:23:53 > 0:23:55nearly seven years to complete the lighthouse.
0:23:55 > 0:24:00But that wasn't the end of the Hynish base.
0:24:00 > 0:24:01They built the four
0:24:01 > 0:24:04lighthouse-keepers' cottages up the back,
0:24:04 > 0:24:08and the watchtower. And the families would live in these cottages
0:24:08 > 0:24:12and they used the tower to signal back and forward to the lighthouse.
0:24:12 > 0:24:15They had forms of flag signalling.
0:24:15 > 0:24:19There's stories again about maybe a lighthouse-keeper's wife
0:24:19 > 0:24:20was about to have a baby,
0:24:20 > 0:24:22and they'd be watching out from the rock.
0:24:22 > 0:24:24And if he'd seen the pink flag going up,
0:24:24 > 0:24:28he knew whether he had a son or a daughter.
0:24:29 > 0:24:33Inspired by Monica's account of Skerryvore,
0:24:33 > 0:24:37I'm keen to see the lighthouse for myself.
0:24:37 > 0:24:39Tiree's only mountain -
0:24:39 > 0:24:43Ben Hynish - is just a walk away.
0:24:43 > 0:24:44A short climb takes me to
0:24:44 > 0:24:47a viewpoint overlooking the open Atlantic.
0:24:47 > 0:24:50CURLEW'S CALL
0:24:50 > 0:24:54From here, I can just make out Stevenson's masterpiece -
0:24:54 > 0:25:00a tiny speck in the ocean 12 miles southwest of Tiree.
0:25:00 > 0:25:05It's an inspiring sight and a place I've always wanted to go to.
0:25:05 > 0:25:07And now, tides and weather permitting,
0:25:07 > 0:25:09I've got the chance to get there.
0:25:13 > 0:25:16'Climbing aboard a fast RIB, I meet up with Tiree brothers
0:25:16 > 0:25:19'Daniel and Martin Gillespie.
0:25:19 > 0:25:23'They have a particular reason for joining me on my trip.'
0:25:23 > 0:25:27They are the founder members of the band Skerryvore,
0:25:27 > 0:25:31named after Stevenson's remote lighthouse.
0:25:31 > 0:25:32Why Skerryvore?
0:25:32 > 0:25:35We actually... We struggled. We didn't have a name for...
0:25:35 > 0:25:39We played as a band for, I don't know, a year, a year-and-a-half,
0:25:39 > 0:25:40and we didn't have a name at all.
0:25:40 > 0:25:43People were calling us the Gillespie Boys and things like this.
0:25:43 > 0:25:47And it was actually Angus MacPhail from Skipinnish - another band -
0:25:47 > 0:25:50suggested about calling the band Skerryvore...
0:25:50 > 0:25:52- Right. - ..after the lighthouse,
0:25:52 > 0:25:55which we all seemed to take to pretty quickly
0:25:55 > 0:25:58and liked the idea of it, and obviously it had links to Tiree,
0:25:58 > 0:26:00where the band had started.
0:26:00 > 0:26:04So it fitted in well for us. And, er,
0:26:04 > 0:26:06it's quite an epic place, as we're going to see.
0:26:06 > 0:26:09Growing up in Tiree, we were very fortunate -
0:26:09 > 0:26:12we both got taught accordion and bagpipes.
0:26:12 > 0:26:14Very, very lucky to have people
0:26:14 > 0:26:17that were willing to give their time for free
0:26:17 > 0:26:19and teach not only us
0:26:19 > 0:26:22but a whole host of kids coming through in the island.
0:26:22 > 0:26:24And accordion and bagpipes
0:26:24 > 0:26:26are predominantly the main instruments on the island.
0:26:26 > 0:26:31Can you tell me, Martin, about the song you're going to play for us?
0:26:31 > 0:26:36Yeah, it was a piece I wrote from our self-titled album Skerryvore.
0:26:36 > 0:26:38The song is called Gairm A'Chauin,
0:26:38 > 0:26:40which translates as "call of the sea".
0:26:40 > 0:26:42- The call of the sea?- Yeah.- Right.
0:26:42 > 0:26:44What is the call of the sea?
0:26:45 > 0:26:48I think it's... I think it's a tune...
0:26:48 > 0:26:49It's quite a powerful piece.
0:26:49 > 0:26:52A piece of music that starts quite slow.
0:26:52 > 0:26:54It's atmospheric but then it kicks in
0:26:54 > 0:26:56just how powerful the sea can be.
0:26:56 > 0:26:59As we're probably going to see as we get to Skerryvore.
0:26:59 > 0:27:03MUSIC: Gairm A'Chauin by Skerryvore
0:27:05 > 0:27:09After two hours of bouncing around in North Atlantic swell,
0:27:09 > 0:27:11we finally approach our destination.
0:27:11 > 0:27:15When I think of a lighthouse, I think of Skerryvore.
0:27:15 > 0:27:17It's got the classic shape
0:27:17 > 0:27:21and is the archetypal lonely sentinel in the sea.
0:27:29 > 0:27:34The spectacular location and the band's haunting music cause me
0:27:34 > 0:27:37to reflect on all the island stepping stones
0:27:37 > 0:27:39I've visited on my journey so far,
0:27:39 > 0:27:41from North Ronaldsay in Orkney,
0:27:41 > 0:27:44to Barra in the west, the Slate Islands,
0:27:44 > 0:27:47Mull, and on to Jura and Gigha in the south.
0:27:48 > 0:27:51All of these islands are both united
0:27:51 > 0:27:55and profoundly influenced by the seas that surround them,
0:27:55 > 0:28:00but each one is different with a unique story to tell.
0:28:00 > 0:28:01And even though Coll
0:28:01 > 0:28:03and Tiree form a pair,
0:28:03 > 0:28:07they are far from being identical twins.
0:28:13 > 0:28:15With the band playing
0:28:15 > 0:28:18and the Skerryvore lighthouse in the background,
0:28:18 > 0:28:23we're 12 miles from Tiree and 50 miles west of the Scottish mainland,
0:28:23 > 0:28:26and I can't think of a better place to end
0:28:26 > 0:28:30this grand tour of the Scottish islands.
0:28:30 > 0:28:33MUSIC: Gairm A'Chauin by Skerryvore