0:00:02 > 0:00:0630 miles from mainland Scotland, there's a chain of low-lying islands
0:00:06 > 0:00:09that face the full might of the Atlantic Ocean.
0:00:16 > 0:00:20This really feels like a frontier - a battleground between the elements,
0:00:20 > 0:00:23the sea and the land, which is seen and felt very dramatically,
0:00:23 > 0:00:29especially in the winter months when tremendous storms lash this coast.
0:00:33 > 0:00:36'In this series, I'm continuing my island journey,
0:00:36 > 0:00:39'visiting the most northerly of the Shetland Islands,
0:00:39 > 0:00:41'exploring the Western Isles
0:00:41 > 0:00:44'and discovering the secrets of the loneliest places in Britain.'
0:00:46 > 0:00:49To see them through the water like this, it's amazing!
0:00:49 > 0:00:52Scotland boasts a wonderful array of islands.
0:00:52 > 0:00:54In fact, there are nearly 300 of them
0:00:54 > 0:00:59and that's not counting the myriad of stacks, rocks and skerries
0:00:59 > 0:01:02that surround 6,000 convoluted miles of coast,
0:01:02 > 0:01:05from the Atlantic Ocean to the North Sea.
0:01:07 > 0:01:09For this grand tour,
0:01:09 > 0:01:12I'm heading to the Outer Isles of the Uists and Benbecula.
0:01:24 > 0:01:26My journey starts on South Uist
0:01:26 > 0:01:29and heads through Benbecula to North Uist.
0:01:30 > 0:01:32It's a distance of roughly 50 miles,
0:01:32 > 0:01:34and I'll never be far from the sea.
0:01:35 > 0:01:37From most of Scotland,
0:01:37 > 0:01:42the homes and villages of the 4,000 or so folk who live here,
0:01:42 > 0:01:44are hidden below the horizon.
0:01:44 > 0:01:48And most people spend their lives living just a few feet above
0:01:48 > 0:01:51the level of the stormy North Atlantic.
0:01:54 > 0:01:59This is South Uist, and thankfully, today, the sea is relatively calm.
0:02:00 > 0:02:02It's home to about 1,800 people,
0:02:02 > 0:02:07but here, on this beautiful vast, empty stretch of sand,
0:02:07 > 0:02:08you wouldn't know it.
0:02:09 > 0:02:11It's absolutely stunning!
0:02:11 > 0:02:14A place to fill your lungs.
0:02:14 > 0:02:15And it's almost deserted.
0:02:16 > 0:02:21There may not be many people here but there is a lot of water,
0:02:21 > 0:02:24not just in the sea surrounding the island,
0:02:24 > 0:02:26but also in the spectacular patchwork
0:02:26 > 0:02:28of fresh water lochs and pools
0:02:28 > 0:02:31that pockmark the landscape.
0:02:31 > 0:02:33When the first, mostly wealthy, visitors
0:02:33 > 0:02:35made their way to the Hebrides
0:02:35 > 0:02:40the Uists quickly established a reputation as the best place
0:02:40 > 0:02:42for one particular pursuit.
0:02:45 > 0:02:49FILM COMMENTARY: 'The fishing has always attracted the traveller here.
0:02:49 > 0:02:51'For the Uists seemed to have been designed by an angler,
0:02:51 > 0:02:55'where the fishermen can share out the pools of trout, one to a man.'
0:02:59 > 0:03:03The unique ecology of these unspoilt islands means that they have
0:03:03 > 0:03:06become one of the best angling destinations in the world.
0:03:09 > 0:03:13But you've got to know where and when to cast your line,
0:03:13 > 0:03:16so I've enlisted gamekeeper Rory MacGillivray
0:03:16 > 0:03:20to let me in on some of the local fishing secrets.
0:03:21 > 0:03:24So, the reason we're coming down here, Rory, I suppose,
0:03:24 > 0:03:25is because the tide's out.
0:03:25 > 0:03:27Yeah, we'll come down to the sea pool here,
0:03:27 > 0:03:31it's what's left after the tide goes out.
0:03:31 > 0:03:33And we're gonna fish along the edge there.
0:03:33 > 0:03:38So, as the tide goes down it leaves pools which trap the fish in them.
0:03:38 > 0:03:41- Yeah.- It's like a fish trap.- Yes, that's basically what it is.- Right.
0:03:41 > 0:03:42We'll give it a shot, see what...
0:03:42 > 0:03:45'And it's in these seawater pools that we hope to find our prey -
0:03:45 > 0:03:48'the wild sea trout.'
0:03:49 > 0:03:53'To tempt them, we're using sand eels as bait.'
0:03:53 > 0:03:57So, as you pull through the water, see the sand eel.
0:03:57 > 0:04:00- If I were a sea trout I'd be totally convinced by that. - Well, hopefully.
0:04:00 > 0:04:04Well, let's cast it out and see if we're gonna be lucky.
0:04:04 > 0:04:06'Rory has lived here all his life,
0:04:06 > 0:04:10'and learned how to fish these pools from an early age.'
0:04:12 > 0:04:16When I was brought up, we had a big sea pool down below the house,
0:04:16 > 0:04:18and what we would do is
0:04:18 > 0:04:21- we would go down for flounders. - Uh-huh.
0:04:21 > 0:04:23We would fish, um...
0:04:23 > 0:04:27- By using this technique? - Using this technique.- Uh-huh.- Yeah.
0:04:28 > 0:04:32- MAN ON FILM:- 'A rod, a tin of worms and a good companion.
0:04:32 > 0:04:34'Talk and laughter.
0:04:34 > 0:04:37'If there's a fish at the end of it, so much the better.
0:04:37 > 0:04:41'But there's the sun and the wind and a hill stream,
0:04:41 > 0:04:43'this is the stuff that dreams are made of.'
0:04:46 > 0:04:49Was it entirely legal, this activity that
0:04:49 > 0:04:50- used to go on back in the day? - Ah.
0:04:53 > 0:04:55No, it wasn't.
0:04:55 > 0:04:56THEY LAUGH
0:04:56 > 0:04:59No, I mean the... We weren't allowed to fish in sea pools.
0:04:59 > 0:05:02- We weren't allowed, no. - You weren't allowed to fish in a sea pool like this?
0:05:02 > 0:05:05- No. We cert... We certainly weren't. - Really?
0:05:05 > 0:05:08No. It, um, it, um... You had the gamekeepers.
0:05:08 > 0:05:12- Uh-huh. - You had the river watchers.
0:05:12 > 0:05:15- Uh-huh. - But there was a difference.
0:05:15 > 0:05:16It was one for the pot
0:05:16 > 0:05:20and that was the true sense of the word, it really was one for the pot.
0:05:22 > 0:05:27'In many ways, Rory is the classic poacher turned gamekeeper.
0:05:27 > 0:05:30'Now it's his job to protect the island's resources.'
0:05:30 > 0:05:33- On you go. - I was trying my luck.
0:05:33 > 0:05:37'And his expertise is much sought after by anglers visiting the island.'
0:05:40 > 0:05:42Oh, no. That was really pathetic.
0:05:42 > 0:05:46'And today, angling is more popular than ever.'
0:05:46 > 0:05:49People are getting tired of the reservoirs, restocked...
0:05:49 > 0:05:51- Well, I'm not surprised.- Yeah.
0:05:51 > 0:05:54Here, you're pitting yourself against the real deal.
0:05:54 > 0:05:55- It's a wild fish.- Right.
0:05:55 > 0:06:00And for me, you know, coming and fishing here,
0:06:00 > 0:06:03you can catch a lot of fish in a day,
0:06:03 > 0:06:07but a lot of it depends on how good an angler you actually are.
0:06:07 > 0:06:10'So far, nothing is taking my bait,
0:06:10 > 0:06:16'and after several hours, we're down to our last sand eel.'
0:06:16 > 0:06:18My teeth are beginning to chatter now.
0:06:18 > 0:06:19It's not getting any warmer.
0:06:22 > 0:06:26Come on, little fishy, come to me on my dishy.
0:06:33 > 0:06:37'But just as I'm about to suggest heading to the chippy...'
0:06:37 > 0:06:40- Whoa, whoa, whoa! - You've got a fish? Oh, excellent.
0:06:40 > 0:06:43- I've got a fish.- Yes. Well done.
0:06:43 > 0:06:45- Oh, that's amazing. Look at this! - Agh!
0:06:46 > 0:06:48Urgh, no. No!
0:06:48 > 0:06:51- He lost it! - No! It got away, Rory!
0:06:51 > 0:06:54No, there's a difference - you lost it!
0:06:54 > 0:06:55THEY LAUGH
0:06:57 > 0:06:59It was a huge one as well, wasn't it?
0:06:59 > 0:07:00Did you see the size of it?
0:07:00 > 0:07:03- Oh, yeah, it was... - It was it was a monster.- A monster!
0:07:03 > 0:07:05THEY CONTINUE LAUGHING
0:07:07 > 0:07:09Looks like we're going hungry tonight.
0:07:09 > 0:07:12But it's not just about catching a fish.
0:07:12 > 0:07:15- No.- Is it? When you come to a place like this, it's beautiful.
0:07:15 > 0:07:16It's unique.
0:07:16 > 0:07:20- Yeah, I mean...- And you're part of something bigger.- Yeah.
0:07:26 > 0:07:28'Having caught nothing more than a chill,
0:07:28 > 0:07:32'I head north to explore more of the island.'
0:07:37 > 0:07:40If it's isolation and solitude that you're after,
0:07:40 > 0:07:42this is a good place to come.
0:07:44 > 0:07:47'Perhaps that's why many seeking respite
0:07:47 > 0:07:51'from the stresses of modern life have found their way here.'
0:07:51 > 0:07:53It's five miles on from here.
0:07:53 > 0:07:54OK. Thank you very much.
0:07:54 > 0:07:57'And they've always received a warm welcome.'
0:07:57 > 0:08:00FILM NARRATOR: 'The visitor is a tradition, part of the life,
0:08:00 > 0:08:04'an extension of the need to be hospitable, which is rooted not
0:08:04 > 0:08:08'just in the generosity of the local folk, but also in their sensibility.
0:08:08 > 0:08:11'The distances between people in the islands
0:08:11 > 0:08:17'bonded them together, and it became unthinkable that any door should be locked against you.
0:08:17 > 0:08:20'So that when you travel, the door you reach when the sun goes down,
0:08:20 > 0:08:22'is the door you knock.
0:08:22 > 0:08:24'And that is where you stay
0:08:24 > 0:08:26'until the sun lights your road for you again.'
0:08:28 > 0:08:31But in the 1950s, one group of visitors arrived
0:08:31 > 0:08:34who didn't get quite such a warm welcome.
0:08:37 > 0:08:40In 1957, the Ministry of Defence
0:08:40 > 0:08:45unveiled plans to site a missile testing range here.
0:08:45 > 0:08:48FILM NARRATOR: 'Whisky galore became rockets galore.'
0:08:50 > 0:08:52I don't feel very happy at all about this.
0:08:52 > 0:08:55- Why is that?- I was against it from the very beginning.
0:08:55 > 0:08:58Well, I think it's a very good thing.
0:08:58 > 0:09:00Good thing for the island.
0:09:02 > 0:09:05'Local teacher Mary MacInnes was a young girl at the time
0:09:05 > 0:09:09'and she remembers how the plans divided opinion on the island.'
0:09:11 > 0:09:14Some people were very keen on brand-new things...
0:09:14 > 0:09:18- Uh-huh.- ..coming in and just getting rid of all the old ideas.
0:09:19 > 0:09:23Many others wanted to maintain the crofting lifestyle,
0:09:23 > 0:09:28and did not want to have the whole area under tarmac or concrete or...
0:09:28 > 0:09:31- Mm-hmm.- ..whatever it might be.- So, they were fearing for their future?
0:09:31 > 0:09:37They were. The cause was being fought against it by the local parish priest.
0:09:37 > 0:09:41- Uh-huh. - Er, who was nicknamed Father Rocket.
0:09:41 > 0:09:44- Father Rocket?- Yes. His name was Father John Morrison.
0:09:44 > 0:09:49And he took the lead in trying to find the best deal for the islanders.
0:09:53 > 0:09:54Father Rocket took up the fight
0:09:54 > 0:09:58to stop crofters being forced off their land.
0:09:58 > 0:10:01And with the eyes of the world watching,
0:10:01 > 0:10:03took on the might of the MOD.
0:10:04 > 0:10:06MUSIC: Ave Maria
0:10:06 > 0:10:08# Ave Maria... #
0:10:08 > 0:10:13Despite seeking divine intervention, construction did go ahead.
0:10:13 > 0:10:17But Father Rocket's campaign ensured that the local people
0:10:17 > 0:10:19benefited from the project.
0:10:20 > 0:10:24Miraculously, he even managed to persuade the army to help him
0:10:24 > 0:10:29erect this huge 30-foot statue overlooking the range.
0:10:32 > 0:10:35The statue's duty was to keep the islanders safe.
0:10:35 > 0:10:38A kind of heavenly policewoman in a way, was it?
0:10:38 > 0:10:40That's the one, yes!
0:10:40 > 0:10:42- Two new features of the island life were gonna...- Yes.
0:10:42 > 0:10:44- ..remain in some kind of harmony. - Yes.
0:10:48 > 0:10:52Our Lady of the Isles watched as missile testing began.
0:10:54 > 0:10:56You grew up with the rockets. What was it like?
0:10:56 > 0:10:58A red flag would be hoisted.
0:10:58 > 0:11:00- Uh-huh. - Which was a signal for us all
0:11:00 > 0:11:02to keep away from certain parts of the land.
0:11:04 > 0:11:06We were very anxious and very frightened about it.
0:11:06 > 0:11:10And there would be quite a lot of noise, just a big boom!
0:11:13 > 0:11:15And you could see the little fire.
0:11:17 > 0:11:21And then you could hear it safely drowning itself in the Atlantic.
0:11:21 > 0:11:24They would fire two or three a day.
0:11:24 > 0:11:26We just all ran away and went home.
0:11:30 > 0:11:32It didn't take long, however,
0:11:32 > 0:11:37for the 400 or so army staff to succumb to the charms of the island.
0:11:38 > 0:11:40And its locals.
0:11:42 > 0:11:44Oh, I'm not against them at all.
0:11:44 > 0:11:45I mean, they're human beings
0:11:45 > 0:11:47and they can't help it if they've got to come here.
0:11:47 > 0:11:50- You wouldn't mind? - I wouldn't mind at all.
0:11:53 > 0:11:56MARY: Most of the military personnel were young men,
0:11:56 > 0:11:59many of them handsome and unattached.
0:11:59 > 0:12:02- It's a recipe for a party. - Absolutely!
0:12:02 > 0:12:03An ongoing party.
0:12:03 > 0:12:06And they found partners and wives and husbands.
0:12:06 > 0:12:09And to this day, many of them have made their homes
0:12:09 > 0:12:11and put their roots down here
0:12:11 > 0:12:13and have become part of our community.
0:12:17 > 0:12:21People were just taken by the beauty of the island.
0:12:21 > 0:12:23- Uh-huh. - The beauty of the young women.
0:12:26 > 0:12:28And the true, um, hospitality and the community.
0:12:32 > 0:12:36Under the watchful gaze of the Madonna and child
0:12:36 > 0:12:38and with one eye on the skies,
0:12:38 > 0:12:41I'm heading for my next destination in this chain of islands.
0:12:43 > 0:12:48Home to around 1,300 people, this small island is often referred to
0:12:48 > 0:12:52as the stepping stone between its two larger neighbours.
0:12:52 > 0:12:54But there's a lot more to it than that.
0:12:56 > 0:13:01Benbecula is the only "Ben" in Scotland that isn't a hill.
0:13:01 > 0:13:07Now, in Gaelic, Benbecula actually means the hill between two fords,
0:13:07 > 0:13:10which kinda makes sense, because in the old days,
0:13:10 > 0:13:13in order to get here you had to cross an arm of the sea.
0:13:13 > 0:13:17And the hill itself, well, it's not a "Ben" anything,
0:13:17 > 0:13:19it's called "Rueval" and it's over there.
0:13:27 > 0:13:33It may rise to only 127 metres, but as I make this short climb,
0:13:33 > 0:13:36I begin to see more of the spectacular landscape below.
0:13:40 > 0:13:43From here, you can see for miles around.
0:13:43 > 0:13:47Useful if you happen to be Britain's most wanted man.
0:13:55 > 0:13:57That was the case for Bonny Prince Charlie,
0:13:57 > 0:14:01who spent the summer of 1746 on the run.
0:14:02 > 0:14:05He arrived on Benbecula after his uprising had been
0:14:05 > 0:14:07crushed at the Battle of Culloden.
0:14:10 > 0:14:14To make matters even worse, the Prince had a price on his head -
0:14:14 > 0:14:16an unbelievable £30,000.
0:14:16 > 0:14:21That's the equivalent, in today's money, of 50 million.
0:14:21 > 0:14:23It was a king's ransom, well, a prince's ransom!
0:14:23 > 0:14:25And it was very tempting.
0:14:30 > 0:14:35By the time he reached Benbecula, he was tired, hungry and desperate.
0:14:37 > 0:14:41But the Prince was about to be rescued by a courageous local woman,
0:14:41 > 0:14:43who would risk her life to save him.
0:14:51 > 0:14:56Flora MacDonald has been described as a woman with soft features,
0:14:56 > 0:15:00gentle manners, a kind soul and elegant presence.
0:15:02 > 0:15:05She was just 24 when she met the Prince,
0:15:05 > 0:15:09and an audacious plan was hatched to spirit him away to safety.
0:15:13 > 0:15:17Incredibly, the plan involved the age-old pantomime trick
0:15:17 > 0:15:21of cross-dressing, with the Prince playing the dame.
0:15:21 > 0:15:22Now, slipping into a frock,
0:15:22 > 0:15:26the Bonny Prince became Bonny Betty Burke,
0:15:26 > 0:15:28Flora's devoted maid servant.
0:15:28 > 0:15:31And together, they sailed over the sea to Skye,
0:15:31 > 0:15:35an event immortalised ever since on millions of shortbread tins.
0:15:42 > 0:15:47Prince Charlie escaped to France and lived the life of an exile,
0:15:47 > 0:15:50while Flora MacDonald became a legend.
0:15:53 > 0:15:55FILM NARRATOR: 'A simple mound of stones
0:15:55 > 0:15:58'marks the birthplace of Flora MacDonald.
0:15:58 > 0:16:02'"Her name will be mentioned in history," declared Dr Johnson
0:16:02 > 0:16:05'"and if courage and fidelity be virtues, mentioned with honour".'
0:16:13 > 0:16:17Well, here we are at the summit of Rueval - and I have to
0:16:17 > 0:16:22say that the view certainly repays the effort to get here.
0:16:22 > 0:16:24You can see all the way down the island chain,
0:16:24 > 0:16:29and all around these tiny little lochans that make up Benbecula,
0:16:29 > 0:16:32and these flat lands of North and South Uist.
0:16:34 > 0:16:38This really is a quite remarkable landscape.
0:16:38 > 0:16:42There are thousands of lochans and peaty pools from shore to shore.
0:16:45 > 0:16:48And as I head across the causeway to North Uist,
0:16:48 > 0:16:50I'm struck by the fact
0:16:50 > 0:16:53that this island seems to be more water than land.
0:16:59 > 0:17:01This is the sort of place where
0:17:01 > 0:17:04wellington boots are absolutely essential.
0:17:04 > 0:17:09In fact, it's said that the islanders here are born wearing them.
0:17:11 > 0:17:14# If it wisnae for your wellies Where would you be?
0:17:16 > 0:17:20# You'd be in the hospital Or infirmary!
0:17:20 > 0:17:22# Cos you would have a dose of the flu
0:17:22 > 0:17:24# Or even pleurisy
0:17:24 > 0:17:27# If you didnae have your feet in your wellies!
0:17:28 > 0:17:31# If it wisnae for your wellies Where would you be...? #
0:17:31 > 0:17:33But on this island,
0:17:33 > 0:17:39you wouldn't be in the hospital or infirmary, because there isn't one.
0:17:39 > 0:17:42And at one time, there wasn't even a doctor.
0:17:42 > 0:17:45If you were unlucky enough to become ill,
0:17:45 > 0:17:50sending for medical help from the mainland could take quite some time.
0:17:50 > 0:17:53And in the days before the NHS, it was expensive.
0:17:57 > 0:18:01In the old days, a member of the household was sent outside
0:18:01 > 0:18:04and instructed to look under the first large stone
0:18:04 > 0:18:08they came across, to see if there was anything living underneath.
0:18:10 > 0:18:11Ugh!
0:18:11 > 0:18:15Now, if there was, a slater or a worm or something,
0:18:15 > 0:18:16that meant there was hope,
0:18:16 > 0:18:19and there was no point in calling the doctor.
0:18:19 > 0:18:23If, on the other hand, there was nothing alive under the stone,
0:18:23 > 0:18:25that meant there was no point calling the doctor
0:18:25 > 0:18:27because the patient was going to die.
0:18:27 > 0:18:30Let's double check under here.
0:18:31 > 0:18:33Oh, dear!
0:18:34 > 0:18:35No signs of life.
0:18:35 > 0:18:37The prognosis is bleak!
0:18:40 > 0:18:42Well, what's the case?
0:18:42 > 0:18:44It's a crofter's wife about seven miles from here.
0:18:48 > 0:18:51- This is the history. - And?
0:18:51 > 0:18:54My first diagnosis was an ovarian cyst,
0:18:54 > 0:18:56but I didn't like the look of it.
0:18:57 > 0:19:00This film is called Highland Doctor.
0:19:02 > 0:19:03Good afternoon, Nurse.
0:19:03 > 0:19:07And the main character is largely inspired by Dr Alexander MacLeod,
0:19:07 > 0:19:11who did much to improve the life and health
0:19:11 > 0:19:13of islanders from the 1930s onwards.
0:19:15 > 0:19:17Oh, that's all right now, Mrs MacDonald.
0:19:18 > 0:19:21I've come to what was his home and surgery
0:19:21 > 0:19:26- to meet his daughter-in-law, Lorna MacLeod, who still lives here. - Lovely to meet you.
0:19:27 > 0:19:30'I want to know more about this remarkable man
0:19:30 > 0:19:32'and the life-saving work that he did.'
0:19:33 > 0:19:36- There he is.- Yes. - Quite an earnest looking chap.
0:19:36 > 0:19:38- Yes, he could be quite serious. - Uh-huh.
0:19:38 > 0:19:40- But had a, a dry sense of humour. - Uh-huh.
0:19:40 > 0:19:42Was in the First World War at Gallipoli.
0:19:42 > 0:19:44Survived that,
0:19:44 > 0:19:47and then went to medical school after the First World War.
0:19:47 > 0:19:49In 1932, he came to work here
0:19:49 > 0:19:53under the Highlands and Islands Medical Scheme
0:19:53 > 0:19:57and it was the first time a doctor had been appointed that...
0:19:57 > 0:19:59where patients wouldn't have to pay.
0:19:59 > 0:20:03And this was a revolution as far as people in the islands
0:20:03 > 0:20:05and the Highlands were concerned.
0:20:05 > 0:20:08I'm sure people couldn't get used to the idea that they didn't
0:20:08 > 0:20:10- have to pay for the doctor. - Uh-huh.
0:20:11 > 0:20:14- That's the surgery as it was. - That's, that's the surgery.
0:20:14 > 0:20:16Yes, I think this guy's waiting to have some teeth removed.
0:20:16 > 0:20:18Oh, he's, he was doing dental work as well?
0:20:18 > 0:20:20Yeah, well, there was no dentist. So...
0:20:20 > 0:20:21Right. Oh, what a horrifying thought!
0:20:21 > 0:20:22He would have to.
0:20:23 > 0:20:27What was it like being an island doctor back in the 1930s?
0:20:28 > 0:20:29There was no telephone.
0:20:29 > 0:20:32People used to send for a doctor by telegram.
0:20:32 > 0:20:35- Right.- From one side of the island to the other.
0:20:37 > 0:20:39There were poor, very poor roads.
0:20:39 > 0:20:43A lot of the places he wouldn't have been able to get to by car.
0:20:43 > 0:20:47There were a lot of sea crossings and sometimes on horseback.
0:20:50 > 0:20:53So, it sounds to me as if your father-in-law spent a lot of his time
0:20:53 > 0:20:56struggling just to get to see a patient.
0:20:56 > 0:20:57Well, yes, that's right.
0:20:57 > 0:21:00I mean, if a patient needed you, you had to go. So, he...
0:21:00 > 0:21:04Did he ever come back with, er, extra payment for his services?
0:21:04 > 0:21:08Oh, yes! I think he...they often got a, you know, a leg of lamb
0:21:08 > 0:21:12or eggs or a hen or something like that.
0:21:12 > 0:21:15And, um, when he first came to the island,
0:21:15 > 0:21:19a patient arrived with a trailer load of peat for him.
0:21:19 > 0:21:22Yeah, which was really rather nice.
0:21:22 > 0:21:26Thanks to the success of the scheme and Dr MacLeod's campaigning,
0:21:26 > 0:21:30plans were put in place for a national health service.
0:21:32 > 0:21:34He went away to a lot of BMA meetings,
0:21:34 > 0:21:39stood up in his kilt and put... always fought for the best facilities
0:21:39 > 0:21:42they could get for the Highlands and Islands.
0:21:42 > 0:21:46It must have been a really pioneering experience
0:21:46 > 0:21:50because in some ways I suppose, medically and geographically,
0:21:50 > 0:21:53the Uists here are on a kind of a frontier
0:21:53 > 0:21:55and this new health programme had been rolled out.
0:21:55 > 0:21:57Yes, this was the amazing thing
0:21:57 > 0:22:01that Scotland had this amazing Highlands and Islands Scheme
0:22:01 > 0:22:04and Father was involved in meet, so many meetings
0:22:04 > 0:22:06helping set up the National Health Service because of that.
0:22:06 > 0:22:09- Because he had first-hand experience...- Yes.
0:22:09 > 0:22:11- ..of what it was like.- Yes. - The prototype started here.- Yes.
0:22:11 > 0:22:15And we've got some wonderful newspaper cuttings, er,
0:22:15 > 0:22:17which suggests to me that during his lifetime
0:22:17 > 0:22:20he became something of a medical celebrity,
0:22:20 > 0:22:21- a local hero, perhaps? - Yes. Oh, yes.
0:22:21 > 0:22:24This is fantastic. I mean this is heroic stuff, isn't it?
0:22:24 > 0:22:26I mean this is riding the range.
0:22:26 > 0:22:28- Yeah, well... - He looks like John Wayne.
0:22:28 > 0:22:31We are not out of the woods yet.
0:22:31 > 0:22:33There are still lots of things to be done.
0:22:33 > 0:22:35Well, you seem to be the kind of man to do them.
0:22:35 > 0:22:38Ah, it's really a young man's job out here.
0:22:38 > 0:22:43Dr MacLeod retired in 1974, and to this day,
0:22:43 > 0:22:46he's still fondly remembered here on the island.
0:22:49 > 0:22:51To get to my final destination,
0:22:51 > 0:22:56I'm leaving North Uist and heading for the tiny tidal island of Vallay.
0:23:00 > 0:23:02And to get there,
0:23:02 > 0:23:06I need to make the 2km walk across this spectacular Strand.
0:23:07 > 0:23:10Well, it's certainly one of the most beautiful stretches of sand
0:23:10 > 0:23:13I've ever seen, and had the privilege to walk across.
0:23:14 > 0:23:17'Joining me is local guide, James MacLetchie,
0:23:17 > 0:23:21'who's been making this journey since he was in short trousers.'
0:23:23 > 0:23:25- You grew up here?- Yeah, I grew up just in the village there.
0:23:25 > 0:23:27My mum was the head teacher,
0:23:27 > 0:23:30and every weekend I'd be down here playing on this beach and
0:23:30 > 0:23:33we'd often go over to the island there as well, when the tide was out.
0:23:33 > 0:23:35Fantastic place to play.
0:23:35 > 0:23:39'Remarkably, at one point there were plans afoot that would have
0:23:39 > 0:23:42'totally changed this beautiful landscape.'
0:23:42 > 0:23:44Ah, there was a plan, when I was growing up as a child,
0:23:44 > 0:23:46to block off this area.
0:23:46 > 0:23:48And then they were gonna fill it in with soil
0:23:48 > 0:23:51and make it into a bulb field from what I remember.
0:23:51 > 0:23:54- They were gonna turn it into a Dutch polder?- More or less, yeah.
0:23:55 > 0:23:58This would not have been what it is today.
0:23:58 > 0:24:01This intriguing footage from 1969,
0:24:01 > 0:24:03shows the pilot scheme.
0:24:05 > 0:24:08And what do you think local people felt about the idea
0:24:08 > 0:24:12of the Vallay sands being turned into a vast tulip field?
0:24:12 > 0:24:15At that time, it was probably a very different attitude
0:24:15 > 0:24:16to what we have today,
0:24:16 > 0:24:18with work opportunities and whatnot,
0:24:18 > 0:24:21but I think today would have been totally horrified.
0:24:21 > 0:24:24And as a child, I remember all these, er,
0:24:24 > 0:24:26white and red sticks all over the beach and I used to move them -
0:24:26 > 0:24:28myself and one of my friends,
0:24:28 > 0:24:30we'd move them around. But luckily for us, they...
0:24:30 > 0:24:32- You were saboteurs?- Yes, we were. Yeah.- Bulb saboteurs!
0:24:32 > 0:24:35Yes. We managed to escape being found out.
0:24:37 > 0:24:41Whether Jim's small protest played any part, who can say!
0:24:43 > 0:24:47But the company behind the tulip farm went bust
0:24:47 > 0:24:50leaving this vast expanse of sand unspoilt.
0:24:54 > 0:24:58'Crossing to Vallay, James takes me to another of his childhood haunts,
0:24:58 > 0:25:03'where a fascinating character lived 100 years ago.'
0:25:03 > 0:25:05- And here we are. - Yeah, Vallay Island.
0:25:05 > 0:25:07Vallay! And the ruins.
0:25:07 > 0:25:10Yeah, they're amazing when you can see them.
0:25:10 > 0:25:11They're so dominant.
0:25:11 > 0:25:13And then right up on the left-hand side you can see
0:25:13 > 0:25:16Erskine Beveridge's house, built in 1902-1905.
0:25:18 > 0:25:21Erskine Beveridge was a wealthy industrialist
0:25:21 > 0:25:24with a passion for archaeology.
0:25:24 > 0:25:28He fell in love with this tiny island on the edge of the Atlantic.
0:25:30 > 0:25:31Where did he make his money?
0:25:31 > 0:25:35In the linen manufacturers in Dunfermline, so made quite a big business out of that.
0:25:35 > 0:25:38So when they came out here, they were really just coming to
0:25:38 > 0:25:41look for sporting estates, as was very common in them days.
0:25:41 > 0:25:44And then to find a piece of land like this, with a view like that.
0:25:45 > 0:25:49This is Vallay House, or what's left of it.
0:25:49 > 0:25:52The gaunt shell of the once opulent home
0:25:52 > 0:25:55Beveridge built on his island retreat.
0:25:56 > 0:26:01He took three years to build the house, £8,000 to build it.
0:26:01 > 0:26:04But what's really beautiful about the house is there was lots...
0:26:04 > 0:26:05there were over 365 panes of glass in it,
0:26:05 > 0:26:07and there was little round windows
0:26:07 > 0:26:08that used to have coloured glass in it.
0:26:08 > 0:26:12And on the windows there was the inscription "EB" - Erskine Beveridge.
0:26:12 > 0:26:13- Erskine Beveridge.- Yes.
0:26:13 > 0:26:15Quite an incredible thing to build as well.
0:26:15 > 0:26:18And if you think of the environment that we're in -
0:26:18 > 0:26:20so grand, baronial style property.
0:26:22 > 0:26:27'Here on Vallay, Beveridge found the perfect place to indulge his fascination with the past.'
0:26:29 > 0:26:31He wanted to go out and explore the environment.
0:26:31 > 0:26:33He'd dig down about three foot in the ground and, er,
0:26:33 > 0:26:35he'd find lots of antiquities and take them up to the house.
0:26:35 > 0:26:37He was interested in human habitation here.
0:26:37 > 0:26:38Does it go back a long way?
0:26:38 > 0:26:40Well, it goes back to about 8,000 years,
0:26:40 > 0:26:42so all around this isle itself,
0:26:42 > 0:26:44we can go back right back to the early Iron Age,
0:26:44 > 0:26:45we can go Bronze Age as well.
0:26:45 > 0:26:48He wrote a book called North Uist and he covered most of the island.
0:26:48 > 0:26:51So, a lot of what we know today was actually because of him.
0:26:56 > 0:27:01When Erskine Beveridge died in 1920, the house passed to his son,
0:27:01 > 0:27:02George, who ran Vallay.
0:27:05 > 0:27:10But since his death in 1944, it's lain empty and neglected.
0:27:12 > 0:27:15The house has completely fallen into rack and ruin.
0:27:15 > 0:27:17Can you remember a time when it wasn't quite so dilapidated?
0:27:17 > 0:27:20Well, I remember coming over here in the 1970s.
0:27:20 > 0:27:21All the windows were intact,
0:27:21 > 0:27:24all the staircases were intact, all the rooms.
0:27:24 > 0:27:26- It was amazing place to come. - Really?
0:27:26 > 0:27:28- You used to explore it as wee boy. - Yeah, we did.
0:27:28 > 0:27:31And it was so dark in certain rooms and you'd hear little rats
0:27:31 > 0:27:34running around, pigeons would come and hit you in the face.
0:27:34 > 0:27:38And growing up, a huge adventure for children. Amazing place to play.
0:27:38 > 0:27:41- Uh-huh. After it had been deserted by the owners.- Yeah.
0:27:42 > 0:27:46It's quite sad really it's been left empty and then become desolate.
0:27:49 > 0:27:54This solitary outpost now stands as a slowly crumbling memorial
0:27:54 > 0:27:57to the pioneering spirit of Erskine Beveridge
0:27:57 > 0:27:58and others like him.
0:28:00 > 0:28:03But just as nature is reclaiming the land
0:28:03 > 0:28:07the sea is also gradually eroding these islands.
0:28:08 > 0:28:12This part of the Atlantic frontier seems to have been breached,
0:28:12 > 0:28:15perhaps not physically, but at least by time.
0:28:17 > 0:28:20'And as I bring this grand tour to a close
0:28:20 > 0:28:23'my own race against time begins.
0:28:23 > 0:28:26'I have to get back across the Strand,
0:28:26 > 0:28:30'before the tide cuts the island off once again.'
0:28:36 > 0:28:38On my next grand tour,
0:28:38 > 0:28:42I'm exploring some of the remotest islands around the Scottish coast.