0:00:02 > 0:00:06There's a group of islands, lying to the far north of mainland Britain,
0:00:06 > 0:00:09that's as much Scandinavian as Scottish.
0:00:10 > 0:00:14They fly their own flag, have a language all of their own,
0:00:14 > 0:00:17and, at one time, were part of Norway.
0:00:18 > 0:00:22These islands boast a proud and distinctive heritage
0:00:22 > 0:00:25that's set them apart from the rest of the country.
0:00:25 > 0:00:27To the Vikings who once ruled over them,
0:00:27 > 0:00:31they were the first and the last places in Scotland.
0:00:32 > 0:00:36In this series, I'm continuing my island grand tour,
0:00:36 > 0:00:39visiting the most northerly of the Shetland Islands,
0:00:39 > 0:00:41exploring the Western Isles
0:00:41 > 0:00:46and discovering the secrets of some of the remotest places in Europe.
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 > 0:00:55In fact, there are nearly 300 of them.
0:00:55 > 0:00:58And that's not counting the myriad of stacks,
0:00:58 > 0:01:03rocks and skerries that surround 6,000 convoluted miles of coast,
0:01:03 > 0:01:06from 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 islands of Scotland's northern frontier.
0:01:23 > 0:01:26There are three islands lying to the north of Shetland
0:01:26 > 0:01:31that are almost as close to Norway as they are to mainland Scotland.
0:01:31 > 0:01:33They are collectively known as the North Isles
0:01:33 > 0:01:37and are distinctively named Fetlar, Unst and Yell.
0:01:39 > 0:01:43My journey through them will take me to my final destination
0:01:43 > 0:01:45and the most northerly place in Britain.
0:01:48 > 0:01:50I begin my route here on Yell.
0:01:56 > 0:01:59The second largest island in Shetland,
0:01:59 > 0:02:03Yell is a place covered almost entirely in a deep bed of peat.
0:02:05 > 0:02:09A place of about 1,000 inhabitants, who are well used to
0:02:09 > 0:02:12leaning into the wind to make headway.
0:02:15 > 0:02:18It's also a place that seems familiar, and yet,
0:02:18 > 0:02:20at the same time, foreign.
0:02:20 > 0:02:24And that's down to some pretty unusual place names.
0:02:25 > 0:02:27Take Yell, for a start.
0:02:27 > 0:02:30It doesn't actually mean you have to yell to make yourself
0:02:30 > 0:02:33heard above the wind, although it may do!
0:02:33 > 0:02:37Then there's Gutcher, Limbister, Hascosay,
0:02:37 > 0:02:41Nev of Stuis, and not forgetting, Gloup.
0:02:43 > 0:02:47These exotic-sounding names hark back to the Viking era
0:02:47 > 0:02:50and a dialect of old Norwegian called Norn,
0:02:50 > 0:02:52which was widely spoken here.
0:02:56 > 0:03:01For the mostpart, Norn died out several generations ago.
0:03:01 > 0:03:03But there's a group of islanders
0:03:03 > 0:03:06who are keeping the language alive - in song.
0:03:07 > 0:03:09THEY SING FOLK SONG
0:03:15 > 0:03:17These are The Shanty Yellmen,
0:03:17 > 0:03:21who came together to celebrate their Norse heritage.
0:03:21 > 0:03:23THEY SING IN NORN
0:03:27 > 0:03:32Until the 15th century, these islands were still part of Norway,
0:03:32 > 0:03:33and like most Shetlanders,
0:03:33 > 0:03:37the people of Yell are immensely proud of this part of their history.
0:03:44 > 0:03:47- Well, that was fantastic.- Thank you.
0:03:47 > 0:03:50Now, I understand a little bit of Norwegian
0:03:50 > 0:03:51and there's a similarity, I think,
0:03:51 > 0:03:56between the Norwegian language that I'm familiar with and some of the
0:03:56 > 0:03:59words in this, because you're singing... HE QUOTES LYRICS IN NORN
0:03:59 > 0:04:02- ..which, in Norwegian, would be "sterke vinder vestlige"...- Yeah.
0:04:02 > 0:04:05- ..which is about the strong west winds.- Exactly.
0:04:05 > 0:04:08In Shetland, if you ask about the weather,
0:04:08 > 0:04:11you're asking about what's the direction and strength of the wind.
0:04:11 > 0:04:15Can you stand up straight? Will your hat blow off?
0:04:15 > 0:04:17How heavy will the sea be?
0:04:17 > 0:04:19Knowing the words is one thing,
0:04:19 > 0:04:23but singing them is another thing altogether.
0:04:23 > 0:04:29But I still can't resist auditioning for this uniquely Shetland boy band.
0:04:29 > 0:04:32THEY SING IN NORN
0:04:44 > 0:04:47But musical stardom will have to wait.
0:04:47 > 0:04:50I'm heading down to the shoreline to hopefully catch sight
0:04:50 > 0:04:54of another of the island's big attractions.
0:04:54 > 0:04:57I've arranged to meet a local man, Brydon Thomason,
0:04:57 > 0:04:59to track down Yell's most elusive residents.
0:05:02 > 0:05:04What are you looking for?
0:05:04 > 0:05:07Well, this path, this little track you can see going through,
0:05:07 > 0:05:10you can see it leads all the way through, across the moor.
0:05:10 > 0:05:13- So, they stick to their own little tracks.- They do, yeah.
0:05:13 > 0:05:15They're kind of creatures of habit in that respect.
0:05:15 > 0:05:17They keep to their little path.
0:05:17 > 0:05:19This little pile here,
0:05:19 > 0:05:21you can see all the green-stemmed grass around it.
0:05:21 > 0:05:24This is a brenton point.
0:05:24 > 0:05:27- Basically, a pile of poo. - Basically, a pile of poo!
0:05:29 > 0:05:32But this isn't any old pile of poo,
0:05:32 > 0:05:35this is a clue which tells us that we're closing in
0:05:35 > 0:05:40on Lutra lutra, better known as the otter.
0:05:40 > 0:05:43Apparently Shetland is one of the best places in the world
0:05:43 > 0:05:47to catch sight of this beautiful creature.
0:05:47 > 0:05:49When we're following the course of this,
0:05:49 > 0:05:51it's always really important to keep scanning ahead,
0:05:51 > 0:05:55so scanning along the shore, you know, up to maybe 50 metres or more
0:05:55 > 0:05:56off the - that tends to be
0:05:56 > 0:05:58the kind of distance offshore they'd be foraging.
0:05:59 > 0:06:04I really hope that Brydon's expert tracking skills will lead us to them.
0:06:05 > 0:06:08We've got the wind direction working well for us here
0:06:08 > 0:06:10because it's blowing our scent inland.
0:06:10 > 0:06:14That's crucial because their sense of smell is really sharp.
0:06:14 > 0:06:15- So, we're really stalking them. - Yeah.
0:06:15 > 0:06:19But what we'll have to do here is get down low below the bank,
0:06:19 > 0:06:21because although they've got really poor eyesight,
0:06:21 > 0:06:25silhouettes on, you know, along the bank, they'll see really easily.
0:06:25 > 0:06:28- So, stealth is the secret. - Stealth is the secret, yeah.
0:06:30 > 0:06:34Brydon was born and bred here in Shetland and, for him,
0:06:34 > 0:06:37otters have been a lifelong passion.
0:06:37 > 0:06:39When did you get into otters?
0:06:39 > 0:06:44Young. Right fair when I was, I mean, eight, nine-year-old,
0:06:44 > 0:06:47I was following the runs and looking for their holts,
0:06:47 > 0:06:49and just anything I could to find out more
0:06:49 > 0:06:51and, you know, learn more about them.
0:06:53 > 0:06:56Eventually, our patience pays off.
0:06:56 > 0:06:58See the far rocks there?
0:07:00 > 0:07:02Just beyond these jaggedy rocks on the shore.
0:07:02 > 0:07:05Brydon spots something in the water.
0:07:05 > 0:07:08So is that the mother and her two cubs?
0:07:08 > 0:07:12It is, yeah. It's a male and a female cub.
0:07:12 > 0:07:14These guys are about nine or ten months old now.
0:07:17 > 0:07:21I've seen otters before but never at this close up.
0:07:21 > 0:07:22They're a wonderful sight.
0:07:30 > 0:07:33What makes Shetland such a great place for otters?
0:07:34 > 0:07:38You've got the pristine waters but also access to fresh water,
0:07:38 > 0:07:44close to the shore, for washing the saltwater out of their fur.
0:07:44 > 0:07:47So, they go for a shower after being for a swim?
0:07:47 > 0:07:49Yeah, they've got to do that.
0:07:49 > 0:07:53That's their only real defence mechanism against the cold
0:07:53 > 0:07:57temperatures of the water is their fur.
0:07:57 > 0:07:58So, you've got all the ingredients
0:07:58 > 0:08:02- necessary for a successful otter habitat.- Absolutely, yeah.
0:08:05 > 0:08:09The seas around Shetland also provide a plentiful source of food.
0:08:10 > 0:08:14Oh, my God! They've got something. She's got a huge catch.
0:08:16 > 0:08:19- Is that an octopus?- It is an octopus.
0:08:19 > 0:08:21- That's amazing.- Look at that.
0:08:21 > 0:08:25Up onto the shore. Look at the size of the octopus, it's brilliant!
0:08:25 > 0:08:27That's huge.
0:08:27 > 0:08:29It's quite a dramatic catch because it's all legs everywhere.
0:08:29 > 0:08:31It certainly is all legs.
0:08:31 > 0:08:34But yeah, you can see, I mean, that cub's really getting stuck into it.
0:08:37 > 0:08:40But the octopus was just a starter.
0:08:42 > 0:08:44What's he bringing in now, then?
0:08:44 > 0:08:48- It looks like a velvet swimming crab.- Good God.- Yeah.
0:08:48 > 0:08:50- HE LAUGHS - That's superb.
0:08:50 > 0:08:53Have to be careful not to be nipped by those claws.
0:08:53 > 0:08:54A dangerous meal.
0:08:58 > 0:09:01He seems to have been startled by something.
0:09:07 > 0:09:10That's him away.
0:09:10 > 0:09:11Fantastic sight, though.
0:09:15 > 0:09:17You're a lucky man. Not a bad job you've got.
0:09:17 > 0:09:18It's not a bad job at all.
0:09:38 > 0:09:40It's a new day and another island.
0:09:40 > 0:09:43I'm making the short crossing to a place
0:09:43 > 0:09:45known as the Garden of Shetland.
0:09:47 > 0:09:49This is Fetlar,
0:09:49 > 0:09:53which in the language of the Vikings means "fat island",
0:09:53 > 0:09:56and that's not, as far as I know, because people tended to
0:09:56 > 0:10:01be on the large side, but because, by Shetland standards, this is a fertile
0:10:01 > 0:10:06island and the people here were able to live off the fat of the land.
0:10:10 > 0:10:14When the Vikings first set foot on Fetlar, they would have
0:10:14 > 0:10:18found a population who had been here for thousands of years.
0:10:18 > 0:10:21There is little evidence of the existence of those ancient
0:10:21 > 0:10:24islanders today, but if you look hard enough,
0:10:24 > 0:10:27you might just stumble upon something.
0:10:30 > 0:10:32This is Finnigirt's Dyke,
0:10:32 > 0:10:36an ancient wall that still crosses the island,
0:10:36 > 0:10:38dividing it in two.
0:10:40 > 0:10:43I have to say, there isn't an awful lot left of the dyke,
0:10:43 > 0:10:47but, then again, it is over 3,000 years old, and most of the stones
0:10:47 > 0:10:51that made it up have long ago been plundered for other uses.
0:10:51 > 0:10:55But the fact that it exists at all implies that, at one time,
0:10:55 > 0:10:59there must have been a very sophisticated society here, one that
0:10:59 > 0:11:04was capable of organising communal effort on an impressive scale.
0:11:06 > 0:11:10The builders of Finnigirt's Dyke were probably farmers,
0:11:10 > 0:11:15and agriculture has been the mainstay of the island down the ages.
0:11:15 > 0:11:20When the Vikings arrived here 1,200 years ago, they brought with them
0:11:20 > 0:11:24an animal which they bred to make Shetland famous throughout
0:11:24 > 0:11:28the world, becoming one of the island's most valuable commodities.
0:11:29 > 0:11:33This is the Shetland sheep. Prized for the quality of their wool,
0:11:33 > 0:11:36they're closely identified with these islands.
0:11:40 > 0:11:42And there are some crofters who are determined to
0:11:42 > 0:11:44rear them in the traditional way.
0:11:48 > 0:11:51Joanne Bell and her husband, Les, have 250 sheep on their croft.
0:11:54 > 0:11:57I've arrived at one of the busiest times of the year,
0:11:57 > 0:11:59right in the middle of shearing.
0:11:59 > 0:12:02- So, you're hand clipping? - Yes, this is what we do.
0:12:02 > 0:12:05- We like to leave a bit of fleece on the ewe.- Uh-huh.
0:12:05 > 0:12:09- So it's not completely shaved... - Yeah.- ..freezing cold in this wind!
0:12:09 > 0:12:12- So, one fleece.- One fleece. - Beautiful.
0:12:12 > 0:12:15So, these sheep here are purebred Shetland sheep?
0:12:15 > 0:12:18No, I would say 95% of them are purebred Shetland.
0:12:18 > 0:12:21What's the difference in quality between Shetland fleece
0:12:21 > 0:12:25- and other fleece? - Shetland fibre is very, very fine.
0:12:25 > 0:12:30And you can spin it so it's, well, very fine and cut it really thin.
0:12:30 > 0:12:33Joanne and Les arrived here five years ago,
0:12:33 > 0:12:37having made the move north from County Durham.
0:12:37 > 0:12:40- What brought you up here, Joanne? - Freedom, space.
0:12:40 > 0:12:43We were tired of the hustle and bustle back south.
0:12:43 > 0:12:46- Had you been here before? - I'd never been here.
0:12:46 > 0:12:49- You'd never been here?- No, it was my first visit and I fell in love.
0:12:49 > 0:12:52And we crossed over, and as soon as I landed on Fetlar,
0:12:52 > 0:12:55I knew that this is where I belong.
0:12:55 > 0:12:57- Really?- I just fell in love with the island.
0:13:01 > 0:13:04In their previous life, Les was a maintenance engineer
0:13:04 > 0:13:07and Joanne worked in education.
0:13:07 > 0:13:09Now, they're turning their hand to sheep farming
0:13:09 > 0:13:12and they're doing it the hard way.
0:13:12 > 0:13:15There's not a pair of electric shears in sight.
0:13:15 > 0:13:18- Keep all your fingers.- Oh, yes!
0:13:18 > 0:13:21Thanks for reminding me! It's getting dangerously close.
0:13:21 > 0:13:26Trying to hold a sheep in one hand while brandishing sharp clippers
0:13:26 > 0:13:29in the other isn't easy.
0:13:29 > 0:13:31Yeah, well, I'm more frightened than she is, I think.
0:13:31 > 0:13:34To stab myself in the leg.
0:13:34 > 0:13:37Or cut the sheep's throat.
0:13:37 > 0:13:39I'm stressed.
0:13:39 > 0:13:43I'm like you, Paul, I don't like shoving the clippers into the sheep.
0:13:43 > 0:13:46- Yeah?- I've done it but I don't like clipping.
0:13:46 > 0:13:49You take over, Les. I've given up.
0:13:49 > 0:13:54So, while Les does it his way, Joanne shows me her preferred method,
0:13:54 > 0:13:57the traditional Shetland art of rooing a sheep.
0:13:59 > 0:14:01Normally, you start from the neck.
0:14:01 > 0:14:05And it's a case of just taking a small piece and easing it.
0:14:05 > 0:14:07- You're try to pull the whole thing off as one fleece...- Yes.
0:14:07 > 0:14:10- ..rather than handfuls?- Uh-huh.
0:14:10 > 0:14:12It doesn't hurt them,
0:14:12 > 0:14:15- although it does look as if you're tugging it.- Yeah.
0:14:15 > 0:14:17He's not entirely convinced this is a good idea.
0:14:17 > 0:14:21- Right, just like a comb, use your hand as a comb.- And just pull?- Yes.
0:14:21 > 0:14:26- Sorry, sheep.- Can you feel it? - Well, something's coming away.
0:14:26 > 0:14:28Handfuls of flesh!
0:14:32 > 0:14:37In the past, this was how all Shetland sheep were shorn.
0:14:37 > 0:14:40The wool that was produced quickly became renowned
0:14:40 > 0:14:42for its quality and warmth.
0:14:42 > 0:14:47At one time, every woman on Fetlar would have been adept with
0:14:47 > 0:14:49a spinning wheel and a set of needles.
0:15:00 > 0:15:04The importance of Shetland wool was recognised in 2011
0:15:04 > 0:15:06when it was given protected status.
0:15:07 > 0:15:10Joanne may not be a native Shetlander,
0:15:10 > 0:15:14but she's enthusiastically set about learning how things were done
0:15:14 > 0:15:16the traditional way.
0:15:22 > 0:15:26Well, I never thought I'd end up with a ewe clamped between my thighs!
0:15:29 > 0:15:31Rooing may not be as fast as shearing,
0:15:31 > 0:15:34but it's definitely more fun.
0:15:34 > 0:15:37- Right, she's all done. She's free to go.- Beautiful.
0:15:37 > 0:15:39- Look at that.- Yeah.- He's quite impressed.
0:15:40 > 0:15:44Joanne, do you never rue the day that you started doing this?
0:15:44 > 0:15:46SHE LAUGHS
0:15:46 > 0:15:49Having almost exhausted my repertoire of puns,
0:15:49 > 0:15:53I make my way sheepishly across Fetlar.
0:15:55 > 0:15:58This landscape is dotted with deserted crofts,
0:15:58 > 0:16:01testament to the challenges the island has faced.
0:16:04 > 0:16:08For many years, keeping people on the islands has been a constant struggle.
0:16:10 > 0:16:14Each change of season brings its different task.
0:16:14 > 0:16:17The seed is quickening in the shallow earth,
0:16:17 > 0:16:20and now the crofter turns from his fields
0:16:20 > 0:16:22to rest from the peat banks on the moor -
0:16:22 > 0:16:26the only fuel that the islands have.
0:16:26 > 0:16:29This 1933 film dramatised the dilemma
0:16:29 > 0:16:33facing many islanders, forced to choose between eking out
0:16:33 > 0:16:37a living on Shetland or emigrating to the New World.
0:16:39 > 0:16:44Shot entirely on location in Shetland and starring local people,
0:16:44 > 0:16:47the film tells the story of a young couple who are given
0:16:47 > 0:16:52the opportunity to leave the rugged island for a new life in Australia.
0:16:55 > 0:16:59But torn over whether to stay or go, they quarrel.
0:17:06 > 0:17:11The climax of the film takes place along a dramatic coastline,
0:17:11 > 0:17:15where the heroine's pet sheep, Cuddy, is trapped by the incoming tide,
0:17:15 > 0:17:18and only a dramatic cliff rescue
0:17:18 > 0:17:22can save the pet and the couple's troubled relationship.
0:17:28 > 0:17:32The rescue is an impressive piece of filmmaking,
0:17:32 > 0:17:34even by today's standards.
0:17:34 > 0:17:35And dangerous, too.
0:17:41 > 0:17:44The hero saves the day and the pet sheep,
0:17:44 > 0:17:46and is reconciled with his girl.
0:17:51 > 0:17:53But standing on the clifftop,
0:17:53 > 0:17:56the couple still face an uncertain future.
0:17:59 > 0:18:01So, did they go or did they stay?
0:18:05 > 0:18:08Well, we're left to make up our own minds about that,
0:18:08 > 0:18:12but, as they walk off into the sunset, whatever the future holds,
0:18:12 > 0:18:14they will face it together.
0:18:19 > 0:18:22The time has come for me to leave Fetlar,
0:18:22 > 0:18:26and head to my next destination, the island of Unst.
0:18:27 > 0:18:30To get there, I'm hitching a lift on this fishing boat.
0:18:32 > 0:18:37The sea has always been an important part of life on Shetland.
0:18:37 > 0:18:41And islanders have fished these waters for centuries.
0:18:42 > 0:18:45I arrive on Unst at a place that was once one of the busiest
0:18:45 > 0:18:48ports in Scotland, Baltasound.
0:18:51 > 0:18:53Today, this is a sleepy village.
0:18:55 > 0:18:59But, 100 years ago, thousands came here from far and wide,
0:18:59 > 0:19:04following the migrating shoals of silver darlings - herring.
0:19:07 > 0:19:11When the catch was landed here in the harbour, teams of women gutted
0:19:11 > 0:19:14and packed huge numbers of fish each day.
0:19:16 > 0:19:20- I imagine this would have been a very busy place at one time.- Yes, yes.
0:19:20 > 0:19:25Turn-of-the-century, it was a thriving industry here.
0:19:25 > 0:19:29Local historian Rhoda Hughson has researched Baltasound's past
0:19:29 > 0:19:33and has come in full gutter girl garb.
0:19:33 > 0:19:35Now, what are these foundations I can see?
0:19:35 > 0:19:37These are, if you like,
0:19:37 > 0:19:41the footprints of the herring fishing industry.
0:19:41 > 0:19:45They were the wooden huts where the gutter girls lived.
0:19:45 > 0:19:48Mm-hmm. So, this would have been their accommodation block?
0:19:48 > 0:19:51- They would live here?- Yes.
0:19:51 > 0:19:53- So, what you see in the centre there...- Uh-huh.
0:19:53 > 0:19:58..is chimneys for four little stoves.
0:19:58 > 0:20:02Each stove in the corner of their hut, and this is
0:20:02 > 0:20:07the dimension of the hut, so there's one, two, three, four huts.
0:20:07 > 0:20:09Four huts, and how many girls in each hut?
0:20:09 > 0:20:12Four to the hut and they would have had a corner where
0:20:12 > 0:20:15they hang up their smelly stuff when they came back from the gutting
0:20:15 > 0:20:20for the day, so they had to keep it all very tidy and clean.
0:20:20 > 0:20:22Quite cramped. Very cramped.
0:20:22 > 0:20:25Yeah, but then they were used to cramped conditions
0:20:25 > 0:20:26wherever they came from.
0:20:26 > 0:20:29They would have big families in small houses so,
0:20:29 > 0:20:30to them, this was fine.
0:20:30 > 0:20:34- And I'm guessing they spent most of their working day outside?- Outside.
0:20:34 > 0:20:37- So, this is really strictly for sleeping, then.- Yeah.
0:20:37 > 0:20:40By the time they were, from six o'clock in the morning to
0:20:40 > 0:20:43probably six o'clock at night, they didn't have long in here.
0:20:43 > 0:20:45And there would have been lots and lots of huts
0:20:45 > 0:20:47- as far as the eye can see? - Yeah, yeah.
0:20:47 > 0:20:50And what was the population during the herring season down here?
0:20:50 > 0:20:53It went up to 12,000.
0:20:53 > 0:20:5512,000!
0:20:55 > 0:20:56- This was a city!- Yeah.
0:20:58 > 0:20:59It's hard to imagine.
0:21:03 > 0:21:05On being landed at the quays,
0:21:05 > 0:21:08the fish is gutted by very skilful girls,
0:21:08 > 0:21:10graded and packed into barrels, ready for export.
0:21:14 > 0:21:17So, how many herring would they be able to gut in an hour?
0:21:17 > 0:21:19Well, 60 per minute.
0:21:19 > 0:21:23- 60 herrings per minute?- Yeah. - One a second?- Mm.
0:21:23 > 0:21:25- The hands would have been a blur. - Yeah.
0:21:25 > 0:21:27- They would bind their fingers... - Mm-hmm.
0:21:27 > 0:21:31..so that they didn't get a cut,
0:21:31 > 0:21:34and if the cut went septic, then they wouldn't be able to
0:21:34 > 0:21:37work for the rest of the season and they wouldn't get paid.
0:21:38 > 0:21:41To show me how it was done,
0:21:41 > 0:21:46local fisherman Andrew Magney Thomson gives me a lesson.
0:21:46 > 0:21:49And the second one. All right?
0:21:49 > 0:21:53- So, I'm bound up here. In case I cut myself.- Uh-huh.
0:21:53 > 0:21:56So, you grab the silver darling.
0:21:56 > 0:21:58So, I need to get the knife under?
0:21:58 > 0:22:01HE LAUGHS
0:22:01 > 0:22:02Yeah, right.
0:22:06 > 0:22:09Sorry about this, Andrew. This is a bit embarrassing, isn't it?
0:22:09 > 0:22:12- The gill's still in there. - If you've got one...
0:22:12 > 0:22:15- Put the knife in behind.- Yeah.
0:22:15 > 0:22:18- So, it's really just two strokes of the knife.- Yeah.
0:22:18 > 0:22:20But when they're really good at it,
0:22:20 > 0:22:23- so a lot of the women could do it in one.- Just one?
0:22:23 > 0:22:25That's why they were doing one a second.
0:22:25 > 0:22:29Find the gill.
0:22:29 > 0:22:31Here comes the death movement.
0:22:31 > 0:22:33HE STRUGGLES
0:22:33 > 0:22:37- To the front again.- To the front again, this way round.
0:22:37 > 0:22:39- A-ha!- Yeah.
0:22:39 > 0:22:41So, that's my first gutted herring.
0:22:41 > 0:22:44And I managed to keep all my fingers.
0:22:44 > 0:22:46But it took me over a minute,
0:22:46 > 0:22:49so I don't think I'd have lasted long as a gutter girl.
0:22:54 > 0:22:59Leaving Baltasound, I head inland to explore more of Unst,
0:22:59 > 0:23:01and to visit what must be
0:23:01 > 0:23:05one of the most unusual tourist attractions in Scotland.
0:23:05 > 0:23:10Now, this is the world famous Bobby's Bus Shelter.
0:23:12 > 0:23:16A few years ago, the council decided to scrap this bus shelter,
0:23:16 > 0:23:21but a campaign by a local schoolboy called Bobby gained huge support.
0:23:22 > 0:23:27Not only was the shelter saved, it also became famous.
0:23:27 > 0:23:31It does boast the proud distinction of being the most
0:23:31 > 0:23:34northerly bus shelter in the whole of the UK,
0:23:34 > 0:23:38affording the weary traveller all the comforts of home.
0:23:42 > 0:23:46And now islanders can enjoy the long wait for a bus in luxury.
0:23:49 > 0:23:54It's got everything you could possibly hope for at a bus stop.
0:23:59 > 0:24:01Except, it would seem, for a bus.
0:24:07 > 0:24:11So, on foot, I'm heading back to the coast to meet an islander
0:24:11 > 0:24:15who's indulging in another popular Shetland pastime.
0:24:16 > 0:24:21- Hi, Cheryl.- Hi.- They told me I'd find you down on the beach,
0:24:21 > 0:24:23- beachcombing.- Good to meet you. Yeah.
0:24:23 > 0:24:26- What are you looking for? - I'm looking for driftwood.
0:24:26 > 0:24:29Cheryl Jamieson is a local artist.
0:24:29 > 0:24:31Shetland is a...in the history,
0:24:31 > 0:24:34there have always been beach-combers here,
0:24:34 > 0:24:36because that's what they had to do...
0:24:36 > 0:24:38- Really?- ..because there were no trees here,
0:24:38 > 0:24:41so any kind of wood that they got was what they could find washed up.
0:24:41 > 0:24:43So, you're part of a long tradition, in a way,
0:24:43 > 0:24:46- but you're just using wood for a different purpose?- Yeah.
0:24:46 > 0:24:49- That's a bit...- A true tree, yeah. - That's very rare, isn't it?
0:24:49 > 0:24:53- That'll not have come from Shetland, I don't think.- I don't think so.
0:24:53 > 0:24:54- Maybe from Norway.- Could be.
0:24:54 > 0:24:57- So, from the beach up to the studio, then?- Yeah.
0:24:58 > 0:25:02Cheryl was born here on Unst and, like many islanders,
0:25:02 > 0:25:04left to study on the mainland.
0:25:04 > 0:25:09But the pull of Shetland proved too powerful and, when she returned,
0:25:09 > 0:25:13she took the bold step of starting her own craft business.
0:25:16 > 0:25:20Using the driftwood we collected, and under Cheryl's guidance, I'm going
0:25:20 > 0:25:25to try my hand at creating a Shetland-inspired artwork of my own.
0:25:25 > 0:25:30- So, do I need to start from about there?- I would start about there, maybe.- Yeah.
0:25:30 > 0:25:34And I'll just...use these...pliers.
0:25:34 > 0:25:38- Oh, look at that.- Perfect.- So, that will fit there.- Yeah, that's good.
0:25:38 > 0:25:41And I've got so much inspiration all around here on Shetland.
0:25:41 > 0:25:45Yeah, Shetland is so rich with the heritage, the archaeology,
0:25:45 > 0:25:48the geology. Our Fair Isle patterns,
0:25:48 > 0:25:51our Shetland ponies, it's all here.
0:25:51 > 0:25:54- You are a proud Shetlander, I can tell.- Yeah, a very proud Shetlander.
0:25:54 > 0:25:57We've got our own kind of traditions.
0:25:57 > 0:26:00You've got almost like a language of your own.
0:26:00 > 0:26:02Because I can't understand an awful lot of what's happening
0:26:02 > 0:26:07- when I overhear two Shetlanders speak.- Yeah, we have our own dialect here.
0:26:07 > 0:26:09I can understand you quite clearly.
0:26:09 > 0:26:12- Yeah, that's because I'm cannaping to you.- Cannaping?
0:26:12 > 0:26:14- I'm cannaping.- What's that, being dead posh?
0:26:14 > 0:26:18- Yeah, the best Queen's English. - So, cannaping's something you only do
0:26:18 > 0:26:22- when you're speaking to someone who's not from the islands?- Yeah, yeah.
0:26:22 > 0:26:24Sometimes you might be nearly thinking one thing in Shetland
0:26:24 > 0:26:28in your head and having to translate it into English.
0:26:28 > 0:26:29It can be quite hard,
0:26:29 > 0:26:33if you're in a group of Shetlanders with one person that's not,
0:26:33 > 0:26:36and you've got to try and alter how you're speaking for one person,
0:26:36 > 0:26:39but you're aware the Shetlanders are listening in!
0:26:39 > 0:26:43- That's even more embarrassing. - "Oh, listen to her. Hark at her.
0:26:43 > 0:26:46- "Cannaping away!"- Cannaping, yeah!
0:26:47 > 0:26:53My fused glass landscape will spend about 12 hours in Cheryl's kiln.
0:26:53 > 0:26:56Just how it all kind of melts together,
0:26:56 > 0:26:58the different colours get diluted.
0:26:58 > 0:27:02And when it's done, hopefully, it will look something like this.
0:27:02 > 0:27:06- That's beautiful.- The wood, the glass. Glass set into the wood.
0:27:06 > 0:27:08But I don't have time to find out
0:27:08 > 0:27:12if my finished artwork turns out as well as Cheryl's,
0:27:12 > 0:27:15because I'm heading towards my final destination
0:27:15 > 0:27:17and the tiny island of Muckle Flugga.
0:27:23 > 0:27:26The island's lighthouse was designed by Robert Louis Stevenson's
0:27:26 > 0:27:29father and his uncle.
0:27:29 > 0:27:31When it was manned,
0:27:31 > 0:27:35the keepers were the most northerly residents in the British Isles.
0:27:35 > 0:27:39Today, its beacon is automated and the lighthouse empty.
0:27:39 > 0:27:43But even Muckle Flugga isn't the most northerly point in Britain.
0:27:44 > 0:27:48That title belongs to the appropriately named Out Stack,
0:27:48 > 0:27:50or Ootsta, as it's called.
0:27:50 > 0:27:53It lies just 600 metres to the North of Muckle Flugga,
0:27:53 > 0:27:57and that is the very last point of the British Isles.
0:27:58 > 0:28:01This rocky outcrop has never been inhabited,
0:28:01 > 0:28:05and attempting to land here today would be far too tricky.
0:28:06 > 0:28:10If you head directly north from here, there is nothing
0:28:10 > 0:28:13until you reach the North Pole.
0:28:13 > 0:28:16But, for me, this is the end of the line.
0:28:16 > 0:28:21Ootsta has been described as the full stop at the end of Britain,
0:28:21 > 0:28:25and with no more islands to the north of me, I can't think of a more
0:28:25 > 0:28:30appropriate place to end my grand tour of the Scottish islands.