0:00:02 > 0:00:03The Outer Hebrides -
0:00:03 > 0:00:07among the farthest flung of Scotland's many islands.
0:00:07 > 0:00:11For centuries, they have supported a vibrant culture,
0:00:11 > 0:00:16yet, to outsiders, they once seemed to be remote Atlantic outposts.
0:00:18 > 0:00:22These are the most westerly habited islands in Scotland and the next
0:00:22 > 0:00:27landfall is the icebound coast of northern Canada 3,500 miles away
0:00:27 > 0:00:29across the wild Atlantic.
0:00:35 > 0:00:38My first destination is the Isle of Barra,
0:00:38 > 0:00:43home to about 1,000 people and the ancient seat of Clan MacNeil.
0:00:44 > 0:00:48Barra was granted to Clan MacNeil in the 15th century
0:00:48 > 0:00:51by the Lord of the Isles and remained in the family
0:00:51 > 0:00:53for the next 400 years
0:00:53 > 0:00:57thanks largely to the impregnability of Kisimul Castle,
0:00:57 > 0:01:00which was home to the great MacNeil chief himself.
0:01:02 > 0:01:04- RECORDING:- From the top of the tower,
0:01:04 > 0:01:06MacNeil's trumpeter once cried,
0:01:06 > 0:01:10"Hear, o ye people, and listen, o ye nations.
0:01:10 > 0:01:14"The great MacNeil of Barra, having finished his meal,
0:01:14 > 0:01:16"the princes of the Earth may dine."
0:01:16 > 0:01:21And there's one local delicacy that the boastful MacNeil chief
0:01:21 > 0:01:24would certainly have dined upon.
0:01:24 > 0:01:27This wonderful stretch of beach is reputedly the best place
0:01:27 > 0:01:32in the entire country to find cockles and, to do the job,
0:01:32 > 0:01:35you need nothing more sophisticated than an old plastic bucket
0:01:35 > 0:01:37and a garden rake.
0:01:37 > 0:01:40So let's see what's lurking beneath the sand.
0:01:44 > 0:01:47'Cockles are small clam-like creatures
0:01:47 > 0:01:49'that were once popular in seaside resorts.'
0:01:51 > 0:01:54Here we have an empty cockleshell.
0:01:54 > 0:01:56Not much use.
0:01:56 > 0:01:58'They lie just under the surface of the sand
0:01:58 > 0:02:02'and are best harvested between autumn and early winter.'
0:02:02 > 0:02:07The harvest of cockleshells from this fantastic beach
0:02:07 > 0:02:11found their way to tables throughout the country
0:02:11 > 0:02:14usually via a jam jar full of vinegar.
0:02:15 > 0:02:17'Given their abundance around our coast,
0:02:17 > 0:02:21'it's unfortunate that they have of late fallen out of favour.
0:02:23 > 0:02:27'But during the dark days of the Clearances, these tidal sands
0:02:27 > 0:02:31'would have been dotted with the silhouettes of hundreds of people -
0:02:31 > 0:02:35'whole families raking through the wet sand to find something to eat.'
0:02:37 > 0:02:40The great cockle beach covers eight square miles.
0:02:41 > 0:02:44One man with a rake patiently gathering cockles.
0:02:46 > 0:02:47A man contented with life.
0:02:49 > 0:02:53'A man who is doing a lot better than me!'
0:02:53 > 0:02:57I might be going hungry tonight cos I can't find anything at all.
0:02:59 > 0:03:01There's something beneath the...
0:03:01 > 0:03:04Oh, look at that! Yes!
0:03:04 > 0:03:06I will be feasting on that tonight.
0:03:11 > 0:03:12Another one.
0:03:14 > 0:03:15There we go.
0:03:15 > 0:03:20I have to say that it's a very peaceful place to spend
0:03:20 > 0:03:23an hour or two raking the sands for your tea.
0:03:27 > 0:03:29# Through streets broad and narrow
0:03:29 > 0:03:31# She wields... #
0:03:31 > 0:03:36'But cockle picking on this beach is not without its dangers...'
0:03:36 > 0:03:40one of which is, rather surprisingly, low-flying aircraft.
0:03:43 > 0:03:47The prospect of being hit by a plane on this vast expanse of sand
0:03:47 > 0:03:51might seem an unlikely one, but the hazard is real.
0:03:57 > 0:04:00Because this is the runway of Barra's airport,
0:04:00 > 0:04:05the only airport in the world where scheduled flights land on the beach.
0:04:07 > 0:04:10It first opened in 1936
0:04:10 > 0:04:15and has been voted by pilots as one of the top airports to fly into.
0:04:15 > 0:04:19Every year, 10,000 passengers arrive here.
0:04:20 > 0:04:24Neil MacLean is the man who ensures aircraft land safely,
0:04:24 > 0:04:28a task made more complicated by the fact that, twice a day,
0:04:28 > 0:04:32when the tide is high, the runway is underwater.
0:04:33 > 0:04:36So, what are the hazards associated with landing on sand?
0:04:36 > 0:04:41Dead seal, dead dolphin, dead birds, some barrels.
0:04:41 > 0:04:43The fire service go out twice a day
0:04:43 > 0:04:45and they check the beach to make sure that there is none of
0:04:45 > 0:04:48the rubbish left behind that might cause problems with the aircraft.
0:04:48 > 0:04:51So the runway could be closed because of a dead dolphin.
0:04:51 > 0:04:53Not for long. We'd shift it.
0:04:53 > 0:04:55If we had a whale, I think we might have an issue.
0:04:55 > 0:04:56That would cause a bit of a problem
0:04:56 > 0:04:59because the tractors aren't that big.
0:04:59 > 0:05:03I had one occasion where somebody had built an enormous sandcastle
0:05:03 > 0:05:05with a moat and they were quite put out
0:05:05 > 0:05:07when we went out on the tractor flattened it.
0:05:07 > 0:05:10I kind of felt sorry for their children, but, yes.
0:05:10 > 0:05:14Conditions on Barra can change quickly.
0:05:14 > 0:05:17Landing here can sometimes be very challenging for pilots,
0:05:17 > 0:05:20and passengers, too.
0:05:22 > 0:05:25We've had one gentleman on one occasion,
0:05:25 > 0:05:26as the aircraft was coming in,
0:05:26 > 0:05:29who thought the aircraft was in fact crashing and he proceeded to
0:05:29 > 0:05:32start working on the emergency exits to try and get out,
0:05:32 > 0:05:35which is probably disconcerting for other passengers,
0:05:35 > 0:05:38but luckily he never managed to open the door or the window.
0:05:38 > 0:05:41- I think he had quite a fright. - I'll bet he did!
0:05:44 > 0:05:48The reward for a landing on Barra is immediate.
0:05:48 > 0:05:51Visitors can enjoy some of the most stunning scenery
0:05:51 > 0:05:54anywhere in the world and Neil has offered to show me around.
0:05:57 > 0:06:01Today, tourism is a vital part of the local economy, but in the past,
0:06:01 > 0:06:06islanders had to rely on crofting, the traditional way of life here.
0:06:09 > 0:06:13Like a lot of islanders, Neil chose to leave Barra to see
0:06:13 > 0:06:18something of the world, but returned home to take on the family croft,
0:06:18 > 0:06:22making him the archetypal multitasking islander.
0:06:22 > 0:06:24What do you actually do on the croft?
0:06:24 > 0:06:28Well, sheep, pigs, dogs, geese, turkeys.
0:06:28 > 0:06:32I grow carrots, onions, leeks, I've got some apple trees,
0:06:32 > 0:06:36I've got a couple of plum trees and I've got a couple of pear trees.
0:06:36 > 0:06:41Crofting is unique to the Scottish Highlands and Islands.
0:06:41 > 0:06:44Traditionally, tenant farmers worked small
0:06:44 > 0:06:48and often poor-quality plots of land to eke out a living.
0:06:50 > 0:06:52Is crofting still quite important here in Barra?
0:06:52 > 0:06:53I would say it's very important.
0:06:53 > 0:06:58It ties people to the land and a lot of people fail to understand how
0:06:58 > 0:07:01important, for people on the edges of the Hebrides,
0:07:01 > 0:07:03how important land is.
0:07:03 > 0:07:05When you look at the history of these islands
0:07:05 > 0:07:08and how the population suffered in the past
0:07:08 > 0:07:10when others owned the land...
0:07:10 > 0:07:12It was always controlled by somebody else
0:07:12 > 0:07:15and now we've got land, people like to keep it.
0:07:15 > 0:07:20Over the years, Neil has turned his hand to many different things.
0:07:20 > 0:07:24But his latest project is something not traditionally associated
0:07:24 > 0:07:27with the Hebrides - making his own wine.
0:07:28 > 0:07:31I've made 50 litres of wine off this one vine.
0:07:31 > 0:07:33What's it like, your Hebridean wine?
0:07:33 > 0:07:36Well, it's a work in progress, let's say.
0:07:36 > 0:07:38Well, I'm impressed.
0:07:40 > 0:07:41It's this kind of resourcefulness
0:07:41 > 0:07:45and hard work that has kept crofting alive on these islands.
0:07:47 > 0:07:51I'm heading south across the causeway that links Barra to
0:07:51 > 0:07:54Vatersay, a place with the locals had to fight for the right
0:07:54 > 0:07:56to make their homes here.
0:07:57 > 0:08:01Back in the 19th century, hundreds of people lived here
0:08:01 > 0:08:04until they were forcibly evicted by an absentee landlord
0:08:04 > 0:08:08who wanted the whole island as a single forming unit.
0:08:10 > 0:08:14For more than 50 years, the owner of Vatersay refused to allow
0:08:14 > 0:08:18anyone from the overcrowded neighbouring islands to settle here.
0:08:18 > 0:08:22Desperate and defiant, the islanders began to return,
0:08:22 > 0:08:26led by a group of men known to history as the Vatersay Raiders.
0:08:29 > 0:08:32The Vatersay Raiders were a group of ten crofters
0:08:32 > 0:08:35determined to stake a claim to this land.
0:08:38 > 0:08:42In the summer of 1906, they landed here on Vatersay
0:08:42 > 0:08:47and invoked an ancient law whereby they could claim ownership of ground
0:08:47 > 0:08:52by building a wooden dwelling and kindling a fire within a day.
0:08:52 > 0:08:56That might have been the islanders' way, but in the eyes of the law,
0:08:56 > 0:09:00the men were criminals and they were arrested and jailed.
0:09:00 > 0:09:03But in urban Scotland, where there was an increasing sympathy
0:09:03 > 0:09:08for their plight, the men were seen as the heroic victims of injustice.
0:09:10 > 0:09:14The case became a cause celebre and although the men
0:09:14 > 0:09:18spent two months in prison, they ultimately succeeded.
0:09:18 > 0:09:22In 1909, the government bought the island for the people
0:09:22 > 0:09:25and divided it into 58 crofts.
0:09:27 > 0:09:30Today, the raiders are hailed as heroes
0:09:30 > 0:09:33and many of their descendants still live on Vatersay.
0:09:35 > 0:09:39But it's not just the land that sustains this island community.
0:09:40 > 0:09:44Fishing has always been a hugely important part of life here.
0:09:46 > 0:09:50And so, donning my traditional Fair Isle fishing hat,
0:09:50 > 0:09:52I'm joining skipper Neil Sinclair,
0:09:52 > 0:09:55whose grandfather was one of the Vatersay Raiders,
0:09:55 > 0:09:59and fisherman Paul Maguire, on their lobster boat.
0:10:03 > 0:10:07Would you say, Neil, that it's a dangerous job,
0:10:07 > 0:10:08being a creel fisherman?
0:10:08 > 0:10:11One of the most dangerous jobs you can get, fishing.
0:10:11 > 0:10:13You know, the tides and the winds.
0:10:13 > 0:10:16And hidden rocks beneath the surface.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19There's plenty of those around here, I guess.
0:10:19 > 0:10:22Yeah, you can talk to your dad and other fishermen,
0:10:22 > 0:10:25and, you know, they keep you right.
0:10:25 > 0:10:27The older fishermen keep you right.
0:10:27 > 0:10:30Kenny learns how the lobster pots work
0:10:30 > 0:10:33and is shown how to handle the creatures.
0:10:33 > 0:10:36Many of the Vatersay fishermen learned their skills
0:10:36 > 0:10:39from their fathers and grandfathers.
0:10:39 > 0:10:43But that's not the case for Neil's shipmate, Paul.
0:10:43 > 0:10:45No, I'm actually from Cumbernauld.
0:10:45 > 0:10:47- Cumbernauld?- From Cumbernauld, yeah.
0:10:47 > 0:10:51- Landlocked Cumbernauld. - Landlocked Cumbernauld!
0:10:51 > 0:10:54- How did you get into fishing? - For a laugh.
0:10:55 > 0:10:58What's the appeal of bobbing around in a small boat
0:10:58 > 0:11:01- in the North Atlantic? - Every day is different.
0:11:01 > 0:11:05There's a bit of a challenge to it and it's quite rewarding
0:11:05 > 0:11:08when you catch things.
0:11:08 > 0:11:09- Is that conger eel?- Yeah.
0:11:09 > 0:11:11My goodness me! Look at this.
0:11:11 > 0:11:13An enormous eel.
0:11:13 > 0:11:15Amazing.
0:11:15 > 0:11:17This is quite exciting, isn't it?
0:11:17 > 0:11:20You never know what you're going to pull up.
0:11:20 > 0:11:23A lot of crabs, there's a lot of crabs. Do you keep the big ones?
0:11:23 > 0:11:25Just the decent ones, yeah.
0:11:26 > 0:11:29The lobster man is the most precise of fishermen
0:11:29 > 0:11:32and if the waters he fishes are dangerous,
0:11:32 > 0:11:35he still has to place each part if he's going to make a living...
0:11:37 > 0:11:42..for there is one way into a lobster pot and no way out.
0:11:46 > 0:11:48- We've got another creel coming in. - Yeah, that's a nice one.
0:11:48 > 0:11:50Oh, look, we've got a beauty in there!
0:11:50 > 0:11:52That's an absolute whopper, look at that!
0:11:52 > 0:11:55Wow, those are powerful claws, aren't they?
0:11:55 > 0:11:56Hey, I must be lucky!
0:11:56 > 0:11:58You're coming back!
0:12:01 > 0:12:02Another beauty, look at that!
0:12:05 > 0:12:08So, what's the biggest lobster you have ever caught?
0:12:08 > 0:12:12- Seven or eight kilos. - Seven or eight kilo lobster?- Yeah.
0:12:12 > 0:12:14Must have been about the size of the dog!
0:12:14 > 0:12:16Yeah, they're huge things, you know.
0:12:23 > 0:12:26Look at the size of that one! That's a beauty.
0:12:29 > 0:12:31And so, with our catch safely landed,
0:12:31 > 0:12:36I continue my journey heading south to my final destination -
0:12:36 > 0:12:39the tiny island of Barra Head.
0:12:40 > 0:12:43Passing the neighbouring island of Mingulay,
0:12:43 > 0:12:46I'm greeted by a simply stunning sight -
0:12:46 > 0:12:49hundreds and hundreds of seals.
0:12:49 > 0:12:50That's incredible.
0:12:54 > 0:12:56There must be hundreds of them.
0:12:57 > 0:13:01I've never seen so many seals in my entire life.
0:13:01 > 0:13:03But they're going crazy!
0:13:06 > 0:13:07Oh, that is amazing.
0:13:11 > 0:13:14Barra Head, also known as Berneray,
0:13:14 > 0:13:17is just 1.5 square miles of rock.
0:13:18 > 0:13:22One 19th-century travel writer described how it sits
0:13:22 > 0:13:27"far out into the Atlantic, exposed to its fullest fury,
0:13:27 > 0:13:29"and generally inaccessible."
0:13:30 > 0:13:34Yet these ruined buildings prove that the island once
0:13:34 > 0:13:35sustained a population.
0:13:36 > 0:13:41In fact, people lived here until the early years of the 20th century.
0:13:44 > 0:13:47Reflecting on my journey so far, it occurs to me
0:13:47 > 0:13:51that the people of these islands, despite the odds,
0:13:51 > 0:13:54have held on to their culture and traditions.
0:13:54 > 0:13:56But sometimes the struggle proved too much
0:13:56 > 0:14:00and that seems to be what happened here.
0:14:00 > 0:14:04In 1911, the last residents abandoned the island.
0:14:07 > 0:14:10But before they left their island homes for the last time,
0:14:10 > 0:14:13the scene was captured with a lens of the camera.
0:14:20 > 0:14:23These images seem to belong to another time entirely.
0:14:26 > 0:14:29The man who took these pictures was called Robert Milne.
0:14:32 > 0:14:35Almost nothing is known about who he was
0:14:35 > 0:14:37or why he took these photographs.
0:14:38 > 0:14:42But they are the only remaining visual record of life here
0:14:42 > 0:14:46and a fascinating insight into the people who once called
0:14:46 > 0:14:48these ruins their home.