0:00:06 > 0:00:10The islands of the West Coast of Scotland are not just beautiful,
0:00:10 > 0:00:12they're incredibly varied.
0:00:12 > 0:00:15Hop on a ferry from one to the other,
0:00:15 > 0:00:17and it's like travelling to another country.
0:00:20 > 0:00:23And while the islands I'm travelling to are very
0:00:23 > 0:00:28different in character, they each have their own allure.
0:00:28 > 0:00:31The romantic idea of escape and sanctuary.
0:00:35 > 0:00:39For centuries, the magic of the Scottish islands has drawn
0:00:39 > 0:00:41travellers to these shores.
0:00:43 > 0:00:45I'm exploring the remote
0:00:45 > 0:00:49'and fascinating places scattered around our coastline.'
0:00:49 > 0:00:50Any chance of a lift?
0:00:50 > 0:00:53'And meeting the people who call these islands home.'
0:00:53 > 0:00:55Hold on to your hats.
0:00:55 > 0:00:59This time, the islands I'm visiting are striking in their contrast.
0:01:01 > 0:01:06From the lush and fertile Gigha, to the rugged wilderness of Jura.
0:01:06 > 0:01:08Both have become destinations
0:01:08 > 0:01:11for people who are looking for a new island life.
0:01:22 > 0:01:25My Grand Tour down the West Coast of Scotland
0:01:25 > 0:01:29sees me set sail for the often-overlooked islands
0:01:29 > 0:01:31of the Inner Hebrides.
0:01:31 > 0:01:35My first stop is the beautiful island of Gigha.
0:01:35 > 0:01:37And from there, I'll be heading for Jura,
0:01:37 > 0:01:39and attempting to navigate
0:01:39 > 0:01:41the infamous waters of the Corryvreckan
0:01:41 > 0:01:44before scaling the famous Paps.
0:01:45 > 0:01:49My journey starts with a short ferry crossing to tiny Gigha.
0:01:50 > 0:01:53It's a place of Vikings and saints,
0:01:53 > 0:01:57and because of its fertile soils and fair climate,
0:01:57 > 0:02:00it was once known as God's Island.
0:02:02 > 0:02:06Gigha is a charming island with a unique character.
0:02:06 > 0:02:12In 1773, this was a port of call for the extremely well-travelled
0:02:12 > 0:02:15Welsh naturalist Thomas Pennant.
0:02:18 > 0:02:21Pennant was on a mission to report and inform.
0:02:21 > 0:02:24He believed that most people in Britain knew
0:02:24 > 0:02:28more about foreign countries than they did about their own.
0:02:28 > 0:02:32So, to remedy this, he embarked on a Hebridean voyage.
0:02:35 > 0:02:40In his journal, he wrote, "Land on Gigha.
0:02:40 > 0:02:43"An island about six miles long and one broad.
0:02:43 > 0:02:46"The most eastern of the Hebrides,
0:02:46 > 0:02:50"with its vast bed of most pure and fine sand.
0:02:50 > 0:02:55"A mixture of rock, pasture and arable land, with no high hills."
0:02:58 > 0:03:00He also observed something else
0:03:00 > 0:03:03that's not often said about a Scottish island -
0:03:03 > 0:03:05"The weather is extremely fine."
0:03:06 > 0:03:09And it's true. It is.
0:03:09 > 0:03:11What with its sandy bays
0:03:11 > 0:03:16and balmy sea air, at times it seems almost tropical.
0:03:16 > 0:03:17BIRD CALLS
0:03:17 > 0:03:18BEE BUZZES
0:03:23 > 0:03:26Gigha might mean "God's Island,"
0:03:26 > 0:03:30but God didn't create this Arcadian paradise.
0:03:30 > 0:03:35Everything that you see here is the work of mortal human hands,
0:03:35 > 0:03:39inspired by the vision of a man who believed that a good night's rest
0:03:39 > 0:03:41was more than just a dream.
0:03:45 > 0:03:50Colonel Sir James Horlick was heir to the vast empire that was
0:03:50 > 0:03:53built on the world's most famous malted drink -
0:03:53 > 0:03:55Horlick's.
0:03:55 > 0:04:00For Colonel Horlick, sleep was the basis of a vast fortune.
0:04:01 > 0:04:04And with the millions he amassed, he bought this island
0:04:04 > 0:04:10and set about creating these beautiful gardens at Achamore.
0:04:10 > 0:04:14I've come to meet one of its horticulturalists, Helen McBrearty,
0:04:14 > 0:04:17to find out why he chose Gigha.
0:04:17 > 0:04:21Helen, Achamore Gardens is really quite fantastic.
0:04:21 > 0:04:24I feel as if I'm in a subtropical forest here.
0:04:24 > 0:04:25We're very lucky here.
0:04:25 > 0:04:28- We've got the gulf stream that influences our weather.- Uh-huh.
0:04:28 > 0:04:31Which means that it's very mild.
0:04:31 > 0:04:33Colonel Horlick came here in the '40s
0:04:33 > 0:04:36- specifically because of the climate.- Right.
0:04:36 > 0:04:38He was an avid collector of plants,
0:04:38 > 0:04:40and he wanted somewhere for them to thrive.
0:04:40 > 0:04:42And this was the place he chose.
0:04:44 > 0:04:47The new laird didn't just transform these gardens.
0:04:47 > 0:04:51Horlick also used his considerable business experience
0:04:51 > 0:04:54to develop the island's economy.
0:04:54 > 0:04:57And many visitors, including royalty,
0:04:57 > 0:05:00came to marvel at what he created here.
0:05:00 > 0:05:03- Beautiful in here, isn't it?- Yeah. - Lovely aroma, too.
0:05:03 > 0:05:06Now, what would this garden have been used for originally?
0:05:06 > 0:05:07The walled part here.
0:05:07 > 0:05:10The walled garden, the two acres were used for vegetable growing
0:05:10 > 0:05:12and fruit.
0:05:12 > 0:05:15And Gigha used to be famous for the quality of its fruit and veg.
0:05:15 > 0:05:18So the house would have been self-sufficient, presumably.
0:05:18 > 0:05:20It would have had to have been self-sufficient, yeah. Absolutely.
0:05:20 > 0:05:22If they didn't grow it, they didn't eat it.
0:05:24 > 0:05:30Colonel Sir James Horlick died in 1972 and was laid to rest on Gigha.
0:05:33 > 0:05:36Following in his horticultural footsteps,
0:05:36 > 0:05:39Helen came here from England.
0:05:39 > 0:05:41She now helps to maintain the gardens,
0:05:41 > 0:05:46where visitors can enjoy the results of one man's energy and enthusiasm.
0:05:46 > 0:05:48He was just passionate about plants,
0:05:48 > 0:05:51and passionate about the island and the gardens.
0:05:51 > 0:05:54And he created what we have today.
0:05:54 > 0:05:55In the years following,
0:05:55 > 0:06:00the island fell into the hands of a series of absentee landlords.
0:06:00 > 0:06:03They didn't have the same commitment
0:06:03 > 0:06:06that Colonel Horlick had shown to Gigha.
0:06:06 > 0:06:09It was only fairly recently that things changed.
0:06:11 > 0:06:15About ten years ago, there was a quiet revolution here on Gigha.
0:06:15 > 0:06:17Disillusioned with the landlords,
0:06:17 > 0:06:20local people formed a community trust
0:06:20 > 0:06:24and bought the island when it came on the market in 2002.
0:06:24 > 0:06:28And since then, the place has flourished.
0:06:28 > 0:06:29Local control, it seems,
0:06:29 > 0:06:33has reversed the age-old problem of population decline,
0:06:33 > 0:06:36and attracted businesses and families to the island.
0:06:39 > 0:06:41And I'm going to meet one islander
0:06:41 > 0:06:44who came here after the community buyout.
0:06:44 > 0:06:46Dairy farmer John Earnshaw,
0:06:46 > 0:06:49who is now celebrating ten years on Gigha.
0:06:50 > 0:06:54I'm originally from Gargrave, Skipton.
0:06:54 > 0:06:55Is that Yorkshire then, is it?
0:06:55 > 0:06:57It is. It's not England!
0:06:57 > 0:06:58Right, OK!
0:07:00 > 0:07:02Why did you choose Gigha?
0:07:02 > 0:07:06I don't know whether we chose Gigha, or it just happened.
0:07:06 > 0:07:07Or Gigha choose you, you mean?
0:07:07 > 0:07:08Or fate.
0:07:08 > 0:07:14We came with two young children, and we thought there was a future.
0:07:14 > 0:07:16We came and we gave it a shot.
0:07:16 > 0:07:19And I would say it's been OK for us.
0:07:19 > 0:07:21And what's it like living on an island
0:07:21 > 0:07:23compared to living in Yorkshire?
0:07:23 > 0:07:25Totally different.
0:07:25 > 0:07:27It's different challenges,
0:07:27 > 0:07:31and different problems to get over.
0:07:31 > 0:07:35You have to either work together with the other farmers,
0:07:35 > 0:07:38or you're stuck.
0:07:38 > 0:07:42John is continuing a long tradition of dairy farming on Gigha.
0:07:42 > 0:07:46But the island's position as a significant milk producer
0:07:46 > 0:07:51is due in no small part to the work of Sir James Horlick.
0:07:51 > 0:07:55As laird, he set about modernising the way that milk was produced here.
0:07:56 > 0:07:59Of course, the Horlicks would have had an interest in milk anyway,
0:07:59 > 0:08:02- with their their milk-based drink. - They certainly... Yes.
0:08:02 > 0:08:07I think they were the driving force for Gigha into dairy
0:08:07 > 0:08:10and in the improvement of the land and...
0:08:10 > 0:08:14- Uh-huh.- It was a tremendously productive place.
0:08:14 > 0:08:16So, Gigha and dairy go together really, do they?
0:08:16 > 0:08:17I would think so. Yes.
0:08:17 > 0:08:22And keeping that milk production up is certainly important for Gigha.
0:08:22 > 0:08:23I think, anyway.
0:08:24 > 0:08:30Most of the milk produced on Gigha goes to the mainland to make cheese.
0:08:30 > 0:08:33So next time you're enjoying a slice of Scottish cheddar,
0:08:33 > 0:08:37you can ponder that the milk might have come from cows
0:08:37 > 0:08:39fed on these fertile slopes.
0:08:39 > 0:08:42And perhaps from one of John's 100-strong herd.
0:08:42 > 0:08:45Come on, girls.
0:08:45 > 0:08:47- They all have names.- Really?
0:08:47 > 0:08:49Zyna, just going down.
0:08:49 > 0:08:51There's Fay.
0:08:51 > 0:08:53There's Kirsty.
0:08:53 > 0:08:54Snowball.
0:08:54 > 0:08:55Rosebud.
0:08:57 > 0:09:00Continuing my journey, I'm leaving the balmy
0:09:00 > 0:09:02and verdant Gigha behind.
0:09:04 > 0:09:08I'm making the short journey north to the island of Jura.
0:09:08 > 0:09:11And here, I find a very different landscape.
0:09:11 > 0:09:14Jura is bigger, much more rugged,
0:09:14 > 0:09:18and huge tracts of the island are uninhabited.
0:09:18 > 0:09:23Its 142 square miles is home to just 200 people.
0:09:23 > 0:09:29And most of them live in the only village on the island, Craighouse.
0:09:29 > 0:09:33The early travel writer Thomas Pennant also visited here,
0:09:33 > 0:09:37and the contrast with Gigha was not lost on him.
0:09:37 > 0:09:41He described Jura as "The most rugged of the Hebrides.
0:09:41 > 0:09:44"Composed chiefly of vast mountains.
0:09:44 > 0:09:48"Naked and without the possibility of cultivation."
0:09:48 > 0:09:52Pennant sketched the rudimentary shelters used by goatherds
0:09:52 > 0:09:53in the summer months.
0:09:53 > 0:09:57He remarked on how the people risk starvation for the benefits
0:09:57 > 0:09:59of a dram.
0:09:59 > 0:10:02They diverted grain which should have gone to make bread
0:10:02 > 0:10:05to produce the spirit they adored.
0:10:07 > 0:10:11The islanders could ill afford the luxury of whisky,
0:10:11 > 0:10:15but who could blame them seeking a little cheer from the water of life?
0:10:15 > 0:10:18Because their lives were unimaginably hard.
0:10:23 > 0:10:28The people living on Jura had to be resilient and self-sufficient.
0:10:29 > 0:10:34And that meant making the most of the island's natural resources.
0:10:36 > 0:10:41Life may be easier today, but for some people,
0:10:41 > 0:10:43the opportunity to live a simpler existence
0:10:43 > 0:10:44is part of the appeal of Jura.
0:10:48 > 0:10:50- So, what? You're just lifting the turf off just now.- Mm-hmm.
0:10:50 > 0:10:53- Preparing to lift the turf off the peat.- That's right, aye.
0:10:53 > 0:10:55So, you have to get rid of that before you can start
0:10:55 > 0:10:58- getting into the bank. - That's right. That's right, aye.
0:10:58 > 0:11:00Neil Cameron wasn't born here.
0:11:00 > 0:11:03But since arriving on Jura 14 years ago,
0:11:03 > 0:11:07he's taught himself one of the traditional skills
0:11:07 > 0:11:10which kept islanders warm and dry for centuries.
0:11:10 > 0:11:13Do many people still cut peats on the island then, Neil?
0:11:13 > 0:11:15I think this year there's...
0:11:16 > 0:11:17..four.
0:11:17 > 0:11:19- Just four of you. - Just four cutting.
0:11:19 > 0:11:22- Oout of a population of 200. That's not many.- Not many.
0:11:22 > 0:11:25We're pretty close to the road... the main road here. You saw.
0:11:25 > 0:11:27I get a toot of encouragement from a lot of people as I do the thing.
0:11:27 > 0:11:29Al sort of tooting out to me.
0:11:29 > 0:11:31People like to see someone carrying out a traditional...
0:11:31 > 0:11:35- Ah, perhaps, aye.- A traditional peat-cutting way of life.
0:11:35 > 0:11:37- Yeah.- Maintaining the traditions.
0:11:41 > 0:11:45'Patiently, methodically, they cut the peat.
0:11:45 > 0:11:48'They piled the peat, they carried it away.
0:11:48 > 0:11:49'They stacked up to dry.
0:11:49 > 0:11:51'To dry and burn for fuel.'
0:11:55 > 0:11:58I'm actually quite desperate, Neil, to have a shot at this myself.
0:11:58 > 0:12:01- Can I have a go with your peat cutter?- Yep.- Right.
0:12:01 > 0:12:03Here you are.
0:12:03 > 0:12:04So, I just push in here.
0:12:04 > 0:12:06- And just follow the same angle. - I see, right.
0:12:06 > 0:12:09Because otherwise you'll end up with an enormous thing.
0:12:09 > 0:12:12- Goes in pretty easily, doesn't it?- Yeah.
0:12:12 > 0:12:15And now give it a little twist up towards you.
0:12:15 > 0:12:21- That's it.- That's my first peat cut, look.
0:12:21 > 0:12:23- There you are.- First piece of turf.- That's right.
0:12:23 > 0:12:26- And then just repeat. - Repeat that.
0:12:26 > 0:12:28Do you think one of the pleasures, Neil,
0:12:28 > 0:12:30is the fact that you don't have to do spend a lot of money?
0:12:30 > 0:12:32- I feel obliged to do it because... - You feel obliged?
0:12:32 > 0:12:35- Well, just to keep the house warm. - Is it because it's you?
0:12:35 > 0:12:36- Yeah.- Yeah.
0:12:36 > 0:12:38Well, I enjoy doing this sort of thing, as well.
0:12:38 > 0:12:41So, if you've got all this at your doorstep...
0:12:41 > 0:12:46- I say obliged.- ..why give the energy companies are big fat cheque?
0:12:46 > 0:12:50If you do things for yourself, it's nice, isn't it?
0:12:50 > 0:12:52You know, home-made is... Home-made it is better, eh?
0:12:52 > 0:12:55- I think so. - You're absolutely right.
0:12:55 > 0:12:57Home-made heat.
0:12:57 > 0:13:00'The unique scent of the Hebrides is peat.
0:13:00 > 0:13:02'The barren earth grows fuel.
0:13:02 > 0:13:05'And cutting it becomes a family operation.
0:13:05 > 0:13:06'Almost a ritual.
0:13:08 > 0:13:11'Stripping the peat's a masculine prerogative.
0:13:11 > 0:13:14'The woman carries.'
0:13:15 > 0:13:17It's quite pleasing, isn't it?
0:13:17 > 0:13:20Watching that knife go into the peat.
0:13:20 > 0:13:23- Aye.- It's like cutting through a large slice of chocolate brownie.
0:13:23 > 0:13:25That's a monster, that. That's going to keep you...
0:13:25 > 0:13:28- It's a monster, is it?- It's a monster, that. But it will dry.
0:13:28 > 0:13:30I get it dried, yeah. That's fine.
0:13:32 > 0:13:34After the peat is cut,
0:13:34 > 0:13:37it has to be dried by the wind in stooks like these.
0:13:37 > 0:13:40And regularly turned before being stacked
0:13:40 > 0:13:43and taken home, ready for burning.
0:13:43 > 0:13:45You get into a rhythm, don't you?
0:13:45 > 0:13:47- Aye.- It's meditative too, this.
0:13:47 > 0:13:48Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
0:13:51 > 0:13:55Neil's main challenge is protecting his day's work
0:13:55 > 0:13:57from some of the inquisitive locals.
0:13:57 > 0:14:00But he's found a novel way of doing that.
0:14:00 > 0:14:02All around the peat bank,
0:14:02 > 0:14:05we've got these stakes and wire between them.
0:14:05 > 0:14:09And they're blowing in the wind, and making the most extraordinary noise.
0:14:09 > 0:14:11WIND WHISTLES
0:14:11 > 0:14:15The deer will all just come in and wander over the peat
0:14:15 > 0:14:18and knock the stacks down. And maybe the freshly cut peat...
0:14:18 > 0:14:20if a walk over that, they could break them and ruin...
0:14:20 > 0:14:22And it already happened.
0:14:22 > 0:14:24I started cutting peat, and then came down the next day,
0:14:24 > 0:14:25and there'd been deer in.
0:14:25 > 0:14:27- So I got these up pronto.- Right.
0:14:27 > 0:14:29It's low-tech, but it works.
0:14:29 > 0:14:32And it would seem that there's enough peat on Jura to keep
0:14:32 > 0:14:36Neil going for a few years yet.
0:14:36 > 0:14:38- You're not going to run out. - No, I don't think so. No.
0:14:38 > 0:14:42You've got thousands of years left to go.
0:14:42 > 0:14:44Yes. Aye.
0:14:44 > 0:14:45THEY LAUGH
0:14:47 > 0:14:49A day's work is done.
0:14:49 > 0:14:51A day's work is done. Time for a pint.
0:14:51 > 0:14:52Thirsty, yes.
0:15:01 > 0:15:03Continuing my journey,
0:15:03 > 0:15:07I'm heading up to the north end of Jura to a stretch of water
0:15:07 > 0:15:11that has struck fear into the heart of sailors for centuries.
0:15:11 > 0:15:13The notorious Corryvreckan.
0:15:23 > 0:15:26It's like sailing across the surface of a boiling cauldron.
0:15:32 > 0:15:34And I can feel that force on the boat, too.
0:15:34 > 0:15:37It can actually move the boat round and round in circles.
0:15:37 > 0:15:39Like, which you know you can feel yourself.
0:15:39 > 0:15:43You need lots of power to be able to come in about the Corryvreckan.
0:15:43 > 0:15:48Even an experienced seafarer, like local boatman Nicol MacKinnon,
0:15:48 > 0:15:50is extremely cautious in this stretch of water.
0:15:52 > 0:15:56It's got unnavigable on the chart, but you know...
0:15:56 > 0:15:57It's got unnavigable?
0:15:57 > 0:16:00Yeah, you'll get massive, standing waves.
0:16:00 > 0:16:04Which could be 15, 17 metres high.
0:16:04 > 0:16:06You get circles.
0:16:06 > 0:16:10You get whirling circles, right up to 50 metres in diameter.
0:16:10 > 0:16:1250-metre-diameter whirlpools?
0:16:12 > 0:16:14- Yeah, yeah.- You've seen that? - Yeah. Yeah, yeah.
0:16:14 > 0:16:16And it could be up to three or four metres deep
0:16:16 > 0:16:18- in the middle.- It must've claimed quite a few lives
0:16:18 > 0:16:20over the centuries.
0:16:20 > 0:16:23Yeah, well, there was lots of boats lost years ago.
0:16:23 > 0:16:25And you certainly don't want to fall in, anyway.
0:16:25 > 0:16:27What happens if you did?
0:16:27 > 0:16:30Well, I think years ago, they put in test dummies
0:16:30 > 0:16:33with monitors on them to see what happened.
0:16:33 > 0:16:38And they went down 500 feet, and came up four miles away.
0:16:39 > 0:16:42This dangerous channel between the north end of Jura
0:16:42 > 0:16:47and the Isle Of Scarba is created by an underwater ridge
0:16:47 > 0:16:51which rises to a pinnacle 30 metres below the surface.
0:16:51 > 0:16:54There's the pinnacle right in front of us now, see.
0:16:54 > 0:16:55Yeah. I see it, amazing.
0:16:55 > 0:16:57And that shows you the huge, big channel
0:16:57 > 0:16:59- that runs right down the middle. - Yeah, yeah.
0:16:59 > 0:17:01So the pinnacle's beneath us.
0:17:01 > 0:17:03Yeah. At the moment. Yeah.
0:17:04 > 0:17:05On an ebb tide,
0:17:05 > 0:17:08as the water flows back into the channel from the Atlantic,
0:17:08 > 0:17:13hundreds of whirlpools can form as the sea rushes over the pinnacle,
0:17:13 > 0:17:16creating a terrifying maelstrom of water.
0:17:19 > 0:17:21And you've got that huge volume of the Atlantic
0:17:21 > 0:17:24trying to get through the Sound Of Scarba,
0:17:24 > 0:17:25and it hits that pinnacle.
0:17:25 > 0:17:27It just hits the pinnacle.
0:17:27 > 0:17:29And there's nowhere to go but up.
0:17:29 > 0:17:31And that's what creates the effect.
0:17:33 > 0:17:35I have to admit,
0:17:35 > 0:17:39it's with some relief that we leave the Corryvreckan's whirlpools
0:17:39 > 0:17:41and head to the west coast of Jura,
0:17:41 > 0:17:44known as the Empty Quarter.
0:17:44 > 0:17:48This has to be one of the wildest, roughest stretches
0:17:48 > 0:17:49of coastline in Europe.
0:17:49 > 0:17:53It's unremittingly bleak and awe-inspiring.
0:17:56 > 0:17:59Because much of the terrain on this side of the island
0:17:59 > 0:18:03consists of often impassable bog and heather,
0:18:03 > 0:18:06the best way to get here is by boat.
0:18:06 > 0:18:12I'm landing at the beautiful and deserted Glengarrisdale Bay.
0:18:15 > 0:18:18No-one's lived here now for almost 100 years,
0:18:18 > 0:18:21but it's still a welcoming destination
0:18:21 > 0:18:24to a variety of adventurous souls.
0:18:31 > 0:18:35I've come to what was the last working croft on this part of Jura.
0:18:39 > 0:18:43And if you want to get a sense of just how remote and isolated
0:18:43 > 0:18:45some of the communities on Jura used to be,
0:18:45 > 0:18:47then this is the place to come.
0:18:54 > 0:18:56Today, the house is a bothy,
0:18:56 > 0:19:00providing shelter for walkers, stalkers, kayakers,
0:19:00 > 0:19:03and assorted refugees from urban life.
0:19:04 > 0:19:06Well, it's a bit basic in here,
0:19:06 > 0:19:09but you can imagine with the fire going
0:19:09 > 0:19:13and maybe a drink or two to warm the cockles of your heart,
0:19:13 > 0:19:16this would be a really pleasant place to stay.
0:19:20 > 0:19:24Before I leave the island, there is one final thing I have to do.
0:19:27 > 0:19:30There are several mountains in Scotland with female names
0:19:30 > 0:19:32and associations.
0:19:32 > 0:19:35Some scholars believe that this is a reminder of ancient,
0:19:35 > 0:19:40pre-Christian Celtic mother goddess with connections to the land.
0:19:40 > 0:19:43So, the hills of Arran are a case in point.
0:19:43 > 0:19:46And in front of me the famous Paps Of Jura.
0:19:48 > 0:19:51Of course, the distinctive shape of these peaks
0:19:51 > 0:19:54could have rather a lot to do with the name.
0:19:55 > 0:19:57But there, the similarity ends.
0:19:59 > 0:20:02What awaits me is a ghastly slog over peat bog, heather,
0:20:02 > 0:20:06and a purgatory of steep-angle scree slopes.
0:20:11 > 0:20:14As my fellow traveller, Thomas Pennant, said,
0:20:14 > 0:20:15"It is the task
0:20:15 > 0:20:20"of much labour and difficulty being composed of vast stones.
0:20:20 > 0:20:23"The whole mountain forms a vast cairn."
0:20:25 > 0:20:27To make things even worse,
0:20:27 > 0:20:31the summits of the Paps are shrouded in mist.
0:20:36 > 0:20:39Ah. Now, here we are.
0:20:39 > 0:20:40At last.
0:20:40 > 0:20:42The summit cairn.
0:20:42 > 0:20:47I'm going to add to this vast pile of stones with one of my own.
0:20:47 > 0:20:49And a wish for better weather.
0:20:49 > 0:20:51And a view.
0:20:55 > 0:20:58As I begin my descent through the clouds,
0:20:58 > 0:21:02I reflect on all the people I've met on this Grand Tour
0:21:02 > 0:21:05who have taken on the challenge of island life.
0:21:07 > 0:21:11Then, unexpectedly, the weather improves...
0:21:12 > 0:21:15..and I'm reminded of just why people come here.
0:21:19 > 0:21:23The mist is lifting, and the views are superb.
0:21:27 > 0:21:30The great sweep of the Kintyre peninsula,
0:21:30 > 0:21:32and in the distance, Gigha.
0:21:32 > 0:21:33My starting point.
0:21:35 > 0:21:40Jura and Gigha are both so very different.
0:21:40 > 0:21:43But that's what makes the Scottish Islands special.
0:21:43 > 0:21:47Each one has its own unique character and appeal.
0:21:51 > 0:21:54I can't think of a better place to end this Grand Tour
0:21:54 > 0:21:56of the Scottish Islands.