Episode 1 Lady Lairds

Scottish Highland estates, playgrounds for the upper classes,

but a lot has changed over the years.

Being a laird was traditionally a man's job.

Are you ready?

But now lady lairds are bucking the trend.

Oh, look, here are some visitors.

Good to see you.

-Might I take your photo?

-Yeah, absolutely.

It's a burden and a privilege, but I'd say more of a privilege, really.

Just relax, April.

This series follows several extraordinary women...

I'm not just a pretty face.

..who preside over some of Scotland's most historic estates.

We have here now the bed that Mary Queen of Scots slept in.

Through determination...

Being a woman, you know,

you're determined to do it without shouting for help.

..hard work...

Oh, well done, sir!

..and more than a little charm...

You know the doctor.

..these lady lairds strive to ensure their estates' survival...

They barely wash their face.

..for future generations.

It's quite a big responsibility.

We've been here a long time, so we'd like to be here a little bit longer.

APPLAUSE

You're too late!

It's like a lunatic asylum...

but it's very nice of you to come.

It's a bit random, isn't it?

On the northern edge of the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park

is the Auchlyne and Suie Estate.

At the centre of the 18,000 acres of land is the main house

or big hoose.

Today, no-one is home, because high in the hills...

GUNSHOT ..there is a family outing.

Come here, Lucy. Good girl!

It's the first day of the grouse season

and leading the way is a laird-in-waiting -

Nicola Colquhoun.

Sit. Good girl.

So, down the bottom is my husband Angus

with his black Labrador, Lucy.

-MAN:

-Are you a good shot?

-ANGUS LAUGHS

Some days, yes.

More often than not, no.

It's down to a lot of luck as well.

Up at the top will be my dad Henry and our gamekeeper Ian,

so probably the competition will be the most between my dad...

between Dad and Angus.

They are both very good shots,

but there's healthy competition between the pair of them.

-WHISTLE BLOWS

-Go on!

So, where are the kids at the moment?

-NICOLA LAUGHS HEARTILY

-Kids are...

away back with Granny in the Argo, hopefully not annoying her silly.

The real laird of Auchlyne is Nicola's mother, Emma Patterson.

Today she has her hands full looking after

Nicola and Angus's children, Maya and Archie.

I'm just following on behind and what would normally happen

if there were lots of grouse, then folk could empty their game bags

and put them in the back of the Argo.

But today it's just transportation for the grandchildren

because they're not big enough to walk.

-Is that right?

-Hmm.

Hmm, yes, and a puppy.

So, yes, so we're heading back for lunch now.

-Do you think that's a good idea?

-Yes.

-Yes.

So, have they seen any grouse?

No.

GUNSHOTS

Wake up!

-Come on, here!

-I'm not sure if he got one or not.

Do you want to try your dog? It's right here.

Grouse numbers have severely diminished

due to the heather beetle

destroying the birds' natural habitat.

But there still seems to be enough

for Angus to bag his prize of the day.

It's... It's a fantastic morning out, to be honest.

-And you've shot something.

-And I've shot something.

And my father-in-law hasn't!

About 150 miles north of Auchlyne on the West Coast of Scotland

is the Attadale Estate.

Situated on the idyllic south shore of Loch Carron,

it even has its own train station.

This grand ten-bedroom house was built in 1755

and is now residence to lady laird-in-training Joanna Macpherson.

On the stairs you've got various ancestors,

so that is my grandfather, Ian Macpherson,

and he bought Attadale in 1952.

When he had it, he really had it purely as a shooting lodge,

so people could come up in the summer and in the autumn

to go stalking, and we used to come here for all the holidays,

the Easter holidays and then the summer holidays,

not that he was very keen on small children,

so it was a slightly different regime then.

There is my father, there, so that's the latest one.

My mother loves this place because it reminds her of South Africa

because the house is white, and my mother was born in South Africa,

so she's prepared to tolerate the situation because of that,

some of us think.

Two years ago,

Joanna was persuaded by her parents to leave her marketing job in London

and move to Attadale full time to help run the estate.

My mother has got macular degeneration

and is getting a bit deaf and blind,

so she's a driven woman about the garden

and she still is the main creative force,

but obviously it's a lot to do and that is why,

if I can help in various areas,

she can concentrate on the creative side,

which is important for the future of the garden.

Attadale's vast 20 acres of gardens

is its piece de resistance and attracts 5,500 visitors a year.

That's a Chilean fern. I've seen this in Kenya.

There you are, you see, I'm not just a pretty face.

The gardens were created by Joanna's mother, Nicky Macpherson,

Mrs Macpherson to you and me.

And she has painstakingly maintained them over the past 40 years...

..with a little help.

Yes, we'll go by way of the sundial, because that is rather fun.

So, here, explain, Mother.

Everyone says to my husband, "Why have you got such a large bottom?"

And I see him saying very crossly,

"It's because I was wearing very thick corduroys at the time."

The sculptor made us sit on a bag of cement.

I had a very small one because I was ill.

This bit we planted...we did about 15 years ago, I think.

The reason was I had started having cancer then,

I was having treatment, I was not feeling very well

and I looked out of my bedroom window

and saw this rather boring bit of the garden

and thought, "I'll make a sundial."

Frankly, I think it is a sort of vanity thing on my part,

having the garden. I mean, I have...

It's given me something to do, you see, for 40 years.

And as Joanna says, it may have cost a lot,

but at least I don't have to buy any clothes.

And I didn't expect diamonds for my diamond wedding!

Sure enough, you didn't get any, so that's all right!

Jolly lucky if I get a birthday present!

Great mistake marrying a Scot, they're awfully mean.

Sorry, I know you're a Scot.

"Careful" is the word, not "mean"!

Mr Macpherson has supported Attadale

from his job in finance for the last 40 years.

Now in retirement, he plans to step down as Laird of Attadale

and has slowly been handing over the reins to Joanna.

I've never had any trouble delegating.

I think Nicky has more of a problem with the garden

because Joanna is no gardener, which, in a way, is not a bad thing.

That is quite amusing, or interesting, seeing the interaction

between daughter and mother in these matters.

But, no, no, we both welcome it.

I'm not really in charge yet

because my parents have been here for over 30 years,

so I say to people that I'm not in charge yet

and I'm having to manage up and manage down

and so that can be slightly complicated on occasion.

The family has stopped for lunch after a less-than-fruitful morning.

So, have you seen anything?

-We've got two!

-You've got two?

Emma has been laird at Auchlyne for over 20 years

and one day will pass it on to her daughter, Nicola.

Nicola and husband Angus recently moved back from India

and have settled into life on the estate,

an estate which has been in the family for generations.

Well, the whole of this corrie belongs to us,

our march actually comes down the ridge in front of us here.

It's a beautiful stalking corrie

and then, looking over the other side,

that valley going out there is what my grandfather called

the Valley of the Bones and I think he named it that

because it was quite a long walk in the days before the hill road

and they reckoned that, by the time they got there,

there would be nothing left of them except the bones.

I just love coming up here, because we don't come here very often.

This will be the last day the family spends together for a while.

Both Angus and Henry have to work away most of the week...

Would you like a roll?

..because, financially, the estate can't support both families.

Back at the Attadale Estate...

Just relax, April. Table napkins.

We'd better have proper ones.

..Joanna Macpherson is in party-planning mode.

There are some nice red ones, rich red ones.

See if you... Shout if you can't find them, I'll come. Thanks.

I've got to wash my...

I'd better go and have a bath and wash my hair

and think what I'm going to wear...

..because I haven't thought about it properly yet.

It's her birthday and the whole house is working hard

to get ready before ten invited guests arrive in just over an hour.

Oh, that's a bit disappointing.

But things aren't quite going to plan.

Damn! OK...

And that's not working either, so that's marvellous(!)

So I will go and look at the fuses now.

Tonight's master of ceremonies is Joanna's father, Ewen.

Don't mind me buzzing about.

Daughter Joanna's birthday. We won't say which one.

Yeah, can you push that...? No, no, no, the second one!

Yeah.

It's always a bit of a surprise

when you find your daughter is nearly 60.

Brilliant.

They are all working, so isn't that bizarre?

That's really strange. And good.

Now all the lights are on and they are working.

Also on tonight's welcoming committee

will be Joanna's husband Alec.

I just need to go and talk to this chap.

Life for the London-born IT consultant has never been the same

since following Joanna north to the Highlands.

We were in sunny south-east London, we were in Peckham,

where Joanna had lived for 25 years.

I'd always lived in or around that part of the world,

so our paths crossed socially.

Put some more lights on.

I pursued her for a long time, it took ages

and eventually she gave in.

But I had to give up smoking!

Soon Attadale will be buzzing with guests

and in the morning, Joanna will be taking a select few

out onto the hill deerstalking.

Put some more lights on.

Here's a nice map of where we are.

So what happens, you were talking about stalking,

what happens is they drive up eight miles, up into the hills,

so here is Attadale, you drive up the road, all the way up,

so you go along the glen and then up through the hills,

up, right up to Bendronaig Lodge.

What are we having?

Tomorrow's excursion isn't just for sport,

the estate has to cull a certain number of deer

before the end of the season and they are still a bit behind.

We've got until October 20th to get our cull numbers,

the number of stags we are required to shoot,

and so it's now down to the younger generation.

I can no longer...

I might be able to get up the hill,

but I certainly couldn't get down it again!

The lights are on, the table is set

and Joanna is ready for her birthday party.

OK, how is morale in the kitchen?

Buon compleanno!

Come through and have some champagne.

In the short time Joanna has been back at Attadale,

she has actively become involved in various community projects.

You know the doctor - Carolyn... Oh, look...

And it hasn't taken her long to make new friends.

Alec will give you some champagne.

I'm going to unwrap my present.

Well, a house like this is made for having groups like this.

You can sit 14 at the table and it's at times like this,

particularly because of Joanna's birthday,

that we have a party like this,

but I can assure you this does not happen every night!

As the guests settle down to dinner,

there is really only one topic of conversation - Joanna's mother.

She's been given an advance delivery of the food,

but she's not very hungry, I don't think.

Mrs Macpherson's health has been in decline over the last few months.

Well, at least the doctor went to see her this evening,

-so that's good.

-That's good, yeah.

And she's had to take a step back

from her responsibilities on the estate,

meaning Joanna's role at Attadale is becoming more demanding.

THEY SING HAPPY BIRTHDAY

CHEERING

It's early morning at Auchlyne...

..and Angus is getting ready for the three-hour drive to work.

He won't be back for five days.

Yeah, Monday mornings are hard, getting up and heading off to work

and knowing it's not going to be the end of the week

until you see the family again.

It's hard on the family, it's hard on each of us individually.

Yeah, it's one of the tough things about the decisions that we've made

around living in Auchlyne.

It doesn't have enough work available to support all of us,

so, yeah, that means that I need to go and work away.

Auchlyne is a more traditional estate than others.

Its main sources of income are sheep and cattle farming.

They also host various sporting activities,

such as salmon and trout fishing on the River Dochart

and commercial deerstalking in the hills.

GUNSHOT

These additional income streams keep the estate running,

but Nicola and the family

still have to rely on the money that Angus brings in to get by.

Stop eating her!

DOG GROWLS PLAYFULLY

It's not great, having your husband away during the week,

and it's not great for the kids.

You know, they miss him terribly,

but it allows us to be here at Auchlyne.

You know, I guess Mum and I are quite fortunate

that we both have husbands that work away, if you like,

because, you know, the estate wouldn't support two families.

It's... It's tough.

You know, we are busy with the cattle, busy with the sheep,

but it just...JUST makes ends meet.

Just down the road in more modest accommodation

lives the real boss of Auchlyne, Nicola's mother, Emma Paterson.

And today she is off to the remotest corners of the estate...

There we go. Right, that's us, ready to go.

..to gather in the hill sheep to sell at market.

It's a big job, so a team of shepherds

from the neighbouring estates have come to help.

But it's the dogs that will be doing most of the work.

Well, we'll just all get into the Argo

and we'll head up through the forestry and see how far

they persuade us to take them, which sounds like to the very top!

She's brilliant, you know.

Really, in a man's world, you know, she runs the estate,

and she runs the estate remarkably well.

-LAUGHTER

-See yous later!

The shepherds head off over the glen.

OK, then, boys, thanks very much.

The important thing today

is that they return with a healthy number of sheep for sale at market.

SHEPHERD WHISTLES

Meanwhile, over at the Attadale Estate,

it's the morning after Joanna's birthday party.

Celebrations went on late into the night

and the guests are blowing away the cobwebs ahead of a day's stalking.

Out in the garden...

My mother wouldn't want me picking them from the wrong places.

I have to spread it out so people can't notice.

..Joanna is picking flowers for the arrival of guests

at the estate's holiday cottages.

Hello, welcome! Have you met anyone yet?

Hello!

Oh, look! Soren has found you, so you are all OK.

We will run away because we've got to go to the station.

Today, Joanna's son Jack is travelling from London

to join his mother and her guests stalking in the hills.

-Hello!

-Hello, darling! How are you?

Jack has brought along his best mate, Mike.

I come up maybe twice a year?

-Three times a year?

-If I'm lucky.

-If I'm lucky!

So, yeah, just to get away from London really, it's quite nice

-to have the option to do this.

-You're going a bit grey, darling.

-Oh! I wonder...!

-I wonder where that comes from!

Attadale is and has always been a deerstalking estate.

In order for them to reach their annual cull target,

they employ full-time stalker Tom Watson,

who has been at Attadale over 35 years.

Stalking has to be done because the deer have no natural enemies

apart from man, so they have to be...

The numbers have to be kept under control for obvious reasons.

If they become too plentiful, they start to cause damage

and also they run short of food in the winter time

and then you get your deer starting to encroach

into woodlands and arable ground and they start to cause problems,

so you have to keep the numbers in check.

You'll never guess who stole my son's plus fours.

I put these on today and apparently they are his!

-LAUGHTER

-Well done, Joanna!

Joanna's son Jack has grown up stalking

and shot his first deer when he was just 12,

but it's all new for best friend Mike.

I don't know too much about what to expect,

but I'm looking forward to it.

I think Tom is going to take good care of me.

Tom, you can't be silent after I say that, you have to say something!

Yeah, be good fun!

The deer numbers are tightly controlled

by Scottish Natural Heritage,

with each estate having a cull target to hit every year,

so there is a lot resting on newcomer Mike shooting straight.

-OK, we are ready to roll.

-Ready to go.

The number of stags we shoot is carefully planned,

so the number we are going for this year is around the 60 mark

and I believe we've probably got another ten to go.

On an average day, the hunting party can walk

upwards of 15 miles on hilly, rough terrain.

So for those up late last night, today might be a challenge.

Around 150 miles south of Attadale on the West Coast

is the longest sea loch in Scotland, Loch Fyne...

..home to the country's most famous oyster fishery

and home to lady laird Tuggy Delap.

Look at my beautiful girls!

Hello, beauties!

Hello! Who is feeling hungry?

Tuggy is high in the hills above Loch Fyne,

visiting her prized fold of Highland cattle.

Come on, baby.

These two are just particularly greedy.

What are both their names?

Flicky, Felicity she is called,

and this one is called Fiona.

Her first calf arrived and I'm sorry to say

it shouldn't have done really because...

her dad got out and so the calf was born

and it was the year that I was the letter

we were using to christen them all,

so her first calf was called Incest.

Oops! We changed it, though,

cos we didn't think that looked good on the papers!

TUGGY CHUCKLES

Down on the banks of Loch Fyne is Ardkinglas House,

Tuggy's ancestral home.

This was where the family started life.

My great-grandfather who built it

was working with Lord Armstrong down in Newcastle

building ships for the Japanese Navy

and there was a Japanese-Russian war at the turn of the century

and it is said that he built this house

out of less than one year's disposable income.

One dreads to think how much he was earning that year!

So, was there ever any chance of your side of the family taking this

or was it always going to be the other side?

No, it will be the other side.

Yes, I don't think we could ever take it back now.

Over the years, the estate has been divided up by the family.

Ardkinglas House was passed to Tuggy's cousins

whilst Tuggy inherited a modest 4,500-acre estate

of sheep and cattle farmland.

But Tuggy has turned it into more than just a farm.

We were scratching our heads

and wondering what on earth we could do

to actually try and make this work and...

we came up with the idea of the brewery

over a pint of beer one Sunday.

I looked at them all drinking beer and said,

"Well, we could always just open a brewery." So they all thought,

"Just humour her, she's having a funny ten minutes."

So we started looking at breweries

and it wasn't a stupid idea after all!

Fyne Ales was started in 2001 by Tuggy and her husband Jonny.

In the last 15 years, it has grown to become

a multi-award-winning international brand.

Tuggy's son Jamie has taken over the running of the brewery

and recently secured a £1 million investment to turn their old barn

into a brand-new hi-tech operation that started brewing just last week.

Yeah, very, very exciting.

Three years' effort sort of finally turning into reality, so it's...

Yeah, it'll be very good.

We are still very early days,

but we are pretty optimistic that it's going to be producing

some really great beers, so it's a good bit of kit.

They are brewing their most famous ale, Jarl,

for the first time in the new set-up,

so they will soon find out if the £1 million was money well spent.

Emma has dropped off the last of the shepherds

and can head back down to the house.

But the track that she whizzed along on the way up

is proving trickier now.

No, that's not going to work either.

We want to get to that side, you see.

The eight-wheeled Argo is not coping with the wet slope

and her passengers are now busy elsewhere.

She puts out a tough, you know, exterior.

You know, she is quite a softie really.

See what happens there. We will try that.

She is a very resilient woman, really is, you know.

She's lost her mother, she's lost her father recently

and, you know, life goes on.

There we go!

EMMA CHUCKLES

Relief! I tell you!

Because the problem is that the...

Mobiles don't work here and if I'm stuck

then I have to walk down back to the car

and then go and get Dave or Ian or somebody to help me, so...

And being a woman,

you are determined to do it without...shouting for help.

Put your safety off.

-Look, there he is.

-There he is. Are you ready?

-OK, go.

-GUNSHOT

Well done.

-Well done, Joanna.

-Thank you, Tom.

Joanna has bagged the day's first stag.

-That was good.

-That was very calm.

-Yes.

Due to the high number of deer they must cull,

they put the first shot in the capable hands of the lady laird,

but next up is first-timer Mike.

Well, I think after that, you have earned your lunch, Joanna.

Joanna heads back to the estate's stalking lodge

and leaves the rest to carry on.

Fatal sitting down, I'll never be able to stand up again!

And it's not long before city boy Mike has a deer in his sights.

Now, just keep him in your sights

cos I might want you to shoot him again.

OK, just keep him in your sights. Can you see him?

Tom's looking for a clean kill with one shot.

Yes, just keep him in your sights.

If Mike isn't on target, the deer could escape wounded

and suffer a slow death on the hill.

-OK, go.

-GUNSHOT

But Mike shoots well.

That was pretty thrilling, actually.

I could feel your heart beating from where I was!

Mike's got to get bloodied, as it's his first stag that he's ever shot.

OK, Mike, where are you?

There you go.

Every part of the deer shot today

will either be used or sold for venison,

generating extra income for the estate.

While most estates in Scotland

charge up to £500 a day for commercial deer stalking...

I might have a little bit of whisky.

..Attadale has been able to offer it free to friends and family

due to Mr Macpherson financing it personally.

Thank you, Tom. Thank you, thank you, everybody.

-Cheers.

-Thank you, team.

But when Joanna is eventually left on her own,

they might not be able to afford that luxury

and she knows things are going to have to change.

Back at Loch Fyne,

far from the opulence of her family's stately manor,

Tuggy Delap lives a more humble life

in her 4,500-acre sheep and cattle farm.

This is the Delap family and, as somebody said,

"Thank God they've improved!"

TUGGY LAUGHS

I spend quite a lot of time

wondering whether he was married to her

and this was his mistress, or whether he was married to her

and that was the mother.

I'm not sure.

Tuggy is on her way to see how things are going

with their award-winning ale, Jarl, in the new brewery.

It's making beer!

That's not on.

I thought that was going to be on, but it's not.

Jamie and the team have been working night and day

to get the batch ready for the annual Independent Brewer Awards

next month in Glasgow and it's finally done.

What do you think?

It's good. I mean,

on the old one, you feel more of the yeast aroma.

That is good, sometimes the other one is too dry.

One is from the old brewery and one is from the new brewery

and he wants to compare them.

Yeah, one of them will slightly

have had some of the yeast taken off it, won't it?

Jamie thinks it's up to scratch,

but it will be up to Tuggy to give it the final seal of approval.

I think there's more aroma in the old...

It may not be perfect quite yet,

but the team still has a few weeks to get it ready for the competition.

Jamie has been running the brewery successfully for six years

after taking it over from his dad, Jonny.

We were watching Jonny's health with interest

because he was obviously not particularly well.

Eventually, I persuaded him to go to a doctor

and he said, "Well, I think you've got Parkinson's."

And we went down to see the Parkinson's specialist

down in Southampton and he said yes.

And the doctor said, "Go off and do something

"and don't give yourself any stress,

"just do something that you will enjoy doing."

So we started our own business.

No stress my foot!

There was plenty of stress, but on the other hand, equally,

he loved it and it gave him a reason to get up in the morning

and get on with things.

-TEARFULLY:

-But then, sadly, when he died,

there was a bit of a quick hiccup

and Jamie, luckily, wasn't doing anything at the time,

so he took over running it and he has built the brewery side of it up.

At the Auchlyne Estate in Glen Dochart...

..it's Saturday, which means Nicola's husband Angus

can spend some quality time at home,

but at a working estate like Auchlyne,

there is always a job to be done.

Around 40 miles south in Stirling, it's market day

and Emma Paterson has been here since early morning.

She has brought along 140 sheep,

which have already been sorted into groups ahead of today's auction.

-MAN LAUGHS

-That's terrible!

Today, well, we are hoping for a good sale.

You never know until you go into the ring.

Some people say the sheep trade is quite good,

other people say it's not as good as it has been, so...

I think last year we were just under,

it was somewhere about £80 or £85 per sheep.

The year before, we were up to almost 100, so...

Hoping for somewhere nearer the 100 today.

Suddenly it's all go.

The sale starts in 15 minutes.

The sheep have to be clean, dry and looking their best

if they are to get a good price in the ring.

For Emma and the estate,

it could mean the difference of several thousand pounds.

It's very important

because it's one of the main incomes coming into the farm.

You know, the price of feeding is going up every year,

so you need the money to do that.

Emma's first lot move in to take their place in the queue.

-AUCTIONEER SHOUTS:

-110, 11. 111...

The bidding ahead of her sounds encouraging...

111...

..so Emma could be in for a good day.

First into the ring are her ewe lambs.

Starting at £50, £50, £50.

But bidding has started low...

30, 32, 34...

77, at 77!

..and falls short of the £100 she hoped for.

With another eight lots to go, things will have to pick up.

At the Attadale Estate...

..Joanna Macpherson is returning home

after visiting her mother in hospital.

Well, I've just been to Broadford because my mother has...

She did too much gardening a week or so ago,

about ten days ago or so.

She gardened all day, just because she was feeling better,

which was a major error of judgment

and her back sort of had a setback,

so last Monday she couldn't get up and she slid down onto the floor,

so they had to take her off in an ambulance yet again to Broadford

and so my father and I have been

taking it in turns to go and see her.

The reason she had to go into hospital was

she was flat on the floor, she couldn't get up,

which actually was quite funny in a surreal sort of way.

You had two district nurses and a doctor and my dad,

but they had to get the ambulance because they needed

something special to pick her up off the floor.

And talking to the doctor, she thought

maybe towards the end of this week she should be able to get out.

Mrs Macpherson's accident has left Joanna with a bit of a problem.

The estate is scheduled to take a busload of tourists

for an excursion round the gardens.

Hmm, that's a first.

Mrs Macpherson would normally act as tour guide.

Instead, Joanna is going to have to wing it.

All together...

Emma's first few lots of sheep

haven't reached the £100 mark she'd hoped for.

EMMA SHOOS THE SHEEP

Her last chance of making a good profit

is from her group of gimmers,

two-year-old female sheep, perfect for producing lambs.

100, 102. 102...

Things are looking up as bidding starts high...

106, 108.

At 108. 10, 110, 111.

111, 111, 111...

..and finishes way above her target.

-Thank you very much.

-Always a pleasure, never a chore!

-Thank you, Alistair.

-Thank you.

We'll see you shortly, no doubt.

Well, we will go to the office and get the cheque

and we can have a look at that.

EMMA LAUGHS

Profits from farming

have been dropping year by year for the estate.

And back at Auchlyne...

I'll happily be a pilot, as long as the price is right!

..Nicola has been trying to find alternative sources of income.

The estate recently converted an old farmhouse into a holiday let,

which brings in additional money,

but Nicola knows they will need more

to ensure the family has a future on the estate.

Great, Keith, well, thanks very much for your time.

Right, so we have been trying to think of

wonderful moneymaking ideas for the estate

and one thing that Angus came up with is glamping.

So, yeah, it's just trying to sort of work out costings,

and also we've got to go all through planning and national parks,

you know, ticking all those boxes.

But again, with all these things, it's the capital to begin them

and that is the difficult bit, you know.

There isn't a huge amount of money running around the estate.

You know, the farming doesn't make any money,

or doesn't make enough money.

You know, so it's trying to... yeah, think of other ideas.

-How did you get on today, then?

-Pretty pleased, yes, quite happy.

For me, it's trying to find

something that I can do on the estate

to kind of increase revenue

and make my own sort of wee mark on the place.

£11,159.33.

Head for home now and see what tomorrow brings.

Yes, right, these pods...

We've got lots of frogs, we've got newts, toads,

very good nature-study material!

Deep in the gardens,

Joanna is guiding the tourists round for the first time...

So there's lots of newts and lots of frogs.

..and she's struggling!

-It's very unusual.

-Yes, that one is unusual

and I'm embarrassed I can't remember the name. Argh!

It was given to my parents for their golden wedding

and I'm just hoping it will come into my head in a minute.

It's... I'll remember it later.

A Wollemi pine.

Thank you, thank you.

Sorry, I had a mental blank.

Nice primroses.

I don't think I should be left on my own to do these tours,

I need a horticulturalist with me.

Have I done it all?

I did River Of Life, Borrowed Landscape, Running Water... Yes...

Luckily for Joanna, she can finish up her part of the tour

and let her father take over the rest.

Whatever you do, don't...

We've just had 38 people, probably plus two, I'm not sure exactly,

and I think they enjoyed it.

-Thank you, again, for letting us see your wonderful garden.

-Not at all.

They were all Brits, except for four Americans, I think.

Well, first of all,

the rhododendrons are absolutely spectacular.

Which meant it was less stressful

because we all spoke in English to some degree or another.

The ferns... The ferns are unbelievable.

They're unbelievable. We call them fiddle heads when they're little.

So we are very happy and we are very tired.

We've enjoyed it ever so much and not just because of the garden,

but because the people have been so gracious.

Joanna has pulled it out of the bag and her visitors are leaving happy.

But with her mother out of action,

Joanna may have a much bigger challenge on her hands

with the annual Lochcarron Highland Games next month.

Instead of 40 visitors, it will be more like 2,000.

At the Loch Fyne brewery, the team is hard at work,

trying to recreate their Jarl ale

ahead of the Independent Brewer Awards in Glasgow next week,

but Tuggy has other things on her mind.

That was him when we got married. Hmmm!

I was 19 and he was 26.

It was our anniversary yesterday, 7th October,

and we would have been married 48 years...

..which would have been OK.

We met at a party in London and...

I was supposed to be being a deb in London.

I wasn't very good at being a deb in London.

What does "a deb" mean?

Being a debutante, going to all the parties, don't you know,

and meeting the right people.

I wasn't good at that at all, not at all good at it.

I met Jonny at the first dance I went to

and thereafter I used to skip quite a lot of them

in order to go out with him instead and I got married when I was 19,

so Mummy always said she never had time to educate me

and she was probably right.

TUGGY CHUCKLES

He was a lovely guy.

He came from... Kenya, he was born,

he was born in Nairobi

and so the wide-open spaces didn't worry him too much.

He absolutely loved fishing, so he had a great expression -

"Which would you rather do or go fishing?"

You were never offered the alternative.

So, he used to fish a lot, whenever he could.

It's always much more difficult to do things on your own,

even getting out the camera and taking photographs.

You think to yourself, "Why am I taking photographs?

"For whom am I taking these photographs?"

When I used to go to places and Jonny couldn't, you know,

I could take photographs and bring them back to him to show him,

but I don't know now.

Might just have to take one of that cos it's so nice.

Could be the last dry day for a year, you never can tell!

So... I'm so glad we were able to come up here today.

It's beautiful.

In the north-west of Scotland, on the Attadale Estate...

..volunteers from all over the area

have been hard at work since the crack of dawn

in preparation for the Lochcarron Highland Games.

Later today, over 2,000 people will descend on Attadale

for an afternoon of caber tossing,

Highland dancing

and much, much more...

-..while up at the house...

-Great, so can I just recap?

There's the banners and there's extra-extra-extra-large T-shirts.

..Joanna is helping to organise the games from home

and she will be heading down to the ground shortly.

See you soon. Bye.

In the meantime, the house is full to the brim

with friends, cousins, nieces and nephews,

all here to attend the games.

And on top of everything else, Joanna is on breakfast duty.

So, today is the day of the Highland Games

and we've been working towards this moment for some time.

We have a committee that meets on an almost weekly basis,

and this last week, since Monday, we've been setting the field up

and dealing with various issues.

I need to have a haggis, I need to get a frozen haggis,

that's something that I don't have.

Do you think it would have to be frozen? We always

had it frozen before, but do you think it would have to be frozen?

I would think it would burst if it wasn't frozen.

Right.

Can I offer you a sausage in your fingers?

Oh, all right.

Once, somebody was chucking it and it was going towards this guy

and he sort of deflected it with his elbow

and it hit this wee girl on the side of the head.

Not badly, but it's a bit random, isn't it?

So, we have the Strachan House mob, the French mob...

Joanna's mother and father have hosted the games since 1977,

but with Mrs Macpherson

under strict doctor's orders not to overdo it,

it will be up to Joanna

to help ensure everything today goes off without a hitch.

THUNDER RUMBLES

But the famous Scottish weather has other plans.

Yes, it is raining.

It is raining and it's very misty,

the mist is right down on the hills,

you've got no views at all, which is a shame,

but I hope that, given it's here

and it's in Scotland, they'll come anyway.

The outlook today looks pretty gloomy right now.

And looking wet, it looks even gloomier,

so I'm going to polish my cap badge and hope for the best.

Very good!

Joanna heads outside to see how bad it is.

JOANNA CHUCKLES

Oh, dear!

You can't even see Loch... I just want you to look down there, look.

You can't even see the loch and it's 200 metres away, so that's cheery(!)

You can't see... We won't be able to see the hill race,

because we can't even see the top of the nearest hill!

I'm going to see what waterproof trousers we've got in here

cos I'll share them with the group.

As Joanna rallies her guests to tell them the bad news,

back at the site, the team has downed tools

while the organising committee have a meeting.

You find us at a moment of disappointment and concern.

I've just had a call from Alec

saying that the committee is meeting at 11.30

to review whether it is going to go ahead or not.

So that's why the silence has fallen upon the sandwich-making team,

which, moments ago, was full of joy and enthusiasm,

but has now sunk in deep gloom.

They are concerned for health and safety,

for the heavies actually doing it, so it may not go ahead.

-Hello, bad news, bad news, bad news.

-What's happened?

-Alec's just called

to say they are having a committee meeting at 11.30

and they are probably going to have to cancel.

-No!

-I know, so that's really sad.

Joanna's guests can amuse themselves indoors,

but down on site, people are starting to arrive.

BAGPIPES PLAY

At the Drygate Brewery in Glasgow...

Would you mind sitting at your first table, please?

..Tuggy has arrived to compete in the annual brewing awards.

This is a competition for Siba Scotland.

All the breweries can belong to Siba,

which is the Society of Independent Brewers.

Each region has a competition.

This is the Scottish region.

When we started, we were the 11th brewery in Scotland

and now there are over 70 breweries in Scotland.

We will have between four and five judges per table.

They judge them on clarity, they judge them on flavour,

they judge them on aroma.

Well, obviously, it's a beer competition,

so we are looking for the characteristics of that beer

and we go from there, really.

Well, it would be awfully nice if we won quite a lot of gold medals,

but if we win any medals, I shall be quite pleased.

But gold matter because they help our sales force

and that's what it is all about.

What do these things...? What does that mean?

Tuggy is one of the organisers of today's competition,

but she has also entered

eight beers from Fyne Ales in various categories

and she has high hopes for one in particular.

One of the beers has been made on the new brewery,

so that will be quite interesting

because we've been making Jarl on both of them

and comparing them to see whether the old brewery beer

and the new brewery beer taste close enough to be the same beer,

and the boys are very fussy, they want to get it really close.

Any more?

Back at the Attadale Estate...

..Joanna's guests are sheltering from the rain and waiting for word

about whether the Highland Games will be cancelled...

THUNDER RUMBLES, DISTANT BAGPIPES

-..while down at the site...

-When do they start arriving?

..the visitors, athletes and pipe bands have all started to arrive.

With the committee due to make their decision soon,

the thought of sending everyone home

has become too much for some organisers.

We're just going to play everything by ear...

Listen for interruptions.

-I'm going to start crying.

-No, don't cry!

It's all right.

Take a deep breath, take a deep breath, it's all fine.

With the site at a near standstill,

Joanna heads back to the house to await word.

And just as she gets through the door, a call comes through.

Hello? Hello?

It's going to go ahead?

I almost want to cry!

Thank God!

OK, all right, super.

Yes.

Fantastic! I love you for ever!

OK, can I go and tell the children, please?

Hello! It's on!

THEY CHEER AND LAUGH

-Yay! So...

-APPLAUSE

So I'm just going to go and tell Granny and Grandpa

and then I'd better go and put some tartan on.

OK, so onwards and upwards, finish the sandwiches.

Booze!

The games can't begin

without Mr Macpherson officially opening them,

so the family makes a dash for the site.

It's like a lunatic asylum... but it's very nice of you to come.

Bloody awful weather!

It's an absolute miracle it's happening.

-Hello!

-Hello! Bonjour! Ca va?

Even with the unfortunate weather,

we intend to carry on as best we can.

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Attadale.

I declare the Lochcarron Friendly Games open.

APPLAUSE

Ooh!

Despite the rain, the runners start to run,

the pipers start to pipe,

and Joanna has her fingers crossed the weather doesn't get any worse.

Cheers!

So, thank you, judges, for coming and doing your work.

It's the moment of truth for Tuggy.

I have a piece of paper here.

I will do the bottled categories first of all.

For bottled bitters up to and including 4.9%,

it is Scottish Borders Brewery with Dark Horse.

And the gold award for bottled bitters

is Harviestoun with Broken Dial.

Things get off to a bad start.

Fyne Ales hasn't managed to reach the top three

in the first five categories, and next up is Jarl,

where Tuggy will find out if the new brewery

has succeeded in recreating the famous ale.

Tuggy misses out on bronze.

But...

The silver award goes to

-Fyne Ales with Jarl.

-Yes!

..it wins silver.

And it's not the only award she picks up.

The silver goes to Fyne Ales.

And the gold award goes to Fyne Ales with Sublime Stout.

APPLAUSE

On top of the two silvers, Tuggy is walking away with gold.

..goes to Tryst Brewery...

TUGGY MOUTHS

The outcast group in the corner, can we have you in?

Well done, well done, well done.

My phone says that Jamie has called me,

so I'd better ring him back!

Hello. How are you?

I haven't got a dustbinful,

but I don't think you will be too displeased.

Jarl got silver for bottle and silver for cask.

Sorry?

And that was the brew you did?!

Oh, well done, sir!

That's so good!

Well, you and Musk between you have done a grand job these days,

so that was absolutely spankingly good.

OK, love, I'll speak to you soon.

Cheers. OK, bye.

Jamie brewed that beer!

It was the second brew we put through on the brew plant

and there wasn't a brewer around, so Jamie did it.

That's a really, really lovely beer,

so it's nice when it gets a reward for being so good.

I'll give you a glass next time you're up.

-Didn't Fiona do well?!

-Yes!

The games are coming to a close.

Joanna takes pride of place with her father

to mark the end of another successful year.

We had quite a fraught morning because the rain was so bad,

but thank goodness it has actually cleared up for the most part

and the whole thing has gone really well.

We conquered the elements

and soldiered on despite the appalling situation

and, actually, it's not raining any more,

but I'm still very cold and damp,

so I'm going to go home and have a bath.

Next time on Lady Lairds...

We've been here a long time, so we'd like to be here a little bit longer.

-SCREAMS:

-NO! That was close!

..Nicola's future on the estate is in jeopardy...

It's a worrying time

because you just don't know what the future is going to be.

..Attadale receives some very special visitors...

They came to film a commercial for a new whisky

and it starred David Beckham!

And that paid for the roof.

EWEN LAUGHS

..and at Scotland's oldest inhabited house...

Seems to have got very busy!

..lady laird Catherine Maxwell Stuart

has her hands full with an important guest of her own.

It gives me great pleasure to welcome

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon to Traquair House.