0:00:15 > 0:00:21We've crossed the Irish Sea to begin the Scottish leg of our epic journey
0:00:21 > 0:00:23around the entire coast of the UK.
0:00:23 > 0:00:28So far we've travelled along the southern edge of England, round Wales,
0:00:28 > 0:00:31north from Liverpool and around the coast of Northern Ireland,
0:00:31 > 0:00:35uncovering the stories that have shaped us as an island nation.
0:00:35 > 0:00:40This part of our grand tour takes us around the jagged west coast of Scotland.
0:00:40 > 0:00:43Nowhere else in the UK is there such an intricate tangle
0:00:43 > 0:00:47of islands, lochs and sounds.
0:00:47 > 0:00:54And it's this chaos of islands and inlets that has shaped life here on the rocky west.
0:00:54 > 0:00:59Donning their sou'westers and hopping around with me is our usual team of experts.
0:00:59 > 0:01:02Historian Neil Oliver joins the Royal Navy to find out
0:01:02 > 0:01:07why this stretch of coast is home to the UK's entire nuclear arsenal.
0:01:09 > 0:01:14Zoologist Miranda Krestovnikoff goes on the hunt for minke whales off the island of Rhum.
0:01:16 > 0:01:21Anthropologist Alice Roberts witnesses the re-birth of Glasgow shipbuilding,
0:01:21 > 0:01:24as 11,000 tonnes of steel is cheered down the slipway.
0:01:24 > 0:01:30And while I discover how the Scottish King James V crushed the mighty clans of the Western Isles...
0:01:30 > 0:01:37- Launch!- ..Mark Horton gets a crash course in German rocket science on the Island of Scarp.
0:01:39 > 0:01:43Welcome to the west coast of Scotland.
0:02:07 > 0:02:13This next leg of our journey takes us from the Firth of Clyde to the Outer Hebrides.
0:02:13 > 0:02:18As the seagull flies, it's only 300 miles, but add in the dozens
0:02:18 > 0:02:24of islands anchored off this rugged coastline and we are talking thousands of miles.
0:02:35 > 0:02:40Life on the west coast is governed as much by the sea as by the land.
0:02:40 > 0:02:47So what better way of getting to know its geography than on this classic Scottish sailing ketch.
0:02:51 > 0:02:58Skipper Andrew Ritchie has had a lifelong love affair with this stretch of coast.
0:02:58 > 0:03:02What makes this such a great place to sail, Andrew?
0:03:02 > 0:03:06I've sailed in many parts of the world and I still think
0:03:06 > 0:03:10the west coast of Scotland is the finest sailing area in the world.
0:03:10 > 0:03:14There's nothing like the west coast, the freshness of the air.
0:03:14 > 0:03:18You've got sandy shores and rocky sea cliffs that come down.
0:03:18 > 0:03:21You've got the mountains of Skye that come up to the sea.
0:03:21 > 0:03:26The variety of sailing is better than anywhere else in the world.
0:03:29 > 0:03:32It's also one of the most hazardous, isn't it?
0:03:32 > 0:03:35It has its places, and it has its moments.
0:03:35 > 0:03:39The Atlantic shore, wind can get up in no time and you can find yourself
0:03:39 > 0:03:43in a lot heavier weather than you originally expected.
0:03:43 > 0:03:47One of one of the great advantages of sailing on the west coast
0:03:47 > 0:03:52is that the coast is so jagged there's always some place you can get safe anchorage,
0:03:52 > 0:03:55and you can get under cover within a short sailing time.
0:03:58 > 0:04:03So far my experience of Scotland's west coast has been windswept and carefree.
0:04:03 > 0:04:09But nowhere in the British Isles has so much heavy metal been put to sea than here on the River Clyde.
0:04:10 > 0:04:17For 200 years, if it was ploughing of the world's great sea-lanes, chances are it was built here.
0:04:20 > 0:04:24Sailing and boat-building has been part of the culture around here for centuries.
0:04:24 > 0:04:28And nowhere is that legacy more evident than on the River Clyde.
0:04:41 > 0:04:47For generations, the River Clyde lay at the heart of Glasgow's prospering economy,
0:04:47 > 0:04:51with a massive shipbuilding heritage that saw huge iron-clad vessels
0:04:51 > 0:04:54sail to the four corners of the world.
0:04:55 > 0:05:01To be Clyde-built was seen as a mark of quality, craftsmanship and reliability.
0:05:07 > 0:05:14But decades of fierce foreign competition spelt the end of Glasgow's golden age of shipping.
0:05:17 > 0:05:21The dockyards slid into decline, disuse and neglect.
0:05:28 > 0:05:31But some refuse to die.
0:05:31 > 0:05:36Today, it's no wonder that any new ship is met with jubilant celebration.
0:05:38 > 0:05:46Alice Roberts is quayside as Glasgow's most famous industry trumpets its latest creation.
0:05:46 > 0:05:50At this dock in Govan, amidst a wave of pomp and ceremony,
0:05:50 > 0:05:55they're about to name and launch the Royal Fleet Auxiliary's Navy support ship Cardigan Bay.
0:05:55 > 0:05:5811,000 tonnes must slip majestically onto the River Clyde.
0:05:58 > 0:06:06The Cardigan Bay is the 751st vessel to be launched from this dock in 150 years.
0:06:06 > 0:06:12For the workers who have spent the last 18 months building her, launch day is a momentous occasion.
0:06:14 > 0:06:17It is also a nerve-jangling one.
0:06:18 > 0:06:23Only last year the Cardigan's sister ship hit trouble, literally,
0:06:23 > 0:06:27when she slid down the slipway straight into a concrete wall.
0:06:27 > 0:06:33It was an embarrassing dent to their pride, and one that is not going to happen again!
0:06:33 > 0:06:36Co-ordinating this launch is Scott Jamieson.
0:06:36 > 0:06:41Now on the launch of the sister ship there was a little bit of a problem.
0:06:41 > 0:06:43When you launch a ship this size,
0:06:43 > 0:06:46there are a lot of variables and it is a very complex process.
0:06:46 > 0:06:50The direction wasn't quite right and she travelled further than we wanted her to.
0:06:50 > 0:06:52How much further?
0:06:52 > 0:06:56She made slight contact with the opposite end of the river.
0:06:56 > 0:06:58But it wasn't that big a deal. Very minor damage.
0:06:58 > 0:07:01- And it's not going to happen? - It won't happen this year.
0:07:01 > 0:07:06- We've done everything to make sure everything goes smoothly.- Yeah.
0:07:07 > 0:07:14Scott, I have to say I am ever so slightly nervous being underneath thousands of tons of ship.
0:07:14 > 0:07:16So what's stopping her sliding down?
0:07:16 > 0:07:22We have four hydraulic rams, which push against the weight of the ship and hold her in position.
0:07:22 > 0:07:26Half an hour before we launch the ship, we start to take these away.
0:07:26 > 0:07:32- We'll press the button that releases the triggers and she'll start to slide into the Clyde.- Right.
0:07:32 > 0:07:35I think I need to get out of here.
0:07:35 > 0:07:41Last year, one of the four drag chains that slow the ship down snapped free.
0:07:41 > 0:07:44It was enough to spell disaster.
0:07:44 > 0:07:49This year, the launch team are taking no chances and are attaching two extra 60-tonne drag chains,
0:07:49 > 0:07:52so there'll be three on either side of the ship.
0:07:52 > 0:07:55BAND STRIKES UP
0:07:55 > 0:08:00With only a few hours to go, the final preparations are carried out.
0:08:05 > 0:08:11Glasgow's passion for big ships still burns bright, and launch day is always a carnival.
0:08:18 > 0:08:22Can I ask you, have you any family connections with the ship?
0:08:22 > 0:08:24My cousin John worked on it.
0:08:24 > 0:08:26- Oh, really? Is he up there on deck? - He's on there now.
0:08:26 > 0:08:29- Have you seen a ship launched? - No, this is my first time.
0:08:29 > 0:08:32Is it a big day for Glasgow?
0:08:32 > 0:08:34- Yes, very big.- Why is it so big?
0:08:34 > 0:08:36Well, tradition.
0:08:36 > 0:08:38A Glasgow tradition.
0:08:38 > 0:08:42Shipbuilding on the Clyde, second to none in the world.
0:08:42 > 0:08:46- We used to do this twice a month. - Really? Ships this size?
0:08:46 > 0:08:51- That's a small one, by the way. - Right.- But it's good to know they still build them here.
0:08:52 > 0:08:57As the crowds line up and the VIPs arrive, it all looks perfect.
0:09:12 > 0:09:17Lady Stanhope is getting ready to name the ship and launch her, and underneath the ship
0:09:17 > 0:09:22the last-minute checks are being held to make sure that everything goes smoothly.
0:09:22 > 0:09:28But below the ship, it's a different story. The launch was scheduled for high tide,
0:09:28 > 0:09:33which should have guaranteed a healthy three metres of water to carry her massive bulk.
0:09:33 > 0:09:38But strong northerly winds have blown the tide back out to sea.
0:09:38 > 0:09:43The result - the Clyde is now too shallow to launch the ship safely.
0:09:43 > 0:09:49The ship is named, but the actual launch is postponed till tomorrow.
0:09:50 > 0:09:53I name this ship Cardigan Bay.
0:09:53 > 0:09:58May God bless her and all who sail in her.
0:09:58 > 0:10:01CHEERING
0:10:12 > 0:10:17It's the morning after the naming ceremony and the launch is back on track.
0:10:24 > 0:10:30With only half an hour to go, the burner is called in to remove the four supporting spurs.
0:10:30 > 0:10:34For 18 months, the weight of ship has been held back by the steel girders.
0:10:41 > 0:10:48Once gone, there'll be no stopping her sliding inexorably into the water. There'll be no turning back.
0:10:48 > 0:10:52She's moving. Come on, get her moving.
0:10:54 > 0:10:57The ship is ready to launch.
0:10:57 > 0:11:00MUSIC: "Also Sprach Zarathustra" by Richard Strauss
0:12:03 > 0:12:08- Three cheers for the Cardigan Bay. Hip, hip...- CROWD: ..Hooray!
0:12:08 > 0:12:11- Hip, hip...- CROWD: ..hooray! - Hip, hip...- CROWD: ..hooray!
0:12:12 > 0:12:19It's a success that has given the Clyde its first real taste of optimism in decades.
0:12:19 > 0:12:24Though nobody expects shipbuilding to regain its pre-war levels, the order books are now bulging
0:12:24 > 0:12:30and this bit of Scottish coast looks like its going to be busy for a while yet.
0:12:44 > 0:12:49Despite the decline in shipbuilding, the connection with the sea remains strong.
0:12:49 > 0:12:54The biggest employer along the west coast is the Royal Navy.
0:12:54 > 0:13:00Her Majesty's naval base here at Faslane is the largest military establishment in Scotland.
0:13:00 > 0:13:03It employs a workforce of more than 6,000.
0:13:06 > 0:13:11The Navy's presence here dates back to the First World War.
0:13:14 > 0:13:18The depth of the lochs and their ready access to the Atlantic Ocean
0:13:18 > 0:13:22make this an obvious choice for our most important submarine base.
0:13:22 > 0:13:29And since the '60s, that no longer means just torpedoes, but intercontinental ballistic missiles.
0:13:31 > 0:13:35Each of these boats is capable of delivering more destructive power
0:13:35 > 0:13:38than was unleashed in the whole of the Second World War.
0:13:43 > 0:13:48Faslane stands guard over Britain's entire nuclear arsenal,
0:13:48 > 0:13:51a force that comprises four Trident submarines.
0:13:57 > 0:14:01Our historian, Neil Oliver, has been given privileged access
0:14:01 > 0:14:05to join the crew of Trident submarine HMS Vanguard.
0:14:09 > 0:14:15As we're escorted out, the submarine has to negotiate the shallow waters of Loch Gareloch.
0:14:15 > 0:14:21Navigating a 150-metre-long 16,000-tonne nuclear submarine is no easy feat.
0:14:27 > 0:14:30Overseeing this tricky manoeuvre is Captain Jake Moores.
0:14:31 > 0:14:34We've just left the Gareloch and coming down
0:14:34 > 0:14:39the Rhu Narrows where we have 40 yards of clear water either side
0:14:39 > 0:14:42and 3.5 metres of clear water underneath the submarine.
0:14:42 > 0:14:44As the submarine is over 100 yards long,
0:14:44 > 0:14:50there isn't a lot of space to turn her as we come through the Narrows and out here into the Clyde.
0:14:51 > 0:14:55What is it about Faslane that makes it so special?
0:14:55 > 0:14:58Faslane's in a unique position within the UK.
0:14:58 > 0:15:04It's a deep-water harbour that's well protected, with a difficult navigational entrance and exit.
0:15:04 > 0:15:09And also, it provides easy access to the North Atlantic and quick access to get out to deep water.
0:15:09 > 0:15:14In addition, the lochs in the area provide us with deep water
0:15:14 > 0:15:19where we can conduct trials and training without having to go too far.
0:15:19 > 0:15:23It's been over three years since HMS Vanguard was last on patrol.
0:15:23 > 0:15:27As the oldest of the UK's four Trident submarines,
0:15:27 > 0:15:31she was taken out of service in 2001 for a complete overhaul.
0:15:31 > 0:15:37But before she can resume patrol duty, both the crew and the submarine must survive a series of drills.
0:15:37 > 0:15:41I've joined the crew at the start of a gruelling set of sea trials
0:15:41 > 0:15:45that will test the ship and, more importantly, her men to the limits.
0:15:47 > 0:15:53For the past two weeks Captain Moores has been preparing his crew for the first of those tests.
0:15:53 > 0:15:56Ready to dive. Diving now.
0:16:00 > 0:16:04Their underwater patrols last three months, during which time
0:16:04 > 0:16:09no-one sees anything of the outside world, not even daylight.
0:16:09 > 0:16:13With such a vast array of complex equipment, a lot can go wrong
0:16:13 > 0:16:20and the crew must sort out any emergency themselves. But the fear that haunts every submariner is fire
0:16:20 > 0:16:25which, hundreds of feet below the surface, can quickly turn lethal.
0:16:25 > 0:16:29Three men have been airlifted from a Canadian submarine stranded...
0:16:29 > 0:16:34Last year, a crewman died and eight others were injured on board the Canadian submarine
0:16:34 > 0:16:40the Chicoutimi, when a fire crippled her and left her adrift in open seas.
0:16:40 > 0:16:44No wonder they take these drills in such deadly earnest.
0:16:46 > 0:16:49To make sure the crew are up to scratch,
0:16:49 > 0:16:56the Navy's own team of inspectors plant a series of simulated fires throughout the submarine.
0:16:56 > 0:17:02Assessment day! There's a real sense of tension running right through the ship. It's very exciting.
0:17:02 > 0:17:05ON RADIO: 'Shut bulkhead doors!
0:17:05 > 0:17:10'Emergency stations! Shut bulkhead doors!'
0:17:10 > 0:17:11Go! Go!
0:17:16 > 0:17:22As soon as any emergency occurs, the officers' mess rapidly transforms into Damage Control.
0:17:22 > 0:17:27The heads of every department are here, from the chief weapons engineer to the chief medic.
0:17:27 > 0:17:29Doc, any information on casualties?
0:17:29 > 0:17:33This is the nerve centre during any crisis.
0:17:35 > 0:17:38Meanwhile, it's the crew's job to tackle the fire.
0:17:38 > 0:17:41ON RADIO: 'Electrical failure!'
0:17:41 > 0:17:44The pace of the day is relentless.
0:17:44 > 0:17:49With one fire under control, the test team set off others.
0:17:49 > 0:17:54In such confined spaces, speed and teamwork are essential.
0:17:54 > 0:17:56The fire is out! The fire is out!
0:17:56 > 0:18:00ON RADIO: 'The submarine was struck by a submerged container.
0:18:00 > 0:18:06'Various incidents have occurred throughout the submarine, including two fires which are out. That's all.'
0:18:06 > 0:18:11Although the drills and tests are now over, the crew can never relax.
0:18:11 > 0:18:15Is it possible at all to get away from the day job
0:18:15 > 0:18:20while you're on active service? I mean, can you switch off at all?
0:18:20 > 0:18:23No, while we're at sea, you can't switch off.
0:18:23 > 0:18:27If something goes wrong, you're in an enclosed environment underwater
0:18:27 > 0:18:32and you've got to deal with it very quickly, otherwise there could be problems.
0:18:32 > 0:18:34That's why we train so carefully for it.
0:18:45 > 0:18:48Well, they've passed the first big milestone
0:18:48 > 0:18:52but for the crew this is just the start of a long process.
0:18:52 > 0:18:56For them, it's more practice, more assessment, more practice, more assessments
0:18:56 > 0:19:02for the next 12 months, until this ship is finally declared fully operational.
0:19:14 > 0:19:21The lochs, so perfect for submarine training, and the tangle of islands and inlets on the west coast,
0:19:21 > 0:19:24have been 3,000 million years in the making.
0:19:24 > 0:19:29Everything around here has been shaped by heat and by ice.
0:19:29 > 0:19:34These ancient volcanic rocks have been scoured into deep troughs and mountains
0:19:34 > 0:19:39by the glaciers of the last ice age. It's a landscape that's changing all the time.
0:19:39 > 0:19:42When the ice melted, the water flooded in,
0:19:42 > 0:19:46so those aren't islands but the tops of submerged mountains.
0:19:55 > 0:20:00It's impossible not to be moved by the sheer scale of this place
0:20:00 > 0:20:03and the unbelievable forces that formed it -
0:20:03 > 0:20:08the rivers of molten rock, the cataracts of ice, the torrents of water.
0:20:08 > 0:20:15They've all created a natural spectacle that just cannot fail to unleash the human imagination.
0:20:21 > 0:20:26The island of Staffa, thrown up by the same volcanic activity that created the Giant's Causeway
0:20:26 > 0:20:31in Northern Ireland, has lured travellers from all over the world.
0:20:31 > 0:20:36German composer Felix Mendelssohn visited Staffa in 1829.
0:20:36 > 0:20:39The experience inspired his Hebridean overture.
0:20:39 > 0:20:43MUSIC: "Fingal's Cave Overture" by Felix Mendelssohn
0:20:49 > 0:20:53Other artists came here simply to get away from it all.
0:20:53 > 0:21:0160 years ago, George Orwell went out to the remote island of Jura to write his caustic satire, 1984.
0:21:01 > 0:21:05Secluded Jura may be, but tranquil it is not.
0:21:05 > 0:21:08Orwell's own experiences of Jura included a close call
0:21:08 > 0:21:14with one of the coast's most ferocious black spots - the gulf of Corryvreckan.
0:21:16 > 0:21:20The stretch of water between the islands of Jura and Scarba
0:21:20 > 0:21:23is one of the most dangerous in the British Isles.
0:21:23 > 0:21:30With currents reaching speeds of up to 16 knots, it was once classed as un-navigable by the Royal Navy.
0:21:30 > 0:21:36On a quiet day it can be deceptively calm, but when tides and winds conspire,
0:21:36 > 0:21:39this water transforms into one of Britain's most fearsome sights -
0:21:39 > 0:21:42the Corryvreckan whirlpool.
0:21:49 > 0:21:55The whirlpool's awesome power has become a daily draw for thrill-seekers.
0:21:55 > 0:21:59Archaeologist Mark Horton discovers what lies beneath.
0:22:02 > 0:22:07- So where are we?- We're heading into the Corryvreckan straight ahead.
0:22:07 > 0:22:12'I've hitched a lift with local tour boat operator David Ainsley
0:22:12 > 0:22:16'to find out what causes this maelstrom.'
0:22:16 > 0:22:19We have Jura on our left-hand side...
0:22:19 > 0:22:23Twice a day, in the period between the tide ebbing in and flowing out,
0:22:23 > 0:22:29the whirlpool lies dormant, allowing us a brief moment to glimpse what lies beneath -
0:22:29 > 0:22:33a huge underwater mountain known as "the pinnacle".
0:22:35 > 0:22:38Now we're sitting on top of the famous pinnacle,
0:22:38 > 0:22:41the pinnacle that fuels one of the largest whirlpools in the world.
0:22:41 > 0:22:46We're just going up over the top, 50, 40... That's the peak!
0:22:46 > 0:22:51- We're pretty well on top of it now. - This 170-metre pinnacle,
0:22:51 > 0:22:54taller than the Blackpool Tower,
0:22:54 > 0:22:57lies waiting in the path of the tide.
0:22:57 > 0:23:01When the tide floods in, the weight of the water
0:23:01 > 0:23:05squeezing through this narrow gulf is deflected by the pinnacle
0:23:05 > 0:23:09and is forced down this huge underwater mountainside,
0:23:09 > 0:23:13where it accelerates, just like a waterfall.
0:23:13 > 0:23:18But the water flowing to the other side of the pinnacle travels much slower
0:23:18 > 0:23:23and it is the difference between these two currents that causes it to swirl.
0:23:28 > 0:23:32The only way to see this pinnacle is to dive into the maelstrom.
0:23:34 > 0:23:38It is one of the most dangerous dives in Britain,
0:23:38 > 0:23:42and one which only a handful of people have undertaken.
0:23:42 > 0:23:44David Ainsley is one of those brave few.
0:23:46 > 0:23:51If it is such a dangerous dive, why would you dive in the first place?
0:23:51 > 0:23:58I think divers and mountaineers have very much the same, um,
0:23:58 > 0:24:00ambitions and so on.
0:24:00 > 0:24:06- It's regarded as one of the pinnacles, if you like, of diving in Britain.- Because it's there?- Yes!
0:24:06 > 0:24:09What's it actually like down there?
0:24:09 > 0:24:14The tide hits the pinnacle at the end of the flood tide and it actually pushes up.
0:24:14 > 0:24:19So you have to haul yourself down with the tide flowing into your face like a river.
0:24:21 > 0:24:24The biggest risk is getting taken down in the down currents.
0:24:24 > 0:24:30The top of the pinnacle is at 30 metres and it goes straight down to 200 metres.
0:24:33 > 0:24:38When the tide turns, it's like an underwater washing machine down there.
0:24:38 > 0:24:44Rocks trapped in the swirling waters scour out hollows in the rock face.
0:24:46 > 0:24:50It's chilling evidence of what a dangerous place this is.
0:24:56 > 0:25:03It's a bit like when a typhoon passes overhead and you can feel the tide pulling your fins off the rocks.
0:25:03 > 0:25:06- Tugging you downwards to these depths?- Well, yes.
0:25:06 > 0:25:10How long does one actually dive on the pinnacle, half an hour?
0:25:10 > 0:25:14- You're lucky if you get five minutes. Ten minutes, maximum. - How do you know when time's up?
0:25:14 > 0:25:17The end of the dive is when the down currents start.
0:25:17 > 0:25:22So normally on a dive your bubbles go up to the surface.
0:25:22 > 0:25:26As you're diving, you'll find your bubbles start staying with you.
0:25:26 > 0:25:30Then the bubbles will go down over the side of the cliff,
0:25:30 > 0:25:35and we've been there looking down the side of the cliff with our bubbles going down,
0:25:35 > 0:25:40- and you know you've overstayed your welcome.- You get the hell out? - You get the hell out of there.
0:26:07 > 0:26:11For every danger thrown up by the jagged west coast,
0:26:11 > 0:26:16there are just as many natural harbours and safe passages.
0:26:16 > 0:26:21And it is these safe route ways that link the islands rather than separate them.
0:26:23 > 0:26:27Along the west coast, the sea holds people and communities together,
0:26:27 > 0:26:31and at its hub lies the port of Oban.
0:26:33 > 0:26:38For over 200 years, this fishing town has been a tourist attraction in itself.
0:26:38 > 0:26:44But for many travellers, their view of the town is often from the ferry as it leaves the terminus.
0:26:53 > 0:26:56Because it's so close to the Inner and Outer Hebrides,
0:26:56 > 0:26:59Oban can justifiably claim to be the gateway to the isles.
0:27:01 > 0:27:06From here you can take your pick of 22 island destinations that pepper the west coast,
0:27:06 > 0:27:12though few are as rainbow-coloured as Tobermory, more familiar to the under-6s as Balamory.
0:27:12 > 0:27:14# Balamory
0:27:14 > 0:27:18# What's the story in Balamory? Wouldn't you like to know? #
0:27:18 > 0:27:22I'm Donald MacLean, painter and decorator.
0:27:22 > 0:27:25I was born in Tobermory. I've lived here all my life.
0:27:25 > 0:27:29# ..Choosing our colours with Spencer we should go... #
0:27:29 > 0:27:32Balamory was filmed in Tobermory.
0:27:33 > 0:27:35It's got a lot of characters in it.
0:27:35 > 0:27:39Spencer the painter, who I've been called after a few times.
0:27:39 > 0:27:42Kids shouting, "Dad! There's Spencer!"
0:27:42 > 0:27:45'I tell them Spencer's on holiday. I'm just standing in for him.'
0:27:45 > 0:27:47HE LAUGHS
0:27:47 > 0:27:53The colours were started off by a former provost of Tobermory, Bobby Macleod.
0:27:53 > 0:27:57He decided he would do one building red, one yellow and one blue.
0:27:57 > 0:27:59He was told to change it back, but he never.
0:27:59 > 0:28:04That started off the trend of all the different colours, which I think is very nice.
0:28:06 > 0:28:10I'm having my piece now... while Junior's doing the work.
0:28:10 > 0:28:12Don't miss any bits.
0:28:16 > 0:28:20Not all visitors head to Mull for the colourful scenery.
0:28:20 > 0:28:24Others are drawn by the spectacular wildlife.
0:28:24 > 0:28:30The waters north of Tobermory up towards the islands of Eigg and Rhum are teeming with marine life.
0:28:33 > 0:28:37Zoologist Miranda Krestovnikoff teams up with local whale expert
0:28:37 > 0:28:41Brennen Fairbairns for a close-up view of the elusive minke whale.
0:28:50 > 0:28:52I've done a bit of whale-watching,
0:28:52 > 0:28:55but I didn't appreciate what a whale-watching hot spot this is.
0:28:55 > 0:28:59There's a massive amount of species here. We see almost a third of the world population
0:28:59 > 0:29:04of whales and dolphins here around the UK coast. Amazing diversity.
0:29:04 > 0:29:09More common ones we see - minke whales, we see lots of dolphin species,
0:29:09 > 0:29:11rissos, bottle-nosed dolphins, common dolphins,
0:29:11 > 0:29:16porpoises, harbour porpoises, just to name a few of the ones we see.
0:29:16 > 0:29:19And why here, what's so special about this location?
0:29:19 > 0:29:25There's a lot of reasons, really, but the main reason is that we catch the edge of the Gulf Stream
0:29:25 > 0:29:28and that brings warmer, richer water into this colder sea.
0:29:28 > 0:29:33Brings in nutrients which helps to accounts for massive plankton bloom every year
0:29:33 > 0:29:38and that brings in all the predators up the food chain from there, of course, leading up to the whale.
0:29:38 > 0:29:42'And because the whales' food comes in so close to shore
0:29:42 > 0:29:46'it's a great opportunity to see these fantastic animals.'
0:29:47 > 0:29:50One in front, one o'clock!
0:29:51 > 0:29:56Oh, yes! Really close. There's another one.
0:30:00 > 0:30:06'Minke whales migrate here from the tropics to spend the summer months feeding in these rich waters.
0:30:06 > 0:30:10'But no-one really knows if they stay around the Scottish coast all summer
0:30:10 > 0:30:16'or if they keep moving further north where they could be in danger from an all-too-familiar threat.'
0:30:16 > 0:30:20Some nations still hunt minke whales, which is the main whale we see.
0:30:20 > 0:30:24Norway and Iceland, which have resumed whaling,
0:30:24 > 0:30:26and because so little is known about minke whales,
0:30:26 > 0:30:29we don't know if the whales we are seeing here
0:30:29 > 0:30:32are the same ones that are being killed up off their shores.
0:30:32 > 0:30:37So really, so much needs to be learned about these whales, really.
0:30:37 > 0:30:41'In order to find out more, Brennen and his team are photographing the whales,
0:30:41 > 0:30:45'so they can spot any markings, which help identify the individual animals.
0:30:45 > 0:30:51'They've compiled a catalogue of the minke whales they see here each year.'
0:30:51 > 0:30:54We're trying to basically get photo ID shots of the whale.
0:30:54 > 0:31:01We have upwards of 80 animals now that we know that we've seen back more than one year in a row.
0:31:01 > 0:31:04Minke whales, being the smallest, nobody was concerned about them,
0:31:04 > 0:31:09but now, because they're being hunted, they're getting more attention which is good.
0:31:10 > 0:31:13'Another reason we know so little about these whales
0:31:13 > 0:31:20'is because they're fast and elusive which makes it really difficult to follow them and get photographs.'
0:31:20 > 0:31:24You see them once, then you focus on them and then they're gone.
0:31:24 > 0:31:28It gives you an idea of how little is known about minke whales.
0:31:32 > 0:31:34Excellent, that's a good shot.
0:31:34 > 0:31:36Is that good enough for identification?
0:31:36 > 0:31:39- Yes, we can add that to our catalogue.- Fantastic.
0:31:39 > 0:31:41What is that terrible smell?
0:31:41 > 0:31:45- It's minke whale breath.- Really? - Yeah.- It smells like rotting fish.
0:31:45 > 0:31:50'It's really frustrating how little you see of the whales from the surface.'
0:31:51 > 0:31:55'So, we're going to use an underwater camera
0:31:55 > 0:31:59'so we can appreciate the true size and beauty of these animals.
0:32:05 > 0:32:08'And the best way to find whales is to find a shoal of fish,
0:32:08 > 0:32:10'stick with them and hope a whale comes in.'
0:32:10 > 0:32:12I can see the fish, yeah.
0:32:12 > 0:32:16You can just start to see the bait ball here, there's birds feeding here.
0:32:16 > 0:32:21You see the razorbills and the guillemots diving in from the surface
0:32:21 > 0:32:24and they seem to be keeping the fish together in that big ball.
0:32:24 > 0:32:28- We're expecting a minke whale to come in and scoop up the lot. - That'd be great.
0:32:28 > 0:32:33It's almost the different species of birds working collectively together.
0:32:33 > 0:32:36There's a whale coming in, a whale coming this way over here at nine o'clock.
0:32:36 > 0:32:40You got the whale there, Mike? Got it, got it here, yeah!
0:32:40 > 0:32:44- Beautiful! Absolutely beautiful! - Excellent.- Really sleek.
0:32:44 > 0:32:48It's hard to keep up with them, they keep swimming through frame really quickly.
0:32:48 > 0:32:50- Whoa!- Blimey!
0:32:50 > 0:32:54I have to say it's spectacular from here. Very streamlined.
0:32:54 > 0:32:56You don't appreciate, when you see them on the surface,
0:32:56 > 0:33:00just how streamline they are, cos you see so little of them.
0:33:00 > 0:33:04- Yep, it's coming closer. - It's coming right underneath us.
0:33:04 > 0:33:07- Fantastic. This is... - Excellent, that's so close.
0:33:07 > 0:33:11Really close. So how long is this individual we've got here?
0:33:11 > 0:33:13Probably about nine metres.
0:33:13 > 0:33:17- And how heavy? - Probably about ten tons.
0:33:17 > 0:33:20It's so good to see them underwater, because you don't appreciate
0:33:20 > 0:33:23what size or shape they are when you see just a dorsal fin.
0:33:27 > 0:33:32'It's great to know that you can see these whales and dolphins around our coastline.
0:33:32 > 0:33:34'But once they leave the safety of these shores,
0:33:34 > 0:33:39'they could become part of the 1,000 minke whales killed through hunting each year.
0:33:39 > 0:33:43'This makes Brennen's research work even more invaluable.'
0:34:10 > 0:34:13Take a look at this, the Knoydart peninsula,
0:34:13 > 0:34:17there's not a single road or rail track the whole way from Loch Hourn up here
0:34:17 > 0:34:19to Loch Nevis down here.
0:34:19 > 0:34:22It's known as Scotland's last wilderness.
0:34:22 > 0:34:25The place perfect for a quiet life.
0:34:34 > 0:34:39My name is Francis Cormey, normally called Frank or Frankie.
0:34:39 > 0:34:44And I look after this church, which is a backpacker's place.
0:34:45 > 0:34:50And what I'm doing now is making these bloody sticks
0:34:50 > 0:34:53and I sell them to the tourists.
0:34:53 > 0:34:55I don't like doing that.
0:34:55 > 0:35:00I'd sooner make a stick for somebody who wants a stick, actually for nothing.
0:35:00 > 0:35:04One of these phil... Phila...
0:35:04 > 0:35:08Well, that long word that means a kindly soul.
0:35:09 > 0:35:12I've just sawed a hole in my trousers.
0:35:12 > 0:35:15There it's there, you see it?
0:35:17 > 0:35:20- Oh, it's... It's fallen off! - LAUGHTER
0:35:20 > 0:35:24Och, I swear a lot. I enjoy swearing, actually.
0:35:24 > 0:35:27There are occasional ceilidhs in the church.
0:35:27 > 0:35:32I've got a little house at the end there, with a double bed upstairs.
0:35:32 > 0:35:36Just in case, by chance, I get lucky.
0:35:41 > 0:35:47It's a special place this, you won't get many, many places in Scotland now
0:35:47 > 0:35:51that's like this place. I actually love it up here.
0:35:51 > 0:35:52But it...
0:35:52 > 0:35:5740 years ago, I wouldn't have contemplated staying in a place like this,
0:35:57 > 0:36:02You have to wander a bit. It's like that film - the wandering stars thing.
0:36:02 > 0:36:04My wandering stars landed here.
0:36:06 > 0:36:08For centuries, huge swathes of Scotland
0:36:08 > 0:36:12were as isolated and as inaccessible as Knoydart
0:36:12 > 0:36:16and much of the western coast was considered to be firmly beyond the pale.
0:36:16 > 0:36:21Not only were its craggy islands difficult and dangerous to reach,
0:36:21 > 0:36:25but they were populated by violent warrior clans.
0:36:28 > 0:36:31This was the domain of the Lords of the Isles -
0:36:31 > 0:36:35clan chiefs who thumbed their nose at the King in Edinburgh.
0:36:37 > 0:36:43The lords protected their realm from castles built in key strategic coastal locations,
0:36:43 > 0:36:47safe in the knowledge that control of the waterways made them impregnable.
0:36:49 > 0:36:52But in 1540, the Scottish King James V
0:36:52 > 0:36:57decided that it was time to bring these rebellious lords to heel.
0:36:57 > 0:37:01I've come to Eilean Donan Castle to learn why it was so hard
0:37:01 > 0:37:04for the Scottish monarch to dislodge the Lords of the Isles.
0:37:04 > 0:37:10It's curious in this day and age to think of a monarch who wasn't in control of his own land.
0:37:10 > 0:37:15Very much. This was part of James' back yard and he didn't run it.
0:37:15 > 0:37:16The Lords of the Isles ran it.
0:37:16 > 0:37:19The MacDonalds and the MacLeods on the Isle of Skye,
0:37:19 > 0:37:25the MacLeans down towards Duart and all these clans held their own territories, fiercely autonomous,
0:37:25 > 0:37:30in total contempt of King James or any other monarch for that matter. This was their land
0:37:30 > 0:37:33and they wouldn't have been too impressed with a monarch
0:37:33 > 0:37:35seeming to want to rule or govern them.
0:37:35 > 0:37:44The King was kept at bay by 200 miles of almost impassable terrain separating the Isles from Edinburgh.
0:37:44 > 0:37:46To an outsider, this is pretty formidable geography.
0:37:46 > 0:37:50- How did the lords use this to their advantage?- Simply by using the sea.
0:37:50 > 0:37:55The sea is the lifeblood of the clan culture because these sea lochs -
0:37:55 > 0:37:58these fjords - are the marine motorways of the ancient world.
0:37:58 > 0:38:03You must command the sea. The sea is the important thing about the Lords of the Isles.
0:38:06 > 0:38:08The King was totally disadvantaged.
0:38:08 > 0:38:14He couldn't march to the Western Isles, so any punitive raid would have to be by sea.
0:38:14 > 0:38:20Fine, but how on earth would he find his way through the lethal labyrinth that was the west coast?
0:38:20 > 0:38:23There were no accurate maps.
0:38:23 > 0:38:26Undaunted, he decided to compile one of his own -
0:38:26 > 0:38:29a route map to the back door of his own kingdom.
0:38:47 > 0:38:50Authored by his foremost navigator, Alexander Lindsay,
0:38:50 > 0:38:55the document gave James his own definitive router, or "rutter" as it became known.
0:38:55 > 0:38:57Information really was power.
0:38:57 > 0:39:02Such a plan, such a route, would be a prized piece of information.
0:39:02 > 0:39:06Not all the Lords of the Isles knew of the details of everyone else's territory,
0:39:06 > 0:39:10but to knit it all together - the complete intelligence of the West Highlands -
0:39:10 > 0:39:13was a powerful piece of equipment, a powerful document.
0:39:15 > 0:39:20Armed with the rutter and a fleet of warships, James was ready for battle!
0:39:22 > 0:39:28Having rounded the east and north coasts, James advanced into the very heart of clan territory.
0:39:28 > 0:39:32To Dunvegan, where he captured the chief of Clan MacLeod.
0:39:32 > 0:39:34Next stop, Mull and Islay,
0:39:34 > 0:39:38strongholds of the MacLeans and MacDonalds.
0:39:38 > 0:39:41It was here the rutter really proved its worth,
0:39:41 > 0:39:44directing the fleet to a vital short cut.
0:39:46 > 0:39:49"From Burnt Iland to Kilark
0:39:49 > 0:39:52"south east to south, five mile.
0:39:55 > 0:39:57"Kilark is a narrow passage
0:39:57 > 0:40:01"and betwixt it and Kyilra is a good route."
0:40:08 > 0:40:10No-one knows better than local sailor David Croy
0:40:10 > 0:40:13how powerful a tool the rutter would have been.
0:40:13 > 0:40:18We're talking about an age before GPS, or Admiralty charts,
0:40:18 > 0:40:23they'd have been navigating in those days by following shore features.
0:40:23 > 0:40:26The interesting thing is we came down on the bearing of south east -
0:40:26 > 0:40:31you just could not see the Kyleakin entrance - it wasn't visible, was it?
0:40:31 > 0:40:35The other thing is you've got lots of what you think could be an entrance
0:40:35 > 0:40:40and certainly over here, just behind the sail, that could look like the Kyleakin entrance.
0:40:40 > 0:40:44It's easy for us now, because we have the Skye Bridge telling us where to go,
0:40:44 > 0:40:49but if you take the Skye Bridge out of the shoreline, you can't see that way through.
0:40:49 > 0:40:51It just looks like the dark flank of the mountain.
0:40:53 > 0:40:58'The rutter also gave James vital information about dangerous tides and shallow channels.
0:40:58 > 0:41:05'Without this knowledge his warships could easily have found themselves stranded in hostile waters.'
0:41:07 > 0:41:12"If ye will lie betwixt the Brunt islands and Kylark,
0:41:12 > 0:41:16"hold the east side and ye shall find 80 fathoms.
0:41:17 > 0:41:22"Kyle Rhea is a narrow passage in which is a dangerous tide."
0:41:22 > 0:41:28How did those high and low tides affect passage up and down this tricky coast?
0:41:28 > 0:41:31Well, one of the things is we've got a massive body of water
0:41:31 > 0:41:38that's wanting to get through quite a narrow channel here, which causes big tides.
0:41:38 > 0:41:44If we were rowing forward at say three knots with four knots of tide going against us, it would be...
0:41:44 > 0:41:47Well, we'd go forward three but back four.
0:41:47 > 0:41:52- So you're losing ground because you got the tide wrong?- Yeah.
0:41:52 > 0:41:57So James coming down here with his armada of much bigger ships than this
0:41:57 > 0:42:00would have needed to know just when to try to do that,
0:42:00 > 0:42:04- because to get it wrong, he'd just run those ships on to rocks.- Right.
0:42:05 > 0:42:08It was all over for the clans.
0:42:08 > 0:42:11With their inaccessible island bases penetrated,
0:42:11 > 0:42:16they were easy meat for James, who dragged the most troublesome clan chiefs back to Edinburgh
0:42:16 > 0:42:20where he held them there as hostages till his death in 1542.
0:42:22 > 0:42:25The lasting impact of Lindsay's rutter and James' expedition
0:42:25 > 0:42:29is that the Western Isles were opened up to the rest of Scotland.
0:42:29 > 0:42:34No longer separate fiefdoms, no longer beyond the control of the crown.
0:42:34 > 0:42:37Back in Edinburgh, James added insult to injury
0:42:37 > 0:42:41by claiming the title Lord of the Isles for himself and for the monarchy.
0:42:41 > 0:42:47So the current Lord of the Isles is no west coast chieftain, but Prince Charles.
0:43:03 > 0:43:07Royalty has always had a strong connection with the Highlands.
0:43:07 > 0:43:14In 1891, mountaineer Sir Hugh Munro catalogued every peak over 3,000 feet for Queen Victoria.
0:43:14 > 0:43:17I'm sure she had no intention of climbing all of them.
0:43:17 > 0:43:21There are 284, 12 of them here on Skye.
0:43:21 > 0:43:27And the practice of climbing them one by one and keeping a list is called munro-bagging.
0:43:27 > 0:43:32It's a bit like train spotting only wetter and colder and a bit more exerting.
0:43:34 > 0:43:37The person who introduced me to the mountains was my dad.
0:43:37 > 0:43:39He taught me how to use a map and a compass
0:43:39 > 0:43:43and I've been climbing and walking in places like this ever since.
0:44:03 > 0:44:07From here on Skye, we're travelling further west to the Outer Hebrides.
0:44:07 > 0:44:11The tiny island of Barra is the only place in the world
0:44:11 > 0:44:15to use its beach as a runway for scheduled airline flights.
0:44:15 > 0:44:18The kind of airline food you'll get here is slightly more unusual.
0:44:18 > 0:44:23The menu at Barra's Castlebay Hotel includes "cockles from the airport"
0:44:23 > 0:44:27collected from the beach by local boy Angus John.
0:44:27 > 0:44:30I'm Angus John MacLeod and I'm from the Isle of Barra.
0:44:30 > 0:44:34That's the service plane. It lands over there.
0:44:34 > 0:44:36That's what makes this whole place unique, you know?
0:44:36 > 0:44:42A service plane actually lands here. It's a corned beef can with wings. I can't stand flying on it.
0:44:42 > 0:44:47Putting a rake in the ground and taking out cockles and putting it into a bucket's not exciting,
0:44:47 > 0:44:49but at least you're in the fresh air. You're doing something.
0:44:49 > 0:44:52It's an honest day's work. All you do is put the rake in,
0:44:52 > 0:44:56pull it out and try and get them out from under it, you know?
0:44:56 > 0:45:01And then, once they get above it, just pick them up and chuck them in the bucket.
0:45:04 > 0:45:06That's my grandfather, Callum.
0:45:06 > 0:45:10He's 75 this year and the guy still works like a Trojan.
0:45:10 > 0:45:13He's a machine, I'm sure of it.
0:45:13 > 0:45:16Even my dad, and he's a fit fella, he'll not keep up with him.
0:45:16 > 0:45:19There's not many people that can. I don't know how he does it.
0:45:21 > 0:45:24The cockles that we have picked will get taken to mainland Europe,
0:45:24 > 0:45:27down to France and down to Spain.
0:45:27 > 0:45:29There's a good few tonnes go out of here every week,
0:45:29 > 0:45:33so they must be pretty fond of their cockles down in Portugal.
0:45:33 > 0:45:35I don't like cockles. My mum and dad like them.
0:45:35 > 0:45:37My dad will sometimes take a bucket home.
0:45:37 > 0:45:41Either curry them or cook them in garlic butter, you know?
0:45:41 > 0:45:44That's when I shoot out the house, I don't like them at all.
0:45:44 > 0:45:50One of the biggest problems for the Western Isles is the number of young people leaving the islands.
0:45:50 > 0:45:54During the last 40 years, the population has dropped by a fifth
0:45:54 > 0:45:58and 12 islands have been completely abandoned.
0:45:58 > 0:46:01Scarp, around 60 miles north of Barra,
0:46:01 > 0:46:04is the most recently deserted island.
0:46:04 > 0:46:08In the 1930s, it witnessed an ingenious attempt to improve communication,
0:46:08 > 0:46:12an experiment in air mail that was to make history.
0:46:12 > 0:46:15Not with aircraft but by rocket!
0:46:18 > 0:46:23'The German inventor Herr Zucker visualises a cross-channel rocket mail service.'
0:46:23 > 0:46:25One, two, three!
0:46:33 > 0:46:38And now, 70 years later, we'll try to re-create an audacious plan
0:46:38 > 0:46:40to bridge the gap between those islands.
0:46:40 > 0:46:44And joining me on this mission is Mark Horton.
0:46:48 > 0:46:52Back in the 1930s, Scarp was home to a thriving community,
0:46:52 > 0:46:57who survived through a combination of crofting the land and fishing the local seas.
0:46:58 > 0:47:05Then the most pressing problem facing the islanders was maintaining a link with nearby Harris mainland.
0:47:05 > 0:47:12On a clear, calm day the journey is just a short boat trip and takes little more than a few minutes.
0:47:12 > 0:47:16But when the weather is bad, this waterway might as well be a hundred miles wide
0:47:16 > 0:47:19becoming completely impossible to cross.
0:47:19 > 0:47:23One person who knows only too well the difficulties of living on Scarp
0:47:23 > 0:47:29is Donald John MacInnes, whose family was one of the last to leave in 1971.
0:47:29 > 0:47:32Harris doesn't seem particularly far off.
0:47:32 > 0:47:34No, it doesn't - just on our doorstep.
0:47:34 > 0:47:37But deceptively far though when you have to get across
0:47:37 > 0:47:41in quite tough tides and rough weather.
0:47:41 > 0:47:43We're right out in the Atlantic here.
0:47:43 > 0:47:48You can see the difficulties when you look on things like the school register, for instance.
0:47:48 > 0:47:54If you look at the entry from December 14th 1917.
0:47:54 > 0:47:59"Only today did a few men venture to take a boat to Hushinish and thence to Amhuinnsuidhe.
0:47:59 > 0:48:04"But it was a risk and far too stormy for women to venture.
0:48:04 > 0:48:07"They have just returned to Hushinish but can't get home.
0:48:07 > 0:48:09"Such is Scarp."
0:48:09 > 0:48:13And that's the story of it - so near and yet so far.
0:48:14 > 0:48:16The problems of getting to and from the island
0:48:16 > 0:48:21were to bring Scarp spectacularly to the international limelight.
0:48:21 > 0:48:25In January 1934, Christina MacLennan was expecting twins.
0:48:25 > 0:48:28The first baby, a girl, Mary, arrived on the 13th.
0:48:28 > 0:48:32The second birth ran into trouble and because of appalling weather
0:48:32 > 0:48:34the doctor could not be reached on the mainland.
0:48:34 > 0:48:37Christina and her unborn baby were in danger,
0:48:37 > 0:48:41so, still in labour, she was transported by boat and bus to Stornoway.
0:48:41 > 0:48:47The twins, Mary and Jessie, were born two days and 50 miles apart on separate islands.
0:48:47 > 0:48:52This near tragedy showed communication had to be made more reliable.
0:48:52 > 0:48:59The dramatic story reached 26-year-old German inventor Gerhard Zucker.
0:48:59 > 0:49:02He thought he had the answer - rockets!
0:49:02 > 0:49:07So he sold the government and the post office on his vision of a rocket mail service
0:49:07 > 0:49:13that could deliver letters and food and even medical supplies to isolated communities like Scarp.
0:49:13 > 0:49:17The authorities were intrigued and they invited him up here to show them what he could do.
0:49:17 > 0:49:22By July, he was in Tarbert preparing for his big experiment.
0:49:23 > 0:49:27Zucker's plan was to fire his mail rocket from Scarp
0:49:27 > 0:49:31across the half-mile stretch of water and hopefully land on Harris.
0:49:33 > 0:49:35To appreciate the challenge faced by Zucker,
0:49:35 > 0:49:37we're going to recreate his experiment
0:49:37 > 0:49:40using surviving blueprints held by the Post Office Museum.
0:49:40 > 0:49:47Our modern rocketeer John Bonsor gives Mark Horton a crash course in rocket science.
0:49:47 > 0:49:50John, this is what a rocket really should look like.
0:49:50 > 0:49:54I mean, it's straight out of Flash Gordon or Jules Verne.
0:49:54 > 0:49:58Yes, it's very much a 1920s, 1930s classical rocket design.
0:49:58 > 0:49:59So how heavy is it?
0:49:59 > 0:50:03- Four kilograms, including the mail. - The mail's in the front here?
0:50:03 > 0:50:07It's in three compartments at the front, so the mail's in there.
0:50:07 > 0:50:10To get this mail in the air is going to be difficult.
0:50:10 > 0:50:14That's why we need so many motors. Large one in the core - that's the main motor -
0:50:14 > 0:50:19and then the eight smaller engines take over when the main one starts to run out of thrust,
0:50:19 > 0:50:23- to make sure we get the range. - Do you think it will work? - I believe it will.
0:50:23 > 0:50:2828th July 1934 - launch day had arrived on Scarp.
0:50:28 > 0:50:33It was a momentous occasion and the tiny island buzzed with VIPs and dignitaries
0:50:33 > 0:50:38who had travelled from as far afield as London to witness the great postal experiment.
0:50:38 > 0:50:43Also there on the day was 14-year-old John Angus MacLeod.
0:50:43 > 0:50:47What was the atmosphere like here on the day of the launch?
0:50:47 > 0:50:50Well, nowadays, I would probably say it was electric,
0:50:50 > 0:50:53though we didn't have electricity on the island then.
0:50:53 > 0:50:58Given that you were going to have a rocket fired, well, more or less at you,
0:50:58 > 0:51:01was anybody worried about where it would land?
0:51:01 > 0:51:05Well, I was a little worried myself -
0:51:05 > 0:51:08"Could he get it straight on to that beach over there?"
0:51:08 > 0:51:11That's where it was supposed to land - make a soft landing.
0:51:11 > 0:51:15- So it was just to make a smooth curve across to that beach there? - Yes, to that beach there.
0:51:15 > 0:51:21To prove its worth as a postal missile, Zucker packed the rocket with 1,800 letters.
0:51:21 > 0:51:27And for the big day he had persuaded the Post Office to issue special rocket mail commemorative stamps,
0:51:27 > 0:51:31because he figured that stamp collectors would pay a small fortune
0:51:31 > 0:51:34for a letter that had been delivered by a rocket.
0:51:34 > 0:51:38This is one of the actual letters that went in that nose cone
0:51:38 > 0:51:39complete with the original stamp.
0:51:39 > 0:51:42There was interest in this from all over Britain.
0:51:42 > 0:51:45So Zucker's plan was beautiful and simple -
0:51:45 > 0:51:48send the rocket over, have the letters go on their way,
0:51:48 > 0:51:51so in one stroke he would show that rocket mail worked
0:51:51 > 0:51:54and turn a profit for himself on the side.
0:51:54 > 0:51:58But the singeing on the envelope tells its own story.
0:51:58 > 0:52:02- One...two...three! - BANG!
0:52:05 > 0:52:09It had taken Zucker two years of hard work to design and build his rocket,
0:52:09 > 0:52:11but it was all over in a matter of seconds.
0:52:11 > 0:52:14The rocket didn't even make it off the ramp.
0:52:14 > 0:52:18It exploded, blasting the mail all over the island like confetti.
0:52:18 > 0:52:24Later it was recovered by the postmaster and ultimately delivered by more conventional means.
0:52:24 > 0:52:28Not allowed to import his usual rocket fuel from Germany,
0:52:28 > 0:52:32Zucker had been forced to use firework gunpowder, which was far too volatile.
0:52:32 > 0:52:35The result was it exploded.
0:52:35 > 0:52:38But was the design also at fault?
0:52:38 > 0:52:40'Our modern rocketeers put it to the test,
0:52:40 > 0:52:44'this time using a much more stable propellant.'
0:52:55 > 0:52:59- OK, Neil, we're preparing for launch.- OK, Mark. Good luck.
0:52:59 > 0:53:02Thanks!
0:53:03 > 0:53:10Five...four...three...two...one!
0:53:10 > 0:53:12Launch!
0:53:25 > 0:53:28- Mark, I've found it!- Fantastic!
0:53:28 > 0:53:31I'm just going to look at it. It seems intact though.
0:53:31 > 0:53:33'Our rocket flew at over 200 mph
0:53:33 > 0:53:39'and easily covered the half-mile distance between Scarp and Harris.'
0:53:39 > 0:53:41Looks like a prop from Dan Dare.
0:53:43 > 0:53:46- Hi, Neil.- Mark, what do you think?
0:53:46 > 0:53:50- THEY LAUGH - It's all there, all in one piece.
0:53:50 > 0:53:54Three...two...one!
0:53:54 > 0:53:56Launch!
0:53:57 > 0:54:01Although it looked like something straight out of a comic book,
0:54:01 > 0:54:03Zucker's rocket design actually works.
0:54:03 > 0:54:07- You're a genius, John. - Thank you very much.
0:54:07 > 0:54:09Mission accomplished, I think.
0:54:11 > 0:54:14But for poor Zucker, things only got worse.
0:54:14 > 0:54:17On returning to Germany, he was promptly imprisoned
0:54:17 > 0:54:20for smuggling weapon technology out of the Reich.
0:54:20 > 0:54:24Because while he'd been away developing peaceful uses for the technology,
0:54:24 > 0:54:28the Nazis had been at work on a top-secret rocket programme
0:54:28 > 0:54:31that would eventually deliver the infamous V1 and V2 rockets
0:54:31 > 0:54:35that would bring such terror to the skies over London.
0:54:35 > 0:54:38After the war, Zucker, ever the showman, kept plugging away.
0:54:38 > 0:54:42But by now, he was just a sideshow earning a few quid
0:54:42 > 0:54:45firing rocket mail bearing his own commemorative stamps.
0:55:26 > 0:55:32We're coming to the end of our island-hopping journey along the west coast.
0:55:32 > 0:55:39That 50m fang of rock there is called the Old Man of Storr
0:55:39 > 0:55:42and it's a measure of how remote this region is,
0:55:42 > 0:55:45that it wasn't climbed until 1955,
0:55:45 > 0:55:50two years after Sherpa Tenzing and Edmund Hilary first climbed Mount Everest.
0:55:50 > 0:55:55I've been coming to these mountains since I was a teenager and I'm drawn back year after year
0:55:55 > 0:56:02by the space, the isolation, and the theatrical beauty of these mountains above the sea.
0:56:14 > 0:56:17From here, we're heading back to the mainland over there
0:56:17 > 0:56:23for the next leg of our journey along the north coast of Scotland, where life gets even tougher.
0:56:25 > 0:56:29We'll be exploring life on the edge, from Cape Wrath to Dunnett Head.
0:56:29 > 0:56:35Along the way, we'll find out what happened during the notorious Highland Clearances.
0:56:35 > 0:56:40We look at the legacy of Britain's experimental nuclear power station, Dounreay.
0:56:40 > 0:56:43And we see how the coastguard copes with battling extreme elements
0:56:43 > 0:56:46on this remote and isolated stretch of coast.
0:56:46 > 0:56:49Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd - 2006
0:56:49 > 0:56:51E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk