0:00:07 > 0:00:10Norway. The longest coastline in Europe.
0:00:10 > 0:00:15Mighty fjords carved by great ice sheets.
0:00:15 > 0:00:19It's a landscape written into the blood of the British Isles.
0:00:19 > 0:00:21Because we share a common heritage -
0:00:21 > 0:00:24brought across the sea by Viking boatmen.
0:00:52 > 0:00:56Our starting point it Lillesand, in the south.
0:01:01 > 0:01:05This quiet, southern coastline is popular with Norwegians for summer holidays.
0:01:05 > 0:01:09And it's also a desirable destination for yachting folk,
0:01:09 > 0:01:14who travel across the seas from all around Europe for the thrill of sailing on Norway's Riviera.
0:01:19 > 0:01:22One of these yachtsmen is a Brit.
0:01:22 > 0:01:25Peter Walker left Liverpool to live here.
0:01:25 > 0:01:29But the coastline wasn't the only attraction.
0:01:29 > 0:01:32I met a beautiful Norwegian lady in England.
0:01:32 > 0:01:34She was working as an au-pair.
0:01:34 > 0:01:37Since then we've got three boys,
0:01:37 > 0:01:41and here I've been, living the most beautiful life I can ever think of.
0:01:41 > 0:01:45Is there anything about the lifestyle that you'd import if you could?
0:01:45 > 0:01:50Yeah, I would import a typical English pub
0:01:50 > 0:01:53- and a fish and chip shop. - Really?- Yeah!
0:01:56 > 0:01:59Peter and his family made their home in Lillesand,
0:01:59 > 0:02:03a small town of 9,000 people and neat, wooden houses.
0:02:03 > 0:02:06The lifestyle revolves around boats.
0:02:06 > 0:02:09But navigating this rocky shore isn't easy.
0:02:13 > 0:02:16There's hundreds and hundreds of underwater skerries.
0:02:16 > 0:02:20It's a small rock, sticking out from the seabed.
0:02:20 > 0:02:23If they're not marked, and you don't know about it, they can sink your boat.
0:02:25 > 0:02:30Much of this curious coastline is hidden just under the sea.
0:02:30 > 0:02:33It's a mysterious, treacherous landscape,
0:02:33 > 0:02:36which keeps sailors on their toes,
0:02:36 > 0:02:40poking its head up above water, creating countless tiny islands.
0:02:42 > 0:02:47The only way to appreciate the beauty of what lies beneath is to get seriously wet.
0:02:49 > 0:02:52Are you sure about jumping into the water with lead weights on?
0:02:52 > 0:02:54What will I do if I jump in and I go straight to the bottom?
0:02:54 > 0:02:56That should be tight so it doesn't slip.
0:02:56 > 0:02:58Everything about this is tight.
0:03:03 > 0:03:04Put your head down now!
0:03:09 > 0:03:11Snorkelling here is a real eye-opener.
0:03:14 > 0:03:17Above the surface it looks so black.
0:03:17 > 0:03:20Down here it's awash with colour and life.
0:03:22 > 0:03:27As you explore, you start to get a sense of a truly coastal country.
0:03:27 > 0:03:30No wonder Peter and his family love it here.
0:03:40 > 0:03:43Norway's southern Rivera is a stunning surprise.
0:03:43 > 0:03:48I'd expected fjords and ice, not a myriad of micro-islands.
0:03:52 > 0:03:56But as we head northwards, the landscape starts to rear up out of the sea.
0:03:56 > 0:04:01It's more mountainous, with deep fjords carving through the rock.
0:04:01 > 0:04:04This is like Scotland on steroids.
0:04:07 > 0:04:09These inlets snake far inland,
0:04:09 > 0:04:13taking the coast deep into the heart of the country.
0:04:13 > 0:04:19Waterways like this were a challenge that spurred the early boat-builders onto greatness.
0:04:19 > 0:04:251,200 years ago, after the Vikings had mastered their own craggy shores,
0:04:25 > 0:04:29they turned their sights south to Britain and beyond.
0:04:36 > 0:04:38Deep down the Hardangerfjord,
0:04:38 > 0:04:41Mark Horton is in search of their boat-building secrets.
0:04:44 > 0:04:50I can't believe I'm here in Norway, and about to find out how the Vikings
0:04:50 > 0:04:55made their most awesome weapon - the Viking longship.
0:04:59 > 0:05:05Boats are in the blood of the Norsemen, both ancient and modern.
0:05:05 > 0:05:12Maritime historian Atle Thowsen knows the value the Vikings placed on their vessels.
0:05:15 > 0:05:18The boat was important to get transport, to get from
0:05:18 > 0:05:22one place to another, to get their food and so on.
0:05:22 > 0:05:26It was their way of communicating.
0:05:26 > 0:05:31This was the way to survive in, for instance, Norway.
0:05:31 > 0:05:37They got into the deep fjords, up the rivers and so on, to Paris or...
0:05:37 > 0:05:40Almost everywhere you could find the Vikings.
0:05:45 > 0:05:50These master mariners sailed west to Newfoundland in North America.
0:05:50 > 0:05:58Looking east, they navigated down the River Volga into the Caspian Sea, to trade with the Islamic world.
0:06:01 > 0:06:05And of course, they came south to the British Isles,
0:06:05 > 0:06:09using our waterways to penetrate deep inland.
0:06:09 > 0:06:15So what kind of boats could cope, riding raging seas,
0:06:15 > 0:06:18and powering through placid rivers?
0:06:22 > 0:06:29The Vikings have vanished into legend, but their boat design has stood the test of time.
0:06:31 > 0:06:35These waterways were tamed working with wood,
0:06:35 > 0:06:37and these skills have survived.
0:06:37 > 0:06:41Tucked away down the Hardangerfjord
0:06:41 > 0:06:46there's a yard that's changed little since the days of the Viking boatmen.
0:06:48 > 0:06:49Hi, are you Bjorn?
0:06:49 > 0:06:52- Yeah, I'm Bjorn!- Hi!
0:06:52 > 0:06:54This is the most wonderful boatyard.
0:06:54 > 0:06:57Yeah, you think so? It's a nice place, very nice place.
0:06:57 > 0:07:03- There's that overpowering smell of the pine resin.- Mm.
0:07:03 > 0:07:05This is the small boat workshop.
0:07:05 > 0:07:11And you will see two boats in here now, well, parts of a boat, this was just started a week ago.
0:07:11 > 0:07:13And this is a boat we're just about to finish.
0:07:13 > 0:07:16And you can see every stage of their construction.
0:07:16 > 0:07:21Yeah, well, it's a very nice thing to build two boats at the same time.
0:07:21 > 0:07:22So, here we are...
0:07:22 > 0:07:26The most important thing in a Viking boat was its keel,
0:07:26 > 0:07:29the backbone they built upon.
0:07:32 > 0:07:35- The keel goes down quite some distance.- Yes, it does.
0:07:35 > 0:07:39- So the next stage is presumably then to build up the sides. - Yeah. That's right.
0:07:39 > 0:07:43Most wooden boats normally start with a frame,
0:07:43 > 0:07:46then the planks are fixed on.
0:07:46 > 0:07:47But these boats are different.
0:07:47 > 0:07:51The planks are built up one at a time,
0:07:51 > 0:07:56each overlapping the last, placed at precise angles.
0:07:56 > 0:07:59This will be the lines plank that we use
0:07:59 > 0:08:01for building this boat.
0:08:01 > 0:08:05Oh! Not a wonderful architect's ship drawing!
0:08:05 > 0:08:11- No! It's not something you get from a computer!- Dimensions!
0:08:11 > 0:08:15And the numbers would be the degrees the plank has,
0:08:15 > 0:08:17and would be the width of the plank.
0:08:17 > 0:08:19And how do you measure that angle?
0:08:19 > 0:08:22We use this one,
0:08:22 > 0:08:24that's just a...
0:08:24 > 0:08:26simple use of the gravity.
0:08:26 > 0:08:29- So there you've got the angle of the plank.- Yep, that's right.
0:08:29 > 0:08:31At, say, 27 degrees, that's there.
0:08:31 > 0:08:36- Yep.- And here it is, then, at 27, which is there.
0:08:36 > 0:08:40So you just... There it is there.
0:08:40 > 0:08:43That's it. That looks about right.
0:08:43 > 0:08:47The Vikings built all their vessels this way.
0:08:47 > 0:08:51Their longships, their fishing boats, everything.
0:08:51 > 0:08:53This is the new one...
0:08:53 > 0:08:55Once the planks are in place,
0:08:55 > 0:09:01they must be secured by special nails which are a bit like rivets.
0:09:01 > 0:09:03So, that goes like that, doesn't it?
0:09:03 > 0:09:07This type of construction is called clinker.
0:09:07 > 0:09:12Bjorn is trusting me to put the last nail in his new clinker boat.
0:09:14 > 0:09:19- I hope I'm not breaking your boat! - No. Well...well...
0:09:19 > 0:09:21It's as good as it gets!
0:09:21 > 0:09:24So what you're doing now is clinking.
0:09:24 > 0:09:26In Norwegian we would say clinking.
0:09:26 > 0:09:30- So that's the origin of the word "clinker boat"?- Yeah, I guess it is.
0:09:30 > 0:09:32- Right...- So...
0:09:32 > 0:09:33- There we go.- Right.
0:09:37 > 0:09:41That's very good. With the sound, you'll hear that the hammer will answer.
0:09:41 > 0:09:44And an experienced boat-builder will say that that's a good sound.
0:09:47 > 0:09:53The construction of these boats shows why they were so successful for the Vikings.
0:09:53 > 0:09:58Because the overlapping boards aren't tied to an internal frame,
0:09:58 > 0:10:04the boats are flexible, able to bend enough to ride rough seas.
0:10:04 > 0:10:08And their flattish bottoms can cope with shallow rivers.
0:10:15 > 0:10:19Ultimately, though, they were replaced by a different style of vessel,
0:10:19 > 0:10:23with the planks fixed separately onto the ship's skeleton.
0:10:23 > 0:10:27That way, you could build bigger boats.
0:10:27 > 0:10:35But for me, these hills will always be alive with the sound of clinking.
0:10:51 > 0:10:55In open water, very big boats hold sway now.
0:10:55 > 0:10:59As the age of the Viking faded into the sea mist, their renegade trade
0:10:59 > 0:11:03was gradually replaced by more everyday commerce.
0:11:06 > 0:11:09On our journey north, there's a city
0:11:09 > 0:11:13which prospered as part of an exclusive trading club - Bergen.
0:11:15 > 0:11:19700 years ago, this was the commercial capital of Norway,
0:11:19 > 0:11:21with links to Britain and beyond.
0:11:24 > 0:11:29Bergen was the northern outpost of the Hanseatic League,
0:11:29 > 0:11:31a sort of early common market.
0:11:31 > 0:11:34At its height, this league of gentlemen traders
0:11:34 > 0:11:37operated out of ports around Europe,
0:11:37 > 0:11:42including Hull, Norwich, Bristol and King's Lynn, as well as Bergen.
0:11:46 > 0:11:48As long ago as the 14th century,
0:11:48 > 0:11:50it was one of the key cities in Western Europe.
0:11:50 > 0:11:54And that harbour over there would have been teeming with sailing ships,
0:11:54 > 0:11:57ready to make their way back and forth across the North Sea.
0:12:03 > 0:12:07Today, trade is still key to our relationship with Norway.
0:12:07 > 0:12:12And in Britain, we benefit from one of their largest exports - fish.
0:12:13 > 0:12:17Look at that! Now that's fresh cod!
0:12:17 > 0:12:21- Is that whale?- That's whale, yes. - What sort?- Minke whale.
0:12:21 > 0:12:25Minke whale. How big is that when it's full grown?
0:12:25 > 0:12:27- 10 tonnes, maybe.- 10 tonnes.
0:12:30 > 0:12:33What a monster. It's the back legs of a king crab.
0:12:33 > 0:12:36Now, that would give you a fright if you saw it in a rock pool.
0:12:36 > 0:12:40I'd dread to think how you'd go about catching one of these.
0:12:42 > 0:12:49These crabs have come from the very top of Norway, right on the Russian border, near the town of Kirkines.
0:12:50 > 0:12:53The king crabs are newcomers to Kirkines.
0:12:53 > 0:12:56They've made their way there from Russia,
0:12:56 > 0:12:59and they're moving gradually southwards.
0:12:59 > 0:13:03They've already been spotted halfway down Norway's coast.
0:13:03 > 0:13:06Eventually, they might even reach British shores.
0:13:10 > 0:13:16One man who grapples daily with king crabs is diver Lars Petter Oie.
0:13:23 > 0:13:28The king crab were introduced to the Barings Sea by the Russians in 1961.
0:13:28 > 0:13:32The first crab we found here was in 1976.
0:13:32 > 0:13:35And ever since that, it has been increasing.
0:13:35 > 0:13:39Maybe one day you'll have the crabs even in Britain.
0:13:42 > 0:13:46It's always a challenge to be 100% sure where to find the crabs.
0:13:46 > 0:13:53But we have so much experience, so we know approximately where to find crabs.
0:13:55 > 0:13:58The biggest we caught here was one metre and 70,
0:13:58 > 0:14:01it's exactly my own height, actually!
0:14:01 > 0:14:03And it was about eight kilos.
0:14:03 > 0:14:07But commercially, it has been caught crabs up to 15 or 16 kilos.
0:14:10 > 0:14:14A crab like this, this is like four, four-and-a-half kilo.
0:14:14 > 0:14:17You wouldn't afford to eat it in London!
0:14:17 > 0:14:21This is, er, this is a lot of money, actually!
0:14:30 > 0:14:36So, here's meat all the way from here and all the way here.
0:14:38 > 0:14:40As you see, it's very tender.
0:14:41 > 0:14:44And it's even sweeter than normal lobster.
0:14:44 > 0:14:50This is the way you should eat it, it's straight from the sea.
0:14:50 > 0:14:51- Skol!- Skol!
0:15:01 > 0:15:05On my own journey up to the north of Norway, I'm coming to a spot
0:15:05 > 0:15:08that's a real emotional draw for me - a little town called Televag.
0:15:11 > 0:15:14It's a picture-perfect postcard type of place now.
0:15:14 > 0:15:16But in the Second World War,
0:15:16 > 0:15:22Televag was transformed to become a terrible example of Nazi oppression.
0:15:26 > 0:15:30I've got this photograph that was taken in 1945.
0:15:30 > 0:15:33And I'm trying to position myself so that I'm right
0:15:33 > 0:15:36where the photographer stood when he took the snap.
0:15:36 > 0:15:40And it's important to remind yourself what this place looked like
0:15:40 > 0:15:44at the end of the war, because the town was completely erased.
0:15:48 > 0:15:50The story of Televag's destruction
0:15:50 > 0:15:54begins with the German occupation of Norway in 1940.
0:15:54 > 0:15:58Before long, the country's resistance fighters
0:15:58 > 0:16:01looked across the sea to their British neighbours for help.
0:16:04 > 0:16:08Fishing boats started to ferry refugees and resistance agents
0:16:08 > 0:16:11to and fro between Norway and Shetland.
0:16:11 > 0:16:16This secret boat service became known as the Shetland bus.
0:16:16 > 0:16:19I've seen one side of the story already on Coast,
0:16:19 > 0:16:22when I visited Scalloway on Shetland.
0:16:25 > 0:16:2823, 28, 21, 21... Just wee boys.
0:16:28 > 0:16:31Just boys.
0:16:31 > 0:16:35Many brave young men died running the Shetland bus,
0:16:35 > 0:16:37and here in Norway, an entire town
0:16:37 > 0:16:42paid a terrible price for their part in resisting the Nazis.
0:16:42 > 0:16:44Barbara, can you show me a photograph of Arna,
0:16:44 > 0:16:46- show me what he looked like?- Yes.
0:16:46 > 0:16:51Shetland lass Barbara Melkevik married a Norwegian member of the Shetland bus.
0:16:51 > 0:16:55He was called Arna, and was from Televag.
0:16:56 > 0:16:59I met him when he first came to Scalloway,
0:16:59 > 0:17:03he was going to work on the fishing boats,
0:17:03 > 0:17:08which they were to use on these secret missions to Norway.
0:17:08 > 0:17:12And I was not to ask any questions.
0:17:12 > 0:17:15- If I did, I couldn't get any answers. - Right!
0:17:20 > 0:17:22On one fateful night, Barbara's husband, Arna,
0:17:22 > 0:17:25set sail on his last ever mission from Shetland
0:17:25 > 0:17:27with a secret cargo on board.
0:17:30 > 0:17:34These were dangerous waters - as well as rough seas and strong winds,
0:17:34 > 0:17:40the fishermen had to avoid the constant threat of patrolling German aircraft and U-boats.
0:17:40 > 0:17:47But eventually, Arna's boat managed to reach a small creek just outside Televag.
0:17:50 > 0:17:53It was right here, in the dead of night on April 21st 1942,
0:17:53 > 0:17:59that Barbara's husband, Arna, arrived to deliver two agents of the Norwegian resistance.
0:17:59 > 0:18:04Their names were Emil Gustaf Hvaal and Arne Vaerum.
0:18:12 > 0:18:15The two agents were taken to a house in the village of Televag.
0:18:15 > 0:18:17They managed to hide for a week,
0:18:17 > 0:18:21until their cover was blown, and the secret was out.
0:18:21 > 0:18:24The Nazis stormed the house, and in the ensuing shoot-out,
0:18:24 > 0:18:29two SS officers and one of the Norwegian agents were killed.
0:18:32 > 0:18:34In a furious display of vengeance,
0:18:34 > 0:18:37the Nazis systematically destroyed Televag.
0:18:37 > 0:18:39Families were split up.
0:18:39 > 0:18:42Some were sent to concentration camps.
0:18:44 > 0:18:47It was the worst act of reprisal in Norway.
0:18:50 > 0:18:52Long after the war, Barbara's husband, Arna,
0:18:52 > 0:18:54struggled to come to terms
0:18:54 > 0:18:58with the devastation he'd unwittingly brought upon his home town.
0:19:01 > 0:19:05Just came bit by bit, now and again.
0:19:05 > 0:19:08He was so pleased that it was all over,
0:19:08 > 0:19:11and could get back to a normal life.
0:19:11 > 0:19:14But he just didn't like talking about it.
0:19:20 > 0:19:23Televag wasn't wiped out by the Nazis,
0:19:23 > 0:19:27because those who survived returned to rebuild it.
0:19:27 > 0:19:30Their new town now stands as a testament
0:19:30 > 0:19:34to the resilience of Norwegian and British resistance
0:19:34 > 0:19:36to the tyranny that stalked these shores.
0:19:45 > 0:19:50Our links across the sea aren't just woven into stories of war.
0:19:50 > 0:19:54They're also etched in the landscape itself.
0:19:54 > 0:19:58Further north along the coastline, we're in the heart of fjord country.
0:19:58 > 0:20:05Wide openings reveal the start of giant inlets, some of which snake over 100 miles inland.
0:20:10 > 0:20:13Nick Crane has come to one of Norway's most famous fjords
0:20:13 > 0:20:16to explore a distant connection to our shore.
0:20:23 > 0:20:26Would you look at this?
0:20:27 > 0:20:30Geirangerfjord.
0:20:30 > 0:20:33What a view!
0:20:33 > 0:20:34And what a scale!
0:20:38 > 0:20:43This spectacular fjord is nearly nine miles long and over 700 feet deep.
0:20:45 > 0:20:49It looks extraordinary, very different to our terrain at home.
0:20:49 > 0:20:52But there are more similarities than you might think.
0:20:54 > 0:20:59It's almost impossible to imagine that the mighty forces of nature
0:20:59 > 0:21:04that gouged out this landscape are the ones that also shaped Scotland.
0:21:07 > 0:21:10Our connection to these rocks goes back millions of years.
0:21:10 > 0:21:14Here in Norway, we can still see how Britain was built.
0:21:14 > 0:21:18But to do that, I need to go high above the landscape.
0:21:24 > 0:21:29It's an epic story, with action that really is ground-breaking.
0:21:32 > 0:21:38We're heading inland to the uplands, to find out how fjords were made,
0:21:38 > 0:21:43see how the forces that shaped Norway and Scotland are still at work.
0:21:49 > 0:21:53As an amateur geographer, this is one of the most exciting days of my life.
0:21:56 > 0:22:00'Ice - the irresistible force that can cut through rock.'
0:22:01 > 0:22:06What an amazing sight, like a frozen waterfall.
0:22:06 > 0:22:12This would have been a common sight in Scotland back in the Ice Age.
0:22:12 > 0:22:15What we're looking at is an almost vertical glacier.
0:22:15 > 0:22:21It's carving a U-shaped rocky trench out of the sides of the valley
0:22:21 > 0:22:24and carrying with it lots of rock debris,
0:22:24 > 0:22:28which it will dump further down the valley.
0:22:28 > 0:22:30It's an incredible sight, this is glaciation
0:22:30 > 0:22:34right in front of your eyes. It's happening right now.
0:22:42 > 0:22:46The Norwegian and British coasts are connected by water now.
0:22:46 > 0:22:52But go back 20,000 years, and the link was ice - a giant sheet of ice
0:22:52 > 0:22:56that stretched from Norway to Britain as far south as Norfolk.
0:22:59 > 0:23:04Our landscape still bears the scars of that moving crust of ice.
0:23:04 > 0:23:07It's eroded all but our toughest rock,
0:23:07 > 0:23:11sculpting the peaks of Scotland,
0:23:11 > 0:23:14and gouging the deeply carved valleys of the Lake District.
0:23:17 > 0:23:21And what's so great about coming to Norway is you can see
0:23:21 > 0:23:26what glaciers in Britain might have looked like 20,000 years ago,
0:23:26 > 0:23:28before our ice melted completely.
0:23:36 > 0:23:42Today, this monumental landscape seems to be at complete peace.
0:23:42 > 0:23:45There's a timeless stillness about it.
0:23:45 > 0:23:50But bits of it are far from still.
0:23:53 > 0:23:57As the glaciers retreat inland, the steep cliffs either side
0:23:57 > 0:24:01of the fjords no longer have anything to prop them up,
0:24:01 > 0:24:06and every so often, great humps of land just fall away,
0:24:06 > 0:24:09down into the fjords.
0:24:09 > 0:24:16The rich vegetation covering the cliff sides masks long, potentially lethal fractures in the rock.
0:24:21 > 0:24:23Just look at this.
0:24:23 > 0:24:27This chasm has been formed because the mountainside is splitting -
0:24:27 > 0:24:31parts of it are moving at 20cm a year.
0:24:31 > 0:24:33At some point in the next 300 years,
0:24:33 > 0:24:37all this is going to thunder down into the fjord.
0:24:44 > 0:24:47Up here on the mountainside, I'm meeting Kjell Jogerud,
0:24:47 > 0:24:51whose job it is to monitor the impending landslide.
0:24:52 > 0:24:56- Hello, Kjell.- Hello. - Very good to meet you.
0:24:56 > 0:24:57Yeah. Nice to meet you too.
0:24:57 > 0:25:01Can you tell me what is happening to this mountain.
0:25:01 > 0:25:04Yes. Er, as you see beneath us here,
0:25:04 > 0:25:08more or less everything you see is moving.
0:25:08 > 0:25:10And when these masses hit the fjord,
0:25:10 > 0:25:13they will transport down to the bottom,
0:25:13 > 0:25:16across the fjord, and move up on the shoreline up on the other side.
0:25:16 > 0:25:19This mountain will reach the far side of the fjord?
0:25:19 > 0:25:28Yes, yes. And they will set off deposits across all the fjord, and create quite a large tsunami.
0:25:28 > 0:25:30- A tidal wave.- Yes, yes.
0:25:32 > 0:25:34As the land slides into the fjord,
0:25:34 > 0:25:37the tsunami will funnel down the narrow channels.
0:25:37 > 0:25:414,000 people live in its devastating path.
0:25:41 > 0:25:45It's not a question of if the tsunami will happen, but when.
0:25:45 > 0:25:49So the Norwegians have rigged this hillside with 300 sensors.
0:25:49 > 0:25:53When the land starts to move,
0:25:53 > 0:25:57they hope to have up to 48 hours' notice to warn everyone in the area -
0:25:57 > 0:26:02by text message, automatic phone calls and sirens.
0:26:04 > 0:26:08The tidal wave will come careering down this fjord, straight ahead here,
0:26:08 > 0:26:11it will go over the top of this ferry and hit Hellesylt behind us.
0:26:11 > 0:26:14The wave is always going to search for open water,
0:26:14 > 0:26:17so some of it will shoot up this side fjord, Geirangerfjord.
0:26:17 > 0:26:20And at the end there, there's nowhere else for it to go.
0:26:25 > 0:26:32At the very end of this fjord, there's a little town called Geiranger - home to over 300 people.
0:26:32 > 0:26:34I want to find out why they stay
0:26:34 > 0:26:37when they know that a tsunami is inevitable.
0:26:42 > 0:26:45This is Geiranger, and the head of the fjord.
0:26:45 > 0:26:49When the tidal wave reaches here, it has nowhere else to go.
0:26:49 > 0:26:55A catastrophic wall of water 40 metres high will smash into Geiranger
0:26:55 > 0:26:57and reach the spot where I'm standing now.
0:26:57 > 0:27:01All of these buildings will disappear in an instant.
0:27:16 > 0:27:20One family has lived here for 500 years - almost 20 generations.
0:27:20 > 0:27:25Thomas Grande has his home and camping business right at the water's edge.
0:27:25 > 0:27:29He knows that one day in his lifetime, or his children's,
0:27:29 > 0:27:33or their descendants', the tsunami will come.
0:27:36 > 0:27:39Why do you not move to higher ground where it will be safer?
0:27:39 > 0:27:43Er, because we have our roots here.
0:27:43 > 0:27:44We like it very much here.
0:27:44 > 0:27:49It's a good place to grow up, for Noah.
0:27:49 > 0:27:53But when the wave comes, it will destroy your house, it will destroy
0:27:53 > 0:28:00- this beautiful bit of foreshore with the grass, and the ancient barns, the boatsheds, everything will go.- Yeah.
0:28:00 > 0:28:03Everything will go, because, er, just materials.
0:28:03 > 0:28:06The most important is that we can get away safely, and that we trust.
0:28:06 > 0:28:12I think we will settle down again and move back and build it up again.
0:28:12 > 0:28:17What does this piece of land mean to you personally?
0:28:17 > 0:28:24I've been walking here since my first steps, so it's very important for me.
0:28:31 > 0:28:35I'm really moved by this place, by the immense forces of ice and water
0:28:35 > 0:28:40which shape the fjords and which tell us so much about Scotland's early days.
0:28:40 > 0:28:46But I also wonder whether we Britons who are facing rising sea levels and a change in coastline
0:28:46 > 0:28:49can't pick up a tip or two from the people down there,
0:28:49 > 0:28:53who've learnt to adapt to nature's more ferocious moods.
0:29:15 > 0:29:20Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:29:20 > 0:29:24E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk