0:00:07 > 0:00:10Coast is home.
0:00:10 > 0:00:15We're back to explore the most endlessly fascinating shoreline
0:00:15 > 0:00:17in the world.
0:00:17 > 0:00:19Our own.
0:00:22 > 0:00:26The quest to discover surprising secret stories
0:00:26 > 0:00:29from around the British Isles continues.
0:00:34 > 0:00:36This is Coast.
0:01:01 > 0:01:04We're about to embark on a voyage of discovery.
0:01:08 > 0:01:12Our destinations are the glorious islands of the British Isles.
0:01:13 > 0:01:17Jewels set in spectacular seas
0:01:17 > 0:01:20with a treasure trove of secrets in store.
0:01:23 > 0:01:30This is an epic adventure to explore the Mysteries of the Isles.
0:01:36 > 0:01:39We'll journey far into the North
0:01:39 > 0:01:40where Neil is intrigued
0:01:40 > 0:01:45by the curious case of the death of Lord Kitchener.
0:01:45 > 0:01:48His face was instantly recognisable.
0:01:48 > 0:01:51He was the poster boy of Army recruitment
0:01:51 > 0:01:52during the First World War.
0:01:52 > 0:01:56He arrived here in Scapa Flow on 5th June 1916.
0:01:56 > 0:01:58A few hours later, he was dead.
0:01:58 > 0:02:03In the South, England's biggest island beckons.
0:02:03 > 0:02:07It's a mystery how these needles of chalk
0:02:07 > 0:02:11on the Isle of Wight have hung on so long.
0:02:11 > 0:02:15Coast newcomer Andy Torbet is scaling new heights
0:02:15 > 0:02:18to solve a geological puzzle.
0:02:18 > 0:02:21This rock face represents about one million years,
0:02:21 > 0:02:25so, for every metre I go up, that's about 30,000 years.
0:02:26 > 0:02:29As we head way out west in Scotland,
0:02:29 > 0:02:33our voyage of exploration takes Tessa on a mission
0:02:33 > 0:02:36to see a magical light in the sky.
0:02:37 > 0:02:41Will sunset reveal the mysterious green ray?
0:02:44 > 0:02:50My own magical mystery tour starts here on Orkney.
0:02:52 > 0:02:55Orkney is actually a collection of 70 islands.
0:02:56 > 0:03:00The harbour at Stromness has been a settlement
0:03:00 > 0:03:02since the time of the Vikings.
0:03:03 > 0:03:08The sea was the highway the islanders needed to survive.
0:03:08 > 0:03:13Stromness was once a jumping off point for global adventure.
0:03:13 > 0:03:16The town was connected to the wider world
0:03:16 > 0:03:20by mighty sailing ships stopping over in the port.
0:03:20 > 0:03:24If only we could've been here in the great days of sail.
0:03:24 > 0:03:26Well, how about that?
0:03:26 > 0:03:30I'm hoping to hitch a lift on an island-hopping ride.
0:03:30 > 0:03:33Every year, a fleet of tall ships
0:03:33 > 0:03:36races around the harbours of the globe
0:03:36 > 0:03:38recreating historic trade routes.
0:03:38 > 0:03:42This year, they're passing through the Northern Isles of Scotland.
0:03:42 > 0:03:45The community here was transformed by the tall ships.
0:03:45 > 0:03:51They brought wealth, but they also took men away.
0:03:51 > 0:03:54It's a classic dilemma for all small isles.
0:03:54 > 0:03:56When the wider world comes knocking,
0:03:56 > 0:03:58is the attraction of island life strong enough
0:03:58 > 0:04:01to keep communities together?
0:04:01 > 0:04:04- Permission to board, captain. - Welcome aboard.- Thank you.
0:04:04 > 0:04:08To explore the effect these vessels had on the islanders,
0:04:08 > 0:04:10I'm signing on as a crew hand
0:04:10 > 0:04:13aboard the Norwegian tall ship, Sorlandet.
0:04:13 > 0:04:16My destination is Shetland
0:04:16 > 0:04:20but I'm planning to stop off at tiny Fair Isle.
0:04:20 > 0:04:24It barely registers on the map, but the community there thrives,
0:04:24 > 0:04:28even though many other Scottish isles have been abandoned.
0:04:28 > 0:04:33It's a mystery how those on Fair Isle manage to hang on.
0:04:33 > 0:04:36I wanted to discover the secrets of their success.
0:04:38 > 0:04:42With a favourable wind, we'll get to Fair Isle within two days.
0:04:45 > 0:04:48We're under motor power now,
0:04:48 > 0:04:52but soon it'll be all hands on deck to unfurl the 27 sails.
0:04:57 > 0:05:03Then, before we've really got going, apparently, it's time for bed.
0:05:03 > 0:05:08The ship runs on shift work and I'm on an early.
0:05:09 > 0:05:13But sleep doesn't come easily when the boat is lurching
0:05:13 > 0:05:16and there's only a few hours of darkness.
0:05:18 > 0:05:23It's four o'clock in the morning and I've just got out of my bunk.
0:05:23 > 0:05:25I'm on the four to eight watch. I've got to get up on deck.
0:05:27 > 0:05:29Boat is going all over the place.
0:05:29 > 0:05:31I think they put all the sails up in the night.
0:05:31 > 0:05:36Like sailors of old, I'm keeping a log, a video diary of my voyage.
0:05:37 > 0:05:39We're far out to sea.
0:05:39 > 0:05:44We've been blown along under a rig full of sails. Look at this.
0:05:47 > 0:05:48What a sight.
0:05:52 > 0:05:54This is what square rigging looks like,
0:05:54 > 0:05:59under a lot of sail out in the North Atlantic.
0:05:59 > 0:06:00Pretty impressive.
0:06:01 > 0:06:04There's precious little time to take in the view.
0:06:04 > 0:06:11Bad weather is blowing in and we've got to crack on towards Fair Isle.
0:06:11 > 0:06:13Mind your footing, mind your footing, people sleeping below.
0:06:16 > 0:06:22This tall ship is too big to get into the tiny harbour on Fair Isle.
0:06:22 > 0:06:27Instead, we're planning to drop anchor offshore.
0:06:27 > 0:06:31The bad weather could scupper that plan.
0:06:38 > 0:06:40I've just come off watch
0:06:40 > 0:06:44and Fair Isle is just off the ship's rail.
0:06:44 > 0:06:48It's the most remote inhabited island in the British Archipelago
0:06:48 > 0:06:52and I've been wanting to set foot on it for most of my life.
0:06:52 > 0:06:54Just seeing it is exciting,
0:06:54 > 0:06:58but we don't know yet whether we're going to be able to go ashore
0:06:58 > 0:07:01because there's a strong wind and a big swell.
0:07:01 > 0:07:03We're just going to have to wait and see.
0:07:05 > 0:07:06Weather permitting,
0:07:06 > 0:07:10I'm hoping to meet the small community here on Fair Isle
0:07:10 > 0:07:14to discover how they've kept going when other isles were abandoned.
0:07:14 > 0:07:19It's just one of the marvellous mysteries to explore
0:07:19 > 0:07:20in the Scottish islands.
0:07:29 > 0:07:32Shrouded in cloaks of sea mist,
0:07:32 > 0:07:36the Western Isles can seem like a shadowy, secret world.
0:07:36 > 0:07:39Fertile territory for the making of myths.
0:07:41 > 0:07:45Spectacular sights and tall tales
0:07:45 > 0:07:51captivated a new breed of tourists around 150 years ago.
0:07:51 > 0:07:56They departed from new gateways to adventure, like here at Largs.
0:07:58 > 0:08:01Following in the footsteps of Victorian travellers,
0:08:01 > 0:08:05Tessa's searching out the truth of an island tale
0:08:05 > 0:08:08that seems much stranger than fiction.
0:08:09 > 0:08:11In the late 1800s,
0:08:11 > 0:08:16the sleepy town of Largs was a thriving tourist destination.
0:08:16 > 0:08:20The golden ticket for travel hungry adventurers of the Victorian age,
0:08:20 > 0:08:23was a grand tour of the Western Isles.
0:08:23 > 0:08:25The new craze for paddle-steamer voyages
0:08:25 > 0:08:28drew people here from far and wide,
0:08:28 > 0:08:33especially those obsessed with a scientific sense of discovery.
0:08:33 > 0:08:36One such traveller was French author Jules Verne,
0:08:36 > 0:08:38a founding father of science fiction.
0:08:38 > 0:08:42In 1879, Verne, in search of new wonders,
0:08:42 > 0:08:44travelled to the Western Isles.
0:08:44 > 0:08:47The man who wrote Around The World In 80 Days
0:08:47 > 0:08:50and 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea
0:08:50 > 0:08:54was inspired here to write a book about a natural phenomenon.
0:08:54 > 0:08:56Part fact, part fiction.
0:08:56 > 0:09:00The mysterious and elusive green ray.
0:09:00 > 0:09:05In the book, Jules Verne describes a fleeting green flash of light
0:09:05 > 0:09:09that reveals itself just as the sun sets.
0:09:09 > 0:09:11He called it Le Rayon Vert,
0:09:11 > 0:09:15meaning the green ray, more commonly known as the green flash.
0:09:21 > 0:09:24The novel tells the story of a young woman, Helena,
0:09:24 > 0:09:26who, having read of the green ray,
0:09:26 > 0:09:29sets off on a voyage to the Western Isles
0:09:29 > 0:09:31to try and see it herself.
0:09:31 > 0:09:34Legend tells that the green ray destroys illusions
0:09:34 > 0:09:37and will allow her to find true love.
0:09:40 > 0:09:44Joining me as I begin my voyage into the islands, is Ian Thompson,
0:09:44 > 0:09:46who has studied Verne's book.
0:09:47 > 0:09:51Does the green ray really exist? Will we be able to see it?
0:09:51 > 0:09:53Yes, the phenomenon certainly exists.
0:09:53 > 0:09:56We don't know that Verne himself witnessed it.
0:09:56 > 0:09:58There's nothing in the correspondence or diaries
0:09:58 > 0:10:03to prove that, but it certainly does exist and has been witnessed,
0:10:03 > 0:10:08photographed and I have here an example where we see,
0:10:08 > 0:10:12just for a few seconds, this green flash or green ray.
0:10:12 > 0:10:14That was what Verne's heroine was after.
0:10:15 > 0:10:17And it's what I'm after too.
0:10:19 > 0:10:22Like both Jules Verne and his heroine, Helena,
0:10:22 > 0:10:26I'm boarding a steamer to travel to the Western Isles.
0:10:32 > 0:10:36Why, in particular, are the Western Isles a good place
0:10:36 > 0:10:38for seeing this green flash phenomenon?
0:10:38 > 0:10:40The western coast of the Western Isles
0:10:40 > 0:10:46offered a completely unblocked view of the horizon and sunset.
0:10:47 > 0:10:52So, in other words, here, where we are right now, is no good.
0:10:52 > 0:10:54You can't see over the horizon.
0:10:54 > 0:10:57It's clearly not an easy phenomenon to capture.
0:10:57 > 0:11:00It does require very specific atmospheric conditions.
0:11:00 > 0:11:02What do you think our chances are?
0:11:02 > 0:11:03Pretty slim.
0:11:06 > 0:11:10To have any hope, I need to push on to the open sea.
0:11:10 > 0:11:14Like Helena, I'm determined to witness the green flash.
0:11:26 > 0:11:31With sunset approaching, the paddle steamer leaves me behind.
0:11:32 > 0:11:36I've arrived at the island where Verne's heroine got her chance
0:11:36 > 0:11:37to see the green flash.
0:11:38 > 0:11:41But she had better luck than me.
0:11:41 > 0:11:45I've got a view of the horizon, but the clouds have closed in.
0:11:45 > 0:11:50The sun's nowhere to be seen, the elements are against me.
0:11:51 > 0:11:54But I was brought up in Scotland, so I am not daft enough
0:11:54 > 0:11:58to have left the green flash to chance. I've got a Plan B.
0:11:58 > 0:12:00'I am meeting Johannes Courtial,
0:12:00 > 0:12:03'who is giving me my very own green flash demonstration.'
0:12:03 > 0:12:07How does a green flash actually work?
0:12:07 > 0:12:09There's the sun,
0:12:09 > 0:12:15and when it's setting, the light from the sun reaches the observer
0:12:15 > 0:12:19by entering the atmosphere, where it gets bent.
0:12:19 > 0:12:21when the sun sets on the horizon,
0:12:21 > 0:12:26the light goes through a bit of atmosphere a bit like a prism.
0:12:26 > 0:12:29- I happen to have one here.- So if the atmosphere is like a prism,
0:12:29 > 0:12:32what effect does that have on the light?
0:12:32 > 0:12:34What this does is it splits the sun's light
0:12:34 > 0:12:37into, effectively, a rainbow.
0:12:37 > 0:12:41The red bit is at the bottom, the blue bit is at the top,
0:12:41 > 0:12:44and as the sun sets below the horizon,
0:12:44 > 0:12:45this rainbow disappears.
0:12:45 > 0:12:49The blue is at the end, so that would set last,
0:12:49 > 0:12:52but the green flashes green and not blue,
0:12:52 > 0:12:55and that's because blue light is scattered by the atmosphere.
0:12:55 > 0:12:56This is why the sky is blue,
0:12:56 > 0:12:58and that's why, in this rainbow,
0:12:58 > 0:13:01blue is missing and then the top colour is green.
0:13:01 > 0:13:04The last colour that is disappearing below the horizon is a bit of green.
0:13:04 > 0:13:07- When that sets, that's the green flash.- Eureka!
0:13:07 > 0:13:12- Can you re-create the green flash here?- Well, we'll do our best.
0:13:12 > 0:13:16We have all we need, I think. We have a fish tank with angled sides.
0:13:16 > 0:13:18This will act like a prism.
0:13:18 > 0:13:20'To make the tank mimic the bending power
0:13:20 > 0:13:24'of the Earth's atmosphere, we fill it with water.'
0:13:25 > 0:13:29'Add powder to scatter the light, and finally a torch, our sun.'
0:13:31 > 0:13:34I can see some form of rainbow here.
0:13:34 > 0:13:38I do see it actually, a kind of blue-y green rim.
0:13:38 > 0:13:41But I thought that that green flash was meant to be at the top,
0:13:41 > 0:13:44the last bit of the sun to disappear, not on the right-hand side.
0:13:44 > 0:13:47That's because our atmosphere is standing on its side.
0:13:47 > 0:13:48This way is up.
0:13:50 > 0:13:52'With a little magic touch,
0:13:52 > 0:13:55'it starts to look a lot more like the setting sun,
0:13:55 > 0:13:58'complete with mysterious green flash.'
0:14:00 > 0:14:03Given what we've been up against, I think you've worked wonders.
0:14:03 > 0:14:06This is amazing. I actually understand it.
0:14:06 > 0:14:08'And though I may have cheated a little,
0:14:08 > 0:14:12'with the help of a German scientist and a plastic fish tank,
0:14:12 > 0:14:15'I've joined the lucky few to have seen
0:14:15 > 0:14:18'the rare and mysterious green flash.'
0:14:28 > 0:14:32I'm sailing aboard the Norwegian tall ship Sorlandet
0:14:32 > 0:14:37on a voyage between the northern isles of Scotland.
0:14:37 > 0:14:41We've arrived at Fair Isle, a wonderfully remote community.
0:14:44 > 0:14:48We are hoping to drop anchor off this remarkable island,
0:14:48 > 0:14:50still home to about 70 people.
0:14:52 > 0:14:55A tiny stepping stone between Orkney and Shetland,
0:14:55 > 0:14:59Fair Isle is surrounded by an ocean of sea.
0:14:59 > 0:15:03Arriving by trading ship helped solve the mystery
0:15:03 > 0:15:10of how small island communities used to support themselves out here.
0:15:10 > 0:15:13Whenever the people on the island saw a sailing ship coming past,
0:15:13 > 0:15:16they would try and sail out or row out to meet it.
0:15:16 > 0:15:22'Today, we'll try and meet them, and barter with the islanders.'
0:15:22 > 0:15:25Step in quickly.
0:15:25 > 0:15:30'But getting off a big ship isn't easy.
0:15:30 > 0:15:33'These are tense moments.'
0:15:50 > 0:15:52Give us a line.
0:15:54 > 0:15:58That was one of the most exciting embarkation moments
0:15:58 > 0:16:00I've ever had in my life.
0:16:00 > 0:16:04We are now going to head for the shore through a pretty impressive swell.
0:16:05 > 0:16:08Fair Isle looks pretty remote on a map,
0:16:08 > 0:16:11but it feels more remote once you've arrived at it.
0:16:14 > 0:16:16Finally, after years of anticipation,
0:16:16 > 0:16:18I get to set foot on Fair Isle.
0:16:18 > 0:16:21This is a big moment for me. I feel quite emotional about it.
0:16:22 > 0:16:25ISLANDERS CHEER
0:16:28 > 0:16:29Thank you! Thank you!
0:16:29 > 0:16:33Thank you very much. That's a very nice welcome indeed.
0:16:33 > 0:16:38'In the past, islanders would exchange fresh goods
0:16:38 > 0:16:40'and their famous knitwear for brandy, tea,
0:16:40 > 0:16:45'flour and other essentials from the trading ships.
0:16:45 > 0:16:49'They've been frantically knitting fishermen's hats,
0:16:49 > 0:16:52'which they hope to barter.'
0:16:52 > 0:16:56This is the famous Norwegian brown cheese.
0:16:59 > 0:17:00This is Linie Aquavit.
0:17:00 > 0:17:02< Over there, over there.
0:17:02 > 0:17:07I think we'll have to open that tonight for all the knitters first.
0:17:07 > 0:17:09'It's easy to see this as a bit of fun,
0:17:09 > 0:17:13'but exchanges like this happened for hundreds of years,
0:17:13 > 0:17:17'keeping island communities alive.'
0:17:17 > 0:17:18Fantastic! CROWD CHEERS
0:17:20 > 0:17:22'Barter complete.'
0:17:22 > 0:17:27I've just an hour or so left to explore this fascinating island.
0:17:28 > 0:17:33There's a mystery at the heart of this community that intrigues me.
0:17:33 > 0:17:37What made them stay when life became difficult?
0:17:37 > 0:17:42Not so long ago it was touch and go here on Fair Isle.
0:17:42 > 0:17:45I've got an article here from the Shetland Times of 1956.
0:17:45 > 0:17:49The really dramatic passage in this article says,
0:17:49 > 0:17:52"The report indicates that by this summer,
0:17:52 > 0:17:55"it is possible that the island will reach the point of no return
0:17:55 > 0:17:59"as far as manning essential services is concerned,
0:17:59 > 0:18:02"so that evacuation will become inevitable."
0:18:02 > 0:18:09In 1956 a film crew came to capture the dying days of Fair Isle.
0:18:09 > 0:18:13The tall ships had gone. The island was increasingly isolated.
0:18:13 > 0:18:18Young men were forced to leave to find wives.
0:18:18 > 0:18:20The population was just 47.
0:18:20 > 0:18:26But the proposed evacuation never materialised.
0:18:26 > 0:18:30So how did Fair Isle come back from the brink?
0:18:30 > 0:18:35I'm meeting Anne Sinclair to share memories of life back then.
0:18:36 > 0:18:38Look at that.
0:18:38 > 0:18:40- So that's the lighthouse just down there.- Yeah.
0:18:40 > 0:18:43Here's some Fair Isle knitting patterns.
0:18:43 > 0:18:47- They haven't changed at all, have they?- No. It's called traditional.
0:18:47 > 0:18:50And that, I think, is my Auntie Molly's hands.
0:18:50 > 0:18:52You can recognise your aunt's hands?
0:18:52 > 0:18:54Yep. They're the same as mine.
0:18:54 > 0:18:59Anne's parents were from Fair Isle, but like many others, they'd left.
0:18:59 > 0:19:04When the call came to help save the island the family returned.
0:19:04 > 0:19:07- Which year did you come back?- '57.
0:19:07 > 0:19:11- You came back at the most difficult time in the island's history?- Yes.
0:19:11 > 0:19:14Dad especially was really quite keen to come back here.
0:19:14 > 0:19:18They did say if young farmers didn't come they'd evacuate Fair Isle,
0:19:18 > 0:19:22so that was the final thing, and Dad said, "Right. Let's go."
0:19:22 > 0:19:26I think a lot of people saw this was a good way to live,
0:19:26 > 0:19:31and there were a lot of young families that came back
0:19:31 > 0:19:34and it stayed fairly young, and I think that's important.
0:19:34 > 0:19:36A lot of people have the idea,
0:19:36 > 0:19:38"Oh, Fair Isle, get away from it all.
0:19:38 > 0:19:40"It'll be like a magic place."
0:19:40 > 0:19:43And in fact, we're all human beings same as everywhere else.
0:19:43 > 0:19:47It's a magical place but it won't solve anybody's problems.
0:19:47 > 0:19:49They won't get away from anything.
0:19:49 > 0:19:52Right now, I've got to get back to the tall ship waiting for me
0:19:52 > 0:19:57offshore to continue my magical mystery tour towards Shetland.
0:19:57 > 0:20:01I'm leaving Anne with a DVD of memories
0:20:01 > 0:20:03in exchange for a Fair Isle cap.
0:20:03 > 0:20:06Right. Now you put it to the side.
0:20:06 > 0:20:08Ah, that's warm!
0:20:08 > 0:20:10A typical Fair Isle fisherman.
0:20:10 > 0:20:13I'm not tough enough to be a Fair Isle fisherman.
0:20:13 > 0:20:18Few are fortunate enough to live in the Northern Isles,
0:20:18 > 0:20:22so they seem remote to many of us.
0:20:22 > 0:20:25But if you're looking for uncharted territory, surprisingly,
0:20:25 > 0:20:31you can find it a stone's throw from the busy south coast of England.
0:20:31 > 0:20:32On the Isle of Wight.
0:20:34 > 0:20:40A short hop from the mainland, this is a popular holiday destination.
0:20:40 > 0:20:43It's England's biggest island,
0:20:43 > 0:20:46but you'd think tourists would have explored every inch.
0:20:47 > 0:20:49Well, not quite every inch.
0:20:52 > 0:20:56Zoologist and ex-soldier Andy Torbet
0:20:56 > 0:20:59is about to have an adventure on rocks
0:20:59 > 0:21:01where most would fear to tread.
0:21:05 > 0:21:07The Isle of Wight
0:21:07 > 0:21:10is a great location to explore geology and action.
0:21:10 > 0:21:16The strut of different rock types are exposed for all to see, untouched.
0:21:16 > 0:21:22But, there's one part of this island where the geology remains a mystery.
0:21:26 > 0:21:30This is the geological map of the UK,
0:21:30 > 0:21:32where the different colours represent different rocks.
0:21:32 > 0:21:38If we zoom into the Isle of Wight, you'll see this thin, light green band represents the chalk,
0:21:38 > 0:21:41but if we zoom in even closer,
0:21:41 > 0:21:44you'll see The Needles aren't coloured in,
0:21:44 > 0:21:48and that's because geologists haven't been able to get out there and take a sample.
0:21:48 > 0:21:50So they've asked me to help.
0:21:58 > 0:22:02There's no doubt it's chalk, but what sort of chalk?
0:22:02 > 0:22:04And why has it resisted the sea
0:22:04 > 0:22:06when the surrounding chalk crumbled away long ago?
0:22:10 > 0:22:14To find out, the geologists need a sample from the point of The Needle,
0:22:14 > 0:22:18chalk that's not contaminated with the sea gunge around the base.
0:22:20 > 0:22:24There are very few records of this needle ever being climbed.
0:22:24 > 0:22:26And up close, I can see why.
0:22:27 > 0:22:31I'm an experienced climber but I've never tried to scale
0:22:31 > 0:22:34a chalk stack in the middle of the sea.
0:22:34 > 0:22:37I need to enlist a buddy with some local knowledge
0:22:37 > 0:22:38for a bit of training.
0:22:39 > 0:22:41It's getting that first six feet.
0:22:41 > 0:22:44Dave Talbot has climbed on chalk before.
0:22:44 > 0:22:47It poses a unique challenge.
0:22:49 > 0:22:52Crumbly chalk is made up of the bodies of tiny sea creatures,
0:22:52 > 0:22:55built up on the seabed over millions of years.
0:22:56 > 0:23:03It's very old and not very stable. Bits break off all the time.
0:23:04 > 0:23:06This is a typical section of chalk.
0:23:06 > 0:23:09You can see things like this that look really loose.
0:23:09 > 0:23:12I don't know quite how... Yeah, I mean, that's...
0:23:12 > 0:23:13That's incredibly loose.
0:23:13 > 0:23:16Even sections like this that appear more solid,
0:23:16 > 0:23:17you can get kind of...
0:23:17 > 0:23:20If you get your hand on as if you were climbing, you can kind of...
0:23:20 > 0:23:23Just crumbles away. It's really unpredictable.
0:23:23 > 0:23:25Some sections can be quite solid but other bits really loose.
0:23:25 > 0:23:28We don't know what we are going to encounter when climbing it.
0:23:30 > 0:23:33And if this glorious weather holds out,
0:23:33 > 0:23:35we'll be attempting the climb tomorrow.
0:23:35 > 0:23:37We're going to have to keep our wits about us.
0:23:37 > 0:23:39You've seen what that chalk's like.
0:23:39 > 0:23:41It's going to be crumbly, flaky, unpredictable
0:23:41 > 0:23:43and slippery at the bottom.
0:23:43 > 0:23:45It's going to be like climbing cheese.
0:23:45 > 0:23:50Hanging out on that stuff over sea is going to be quite interesting.
0:23:57 > 0:24:00The next morning, we're all kitted up and ready to go.
0:24:00 > 0:24:02- Nice bit of weather this morning. - A little bit of breeze.
0:24:05 > 0:24:07Morning, guys.
0:24:07 > 0:24:09And we've been joined by Pete Hopson and Andy Farnt,
0:24:09 > 0:24:13two scientists from the British Geological Survey.
0:24:19 > 0:24:21The wind's picked up so the swell's picked up.
0:24:21 > 0:24:25Getting on the rock is going to be much harder than we thought.
0:24:38 > 0:24:42Safely off and kitted up, Dave nominated me to lead the climb.
0:24:45 > 0:24:49We need a pure sample of chalk from the summit to work out
0:24:49 > 0:24:51why this pinnacle has defied the sea for so long.
0:25:00 > 0:25:02Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
0:25:06 > 0:25:07Where is my next handhold?
0:25:07 > 0:25:09Hello?
0:25:11 > 0:25:13You just can't trust anything you're doing.
0:25:13 > 0:25:15That's what I'm talking about.
0:25:15 > 0:25:18It's fragile, it's crumbly, it's unpredictable,
0:25:18 > 0:25:22and every time you pull on a hold or step up your heart's in your mouth.
0:25:22 > 0:25:25But it's an amazing place to be, especially on a day like today,
0:25:25 > 0:25:27and it might not be the safest place,
0:25:27 > 0:25:30but it's pretty spectacular.
0:25:39 > 0:25:41That's a bit easier.
0:25:43 > 0:25:46Done it. Champion. Still in one piece.
0:25:48 > 0:25:51As we're climbing for the British Geological Survey,
0:25:51 > 0:25:55we're able to take a sample of chalk away.
0:25:55 > 0:25:57It's not something we'd be doing otherwise.
0:25:59 > 0:26:03- Nice one, well done.- Beautiful, mate.- Good effort. Cheers, buddy.
0:26:03 > 0:26:08That was awesome. It's a bizarre way to climb. It's quite intimidating.
0:26:08 > 0:26:10- We've got to figure out how to get down now.- Yeah.
0:26:10 > 0:26:13We'll get the rock samples the guys need,
0:26:13 > 0:26:16get ourselves down and that will be mission accomplished.
0:26:22 > 0:26:23Cool.
0:26:33 > 0:26:38Our chalk sample will need detailed analysis at the lab.
0:26:38 > 0:26:39Nice bit of chalk.
0:26:39 > 0:26:44But sample in hand, hopefully we can clear up one mystery right now.
0:26:44 > 0:26:48Why The Needles lasted so long.
0:26:48 > 0:26:52Is the chalk harder than the surrounding coast?
0:26:52 > 0:26:57- We've got a way to find out. - This is a very simple field test.
0:26:57 > 0:26:58It's called a Schmidt hammer.
0:26:58 > 0:27:03This device will get a number to the hardness of our sample.
0:27:03 > 0:27:08There's the bang. Now we have a reading. This one's 22.
0:27:08 > 0:27:11That's quite hard for chalk.
0:27:11 > 0:27:17Now we need to compare it with the chalk the geologists have brought along from the mainland.
0:27:19 > 0:27:21It's barely reading ten on here,
0:27:21 > 0:27:25which is significantly lower than the one from The Needle.
0:27:25 > 0:27:28This is much, much harder.
0:27:28 > 0:27:31Why is the needles chalk much harder than normal chalk?
0:27:31 > 0:27:38This chalk was moved by Earth forces and it was bent over
0:27:38 > 0:27:42until it was nearly vertical. The compression on that chalk
0:27:42 > 0:27:46has created quite a lot of internal pressure.
0:27:46 > 0:27:51The little pore spaces between the individual grains have been
0:27:51 > 0:27:56filled with calcite minerals because of that pressure on the rock
0:27:56 > 0:28:00and that is what's made it significantly harder than
0:28:00 > 0:28:03other samples of chalk that we see around the South of England.
0:28:03 > 0:28:06So all the information we brought back today
0:28:06 > 0:28:07will finish the map?
0:28:07 > 0:28:12Now we can move forward and finally print the new geological map.
0:28:16 > 0:28:22With The Needles on the map, there's one mystery less on our isles.
0:28:32 > 0:28:35This is the most amazing place to be on a tall ship,
0:28:35 > 0:28:38taking the helm with a good wind on the open ocean.
0:28:38 > 0:28:42An incredible feeling.
0:28:42 > 0:28:45This is a voyage of real highs
0:28:45 > 0:28:47and lows.
0:28:47 > 0:28:49I'm trying to steer a steady course to Shetland.
0:28:49 > 0:28:53It's a responsible job when you're at your wits' end,
0:28:53 > 0:28:58after three days aboard, snatching sleep when you can.
0:29:02 > 0:29:06But the ship doesn't sleep.
0:29:06 > 0:29:10There's an important tack at midnight.
0:29:10 > 0:29:15Everyone's needed to move the massive sails.
0:29:15 > 0:29:19- Are you ready to do this?- Yeah! - Yeah! Very good.
0:29:23 > 0:29:27It's all gone badly wrong. We've got some of the sails on one side of the ship,
0:29:27 > 0:29:29some on the other. We got caught by the wind.
0:29:29 > 0:29:32Now there's a rush on to try to get the ship straightened out.
0:29:39 > 0:29:44Suddenly, everyone stops. The crew must rethink.
0:29:44 > 0:29:48A palpable air of tension on the deck now.
0:29:48 > 0:29:51Pull it towards me. Pull it towards me.
0:29:51 > 0:29:53Here we go.
0:30:03 > 0:30:08Despite our efforts, the ship did more of a three-point turn than an elegant tack.
0:30:10 > 0:30:13But at least we're back on course for Shetland.
0:30:13 > 0:30:18Tall ships connected the Northern Isles of Scotland to the globe.
0:30:18 > 0:30:23But as well as trade, big boats have also brought tragedy.
0:30:26 > 0:30:31Around a hundred years ago, Scottish waters became a battleground.
0:30:32 > 0:30:38During the First World War, enemy ships stalked these shores.
0:30:40 > 0:30:45To meet the German threat, the Royal Navy headed north to base on Orkney,
0:30:47 > 0:30:52at the sheltered bay of Scapa Flow.
0:30:52 > 0:30:55The Navy's mighty warships went long ago.
0:30:55 > 0:30:58But intrigue lingers in their wake.
0:30:59 > 0:31:04Neil's exploring how the most famous face of the First World War
0:31:04 > 0:31:09came to lose his life here in the most mysterious fashion.
0:31:09 > 0:31:15This is the curious case of the death of Lord Kitchener.
0:31:15 > 0:31:18Our tale begins in the summer of 1916.
0:31:18 > 0:31:22Scapa Flow is awash with ships of the British Grand Fleet,
0:31:22 > 0:31:26the most fearsome instrument of war the world has ever seen.
0:31:26 > 0:31:33On the 5th June, HMS Hampshire is about to slip out for a covert mission to Russia.
0:31:33 > 0:31:36On board is one of Britain's most celebrated men.
0:31:36 > 0:31:41His face was instantly recognisable and nearly 100 years later,
0:31:41 > 0:31:43it still is.
0:31:43 > 0:31:46Lord Horatio Herbert Kitchener -
0:31:46 > 0:31:50the poster boy of army recruitment during the First World War.
0:31:50 > 0:31:54When he arrived here in Scapa Flow on 5th June 1916,
0:31:54 > 0:31:58he was suffering from no more than a mild bout of seasickness.
0:31:58 > 0:32:03A few hours later, he was dead, and exactly how he died
0:32:03 > 0:32:06and why puzzles some people even to this day.
0:32:07 > 0:32:13Conspiracy theories surrounding Kitchener's fate swirl around these murky waters.
0:32:13 > 0:32:16Ripples of intrigue remain after the shock of terrible events
0:32:16 > 0:32:18that made grim headlines.
0:32:18 > 0:32:20Look at this.
0:32:20 > 0:32:24Not many people's death would warrant a full front page picture
0:32:24 > 0:32:27of a newspaper in 1916.
0:32:27 > 0:32:31But the nation was amazed and bemused by the loss of Kitchener.
0:32:31 > 0:32:34Somehow, the warship he'd been travelling on
0:32:34 > 0:32:36had sunk in home waters,
0:32:36 > 0:32:39killing over 600 men, including Kitchener.
0:32:39 > 0:32:44To the people, he was a hero, a patriot and a friend.
0:32:44 > 0:32:47They'd heeded his call to war.
0:32:47 > 0:32:50The nation demanded to know why HMS Hampshire sank,
0:32:50 > 0:32:55as it set out from Orkney with their national hero on board.
0:32:55 > 0:32:59An investigation was conducted to formulate the official answer.
0:32:59 > 0:33:02- How are you doing?- Good to see you.
0:33:02 > 0:33:05I'm meeting historian Nick Hewitt, who's going to give me
0:33:05 > 0:33:08the authorised version of HMS Hampshire's loss
0:33:08 > 0:33:10and Kitchener's death.
0:33:10 > 0:33:13So on 5th June, Kitchener is right here in Scapa Flow.
0:33:13 > 0:33:14He is.
0:33:14 > 0:33:16Is this photographic proof?
0:33:16 > 0:33:19This is the last picture we know of Kitchener leaving the Iron Duke,
0:33:19 > 0:33:22walking along the decks to board the Hampshire.
0:33:22 > 0:33:25Why is Kitchener en route to Russia anyway?
0:33:25 > 0:33:27Russia is on the verge of collapse
0:33:27 > 0:33:30and Kitchener is the face of British military might.
0:33:30 > 0:33:34He's a logical man to send around and put some pep in the Russians.
0:33:34 > 0:33:35So what happens?
0:33:35 > 0:33:38What they're looking to do is very simple,
0:33:38 > 0:33:42to take Kitchener from Scapa Flow to Russia, which is in that direction.
0:33:42 > 0:33:47The problem is, there is what's described as the worst gale of the century.
0:33:47 > 0:33:49The Hampshire sets off from alongside the Iron Duke.
0:33:49 > 0:33:50Into the teeth of the gale.
0:33:50 > 0:33:54The captain sensibly starts to move her closer to the shore
0:33:54 > 0:33:56to try and get some degree of shelter.
0:33:56 > 0:34:00It doesn't help, but it's the right thing to do.
0:34:00 > 0:34:03What they don't know is that off Marwick Head
0:34:03 > 0:34:05there is a small German minefield
0:34:05 > 0:34:09that's been laid secretly by a U-boat the week before,
0:34:09 > 0:34:12and the Hampshire runs straight into one of these mines.
0:34:12 > 0:34:18That's the official account the Government hoped would lay the story to rest
0:34:18 > 0:34:21but some on the islands of Orkney remained uneasy.
0:34:21 > 0:34:25They had witnessed mysterious events on the night of the tragedy.
0:34:27 > 0:34:30We've reached the spot where Kitchener died,
0:34:30 > 0:34:33about a mile and a half offshore.
0:34:33 > 0:34:36The Hampshire lies upside-down on the seabed,
0:34:36 > 0:34:39about 70 metres below my feet.
0:34:39 > 0:34:41The ship sank in minutes.
0:34:41 > 0:34:44Over 600 men perished.
0:34:44 > 0:34:47Despite the terrible storm,
0:34:47 > 0:34:51islanders tried to help survivors struggling to get up cliffs.
0:34:51 > 0:34:56The rescuers felt more men should have been saved, so why weren't they?
0:34:56 > 0:34:59- Well, James.- Hello.- How are you?
0:34:59 > 0:35:01James Sabiston heard strange tales,
0:35:01 > 0:35:04passed down from his grandparents.
0:35:04 > 0:35:07My grandparents and my mother lived here.
0:35:07 > 0:35:11Two survivors managed to get to his grandparents' house
0:35:11 > 0:35:13the night the ship went down.
0:35:13 > 0:35:15I presume everyone was in their beds.
0:35:15 > 0:35:17Yes. They were all in bed.
0:35:17 > 0:35:21I think they came and knocked at the door at two o'clock in the morning.
0:35:21 > 0:35:23And my grandmother went to the door,
0:35:23 > 0:35:28and I think she was a bit worried, wasn't sure if it was a spy
0:35:28 > 0:35:32or something may be coming, but she took 'em in anyway.
0:35:32 > 0:35:35These are the photographs here, and that's one of Dick Simpson.
0:35:36 > 0:35:38He's just a boy.
0:35:38 > 0:35:40Yes, 20.
0:35:40 > 0:35:41And that's Jack Bowman.
0:35:41 > 0:35:43What did he say?
0:35:43 > 0:35:46He said our ship's going down and we want some help.
0:35:46 > 0:35:49There were some more maybe to be saved.
0:35:49 > 0:35:55And so what did your grandparents do once they realised that there was a tragedy?
0:35:55 > 0:35:59My grandfather went to the neighbour and got the men from there.
0:35:59 > 0:36:03They got ropes and they took up three survivors that way.
0:36:03 > 0:36:06Before they were stopped by the authorities.
0:36:06 > 0:36:11Your grandfather and the rest were stopped from doing any more of the rescue?
0:36:11 > 0:36:13Oh, yes.
0:36:13 > 0:36:17What is the word on why anyone would stop a rescue?
0:36:17 > 0:36:20That's what makes it so suspicious, I would say.
0:36:21 > 0:36:25You'd think it was something going on somewhere.
0:36:25 > 0:36:28Who do you think the authorities actually were?
0:36:28 > 0:36:30I don't know.
0:36:30 > 0:36:35Whether they were neighbouring authorities or police or who,
0:36:35 > 0:36:37I don't know really who it was.
0:36:37 > 0:36:40James's grandfather never did find out for sure
0:36:40 > 0:36:43who'd stopped the rescue efforts, or why.
0:36:47 > 0:36:51This is the bay where the sailors were struggling to get ashore.
0:36:51 > 0:36:56I'm hoping Tom Muir from the local museum can shed more light
0:36:56 > 0:37:00on the mysterious authorities who prevented the locals from helping.
0:37:01 > 0:37:05There were troops down here, there was an order from the Admiralty
0:37:05 > 0:37:09not to allow civilians down to the shore
0:37:09 > 0:37:13because there might be sensitive papers washed up,
0:37:13 > 0:37:16which they didn't want falling into enemy hands.
0:37:16 > 0:37:18Right. So it's that paranoia stage.
0:37:18 > 0:37:19Very.
0:37:19 > 0:37:22Do you think it's possible that the conditions that night
0:37:22 > 0:37:25were just so appalling that the authorities were right
0:37:25 > 0:37:29in thinking that no-one could help in the water anyway?
0:37:29 > 0:37:31They certainly could have helped.
0:37:31 > 0:37:34The people around here were farmers but they were also fishermen,
0:37:34 > 0:37:37so they knew the tides, they knew where the rafts would come in,
0:37:37 > 0:37:42they knew that life rafts would come in here,
0:37:42 > 0:37:47so when the life rafts did come in, there was nobody there to help.
0:37:47 > 0:37:50There were just smashed against the rocks
0:37:50 > 0:37:55and there was that feeling that if the authorities had allowed them
0:37:55 > 0:37:59to go out and help, the human emotion, the desire
0:37:59 > 0:38:04to go and help them was denied, and that cost lives.
0:38:07 > 0:38:15Sailors Dick Simpson and Jack Bowman were 2 of only 12 survivors.
0:38:15 > 0:38:18Lord Kitchener and the rest of the crew perished.
0:38:22 > 0:38:26The islanders raised money for a memorial to the tragedy,
0:38:26 > 0:38:29but the story would not die.
0:38:29 > 0:38:32The secrecy that scuppered local rescue efforts
0:38:32 > 0:38:34suggested sinister motives to some.
0:38:34 > 0:38:37Was the Government hiding something?
0:38:39 > 0:38:43The people may have loved Lord Kitchener in 1916,
0:38:43 > 0:38:45but many of those in power did not.
0:38:45 > 0:38:49As Secretary of State for War, he was accused of having overseen
0:38:49 > 0:38:52the bungled and disastrous operation at Gallipoli,
0:38:52 > 0:38:56with a cost of 100,000 Allied casualties.
0:38:56 > 0:39:00And the army on the Western front had almost run out of shells at one point
0:39:00 > 0:39:03while Kitchener was in charge of munitions,
0:39:03 > 0:39:06so he had lost some influential friends,
0:39:06 > 0:39:09but had he made some murderous enemies?
0:39:09 > 0:39:12The fame he'd won in South Africa during the Boer War,
0:39:12 > 0:39:16the violence of his death and the fact his body wasn't recovered
0:39:16 > 0:39:18gave rise to conspiracy theories.
0:39:20 > 0:39:24I'm going to run three of them past Nick.
0:39:24 > 0:39:27Firstly, had Kitchener's misconduct in the war,
0:39:27 > 0:39:30so infuriated ministers like Lloyd George
0:39:30 > 0:39:34that his ship was deliberately sent into waters they knew were mined?
0:39:34 > 0:39:36The key thing is they've already fired him.
0:39:36 > 0:39:40In December 1915, he loses the operational control of the army.
0:39:40 > 0:39:42He's got no control over the battlefield.
0:39:42 > 0:39:45There's absolutely no need for the government to have him murdered.
0:39:45 > 0:39:47OK. We can put that one in the bin.
0:39:47 > 0:39:49Absolutely. In it goes.
0:39:49 > 0:39:54This is a particular favourite of mine, without a doubt.
0:39:54 > 0:39:56That Lord Kitchener goes to Russia
0:39:56 > 0:40:00and there, turns himself into a chap called Joseph Stalin.
0:40:00 > 0:40:01There's a moustache thing going on.
0:40:01 > 0:40:05I don't think we should even dignify it with a response.
0:40:05 > 0:40:06It's clearly ridiculous.
0:40:06 > 0:40:09What a shame. What a movie it would make!
0:40:09 > 0:40:12I suppose in some ways this would possibly be the most credible,
0:40:12 > 0:40:16the legendary "spy", Fritz,
0:40:16 > 0:40:19a South African, embittered towards Kitchener particularly,
0:40:19 > 0:40:25and the British in general because his mother and sister died during the Boer War.
0:40:25 > 0:40:29That this man had sworn vengeance and managed to get aboard the Hampshire,
0:40:29 > 0:40:31caused the explosion and lived to tell the tale.
0:40:31 > 0:40:34It's the hardest one to disprove, I'll give you that.
0:40:34 > 0:40:37He wrote a memoir, obviously saying that he did it.
0:40:37 > 0:40:41His claim that he gets on the ship and sabotages the ship
0:40:41 > 0:40:44and swims away and joins a submarine and gets away with it,
0:40:44 > 0:40:47when so many men were drowning in such appalling weather
0:40:47 > 0:40:49is really, really hard to believe.
0:40:49 > 0:40:50I think we have to put Fritz in.
0:40:50 > 0:40:52Done.
0:40:56 > 0:41:01The people of Orkney still live with the loss of HMS Hampshire.
0:41:01 > 0:41:05They tend the cemetery of sailors claimed by the sea.
0:41:06 > 0:41:09Men the locals couldn't save.
0:41:12 > 0:41:17100 years on, what are we to make of the curious case
0:41:17 > 0:41:20of the death of Lord Kitchener?
0:41:20 > 0:41:24I can't help feeling that this sad episode has been hijacked
0:41:24 > 0:41:27by the conspiracy theorists.
0:41:27 > 0:41:31This isn't about the death of a national hero, mysterious or otherwise.
0:41:31 > 0:41:33It's about a tragedy.
0:41:33 > 0:41:36It's the loss of over 600 lives,
0:41:36 > 0:41:40and the scars that remain on an island community that was unable to help.
0:41:51 > 0:41:55Orkney was where I started my island adventure.
0:41:55 > 0:41:59Four long days and short nights later,
0:41:59 > 0:42:03the edge of Shetland sits on the horizon.
0:42:03 > 0:42:06Journey's end.
0:42:11 > 0:42:13We've arrived off the Shetland Islands,
0:42:13 > 0:42:16we're waiting for the pilot, the big seas have abated,
0:42:16 > 0:42:19it's as calm and almost as flat as the Mediterranean,
0:42:19 > 0:42:22and the Shetlands look as welcoming to me
0:42:22 > 0:42:27as they always have done to voyagers coming in from across the ocean.
0:42:27 > 0:42:29A wonderful sight.
0:42:31 > 0:42:33I've made it.
0:42:33 > 0:42:37And I'm absolutely exhausted.
0:42:40 > 0:42:43But what a way to arrive in Shetland!
0:42:43 > 0:42:48For a rare gathering of square riggers from around the globe.
0:42:48 > 0:42:49Permission to come ashore.
0:42:54 > 0:42:58Lerwick is absolutely packed, it's as if the whole island
0:42:58 > 0:43:02has poured down to the quaysides to see the ships come in.
0:43:02 > 0:43:05The tall ships are on their annual race.
0:43:07 > 0:43:11This is just a brief stop-over for them but for me,
0:43:11 > 0:43:18the experience of life under sail will linger long in the memory.
0:43:18 > 0:43:19Friendships forged at sea,
0:43:19 > 0:43:24formed from the shared experience of pulling together.
0:43:24 > 0:43:27Making landfall on new shores,
0:43:27 > 0:43:31with a warm welcome for a stranger from down south.
0:43:31 > 0:43:33CHEERING
0:43:33 > 0:43:36I've travelled far, but always felt at home.
0:43:36 > 0:43:39Our islands hold a mysterious attraction.
0:43:39 > 0:43:45Their magic spoke to our ancestors, and it still calls us.
0:43:45 > 0:43:47One thing that unites us across these isles
0:43:47 > 0:43:50is that we're all islanders,
0:43:50 > 0:43:54whether we live on rocks in the sea that are very large or very small.
0:43:54 > 0:43:57Maybe the joy of coming to the coast is that here,
0:43:57 > 0:44:03we can still experience the very essence of our island story.