0:00:31 > 0:00:34We're about to embark on a voyage of discovery.
0:00:37 > 0:00:43Our destinations are the glorious islands of the British Isles.
0:00:43 > 0:00:47Jewels set in spectacular seas
0:00:47 > 0:00:50with a treasure trove of secrets in store.
0:00:53 > 0:01:00This is an epic adventure to explore the mysteries of the Isles.
0:01:02 > 0:01:08My own magical mystery tour starts here on Orkney.
0:01:10 > 0:01:13Orkney is actually a collection of 70 islands.
0:01:15 > 0:01:18The harbour at Stromness has been a settlement
0:01:18 > 0:01:20since the time of the Vikings.
0:01:21 > 0:01:26The sea was the highway the islanders needed to survive.
0:01:26 > 0:01:31Stromness was once a jumping off point for global adventure.
0:01:31 > 0:01:34The town was connected to the wider world
0:01:34 > 0:01:38by mighty sailing ships stopping over in the port.
0:01:38 > 0:01:43If only we could've been here in the great days of sail.
0:01:43 > 0:01:45Well, how about that?
0:01:45 > 0:01:48I'm hoping to hitch a lift on an island-hopping ride.
0:01:48 > 0:01:51Every year, a fleet of tall ships
0:01:51 > 0:01:54races around the harbours of the globe
0:01:54 > 0:01:57recreating historic trade routes.
0:01:57 > 0:02:01This year, they're passing through the Northern Isles of Scotland.
0:02:01 > 0:02:03The community here was transformed by the tall ships.
0:02:03 > 0:02:09They brought wealth, but they also took men away.
0:02:09 > 0:02:12It's a classic dilemma for all small isles.
0:02:12 > 0:02:14When the wider world comes knocking,
0:02:14 > 0:02:16is the attraction of island life strong enough
0:02:16 > 0:02:19to keep communities together?
0:02:19 > 0:02:22- Permission to board, captain. - Welcome aboard.- Thank you.
0:02:22 > 0:02:26To explore the effect these vessels had on the islanders,
0:02:26 > 0:02:28I'm signing on as a crew hand
0:02:28 > 0:02:31aboard the Norwegian tall ship, Sorlandet.
0:02:31 > 0:02:34My destination is Shetland
0:02:34 > 0:02:38but I'm planning to stop off at tiny Fair Isle.
0:02:38 > 0:02:42It barely registers on the map, but the community there thrives,
0:02:42 > 0:02:46even though many other Scottish isles have been abandoned.
0:02:46 > 0:02:51It's a mystery how those on Fair Isle manage to hang on.
0:02:51 > 0:02:54I wanted to discover the secrets of their success.
0:02:56 > 0:03:00With a favourable wind, we'll get to Fair Isle within two days.
0:03:03 > 0:03:06We're under motor power now,
0:03:06 > 0:03:10but soon it'll be all hands on deck to unfurl the 27 sails.
0:03:18 > 0:03:23The islands of Orkney are disappearing below the horizon.
0:03:23 > 0:03:25I'm just putting myself in the shoes of the islanders
0:03:25 > 0:03:32who boarded ships just like this to sail to new lives in faraway lands.
0:03:32 > 0:03:35It must have been hugely exciting.
0:03:35 > 0:03:38But their excitement was tempered
0:03:38 > 0:03:42by the prospect of hard graft and so is mine.
0:03:42 > 0:03:47They've just taught me how to coil a rope,
0:03:47 > 0:03:49which is actually quite simple.
0:03:49 > 0:03:52It would be if you were standing on your kitchen floor at home.
0:03:52 > 0:03:55This floor is moving around all over the place.
0:03:56 > 0:04:01Then, before we've really got going, apparently, it's time for bed.
0:04:01 > 0:04:06The ship runs on shift work and I'm on an early.
0:04:07 > 0:04:11But sleep doesn't come easily when the boat is lurching
0:04:11 > 0:04:14and there's only a few hours of darkness.
0:04:16 > 0:04:21It's four o'clock in the morning and I've just got out of my bunk.
0:04:21 > 0:04:23I'm on the four to eight watch. I've got to get up on deck.
0:04:25 > 0:04:27Boat is going all over the place.
0:04:27 > 0:04:29I think they put all the sails up in the night.
0:04:29 > 0:04:34Like sailors of old, I'm keeping a log, a video diary of my voyage.
0:04:35 > 0:04:37We're far out to sea.
0:04:37 > 0:04:42We've been blown along under a rig full of sails. Look at this.
0:04:45 > 0:04:46What a sight.
0:04:50 > 0:04:53This is what square rigging looks like,
0:04:53 > 0:04:57under a lot of sail out in the North Atlantic.
0:04:57 > 0:04:58Pretty impressive.
0:04:59 > 0:05:02There's precious little time to take in the view.
0:05:02 > 0:05:09Bad weather is blowing in and we've got to crack on towards Fair Isle.
0:05:09 > 0:05:12Mind your footing, mind your footing, people sleeping below.
0:05:14 > 0:05:20While the ship swings into action, the captain calmly plots our route,
0:05:20 > 0:05:23heading for a small speck of land.
0:05:23 > 0:05:27Fair Isle looks like a tiny rock in the middle of the ocean
0:05:27 > 0:05:28completely on its own.
0:05:28 > 0:05:31Why do you want to take the ship to Fair Isle?
0:05:31 > 0:05:35- There is barter with the inhabitants of Fair Isle.- Barter?
0:05:35 > 0:05:39Yes, where you trade things that you have for things that they have.
0:05:39 > 0:05:42They used to do this with the ships in the old days.
0:05:42 > 0:05:46They trade their woollen mittens for fish hooks,
0:05:46 > 0:05:48oars and things like that.
0:05:48 > 0:05:50What have you brought from Norway
0:05:50 > 0:05:52to trade with the inhabitants of Fair Isle?
0:05:52 > 0:05:55We've bought some goat cheese, some brown, Norwegian goat cheese.
0:05:55 > 0:06:00OK. Do you think they'll like that? Do you know they like goats cheese?
0:06:00 > 0:06:02I think it remains to be found out.
0:06:02 > 0:06:07The only issue we have now, is if the seas pick up too much,
0:06:07 > 0:06:11we'll have an issue with anchoring at Fair Isle.
0:06:13 > 0:06:19This tall ship is too big to get into the tiny harbour on Fair Isle.
0:06:19 > 0:06:24Instead, we're planning to drop anchor offshore.
0:06:24 > 0:06:28the bad weather could scupper that plan.
0:06:35 > 0:06:37I've just come off watch
0:06:37 > 0:06:41and Fair Isle is just off the ship's rail.
0:06:41 > 0:06:45It's the most remote inhabited island in the British Archipelago
0:06:45 > 0:06:49and I've been wanting to set foot on it for most of my life.
0:06:49 > 0:06:51Just seeing it is exciting,
0:06:51 > 0:06:55but we don't know yet whether we're going to be able to go ashore
0:06:55 > 0:06:58because there's a strong wind and a big swell.
0:06:58 > 0:07:00We're just going to have to wait and see.
0:07:02 > 0:07:03Weather permitting,
0:07:03 > 0:07:07I'm hoping to meet the small community here on Fair Isle
0:07:07 > 0:07:11to discover how they've kept going when other isles were abandoned.
0:07:11 > 0:07:15It's just one of the marvellous mysteries to explore
0:07:15 > 0:07:17in the Scottish islands.
0:07:25 > 0:07:29Shrouded in cloaks of sea mist,
0:07:29 > 0:07:33the Western Isles can seem like a shadowy, secret world.
0:07:33 > 0:07:36Fertile territory for the making of myths.
0:07:38 > 0:07:42Spectacular sights and tall tales
0:07:42 > 0:07:48captivated a new breed of tourists around 150 years ago.
0:07:48 > 0:07:54They departed from new gateways to adventure, like here at Largs.
0:07:55 > 0:07:58Following in the footsteps of Victorian travellers,
0:07:58 > 0:08:02Tessa's searching out the truth of an island tale
0:08:02 > 0:08:05that seems much stranger than fiction.
0:08:06 > 0:08:08In the late 1800s,
0:08:08 > 0:08:13the sleepy town of Largs was a thriving tourist destination.
0:08:13 > 0:08:17The golden ticket for travel hungry adventurers of the Victorian age
0:08:17 > 0:08:20was a grand tour of the Western Isles.
0:08:20 > 0:08:22The new craze for paddle-steamer voyages
0:08:22 > 0:08:25drew people here from far and wide,
0:08:25 > 0:08:30especially those obsessed with a scientific sense of discovery.
0:08:30 > 0:08:32One such traveller was French author Jules Verne,
0:08:32 > 0:08:35a founding father of science fiction.
0:08:35 > 0:08:39In 1879, Verne, in search of new wonders,
0:08:39 > 0:08:41travelled to the Western Isles.
0:08:41 > 0:08:44The man who wrote Around The World In 80 Days
0:08:44 > 0:08:46and 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea
0:08:46 > 0:08:51was inspired here to write a book about a natural phenomenon.
0:08:51 > 0:08:53Part fact, part fiction.
0:08:53 > 0:08:57The mysterious and elusive green ray.
0:08:57 > 0:09:02In the book, Jules Verne describes a fleeting green flash of light
0:09:02 > 0:09:06that reveals itself just as the sun sets.
0:09:06 > 0:09:08He called it Le Rayon Vert,
0:09:08 > 0:09:12meaning the green ray, more commonly known as the green flash.
0:09:18 > 0:09:21The novel tells the story of a young woman, Helena,
0:09:21 > 0:09:23who, having read of the green ray,
0:09:23 > 0:09:26sets off on a voyage to the Western Isles
0:09:26 > 0:09:28to try and see it herself.
0:09:28 > 0:09:31Legend tells that the green ray destroys illusions
0:09:31 > 0:09:34and will allow her to find true love.
0:09:37 > 0:09:41Joining me as I begin my voyage into the islands, is Ian Thompson,
0:09:41 > 0:09:43who has studied Verne's book.
0:09:44 > 0:09:48Does the green ray really exist? Will we be able to see it?
0:09:48 > 0:09:50Yes, the phenomenon certainly exists.
0:09:50 > 0:09:52We don't know that Verne himself witnessed it.
0:09:52 > 0:09:56There's nothing in the correspondence or diaries
0:09:56 > 0:10:00to prove that, but it certainly does exist and has been witnessed,
0:10:00 > 0:10:05photographed and I have here an example where we see,
0:10:05 > 0:10:09just for a few seconds, this green flash or green ray.
0:10:09 > 0:10:11That was what Verne's heroine was after.
0:10:12 > 0:10:14And it's what I'm after too.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19Like both Jules Verne and his heroine, Helena,
0:10:19 > 0:10:23I'm boarding a steamer to travel to the Western Isles.
0:10:33 > 0:10:37The green ray is very interesting in Verne's huge output,
0:10:37 > 0:10:40because it's the one novel that follows exactly
0:10:40 > 0:10:44his own travel and his travels in Scotland.
0:10:44 > 0:10:48He adored all the myths and legends and history of Scotland
0:10:48 > 0:10:52and he regarded it as more or less his ancestral home.
0:10:52 > 0:10:56Why, in particular, are the Western Isles a good place
0:10:56 > 0:10:58for seeing this green flash phenomenon?
0:10:58 > 0:11:00The western coast of the Western Isles
0:11:00 > 0:11:06offered a completely unblocked view of the horizon and sunset.
0:11:07 > 0:11:12So, in other words, here, where we are right now, is no good.
0:11:12 > 0:11:14You can't see over the horizon.
0:11:14 > 0:11:17It's clearly not an easy phenomenon to capture.
0:11:17 > 0:11:20It does require very specific atmospheric conditions.
0:11:20 > 0:11:22What do you think our chances are?
0:11:22 > 0:11:24Pretty slim.
0:11:27 > 0:11:30To have any hope, I need to push on to the open sea.
0:11:30 > 0:11:35Like Helena, I'm determined to witness the green flash.
0:11:35 > 0:11:37Has anybody else here seen it though?
0:11:37 > 0:11:42- I wonder, Sir, if you've ever heard of the green ray.- I haven't, no.
0:11:42 > 0:11:45- I don't suppose you know anything about the green flash, do you?- No.
0:11:45 > 0:11:47I haven't, I'm sorry, I don't.
0:11:47 > 0:11:52- Have you ever heard of the green flash?- Oh, yes, I have.- Have you?
0:11:52 > 0:11:54In fact, I've seen the green flash.
0:11:54 > 0:11:58Just as the sun goes down, just as it disappears over the horizon,
0:11:58 > 0:12:00there's a green flash.
0:12:00 > 0:12:01It's quite amazing to see it.
0:12:03 > 0:12:07Reassured, I continue heading west. It's a race against the sun.
0:12:12 > 0:12:13Back in Verne's day,
0:12:13 > 0:12:16the fashionable sets in London, Paris and Berlin
0:12:16 > 0:12:20saw the Western Isles as the last wilderness of Europe.
0:12:23 > 0:12:26It's clear that Verne too was captivated by this place.
0:12:28 > 0:12:32As he made his way to the lochs and out to the islands,
0:12:32 > 0:12:37natural wonders like the Corryvreckan Whirlpool fuelled his imagination,
0:12:37 > 0:12:44as did the imposing island of Staffa and the wondrous Fingal's Cave.
0:12:47 > 0:12:51With sunset approaching, the paddle steamer leaves me behind.
0:12:53 > 0:12:56I've arrived at the island where Verne's heroine got her chance
0:12:56 > 0:12:58to see the green flash.
0:12:59 > 0:13:02But she had better luck than me.
0:13:02 > 0:13:06I've got a view of the horizon, but the clouds have closed in.
0:13:06 > 0:13:11The sun's nowhere to be seen, the elements are against me.
0:13:12 > 0:13:15But I was brought up in Scotland, so I am not daft enough
0:13:15 > 0:13:19to have left the green flash to chance. I've got a Plan B.
0:13:19 > 0:13:21'I am meeting Johannes Courtial,
0:13:21 > 0:13:24'who is giving me my very own green flash demonstration.'
0:13:24 > 0:13:28How does a green flash actually work?
0:13:28 > 0:13:30There's the sun,
0:13:30 > 0:13:36and, when it's setting, the light from the sun reaches the observer
0:13:36 > 0:13:40by entering the atmosphere, where it gets bent.
0:13:40 > 0:13:42When the sun sets on the horizon,
0:13:42 > 0:13:47the light goes through a bit of atmosphere a bit like a prism.
0:13:47 > 0:13:50- I happen to have one here.- So if the atmosphere is like a prism,
0:13:50 > 0:13:53what effect does that have on the light?
0:13:53 > 0:13:56What this does is it splits the sun's light
0:13:56 > 0:13:58into, effectively, a rainbow.
0:13:58 > 0:14:02The red bit is at the bottom, the blue bit is at the top,
0:14:02 > 0:14:05and as the sun sets below the horizon,
0:14:05 > 0:14:06this rainbow disappears.
0:14:06 > 0:14:10The blue is at the end, so that would set last,
0:14:10 > 0:14:13but the green flashes green and not blue,
0:14:13 > 0:14:16and that's because blue light is scattered by the atmosphere.
0:14:16 > 0:14:17This is why the sky is blue,
0:14:17 > 0:14:19and that's why, in this rainbow,
0:14:19 > 0:14:22blue is missing and then the top colour is green.
0:14:22 > 0:14:25The last colour that is disappearing below the horizon is a bit of green.
0:14:25 > 0:14:28- When that sets, that's the green flash.- Eureka!
0:14:28 > 0:14:33- Can you re-create the green flash here?- Well, we'll do our best.
0:14:33 > 0:14:37We have all we need, I think. We have a fish tank with angled sides.
0:14:37 > 0:14:39This will act like a prism.
0:14:39 > 0:14:41'To make the tank mimic the bending power
0:14:41 > 0:14:45'of the Earth's atmosphere, we fill it with water.'
0:14:46 > 0:14:52'Add powder to scatter the light, and finally a torch, our sun.'
0:14:52 > 0:14:55I can see some form of rainbow here.
0:14:55 > 0:14:59I do see it actually, a kind of blue-y green rim.
0:14:59 > 0:15:02But I thought that that green flash was meant to be at the top,
0:15:02 > 0:15:05the last bit of the sun to disappear, not on the right-hand side.
0:15:05 > 0:15:08That's because our atmosphere is standing on its side.
0:15:08 > 0:15:09This way is up.
0:15:11 > 0:15:12'With a little magic touch,
0:15:12 > 0:15:16'it starts to look a lot more like the setting sun,
0:15:16 > 0:15:19'complete with mysterious green flash.'
0:15:21 > 0:15:24Given what we've been up against, I think you've worked wonders.
0:15:24 > 0:15:27This is amazing. I actually understand it.
0:15:27 > 0:15:29'And though I may have cheated a little,
0:15:29 > 0:15:33'with the help of a German scientist and a plastic fish tank,
0:15:33 > 0:15:36'I've joined the lucky few to have seen
0:15:36 > 0:15:39'the rare and mysterious green flash.'
0:15:49 > 0:15:53I'm sailing aboard the Norwegian tall ship Sorlandet
0:15:53 > 0:15:58on a voyage between the northern isles of Scotland.
0:15:58 > 0:16:02We've arrived at Fair Isle, a wonderfully remote community.
0:16:04 > 0:16:06I've wanted to come here for years,
0:16:06 > 0:16:10since I first heard about it as a boy.
0:16:11 > 0:16:16But tall ships are too big for Fair Isle's tiny harbour,
0:16:16 > 0:16:20so we need to find calmer water to launch a boat.
0:16:22 > 0:16:25We seem to be sailing to and fro among the shore of Fair Isle.
0:16:25 > 0:16:28- Is there a problem?- In the north end there where the other ships are,
0:16:28 > 0:16:32there's a bit of swell, so now we're at the south end of the island,
0:16:32 > 0:16:37we're going to pass it, turn the ship around, come back,
0:16:37 > 0:16:39and see if we can anchor just about where we are now
0:16:39 > 0:16:40and a little bit closer to shore.
0:16:40 > 0:16:43And it ought to be safe.
0:16:44 > 0:16:48We are hoping to drop anchor off this remarkable island,
0:16:48 > 0:16:51still home to about 70 people.
0:16:52 > 0:16:56A tiny stepping stone between Orkney and Shetland,
0:16:56 > 0:16:59Fair Isle is surrounded by an ocean of sea.
0:17:00 > 0:17:043,000 miles over there is Canada,
0:17:04 > 0:17:08and hundreds of miles that direction is Norway and mainland Europe.
0:17:08 > 0:17:12Fair Isle is sat in one of the biggest shipping lanes in the world.
0:17:13 > 0:17:16Arriving by trading ship helped solve the mystery
0:17:16 > 0:17:23of how small island communities used to support themselves out here.
0:17:23 > 0:17:26Whenever the people on the island saw a sailing ship coming past,
0:17:26 > 0:17:29they would try and sail out or row out to meet it.
0:17:29 > 0:17:35'Today, we'll try and meet them, and barter with the islanders.'
0:17:35 > 0:17:38Step in quickly.
0:17:38 > 0:17:43'But getting off a big ship isn't easy.
0:17:43 > 0:17:46'These are tense moments.'
0:18:03 > 0:18:05Give us a line.
0:18:07 > 0:18:11That was one of the most exciting embarkation moments
0:18:11 > 0:18:13I've ever had in my life.
0:18:13 > 0:18:17We are now going to head for the shore through a pretty impressive swell.
0:18:18 > 0:18:21Fair Isle looks pretty remote on a map,
0:18:21 > 0:18:24but it feels more remote once you've arrived at it.
0:18:26 > 0:18:29Finally, after years of anticipation,
0:18:29 > 0:18:31I get to set foot on Fair Isle.
0:18:31 > 0:18:34This is a big moment for me. I feel quite emotional about it.
0:18:35 > 0:18:38ISLANDERS CHEER
0:18:41 > 0:18:42Thank you! Thank you!
0:18:42 > 0:18:46Thank you very much. That's a very nice welcome indeed.
0:18:46 > 0:18:51'In the past, islanders would exchange fresh goods
0:18:51 > 0:18:53'and their famous knitwear for brandy, tea,
0:18:53 > 0:18:58'flour and other essentials from the trading ships.
0:18:58 > 0:19:02'They've been frantically knitting fishermen's hats,
0:19:02 > 0:19:04'which they hope to barter.'
0:19:04 > 0:19:09This is the famous Norwegian brown cheese.
0:19:12 > 0:19:13This is Linie Aquavit.
0:19:13 > 0:19:15< Over there, over there.
0:19:15 > 0:19:20I think we'll have to open that tonight for all the knitters first.
0:19:20 > 0:19:22'It's easy to see this as a bit of fun,
0:19:22 > 0:19:26'but exchanges like this happened for hundreds of years,
0:19:26 > 0:19:29'keeping island communities alive.'
0:19:29 > 0:19:31Fantastic! CROWD CHEERS
0:19:33 > 0:19:35'Barter complete.'
0:19:35 > 0:19:40I've just an hour or so left to explore this fascinating island.
0:19:41 > 0:19:46There's a mystery at the heart of this community that intrigues me.
0:19:46 > 0:19:50What made them stay when life became difficult?
0:19:50 > 0:19:55Not so long ago it was touch and go here on Fair Isle.
0:19:55 > 0:19:58I've got an article here from the Shetland Times of 1956.
0:19:58 > 0:20:01The really dramatic passage in this article says,
0:20:01 > 0:20:04"The report indicates that, by this summer,
0:20:04 > 0:20:08"it is possible that the island will reach the point of no return
0:20:08 > 0:20:12"as far as manning essential services is concerned,
0:20:12 > 0:20:15"so that evacuation will become inevitable."
0:20:15 > 0:20:22In 1956, a film crew came to capture the dying days of Fair Isle.
0:20:22 > 0:20:26The tall ships had gone. The island was increasingly isolated.
0:20:26 > 0:20:30Young men were forced to leave to find wives.
0:20:30 > 0:20:33The population was just 47.
0:20:33 > 0:20:39But the proposed evacuation never materialised.
0:20:39 > 0:20:42So how did Fair Isle come back from the brink?
0:20:42 > 0:20:48I'm meeting Anne Sinclair to share memories of life back then.
0:20:49 > 0:20:51Look at that.
0:20:51 > 0:20:53- So that's the lighthouse just down there.- Yeah.
0:20:53 > 0:20:56Here's some Fair Isle knitting patterns.
0:20:56 > 0:21:00- They haven't changed at all, have they?- No. It's called traditional.
0:21:00 > 0:21:03And that, I think, is my Auntie Molly's hands.
0:21:03 > 0:21:05You can recognise your aunt's hands?
0:21:05 > 0:21:07Yep. They're the same as mine.
0:21:07 > 0:21:12Anne's parents were from Fair Isle, but like many others, they'd left.
0:21:12 > 0:21:17When the call came to help save the island, the family returned.
0:21:17 > 0:21:20- Which year did you come back?- '57.
0:21:20 > 0:21:24- You came back at the most difficult time in the island's history?- Yes.
0:21:24 > 0:21:27Dad especially was really quite keen to come back here.
0:21:27 > 0:21:31They said, if young farmers didn't come, they'd evacuate Fair Isle,
0:21:31 > 0:21:35so that was the final thing, and Dad said, "Right. Let's go."
0:21:35 > 0:21:40Why did Fair Isle survive as a community
0:21:40 > 0:21:43when so many islands off the north coast of Scotland
0:21:43 > 0:21:47became depopulated and abandoned?
0:21:47 > 0:21:49I think it was sheer determination to a certain extent.
0:21:49 > 0:21:53But I think a lot of people saw this was a good way to live,
0:21:53 > 0:21:58and there were a lot of young families that came back
0:21:58 > 0:22:02and it stayed fairly young, and I think that's important.
0:22:02 > 0:22:03A lot of people have the idea,
0:22:03 > 0:22:05"Oh, Fair Isle, get away from it all.
0:22:05 > 0:22:07"It'll be like a magic place."
0:22:07 > 0:22:10And in fact, we're all human beings same as everywhere else.
0:22:10 > 0:22:14It's a magical place but it won't solve anybody's problems.
0:22:14 > 0:22:16They won't get away from anything.
0:22:16 > 0:22:19Right now, I've got to get back to the tall ship waiting for me
0:22:19 > 0:22:25offshore to continue my magical mystery tour towards Shetland.
0:22:25 > 0:22:28I'm leaving Anne with a DVD of memories
0:22:28 > 0:22:30in exchange for a Fair Isle cap.
0:22:30 > 0:22:33Right. Now you put it to the side.
0:22:33 > 0:22:35Ah, that's warm!
0:22:35 > 0:22:37A typical Fair Isle fisherman.
0:22:37 > 0:22:39I'm not tough enough to be a Fair Isle fisherman.
0:22:53 > 0:22:58I'm en route for Shetland, following in the wake of islanders
0:22:58 > 0:23:03who left a familiar life on land for the mysteries of the sea.
0:23:03 > 0:23:07To find out what lay in store, like them,
0:23:07 > 0:23:10I'm travelling 19th-century style.
0:23:10 > 0:23:13Back then, ships like this carried island men to adventure
0:23:13 > 0:23:17across the sea, but it wasn't a free ride.
0:23:17 > 0:23:20They often had to work their passage.
0:23:20 > 0:23:22I think I better do the same.
0:23:22 > 0:23:26At sea, a boat becomes an island in itself.
0:23:26 > 0:23:31Everyone needs to pull together and tow the line.
0:23:31 > 0:23:37While some jobs are mundane, others are exhilarating.
0:23:37 > 0:23:39I'm about to have the biggest adventure you can have
0:23:39 > 0:23:42on a tall ship, which is going up in the rigging.
0:23:42 > 0:23:44I've got a camera mounted on my nut,
0:23:44 > 0:23:46and the man whose taking me up is David,
0:23:46 > 0:23:49who has a lifetime's experience on sailing ships.
0:23:49 > 0:23:52- David, take me up.- If you go first.
0:23:58 > 0:24:00Here we go.
0:24:00 > 0:24:02This is...
0:24:02 > 0:24:06Already the deck is receding below me.
0:24:08 > 0:24:11Whoa, gosh, the wind is strong.
0:24:11 > 0:24:14The wind is one third stronger up here.
0:24:16 > 0:24:19The ship's moving all over the place. This is really difficult.
0:24:20 > 0:24:25- Is this where I clip on?- Yes, please. On the wire itself.
0:24:25 > 0:24:31- That's it.- Clip done. This is the moment. Up and over the edge.
0:24:31 > 0:24:33Looming out over the deck.
0:24:33 > 0:24:37Arms out straight. Push with your feet.
0:24:40 > 0:24:45One foot on the platform, two feet on the platform. I'm up.
0:24:45 > 0:24:51Expletive deleted. Oh, man. What a sight. What a sight.
0:25:00 > 0:25:04To be up in the top of the rigging of a tall ship
0:25:04 > 0:25:07looking out across the ocean,
0:25:07 > 0:25:12the sails billowing with wind, totally timeless moment.
0:25:12 > 0:25:17This is exactly what seafarers for hundreds of years have seen.
0:25:19 > 0:25:21This is a voyage of real highs
0:25:21 > 0:25:27and lows, snatching sleep when you can.
0:25:30 > 0:25:37There's one very odd thing that happens, which is your body clock goes completely peculiar.
0:25:37 > 0:25:43Eh...right now, I have no idea what time of day it is.
0:25:43 > 0:25:47It must be evening, cos I slept for two hours.
0:25:47 > 0:25:51I got out of this bunk. I was sleeping fully clothed, like now.
0:25:51 > 0:25:54Then I ate the meal, which turned out to be supper.
0:25:54 > 0:25:58Getting a bit tired. In fact, I'm now permanently tired.
0:25:59 > 0:26:03But the ship doesn't sleep.
0:26:03 > 0:26:07There's an important tack at midnight.
0:26:07 > 0:26:11Everyone's needed to move the massive sails.
0:26:11 > 0:26:16- Are you ready to do this?- Yeah! - Yeah! Very good.
0:26:19 > 0:26:23It's all gone badly wrong. We've got some of the sails on one side of the ship,
0:26:23 > 0:26:26some on the other. We got caught by the wind.
0:26:26 > 0:26:28Now there's a rush on to try to get the ship straightened out.
0:26:36 > 0:26:41Suddenly, everyone stops. The crew must rethink.
0:26:41 > 0:26:45A palpable air of tension on the deck now.
0:26:45 > 0:26:48Pull it towards me. Pull it towards me.
0:26:48 > 0:26:50Here we go.
0:27:00 > 0:27:06Despite our efforts, the ship did more of a three-point turn than an elegant tack.
0:27:16 > 0:27:20Orkney was where I started my island adventure.
0:27:20 > 0:27:24Four long days and short nights later,
0:27:24 > 0:27:28the edge of Shetland sits on the horizon.
0:27:28 > 0:27:31Journey's end.
0:27:36 > 0:27:38We've arrived off the Shetland Islands,
0:27:38 > 0:27:41we're waiting for the pilot, the big seas have abated,
0:27:41 > 0:27:44it's as calm and almost as flat as the Mediterranean,
0:27:44 > 0:27:47and the Shetlands look as welcoming to me
0:27:47 > 0:27:52as they always have done to voyagers coming in from across the ocean.
0:27:52 > 0:27:54A wonderful sight.
0:27:56 > 0:27:58I've made it.
0:27:58 > 0:28:02And I'm absolutely exhausted.
0:28:05 > 0:28:08But what a way to arrive in Shetland!
0:28:08 > 0:28:12For a rare gathering of square riggers from around the globe.
0:28:12 > 0:28:14Permission to come ashore.
0:28:19 > 0:28:23Lerwick is absolutely packed, it's as if the whole island
0:28:23 > 0:28:27has poured down to the quaysides to see the ships come in.
0:28:27 > 0:28:31The tall ships are on their annual race.
0:28:31 > 0:28:36This is just a brief stop-over for them but for me,
0:28:36 > 0:28:42the experience of life under sail will linger long in the memory.
0:28:42 > 0:28:44Friendships forged at sea,
0:28:44 > 0:28:49formed from the shared experience of pulling together.
0:28:49 > 0:28:52Making landfall on new shores,
0:28:52 > 0:28:56with a warm welcome for a stranger from down south.
0:28:56 > 0:28:58CHEERING
0:28:58 > 0:29:01I've travelled far, but always felt at home.
0:29:01 > 0:29:04Our islands hold a mysterious attraction.
0:29:04 > 0:29:10Their magic spoke to our ancestors, and it still calls us.
0:29:10 > 0:29:12One thing that unites us across these isles
0:29:12 > 0:29:15is that we're all islanders,
0:29:15 > 0:29:19whether we live on rocks in the sea that are very large or very small.
0:29:19 > 0:29:22Maybe the joy of coming to the coast is that here,
0:29:22 > 0:29:28we can still experience the very essence of our island story.
0:29:45 > 0:29:48Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd