0:00:05 > 0:00:08- All the way, guys!- EVERYONE:- Heave!
0:00:08 > 0:00:09Two, six, heave!
0:00:12 > 0:00:15We're back at the very edge of our isles.
0:00:15 > 0:00:18But now, we're on a whole new kind of adventure...
0:00:18 > 0:00:21A unique great guide to our coast.
0:00:25 > 0:00:29But this is a guide beyond anything you'll find in your average
0:00:29 > 0:00:33tourist brochure - a guide crammed with local knowledge,
0:00:33 > 0:00:38amazing discoveries and stunning secret spots.
0:00:40 > 0:00:43Coast and their expert crew have spent over ten years
0:00:43 > 0:00:47navigating this ever-changing natural wonder.
0:00:51 > 0:00:55And now, we're bringing it all together and more to give you
0:00:55 > 0:00:57the ultimate guide to our coast.
0:00:59 > 0:01:02We've selected eight stretches of British coast...
0:01:04 > 0:01:11North, south, east, west, and some of the best bits in between.
0:01:14 > 0:01:16Each week, we'll be taking to the sea
0:01:16 > 0:01:19in a remarkable array of boats and ships.
0:01:19 > 0:01:23We'll have a completely fresh perspective on the coast.
0:01:23 > 0:01:26We'll seek out charismatic characters...
0:01:26 > 0:01:30- Andy, fancy seeing you here! - ..momentous events...
0:01:30 > 0:01:33This is Britain's most deadly shoreline.
0:01:34 > 0:01:37..secret spots and surprising stories.
0:01:37 > 0:01:40There's no denying that there's a charge to be had from holding
0:01:40 > 0:01:42something like this.
0:01:43 > 0:01:47A brand-new view of our coast with all the inside info you need
0:01:47 > 0:01:50to enjoy these shorelines like a local.
0:01:52 > 0:01:54All the way, sailors! All the way!
0:01:55 > 0:01:58This time, I'm heading for the North East.
0:02:00 > 0:02:03This is Coast...
0:02:03 > 0:02:04The Great Guide.
0:02:33 > 0:02:39On England's North East, Scotland's South East,
0:02:39 > 0:02:43a coast like no other - the North Sea coast.
0:02:52 > 0:02:55It's a coast where a powerful sea pounds...
0:02:58 > 0:02:59..sculpts...
0:03:01 > 0:03:06..sustains and washes in a world of opportunity.
0:03:10 > 0:03:13The Coast experts have sought out the stories and places that
0:03:13 > 0:03:15make this shore so special...
0:03:17 > 0:03:20..tiny islands that teem with wildlife...
0:03:20 > 0:03:25It's absolutely splendid. Never seen so many gannets in all my life.
0:03:28 > 0:03:32..proud industrial towns with a unique local lingo...
0:03:32 > 0:03:35- Two, two and a quarter. - Two and a quarter rivets.
0:03:35 > 0:03:38- Two, two and three quarters. - Two, two and three quarter rivets.
0:03:38 > 0:03:42..and mega ports that run 24/7.
0:03:42 > 0:03:46Wow! This is absolutely enormous!
0:03:56 > 0:03:58Now we are back.
0:03:58 > 0:04:02We're heading into the North Sea for our Great Guide to
0:04:02 > 0:04:04a coast of great contrasts.
0:04:09 > 0:04:10I'll be making voyages,
0:04:10 > 0:04:15stopping off at some stunning sites for our guide,
0:04:15 > 0:04:19hopping onto different boats and learning from locals
0:04:19 > 0:04:22the stories that shape this coast.
0:04:22 > 0:04:25The hurricane broke with tremendous, deafening ferocity and
0:04:25 > 0:04:28carnage happened within the space of just a few minutes.
0:04:32 > 0:04:39I'll embark from the Firth of Forth, voyaging down to Eyemouth,
0:04:39 > 0:04:45then on to the Farne Islands and the unmissable Lindisfarne, Holy Island.
0:04:47 > 0:04:51Along the way, I'll be compiling our Great Guide from a wider
0:04:51 > 0:04:55canvas of stories that stretches all the way from Edinburgh to Hull.
0:04:59 > 0:05:04Our Great Guide begins at one of our and the world's great bridges,
0:05:04 > 0:05:06a global superstar -
0:05:06 > 0:05:08the majestic rail route across the Firth of Forth.
0:05:21 > 0:05:23The seaway I'm on, the Firth of Forth,
0:05:23 > 0:05:25connected Edinburgh to the world
0:05:25 > 0:05:28but it also cut the capital off from the north of Scotland
0:05:28 > 0:05:31on that shore over there.
0:05:31 > 0:05:34But the sea couldn't stop the Victorian railway and so,
0:05:34 > 0:05:36the Forth Bridge was born,
0:05:36 > 0:05:39and it takes pride of place in our Great Guide.
0:05:43 > 0:05:48The project to span the sea started in 1882 and didn't finish
0:05:48 > 0:05:50until 1890.
0:05:52 > 0:05:55Designed by Sir John Fowler and Sir Benjamin Baker,
0:05:55 > 0:06:00this 53,000-tonner was Britain's first all-steel bridge.
0:06:07 > 0:06:114,600 men were employed to construct it.
0:06:11 > 0:06:13More than 60 died in the process.
0:06:15 > 0:06:19The construction drew tourists who came to marvel at the huge
0:06:19 > 0:06:22cantilevers arching out to meet one another.
0:06:22 > 0:06:25It was finally opened by the Prince of Wales,
0:06:25 > 0:06:29later King Edward VII, on the 4th of March, 1890.
0:06:36 > 0:06:38It was the engineering wonder of the age.
0:06:40 > 0:06:43But this superstructure wasn't immune to the salt and
0:06:43 > 0:06:46sea air that corrode coastal crossings.
0:06:49 > 0:06:52Building was one thing but maintaining the signature
0:06:52 > 0:06:58Forth Road red paint job became a byword for an endless task.
0:06:58 > 0:07:00As soon as one coat was finished,
0:07:00 > 0:07:04they had to go back and start again and again and again.
0:07:07 > 0:07:11When Coast first came over ten years ago, the scaffolding was up.
0:07:13 > 0:07:17But no more. Five years ago, the endless task ended.
0:07:21 > 0:07:25Hi-tech paint borrowed from the North Sea oil industry means
0:07:25 > 0:07:31this coat should last for 25 years. But it doesn't come cheap.
0:07:32 > 0:07:35How about a statistic for our Great Guide?
0:07:35 > 0:07:39A coat of that paint on a wall of your house would cost
0:07:39 > 0:07:42about £6 a square metre.
0:07:42 > 0:07:48To apply it to the bridge costs £370 per square metre.
0:07:48 > 0:07:50370 quid a square metre!
0:07:50 > 0:07:53Thank goodness they've finally put the brushes down!
0:07:56 > 0:08:00It stands proudly painted in full Victorian glory.
0:08:03 > 0:08:05200 trains thunder across each day.
0:08:09 > 0:08:12But the best way to sweep across in style is on the restored
0:08:12 > 0:08:18Flying Scotsman - a match made in engineering heaven.
0:08:23 > 0:08:24TRAIN WHISTLES
0:08:24 > 0:08:27When steam locomotives gave way to motorcars,
0:08:27 > 0:08:29it called for a brand-new crossing.
0:08:31 > 0:08:37By 1964, there was a road held aloft by suspension - another feat
0:08:37 > 0:08:40of engineering and the longest suspension bridge in Europe.
0:08:45 > 0:08:48But, exposed to the elements,
0:08:48 > 0:08:51behind the good looks lay a ticking time bomb.
0:08:53 > 0:08:56The thin wires making up the massive suspension cables
0:08:56 > 0:08:57were starting to snap.
0:09:00 > 0:09:03Just how quickly were the thousands of wires wasting away?
0:09:04 > 0:09:06A question for our Great Guide.
0:09:11 > 0:09:15Alice Roberts was there from the off to ask the engineers
0:09:15 > 0:09:17with the inside info.
0:09:17 > 0:09:20How can you know what's going on inside those cables cos
0:09:20 > 0:09:22- presumably, you can't open them up? - No, absolutely.
0:09:22 > 0:09:25We can't open up the whole length of the cable.
0:09:25 > 0:09:28- The only way to do this is to actually listen to the cable.- Right.
0:09:28 > 0:09:31And what we have here are microphones,
0:09:31 > 0:09:34- which are attached to the cable. - Those there?
0:09:34 > 0:09:37That's the microphones there, and they're listening for any
0:09:37 > 0:09:39wire breaks that may occur inside the cable.
0:09:39 > 0:09:42So, that's like a stethoscope listening out to the health
0:09:42 > 0:09:43of the cables?
0:09:43 > 0:09:48Exactly, the difference being that we have 15 microphones placed over
0:09:48 > 0:09:53the entire length of each cable, and we're listening all the time.
0:09:55 > 0:09:59The microphones began their round- the-clock vigil in August 2006,
0:09:59 > 0:10:04and straight away the computers began to pick up strange sounds
0:10:04 > 0:10:07hidden in the background noise from the traffic.
0:10:07 > 0:10:08CLICKING NOISE
0:10:10 > 0:10:15These innocuous sounding clicks are actual wires snapping.
0:10:21 > 0:10:25A plan to stop the corrosion by injecting dry air
0:10:25 > 0:10:28into the cables was only a partial success.
0:10:29 > 0:10:33Defective steelwork under the carriageway was an added
0:10:33 > 0:10:38complication, and the bridge was temporarily closed in December 2015.
0:10:43 > 0:10:46Now, work is underway on another attempt to bridge the gap.
0:10:48 > 0:10:51Five years in, it's at a crucial stage,
0:10:51 > 0:10:53and christened with a new name.
0:10:54 > 0:10:56The Queensferry Crossing.
0:11:02 > 0:11:06I've hopped ashore to find out more from bridge manager John Russell.
0:11:06 > 0:11:10What kind of scale of civil engineering project is that bridge?
0:11:10 > 0:11:13You're talking about over 30,000 tonnes of steel.
0:11:13 > 0:11:16You're talking about 30,000 miles of cable.
0:11:16 > 0:11:20It is similar to what we've got at Forth Road Bridge. It is massive.
0:11:20 > 0:11:22What are the challenges?
0:11:22 > 0:11:25Clearly, it's a big, wide stretch of water, so what are the challenges?
0:11:25 > 0:11:27The main challenge, as always,
0:11:27 > 0:11:30is access to these type of things, and weather conditions.
0:11:30 > 0:11:33You know, the weather in the Forth is pretty windy.
0:11:33 > 0:11:35As soon as you get above 20 or 30mph,
0:11:35 > 0:11:36you can't lift anything.
0:11:36 > 0:11:39If you look out there today, they're not really lifting
0:11:39 > 0:11:42the deck sections on because the wind is too heavy.
0:11:42 > 0:11:43Living close by here,
0:11:43 > 0:11:47I am always aware of how often high winds close that bridge.
0:11:47 > 0:11:49Will this bridge be as vulnerable?
0:11:49 > 0:11:53No, the advantage of this bridge is they've introduced a windshield,
0:11:53 > 0:11:56so it means the trucks etc that we divert from the Forth Road Bridge
0:11:56 > 0:11:58at the moment will be able to cross that bridge
0:11:58 > 0:12:00in relatively high winds.
0:12:00 > 0:12:03The joke always used to be that the old bridge was built
0:12:03 > 0:12:05to let you see the rail bridge.
0:12:05 > 0:12:08- Now we've got a bridge to let us see the other two!- Yes.
0:12:08 > 0:12:09The best viewing platform.
0:12:09 > 0:12:12I mean, I've worked on the Forth Road Bridge for 29 years,
0:12:12 > 0:12:13I think that's the best one.
0:12:13 > 0:12:16But everybody that comes to see the rail bridge,
0:12:16 > 0:12:18and that's the Forth Bridge. That's the proper one.
0:12:18 > 0:12:21It's three different designs, three different centuries,
0:12:21 > 0:12:24all in one small space over the Forth Estuary.
0:12:24 > 0:12:25It's a fantastic achievement,
0:12:25 > 0:12:28and you don't get this anywhere else in the world.
0:12:37 > 0:12:40Man-made marvels make it easy to overlook the natural wonder
0:12:40 > 0:12:42of the Firth itself.
0:12:45 > 0:12:49I'm heading out to a wartime stronghold
0:12:49 > 0:12:52on the Firth that's now been reclaimed by wildlife.
0:12:52 > 0:12:54The island of Inchmickery.
0:12:58 > 0:13:00As the freshwater estuary gives way to the sea,
0:13:00 > 0:13:04the Firth becomes a haven for some of nature's big hitters.
0:13:04 > 0:13:06Dolphins,
0:13:06 > 0:13:09seals,
0:13:09 > 0:13:12and even whales have all been spotted here.
0:13:14 > 0:13:17But it's the special flocks of our feathered friends
0:13:17 > 0:13:19that go into our Great Guide.
0:13:20 > 0:13:23And the best way to take it all in?
0:13:23 > 0:13:24Up there.
0:13:29 > 0:13:32Three years ago, Nick Crane got airborne
0:13:32 > 0:13:36for a bird's-eye view of the place they call home.
0:13:37 > 0:13:42We're now over the sunlit seaside, aren't we? It's completely changed.
0:13:42 > 0:13:45Absolutely, yes. We are right out in the outer estuary now.
0:13:45 > 0:13:48The freshwater influence is a long way behind us.
0:13:48 > 0:13:50The beaches are sandy.
0:13:50 > 0:13:51If we were down at sea level now,
0:13:51 > 0:13:54what kind of birds and so on would we be looking at?
0:13:54 > 0:13:57Auks like razorbills, guillemots, puffins.
0:13:57 > 0:13:59You've got fulmar, you'll have kittiwakes, gannets.
0:13:59 > 0:14:01You know, real marine species
0:14:01 > 0:14:05that you'd never find in the freshwater parts of the estuary.
0:14:16 > 0:14:19Sea birds now rule the roost on Inchmickery,
0:14:19 > 0:14:21a small island in the Firth,
0:14:21 > 0:14:25where big guns were once mounted to deter German Navy raids.
0:14:25 > 0:14:27It's where I'm heading.
0:14:29 > 0:14:32Local legend has it that Inchmickery's fortifications
0:14:32 > 0:14:34were designed and built to mimic
0:14:34 > 0:14:37the outline of a warship's superstructure,
0:14:37 > 0:14:39and so scare away an enemy.
0:14:41 > 0:14:45Now, airborne invaders have the island all to themselves.
0:14:47 > 0:14:51Ron Morris has come along from the local sea bird group.
0:14:53 > 0:14:55What species are to be seen on here?
0:14:55 > 0:14:59Birds like the fulmar and the shag, gulls, etc.
0:14:59 > 0:15:04These buildings have actually mimicked their more natural
0:15:04 > 0:15:08nesting places, like the window ledges there, like cliff ledges.
0:15:08 > 0:15:10Caves in the buildings.
0:15:10 > 0:15:13So it's actually been advantageous for the wildlife?
0:15:13 > 0:15:14It has been very advantageous.
0:15:14 > 0:15:16Most of the birds you're looking at,
0:15:16 > 0:15:19wouldn't be here were it not for these derelict military buildings.
0:15:19 > 0:15:21And if you look at the buildings,
0:15:21 > 0:15:25they were all turf covered during the war for camouflage from the air,
0:15:25 > 0:15:29and that just made them ideal nesting habitats for the terns.
0:15:29 > 0:15:33And they nested in varying numbers for quite a few years.
0:15:33 > 0:15:35However, in the '60s and '70s,
0:15:35 > 0:15:40- gull numbers started to rise quite dramatically.- Why?
0:15:40 > 0:15:44Because we are very poor at disposing of our waste -
0:15:44 > 0:15:49rubbish tips, land fill - and gull numbers shot through the roof.
0:15:49 > 0:15:53And, unfortunately, the terns, being migratory,
0:15:53 > 0:15:56their territories were then occupied by the gulls,
0:15:56 > 0:15:58much bigger, stronger birds
0:15:58 > 0:16:01and basically forced them off the island.
0:16:01 > 0:16:03So it's been a bit of a battlefield for the birds?
0:16:03 > 0:16:05Yes, it is still a battlefield.
0:16:11 > 0:16:15Further down the estuary, another island dominated by sea birds.
0:16:17 > 0:16:19Bass Rock is a kingdom of gannets.
0:16:23 > 0:16:28Miranda Krestovnikoff gained access in peak summer season for our guide.
0:16:29 > 0:16:31This is absolutely splendid.
0:16:31 > 0:16:34I've never seen so many gannets in all my life.
0:16:38 > 0:16:40To bring the birds in, we've got some
0:16:40 > 0:16:42really disgusting smelling haddock heads here,
0:16:42 > 0:16:44and some herring as well.
0:16:44 > 0:16:46The herring gulls have moved in,
0:16:46 > 0:16:48and now the gannets are coming in as well.
0:16:49 > 0:16:52We're getting some plunging there. Look at that, it's fantastic.
0:16:54 > 0:16:56Look at that!
0:16:57 > 0:17:00All of a sudden, they've just come right in.
0:17:03 > 0:17:07As the biggest northern gannet colony in the world,
0:17:07 > 0:17:13with over 150,000 of them, Bass Rock flies straight into our Great Guide.
0:17:19 > 0:17:22The rugged, untamed stretches of this shore
0:17:22 > 0:17:24have their own awe-inspiring magic.
0:17:33 > 0:17:37But some of the wonders encountered here are entirely man-made.
0:17:39 > 0:17:43Natural beauty rubs shoulders with some heavy industry on this coast.
0:17:45 > 0:17:50Without a doubt, a big story on this North Sea coast is shipbuilding.
0:17:50 > 0:17:52Big ships.
0:17:54 > 0:17:58I will be heading for Rosyth, where I've secured special access
0:17:58 > 0:18:01to the biggest vessel we're building in our isles.
0:18:03 > 0:18:05But the next story for our Great Guide
0:18:05 > 0:18:09comes from a town intrinsically tied to a golden age of shipbuilding
0:18:09 > 0:18:11on our North Sea coast.
0:18:13 > 0:18:15In fact, Sunderland could once boast
0:18:15 > 0:18:18it was the biggest shipbuilding town in the world.
0:18:28 > 0:18:31This massive enterprise, like the vessels it produced,
0:18:31 > 0:18:34was held together by a small, but vital, component.
0:18:35 > 0:18:36The rivet.
0:18:37 > 0:18:41These connected the ship's giant panels to one another.
0:18:42 > 0:18:46Some would say the rivet didn't just hold ships together,
0:18:46 > 0:18:49they underpinned Britain's naval strength and trading power.
0:18:53 > 0:18:57Who were the coastal riveters keeping our ships afloat?
0:18:57 > 0:19:00Dick Strawbridge investigated for our Great Guide.
0:19:00 > 0:19:04- Brian.- Good to see you. - Good to see you.- And you.
0:19:04 > 0:19:07This is where the shipyard was
0:19:07 > 0:19:08that you actually built ships?
0:19:08 > 0:19:11The slipway where this one was built is the other side there,
0:19:11 > 0:19:12100 yards away.
0:19:12 > 0:19:15How many rivets a day do you reckon
0:19:15 > 0:19:18- a good team would put in? - At least 800 or 900 a day.
0:19:18 > 0:19:20We're really proud of the fact,
0:19:20 > 0:19:22the steel plate would come in there,
0:19:22 > 0:19:23when it left here, finished job,
0:19:23 > 0:19:26it could go straight to sea and work.
0:19:26 > 0:19:28How much did they get paid for riveting?
0:19:28 > 0:19:31- Eight and nine pence per hundred. - Eight and nine pence per hundred.
0:19:31 > 0:19:33That was shared out amongst the squad.
0:19:33 > 0:19:36Mary Power was a catcher on Phil's team.
0:19:36 > 0:19:38Mary, come and join us.
0:19:41 > 0:19:45- You used to work with Phil?- Yes. - It's a very physical job, Mary.
0:19:45 > 0:19:47What was it like as a woman,
0:19:47 > 0:19:50being amongst all these men that were doing all this riveting?
0:19:50 > 0:19:53Well, you didn't think anything about it.
0:19:53 > 0:19:57You just wore the overalls and the boots,
0:19:57 > 0:19:59and you just got on with the job.
0:19:59 > 0:20:01What was the environment like? Was it noisy?
0:20:01 > 0:20:03- It was very noisy. - You couldn't hear yourself speak.
0:20:03 > 0:20:06At the start I didn't know what they were on about
0:20:06 > 0:20:09- cos they used to speak with a sign language.- Sign language?- Yes.
0:20:09 > 0:20:12- Two two-and-a-quarter. - Two-and-a-quarter rivets.
0:20:12 > 0:20:15- Two two-and-three-quarters. - Two two-and-three-quarter rivets.
0:20:15 > 0:20:16- That's the size?- Yes.
0:20:16 > 0:20:19- So you're calling for the size of the rivets?- Yes.
0:20:19 > 0:20:23As a riveter, did you take pride in every single rivet you did?
0:20:23 > 0:20:26Certainly. Yes. I was a good riveter.
0:20:26 > 0:20:29You know that when you're working for Gray's,
0:20:29 > 0:20:33you're one of the best shipbuilders, there's no two ways about it.
0:20:36 > 0:20:39The Wearside shipyards produced 1.5 million tonnes of shipping
0:20:39 > 0:20:41for the Second World War.
0:20:42 > 0:20:46Ship building was the lifeblood of Sunderland's prosperity
0:20:46 > 0:20:48and defined the town and its people.
0:20:53 > 0:20:56By the 1950s, ship orders were falling.
0:20:56 > 0:20:59The Far East could mass-produce faster and cheaper.
0:21:02 > 0:21:05It ushered in two dark decades
0:21:05 > 0:21:08when Sunderland's shipyards closed one by one.
0:21:13 > 0:21:16A proud industry may have slipped away,
0:21:16 > 0:21:20but these shores still cherish their seafaring heritage.
0:21:20 > 0:21:23At Hartlepool's dockyard is Trincomalee,
0:21:23 > 0:21:27a proud veteran of the Royal Navy, and a must-see for our Great Guide.
0:21:30 > 0:21:35Launched in 1817, she served on anti-slavery patrols,
0:21:35 > 0:21:38and is now our oldest fighting ship afloat.
0:21:46 > 0:21:50But, 150 miles up the coast, it's our newest warship I've come to see.
0:21:54 > 0:21:57As ships go super-sized, how exactly do you put them together?
0:21:59 > 0:22:02A question I've come to Rosyth to answer,
0:22:02 > 0:22:07at a state-of-the-art shipyard in full swing on our North Sea coast.
0:22:09 > 0:22:13The leviathan moored over there is the HMS Queen Elizabeth.
0:22:13 > 0:22:16She's the largest warship the Royal Navy has ever built,
0:22:16 > 0:22:18and "large" doesn't do her justice.
0:22:18 > 0:22:23She is truly epic, and she is definitely going in our Great Guide.
0:22:36 > 0:22:39This is unprecedented access.
0:22:39 > 0:22:42You'll never see the Queen Elizabeth like this again.
0:22:43 > 0:22:45Below the water line,
0:22:45 > 0:22:49she has to displace 65,000 tonnes of water to stay afloat.
0:22:54 > 0:22:59Huge components made at six UK shipyards converge here at Rosyth
0:22:59 > 0:23:03to create Queen Elizabeth and her sister ship, Prince of Wales.
0:23:06 > 0:23:09Commander Darren Houston has the inside knowledge
0:23:09 > 0:23:11on how the blocks are put together.
0:23:11 > 0:23:14It's like a big Lego kit, isn't it, I suppose?
0:23:14 > 0:23:19- How do you join it up? - Right, well that's the tricky bit.
0:23:19 > 0:23:21Over my shoulder,
0:23:21 > 0:23:24you'll see the large dock that the Prince of Wales is sitting in.
0:23:24 > 0:23:27That's where all the sections were lifted into place by the
0:23:27 > 0:23:31large Goliath crane, and then each section was then brought together
0:23:31 > 0:23:32and welded and sealed up.
0:23:32 > 0:23:35Every inch of that has to be just right, doesn't it?
0:23:35 > 0:23:37For the lifetime of the ship,
0:23:37 > 0:23:40every joint that is made now has to be true.
0:23:40 > 0:23:43Absolutely, and it has to be absolutely millimetre,
0:23:43 > 0:23:46or to the micro-millimetre accurate,
0:23:46 > 0:23:49to make sure that all the pieces join up in the right place.
0:23:54 > 0:23:56She is so big, it's actually difficult
0:23:56 > 0:23:58to get a sense of the scale of her.
0:23:58 > 0:24:01It is. I mean, the ship itself, 65,000 tonnes,
0:24:01 > 0:24:06280 metres long, that's the same size as the Houses of Parliament.
0:24:06 > 0:24:09She has a 4.5-acre flight deck.
0:24:09 > 0:24:10We're looking at the equivalent of
0:24:10 > 0:24:13about two and a half international football pictures.
0:24:13 > 0:24:15She is absolutely massive.
0:24:15 > 0:24:19And how many people are involved on a project like this?
0:24:19 > 0:24:22On any one day, there's about 1,500 people on board,
0:24:22 > 0:24:25on both the ships,
0:24:25 > 0:24:28which makes a workforce of about 3,000 in this particular area.
0:24:28 > 0:24:30So millions and millions of man hours.
0:24:30 > 0:24:33Gosh, it's lifetimes of work that have gone into this.
0:24:33 > 0:24:35Absolutely. It is, yes.
0:24:47 > 0:24:52All of the monumental cost, all of the millions of hours of hard graft,
0:24:52 > 0:24:55it all comes down to this, the flight deck.
0:24:55 > 0:25:00This is a mobile airport that can be positioned anywhere in the world.
0:25:17 > 0:25:21This is our Great Guide to Britain's North Sea coast.
0:25:28 > 0:25:30On our journey along this shore,
0:25:30 > 0:25:34we'll visit magical islands where wildlife found sanctuary,
0:25:34 > 0:25:37thanks to Britain's earliest environmental campaigner.
0:25:43 > 0:25:46And we'll enjoy the tranquillity of one of our coast's
0:25:46 > 0:25:47most spiritual retreats.
0:25:52 > 0:25:53I've swapped boats,
0:25:53 > 0:25:58and I'm heading south to a small fishing port with a sombre history.
0:26:00 > 0:26:04But the next story in our guide is at Culross in Fife.
0:26:07 > 0:26:10This is the starting point for one of this coastline's great tales.
0:26:12 > 0:26:16An epic story of how it has fired Britain for centuries.
0:26:19 > 0:26:21Past, present and future,
0:26:21 > 0:26:26our experts explored how this coast has supplied us with fuel,
0:26:26 > 0:26:28from the birth of coal mining...
0:26:30 > 0:26:32..to the heyday of coal-fired power...
0:26:33 > 0:26:36..to a future of renewable energy.
0:26:38 > 0:26:40We began with Hermione Cockburn,
0:26:40 > 0:26:44going back to the birthplace of British coal mining,
0:26:44 > 0:26:49more than 400 years ago, during the reign of James VI of Scotland,
0:26:49 > 0:26:50and Elizabeth I of England.
0:26:52 > 0:26:56Our guide salutes entrepreneur Sir George Bruce.
0:26:58 > 0:27:02A visionary who looked to the coast for coal,
0:27:02 > 0:27:05tunnelling into coal seams beneath the seabed,
0:27:05 > 0:27:08two centuries before the Industrial Revolution.
0:27:11 > 0:27:15But to find out what was truly remarkable about Sir George Bruce,
0:27:15 > 0:27:20Hermione had to journey a third of a mile out to sea.
0:27:20 > 0:27:22Just about two metres below us,
0:27:22 > 0:27:24we can feel that solid stone.
0:27:24 > 0:27:26That's the top of a mine shaft.
0:27:26 > 0:27:31This was a second access point for a mine which entered the ground
0:27:31 > 0:27:33just below the castle behind us,
0:27:33 > 0:27:36dived down, following a seam of coal,
0:27:36 > 0:27:39reaching to this extent almost 240 feet below us.
0:27:39 > 0:27:44The offshore vertical shaft was a radical innovation.
0:27:44 > 0:27:49It meant Bruce's coal miners could breathe fresh air.
0:27:49 > 0:27:53What would've been here? What would it have been like 400 years ago?
0:27:53 > 0:27:57If you imagine something of the nature almost of a chimney,
0:27:57 > 0:28:00a gigantic great chimney, 50 feet in diameter,
0:28:00 > 0:28:02coming out of the water here,
0:28:02 > 0:28:05and going up perhaps 30 or more feet, straight up above us.
0:28:05 > 0:28:08This towering great chimney, with the coal coming
0:28:08 > 0:28:12directly up onto the platform, ships could come alongside,
0:28:12 > 0:28:14just as we are floating here in this boat,
0:28:14 > 0:28:16they could load the coal directly
0:28:16 > 0:28:19and of course sail off and take it to the marketplaces.
0:28:19 > 0:28:22So it was really a bit like an offshore oil platform?
0:28:22 > 0:28:24This is one of the greatest technological achievements
0:28:24 > 0:28:29of late medieval Europe, and that the project was even contemplated,
0:28:29 > 0:28:32let alone put into practice, is just mind-boggling.
0:28:36 > 0:28:40Culross launched the fuel that would fire Britain for centuries -
0:28:40 > 0:28:41coal.
0:28:46 > 0:28:50And ships from the North Sea coast exported this black gold
0:28:50 > 0:28:52around the world.
0:28:53 > 0:28:56Coal also transformed another sleepy backwater
0:28:56 > 0:28:58into Britain's biggest port.
0:29:00 > 0:29:05Further south, Immingham, still awash with the black stuff.
0:29:07 > 0:29:10But now, the traffic is going in reverse.
0:29:10 > 0:29:12Rather than shipping it out,
0:29:12 > 0:29:16huge boats are now importing tons of coal.
0:29:21 > 0:29:24Nick Crane explored why for our Great Guide.
0:29:26 > 0:29:28This might look like a minnow nudging a whale,
0:29:28 > 0:29:33but these tiny tugs are incredibly powerful, and they have to be
0:29:33 > 0:29:39because some of the ships sailing into Immingham weigh 200,000 tonnes.
0:29:45 > 0:29:49Overseeing this mountainous operation is port director
0:29:49 > 0:29:50John Fitzgerald.
0:29:51 > 0:29:55How much coal is actually passing through this port now?
0:29:55 > 0:29:58This year, we're on track for about 14 million tonnes.
0:29:58 > 0:30:02I'm quite surprised because I'm sure I'm not the only one
0:30:02 > 0:30:04who thought Britain was decarbonising,
0:30:04 > 0:30:06heading towards renewable fuel,
0:30:06 > 0:30:10and yet we're surrounded by literal mountains of the black stuff.
0:30:10 > 0:30:15Nearly 50% of all the electricity generated in the UK
0:30:15 > 0:30:17is generated from coal,
0:30:17 > 0:30:21and that effectively means that the coal here at Immingham
0:30:21 > 0:30:24is powering well over three million homes.
0:30:40 > 0:30:44For centuries, coal has been king in firing up Britain's industry,
0:30:44 > 0:30:46but what could replace it?
0:30:49 > 0:30:52Nick found one possible answer already taking shape,
0:30:52 > 0:30:55right there on the quayside at Immingham.
0:30:56 > 0:31:00Wow, this is absolutely enormous!
0:31:01 > 0:31:07This soaring tower is being built to store a new generation of energy.
0:31:07 > 0:31:09This is biomass,
0:31:09 > 0:31:12mainly wood pulp from sustainable forests.
0:31:14 > 0:31:18Such biomass may provide up to a tenth of our electricity.
0:31:18 > 0:31:22The pellets are stored in these huge silos.
0:31:23 > 0:31:27Our small isle would struggle to grow enough trees,
0:31:27 > 0:31:30so we rely on the sea for imports.
0:31:32 > 0:31:36Biomass could cement an exciting future for this port,
0:31:36 > 0:31:41harnessing the coast to the changing needs of our country.
0:31:45 > 0:31:49The North Sea coast, our energy coast.
0:32:08 > 0:32:09For ten years,
0:32:09 > 0:32:12our experts have scoured these shores for their secrets.
0:32:14 > 0:32:16But if you were on a whistle-stop tour,
0:32:16 > 0:32:20what would be the unmissable sights to say you have seen this coast?
0:32:23 > 0:32:26This is our flying visit to the North Sea coast.
0:32:31 > 0:32:33The North Sea coast,
0:32:33 > 0:32:36all the way from the Firth of Forth in the North
0:32:36 > 0:32:37to the Humber in the South.
0:32:39 > 0:32:42You might start your journey at Pittenweem.
0:32:44 > 0:32:47A magnet for holiday homers and commuters to Edinburgh,
0:32:47 > 0:32:49but still an active fishing port.
0:32:53 > 0:32:56Travel on to Aberlady Bay for an underwater secret.
0:32:59 > 0:33:01The watery grave of X-Craft,
0:33:01 > 0:33:06midget subs that took on the German Second World War battleship Tirpitz.
0:33:08 > 0:33:13At Gullane, push yourself to your limits on the infamous Murder Hill.
0:33:17 > 0:33:21It became part of Scottish football folklore when the players of
0:33:21 > 0:33:25Glasgow Rangers used it as a training ground in the 1970s.
0:33:25 > 0:33:30These days, amateur teams pit themselves against Murder Hill.
0:33:30 > 0:33:33It's hard! I didn't expect that at all.
0:33:33 > 0:33:35Murder, man. Murder!
0:33:37 > 0:33:41Coastal erosion means Murder Hill isn't quite as murderous
0:33:41 > 0:33:43as it once was.
0:33:44 > 0:33:48At the Tweed, we cross from Scotland into England,
0:33:48 > 0:33:51and Berwick, England's most northerly town.
0:33:53 > 0:33:56Home to an impressive Elizabethan fort.
0:33:58 > 0:34:03For beautiful beaches, travel south to windswept Bamburgh.
0:34:06 > 0:34:09Sitting on a basalt outcrop, the imposing castle,
0:34:09 > 0:34:11surveyor of the coast beneath.
0:34:13 > 0:34:17This coast has its pick of bridges in every conceivable design.
0:34:19 > 0:34:21The famous Tyne Bridge,
0:34:21 > 0:34:24little brother of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
0:34:24 > 0:34:25Built by the same company.
0:34:27 > 0:34:29And at Middlesbrough, the Transporter Bridge,
0:34:29 > 0:34:32uniquely designed for tall ships to pass through.
0:34:36 > 0:34:39If fishing floats your boat, head for Whitby.
0:34:40 > 0:34:45Four years ago, we set off on a trip with Divine Charura and friends.
0:34:48 > 0:34:51- And again.- Whoa! Beautifully caught!
0:34:51 > 0:34:53Can somebody take a picture of me and this man?
0:34:54 > 0:34:56- Smile, boys!- He's the man!
0:34:58 > 0:35:02Divine is still organising the group fishing trips.
0:35:02 > 0:35:06The record is 600 mackerel in a day.
0:35:06 > 0:35:09This is the life! That's what we're talking about.
0:35:12 > 0:35:16Scarborough, second only to London for domestic holiday-makers.
0:35:17 > 0:35:20Locals boast it was the birthplace of the seaside resort.
0:35:20 > 0:35:22When I was there 11 years ago,
0:35:22 > 0:35:25they told me it rivalled the Bay of Naples.
0:35:27 > 0:35:28Oh!
0:35:29 > 0:35:30Oh!
0:35:30 > 0:35:33Oh, I tell you what, it might look like the Bay of Naples,
0:35:33 > 0:35:35but it doesn't feel like the Bay of Naples!
0:35:40 > 0:35:42At Spurn Point,
0:35:42 > 0:35:46you'll find the country's only full-time lifeboat station.
0:35:49 > 0:35:52But don't get stranded when the North Sea rolls in.
0:35:55 > 0:35:59At Hull, an ominous reminder of World War II.
0:36:01 > 0:36:02Guarding the Humber estuary,
0:36:02 > 0:36:06this fort was targeted by German U-boats and aircraft.
0:36:06 > 0:36:10Now for sale, it needs a bit of work.
0:36:10 > 0:36:14But if you have a spare £350,000, it's yours.
0:36:15 > 0:36:20Grimsby Dock Tower and the Humber Bridge mark the southern end
0:36:20 > 0:36:24of our North Sea coast - industry at its tip and tail.
0:36:25 > 0:36:27But why settle for a whistle-stop tour
0:36:27 > 0:36:29when there's so much to discover?
0:36:31 > 0:36:35Follow us for the bigger picture in our Great Guide.
0:36:40 > 0:36:42I've arrived at Eyemouth.
0:36:43 > 0:36:47Whether it's the legacy of industry, or the bracing North Sea,
0:36:47 > 0:36:49they breed them tough on this coast.
0:36:53 > 0:36:55This is an unsentimental shore
0:36:55 > 0:36:59that's had to deal with hard times on land and on the sea.
0:37:04 > 0:37:07Nowhere is that more true than in Eyemouth,
0:37:07 > 0:37:10a traditional Scottish fishing village,
0:37:10 > 0:37:13whose statues and artworks are a clue to a tragedy
0:37:13 > 0:37:16that once tore this community apart.
0:37:23 > 0:37:27Seafaring folk around the coast know they must live with a cruel sea
0:37:27 > 0:37:29that occasionally comes to claim them.
0:37:31 > 0:37:35But some disasters at sea are so dreadful they soak into the psyche
0:37:35 > 0:37:38of a community and are remembered for generations.
0:37:38 > 0:37:43Just such a tragedy happened here at Eyemouth 130 or so years ago,
0:37:43 > 0:37:46and it's so keenly felt on this shore
0:37:46 > 0:37:48that it's going into our Great Guide.
0:37:50 > 0:37:56On the 14th October 1881, a storm hit along the North Sea coast.
0:38:06 > 0:38:08This is a copy of the Berwickshire News,
0:38:08 > 0:38:13the local newspaper for these parts, and it's dated October 18th, 1881,
0:38:13 > 0:38:16so that's just four days after the event.
0:38:16 > 0:38:20That's pretty good going for news reporting of the day.
0:38:20 > 0:38:21There's a headline here.
0:38:21 > 0:38:25"Terrific gale. Fearful loss of life. Wreck of fishing boats."
0:38:25 > 0:38:30It goes on to detail to a great extent the loss of life.
0:38:30 > 0:38:31"The greatest calamity
0:38:31 > 0:38:34"that ever befell the fishing industry of this coast
0:38:34 > 0:38:35"overtook it on Friday,
0:38:35 > 0:38:38"when many of our brave fishermen, exposed to the violence
0:38:38 > 0:38:41"of a hurricane seldom equalled for severity,
0:38:41 > 0:38:42"went down to a watery grave."
0:38:44 > 0:38:49It's been remembered most vividly of all here in Eyemouth,
0:38:49 > 0:38:52and, in fact, so vivid and so poignant are the memories
0:38:52 > 0:38:56that they still refer to it around here as Black Friday.
0:39:00 > 0:39:03The scale of the disaster was staggering.
0:39:04 > 0:39:07189 men perished at sea.
0:39:08 > 0:39:1193 widows were left on land.
0:39:11 > 0:39:15267 children lost their fathers.
0:39:17 > 0:39:20For some families, it was made even worse
0:39:20 > 0:39:23by the fact they could stand on the harbour wall,
0:39:23 > 0:39:24look out at sea,
0:39:24 > 0:39:27and watch their menfolk drown in front of their eyes.
0:39:40 > 0:39:44- How are you doing?- How are you doing? Welcome aboard.- Thank you.
0:39:44 > 0:39:47Welcome to Eyemouth Harbour. I'll show you over here.
0:39:52 > 0:39:55To discover what happened, I'm heading out with journalist
0:39:55 > 0:40:00Peter Aitchison, a descendant of one of the fishermen killed that day.
0:40:01 > 0:40:04Why would the fleet go out when they knew a storm was coming?
0:40:04 > 0:40:071881 had been a dreadful year.
0:40:07 > 0:40:11The weather had been horrendous from the very beginning of the year.
0:40:11 > 0:40:14It had kept the fleet into the harbour many, many days.
0:40:14 > 0:40:16It was difficult times for the fishermen.
0:40:16 > 0:40:19Now they knew they were in the eye of that storm but the Eyemouth way
0:40:19 > 0:40:22was that if one boat decided to sail, the entire fleet, by honour,
0:40:22 > 0:40:25was duty bound to follow.
0:40:25 > 0:40:27And there was one boat, a boat called the Press Home.
0:40:27 > 0:40:29It had been newly delivered that week by the boat builders
0:40:29 > 0:40:32here at Press Home harbour.
0:40:32 > 0:40:36An average age of just 26, virginal sails of white and these
0:40:36 > 0:40:39young men were absolutely desperate to get out to sea and when
0:40:39 > 0:40:42the men of the Press Home decided they were going to go out,
0:40:42 > 0:40:44all the other 44 boats in the fleet
0:40:44 > 0:40:47decided there was nothing for it but they would go as well.
0:40:49 > 0:40:52Given that, obviously, they were in the habit of going out
0:40:52 > 0:40:54in fair winds and foul,
0:40:54 > 0:40:57why did so much go wrong that time?
0:40:58 > 0:41:02Eyemouth was in the centre, in the eye of the most tremendous
0:41:02 > 0:41:06hurricane to have hit the east coast of Britain for 100 years.
0:41:06 > 0:41:10And the hurricane broke with tremendous, deafening ferocity.
0:41:10 > 0:41:12The little fleet was scattered.
0:41:12 > 0:41:13Some had sails up and they were shredded.
0:41:13 > 0:41:16Others only had bare poles and they were overturned quickly.
0:41:16 > 0:41:20And carnage happened within the space of just a few minutes.
0:41:23 > 0:41:25The fishermen were faced with a stark choice -
0:41:25 > 0:41:29to stay at sea and ride out the storm or risk making for home
0:41:29 > 0:41:31to harbour fringed with fatal rocks.
0:41:38 > 0:41:41Some were lucky but many perished.
0:41:51 > 0:41:53Many of my family were killed in the disaster.
0:41:53 > 0:41:56My direct link is my great-great-grandfather
0:41:56 > 0:41:57who was a man called James Purvis
0:41:57 > 0:42:00and he was the skipper of a boat called the Myrtle.
0:42:00 > 0:42:03We've got a photograph here and you can see that's old Jim Purvis there.
0:42:03 > 0:42:05And that's Jane Mack, his wife.
0:42:05 > 0:42:07She, along with the other women,
0:42:07 > 0:42:09had rushed down to the harbour when the storm erupted.
0:42:09 > 0:42:12One of the boats that made it in, early on that afternoon,
0:42:12 > 0:42:13she rushed down and said,
0:42:13 > 0:42:16"Have you seen my husband? Have you seen old Jim Purvis?
0:42:16 > 0:42:17"Have you seen the Myrtle?"
0:42:17 > 0:42:21And one of the men said, "It's fine, Janey, don't you be worrying."
0:42:21 > 0:42:23Because he strapped himself to the tiller of the boat.
0:42:23 > 0:42:26And then two days after the disaster a crew who had
0:42:26 > 0:42:30made landfall in Yorkshire arrived back in the town and they
0:42:30 > 0:42:34said to Jane, "Jane, we saw the Myrtle and it was overturned
0:42:34 > 0:42:38"on a single lump of water and pulled to the deep."
0:42:38 > 0:42:41And old Jim Purvis strapped himself to the tiller and there was
0:42:41 > 0:42:43no way he could have survived.
0:42:45 > 0:42:48That was a tragedy which has been passed down through our family
0:42:48 > 0:42:52right to now and I still feel it, as a son of the sea in a way,
0:42:52 > 0:42:56and I still remember the tears of my grandmother telling me that story.
0:43:04 > 0:43:07The women of Eyemouth produced a tapestry to mark
0:43:07 > 0:43:09the centenary of a tragedy
0:43:09 > 0:43:12that still resonates with the townsfolk today.
0:43:13 > 0:43:17My great-grandfather was on the Harmony
0:43:17 > 0:43:20and on that boat was his brother,
0:43:20 > 0:43:25an uncle and a cousin so, I mean, the whole family had been affected.
0:43:25 > 0:43:30My grandmother was 11 and her brother was 7.
0:43:30 > 0:43:32And they actually stood on...
0:43:32 > 0:43:35near the beach watching the disaster happen
0:43:35 > 0:43:36and they could do nothing about it.
0:43:42 > 0:43:44I feel quite emotional about it.
0:43:45 > 0:43:48You know, to have had relations involved and it must have
0:43:48 > 0:43:50been awful for the families that were left behind.
0:43:53 > 0:43:55I heard from my mother
0:43:55 > 0:43:58who was told by her father
0:43:58 > 0:44:01who had been two at the time of the disaster
0:44:01 > 0:44:04that his earliest recollection was
0:44:04 > 0:44:06of being held in someone's arms
0:44:06 > 0:44:08down there on the bantry watching
0:44:08 > 0:44:10for his two oldest brothers,
0:44:10 > 0:44:14aged 23 and 21, in their boats and they were lost.
0:44:16 > 0:44:20We have to keep reminding future generations, you know,
0:44:20 > 0:44:21of what happened here.
0:44:21 > 0:44:23I think it's very important.
0:44:23 > 0:44:27That's why I'm trying to make sure that my family know which is their
0:44:27 > 0:44:30great-grandfather on the memorial.
0:44:42 > 0:44:46Eyemouth harbour had suffered decades of underinvestment
0:44:46 > 0:44:48due to a quarrel between the fishing fleet
0:44:48 > 0:44:50and the Church of Scotland over taxes.
0:44:52 > 0:44:56Just six weeks before the disaster, the fishermen put forward
0:44:56 > 0:45:01a plan for harbour improvements which had looked likely to go ahead.
0:45:01 > 0:45:04It looked as though we were going to get this big, new harbour
0:45:04 > 0:45:08which would have created the safest fishing port in the entire
0:45:08 > 0:45:11east coast and, tragically, six weeks later,
0:45:11 > 0:45:15the hurricane comes down, the fleet is wrecked, a third of the men
0:45:15 > 0:45:16are killed and the government says,
0:45:16 > 0:45:19"Eyemouth's dead, Eyemouth's finished."
0:45:19 > 0:45:22And people who come and stand at the harbour or on the beach,
0:45:22 > 0:45:25I'm sure they do as I do and you think back to what happened
0:45:25 > 0:45:26on that horrible day
0:45:26 > 0:45:29and what the future for this town might have been had that day
0:45:29 > 0:45:30not happened at all.
0:45:42 > 0:45:44This coast reveals a dark record,
0:45:44 > 0:45:49a danger zone of wild waters and hundreds of known shipwrecks.
0:45:53 > 0:45:56Apt then that our North Sea coast
0:45:56 > 0:45:59gave birth to Britain's first coastguard,
0:45:59 > 0:46:01thanks to the efforts of one man.
0:46:04 > 0:46:07Going into our great guide is Dr John Sharp,
0:46:07 > 0:46:11a clergyman who turned Bamburgh Castle in Northumberland from
0:46:11 > 0:46:15being a fortress of war into a cradle of life saving.
0:46:15 > 0:46:20Nick explored how John Sharp made our shores safer.
0:46:20 > 0:46:24It's the late 1700s and Sharp is receiving weekly reports
0:46:24 > 0:46:28of drowned bodies being washed up on these shores.
0:46:28 > 0:46:32Sharp grows increasingly disturbed by the relentless loss of life
0:46:32 > 0:46:37and becomes obsessed with making our wild waters safer.
0:46:40 > 0:46:43There was no nearby lighthouse,
0:46:43 > 0:46:47no ship to shore communication, no distress flares.
0:46:47 > 0:46:51So what did Sharp come up with?
0:46:51 > 0:46:53A set of instructions.
0:46:54 > 0:46:57It was a watch and rescue system.
0:46:57 > 0:47:01When the mists came down, all the waters turned wild.
0:47:01 > 0:47:05It was all eyes on the coast for those at Bamburgh Castle.
0:47:06 > 0:47:09He'd invented the first coastguard station.
0:47:10 > 0:47:14In every great storm, two men on horseback are sent from
0:47:14 > 0:47:18the castle to patrol from sunset to sunrise.
0:47:21 > 0:47:24A bell on the south turret will be rung out
0:47:24 > 0:47:26in every thick fog as a signal.
0:47:26 > 0:47:29A person is to attend every morning to look out
0:47:29 > 0:47:31if any ships be in distress.
0:47:33 > 0:47:38If any were spotted, those at the castle jumped into action.
0:47:38 > 0:47:43First, a gun signalled the location of the wrecked ship.
0:47:43 > 0:47:44Prepare to give fire.
0:47:47 > 0:47:48One shot for the islands.
0:47:51 > 0:47:52Two for north.
0:47:56 > 0:47:57Three for south.
0:47:59 > 0:48:02But how could you communicate with stricken vessels?
0:48:03 > 0:48:07Sharp's solution was a flag and a speaking trumpet.
0:48:08 > 0:48:11Ahoy there.
0:48:11 > 0:48:13Help is at hand.
0:48:15 > 0:48:20John Sharp was a visionary who conquered these wild waters.
0:48:21 > 0:48:26This hero of the waves gave rise to a crucial rescue service
0:48:26 > 0:48:29that still watches over our coast today.
0:48:45 > 0:48:49From southern Scotland, my journey's brought me to northern England.
0:48:51 > 0:48:54A coast of cliffs and sand but few islands.
0:48:59 > 0:49:01Those they do have are rather special.
0:49:05 > 0:49:08I'm heading to Holy Island, Lindisfarne,
0:49:08 > 0:49:11to hunt for an early monastery.
0:49:11 > 0:49:15But first, I really want to take in another spiritual spot.
0:49:16 > 0:49:18The island of Inner Farne.
0:49:18 > 0:49:22Home to the patron saint of northern England, St Cuthbert.
0:49:24 > 0:49:25It's a bit of a personal quest.
0:49:29 > 0:49:31I've had St Cuthbert on my mind.
0:49:31 > 0:49:33This chap here with the wild hairstyle.
0:49:33 > 0:49:35And not because of his spiritual work.
0:49:35 > 0:49:37Something much more surprising.
0:49:37 > 0:49:40He was the first environmental campaigner this part of
0:49:40 > 0:49:42the world had ever seen.
0:49:42 > 0:49:45And the story has to do with these guys, eider ducks.
0:49:49 > 0:49:53St Cuthbert visited the Farne Islands around AD 675
0:49:53 > 0:49:55for a period of solitude and reflection...
0:49:56 > 0:50:01..and forged an attachment to some feathered residents, eider ducks,
0:50:01 > 0:50:04Britain's heaviest and fastest flying duck.
0:50:08 > 0:50:13Then he discovered that the locals ate them and their eggs and so
0:50:13 > 0:50:17he passed the first bird protection laws specifically to protect
0:50:17 > 0:50:21eider ducks and the rest of the sea birds in this part of the world.
0:50:27 > 0:50:31It's thanks to St Cuthbert the ducks are still at home on the Farnes...
0:50:35 > 0:50:37..although they're still fair game for herring gulls.
0:50:44 > 0:50:46On land and in the water,
0:50:46 > 0:50:49this is a little slice of heaven for wildlife...
0:50:50 > 0:50:52..and a must for our great guide.
0:50:56 > 0:51:00The Farne Islands are also home to one of the largest colonies
0:51:00 > 0:51:01of grey seals in the UK.
0:51:02 > 0:51:04Their numbers are closely monitored.
0:51:10 > 0:51:14Miranda came here 12 years ago for a lesson in seal counting
0:51:14 > 0:51:15for our guide.
0:51:17 > 0:51:19I mean you can see how easy it is to get really close up to one of
0:51:19 > 0:51:21these things. They don't run away.
0:51:21 > 0:51:24This is quite a good one, I must confess. This is really easy.
0:51:24 > 0:51:28However, in the middle of the island where a lot of females haul out,
0:51:28 > 0:51:30that's where the problems start.
0:51:30 > 0:51:32SEAL BARKS
0:51:37 > 0:51:40David and his team mark the newborn pups with
0:51:40 > 0:51:44a coloured dye so they know which ones they've already counted
0:51:44 > 0:51:47and then can estimate the number of seals on the islands.
0:51:49 > 0:51:51And that doesn't harm the seal pup at all?
0:51:51 > 0:51:53- No.- That's all right?- Not at all.
0:51:53 > 0:51:55Before mother comes back, we'll just retreat.
0:51:56 > 0:51:59The pups only keep their white fur for about 21 days
0:51:59 > 0:52:03before shedding it and gaining their pristine adult coat,
0:52:03 > 0:52:05free of David's dye.
0:52:07 > 0:52:08After we've done the work,
0:52:08 > 0:52:10it's good to see we haven't had much of an effect on them.
0:52:10 > 0:52:15- Yeah.- We can actually back off and enjoy the animals for what they are.
0:52:15 > 0:52:16Yeah, beautiful.
0:52:17 > 0:52:21David has recorded 357 pups so far this year
0:52:21 > 0:52:24and, with hundreds left to count, he estimates that
0:52:24 > 0:52:29the Farne Islands may be home to as many as 3,800 grey seals.
0:52:40 > 0:52:44Up close, it's not hard to see why Cuthbert made this
0:52:44 > 0:52:46his spiritual retreat.
0:52:53 > 0:52:56The Farnes might not be far from the mainland but there is
0:52:56 > 0:53:00definitely a sense here of being on the edge.
0:53:00 > 0:53:03Being at the end of the world, in a sense.
0:53:03 > 0:53:07And you're not just away from the world but you're away from
0:53:07 > 0:53:08the world of humankind.
0:53:08 > 0:53:11And whether you're religious or not, I think it's hard not to be
0:53:11 > 0:53:15impressed by the resolve of that man of the early Church,
0:53:15 > 0:53:19choosing to come out here and be alone just do contemplate
0:53:19 > 0:53:20and to think.
0:53:22 > 0:53:24And if you wanted to think about something big,
0:53:24 > 0:53:26this is the place to do it.
0:53:26 > 0:53:30Here in this little speck where the sea meets the sky.
0:53:43 > 0:53:46Time and the elements have removed all trace of the first
0:53:46 > 0:53:49monastic buildings occupied by St Cuthbert.
0:53:49 > 0:53:53But in the 14th century, a church was built in his memory.
0:53:53 > 0:53:55St Cuthbert's coastal chapel.
0:53:59 > 0:54:01SQUAWKING
0:54:03 > 0:54:06To be quite honest, you'd struggle to get peace and time for
0:54:06 > 0:54:07reflection out here now.
0:54:23 > 0:54:27My last port of call is just a short boat ride away,
0:54:27 > 0:54:29the most spiritual of spots.
0:54:39 > 0:54:41I've reached the final stop on my journey.
0:54:41 > 0:54:43The Holy Island of Lindisfarne.
0:54:43 > 0:54:44And it's quite apt really.
0:54:44 > 0:54:47You've virtually got to walk on water to get here.
0:54:52 > 0:54:57I'm following in the footsteps of St Aidan who arrived here in 635 on
0:54:57 > 0:55:00a simple yet extraordinary mission -
0:55:00 > 0:55:05to convert pagan Anglo-Saxons to Christianity.
0:55:05 > 0:55:07I'm searching for his lost monastery.
0:55:11 > 0:55:14The religious community that St Aidan established on
0:55:14 > 0:55:18Lindisfarne made this place a must-see destination
0:55:18 > 0:55:22on the North Sea coast and it does of course go into our great guide.
0:55:27 > 0:55:29It may look timeless
0:55:29 > 0:55:32but this religious mission has had a turbulent history.
0:55:35 > 0:55:39It laid the foundations for a new era of worship and learning,
0:55:39 > 0:55:42only to be ransacked by marauding Viking raiders
0:55:42 > 0:55:45who laid waste to this house of God
0:55:45 > 0:55:48when they first arrived on our shore in 793.
0:55:55 > 0:55:58This priory, the one all the tourists and pilgrims come to see,
0:55:58 > 0:56:00was built much later.
0:56:00 > 0:56:03The challenge now, that's being paid for by crowdfunding,
0:56:03 > 0:56:05is to find, somewhere out there,
0:56:05 > 0:56:08that first community established by Aidan.
0:56:14 > 0:56:17A geophysical survey appeared to show the outlines
0:56:17 > 0:56:21of mysterious buildings so archaeologists and heritage
0:56:21 > 0:56:25group DigVentures opened up two small trenches to investigate.
0:56:28 > 0:56:32Among rubble and human bone, they made a remarkable discovery.
0:56:37 > 0:56:41A rare fragment of a carved name stone, probably
0:56:41 > 0:56:44a burial marker, with an inscription that appears to
0:56:44 > 0:56:49end in Frith, a common element of Anglo-Saxon names.
0:56:51 > 0:56:54It dates to the seventh or eighth century,
0:56:54 > 0:56:58the exact period of Lindisfarne's first monastery.
0:57:02 > 0:57:05It's an exciting and hugely important find.
0:57:06 > 0:57:09It could be the first evidence of the early medieval community
0:57:09 > 0:57:14where Aidan and his followers devoted themselves to God.
0:57:14 > 0:57:18Forget all this fine masonry, we're talking about buildings made
0:57:18 > 0:57:23of timber, walls of wattle and daub, thatched roofs maybe or turf.
0:57:23 > 0:57:25The area would have been surrounded
0:57:25 > 0:57:27by the fields that they worked to grow some of their food.
0:57:27 > 0:57:30There would have been a church where they worshipped and that's
0:57:30 > 0:57:32what really all of this was about.
0:57:32 > 0:57:36It's a community of men who had cut themselves off from everything
0:57:36 > 0:57:40else so that they could busy their hands with simple labour
0:57:40 > 0:57:42and concentrate their minds and their energies
0:57:42 > 0:57:43on the worship of God.
0:57:50 > 0:57:53And it's hard to imagine a better retreat from
0:57:53 > 0:57:56a busy world than this peaceful place.
0:58:04 > 0:58:07On our Great Guide to the North Sea coast,
0:58:07 > 0:58:10we've crossed from Scotland into England...
0:58:12 > 0:58:15..explored man-made marvels...
0:58:17 > 0:58:18..natural wonders...
0:58:21 > 0:58:23..and a proud industrial heritage.
0:58:27 > 0:58:31Our Great Guide has revealed a coast of contrasts.
0:58:31 > 0:58:34Tragedy and courage, innovation and success.
0:58:34 > 0:58:38All of it has washed up here on our North Sea coast.
0:58:43 > 0:58:47And now we've explored some of the highlights, it's over to you.