Arran Country Tracks


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Today I'm on a journey along the western fringes of Scotland,

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starting here at the head of Loch Fyne

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and finishing 83 miles south on Holy Isle.

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From Loch Fyne I head south to the port of Tarbert

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to get the ferry to the Isle of Arran.

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From Lochranza I'll be travelling on to Blackwaterfoot

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then exploring the mountainous Ard Bheinn.

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Next I stop off at Kilmory before arriving at Lamlash

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and finishing my journey with another ferry trip to the Holy Isle.

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Along the way I'll be looking back at the very best

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of the BBC's rural programmes from this part of the world.

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This is Country Tracks.

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For the first stop on my journey, I'm here to meet Tuggy Delap,

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local cattle farmer and purveyor of fine ales.

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Farming is becoming an increasingly difficult business

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and to survive, many farmers are having to diversify.

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In 2002, Ben visited Tuggy on her farm

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to see how she was ringing in the changes.

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We know farmers are having a tough time and they're trying to diversify,

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but for some that means seeking refuge in drink.

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MUSIC: "Strange Brew" by Cream

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# Strange brew

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# Strange brew

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# Strange brew. #

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Loch Fyne is famous for its salmon and oysters

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and soon real ales could be added to the list.

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-Cheers.

-It's gorgeous.

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What made you decide to build a brewery on Loch Fyne?

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Well, Ben, look at the building.

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It was crying out for us to do something with it.

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It was falling down.

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The slates were flying off it and we decided that we had to rescue it.

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The boys were standing in front of the fire with pints in their hands

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and we looked at it and said, "We could always open a brewery".

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And just out of silly comments, funny things begin.

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-Cheers.

-It's gorgeous.

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Now, Kenny, you're the brewer.

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Can you just tell me what's going on in this room?

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This is the fermentation room we're standing in at the moment.

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We keep this room around 20 to 22 degrees,

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and the beer will ferment out within two to three days.

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From here, it goes next door into the conditioning room

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where it's kept in conditioning tanks for at least seven days.

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From there, it's casked or bottled.

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Here they use a lighter malt for a paler ale

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and a crystal one for a darker brew.

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-Cheers.

-It's gorgeous.

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-Apart from the brewery, you're still a working farm, are you?

-Yes, we are.

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We have a very nice arrangement with a neighbour

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who runs a black-faced sheep flock.

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They run sheep on our low ground

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because they have only high ground and not as much as we have.

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We also have a very, very large shed which we winter sheep in together.

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We have a small flock of sheep

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-and we have newly acquired a little herd of highland cows.

-Wonderful.

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Do the highland cows benefit from the brewery here?

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The highland cows were bought specifically because of the brewery because we have draft,

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the spent grain at the end of our process

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and we've landed up with this incredible supply of food

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that needs to be fed to somebody.

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We're not brewing enough times a week to have a very big herd,

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but, as the brewery grows, so will the herd.

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-Are you pleased with the results?

-Yes, I am. The beer is very good.

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I indulge myself in it. Yeah, it's good beer.

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Already, orders have come in from Loch Fyne Oysters,

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the local pub, Oban and even as far as Edinburgh.

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So what's your output now?

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Our output at the moment is once a week, which is not enough.

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We've got to that stage

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where we'd like to be brewing three times in ten days.

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There are now more than 400 micro-breweries across the country,

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many of them on small farms.

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But whether they survive and prosper

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depends on one thing and one thing alone.

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Taste.

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It's very nice. Nice, clean, crisp flavour.

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I'm very pleased it's such a good local beer.

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Cheers then. Good health.

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And as for me...

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'Seven years later, I'm here in this stunning weather-beaten landscape

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'to revisit Tuggy on her farm

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'and find out how the highland cattle and ale industry is faring.'

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How many have you got now?

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Well, there are 14 here

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including two bullocks who should have gone to the butcher but...

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Isn't he going to be delicious?

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THEY LAUGH

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We've got 14 more slightly younger ones down there.

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-And then we've got 14 calves and seven bulls, so I've got 52.

-Wow!

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-And we started with four and one heifer.

-Incredible.

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And they're all still eating this?

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They eat this all year round. We have it fresh in the summer.

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In fact, this is fresh. This was brewed from yesterday's brew.

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-Tell me about the beer production cos it means you must have a lot of barley draft coming off?

-Yes.

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We've gone from two brews a week when Ben first came to visit us

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and now we're up to four and five brews a week.

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It's going really, really well. We're pleased with it.

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-It's won lots of prizes.

-Really? Tell me about those.

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Oh, fantastic.

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We won one of the World Beer Awards last year with Avalanche

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which was a fantastic success we were pleased with.

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We won a gold medal at Peterborough,

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the second biggest beer festival in Britain.

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Look at him coming across for a feed.

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What are the demands of having a bigger herd?

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How time consuming is that? Things like injections...

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Yes, we dose them regularly for liver and fluke like everybody else does.

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-And we have to do Bluetongue, this new thing.

-Right.

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With Bluetongue, they have to be done twice.

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They're going to be done again on Wednesday, four weeks apart.

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It's been eight years since you've been brewing and you haven't looked back since.

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I'd love to take a picture of you and your cows basically.

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I'm going to have a photography master class later,

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so I'm practising, Tuggy, so if you'll help me out and pose...

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-Bisto won't come and pose for us.

-Who's going to pose?

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Give us a smile, Tuggy. There we go.

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Excellent.

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Four seasons in one day.

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-That's what they say.

-Incredible, isn't it?

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If we weren't still wet, I'd think we were still dreaming up on the hillside.

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-This is brewing HQ where it all happens?

-Yes, absolutely.

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Our ten-barrel brew plant producing five times a week.

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We're doing 1,700 litres times five. It's a lot of beer going out.

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It's been a struggle but worth every minute of it.

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Let me get a photo of you with your barrels of beer,

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cos that's the story here.

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The Tuggy success.

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-Oh, look at that.

-Lovely smile.

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-There it is.

-Thank you so much for showing me around.

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Listen, we've got some beer here. You'll have to take it with you.

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-Awesome!

-Lovely to see you.

-With pleasure.

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-It's just a wee sample.

-Highlander.

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Highlander, Avalanche, the one that won the World Beer.

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And that one won gold at Peterborough.

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-We've got five of them in bottle but you've only got two hands.

-Brilliant. Thank you so much again.

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Really good to see you. Excellent.

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Lovely to meet Tuggy.

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What a spirited character

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and fantastic the brewery is doing so well.

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What an awesome start to the journey.

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My journey's well and truly underway and I've already got some local beer to show for it.

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To tell the truth, the thing I really want to get stuck into is the seafood.

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After all, it's what this area is famous for.

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I'm making my way south along the west side of Loch Fyne.

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When John Slattery visited these parts a couple of years ago,

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he was following the west coast Seafood Trail.

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Fresh oysters. What better way to embark on a couple of days of a Seafood Trail

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than to see the product in its natural habitat?

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Loch Fyne oysters, here, on the west coast of Scotland,

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is the biggest producer of oysters in the UK.

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And they're farmed on the principle of total sustainability.

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Oysters are growing here in their entirely natural environment.

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Although at the turn of the 19th century, they were fished out.

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Early example of over-exploitation of stocks.

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But the shells were here when we first started farming oysters here 30 years ago.

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So we knew that they would grow here.

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And when we're farming oysters like this, we're not putting anything in

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to the loch at all - they're not fed on anything

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They're just feeding off the loch itself.

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So there's no input at all...

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-So there's very little maintenance?

-There's a fair bit of maintenance

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but we haven't changed this environment since we've come here.

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The oysters are processed and packaged to be sent all over the world.

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A million and a half oysters are sold from here every year.

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And just a short drive along the trail,

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I can have them prepared for me by experts.

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# Well, I'm waiting

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# Hey, I'm waiting

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# I'm waiting

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# Yes, I'm waiting... #

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Oh, here it comes.

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OK, John, here we go.

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Right.

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What you've been waiting for.

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Some people like Tabasco it you want a bit of a kick

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but to get the real taste you should have them as they are with a bit of lemon.

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Go on, you try one first then.

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Bit of lemon, oops. Sorry.

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There will be people watching this going, "Oh, my God!"

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-And other people going, "I'd love to be doing that."

-Exactly.

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Once you're hooked on oyster-eating, it's a real passion.

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Just swoosh it on.

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You gonna chew it?

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Mmm. Fantastic.

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Right, your turn.

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OK, so what... Which is the smallest?

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SHE LAUGHS

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-So loosen it up.

-Loosen it up

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so it's loose off that muscle at the bottom.

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-I'm shaking - I really am.

-Right, there you go.

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-OK.

-So what do I do now?

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You put this end in your mouth and tip it back. Get the whole lot in.

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THEY LAUGH

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-And I've got to chew it?

-Yeah, yeah.

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I'm going to chew it - I'm going to chew an oyster.

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I'm shaking.

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HE LAUGHS

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Maybe it's an acquired taste.

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-It's not that bad.

-Well, thanks!

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It's actually not that bad.

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It's really very good.

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-Do you want to try some smoked salmon?

-Go on, yeah. I think I might enjoy that a bit more.

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This one on the side is called a Bradan Rost. It's like a roasted salmon.

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That actually happened by accident here one day.

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Someone turned the ovens up too high one day and came out with a...

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This sauce is quite nice. Oh, this is quite good.

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Quite good?!

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Loser. Winner, most definitely.

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I am told that this road actually becomes the Long And Winding Road

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and that eventually brings you to the Mull of Kintyre.

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Get the connection there? Beatles, Wings, Paul McCartney?

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You know - the Long And Winding Road.

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# The long and winding road boom boom... #

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The trail runs alongside Loch Fyne.

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At 40 miles long, it's Scotland's longest sea loch.

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This is Tarbert.

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It's a really pretty place, very picturesque.

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It's a very good place to go to get a bite to eat.

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Tarbert has been famous for fishing ever since Man first took to the waters to find food.

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Appropriate then that the founder member of the Seafood Trail is based here.

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-Hello, Carol.

-Hello. How are you?

-Good.

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Hi, how are you? Oh, Wow! Thank you very much.

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What have we got here?

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We've got Loch Fyne king scallops. Wonderful!

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They were brought in about an hour ago.

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So what are the criteria to be a member of the Seafood Trail?

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They have to be waterfront-based,

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primarily because the locations are so pretty,

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where we all are.

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They've got to be very close to the producers.

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This whole concept of food not having to travel very far

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is really important to all of us so we all source our fish locally.

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These, I'm have to try cos they look delicious.

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-You have to. They are wonderful.

-It doesn't look like fish.

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It doesn't. Scallops are a really meaty shellfish.

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There's so much of them and they're hugely meaty.

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The king scallops are quite unique to Loch Fyne. You don't get them anywhere like that.

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It smells lovely, actually.

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Mmm. Very crunchy, yeah.

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Fabulous.

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God, they're really nice.

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One of the things that we all claim is that we don't do very much to our food except cook it.

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And sometimes we don't even do that so it's all about...

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I know - I had oysters this morning.

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Oysters, you don't cook at all. Scallops two minutes under a grill.

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Lobster, 15 minutes in a boiling pot.

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So what you get the absolute taste of what it's meant to be. It's not hidden by anything.

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That's lovely.

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-They're fabulous.

-Cheers. Thank you very much.

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Cheers.

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Day two of my Seafood Trail.

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And after eating so much fish yesterday,

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what better way to work up an appetite than to go fishing for lunch.

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-Ally!

-Hello!

-John. How are you doing?

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-Not bad. Yourself?

-I believe you're the man who's gonna get me lunch.

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-Say no more.

-What shall we do?

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Stick that on, cast off. We'll go and get it.

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Will do.

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-So how far are we going?

-Just round the corner here.

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-I won't go far.

-OK.

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A bit of a dance! There we go. Where is that?

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-Can you take this grappling hook?

-Right.

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And you'll see there's two bows.

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-There's a big bow and a small bow.

-Throw it?

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-Throw it in between the two.

-OK.

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Look at that. What a pro!

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First time, Ally, first time.

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Good man. Pull it up as fast as you can.

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I'll get these out of the way.

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-Oh! That's a little shark, is it?

-Dogfish.

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Dogfish.

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Off you go, boy.

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-He's a big fella, isn't he? This is a brown crab.

-A brown crab.

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-A brown edible crab.

-He's a big fella.

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-Uh-oh!

-Oh. There you go.

-There we go.

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-That's what we're after.

-Look at him flapping.

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-He's a big fella, is he?

-Mmm.

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-Female lobster.

-How can you tell that?

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It's wide, its back.

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-Oh, right.

-See how wide it is.

-Yeah, yeah.

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If you see a male against that, it's narrower.

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I think I have enough there now. I think I've got my lunch.

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That lobster, I think, might be the...

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Piece de resistance.

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Yeah, piece de...

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Ronnie, thank you for kitting me out. I'm all set.

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But I'm a bit lost what to do next with this fella so over to you.

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We picked him up about ten minutes ago from the fisherman

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down at Carsaig Pier.

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-We're going to put him in a pot of boiling water and create a little thermidor out of him.

-OK.

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So the first thing we have to do is kill him in the most humane way possible

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and the best way to do that is get a knife in the cross

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just at the top of his head here.

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And we'll give him a quick stab, as quickly as we can

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and straight into a pot of boiling water.

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So if I want to do that, it's not very nice but here we go.

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Straight into water.

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This is a beautiful lobster. It really is.

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I fished that one myself.

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HE LAUGHS

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-OK, how much brandy?

-I'll tell you when.

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Yeah. One for the cooking and one for the chef.

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More in. More. More, more, more.

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You've got to test everything that you cook to get the right flavours, to know what it needs.

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To get the right seasoning, the right herbs, everything.

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-This is where it starts to finish.

-That's gorgeous.

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-I felt guilty about him being killed earlier but not...

-The guilt goes, doesn't it?

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The guilt really does go.

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I'll just put this into the grill.

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This, I've been looking forward to.

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It looks so good.

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-OK?

-That is the business.

-Good.

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Fantastic! Yeah. "Can I"?!

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THEY LAUGH

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My fork was already in the lobster before you gave me an answer.

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Aw, the taste off it is just...

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The sauce... The meat just has that real...

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You'd better get back. You've got lots of customers waiting for you.

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I know my place, it's fine.

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-Thanks again.

-That's OK.

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Got rid of him.

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HE LAUGHS

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So, what have I learned on my Seafood Trail? Well, I'm not terrified of oysters any more.

0:19:070:19:13

I've fallen for scallops.

0:19:130:19:15

And after fishing, cooking and eating this lobster, I mean, what a finale.

0:19:150:19:19

I've only done a few of the stops on the Seafood Trail.

0:19:190:19:23

There's 11 in total and you know, when it's this good, I don't think you can ever get sick of seafood.

0:19:230:19:28

Back on my journey and I'm desperate to try some of this area's famous seafood, too.

0:19:310:19:37

And leaving Loch Fyne behind, I think I may have found the perfect place

0:19:390:19:45

to continue my quest for local food.

0:19:450:19:48

I've arrived at Tarbert to catch the ferry to the Isle of Arran

0:19:480:19:51

but I've just got time to pick up some local fruits of the sea.

0:19:510:19:54

-Hi, there.

-How're you doing?

0:19:570:19:58

Good, thank you. I believe that you have some local fresh seafood

0:19:580:20:01

that I'm very keen to try.

0:20:010:20:03

I'll just put that down.

0:20:070:20:10

There's a little bit of bacon with these just to give it...

0:20:120:20:16

The fishermen used to have these for breakfast as they were catching them.

0:20:160:20:20

King scallops and bacon.

0:20:200:20:22

There you go, there's a bit of dressing on the side.

0:20:220:20:26

And you've got a nice Tarbert style cold cocktail.

0:20:260:20:30

Make a nice seafood picnic, that, especially now the sun's out.

0:20:330:20:37

Now, I've never been to the Isle of Arran before

0:20:410:20:45

so I'm just a bit excited about my first trip over there.

0:20:450:20:49

The ferry from Tarbert to Lochranza takes just under an hour and a half.

0:20:510:20:57

And I've arranged to meet a local on board to give me an idea of what to expect.

0:20:570:21:01

-Ian, I'm Joe.

-Pleased to meet you, Joe.

-Nice to meet you.

0:21:010:21:04

We're heading to the Isle of Arran. You're a longstanding resident?

0:21:040:21:07

-Yes. Very much so.

-You've been there for how long?

0:21:070:21:12

I've been back home for 21 years now.

0:21:120:21:14

I was born and bred on the island.

0:21:140:21:17

One of the natives.

0:21:170:21:19

Then you went off and worked but you've been drawn back to the magic of Arran.

0:21:190:21:22

Very much so. It's the fact that it's just so unspoilt.

0:21:220:21:26

We're very fortunate that way. It's still much as it was.

0:21:260:21:29

And there's not two days the same.

0:21:290:21:32

People say, "Don't you get tired going round this island every day in the summertime?"

0:21:320:21:35

-Never.

-I'm very excited - it's my first time across there.

0:21:350:21:39

What can I expect?

0:21:390:21:42

You can expect what we call, "Scotland in miniature."

0:21:420:21:46

You have the high mountains to the north

0:21:460:21:49

and much softer landscapes to the south.

0:21:490:21:52

Population - round about 5,000.

0:21:520:21:54

Obviously, that increases many times over the summer period.

0:21:540:21:59

What is it that brings the tourists? What will they come to Arran for?

0:21:590:22:02

-They come for the golf. Seven golf courses.

-Seven?

-Yes.

0:22:020:22:06

-Wow!

-Hill-climbing, sailing and a lot of walking.

0:22:060:22:13

They have a coastal walkway around the island which is all signposted

0:22:130:22:16

and very popular again with the summer visitors.

0:22:160:22:19

-Can I get myself an Aran jumper here?

-Oh, you won't get one in Arran.

0:22:190:22:23

-How come?

-They are made in the Aran Islands - off the west coast of Ireland.

0:22:230:22:27

-Ah!

-And it's A-R-A-N and we're A-R-R-A-N.

0:22:270:22:32

-Got you.

-So that's the difference between the two.

0:22:320:22:35

So no chance to add to my wardrobe on this visit.

0:22:350:22:37

You probably would but it wouldn't be made in Arran.

0:22:370:22:40

If I was going to visit one place on Arran for a bit of food,

0:22:400:22:43

to sample, what would you recommend?

0:22:430:22:47

Go to the island creamery down at Torrylinn.

0:22:470:22:50

And you cannot eat Arran cheese without an Arran oatcake.

0:22:500:22:57

Oh, really? So these go really well with the Arran cheese?

0:22:570:23:00

Definitely. The two go together.

0:23:000:23:02

'It doesn't get much better. Sailing toward Arran

0:23:090:23:12

'and savouring the foods that came from these very waters.

0:23:120:23:16

'Perfect.'

0:23:160:23:17

I really love islands. They're the most romantic of escapist places.

0:23:310:23:35

And Arran doesn't disappoint. It's got the beauty of the Highlands

0:23:350:23:38

and yet, a far-flung feel to things.

0:23:380:23:42

In 1988, photographer Charlie Waite came to Arran to take landscape photos.

0:23:460:23:51

And Country File followed his journey.

0:23:510:23:54

The landscape is something that has appealed to everybody

0:23:560:24:00

for thousands if not millions of years.

0:24:000:24:03

And it is something that we are very emotionally involved with because after all, it is all we have.

0:24:030:24:09

We want solitude and we want peace and we want romance.

0:24:090:24:13

and it usually involves the land and the shape of the land.

0:24:130:24:17

People have been very complimentary

0:24:280:24:30

and said that a Charlie Waite landscape is something very special and specific.

0:24:300:24:35

and captures and image locked in some sort of time warp.

0:24:350:24:40

and is perfect and tranquil and seems to come from another time.

0:24:400:24:46

I would like to think that some of my photographs result,

0:24:460:24:51

if you like, in a photograph

0:24:510:24:54

that takes nature suspended in one of its most perfect performances.

0:24:540:25:00

With landscape photography,

0:25:140:25:16

as with any other understanding and appreciation of landscape,

0:25:160:25:21

the impulse is obviously connected with the emotion.

0:25:210:25:24

And in my case it's very much an emotional,

0:25:240:25:29

in fact, also a spiritual, experience.

0:25:290:25:33

It's really the product of waiting

0:25:330:25:36

and being very involved with one's surroundings and one's environment,

0:25:360:25:42

and observing the pattern of light, the movement of clouds,

0:25:420:25:46

the trace of the sun, the trace of shadows, and everything, really,

0:25:460:25:51

that relates to where I am at that particular moment.

0:25:510:25:55

At any one time I can find myself working on a number of projects,

0:26:000:26:04

but at the moment I'm working in the Scottish Islands.

0:26:040:26:07

Arriving on the Island of Arran is no different to arriving anywhere else,

0:26:070:26:11

be it an island, or the mainland. It's always a question of getting

0:26:110:26:15

in the car and embarking on a sequence of reconnaissance, really.

0:26:150:26:20

Before starting off on any one of these trips, the important thing

0:26:390:26:44

is to make sure that I've got a good collection of maps that are going

0:26:440:26:47

to cover the whole area. That really is absolutely vital.

0:26:470:26:50

Also making sure all the equipment in clean and free from dust,

0:26:500:26:54

and prior to any one of these trips, I usually do spend a good 20 minutes

0:26:540:26:58

just cleaning lenses and making sure that I've got all the necessary

0:26:580:27:02

paraphernalia that goes with the making of these photographs,

0:27:020:27:06

which, surprisingly, isn't a great deal. Everybody assumes that

0:27:060:27:10

landscape photographers have an enormous amount of equipment,

0:27:100:27:13

but actually the cameras that I use are relatively simple.

0:27:130:27:17

Square formats, clockwork, and very reliable.

0:27:170:27:21

One of the reasons that I'm drawn to any photograph is usually

0:27:300:27:35

its simplicity more than its complications

0:27:350:27:39

so if I see just, perhaps, a simple graphic shape,

0:27:390:27:43

albeit in the form of a tree, or estuary, or rocks, or whatever,

0:27:430:27:49

as long as there's not too many of these aspects and features

0:27:490:27:53

in the landscape, I'm usually going to stop. More often than not

0:27:530:27:57

I'll be able to arrange all the various elements in some sort of shape,

0:27:570:28:01

and organise them and usually they'll make a photograph.

0:28:010:28:05

The standing stone on the West side of Arran has a lot of power for me,

0:28:070:28:12

and the only problem that I found with this was that

0:28:120:28:15

I didn't want to minimize either of the two

0:28:150:28:18

main elements in this photograph so it was a question of trying it

0:28:180:28:22

first from close up to the stone, which rather reduced the mountain,

0:28:220:28:28

so I then decided to withdraw, so to speak,

0:28:280:28:32

and compress the stone against the mountain so that both

0:28:320:28:36

of them had equal power and I think it worked very well.

0:28:360:28:40

In my particular work, and the usage of a square format,

0:28:440:28:48

the subject matter is important, especially in the foreground.

0:28:480:28:53

So in this particular case it was a collection of stones,

0:28:530:28:56

which in early evening produce quite long shadows,

0:28:560:29:00

and they were all perfectly round, and in the centre,

0:29:000:29:05

which is also a very important area, there was a rather placid water,

0:29:050:29:09

which had a certain amount of reflection on it,

0:29:090:29:12

and in the far background, which is as important,

0:29:120:29:15

there was a reasonably well-defined area of mainland.

0:29:150:29:19

So all of these things, foreground, centre and background,

0:29:190:29:24

are all things that have to be considered.

0:29:240:29:28

My photography does provide me with a union, if you like,

0:29:340:29:38

the camera acts as a channel for me to relate more to the landscape

0:29:380:29:42

and I do feel rather a sense of loss when the photograph has been made,

0:29:420:29:46

and I'm often rather reluctant to leave it, it's perhaps rather like

0:29:460:29:50

saying goodbye to an old friend, even though, in many cases,

0:29:500:29:53

the relationship might not have been very long,

0:29:530:29:56

perhaps just a matter of hours, but it has been very intense.

0:29:560:30:00

And when I pass one of these places again they seem rather distant to me

0:30:000:30:05

and I don't think I would ever really be inclined to stop again.

0:30:050:30:08

They'd just be a little niggling thought that perhaps

0:30:080:30:12

I could have done it better.

0:30:120:30:14

Travelling down the west coast of Arran,

0:30:340:30:36

I've arrived at a place called Blackwaterfooot.

0:30:360:30:39

I'm keen to improve my photography, so I've come here to catch up

0:30:390:30:44

with Charlie Waite, because after 20 years away, Charlie has chosen

0:30:440:30:48

this bleakly beautiful place for his return to Arran.

0:30:480:30:53

-Charlie Waite, I presume?

-Ah, hello, Joe.

0:30:540:30:57

Charlie, it's been 20 years since you were filmed here

0:30:570:31:01

taking landscape photos, what have you been up to in that time?

0:31:010:31:04

Well, carrying on and doing more of it! The main thing about it

0:31:040:31:09

is that I'm constantly still making mistakes,

0:31:090:31:11

and I'm really more than happy to admit that.

0:31:110:31:14

So endless errors, but perhaps less errors than there used to be.

0:31:140:31:18

But within that time, things have been constantly changing,

0:31:180:31:21

technology has come on leaps and bounds, have you kept pace with that

0:31:210:31:25

or do you stick with what you knew back then and stay true to that?

0:31:250:31:29

I still use film, but digital has arrived in the last 10 years,

0:31:290:31:35

and it's thrilling! It's opened up photography for so many people,

0:31:350:31:39

but sadly, I think it tends to allow people just to still

0:31:390:31:43

snap, snap, snap, in the way they used to with a roll of 36,

0:31:430:31:47

so they're not really being, dare I say it, discerning enough.

0:31:470:31:51

Digital is excellent, but one needs to be a little bit more scientific,

0:31:510:31:54

define the objective, work out what image you're going to make.

0:31:540:31:58

So not engaging...in the same way.

0:31:580:31:59

Not engaging, not engaging, and the key about photography

0:31:590:32:03

is actually, really... I carry my little creative took here,

0:32:030:32:06

really what it's about is what you're looking at,

0:32:060:32:09

and whether the resulting image will awaken anything in anybody.

0:32:090:32:13

It's all too easy just to press the button

0:32:130:32:15

and not really get involved with what you're photographing.

0:32:150:32:18

I don't know if this will awaken anything but I've taken a few snaps

0:32:180:32:22

on my route, on my journey. I don't know how it will fare

0:32:220:32:25

with the water coming at us here, but I'll show you a few.

0:32:250:32:28

Can you take landscape photographs on a, sort of, digital camera?

0:32:280:32:33

Oh, yes, yes, yes, and yes again. You really can.

0:32:330:32:37

You just have smaller area to work with,

0:32:370:32:40

you just have to think a little bit more about what you're photographing

0:32:400:32:43

and you have to really wait and not execute it casually.

0:32:430:32:46

You and I could produce an image that's quite similar,

0:32:460:32:49

and it would be just as good on that, and as good on this.

0:32:490:32:52

-I've got my foreground!

-You've got to have your foreground interest.

0:32:520:32:55

A bit lower might have been better.

0:32:550:32:57

Now we are very overcast today but we do have some interesting light

0:32:570:33:02

-on this surface, it's shimmering there.

-We do.

0:33:020:33:04

What could we look at now on this little point and shoot?

0:33:040:33:07

I would have thought the best thing one could do is get very muddy knees

0:33:070:33:11

and get down very low, because one of the problems about

0:33:110:33:13

landscape photography is, like all photography, it's two-dimensional.

0:33:130:33:17

In order to mitigate that, you need to try and convey a sense of depth.

0:33:170:33:21

If you can't convey a sense of depth then the thing will just look flat.

0:33:210:33:25

One of the keys to convey this depth is a good, strong foreground,

0:33:250:33:29

and here we have one. These lovely ripples, fantastic patterns,

0:33:290:33:33

and sweeping the viewer of the image right from the start

0:33:330:33:37

so you introduce them to the very beginning of the picture.

0:33:370:33:40

Then they just travel through it and roam through it

0:33:400:33:43

right up to the end of the picture, which is the sky.

0:33:430:33:46

-I've got to give this a go, OK?

-This is rather a nice little pattern

0:33:460:33:49

-it's a kind of star shape, here, just there.

-Oh, yeah.

0:33:490:33:53

You could incorporate a foreground like that, a detail of that,

0:33:530:33:57

-straight down...

-Not on top, you mean?

-Absolutely straight down.

0:33:570:34:01

Yes, and so you maybe photograph about there,

0:34:010:34:06

-and try and get no bald bits, like the top of my head.

-Ha-ha!

0:34:060:34:10

Try and not have that bit, that little bit of sand is a problem.

0:34:100:34:14

If you can imagine, at some point this image is going to be big.

0:34:140:34:20

The last time you saw it was in the back of that little screen,

0:34:200:34:24

when it was really tiny, so any errors, any aberrations, are going to be noticeable.

0:34:240:34:30

And you can't say, as a photographer, "I didn't see that."

0:34:300:34:33

-No excuses!

-You can't say that, cos you're a seeing person, you know,

0:34:330:34:37

you're a visual person. I think that's rather lovely, there.

0:34:370:34:41

I think it's challenging us a bit, let's have a go.

0:34:410:34:44

I wouldn't think of that necessarily as landscape, it's another thing

0:34:460:34:50

in my mind, you think, "I've got to get the panoramic".

0:34:500:34:53

-You do.

-These little opportunities, little nuggets on the ground.

-Yeah. Little details.

0:34:530:34:57

It was really great to meet Charlie, and his insights on photography

0:35:060:35:10

have certainly inspired me to keep persevering.

0:35:100:35:13

As much as I like a country hike, on Country Tracks we like to mix up

0:35:210:35:25

the modes of transport, so for the next leg of my journey,

0:35:250:35:28

I'm back on four wheels but this time, very much off-road.

0:35:280:35:34

-Darryl, I'm Joe.

-Are you well?

-Very well, thank you, nice to meet you,

0:35:350:35:39

-and very excited about this, we're going quad biking!

-Yeah!

0:35:390:35:42

Excellent, what's the plan?

0:35:420:35:43

-To go up there, basically.

-Up there?

0:35:430:35:45

Yeah, as we look at it now it doesn't look much,

0:35:450:35:49

but once we get into the teeth of it you'll see how challenging it is!

0:35:490:35:53

'This island is renowned for its rocky terrain,

0:35:530:35:56

'and I want to get up into the hills and tackle it first hand.

0:35:560:35:59

'Darryl Urquhart-Dixon, from the local quad bike centre,

0:35:590:36:03

'has promised me an experience that he says, will blow my mind!'

0:36:030:36:06

'I know I'm in safe hands as Darryl is a fully qualified

0:36:080:36:11

'instructor and has permission to ride across this area.'

0:36:110:36:14

-OK?

-Yes!

-Nice bit of easy riding now across the ridge line,

0:36:140:36:18

just follow me, then we're going to hit a track, cut left,

0:36:180:36:21

and then we'll probably bomb up the track pretty quickly.

0:36:210:36:24

-OK?

-Let's do it!

-Well done!

0:36:240:36:26

We're climbing the slopes of Ard Bheinn,

0:36:310:36:33

the highest point in a landscape

0:36:330:36:34

created by the collapse of an ancient volcano.

0:36:340:36:37

I really wanted to see Arran from a different perspective,

0:36:370:36:40

and up here I certainly got that!

0:36:400:36:44

-Wow! This is it!

-Welcome to the summit of Ard Bheinn.

0:36:590:37:04

-Thank you.

-Well done, very good.

0:37:040:37:08

That's incredible, that's absolutely amazing!

0:37:080:37:13

It was an exhilarating ride up,

0:37:130:37:14

I don't think I stopped grinning all the way, and the views

0:37:140:37:17

are just stunning, you feel like you could almost touch the clouds.

0:37:170:37:21

What an incredible experience of Arran. Unbelievable!

0:37:210:37:25

It's easy to see why Arran attracts so many tourists each year,

0:37:330:37:38

but as the islands off Scotland seem to prosper, other areas can fare less well.

0:37:380:37:43

Adam Henson reported from Campbeltown, at the tip

0:37:430:37:46

of the Mull of Kintyre, over on the mainland.

0:37:460:37:50

Here in Scotland, we're just a few miles from the Northern Irish coast, and its tourist bonanza.

0:37:500:37:56

But things are quite different here on the Kintyre peninsula.

0:37:560:38:00

Kintyre stretches southwest down into the Irish Sea for some 30 miles.

0:38:000:38:05

The Mull of Kintyre, immortalised in song by Paul McCartney,

0:38:050:38:09

is at the tip of this stunning landscape,

0:38:090:38:11

and from here on a clear day you can see the coast of Ireland.

0:38:110:38:15

The area has a shared heritage with the North Antrim coast.

0:38:150:38:18

In fact, some of the first inhabitants here were the Scotti,

0:38:180:38:22

a tribe from Ireland, which colonised much of the west coast of Scotland.

0:38:220:38:26

Campbeltown, situated at the head of a deep loch, is around 20 miles from the Mull,

0:38:270:38:32

and is the largest community in the region, known locally as the "wee town".

0:38:320:38:37

It was once a prosperous fishing port, a centre for coastal shipping,

0:38:370:38:40

whisky distilling, and ship building.

0:38:400:38:43

Sea transport was key to the town's success, but over time

0:38:430:38:47

ferry links to Glasgow and Ireland stopped, and there was a decline in the town's fortunes.

0:38:470:38:54

Last year, around 85,000 people visited Ballycastle,

0:38:580:39:01

compared to a mere fraction of that figure coming to Campbeltown.

0:39:010:39:05

Tourism is seen as the key to this town's future economy,

0:39:050:39:09

but the lack of a ferry link is considered by many

0:39:090:39:12

to be holding back the future regeneration of this area.

0:39:120:39:15

The trouble with the local economy here, it's a closed economy,

0:39:180:39:21

we're very dependant on single, large industries for employment.

0:39:210:39:26

And when one of these industries has a hard time, closes factories,

0:39:260:39:30

like happened with a clothing factory here couple of years back,

0:39:300:39:34

it means a lot of people had to move away to find employment.

0:39:340:39:37

But once we have that link, and we're able to develop tourism here,

0:39:370:39:41

that gives us a much stronger, open economy.

0:39:410:39:44

Why aren't the tourists here? It's beautiful, isn't it?

0:39:440:39:47

Yeah, it's certainly beautiful, and the tourists are here

0:39:470:39:50

but they're not right here, there's maybe about, every year,

0:39:500:39:54

50,000 tourists are travelling during the tourist season to Arran,

0:39:540:40:00

which is just about five miles over there, and Islay, which is probably

0:40:000:40:05

only about 20 miles in this direction over here,

0:40:050:40:08

there's another 100,000 tourists a year going, these places

0:40:080:40:12

have got two ferries on in the summertime to cope with the tourist trade.

0:40:120:40:16

It triples the population in these islands during the summertime.

0:40:160:40:20

So would a thriving tourist industry help Campbeltown, do you think?

0:40:200:40:24

It certainly would, because the jobs that would result from it

0:40:240:40:28

would be jobs in the community. And because it's linked to tourism,

0:40:280:40:32

it's going to be a much more stable and long-term base for drawing the local economy in.

0:40:320:40:37

At the turn of the century,

0:40:370:40:39

Campbeltown was a major tourist destination. A regular ship

0:40:390:40:42

would bring visitors from Glasgow, and many built large homes here for weekend retreats.

0:40:420:40:47

The town was at the centre of Scotland's malt whisky production.

0:40:470:40:50

Springbank Whisky is world-renowned,

0:40:500:40:52

and the distillery has been here since 1828.

0:40:520:40:55

Campbeltown was once known as the whisky capital of Scotland.

0:40:550:40:59

In fact, in the early 1900s, there were 24 malt distilleries here.

0:40:590:41:03

And what happened? Why did they all disappear?

0:41:030:41:06

Well, the whisky distillery owners

0:41:060:41:07

at one time in Campbeltown could see no end to the actual boom

0:41:070:41:11

that they were experiencing and unfortunately

0:41:110:41:14

they took a lot of very shortcuts when they were making the product

0:41:140:41:17

and in fact they made a very bad whisky,

0:41:170:41:19

and hence they fell out of favour.

0:41:190:41:21

You go through lots of traditional methods, don't you?

0:41:210:41:23

We are the only whisky distillery in Scotland actually

0:41:230:41:27

that carries out 100% of the process

0:41:270:41:29

to turn basically barley into bottles of whisky.

0:41:290:41:32

So this is where you malt the barley.

0:41:360:41:38

Where we're standing just now is the traditional malt barns

0:41:380:41:41

as we call them, the building where the malting is carried out.

0:41:410:41:44

What the guys are doing now is taking the barley

0:41:440:41:47

which has been germinated on this floor for five days

0:41:470:41:49

and putting it down this hole in the floor

0:41:490:41:52

where it's being taken to the kiln. And you can see the barley here.

0:41:520:41:55

You can feel the heat in it.

0:41:560:41:57

This is a typical malting variety called Optic.

0:41:570:42:01

-I grow that at home.

-Oh, you do, yes?

0:42:010:42:03

What you have to understand here is that we do malting

0:42:030:42:06

and once we've finished the malting, which takes about us three months,

0:42:060:42:09

we then go and mash and distil.

0:42:090:42:11

So you don't actually see the whole process

0:42:110:42:14

from start to finish at Springbank.

0:42:140:42:15

We tend to do seasons of malting and seasons of distilling.

0:42:150:42:19

Well, there's plenty of barrels here, Frank.

0:42:220:42:24

Plenty of empty barrels out here

0:42:240:42:26

but where we're actually heading for just now

0:42:260:42:28

is one of the maturation warehouses.

0:42:280:42:31

The store's here where we keep some of the barrels.

0:42:310:42:34

Full barrels, that is.

0:42:340:42:35

Well, we've seen part of and talked about the making of the whisky.

0:42:400:42:44

This has got to be the good bit.

0:42:440:42:45

Good bit for you.

0:42:450:42:46

This is an example of one of the bottles that we do.

0:42:460:42:49

This is our ten-year-old Springbank, one of our most popular brands.

0:42:490:42:53

So, you want a wee taste?

0:42:530:42:54

Oh, yes, please.

0:42:540:42:55

This is at 46% alcohol.

0:42:550:42:57

I'm not a whisky drinker but this is delicious.

0:43:010:43:04

Mmm. We like to think so.

0:43:040:43:06

Just outside the town is Tangy wind farm.

0:43:100:43:12

All the wind turbines here are made by Vestas

0:43:120:43:15

who opened a factory in Campbeltown in 2001.

0:43:150:43:19

It created much-needed jobs for the community

0:43:190:43:21

that had recently experienced

0:43:210:43:23

the closure of the Machrihanish airbase in 1997.

0:43:230:43:26

220 jobs were lost and 170 more went

0:43:260:43:29

when the shipbuilding yard closed in 1998.

0:43:290:43:33

The town was in economic freefall.

0:43:330:43:35

When I heard that the shipyard was closing,

0:43:360:43:38

I was pretty keen to try and see

0:43:380:43:40

if there was something we could do to salvage it.

0:43:400:43:44

And it was through that, and through some publicity I got,

0:43:440:43:47

that I was approached by Scottish Power

0:43:470:43:49

to see if there was anything we could do with the yard

0:43:490:43:52

in terms of the manufacture of wind turbine towers.

0:43:520:43:56

As well as providing lots of employment to Campbeltown,

0:43:560:43:59

what else has the wind turbine brought to the local community?

0:43:590:44:02

For every person in Vestas there's almost one person in the town

0:44:020:44:07

somewhere indirectly involved and employed.

0:44:070:44:11

It's been a great success story, you know.

0:44:120:44:15

With the government setting a target

0:44:160:44:18

of 10% of our energy coming from renewable sources by 2010,

0:44:180:44:22

the Vestas factory in Campbeltown could expand, creating many more jobs

0:44:220:44:27

and bringing back the prosperity to the community.

0:44:270:44:30

Although speculation continues,

0:44:310:44:34

Campbeltown is still without its ferry.

0:44:340:44:37

I started my journey today at the head of Loch Fyne,

0:44:380:44:41

then travelled on to Tarbert

0:44:410:44:43

On the ferry trip to the Isle of Arran

0:44:430:44:45

I got some great tips from Ian Hendry

0:44:450:44:48

then headed from Lochranza to Blackwaterfoot

0:44:480:44:50

for my photography master class.

0:44:500:44:52

I quad biked up to the heights of Ard Bheinn

0:44:520:44:55

and now I've arrived in the little town

0:44:550:44:57

'of Kilmory.'

0:44:570:44:59

When I spoke to Ian on the ferry,

0:44:590:45:01

he said there was one place I simply must visit.

0:45:010:45:04

So I'm driving south to Kilmory to visit the island creamery.

0:45:040:45:08

-Hi.

-Hi, Joe, how are you?

-How're you doing?

-Not too bad, thank you.

0:45:240:45:27

Good, good. This looks fantastic!

0:45:270:45:29

Yeah, this is a very hands-on traditional process

0:45:290:45:32

so we'll let you see a bit and then you can maybe have a go.

0:45:320:45:36

How long have you been here and doing this?

0:45:360:45:39

Well, the creamery's been on the site since 1947.

0:45:390:45:41

-Fantastic.

-So we've been here quite a while.

0:45:410:45:44

I can already see a particular colour to this cheese,

0:45:440:45:46

even at this stage.

0:45:460:45:47

Yes, all the cheese we're making at the moment is red in colour,

0:45:470:45:51

which is the annatto that we're adding to the milk

0:45:510:45:55

that gives us that colouration.

0:45:550:45:56

And what happens now? These guys are about to work it?

0:45:560:45:59

We're draining off the whey at the moment

0:45:590:46:01

and then they're gonna start to work the curd in the vat here.

0:46:010:46:04

Just talk me briefly through the process.

0:46:040:46:07

Where's it coming from to get to this point?

0:46:070:46:09

In the vats on the other side we'll fill in the milk.

0:46:090:46:12

and then we add the starter into the milk.

0:46:120:46:14

And then, once the vats are full, we'll add the rennet in

0:46:140:46:18

and the rennet coagulates the milk to a blancmange-type substance.

0:46:180:46:23

And then we start to cut that

0:46:230:46:25

once the cheese-maker's checked that he's happy with the set.

0:46:250:46:28

We then start to cut it. Once we start to cut it,

0:46:280:46:31

very slowly at first and then we speed it up,

0:46:310:46:34

we start to get the curds and whey at that point.

0:46:340:46:37

From that point on you then want to scald the vat

0:46:370:46:39

which is bring the temperature up

0:46:390:46:41

from the fill temperature of 32 up to 40.

0:46:410:46:44

And that's called cooking the curd.

0:46:440:46:46

And that drives the moisture out

0:46:460:46:48

and makes the small curd particles very firm.

0:46:480:46:50

I feel like I'm in the way.

0:46:500:46:51

I'm gonna come round and let these guys do it.

0:46:510:46:54

They've drained all the fluid, what you call the whey, is that right?

0:46:540:46:57

Yeah, that's all the whey gone. Now we're left with the curd

0:46:570:47:00

and that's what will become the cheese later on.

0:47:000:47:03

Fantastic. Is there something I can do? Can I get hands-on?

0:47:030:47:06

-I'll come round...

-We'll go round the other side.

0:47:060:47:09

Paul makes it look a bit effortless but I can assure you it's not.

0:47:090:47:12

I thought it would just fall apart but it's pretty firm stuff.

0:47:120:47:15

Yeah, the cheddaring process has actually started

0:47:150:47:18

so that's what you're seeing.

0:47:180:47:20

-Put your hands right under.

-Hands under and flip it, there we go.

0:47:200:47:23

What's so particular about this cheese? What make it special?

0:47:230:47:27

I think part of it is because it's all made from local milk.

0:47:270:47:30

100% Arran is what we say, right enough.

0:47:300:47:33

And I think it's just the quality of the milk

0:47:330:47:35

on the island that just makes it.

0:47:350:47:38

I'm not keeping up here, am I? You've done all the other side?

0:47:380:47:41

There we go.

0:47:410:47:43

He makes it look so easy!

0:47:430:47:45

HE LAUGHS

0:47:450:47:47

It's years of practice!

0:47:470:47:49

And then the next thing they'll do is they'll cut it up the middle.

0:47:490:47:52

-And then they'll start to put them on top of each other.

-Wow.

0:47:520:47:56

So, yeah, if you just pile them up, yeah.

0:47:560:47:59

This is also keeping the curd warm while you're doing that.

0:47:590:48:02

It is lovely and warm, a nice temperature.

0:48:020:48:05

And the idea is to retain the heat.

0:48:050:48:07

-There you go.

-Slap it on! Yay!

0:48:100:48:12

This stuff won't be ready now for a few months yet.

0:48:130:48:16

But can we fast-forward the process

0:48:160:48:18

-so I can have a look at the finished product?

-Yeah, sure,

0:48:180:48:20

-we'll go through there and have a look through.

-Excellent.

-Follow me.

0:48:200:48:24

-Ah-ha, the finished product.

-Yes.

0:48:330:48:35

Now, this is a Burns Truckle.

0:48:350:48:37

Why have you made a Burns cheese?

0:48:370:48:39

It's to commemorate the 250th anniversary

0:48:390:48:41

of the birth of Robert Burns.

0:48:410:48:43

Fantastic. And you're going to keep that going all year?

0:48:430:48:46

We're going to keep it for the whole of the Homecoming year,

0:48:460:48:49

which is 2009.

0:48:490:48:50

-Would you like to take one away with you?

-I'd very much like to.

0:48:500:48:53

Try it and let us know how you get on.

0:48:530:48:55

-Great. I'll look forward to that. Thanks, Alex.

-OK, then.

0:48:550:48:58

Well, here I am in Lamlash.

0:49:180:49:19

It's the largest settlement on the island,

0:49:190:49:22

but it's still a very beautiful and tranquil place.

0:49:220:49:24

And you wouldn't know it today, but this used to be a naval base,

0:49:240:49:28

sheltering the fleets during World War One and World War Two.

0:49:280:49:31

And the name Lamlash originally derives from the name of a monk

0:49:310:49:34

who spent some time across the bay in Holy Island.

0:49:340:49:37

Now, that's where I'm going next for the final leg of my journey,

0:49:370:49:40

which I'm very excited about.

0:49:400:49:41

My journey has taken me from Loch Fyne down to the port of Tarbert

0:49:430:49:47

and over to the Isle of Arran.

0:49:470:49:49

I travelled from Locharanza to Blackwaterfoot

0:49:490:49:52

then scaled the volcanic slopes of Ard Bheinn.

0:49:520:49:55

From Kilmory I headed up to Lamlash.

0:49:550:49:58

Now I'm ending my travels with another ferry trip,

0:49:580:50:01

to the Holy Isle.

0:50:010:50:03

Great.

0:50:060:50:08

John the skipper's just delivered some bad news for me.

0:50:110:50:14

I was hoping to have a picnic on the island, which I could still have,

0:50:140:50:18

but the rule is no meat, no fish and no alcohol.

0:50:180:50:21

So my Loch Fyne beers will have to stay here,

0:50:210:50:23

John's agreed to look after them.

0:50:230:50:25

Just gonna leave them there on the boat. Pick 'em up on the way back.

0:50:250:50:28

Holy Isle has a rich spiritual history

0:50:310:50:33

that stretches back to the 6th century.

0:50:330:50:36

Since 1993, it's been run as a multi-faith centre for world peace,

0:50:360:50:42

owned by the Buddhists of Samye Ling.

0:50:420:50:45

I'm meeting Robert McKenna, who lives and works on the island.

0:50:450:50:50

It's basically set up as retreat centre for people who want to come

0:50:500:50:53

and, I suppose, be in a safe space just to...

0:50:530:51:00

explore and develop and experience that sense of inner peace.

0:51:000:51:03

And that's open to anyone?

0:51:030:51:05

Absolutely anyone. That was the whole idea.

0:51:050:51:07

The vision of the Lama who first got hold of the island

0:51:070:51:11

was to have an inter-faith and in fact a no-faith centre

0:51:110:51:15

so anybody and everybody, that was the whole idea,

0:51:150:51:18

just a safe space to come and explore

0:51:180:51:21

and to experience a sense of inner peace.

0:51:210:51:24

The tranquillity and peace of the island lends itself to that

0:51:240:51:27

but the course is also a gate towards that, you know?

0:51:270:51:31

So there's courses for meditation, stuff like that?

0:51:310:51:33

Meditation, Tai Chi, a whole range

0:51:330:51:36

of different self-exploration courses

0:51:360:51:39

and some really eminent teachers from all over the world.

0:51:390:51:43

So, yeah, it's working.

0:51:430:51:45

HE LAUGHS

0:51:450:51:46

-It's quite an isolated place, isn't it?

-It is, yes.

0:51:460:51:48

I mean, as you know yourself, it's tricky to get over here sometimes.

0:51:480:51:53

Depending on what the weather's doing,

0:51:530:51:55

it can change in five, ten minutes, so it happens, yes.

0:51:550:51:59

What does that mean for the community here?

0:51:590:52:02

Do you have to be quite self-sufficient?

0:52:020:52:05

We're getting towards it. The whole idea is we're trying

0:52:050:52:08

to be as sustainable and as ecologically sound as possible.

0:52:080:52:11

So we are growing a lot of our own produce now

0:52:110:52:15

and that's developing season by season.

0:52:150:52:18

And that's a big part of the project, you know?

0:52:190:52:21

To be sustainable. We're talking about wind turbines

0:52:210:52:24

and, as I say, we're producing a lot of our own food.

0:52:240:52:28

And hopefully we'll be,

0:52:280:52:29

at some point in history, 100% self-sufficient.

0:52:290:52:32

-Right, so you've got a veggie garden.

-Yeah, yeah.

0:52:320:52:35

I've been picking up some food on my journey, some good local produce

0:52:350:52:39

and hopefully I'll be able

0:52:390:52:40

-to find a spot to have a bit of lunch here today.

-Absolutely, yeah.

0:52:400:52:44

Maybe I could have something to go with my cheese and crackers.

0:52:440:52:47

Of course. You can pick your own lunch, how's that?

0:52:470:52:50

-Is that possible?

-Yeah.

-Fantastic!

-It doesn't get any fresher!

0:52:500:52:53

-So point me in the direction...

-Through here is the gardens.

0:52:530:52:56

Let's go and have a look.

0:52:560:52:58

-These are very well maintained, aren't they?

-Oh, yeah, it's great.

0:53:010:53:05

Thanks for that. Got some lovely greenery for my lunch.

0:53:200:53:23

Doesn't get any better than that, I'll tell you.

0:53:230:53:25

-What are you doing here?

-I'm replacing these prayer flags.

0:53:250:53:29

-As you can see, these prayer flags here.

-Can I give you a hand?

0:53:290:53:33

Yeah, can you just grab on to them? That'd be good,

0:53:330:53:36

So, we're just going to take these down here

0:53:360:53:38

and tie them on where the other ones are.

0:53:380:53:41

What's the reason behind having these prayer flags up here?

0:53:410:53:46

They are what they say they are - prayer flags.

0:53:460:53:48

So they hold prayers, basically.

0:53:480:53:50

The idea of them is that the message is carried in the wind, if you like.

0:53:500:53:55

They're beautiful and they're obviously up for a while,

0:53:550:53:57

these are a bit tattered and weather-beaten.

0:53:570:54:00

The idea is that they last a year and the turn of the year,

0:54:000:54:03

then they are replaced so it's a continuum of the peace

0:54:030:54:07

and the message going out there.

0:54:070:54:10

-And that message is written on these, isn't it?

-Yes. I mean,

0:54:100:54:14

this is going back 1,000s of years.

0:54:140:54:17

And as they become frayed, the idea is that they drift away.

0:54:170:54:20

And the message is carried in the wind, and that's how they work.

0:54:200:54:24

So this peace and compassion will blow across

0:54:240:54:27

-to Arran, the mainland, everywhere.

-The world!

-Yes!

0:54:270:54:31

Thanks, Robert. I'm going to have a spot of lunch.

0:54:310:54:33

Okey-doke, enjoy yourself.

0:54:330:54:35

Holy Isle is simply fascinating.

0:54:380:54:41

And it's a great place to take time

0:54:410:54:43

and reflect on my experiences over the last couple of days.

0:54:430:54:47

I've indulged in some great food, certainly had a taste of adventure,

0:54:470:54:52

and, of course, there's this ever-present, stunning landscape.

0:54:520:54:55

So join us next time for more Country Tracks.

0:54:550:54:58

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