0:00:20 > 0:00:23Hello. Today, I am on a journey on the West Coast of Scotland,
0:00:23 > 0:00:26where the lowlands meet the Highlands in Argyll and Bute.
0:00:33 > 0:00:34I'm starting my journey
0:00:34 > 0:00:36near Altnafeadh in the Highlands,
0:00:36 > 0:00:39discovering how stepping off the West Highland Way reveals
0:00:39 > 0:00:43a hidden world of beauty beyond the beaten track.
0:00:44 > 0:00:46Well, it can be absolutely amazing.
0:00:46 > 0:00:48It can be the best day of your life.
0:00:48 > 0:00:52From up there, everyday life no longer exists.
0:00:52 > 0:00:55Then I'll head down into Glencoe,
0:00:55 > 0:01:01where the bloody events of 400 years ago still resonate today.
0:01:01 > 0:01:04Moving just a couple of miles along the valley,
0:01:04 > 0:01:09I'll come face-to-face with a modern-day scourge of Scotland - the midge.
0:01:09 > 0:01:13And one woman's bid to fight back against this feisty foe.
0:01:13 > 0:01:16So on a good day, or a bad day, if you are staying at this campsite,
0:01:16 > 0:01:19- how full would this get? - It could get completely full.
0:01:19 > 0:01:23We could get up to 1 kilo of midges, which is about 2 million midges over a single night.
0:01:23 > 0:01:24- A single night!- Yes.
0:01:24 > 0:01:28I will head south for an exhilarating experience
0:01:28 > 0:01:32near Connel at the tidal cascade known as the Falls of Lora.
0:01:33 > 0:01:37- What's ahead of us? - Oh, some rather interesting water
0:01:37 > 0:01:39which, if we don't get the amount of edging right,
0:01:39 > 0:01:43will result in a certain amount of getting very wet.
0:01:43 > 0:01:47Before finishing my journey at Ardmaddy Castle with an initiation into the art of warfare.
0:01:50 > 0:01:53Yeah. I'll take that!
0:01:53 > 0:01:55And along the way, I will be looking back
0:01:55 > 0:01:59at the best of the BBC's rural programmes from this part of the world.
0:01:59 > 0:02:01Welcome to Country Tracks.
0:02:04 > 0:02:08Argyll and Bute covers much of the West Coast of Scotland,
0:02:08 > 0:02:12as well as the chain of islands known as the Inner Hebrides.
0:02:12 > 0:02:14It was one of the first areas to be settled
0:02:14 > 0:02:19by those travelling over from Ireland sometime around the sixth century,
0:02:19 > 0:02:22and is a land of breathtaking beauty.
0:02:22 > 0:02:26The mainland alone boasts over 185 miles of coastline,
0:02:26 > 0:02:30but today, this area is more famous as a gateway to the Highlands,
0:02:30 > 0:02:32attracting over 2 million tourists a year,
0:02:32 > 0:02:38including many walkers drawn here by this mountainous landscape.
0:02:38 > 0:02:41And it's amongst these hills that I'm starting my journey.
0:02:43 > 0:02:46Now, when it comes to walking up the Highland hills or mountains,
0:02:46 > 0:02:48I don't have a huge amount of experience.
0:02:48 > 0:02:51But thankfully, the guy that I'm about to meet
0:02:51 > 0:02:54is a man who has quite literally written the book on it.
0:02:54 > 0:02:57He's going to take me on a walk with a fearsome name.
0:02:57 > 0:03:01But he assures me it is not as bad as it sounds.
0:03:04 > 0:03:08I'm heading to the foot of the Devil's Staircase,
0:03:08 > 0:03:11part of the hugely popular West Highland Way,
0:03:11 > 0:03:14to meet Ronald Turnbull, the man who has written guides
0:03:14 > 0:03:18to many of the major routes and who knows the history of these hills inside out.
0:03:25 > 0:03:29- Hi, Ronald.- Joe, hello.- Good to see you. Thanks for coming to meet me.
0:03:29 > 0:03:31- Shall we get started?- OK.
0:03:37 > 0:03:41Ronald, Devil's Staircase is quite an intimidating name.
0:03:41 > 0:03:43- Why is it called that? - It's a wonderful name, isn't it?
0:03:43 > 0:03:46The name was given to it by the soldiers who built it.
0:03:46 > 0:03:51The path was built in 1745 after Bonnie Prince Charlie's rebellion.
0:03:51 > 0:03:55They built hundreds of miles of paths - roads, they called them,
0:03:55 > 0:03:57they were wider than this is now - all over the Highlands
0:03:57 > 0:04:00as a way of pacifying the Highlands after the rebellion.
0:04:00 > 0:04:06And what was it they hated so much about this stretch that they gave it such an austere name?
0:04:06 > 0:04:08The soldiers, you have to think of them,
0:04:08 > 0:04:13they got sixpence a day extra for the work of building these roads. I don't think it was worth it.
0:04:13 > 0:04:18They had no midge repellents, they had awful boots. You have to think about things like that.
0:04:18 > 0:04:21You have lovely modern boots here.
0:04:21 > 0:04:23Their boots fell to pieces after 400 miles.
0:04:23 > 0:04:27When Bonnie Prince Charlie was marching his army into England,
0:04:27 > 0:04:30every 300 miles, he had to hold townspeople to ransom
0:04:30 > 0:04:33for 1,000 pairs of shoes because they'd fallen to pieces.
0:04:33 > 0:04:37They were living up here in tents, days, even weeks on end,
0:04:37 > 0:04:40in tents that didn't keep the water out.
0:04:40 > 0:04:44In clothes that didn't keep the water out, bitten by midges,
0:04:44 > 0:04:48and their work was hauling boulders and gravel and wheelbarrows up here.
0:04:48 > 0:04:54So...it's a bit surprising they didn't call the whole path the Devil's Footpath!
0:04:54 > 0:04:58Pretty miserable existence. But I'm pleased they persevered, anyway.
0:04:58 > 0:04:59It's a good path.
0:05:03 > 0:05:07But the Devil's Staircase is just one small part of the 96-mile West Highland Way
0:05:07 > 0:05:10that stretches from the outskirts of Glasgow in the south
0:05:10 > 0:05:13through to Fort William in the north.
0:05:14 > 0:05:18And how many walkers would come and do this route in a year?
0:05:18 > 0:05:21Officially, the figure is about 10,000.
0:05:21 > 0:05:24- That is significant, isn't it? - It is a huge number of people.
0:05:24 > 0:05:28If you come here on a morning when the ones who start it on a Saturday from Glasgow
0:05:28 > 0:05:32are all coming through together, it will be one group of people behind the other.
0:05:32 > 0:05:34All the way along the path.
0:05:34 > 0:05:38You can walk down the path and past 200 people in an hour, sometimes.
0:05:42 > 0:05:45Despite the popularity of this route, Ronald is encouraging walkers
0:05:45 > 0:05:51to leave all this behind and go off the beaten track to see the beauty of these mountains
0:05:51 > 0:05:53from a different angle.
0:05:54 > 0:05:55So, this is so popular,
0:05:55 > 0:05:59why would you write a book about the West Highland Way?
0:05:59 > 0:06:01Well, for some people, including myself,
0:06:01 > 0:06:06it's quite frustrating to be walking in a beautiful woodland path by rivers and all that
0:06:06 > 0:06:10but in the bottom of the glen, looking up at all these wonderful mountains.
0:06:13 > 0:06:16So the point of the book is that on each day of the walk,
0:06:16 > 0:06:19if you are feeling adventurous, you can go high
0:06:19 > 0:06:24and actually experience the top level, rather than the bottom level.
0:06:24 > 0:06:28And how rewarding can it be if you stray off the path and get a bit of that height?
0:06:28 > 0:06:32Well, it can be absolutely amazing. It can be the best day of your life.
0:06:32 > 0:06:36On the other hand, it can be the worst day of your life,
0:06:36 > 0:06:38very easily, it can be the worst day of your life,
0:06:38 > 0:06:42when the rain is pouring down, and then somehow, paradoxically,
0:06:42 > 0:06:44it even can be both at once.
0:06:44 > 0:06:46When you are battling against the wind
0:06:46 > 0:06:50and the rain is coming in here, and out at the bottom...
0:06:52 > 0:06:55And, there is a sort of strange happiness that creeps over you
0:06:55 > 0:06:59when you know that you are strong enough to cope with this.
0:07:01 > 0:07:06Share with me a sense of the vista that you see from the top of these mountains.
0:07:06 > 0:07:10There's this stretch here, the Black Mount, we have just seen the northern end of it there.
0:07:10 > 0:07:13It's six miles of high-level ridge, way up above Rannoch Moor.
0:07:13 > 0:07:17From there, you're looking right across the width of the moor.
0:07:17 > 0:07:21You are seeing mountains which are 40 and 50 miles away on a clear day.
0:07:21 > 0:07:26And you see all the small lakes down there, sparkling away in the sunlight.
0:07:26 > 0:07:29And the miles and miles of heather.
0:07:29 > 0:07:33The chances are that you will see deer, certainly more deer than people up there.
0:07:33 > 0:07:37And when you are up there, when you hit the heights of these mountains,
0:07:37 > 0:07:40how removed to you feel from everyday life?
0:07:40 > 0:07:45Well, everyday life no longer exists. Especially if you spend the night up here.
0:07:45 > 0:07:48Almost invariably, I sleep on the top of a hill if I possibly can
0:07:48 > 0:07:51because it is so beautiful at sunset and in the morning.
0:07:51 > 0:07:57It is the best time of the day. Most people, you know, they start at 9am and they get down again at 5pm.
0:07:57 > 0:07:59So that is work, 9 till 5 -
0:07:59 > 0:08:01but actually, before 9am and after 5pm
0:08:01 > 0:08:05is the time when it is really wonderful in the hills.
0:08:05 > 0:08:10Not just that there's nobody else there, but the light is amazing.
0:08:10 > 0:08:13It is beautiful at that time of day, and the wildlife comes out as well.
0:08:13 > 0:08:17It's clear you've got the bug and there is no chance of you losing it.
0:08:17 > 0:08:21When I lose my legs, I suppose I'll lose it. Not until then.
0:08:26 > 0:08:29When Ben Fogle came here on his West Coast journey,
0:08:29 > 0:08:34he took to the roads, searching out the places that made Western Scotland special to him.
0:08:36 > 0:08:39Between Fort William and Mallaig in the Highlands of Scotland
0:08:39 > 0:08:43is a wild and spectacular landscape, full of high mountains,
0:08:43 > 0:08:48deep lochs and stunning, unspoiled coastline.
0:08:48 > 0:08:52It's a landscape steeped in history and legend,
0:08:52 > 0:08:56with stories of exiled kings, of secret agents and hidden gold.
0:08:56 > 0:08:58And even monsters of the deep.
0:08:58 > 0:09:01And linking all of this history and landscape,
0:09:01 > 0:09:04is the world-famous Road to the Isles.
0:09:06 > 0:09:08That's the name given to the A830.
0:09:08 > 0:09:10The 44-mile stretch of road
0:09:10 > 0:09:15that runs from Fort William in the east to the fishing port of Mallaig in the West.
0:09:16 > 0:09:20It's one of the most beautiful roads in the world.
0:09:20 > 0:09:23But most people just whip along it to catch the Skye ferry.
0:09:23 > 0:09:26Not me, however. I'm going to be taking it nice and leisurely,
0:09:26 > 0:09:30stopping along the way to learn more about the charms of the road.
0:09:32 > 0:09:36Right from the outset, this journey impresses.
0:09:36 > 0:09:39That massive bulk rearing up behind is Ben Nevis.
0:09:39 > 0:09:44At more than 4,400 feet, it's the UK's highest mountain.
0:09:48 > 0:09:51'But I'm not stopping, as I'm off to see something
0:09:51 > 0:09:53'that to Scottish folk is even more significant -
0:09:53 > 0:09:56'the Glenfinnan Monument.
0:09:58 > 0:10:01'It was here in August 1745
0:10:01 > 0:10:05'that Bonnie Prince Charlie stood before his army of 1,200 men
0:10:05 > 0:10:09'with plans to take back the British crown for the Stuarts.'
0:10:09 > 0:10:13And it was on that spot that he planted his standard.
0:10:15 > 0:10:16Or was it?
0:10:16 > 0:10:19Iain Thornber is a historian whose research
0:10:19 > 0:10:23on Bonnie Prince Charlie has thrown this into doubt.
0:10:23 > 0:10:24- Hi, Iain.- Hello, Ben.
0:10:24 > 0:10:27So, was this the spot that Bonnie Prince Charlie
0:10:27 > 0:10:29raised his standard, or wasn't it?
0:10:29 > 0:10:32Well, he certainly raised his standard at the head of Loch Shiel.
0:10:32 > 0:10:35But where is a matter of some debate.
0:10:35 > 0:10:37He was here to reclaim the Crown.
0:10:37 > 0:10:40But talk me through the scene. What would it have been like here?
0:10:40 > 0:10:43When he arrived he was very disappointed,
0:10:43 > 0:10:45because he was expecting thousands of clansmen
0:10:45 > 0:10:48to be waiting for him here, because he had sent word in advance
0:10:48 > 0:10:51that he was going to be raising the standard.
0:10:51 > 0:10:52But when he arrived, in fact,
0:10:52 > 0:10:55there were only 200 or 300 local people standing around.
0:10:55 > 0:10:58And then he waited, and eventually they heard the pipes
0:10:58 > 0:11:03from up on the glen behind us and then the Camerons appeared, 800 of them.
0:11:03 > 0:11:06I have to ask, what is this sword you've got in your hand?
0:11:06 > 0:11:12This is a basket-hilted claymore, and it was made about 1727,
0:11:12 > 0:11:16and was actually carried here at Glenfinnan in 1745.
0:11:16 > 0:11:19- See these grooves running down the blade?- Yes.
0:11:19 > 0:11:21These are called fullers, F-U-L-L-E-R-S.
0:11:21 > 0:11:25And this was intended to lighten the blade,
0:11:25 > 0:11:27otherwise it would have been top-heavy.
0:11:27 > 0:11:29- Can I feel how...?- Absolutely.
0:11:31 > 0:11:33It's remarkably well-balanced, isn't it?
0:11:33 > 0:11:36I thought it was going to go straight down, but...
0:11:36 > 0:11:40It is very light. If you were swinging it the whole day, you wouldn't get tired.
0:11:40 > 0:11:44So this actually saw battle, this would have killed people?
0:11:44 > 0:11:48Yes, yes, as far as I know, and I have no reason to doubt it,
0:11:48 > 0:11:51it was actually used at the Battle of Culloden as well.
0:11:51 > 0:11:53So it may have killed a few Englishmen.
0:11:53 > 0:11:56So, if the monument doesn't mark the spot,
0:11:56 > 0:11:59where exactly did Bonnie Prince Charlie raise his standard?
0:11:59 > 0:12:04Well, 20 years ago, a scrub fire a quarter of a mile away
0:12:04 > 0:12:06revealed an interesting inscription.
0:12:06 > 0:12:11- Looks Latin to me, I'm not very good. Can you translate?- Yes.
0:12:11 > 0:12:14It says, "In 1745, in the name of the Lord,
0:12:14 > 0:12:19"the standards of Charles Edward Stuart,
0:12:19 > 0:12:22"triumphing at last, were erected."
0:12:22 > 0:12:26So basically insinuating that this was the place
0:12:26 > 0:12:30- that Bonnie Prince Charlie erected the standard.- Absolutely.
0:12:30 > 0:12:32And to me, it is the preferred place
0:12:32 > 0:12:34because it's on an elevated position,
0:12:34 > 0:12:38rather than down on the plain at the head of the loch.
0:12:38 > 0:12:40There are amazing views behind.
0:12:40 > 0:12:42Indeed, that glen above the viaduct,
0:12:42 > 0:12:45obviously the viaduct wasn't there in these days,
0:12:45 > 0:12:47that's where the Camerons came down.
0:12:47 > 0:12:50They heard the pipers, they could see them coming down the hillside.
0:12:50 > 0:12:54They come across to here, and this is where they gathered.
0:12:54 > 0:12:58- Where do we think the staff would have been raised? - We've got this indication here,
0:12:58 > 0:13:02there's an arrow with the numerals IV, meaning four.
0:13:02 > 0:13:04And if you start pacing from the point of the arrow,
0:13:04 > 0:13:06see where it takes you.
0:13:06 > 0:13:08One, two, three, four. Into this little pit.
0:13:08 > 0:13:12Into this depression here which was obviously carved out.
0:13:12 > 0:13:14When the inscriptions were revealed,
0:13:14 > 0:13:17there was a round stone in here with a hole in it.
0:13:17 > 0:13:21Obviously, that is where the staff was put.
0:13:25 > 0:13:29Having followed in the footsteps of Bonnie Prince Charlie,
0:13:29 > 0:13:32it's time for me and Iain to travel a further nine miles up the road
0:13:32 > 0:13:37to Lochailort, where the most famous fighting unit of them all began.
0:13:41 > 0:13:45Believe it or not, we're looking at the birthplace of the commandos.
0:13:45 > 0:13:49- The commandos, as in the SAS? Special forces?- Absolutely.
0:13:49 > 0:13:51It was called the special training centre.
0:13:51 > 0:13:54What would this building have been used for?
0:13:54 > 0:13:57This building was the camp canteen and also the cinema.
0:13:57 > 0:14:02- Remember, there were 3,500 troops stationed here.- All around here?
0:14:02 > 0:14:05Yes, they were in Nissen huts and tents.
0:14:05 > 0:14:08Getting them used to the hardy conditions.
0:14:08 > 0:14:11Absolutely, because they then had to go out and climb the hills
0:14:11 > 0:14:13and live under extreme conditions.
0:14:13 > 0:14:16We're looking out here to these two buildings,
0:14:16 > 0:14:18these were the ammunition sheds.
0:14:18 > 0:14:21They were heavily protected, with bars on the windows
0:14:21 > 0:14:23because they also doubled up as the cells.
0:14:23 > 0:14:26Beyond that, you see, there's a gully going up
0:14:26 > 0:14:28and it's still now called Snipers' Valley.
0:14:28 > 0:14:31Snipers' Valley, up here in Scotland.
0:14:31 > 0:14:34Because the detachments had to crawl up there on their tummy.
0:14:34 > 0:14:38On either side there were people with machine guns, using live ammunition,
0:14:38 > 0:14:41so they really had to keep their heads down.
0:14:41 > 0:14:47So obviously, the commandos were the birth of whole new form of warfare, really.
0:14:47 > 0:14:48Yes, at the outset of the war,
0:14:48 > 0:14:51Churchill was very concerned to get small groups of men
0:14:51 > 0:14:54who could go in and do the maximum amount of damage.
0:14:54 > 0:14:56He had difficulty selling it to the government,
0:14:56 > 0:14:59because some of them said, "That's not cricket."
0:14:59 > 0:15:03He replied, "Hitler is not going to be playing cricket!"
0:15:03 > 0:15:05And this, presumably, was where they were billeted.
0:15:05 > 0:15:08Yes, this is in Inverailort House,
0:15:08 > 0:15:11or Inverailort Castle, as it became known,
0:15:11 > 0:15:14which was requisitioned by Lord Lovat in 1940.
0:15:14 > 0:15:17And the owner had no idea what was going to happen,
0:15:17 > 0:15:19and suddenly one day she got a telegram saying,
0:15:19 > 0:15:23"Your house and estate is requisitioned, don't bother coming back."
0:15:23 > 0:15:25It was a terrible shock to her.
0:15:26 > 0:15:29There were many well-known people stationed here during the war.
0:15:29 > 0:15:34But undoubtedly, the most famous of them all was actor David Niven.
0:15:34 > 0:15:36Pictured here with an impressive haul of fish,
0:15:36 > 0:15:39in these never before seen photographs.
0:15:39 > 0:15:44One of the escapades he was involved with, and I think also enjoyed,
0:15:44 > 0:15:48was trying to get some salmon out of the river to feed the locals and the troops.
0:15:48 > 0:15:50They were using hand grenades and nets.
0:15:50 > 0:15:53We've got some lovely photographs of all this happening.
0:16:00 > 0:16:04From Lochailort, the A830 starts to twist and turn
0:16:04 > 0:16:07as the landscape becomes wilder.
0:16:07 > 0:16:12It takes you past pine-covered islands and wide open sea lochs.
0:16:12 > 0:16:13Like Loch nan Uamh,
0:16:13 > 0:16:17where Bonnie Prince Charlie left for France after the Battle of Culloden,
0:16:17 > 0:16:20and which looks pretty much the same as it did back then.
0:16:20 > 0:16:25It's well worth taking time to sit and take in the silence
0:16:25 > 0:16:28and the unspoiled beauty of this landscape.
0:16:31 > 0:16:35Now, there's a spot just off the road that you simply have to see.
0:16:35 > 0:16:37It's one of my favourite stops
0:16:37 > 0:16:40and never fails to stun me with its sheer beauty.
0:16:40 > 0:16:43These are the world-famous Silver Sands of Morar,
0:16:43 > 0:16:46and to find out what makes them that colour,
0:16:46 > 0:16:50I'm meeting up with local geologist David Bird.
0:16:50 > 0:16:55So, David, what I want to know is, why this sand is so white
0:16:55 > 0:16:56and so light.
0:16:56 > 0:16:58- It's incredible.- It is, yes.
0:16:58 > 0:17:02The sand here is, like all sand, made of quartz grains.
0:17:02 > 0:17:03Quartz is a very resistant mineral,
0:17:03 > 0:17:08it doesn't get broken down as easily as some of the minerals
0:17:08 > 0:17:12in the rock, especially the ones which give it a dark grey colour.
0:17:12 > 0:17:13They're broken down by the water.
0:17:13 > 0:17:16And it leaves the quartz grains behind,
0:17:16 > 0:17:18and the quartz grains are this lovely white colour.
0:17:18 > 0:17:22So why does the sand here differ from the sand we get in England?
0:17:22 > 0:17:25The sand you get elsewhere is that lovely golden colour.
0:17:25 > 0:17:27That's derived from pre-existing sandstone
0:17:27 > 0:17:32that's been worked by rivers or glaciers, and in these sandstones,
0:17:32 > 0:17:35the quartz is usually bound together by calcite
0:17:35 > 0:17:39or some iron mineral which gives it its rusty golden brown colour.
0:17:39 > 0:17:42This sand here is derived from these rocks.
0:17:42 > 0:17:44The sand grades are almost entirely quartz.
0:17:44 > 0:17:48There's a little bit of mica in them as well, and it's very reflective.
0:17:48 > 0:17:51If you catch this sand in the sunlight, it seems to sparkle.
0:17:51 > 0:17:54That's where we got the name the Silver Sands of Morar.
0:17:56 > 0:18:00Even on a cloudy day like this, the scenery is quite breathtaking.
0:18:00 > 0:18:03You could be forgiven for thinking you were in the Caribbean,
0:18:03 > 0:18:07with the white sand, the clear blue water and the odd yacht.
0:18:07 > 0:18:09It's hard to tear yourself away,
0:18:09 > 0:18:14but I've still got a few miles left to drive before my journey's end.
0:18:28 > 0:18:33Oh! So, here I am at the end of the road in Mallaig.
0:18:33 > 0:18:36It has to be said, that 40 odd miles from Fort William
0:18:36 > 0:18:39must be one of the most beautiful, not only in the British Isles,
0:18:39 > 0:18:41but possibly in the world.
0:18:41 > 0:18:45And for many, Mallaig isn't the end of the road but the beginning.
0:18:45 > 0:18:49It's from here that you catch the ferries to the small Isles,
0:18:49 > 0:18:51and like this one just departing, to Skye.
0:18:55 > 0:18:57My journey's taking me into Glencoe,
0:18:57 > 0:18:58a beautiful vista
0:18:58 > 0:19:01which formed the backdrop to a very bloody event
0:19:01 > 0:19:03in the Highlands' history.
0:19:08 > 0:19:11In an imposing and dramatic landscape like this,
0:19:11 > 0:19:13it's quite easy to get a sense of history.
0:19:13 > 0:19:17Generation after generation looked up at these walls of rock
0:19:17 > 0:19:18on either side.
0:19:18 > 0:19:23It was MacDonald clan that settled in the glen and farmed this land.
0:19:23 > 0:19:26And today, their name is still associated with Glencoe
0:19:26 > 0:19:30and famously, the day that so many of their number
0:19:30 > 0:19:32were massacred back in 1692.
0:19:34 > 0:19:38The Protestant William of Orange had just taken to the Scottish throne,
0:19:38 > 0:19:40as Catholic James VII fled.
0:19:40 > 0:19:44Fearing an uprising from the so-called Jacobites,
0:19:44 > 0:19:46still loyal to the ousted king,
0:19:46 > 0:19:49a decree was sent out to all the clans.
0:19:49 > 0:19:52They must sign an oath of allegiance to William
0:19:52 > 0:19:55and his wife, Mary, by 1 January 1692,
0:19:55 > 0:19:58or be considered traitors
0:19:58 > 0:20:00and punished with the utmost extremity.
0:20:01 > 0:20:05No-one knows when that decree reached Glencoe,
0:20:05 > 0:20:09but the chief of the clan set out from here on 29th December
0:20:09 > 0:20:12with just two days until the deadline.
0:20:12 > 0:20:16Travelling conditions were tough. There was thick snow on the ground.
0:20:16 > 0:20:20He eventually signed the oath of allegiance two days late.
0:20:20 > 0:20:24Even so, he returned here believing his clan was safe.
0:20:24 > 0:20:26He couldn't have been more wrong.
0:20:30 > 0:20:32The authorities in Edinburgh
0:20:32 > 0:20:35decided to make an example of the MacDonalds,
0:20:35 > 0:20:39to strike fear into the hearts of other Jacobite sympathisers.
0:20:39 > 0:20:42When 120 redcoat soldiers arrived in Glencoe,
0:20:42 > 0:20:44asking for food and board,
0:20:44 > 0:20:48the clan put them up, in accordance with the Highland code,
0:20:48 > 0:20:51which demanded hospitality be provided
0:20:51 > 0:20:53to any people passing through.
0:20:53 > 0:20:57What neither the MacDonalds nor the troops themselves knew
0:20:57 > 0:21:01was that the reason they had arrived was to wipe out the clan completely.
0:21:04 > 0:21:07The troops stayed with the MacDonalds for 12 days,
0:21:07 > 0:21:09sharing their houses and their food.
0:21:09 > 0:21:14Then, at 5am on 13 February 1692,
0:21:14 > 0:21:17Captain Robert Campbell shared his orders.
0:21:17 > 0:21:21That on his mark, the troops were to kill their hosts as they slept.
0:21:31 > 0:21:34The MacDonalds numbered about 600.
0:21:34 > 0:21:39The soldiers' orders were that no-one was to be left alive.
0:21:39 > 0:21:42At signal rock in the west, a fire was lit,
0:21:42 > 0:21:45giving the go-ahead for the slaughter to begin.
0:21:45 > 0:21:48Then all the way up the valley, as soldiers saw that sign,
0:21:48 > 0:21:51they set about their bloody business.
0:21:54 > 0:21:58In the moments that followed, the clan chief was shot in the back,
0:21:58 > 0:22:03reports tell of a young boy begging for his life,
0:22:03 > 0:22:05and people were tied up and executed.
0:22:05 > 0:22:09But the wholesale slaughter didn't go exactly to plan.
0:22:09 > 0:22:12Only 38 MacDonalds died here.
0:22:12 > 0:22:16It's thought many of the soldiers were appalled by what they had been asked to do
0:22:16 > 0:22:20and had no appetite for this cold-blooded killing of their hosts,
0:22:20 > 0:22:22some of whom were warned in advance
0:22:22 > 0:22:26and given a chance to flee before the bloodshed started.
0:22:27 > 0:22:30For those MacDonalds who were warned and fled the massacre,
0:22:30 > 0:22:33knowing these hills and retreating to a spot
0:22:33 > 0:22:36where the army couldn't find them saved their lives.
0:22:41 > 0:22:44Julia Bradbury followed in their footsteps to discover
0:22:44 > 0:22:48the hidden valley that offered them a safe haven.
0:22:51 > 0:22:54On a rainy day like today, it's easy to identify
0:22:54 > 0:22:58with its history of clan warfare
0:22:58 > 0:23:00and the infamous massacre of 1692.
0:23:03 > 0:23:07This is where the familiar story of the MacDonald clan took place.
0:23:07 > 0:23:0938 members of the clan were murdered
0:23:09 > 0:23:11by their treacherous neighbours, the Campbells.
0:23:11 > 0:23:15And so Victorians would flock here to soak up the morbid atmosphere.
0:23:21 > 0:23:25The south side of the valley is bordered by the majestic mountains
0:23:25 > 0:23:27known as the Three Sisters.
0:23:27 > 0:23:31And they conceal a secret chapter in the story of the massacre.
0:23:31 > 0:23:33On that cold February night,
0:23:33 > 0:23:35running from the sound of gunfire,
0:23:35 > 0:23:39some of the MacDonald clan fled here and began to climb.
0:23:39 > 0:23:42I'm following their route into the mist.
0:23:49 > 0:23:51Certainly a wild and windy day!
0:23:51 > 0:23:54'It isn't the easiest path.'
0:23:56 > 0:23:58Not sure how we're going to get over this.
0:24:00 > 0:24:06'But the place I'm heading for has a long history and many names.'
0:24:08 > 0:24:10This place is known as the Hanging Valley,
0:24:10 > 0:24:15the Lost Valley, the Valley of Capture and the Hidden Valley.
0:24:15 > 0:24:18It is pretty difficult to find!
0:24:19 > 0:24:22'The very inaccessibility of this place
0:24:22 > 0:24:25'is why it's managed to stay so secret.'
0:24:29 > 0:24:31It's a tough old scramble,
0:24:31 > 0:24:36and generally I find the better the scramble, the better the reward.
0:24:40 > 0:24:45'And finally I find the special place the MacDonalds were heading for on that cold night
0:24:45 > 0:24:48'more than 300 years ago.'
0:24:49 > 0:24:54And there she is - the Hidden Valley.
0:24:55 > 0:24:57Looking very moody under the mist.
0:24:59 > 0:25:01Definitely worth the climb.
0:25:15 > 0:25:20'Invisible from the glen, this flat valley floor is entirely unexpected.
0:25:22 > 0:25:25'The treacherous climb to this valley
0:25:25 > 0:25:27was the MacDonalds' only hope.
0:25:27 > 0:25:30'It was their secret refuge.
0:25:30 > 0:25:33'Somewhere they knew they'd be safe.
0:25:37 > 0:25:39'Today, it's a peaceful place.
0:25:39 > 0:25:43'A part of Glencoe you can have entirely to yourself.'
0:25:45 > 0:25:48Glencoe's secret hideaway.
0:25:58 > 0:26:01Well, I've travelled just another mile down the glen
0:26:01 > 0:26:02to the Red Squirrel campsite.
0:26:02 > 0:26:05But I'm not here to spend the night under canvas.
0:26:05 > 0:26:08I'm here tracking down a bloodsucking carnivore.
0:26:12 > 0:26:15The creatures I'm interested in blight many a visit north of the border.
0:26:15 > 0:26:20And leading me to them is expert Dr Alison Blackwell.
0:26:21 > 0:26:24So, Alison, basically you spend your life
0:26:24 > 0:26:28trying to find what most people are trying to avoid - midges.
0:26:28 > 0:26:31That's right. I mean, we make a living of tracking midges,
0:26:31 > 0:26:34finding out about how they interact with the environment,
0:26:34 > 0:26:37whereas most people want to keep away from them.
0:26:37 > 0:26:42Yeah. I know nothing about them at all. I've seen them and know they're very, very small.
0:26:42 > 0:26:45What are they and why are they such a pest?
0:26:45 > 0:26:49They're tiny biting flies. Just like any fly, they've got
0:26:49 > 0:26:52two pairs of wings, six legs. It's the females that bite.
0:26:52 > 0:26:55They need a blood-meal to mature their eggs. The males are nice.
0:26:55 > 0:26:59They just sugar-feed on plant nectar, so they don't harm you at all.
0:26:59 > 0:27:02So, every time you feel a bite, it's a female and you're basically
0:27:02 > 0:27:05- contributing to the continuation of the midge species?- Yes.
0:27:05 > 0:27:09The Highland midge, which is the one that bites most people, is really clever
0:27:09 > 0:27:13in the fact that it can lay its first batch of eggs without taking blood-meal.
0:27:13 > 0:27:16It uses its own fat reserves to mature its eggs.
0:27:16 > 0:27:19But every subsequent egg batch has to have blood-meal.
0:27:19 > 0:27:21They have two cycles every year,
0:27:21 > 0:27:24so we have two big batches of midges occurring in Scotland -
0:27:24 > 0:27:27beginning of the summer and then halfway through.
0:27:27 > 0:27:30And they spend the winter time in the soil as larvae,
0:27:30 > 0:27:32just a few centimetres below the soil surface
0:27:32 > 0:27:34where they act as mini-earthworms,
0:27:34 > 0:27:37helping break down decaying organic matter.
0:27:37 > 0:27:41It's always Scotland in my mind that we associate with midges.
0:27:41 > 0:27:44Is that fair? Are they all over the country, really?
0:27:44 > 0:27:47Midges occur everywhere in the UK, almost everywhere in the world.
0:27:47 > 0:27:52Scotland has a great habitat and they love breeding in damp, acidic soil which we have here.
0:27:52 > 0:27:54And we've got vast areas -
0:27:54 > 0:27:57uninhabited area for them to breed in.
0:27:57 > 0:28:00They're absolutely tiny. So why are they so painful?
0:28:00 > 0:28:02Why do they irritate so much?
0:28:02 > 0:28:05Partly because they are so small, you don't notice them biting you.
0:28:05 > 0:28:09But also they have a different way of biting you than mosquitoes.
0:28:09 > 0:28:13Mosquitoes kind of inject their mouthparts into your blood capillaries and suck,
0:28:13 > 0:28:17and it's relatively painless until you start reacting.
0:28:17 > 0:28:21Midges are bit more primitive and they have a set of shearing scissors as mouthparts
0:28:21 > 0:28:24and they cut a hole in your skin
0:28:24 > 0:28:27which creates a pool of blood which they then feed from.
0:28:27 > 0:28:29And that biting itself can be very painful.
0:28:29 > 0:28:33And then, as they feed, they pump in saliva to keep your blood flowing.
0:28:33 > 0:28:37And our body reacts to that saliva, and that's why some of us
0:28:37 > 0:28:40come up in big, red lumps and itch for days afterwards.
0:28:42 > 0:28:44Just how to combat these critters
0:28:44 > 0:28:46has left experts scratching their heads -
0:28:46 > 0:28:50not to mention their arms and legs - for generations.
0:28:50 > 0:28:53But now Alison's able to forecast exactly where
0:28:53 > 0:28:55the miserable midges are going to be,
0:28:55 > 0:28:58by enlisting the help of a neat gadget.
0:29:01 > 0:29:04Right, so here we are. But what is it?
0:29:04 > 0:29:08It's a midge trap, and we use them across Scotland to help us
0:29:08 > 0:29:12monitor midge numbers and help with our online midge forecast.
0:29:12 > 0:29:15OK. I mean, it looks like a tiny patio heater or something.
0:29:15 > 0:29:16How does it work?
0:29:16 > 0:29:22It's very similar to a patio heater in the fact that it burns propane gas to produce carbon dioxide.
0:29:22 > 0:29:25CO2 in our breath can be detected by midges from about 200 metres away.
0:29:25 > 0:29:30- 200 metres away, in every direction? That's incredible.- Every direction. So, the trap produces CO2.
0:29:30 > 0:29:34It comes out of the top of the trap here, and as it comes out it gets warmed up
0:29:34 > 0:29:39to body temperature and also it passes over some smelly attractants
0:29:39 > 0:29:44that makes the CO2 smell like the kind of odour that a cow would produce, basically.
0:29:44 > 0:29:46- OK.- And we've got flashing lights in it as well,
0:29:46 > 0:29:48which add to the attractiveness of the trap.
0:29:48 > 0:29:53They're actually starting to swarm now, I can see a few of them, so where's the smelly cow bit?
0:29:53 > 0:29:58Smelly cow goes in the top - comes off like this, and if you...
0:29:58 > 0:30:02- That's it, there? - ..Place your nose there...
0:30:02 > 0:30:07- Oh yeah, wow.- It's kind of like rotting mushrooms.- It is mushroomy!
0:30:07 > 0:30:09OK, yeah. And suddenly they're all around us.
0:30:09 > 0:30:12We're standing in the worst place now, we're giving them extra,
0:30:12 > 0:30:15we're telling them there is a free meal here.
0:30:15 > 0:30:20Exactly. Each trap represents about four-cows-worth of CO2.
0:30:20 > 0:30:22Wow, four cows, that's quite a lot of CO2.
0:30:22 > 0:30:25So, they get sucked in and where do they end up?
0:30:25 > 0:30:28They end up down here in a collecting tray which comes out,
0:30:28 > 0:30:30and they get collected in the bottom.
0:30:30 > 0:30:33OK, so not many there at the moment, why's that?
0:30:33 > 0:30:35This has just been set up and normally we'd put some
0:30:35 > 0:30:38water in which would help drown the midges.
0:30:38 > 0:30:41So on a good day, or a bad day if you're staying at this campsite,
0:30:41 > 0:30:43just how full would this get?
0:30:43 > 0:30:46It could get completely full, we can get up to a kilo of midges
0:30:46 > 0:30:48which is about two million midges over a single night.
0:30:48 > 0:30:51In a single night? That is staggering!
0:30:51 > 0:30:52OK, so you've got all this,
0:30:52 > 0:30:55you've collected two million midges in a night,
0:30:55 > 0:30:57how does that help with the midge forecast?
0:30:57 > 0:30:59What we're doing with the midge forecast
0:30:59 > 0:31:02is trying to help people out and about plan their days
0:31:02 > 0:31:04around what the midges are going to be like.
0:31:04 > 0:31:06So very much like the pollen forecast,
0:31:06 > 0:31:09we do a prediction of midge risk from one to five.
0:31:09 > 0:31:14Um, for nearly every town in Scotland on a seven-day basis.
0:31:14 > 0:31:16The forecast runs on a set of models,
0:31:16 > 0:31:19but we need live data from traps like this to help us
0:31:19 > 0:31:23verify our model output and modify it if we need to.
0:31:23 > 0:31:26OK. And the good news or bad news for Glencoe,
0:31:26 > 0:31:29where does this fall on the midge scale of things?
0:31:29 > 0:31:32Um, Glencoe is often right at the top of our scale -
0:31:32 > 0:31:34a nice, big, red five is not uncommon.
0:31:34 > 0:31:36At the minute, it's a kind of five/four -
0:31:36 > 0:31:39the nice warm weather recently has bumped the numbers up.
0:31:39 > 0:31:43Really? So there's a little swarm on the way is there?
0:31:43 > 0:31:47- I think so.- Oh, OK! Well, I hate the idea that this thing is working hard
0:31:47 > 0:31:49and I'm holding the basket in my hand
0:31:49 > 0:31:53so all the midges are escaping again so will we put this back on?
0:31:53 > 0:31:56- Good idea!- We'll let it do its job.
0:31:58 > 0:32:01Thanks to Alison's forecast, more tourists might make it
0:32:01 > 0:32:05out of Scotland without the tell-tale sign of a midge bite.
0:32:05 > 0:32:07When Neil Oliver came to this part of the world,
0:32:07 > 0:32:10he found that working here can also leave its mark
0:32:10 > 0:32:14when he visited Glensanda on the banks of Loch Linnhe.
0:32:20 > 0:32:23The entrance to the loch is guarded by Glensanda Castle,
0:32:23 > 0:32:25once home to the MacLean clan,
0:32:25 > 0:32:29descendants of the Vikings who roamed these waterways.
0:32:30 > 0:32:32A thousand years ago,
0:32:32 > 0:32:35the islands of the west coast were ruled by Vikings.
0:32:35 > 0:32:37More Norwegian than Scottish.
0:32:37 > 0:32:39In fact, the name of this place -
0:32:39 > 0:32:44Glensanda - is old Norse and it means the glen of the sandy river.
0:32:49 > 0:32:53But it's not the sand that's drawn me here, it's the rock.
0:32:57 > 0:33:02This tanker is about to be loaded with 85,000 tonnes of granite
0:33:02 > 0:33:04from Europe's biggest super quarry.
0:33:04 > 0:33:09It's the rock that will make the roads of Britain roll.
0:33:10 > 0:33:15It's quite terrifying actually. Just the sheer mass of it.
0:33:15 > 0:33:17It's just a big, steel cliff.
0:33:18 > 0:33:23Glensanda Quarry sits at the mouth of the Great Glen Fault -
0:33:23 > 0:33:25an area rich in granite.
0:33:27 > 0:33:29Although the quarry's on the mainland,
0:33:29 > 0:33:31it might as well be an island.
0:33:33 > 0:33:37You can't get here by road because there aren't any,
0:33:37 > 0:33:40but who needs roads when you have the sea
0:33:40 > 0:33:44and water deep enough for huge ships?
0:33:48 > 0:33:51Europe's biggest super quarry relies on the coast.
0:33:51 > 0:33:54Rock and machinery all come and go by sea -
0:33:54 > 0:33:57a challenge for deputy manager, David Lamb.
0:33:57 > 0:34:02- David!- Hello, Neil, welcome to Glensanda. Nice to meet you.
0:34:02 > 0:34:05- That was all very exciting with the boat.- It certainly was.
0:34:05 > 0:34:10- So where does it all happen? - It all starts at the top of the hill, basically at the top of the mountain.
0:34:11 > 0:34:14It's 2,000 feet from sea level to summit,
0:34:14 > 0:34:17but suddenly I get the full picture.
0:34:20 > 0:34:23Well, from here you really do get a sense of super quarry!
0:34:23 > 0:34:25You certainly do, it's a big hole, isn't it?
0:34:25 > 0:34:29How much of the mountain have you already taken away?
0:34:29 > 0:34:32Out of this area we've already taken 100 million tonnes.
0:34:32 > 0:34:35And how much remains to be taken?
0:34:35 > 0:34:38There's still almost 800 million tonnes left to go.
0:34:38 > 0:34:42So you're kind of scratching the surface at the moment?
0:34:42 > 0:34:44A big scratch but only a scratch so far.
0:34:44 > 0:34:47- Can we go and blow things up? - We certainly can, Neil, come on.
0:34:53 > 0:34:56100 million tonnes of rock extracted in 20 years.
0:34:58 > 0:35:01Now, with 18 tonnes of explosive primed,
0:35:01 > 0:35:03I'm about to see how they do it.
0:35:06 > 0:35:10EXPLOSION
0:35:12 > 0:35:16- That's fantastic!- Pretty impressive, isn't it?- Can we do that again?
0:35:16 > 0:35:21- Right now?!- If you're happy to wait another few days, yes!- Wow!
0:35:21 > 0:35:24It's the way it's just the slow motion ripple...
0:35:27 > 0:35:31Where does all this material go? I mean, who uses it?
0:35:31 > 0:35:34A lot of the rock goes into road-building -
0:35:34 > 0:35:38into construction, sub bases for roads, your motorways,
0:35:38 > 0:35:42almost all the rock for the English side of the Channel Tunnel
0:35:42 > 0:35:43was supplied from Glensanda.
0:35:50 > 0:35:53The granite here is hard enough to withstand the pounding of trucks
0:35:53 > 0:35:56and trains under our roads and railways,
0:35:56 > 0:36:01but what's really special is this quarry's coastal location.
0:36:01 > 0:36:02The rock's crushed,
0:36:02 > 0:36:05graded and washed before it even gets to the quayside.
0:36:07 > 0:36:10There, it's loaded onto huge ships to be sent anywhere in the world.
0:36:16 > 0:36:18The rock might not stay around long
0:36:18 > 0:36:21but the workers can sometimes stay here for weeks on end.
0:36:21 > 0:36:24At least they've got some big toys to play with!
0:36:24 > 0:36:27It's like Jurassic Park in here.
0:36:31 > 0:36:35- Do you like it here?- Yes, very nice. - Why? Is it the big toys?- Big toys.
0:36:35 > 0:36:38- Big toys and the views on a good day. - The views on a good day are nice.
0:36:38 > 0:36:42- How much do you pay for a set of tyres on them?- 8,000 a tyre.
0:36:42 > 0:36:44So 32,000 for four tyres.
0:36:44 > 0:36:48- So, it's not the sort of vehicle you keep for a hobby, is it?- No.
0:36:48 > 0:36:52It kind of feels like the wild west out here. It's like Frontier Town.
0:36:52 > 0:36:56You get used to it. You get used to it.
0:36:58 > 0:37:02Hardworking lifestyles are nothing new on the west coast,
0:37:02 > 0:37:06but this machinery is new - it's on a whole different scale.
0:37:06 > 0:37:13New connections to the wider world are changing these communities.
0:37:13 > 0:37:17Neil Oliver there, having quite a blast.
0:37:17 > 0:37:20On my journey along the west coast of Scotland,
0:37:20 > 0:37:23I've headed south to the village of Connel...
0:37:26 > 0:37:29..and the natural wonder of the Falls of Lora.
0:37:33 > 0:37:38The Falls of Lora are a tidal cascade and when they're in full flow
0:37:38 > 0:37:41they provide the ultimate ride for thrill-seeking kayakers
0:37:41 > 0:37:45who surf the waves created by these unique currents,
0:37:45 > 0:37:48risking wipe-out in the swirling undertow.
0:37:51 > 0:37:56I'm heading down to the water's edge to experience the power of the Falls for myself,
0:37:56 > 0:38:01putting my safety in the hands of kayak instructor, Tony Hammock.
0:38:04 > 0:38:07So this is the Falls of Lora - what are we looking at,
0:38:07 > 0:38:09where's all this water coming from?
0:38:09 > 0:38:11OK, Falls of Lora is a tidal overflow
0:38:11 > 0:38:15at the mouth of Loch Etive, which is about 16 miles long.
0:38:15 > 0:38:19And there's about 30 square km of water out there
0:38:19 > 0:38:25and every time the tide goes up and down, the sea tries to fill it up
0:38:25 > 0:38:30and it can't because this entrance here is only 300m wide.
0:38:30 > 0:38:34This is basically a bottleneck and that's what's making the water rush through?
0:38:34 > 0:38:38That's right, yeah, and when the tide level in the sea drops,
0:38:38 > 0:38:41the water tries to pour out of Loch Etive
0:38:41 > 0:38:47but it can't keep up so as - this hand's the sea, this is Loch Etive -
0:38:47 > 0:38:50as the sea drops, the water pours out
0:38:50 > 0:38:54through this constriction creating the gradient.
0:38:54 > 0:38:56The tide outside drops, the whole thing drops,
0:38:56 > 0:38:59and then you get to low water outside in the sea
0:38:59 > 0:39:02and Loch Etive hasn't caught up yet,
0:39:02 > 0:39:05so the sea level outside starts to rise again,
0:39:05 > 0:39:08but the water is still pouring out of Loch Etive.
0:39:08 > 0:39:12Eventually you get to the same level, the sea's rising outside,
0:39:12 > 0:39:14the water pours back into Loch Etive,
0:39:14 > 0:39:16the whole thing goes up and up
0:39:16 > 0:39:18and when you get to the high tide in the sea,
0:39:18 > 0:39:21Loch Etive still hasn't got there
0:39:21 > 0:39:23so you've still got this current pouring out.
0:39:23 > 0:39:27And as it pours over the rock shelf and hits the slower water,
0:39:27 > 0:39:29it creates the hydraulic jump - the waves.
0:39:29 > 0:39:33That's the Falls, isn't it, as it goes over that rock shelf?
0:39:33 > 0:39:37This is actually really tame today. This is just an average tide.
0:39:37 > 0:39:40When you get the big spring tides
0:39:40 > 0:39:42when the sun and the moon are in line
0:39:42 > 0:39:44at the spring and summer equinoxes,
0:39:44 > 0:39:47the range is more than double what it is today.
0:39:47 > 0:39:50You get about a four metre range. An astronomical amount of water.
0:39:50 > 0:39:53Wow. And it's all power... Do you get big waves then?
0:39:53 > 0:39:56Yeah, over by the north bridge pier,
0:39:56 > 0:40:00over there, you get waves about one and half metres high that break.
0:40:00 > 0:40:03When it's really big, it's pretty scary in a sea kayak.
0:40:03 > 0:40:05We do go out there.
0:40:05 > 0:40:08You get experts turning up and we go out and play with them.
0:40:08 > 0:40:11- We usually get a good thrashing, actually.- Fantastic.
0:40:11 > 0:40:12Now, I'm a bit of a novice,
0:40:12 > 0:40:15so a day like today - is that going to be OK for me?
0:40:15 > 0:40:17With your expert guidance, of course.
0:40:17 > 0:40:19- Hopefully.- Hopefully. There we go.
0:40:19 > 0:40:21There's the element of jeopardy, in-built.
0:40:21 > 0:40:24Yeah, we'll see how it goes.
0:40:27 > 0:40:30'Now, I'm not the most experienced kayaker in the world,
0:40:30 > 0:40:32'so even with these lower summer tides,
0:40:32 > 0:40:35'it'd be dangerous for me to go out there alone.
0:40:35 > 0:40:39'Fortunately, though, Tony is going to be my guide in a two man kayak,
0:40:39 > 0:40:40'but even so,
0:40:40 > 0:40:43'I've got my work cut out to avoid capsizing
0:40:43 > 0:40:45'in these treacherous currents.'
0:40:48 > 0:40:50Right, then, Joe. Are you ready for this?
0:40:50 > 0:40:54- For your Falls of Lora experience? - Yeah, it feels quite stable.
0:40:54 > 0:40:57- Well, that's deceptive. - It's nice to be out on the water.
0:40:57 > 0:41:01- It'll be stable if we paddle it right.- So, what's ahead of us?
0:41:01 > 0:41:04Some rather interesting water which,
0:41:04 > 0:41:06if we don't get the amount of edging right,
0:41:06 > 0:41:10will result in a certain amount of getting very wet.
0:41:17 > 0:41:22Tony, how fast is the water going up here, where it rushes across?
0:41:22 > 0:41:25Today, it's probably doing seven or eight knots.
0:41:25 > 0:41:28On the really big tides, it's more like 12.
0:41:28 > 0:41:30It absolutely hurtles through here.
0:41:30 > 0:41:33So, here we go. What do we do here?
0:41:33 > 0:41:36OK, when I say, right knee up. Three, two, one, go.
0:41:36 > 0:41:40OK, edge a bit, now. Whoa!
0:41:40 > 0:41:44There we go. And this time, we're right out in the current.
0:41:44 > 0:41:46Suddenly, you see the bridge moving over the top of you
0:41:46 > 0:41:50- and realise how fast you're going. - You don't get a feeling of speed
0:41:50 > 0:41:52until you look at the shore going past.
0:41:52 > 0:41:55It feels like we're standing still, but we're whizzing along.
0:41:55 > 0:41:59OK, let's get some power on for the tide of the rapid, here.
0:41:59 > 0:42:00Whoo!
0:42:02 > 0:42:05- Big whirlpool on your right. - It was a whirlpool, wasn't it?
0:42:06 > 0:42:09Here we go. It's a bit choppy.
0:42:09 > 0:42:12I tell you, that's fantastic.
0:42:12 > 0:42:14It's much harder to paddle in the moving water.
0:42:14 > 0:42:16You've got to put your arms into it.
0:42:16 > 0:42:18It's like paddling in treacle, isn't it?
0:42:18 > 0:42:20Great experience, though.
0:42:26 > 0:42:29'When Matt Baker visited here,
0:42:29 > 0:42:31'he headed north into Loch Etive itself,
0:42:31 > 0:42:33'taking a more leisurely voyage
0:42:33 > 0:42:38'through what was once known as the gateway to the Highlands.'
0:42:41 > 0:42:42'We might call it a loch,
0:42:42 > 0:42:47'but this narrow tongue of water is actually a spectacular fjord.'
0:43:00 > 0:43:04Loch Etive in Gaelic translates as little, ugly one.
0:43:05 > 0:43:07First impressions?
0:43:07 > 0:43:10That's not entirely accurate.
0:43:10 > 0:43:13'Today, the loch is deserted.
0:43:13 > 0:43:16'A well-kept secret among locals and the kayakers
0:43:16 > 0:43:20'for whom it's on the list of the best places to paddle in Scotland.
0:43:23 > 0:43:27'Marine scientist Mark Carter has lived here for 12 years
0:43:27 > 0:43:29'and he's taking me on a tour.'
0:43:29 > 0:43:31All set?
0:43:31 > 0:43:35'The best way to explore Etive's riches is from the water.'
0:43:40 > 0:43:42So, Loch Etive, it's a sea loch, isn't it?
0:43:42 > 0:43:45Yeah, I mean, down at Connel and Dunstaffnage,
0:43:45 > 0:43:47it's joined into open ocean,
0:43:47 > 0:43:49so from there, you can go right round the world.
0:43:49 > 0:43:51The area's really very special.
0:43:51 > 0:43:55We're at both the northern and the southern limits of species.
0:43:55 > 0:43:57We've got the Gulf Stream offshore,
0:43:57 > 0:43:59which then comes into the North Atlantic Drift.
0:43:59 > 0:44:02That brings us our climate and makes it very warm.
0:44:02 > 0:44:04We've got the continental shelf
0:44:04 > 0:44:07which comes up from Bay of Biscay, that sort of area.
0:44:07 > 0:44:09That brings up some warm currents.
0:44:09 > 0:44:12We've got the boreal Artic currents coming down
0:44:12 > 0:44:14and it's that junction of the warm and the cold,
0:44:14 > 0:44:18so we get both warm species and cold species all at the same time.
0:44:26 > 0:44:29'These special conditions mean the waters here
0:44:29 > 0:44:32'are home to more than 80,000 salt and freshwater species -
0:44:32 > 0:44:36'from tiny bacteria through to eels and cod.
0:44:36 > 0:44:40'Although the glassy water only gives a hint of the world beneath.
0:44:40 > 0:44:45'I'm hoping to spot a few of Etive's larger residents, though.'
0:44:45 > 0:44:47There is maybe a chance of us catching a glimpse
0:44:47 > 0:44:49of some common seals.
0:44:49 > 0:44:51Seals and kayaks don't normally go,
0:44:51 > 0:44:53so we have to be very careful as we approach.
0:44:53 > 0:44:56They're quite close to this point that we're at now, then?
0:44:56 > 0:44:58They're half a mile ahead of us.
0:45:09 > 0:45:11Right, Matt. If you come over to me now
0:45:11 > 0:45:14and if you look very carefully over there.
0:45:14 > 0:45:17You see where the rock comes down?
0:45:17 > 0:45:19- Oh, yeah.- You've got two little bits sticking up.
0:45:19 > 0:45:22- Well, they're seals. - Oh, yeah. I can see them.
0:45:25 > 0:45:26That's the Loch Etive colony.
0:45:26 > 0:45:31'It's a rare glimpse of some of Etive's shiest inhabitants.
0:45:31 > 0:45:35'We leave them to the serenity they enjoy here.
0:45:37 > 0:45:40'Today, this loch is hard to visit with no road access
0:45:40 > 0:45:42'for half its length,
0:45:42 > 0:45:47'unlike its more celebrated cousins, Loch Ness and Loch Lomond.'
0:45:50 > 0:45:53There's quite a few impressive things about Loch Etive.
0:45:53 > 0:45:57Of course, there's the magnificence of these mountains and hills
0:45:57 > 0:46:00and the beauty of the water that just seems to kind of
0:46:00 > 0:46:03cut and carve itself through the landscape.
0:46:03 > 0:46:05But I think the most special thing,
0:46:05 > 0:46:09the most impressive thing is that we have paddled and paddled today.
0:46:09 > 0:46:14We've travelled about 13 miles and we haven't seen anybody.
0:46:15 > 0:46:18We've simply had this place to ourselves.
0:46:20 > 0:46:23'Matt Baker paddling upstream.
0:46:25 > 0:46:27'For the final leg of my west coast journey,
0:46:27 > 0:46:30'I'm heading further south to Ardmaddy Castle
0:46:30 > 0:46:32'on the outskirts of Oban.'
0:46:35 > 0:46:37I'm going to a place that's been used
0:46:37 > 0:46:39as a training ground for Scottish warriors
0:46:39 > 0:46:41for over 500 years,
0:46:41 > 0:46:44to learn one of the ancient arts of warcraft.
0:46:44 > 0:46:47But first, wherever you're heading in the next seven days,
0:46:47 > 0:46:50here's the Country Tracks weather for the week ahead.
0:50:59 > 0:51:06.
0:51:16 > 0:51:19I'm on a journey down the west coast of Scotland,
0:51:19 > 0:51:20through Argyll and Bute.
0:51:20 > 0:51:22I began near Altnafeadh,
0:51:22 > 0:51:25finding out about the beauty hidden just off the beaten track,
0:51:25 > 0:51:28before heading into the valley below,
0:51:28 > 0:51:30the scene of the gruesome Glencoe Massacre.
0:51:30 > 0:51:33Nearby, I met a woman fighting to beat the bane
0:51:33 > 0:51:37of Scottish holiday-makers - the infuriating midge.
0:51:37 > 0:51:40Then to the village of Connel, where I went out on the water
0:51:40 > 0:51:44to experience the swirling currents of the Falls of Lora.
0:51:44 > 0:51:47Now I'm heading for my last stop, a few miles outside Oban
0:51:47 > 0:51:52in the grounds of the imposing Ardmaddy Castle.
0:51:52 > 0:51:55Today, most people come to the castle
0:51:55 > 0:51:57for its glorious walled gardens.
0:51:57 > 0:52:00But back in the 16th century, these grounds
0:52:00 > 0:52:05had a far more fearsome purpose - for training Scottish warriors.
0:52:28 > 0:52:30Sean, the art of the longbow,
0:52:30 > 0:52:33you're very much keeping an old tradition alive, aren't you?
0:52:33 > 0:52:37Yes, these traditions have been in this country for thousands of years
0:52:37 > 0:52:40and it's nice to keep these things alive, and the craft too.
0:52:40 > 0:52:43Tell me about this field, it has a special significance, doesn't it?
0:52:43 > 0:52:46Yes. This field is called Lon a'Chuspair in Gaelic,
0:52:46 > 0:52:48and it means "the meadow of the bow marks".
0:52:48 > 0:52:51It's where the MacDougalls of Reray used to practise their archery.
0:52:51 > 0:52:54How far back are we talking? Hundreds of years?
0:52:54 > 0:52:58- Hundreds of years, maybe as far back as 700-800 years.- Incredible.
0:52:58 > 0:53:01Is that why the field is the way it is? It's very long and straight.
0:53:01 > 0:53:03Yes, very long, straight and flat.
0:53:03 > 0:53:06Why is the longbow such a significant weapon?
0:53:06 > 0:53:09- Strength, power, accuracy? - It's a combination of them all.
0:53:09 > 0:53:12They're very accurate bows to use
0:53:12 > 0:53:16and very easy to kill a large animal with these.
0:53:16 > 0:53:19So it follows on that you could kill men with them.
0:53:19 > 0:53:22How recently did people continue to use them in everyday life,
0:53:22 > 0:53:25like hunting or at war?
0:53:25 > 0:53:27In the Highlands, it was a cattle economy,
0:53:27 > 0:53:32so guns came here later than they did in the rest of the UK.
0:53:32 > 0:53:36So the Highlanders were using the bows for war much later than
0:53:36 > 0:53:40anywhere else. Up until, certainly the 1680s, there were recorded
0:53:40 > 0:53:44- incidents of them using the bows in war.- Wow, OK.
0:53:44 > 0:53:45- This is a modern one, is it?- It is.
0:53:45 > 0:53:47What would they traditionally be made of?
0:53:47 > 0:53:49I can see two woods on this one.
0:53:49 > 0:53:51Two woods on this one, it's a lamination.
0:53:51 > 0:53:54Traditionally, they would've been made of yew which would've been
0:53:54 > 0:53:58a combination of the heartwood and the sapwood on the outside,
0:53:58 > 0:54:00which makes a perfect natural spring.
0:54:00 > 0:54:01Nowadays we can laminate.
0:54:01 > 0:54:05So they'd get a strip of wood that was almost a cross-section
0:54:05 > 0:54:08of the outer and the inner wood and they'd make one bow out of that?
0:54:08 > 0:54:10Yes, exactly what they would do.
0:54:10 > 0:54:13- What are these two woods in the modern bow?- Bamboo and ipe.
0:54:13 > 0:54:15Bamboo and ipe? Why are they chosen?
0:54:15 > 0:54:16Because of the characteristics.
0:54:16 > 0:54:20Ipe's excellent on the compression, bamboo's excellent on the tension.
0:54:20 > 0:54:22Sounds an obvious thing,
0:54:22 > 0:54:25but it's the length of the longbow that gives it its power, right?
0:54:25 > 0:54:28It is, partly because the length of the longbow allows us
0:54:28 > 0:54:29to draw a long arrow on it.
0:54:29 > 0:54:31And the longer the arrow is on the bow,
0:54:31 > 0:54:34the more of the energy is imparted to the arrow.
0:54:34 > 0:54:37How hard is it to pull it back? How strong do you need to be?
0:54:37 > 0:54:39It takes a bit of practice, but nowadays,
0:54:39 > 0:54:42because we use bows of a lighter weight because it's recreational,
0:54:42 > 0:54:46it isn't too difficult to learn how to do it and to get up to speed.
0:54:46 > 0:54:49I kind of imagine people would have been lopsided,
0:54:49 > 0:54:51with one really strong arm. Was that the case?
0:54:51 > 0:54:55Not one strong arm, because you shoot with your back.
0:54:55 > 0:54:58But some of the skeletons they found in the Mary Rose, for instance,
0:54:58 > 0:55:00they have distortions in the spine.
0:55:00 > 0:55:05So their bodies had evolved? They'd moulded from constant longbow usage?
0:55:05 > 0:55:09Constant use with the heavy war bows, which would be
0:55:09 > 0:55:11maybe 120lbs-plus to pull.
0:55:11 > 0:55:15That's incredible. Just to give us a sense, what's this to pull?
0:55:15 > 0:55:18- This is about 55lbs. - So, over double that?
0:55:18 > 0:55:20Right, to give me an idea...
0:55:20 > 0:55:23Yeah, OK, that's pretty stiff, isn't it?!
0:55:23 > 0:55:27The ones they were firing from hundreds of years ago
0:55:27 > 0:55:28were double that strength?
0:55:28 > 0:55:32- Yeah.- What sort of distance can you get on a bow like that?
0:55:32 > 0:55:36Probably round about 200 yards, but with the big heavy war bows,
0:55:36 > 0:55:39240 yards with big heavy arrows
0:55:39 > 0:55:41that weighed as much as a quarter of a pound.
0:55:41 > 0:55:45Crikey! What sort of damage would a big heavy arrow do?
0:55:45 > 0:55:47It would just burst straight through you.
0:55:47 > 0:55:49- Even with armour?- Yes.
0:55:49 > 0:55:52- How long have you been doing this? - About 15 years.
0:55:52 > 0:55:54How long does it take to get really good at it?
0:55:54 > 0:55:56You can be proficient within a year or so.
0:55:56 > 0:55:59Then you progress as you go along.
0:55:59 > 0:56:02OK. And the better guys can do it at all different ranges?
0:56:02 > 0:56:03Yes, absolutely.
0:56:03 > 0:56:07I am absolutely itching to have a go. Have you got a beginner's bow.
0:56:07 > 0:56:11- I have one over here. - Brilliant, let's do it.- OK, sure.
0:56:21 > 0:56:24OK, we're kitted out. First of all, what's this?
0:56:24 > 0:56:27This is a bracer, to keep your sleeve out of the way of the string
0:56:27 > 0:56:31- and protect your arm from the whip of the string.- And this?
0:56:31 > 0:56:35This is a tab, to protect your fingers from the pull of the string.
0:56:35 > 0:56:39- OK, so you have it either side of the arrow?- That's right.- OK.
0:56:39 > 0:56:43- It's obviously a beginner's bow. - Yes.- How powerful is it?
0:56:43 > 0:56:45How much strength do you need?
0:56:45 > 0:56:50If you pull for 28 inches, you'll have about 30lbs on your fingers.
0:56:50 > 0:56:54- That's a quarter of what the big bows used to be like?- It is.
0:56:54 > 0:56:56That's the kit. Without any more ado,
0:56:56 > 0:56:58I think we should see how it works.
0:56:58 > 0:57:00- Take it away.- Sure, OK.
0:57:00 > 0:57:03- Feet shoulder-width apart.- Yeah.
0:57:03 > 0:57:05- Pick your arrow. - So it's over the top.
0:57:05 > 0:57:07Over the top. To the string.
0:57:15 > 0:57:16- Wow!- Over to you.
0:57:16 > 0:57:18Right!
0:57:18 > 0:57:24So, let's lock and load, as they probably don't say with archery.
0:57:24 > 0:57:25So, over the top.
0:57:27 > 0:57:33- You had the white feather facing you, didn't you?- That's right.
0:57:33 > 0:57:35- It just clicks in.- Uh-huh.- Click.
0:57:35 > 0:57:40Lock your shoulder down, slight bend in your left elbow.
0:57:40 > 0:57:45Don't clamp arrow with your fingers. So slight bend in the elbow.
0:57:45 > 0:57:49- Just keep drawing that back, do I?- Yeah.
0:57:49 > 0:57:52- When do I let go?- Now.
0:57:54 > 0:57:58- Hey, excellent shot.- Wow, really flies, doesn't it?- It does.
0:57:58 > 0:58:02Yeah, I'll take that. That's brilliant. Amazing to think...
0:58:02 > 0:58:06- You have a competition in August, don't you?- Yes, we do. 6th August.
0:58:06 > 0:58:10- 6th August. People come from all around?- All over Britain.- Fantastic.
0:58:10 > 0:58:14To have it right here, amazing view, hopefully the sun shining,
0:58:14 > 0:58:17but more importantly, in almost the home of the longbow,
0:58:17 > 0:58:20where people have practised this for centuries.
0:58:20 > 0:58:21Yeah, it's a great privilege for us
0:58:21 > 0:58:23to be able to shoot on such an ancient field.
0:58:23 > 0:58:27- Long may it continue. - We hope so.- Fantastic.
0:58:33 > 0:58:36Travelling down Scotland's west coast has been
0:58:36 > 0:58:38a truly memorable experience.
0:58:38 > 0:58:42From a natural landscape that rises majestically from the earth,
0:58:42 > 0:58:47dwarfing all that passed through it, to the history and natural wonders
0:58:47 > 0:58:51that define the character of this dramatic slice of the British Isles.
0:58:55 > 0:58:59It's a land built by warriors, but today defined by the beautiful
0:58:59 > 0:59:02and unspoilt wildness of these surroundings.
0:59:15 > 0:59:18Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:59:18 > 0:59:22E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk