Islands The Great British Winter

The British countryside in winter.

Cold, unforgiving, bleak.

As temperatures plunge, the skies open,

the winds rage and the light fades early.

This winter we've seen extremes of weather -

mild, wet and freezing cold.

Conditions that challenge both wildlife

and the people trying to survive here.

In this series, I'm going to reveal

the beauty beneath winter's bleak facade

to uncover a different side of the season that often go unnoticed.

'I'll be exploring five of our most extreme winter landscapes.'

I'll also be including some of my BBC colleagues' experiences

from over the years.

Why do you release weather balloons then?

Together, we'll reveal what's really out there

during this challenging season.

Today, we're looking at islands.

They're environments that can be the most idyllic

and the most demanding places to live.

I'll see both of these extremes

as I visit Britain's most northerly group - the Shetlands.

I'll be finding out how the wildlife here

adapts to meet the challenges of the sparse winter months.

It does look odd.

I'll encounter the dazzling beauty

of the winter Northern Lights.

As well as discovering through history

how the islanders have always celebrated...

CHEERING

..and survived through these darkest of months.

No, there's no warmth coming off that, I can assure you.

THEY CHUCKLE

Welcome to The Great British Winter.

I'm on the Mainland of Shetland,

one of over 100 windswept islands

that make up this remote archipelago.

They are the most northerly part of Britain

and, right now, I'm standing closer to the Arctic Circle

than I am to Manchester,

so, unsurprisingly, it's freezing!

Sandwiched between the stormy Atlantic and the icy North Sea,

these islands are just over 100 miles from mainland Britain,

sitting right in the firing line of the North Atlantic storm tract.

At this time of year,

storm force gales can occur up to three times a week

with awesome wind speeds of up to 170 miles an hour.

This extreme weather makes the waters around Shetland

some of the most volatile in the UK.

Just over 20 years ago,

on the 5th January 1993,

the effects of one particular winter storm were disastrous.

In force 11 winds of up to 97 miles an hour,

the Braer oil tanker was hopelessly blown off course

and her engines failed.

After a six-hour struggle, she ran aground

spilling 84,000 tonnes of toxic crude oil into the sea.

And creating the worst environmental disaster

ever to hit the British coast.

The coastguards managed to winch the crew to safety,

but Shetland's wildlife was not so lucky.

Seabird colonies, seals,

shellfish, fish hatcheries

and grazing bays were all badly polluted.

The storm raged for almost a month,

seriously hampering the clean-up effort.

But then, the brutal power of the waves

started to work in the islanders' favour.

Ultimately, the sea's power, which is usually so unforgiving,

in this case, broke up the oil and helped clean up the shores.

What could have been an even greater disaster was averted.

'Wintertime can be deadly

'across all the low-lying islands of Scotland's northern fringe,

'as the residents of the Outer Hebrides know only too well.'

On the 11th January 2005,

140-mile-an-hour winds ripped through the islands

leaving hundreds of buildings damaged.

In South Uist, three generations of the same family were killed

as they tried to escape their storm-battered home.

By the time the storm had blown itself out,

a £20 million trail of destruction had been left.

This weather monitoring station was set up a few years ago

to prevent a disaster like this happening again.

And Julia Bradbury came to see a key bit of kit

helping to track any extreme weather on the way.

South Uist's weather station is kitted out

to predict the tiniest changes in wind speed and direction

as well as keeping a constant lookout for storms.

But to get a real eye on the weather,

you need to be up beyond the clouds.

-OK, Julia, what we've got here for you is a weather balloon...

-Right.

..which we need you to release.

Why do you release weather balloons then?

What we need to do

is measure the atmosphere

up to fairly high altitudes.

Unless we know what's going on

high up in the atmosphere,

we just can't forecast what's going to happen on the surface.

And it is just a big, massive balloon?

It will become huge before it eventually bursts

up high in the atmosphere.

And beneath it, it's a parachute, so that when the balloon bursts,

the parachute is deployed

and that allows the radio sond,

which is the device which is taking all the measurements,

to descend safely to the Earth.

-And I get to do it?

-Yes.

-Oh, that's so exciting!

Right, first of all,

-we need to grab hold of the balloon in the right hand.

-Uh-huh.

-So I'll hand you that.

-Thank you very much.

-OK, if you hold on to the balloon.

-Yeah, I've got it.

And, in your other hand,

-hold the radio sond.

-Yes.

I feel like I can go up with this. Mary Poppins!

SHE LAUGHS

And what you'll need to do to release it, is, first of all,

-let go of the balloon.

-Yes.

And then, a fraction of a second later, let go of the radio sond

making sure that that doesn't tangle up either on you...

Or anywhere else, OK.

Let's go.

Three, two, one...

Releasing the balloon. Yeah!

'It may look pretty humble,

'but my balloon will get as high as 45,000 feet before it bursts.

'Higher than a jumbo jet.

'So what can it tell us about today's weather?'

-So this is your inner sanctum, Bob?

-That's right.

Now, what about that information that's coming in from my balloon? Where is it?

Here it is. It's coming in on this computer screen. The temperature,

the humidity, the wind speed and direction,

it's all there for the forecaster to use.

Nowadays, this technology is helping

protect islanders off Scotland's west coast

by warning against the dangers posed by the elements.

'But some residents will always be at risk.'

The winter storms here can cause real problems

for Shetland's vulnerable wildlife.

Seal pups are lifted on swells

and carried miles from their breeding grounds.

And many other animals, like otters,

can be displaced when their shelters flood.

'Some would have little chance of surviving

'without the care and dedicated work

'of the islands' Hillswick Wildlife Sanctuary,

'run by Jan and Pete Bevington.'

-Hi, Jan! Hi, Pete! How are you doing?

-Hi, Ellie.

-Hi.

I'm intrigued by what's in your box.

-Can I have a look?

-OK, OK, then.

-Just a very quick one.

She'll be a little bit nervous.

Oh, my goodness! That's amazing.

How old is this otter?

She's nine weeks old and we got her about a week old.

Oh, my goodness. I don't want to disturb her for too long.

You can carry her if you want.

Yes...

'The couple founded the sanctuary in 1987

'after finding a seal pup abandoned on the beach in front of their home.

'Since then, hundreds of animals have passed through their doors,

'many of them, otters like this one.

'Not surprising, maybe,

'since Shetland boasts Britain's largest otter population.'

Although nationally they're an endangered species,

they thrive in this island environment throughout the winter,

building their holts by freshwater creeks

and feeding on the rocky shorelines on fish and crabs.

All this with not a natural predator in sight.

Their biggest threat is the harsh winter weather conditions

that characterise island life at this time of year.

And that's where Jan and Pete come in,

working with wildlife organisations to help injured animals,

like young Aida the otter.

'Today, she's being moved into her own shed

'after living with Jan and Pete for the last two months.'

Do you know her back story,

how she ended up abandoned in the way she was?

We're not exactly sure.

It was a torrential...a day of torrential rain, it was terrible.

And we think that,

due to the fact we got four calls about otters that day,

that maybe she was washed out of the holt and lost her mum.

And she ended up on a little pier at Voe,

a place not far from here.

-Do you tend to see more otters in winter?

-Yeah, definitely.

-Do you?

-Yeah.

-What's the reason for that?

-Well, weather conditions, for a start,

and often, there's less fish for the mothers to catch in the winter time.

So, if it gets desperate, which at times, it does,

they'll move their cubs out of the holt at a very young age,

-probably younger than they normally would.

-Right.

And they'll trek across land and the babies will get in trouble.

So we often get that,

or the mother will cross the road and get hit by a car...

-So it's when they get desperate.

-It really is that, yeah.

-Oh, that's tricky.

-Yeah.

And so, in terms of feeding, is that all day, all night?

Day and night.

I mean, you really do have to emulate the whole conditions,

so we actually had her upstairs in a spare bedroom,

so we just kept, stayed there with her,

every time we heard her, we got up and fed her, yeah.

-Exhausting though, for you.

-Yeah, it was.

THEY CHUCKLE

This is going to feel great.

But we'll miss it too, cos it's such a lovely experience.

'Although they've obviously formed a close bond with Aida,

'they're conscious that the aim is to release her back into the wild.

'The last thing she needs is to become domesticated.

'So now Aida is healthy,

'this next stage of rehabilitation

'aims to gradually withdraw all human contact

'to make sure she retains her animal instincts.

'Then, once the harsh winter months pass,

'she'll stand a better chance of survival

'when she's released in the spring.'

What we'll do here now is she'll be here for about two months

and we will basically stop talking to her, bit by bit,

and so, she won't hear our voices.

And, hopefully, by the time she leaves here, April time,

she'll move out into an outdoor otter pen,

where we'll just have to feed her up

and then, we don't talk to her at all, we just clean up the pool

and give her food, so by the time she does leave,

she will go for it, she will buy it.

'Despite the danger of the winter weather,

'otters continue to thrive in the wilds

'of these remote Scottish islands at this time of year

'and, hopefully, Aida will soon be joining them once again.'

They are some of my favourite animals.

I caught my first glimpse of otters out in the open

two years ago when I was in the Outer Hebrides

with local wildlife expert Steve Duffield.

'It took a little patience,

'but it was a winter sight I will never forget.'

-It's quite a waiting game, isn't it?

-It is, yeah.

'It's a long time coming, but right on cue.'

There's one just over there, just...

You see, if you look at the left hand side of the island

-and then towards the seaweed, there's one just...

-Oh, yes!

It's fantastic!

I've never seen an otter in broad daylight before, this is amazing!

Yeah, there it is, right hand side,

-coming down this side of the island.

-Yes!

You see it rolling. If you now have a look in the telescope, Ellie,

it was just rolling in the seaweed there.

Part of its grooming process?

Yeah, it's really important that they maintain the quality of their fur

and they're actually a fresh-water creature,

but it's using the marine environment to its advantage,

because there's more food in here.

But they do have to sort of maintain their coats,

so they can't let it get matted up with salt water.

They'll have to return to fresh water to actually wash...

-And clean it off.

-And clean it off.

-Oh, right!

Hello, getting off.

-It's going up the rock now.

-The tail is amazing, isn't it?

You see that, the way it's stiffened its tail there, that's spraying...

-Oh!

-So it's just got a very stiff tail,

so it's leaving a scent mark in there for the other otters.

'And for the next hour or so,

'these amazing creatures frolicked in the sea right in front of me.

'It felt like my own personal show.'

Oh, it's got a fish!

Oh, that's amazing!

'Back in Shetland, we're leaving Aida the otter

'to settle into her new digs

'and Jan and Pete are taking me to see another of the animals

'that often end up at the shelter in the winter months.'

Oh, wow!

-Maybe just give him a fish just to keep him happy.

-How old is he?

He... We're not totally sure how old he is,

because he'd been in the wild as a pup

and had an accident, probably through a storm,

and hurt his left shoulder and flipper.

He was completely skin and bone,

couldn't even lift his head up when we picked him up.

He must have been almost dead by the sound of things.

Well, the man that phoned, I said, "I think it's pitch black,

"we'll maybe have to leave it till tomorrow morning."

-And he said, "No, no, Jan, he won't last the night."

-Wow!

So we just set off between eight and nine at night

and managed to get him.

Grey seal pups like Hamish are most vulnerable at this time of year.

That's because most seals mate around November

and are pregnant for 11 and a half months,

meaning that, as the winter begins to bite,

their offspring can only be a few weeks old.

These newborns are exposed

not only to the predators hunting for scarce food,

but to the storms battering coast and seas.

Hamish is a casualty of this wild winter weather.

How long has it taken to get him to this very healthy stage?

-Uh...nearly a month.

-A month?

-Yeah.

So what's happening today?

Well, today, because he's now eating fish on his own,

and we want to check out his flipper to see he's OK with it

and strengthen the muscle.

We want to take him out and put him into the big pool.

To move Hamish outside,

they're going to transport him in a crate,

so to help, they've called in Ron Patterson,

'from the Scottish Society For The Prevention Of Cruelty To Animals,

'who works closely with the sanctuary.'

Hey, that was pretty efficient. Great job!

This is a big moment for Hamish and for Jan and Pete.

It's time to see if their hard work's paid off.

If his damaged flipper isn't properly healed,

Hamish will struggle to swim

and would be unlikely to survive out in the wild.

OK.

There you go.

Moment of truth...

He's reluctant... Ooh!

HE CHUCKLES

-Looking good.

-Yeah?

He just needs to strengthen that muscle up.

How do you strengthen the muscle by keeping him in here?

Just the fact he's using it in here all the time

and he'll swim up and down all the time and that'll get that strength.

And, hopefully, he'll be able to catch fish himself in the wild.

'It's great news - Hamish looks well on the road to recovery.

'It's a performance that certainly deserves a treat.'

So what do you do with these?

Well, throw them in.

-Just throw them in.

-Yeah.

Just see if he will actually go for fish.

-Hurrah!

-Yeah.

And so, prospects for Hamish, what are you thinking having seen him in the pool for the first time today?

-Very good, I'm impressed.

-Yeah.

I'm a lot more impressed than what I thought I would be when he first came in, that's for sure.

Probably another month to get him big and lots of blubber

and then, we'll release him.

'Jan and Peter help nurse many seals like Hamish

'back to health every winter,

'but, occasionally, out in these seas,

'they get more unusual casualties.

'None more so than this seven-foot leatherback turtle

'that turned up in 2000, washed in from the Caribbean.'

The reason this exotic visitor ended up here

was because of the Gulf Stream -

a warm, fast moving Atlantic current

that starts at the tip of Florida

and passes by Scotland's west coast catching Shetland in its path.

This current is also the reason

that, while Shetland may be exposed to strong winds,

its climate stays on a par with the mainland.

The Gulf Stream affects the whole of Britain,

but its impacts are most noticeable on the islands in the south.

Nowhere is this more apparent in winter than on the Isles of Scilly.

These are our most southerly coastal islands.

They are also our warmest in winter,

boasting temperatures comparable with the French Riviera,

reaching an average 11 degrees centigrade.

This climate means, over the years,

the islands have developed a booming trade in flower exports

during the winter months,

with plants like narcissi able to grow here at this time of year.

Head 760 miles further north though and it's a different story.

'On Shetland, the winter landscape is somewhat more barren,

'but great beauty can still be found here.'

There's no denying that the winter weather here can be treacherous,

but the winter light is so stunning

that it attracts photographers and cameramen from miles around,

keen to capture the beauty and wonder of these islands.

I'm meeting an award-winning local photographer

who is passionate about the beauty and light that winter offers here.

-Hi, Ivan, good to meet you!

-Hi, come in!

-Thanks very much.

Lovely.

So what is it about winter light that you love as a photographer?

I love the winter light because the sun sets right low the whole time,

it never really gets very high

-and, quite often, it's like an orangey colour.

-Wow.

And it casts really nice shadows off everything.

And it's really clear. You get the frosty, clear air,

you can see for miles and miles.

Absolutely glorious, that one. What others have you got on there?

This is local, is it?

Yeah, that's just up the road in a small village called Voe,

-in the winter.

-Wow!

-It's just that lovely, that lovely winter days

when it's just frosty and still and a few degrees below freezing.

-It's just lovely.

-It's lovely, that one.

-Oooh!

-This is a small village

-in Scalloway.

-Yeah.

What are the tips for taking something like that?

Taking photos into the sun is never a good idea,

so always looking across the light,

so you get the light shining through

and you get a far more even exposure.

Wow!

This was our Christmas here, this year.

Oh, ooh!

-Is that a wave?

-That's a wave, yeah.

Oh, my goodness!

That was pretty rough,

-There were no boats sailing here for a few days.

-Yeah, right.

Big, big seas.

That wave is probably 80 foot high.

That's extreme weather!

Yeah, it's really difficult when you're trying to photograph that.

You're really in all elements.

Through Ivan's lens,

the low light and wind-lashed landscape

are captured in mesmerizing detail.

But, although the winter days here may be spectacular,

they don't last long.

This is the closet part of Britain to the North Pole,

as far north, in fact, as parts of Greenland.

This often means less than six hours of daylight for months on end.

But these short days do have one advantage.

Clear night skies free from light pollution of town and cities

reveal a whole new, nocturnal world.

-Is that the Milky Way?

-That is the Milky Way.

On a nice, frosty winter's night here.

How do you get that photo?

Cos you can't, maybe you can't see that many with the naked eye.

-How do you get that?

-You can't see it with the naked eye,

but the camera picks it up very well

if you're doing a really longer exposure, it really brightens it up.

And winter this far north

brings with it one special sight like no other.

The northern lights.

For a photographer like Ivan,

it's an event

that never fails to inspire.

How often have you seen the northern lights?

-Hundreds of times in my lifetime.

-Oh, really?

-Literally hundreds,

probably thousands, I would think.

I first saw them when I was little.

I was doing a bit of fishing in a local stream

and the first time I saw them, it was the most amazing green light.

I didn't know what it was at the time.

And yeah, I actually thought

it was some kind of magical thing.

I had no idea, it was kind of scary, cos I'd never seen it before.

And then, I found out what it was.

So I've really, I've been looking for them my whole life.

That's a beautiful shot.

How do you take photos of the northern lights?

Well, you have a lot of waiting about to do at night,

standing out in the cold.

You have to use a tripod to keep your camera really still.

And just wait till it starts flaring up and go for it.

How does it compare to what you see with the naked eye that night

and what you get in the camera?

Doing a longer exposure, it makes it look brighter

-than when you see it with the human eye.

-Yeah.

But you still see a really, really good... Some nights, it's just beautiful.

You can hardly take photos for looking at it,

-because it's so impressive.

-That's incredible.

-That's a cracker! A self-portrait.

-Self-portrait.

One night, just standing about for hours and you get a bit bored,

-so you start...you start doing all the strange stuff.

-I like it.

What are the right conditions when you know that it's going to happen?

Ideally, you want the skies to be as clear as they can be,

without cloud cover.

During winter, this incredible sight can be seen in places like Shetland

because they're so close to the North Pole.

-This is Britain down here.

-Yeah.

-And on the 60-degree line is where Shetland sits.

-Yeah.

So this is the aurora where it's hitting the Earth.

'These aurorae occur here, because it's in the polar regions

'where electrically-charged particles from the sun

'collide with particles charged by the Earth's magnetic field.

'The result - the spectacular show.'

Shetland is a good place to see the northern lights,

if you're lucky.

But the further north you go, the better your chances are.

It's something that Brian Cox discovered

when he visited northern Canada in 2010.

Soon after dusk, and despite clear skies,

there's no early performance from the aurora.

So while we wait, Mike runs a film loop of the northern lights

as seen from an extraterrestrial perspective.

That's a beautiful image.

I haven't seen an image like that before.

-It's taken from above the poles.

-Yeah.

That's a spacecraft in orbit around the planet, yes,

going from pole to pole.

'From space, you can really see the impact of the solar wind.

'Its energy feeds an unbroken circuit of aurora

'that surrounds the pole.'

And we will feel that it's a display put on just for us here,

but when you see the pictures from space,

you realise everybody on that oval is getting the display as well.

Well, my hope is that

we'll be directly underneath that tiny thin band tonight,

-here in Tromso.

-Yes.

Thankfully, our luck holds

and the skies remain crystal clear.

Until, at last, energy brought by the solar wind

sets the upper atmosphere alight.

Absolutely amazing sight.

Arcs, but...more like curtains of, of green.

It doesn't look to me like it's cascading down,

it looks like it's rising up from the ground.

It is quite incredibly beautiful.

The long dark winter nights here on Shetland

are ideal for seeing the northern lights,

but they've played a much more important role

in the islands' history.

In World War Two,

the cover of darkness during the winter months here

provided a vital lifeline for resistance fighters

fleeing occupied Norway,

as Neil Oliver found out.

The islands became the base for a daring, secret operation -

the Shetland Bus.

The Bus was a fleet of fishing boats

which smuggled people out and agents in to occupied Norway.

'Many lives were saved and many lost.

'The islanders have never forgotten the sacrifice of these men.'

The names, the age,

when they died and the boats they were on.

Look at that - 23, 28, 21, 21.

-Just wee boys.

-Just boys.

'Karen Anderson's father was one of the Norwegian sailors who survived.

'At 23 years old, Kaare Iversen risked everything for his homeland.'

So how did your dad get involved in that story?

Dad escaped from Norway in 1941

on his father's boat

and they came across to Shetland and he was approached

to see if he was suitable for the Shetland Bus and he was.

Most of their missions were carried out in winter

when the dark nights provided some cover

for the 500-mile round trip across the North Sea to Norway.

Ammunition was stored at Scalloway Castle while resistance

fighters and refugees found shelter with the locals.

The men became heroes.

After the war, their bravery was celebrated in the Norwegian

feature film, Shetlandsgjengen - "The Shetland Gang."

It was very dangerous

because they didn't know what they were going across to Norway to face.

The weather was against them for a start

and the Norwegian fishing boats they were using, they were not big.

He said if he was captured, that they all had a cyanide pill

to take, rather than be interrogated by the Germans.

Losses were heavy. Over 100 died in storms or German attacks.

But many lives were saved.

By the end of the war, more than 350 refugees had been carried to safety.

How much does the story of the Shetland Bus still mean

-to people in Shetland?

-Oh, a great deal. I'm very proud of my dad.

Really, I cannot say it in words how I feel about what...not only him

but what other Norwegian boys did. It's part of Scalloway's history.

Always will be.

These rough seas that provided a lifeline to so many

during the war years

today sustain the livelihoods of many of the island's residents.

Thanks to the turbulent mixing up of the water,

nutrients are brought to the surface from the depths of the sea

which creates the perfect conditions for plankton

and they, in turn, provide food for fish.

The continental shelf around Shetland drops to

depths of over 300 metres.

It's not only one of the best places in Britain for fishing,

it's one of the richest and most productive areas

of sea in the world.

Lerwick Harbour is where much of this catch is landed

and is kept busy year-round with the £81 million-worth of fish

that pass through here.

James Anderson's family have been working the seas out here

for generations, fishing for cod and haddock.

And at this time of year, he's as busy as ever.

So what happens, then?

You bring a catch in, how does it all work

when you get back here to land it all?

We just come in here usually weekly, maybe sometimes twice in a week.

We just put it out here and it goes and gets sold

and we usually head straight back out again.

Is there a pattern to the price of fish?

-does it go up during the winter, does it make it worth your while?

-Usually does, yeah.

Certainly in the past it was more so like that.

But lately with tighter quotas we've had more balanced markets,

but yeah, the winter's usually when you'll get your best tallies.

-Yeah.

-Your best markets.

These guys stay out at sea for days on end and while in winter

the price of fish can be at its best,

the weather is often at its worst.

Today, the waters are calm, but when the winds whip up

and storms roll in, ships can be caught on waves

the size of ten-storey buildings.

It's an environment that tests both man and boat.

Have you ever been caught out there

and thought this is a bit touch-and-go,

-really felt nervous about it?

-Um, we've had some bad, uncomfortable weather

but fishing around Shetland, we're usually not too far

for getting in so we usually always manage to get in,

if it's picking up. Good forecasts nowadays,

we get the internet on the boats

-so you know far more about what's coming...

-Yeah.

..than what we used to.

Do you experience much in the way of damage to nets,

damage to boats or even risks to people during the winter?

Yeah, you certainly increase all of those things.

There's more wear and tear with the gear.

More danger to the crew so you need to watch for that

and sometimes you'll get a bit of damage round the boat, too, yeah.

Men like James brave the winter storms and swells

for the promise of making a good living,

'but these rewards all too often also bring increased risks.'

Fishing out there is one of Britain's most dangerous jobs,

especially in the winter,

as the crews of the North Sea trawlers know only too well.

In 2006, a BBC film crew was onboard the ship Amity in these waters

as a storm blew in.

-RADIO ANNOUNCER:

-Viking, North Utsire, South Utsire, Forties,

cyclonic, five to seven, becoming north seven to severe gale nine.

Perhaps storm ten later in Forties.

Wintry showers, moderate...

After four days at sea, Amity has caught virtually nothing.

Losing money and desperate for a catch,

they're forced to fish in rough weather.

In conditions like these,

the smallest mistake can result in a serious accident

but it's a risk that skipper Jimmy Buchan feels he has to take.

It's a full force eight at the moment,

probably even touching force nine.

Basically, we shouldn't be shooting

but this is the pressure that comes on to the skipper.

I've got to get a pay for my crew

so it's a gun-to-my-head kind of situation.

Watch yourself there, Kevin!

The dangers of working in weather like this is

if anything were to happen to a crewman,

it's getting the boat around to pick him up

because we've got gear on our stern

and the boat just won't turn 360 degrees.

Last year, nine fishermen died and 34 fishing boats were lost

from the UK fleet.

For the first mate, Kevin, the risks are all too real.

Very dangerous craic, this.

I remember fishing in Ireland once about 10, 12 years ago.

We were shooting herring nets

and one of our friends got his legs caught in the net

and he was took overboard.

By the time we got the boat around to fetch him, he was gone,

never to be found again.

-RADIO:

-Viking, North Utsire, South Utsire, Forties,

north or north-west gale nine to storm 10,

squally wintry showers, moderate...

Amity is heading into the storm.

A tiny speck in the turbulent seas.

As winds reach 60 mph, skipper Jimmy knows

how vulnerable his boat is to the approaching storm.

In a force 10, you probably get...

12-15, 18 metre-high waves.

If one of them's coming down on you,

it's like a tenement building coming at you.

So right now, I've got a big knot in my stomach because one half of me

wants to stay out and the other half is saying

"You'd better get your backside off the seas".

I think we'll call the crew out shortly

and we'll start her on in anyway, we'll start to head for home.

Jimmy is prepared to take the boat home even though

they have caught very little.

Their poor catch will barely cover the cost of the fuel,

leaving almost nothing for the crew.

This is a dilemma that constantly faces skippers

out in tough conditions.

The Amity eventually returned safely back to port

and like many other vessels has returned here time and again since,

drawn by the lure of rich pickings.

It's not just fisherman who are attracted to

the fish in the seas around Britain.

In winter, a species such as mackerel migrate past Shetland

and they, in turn, attract killer whales.

These giants of the ocean follow the mackerel migration route past

Shetland and have learned that mopping up the spillage

from fishermen's nets takes little effort for a fantastic feast.

In the winter of 2009, Gordon Buchanan joined a North Sea

fishing vessel to try and capture this sight on camera.

We've got whales, we've got whales.

Just over to the left here, coming straight in.

WHALES SNORT

I'm finally going to get the chance to film killer whales in UK waters.

I can't believe that they're coming.

Oh, gee, look at that! Really close.

There are so many whales here,

it's very difficult to estimate how many there are.

Possibly 50, possibly 60.

There may even be up to 100 on the other side of the boat

that we're just not seeing. And this is what they're here for.

Look, look, look, look. Jeez! Look at that.

Jeez! Oh, unbelievable.

Now that I've spent some time with them, I'm beginning to get

a deeper understanding of what they're up to.

They're just standing off about 300m, they're not coming in.

There's loads of tail slapping going on, it's still happening.

SLAPPING

I'm not sure they're doing this to catch fish.

After all, the boat is herding the fish for them,

saving them the trouble.

Scientists believe that killer whales also slap their tails

as a social activity and I think that's what's going on here.

It's believed that when they're feeding on mackerel, it's

the one opportunity that different families of killer whales

have to come together, that's why you can find them in 100, 200.

It's not one big super-pod,

it's lots of different families coming together

and when these families do come together, it's an opportunity

for the males to mate with other females out with their family.

After saying their hellos, it's time for lunch.

And it's becoming very clear to me that these whales

aren't just fishing randomly. They have a plan.

They're coming in, cruising in like a flotilla. Oh, right.

Please, guys. Just come all the way in.

Every time, it's a large male that approaches the boat first,

checking this out before giving the signal for the others to come in.

With the whales in so close, it means I can now try to film them

underwater. The weather's turning bad.

A storm's brewing, but I'm still going to give it a go.

I so want to enter their world, even if only for a moment or two.

I'm right at the back of the boat.

What I'm hoping will happen is the fish coming through the net

just will drift the full length of the boat

and the whales will come in here.

We've seen them the length and the breadth of the boat

but I think this is the only place we can actually use this pole

successfully without getting in the way of the nets too much.

OK, they're coming in.

Camera's running up. Camera's running.

In we go.

Come on, we've got to get this. We really have to get this.

Ah, hold on tight. Oh, look at this wave. Whoa!

SQUEAKING AND WHALESONG

We've got him right here, right in front of me,

I could reach out and touch him.

Oh, holy mackerel!

Finally, I'm encountering this beautiful creature

in his true home.

Look at that. Thank you, ever, ever so much.

Oh, you beauty. Whoo! Hoo-hoo-hoo!

WHALESONG

Here, the seas are providing plenty of food for both man and mammal.

But at this time of year, one of the sources of nourishment that

attracts life to these oceans also has its uses on dry land.

The rough waters that ordinarily batter these islands at this time of year

don't just create productive seas, they also help fertilise the land.

Winter storms wash in tons of this stuff - seaweed.

It's often used on northern Scottish islands to help enrich

the coastal pastures known as the machair, as Julia Bradbury

discovered when she visited the Outer Hebrides.

It's pretty nippy but winter is when all the important stuff

happens on the machair. And it's all because of this.

SHE SNIFFS Fairly smelly.

Crofters like Angus MacDonald know its value.

-Hi, Angus.

-Hello, Julia.

-Good to see you.

-Good to see you, too.

Fair bit of seaweed you have here.

There's not an awful lot there, really.

That's just what came in last night.

It's not been windy enough to bring lots of seaweed in.

We tend to get more seaweed in January, February with

Atlantic storms, when it's been blowing a gale

and a high Atlantic swell, it breaks all the seaweed loose.

Mainly, the kelp, this stuff here which is rooted to the rock

-by the end there.

-Yeah.

-And then it breaks loose and comes ashore.

-Thousands of tonnes, just that bay there...

-So we're full?

-..could be full, yeah, with thousands of tonnes of seaweed.

-Blimey.

-Yeah.

-And what do you do with it all?

-Come on, I'll show you.

SHE SNIFFS Oh, Angus!

-That is a pungent, pungent smell!

-Yeah.

Clearly... SHE COUGHS

it's some sort of manure or becomes some sort of manure.

Yeah, it's actually the seaweed that's been taken up about six weeks ago

fresh off the beach and then is composted together in this heap

and then it rots down.

The heap would've originally been maybe three metres high

so it sank down to about a metre high but it's composted now.

And this is your magic potion for the machair?

This is really good for the machair.

It's full of nutrients, huge in humus

and there's a massive injection of potash in it. Really full of potash.

It holds the sandy machair soil. Not that you can see much of it today!

-No, not under the snow!

-Under all this snow.

And now is the best or a good time of year to do it?

Yes, it is a very good time of year, especially the wind brings it ashore in the first place

and then the ground being frozen, a bit of snow on it,

you can see exactly where you're spreading and how it's going on.

-Do you get used to the smell?

-Oh, yes, I'm very used to the smell.

-You can't even smell that?

-That's a good smell.

-It's good compost, it's good seaweed.

-Pfff!

-Right, well, let's get spreading.

-Yeah, let's go for it.

Angus is out here spreading seaweed every day in the winter,

to give this challenging terrain the nutrients it needs.

By spring, he assures me

it'll be green with the first shoots of oats, barley and potatoes.

Oh! So, spreading done, and I'm pleased to say that the smell is...

SHE SNIFFS No better!

-You're STILL not getting used to it!

-No, I'm still not getting used to it.

I've got to say, Angus, looking out there now, here we are in the

mid of winter, I'm not sure you'll be able to grow anything.

But I wish you luck. You're the expert!

You come back next August, and you'll see crops here.

-You're on!

-Believe me.

-You're on!

And it's not only crops that are nourished by the goodness

floating in on the winter tides.

The seaweed that washes up on the shore provides

a much-needed supplement to the winter diet of some of the animals

that live here on Shetland.

BLEATING

Sheep are a regular feature on the shorelines,

grazing at low tide on this veggie seafood that's packed with

vitamins and minerals which are essential to keep them healthy

through these cold and demanding months.

When the tide goes out, they choose to go down on the beach

and eat through this seaweed,

which suggests they're getting plenty of nutrition from it.

If nothing else, they appreciate the variation.

And this isn't the only breed that's known to do this,

other sheep will eat seaweed as well.

It does look odd.

These sheep are part of a smallholding known as a croft

that's unique to the Highlands and islands of Scotland.

'Farming them is way of life going back generations,

'but one that was nearly wiped out by the Highland Clearances

'of the 18th and 19th centuries.'

As large-scale sheep farming became a lucrative business

landowners began often-brutal evictions of tenants

clearing their territory of people

who'd lived off the land there for centuries.

Many were forced to move to cities or emigrate overseas.

But some stayed and fought back.

In 1886, a law was passed covering eight Scottish counties -

including Shetland -

where crofters' rights and their land were secured.

It's a proud tradition that's carried on to this day

by people like Mary and Tony Isbister

who've worked this croft on Shetland since the 1970s.

-Hi, Tony. How are you doing? Hi, Mary.

-Hi.

So is this a bit of winter work here with the cattle?

-Are they in for the winter?

-They're in for the winter, yeah.

These are some pretty hardy breeds you have here on your farm.

-What have you got?

-We have all the Shetland breeds.

-Mm-hmm.

That's the cattle, ponies, sheep and poultry, geese.

Have you had any other breeds that haven't been Shetland natives

and realised that they aren't that well adapted

to these cold conditions?

Yes, we've had bigger breeds of sheep.

They do well but only with a lot more feeding and looking after.

-I see.

-The sheep can survive without help

but thrive with a little bit of help.

-How tough can the winter get here?

-It can get pretty bad.

Over hundred-mile-an-hour winds and steady rain is not pleasant.

-What was your worst winter?

-It was 1991.

-Mm-hmm.

There were about five gales at that time over 100 miles an hour.

-How do the animals cope?

-They can get through it.

We have an island out here that we rent out in the Atlantic.

-Wow.

-That sheep seems to thrive.

They have plenty of shelter and they seem to live off the seaweed.

-They're seriously hardy to survive on an island by themselves all winter.

-They're hardy, yeah.

Crofting out here relies on tough breeds that are able to

survive in all weathers and, of course, there's one

native of these shores that embodies these qualities more than any other.

In spite of their cute appearance and miniature stature,

they don't come much tougher than the iconic Shetland pony.

They're ideally suited to survive these sparse conditions,

developing a double coat in winter with guard hairs which repel

the rain and keep the pony's skin dry even in the worst weather.

Small horses, like these ponies, have been kept on Shetland

since the Bronze Age.

But the island was already inhabited long before that.

Human remains have been found dating back to 2500 BC but it's these

Iron Age buildings, uncovered when today's residents built

a road through to the airport, that give us the first real glimpse of

how early human settlers survived Shetland's harsh winter months.

Archaeologist Val Turner is showing me just how they did it.

-This is quite amazing, what's this, Val?

-It is. This is a wheelhouse,

or the remains of a wheelhouse

that came at the end of the Iron Age, maybe about 650 AD.

Wheelhouses are named after their circular design,

with internal stone walls resembling the spokes of a wheel.

It's thought that they were important buildings in these ancient

communities used both as homes and for religious and ritual activity.

The walls look incredibly new to me.

-Well, they were incredibly good at building dry stone.

-Yeah.

It feels really exposed here, we're right by the sea there.

Would this have felt quite a cold building?

I think the walls were quite thick and you'd have had the fire.

Once it was in, you'd have kept it alight all the time.

It must've been very difficult to keep a fire going

-when there are so few trees here.

-Wood was too valuable.

If they did have it, they would use it for structural things,

other things but mainly, they're burning peat.

-Which is perfectly good for making a fire.

-Exactly.

-You have all the stuff set up here.

-Yes.

How would this have been made, then, as a fire?

You'd start with little bits of kindling

although you might have seaweed or something like that.

Just a basic structure but then, of course,

the key thing is you've got to have a spark to start your fire

and you didn't just have your matches in your pocket.

So, it's back to basics.

My mission seems straightforward - use recreated Iron Age tools

to make a spark which can in turn light some kindling.

And, hey, presto - we'll have fire.

-I have done it!

-OK.

-But it's not easy.

'Considering Val's the expert, she isn't filling me with confidence.'

No, there's no warmth coming off that, I can assure you.

BOTH LAUGH

Obviously, this would've been important to do in the winter

but would it have been much harder to do in the winter?

Certainly doing it where there was a little bit of a wind or a draft,

yes, that would make it harder than doing it

in a place that was either warmer or was completely still.

'After several attempts, I've only managed to produce a few

'charred embers, and the Atlantic winds are beginning to bite.'

-It's a very good job our survival doesn't depend on this, this winter!

-Yes!

-Because I think we'd be gonners...

-OK.

-..with me at the helm,

-sorry about that.

-Fair enough.

We decide to call it a day

and head for shelter in the houses at the heart of the settlement.

But the last residents of this building came to Shetland

much later than the Iron Age.

The Vikings arrived on these shores in the 9th century and

there's evidence that they sheltered in the buildings they found,

bringing their own tricks with them to see out the dark, cold months.

-That's more like it on the fire front, there.

-Absolutely.

Fire's obviously really important, especially in the winter.

What other features are there in a settlement like this that

would've been a big deal in the winter?

Lamps, of course, because in here, you're in the dark.

How's this made?

It's made out of soapstone which you find in Shetland.

It's a really soft stone.

It's so soft, that you can actually scratch it with a fingernail.

-Wow.

-So it was easy to work and then once it's put in the fire,

it hardens up a bit.

-What's that in there?

-That's fish oil

and then the wicks are made out of the insides of reeds.

You get the reeds and strip it back, strip the green off,

and that's what's inside.

What about bedding and clothing, that kind of thing?

Well, they had their own sheep so

they would've obviously had skins and also they wove it as cloth.

And also, by Viking times, they'd started making flax

-so they'd started growing flax and so they started producing linen.

-Oh, wow.

So it really can be quite sophisticated.

How long did the Vikings remain here on the Shetland Islands?

Well, arguably, they're still here.

The people are still here. The crofting way of life

really isn't too different from the Viking way of life.

It's reflected in the place names, in the dialect.

Even in some of the laws.

So, yeah, a lot of Shetlanders would claim direct descendants...

to be direct descendants from the Vikings.

That's fascinating.

The generations that settled these islands all found their own ways

to cope out on this cold and exposed coast.

But the Vikings' legacy is the one that most strongly endures

and particularly associated with the winter months.

The Viking influence can still be seen in many

aspects of Shetland life, including at this time of year,

the renowned island festival, Up Helly Aa.

The ritual has been observed by generations of Shetlanders

every January on the Isle of Lerwick

and has grown to be one of the biggest fire festivals in Europe.

From dawn until dusk, squads of islanders

dressed as Vikings can be seen parading through the streets.

As night falls, light-up time arrives and every man carries

a flaming torch, setting the night sky ablaze as hundreds of men

join together to march into the main town in a column miles long.

SINGING

At its climax, the 30-foot long galley

they've spent all year building

is torched and consumed by fire.

Three cheers for the boys that built the galley.

-Hip-hip... CROWD:

-Hooray!

-Hip-hip... CROWD:

-Hooray!

-Hip-hip... CROWD:

-Hooray!

This spectacle is the last gasp of winter,

a celebration of another harsh season survived.

The winters here may be long.

Everything and everyone that lives here has to use ingenuity to get by.

-Are they in for the winter?

-They're in for winter, yeah.

But the beauty of the landscape,

the variety of the wildlife...

Hi, good to meet you.

..and the warmth of the people

easily outweigh the challenges that come with the season.

Still, getting through it requires a pretty tough Viking spirit

so it's no wonder that the biggest festival on this island celebrates

the returning of the sun and the coming of spring.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd