The Bit in the Middle

Download Subtitles

Transcript

0:00:05 > 0:00:10This is a classic example of the ludicrousness of the sea, right?

0:00:10 > 0:00:15We're in this massive expanse of water and there's one boat over there

0:00:15 > 0:00:18and we're heading towards it. We're on a collision course with it. Look.

0:00:21 > 0:00:24'I'm Timothy Spall and this is my wife, Shane.'

0:00:27 > 0:00:30'We're on the journey of a lifetime.

0:00:30 > 0:00:37'We're circumnavigating the British Isles in a barge.

0:00:37 > 0:00:42'So far, this year, we've been round Wales and north-west England.'

0:00:44 > 0:00:47Tim and Shane Spall, yeah, doing our round Britain tour

0:00:47 > 0:00:51- and getting it wrong every now and again. Over.- Ha-ha.

0:00:51 > 0:00:57'On this leg, we'll visit England, Ireland, Scotland

0:00:57 > 0:01:01'and the Isle of Man, the centre of the British Isles.'

0:01:05 > 0:01:08'If we can brave the stormy Irish Sea and dodge a few hazards.'

0:01:08 > 0:01:11It's heading straight for us!

0:01:11 > 0:01:16'By the end of this leg, we'll have been to every country in the United Kingdom.'

0:01:16 > 0:01:19I just love it. I love being here.

0:01:19 > 0:01:22And not only do I love being here but we've come here on our boat!

0:01:22 > 0:01:25We came here across the Irish Sea!

0:01:35 > 0:01:40'15 miles up the Lancashire coast from Blackpool is Piel Island

0:01:40 > 0:01:47'with its 14th-century castle built by monks who once owned the island.

0:01:47 > 0:01:49'It was built to withstand pirates and stormy seas

0:01:49 > 0:01:53'but it can do nothing to help idiot mariners.'

0:01:56 > 0:02:01Tim was up at 2.30, 3.00, 4.15...

0:02:01 > 0:02:06checking that we were still on that buoy.

0:02:06 > 0:02:11So he's not had very much sleep at all.

0:02:18 > 0:02:24'The north-west of England has some of the country's most popular seaside resorts.'

0:02:24 > 0:02:30Blackpool Tower again. On the horizon there. It's like a mirage.

0:02:30 > 0:02:37'But look further afield and you'll always find something interesting.'

0:02:37 > 0:02:39Oh, there's a seal!

0:02:39 > 0:02:44Apparently, they breed over there, according to Princess Nicola.

0:02:46 > 0:02:51Come over here! Come and see us, come on!

0:02:51 > 0:02:55'We're off to Whitehaven,

0:02:55 > 0:02:58'the last English port we'll visit on the west side of the country.

0:02:58 > 0:03:04'It looks out onto the Solway Firth, a sea border between England and Scotland.'

0:03:06 > 0:03:10Scotland is starting to reveal itself very, very slowly.

0:03:10 > 0:03:16On the horizon there, little lumps of Scotland, saying,

0:03:16 > 0:03:19SCOTTISH ACCENT: "You're reckon you gotta come here

0:03:19 > 0:03:23"so don't try and get out of it and stay in Whitehaven.

0:03:23 > 0:03:26"Yer coming!"

0:03:28 > 0:03:33'We're out on a beautiful, benign sea. Everything is lovely.'

0:03:38 > 0:03:40'Then there's a noise.'

0:03:40 > 0:03:42LOUD THUD

0:03:42 > 0:03:48'What's that? Is it something below? Is it the engine?'

0:03:48 > 0:03:53I thought it was something fallen over but it did occur to me that we are in a firing range.

0:03:53 > 0:03:56Firing practice area. See note.

0:03:56 > 0:03:59- LOUD THUD - Oh, there it goes again.

0:04:01 > 0:04:05I thought it was the toilet seat falling down!

0:04:05 > 0:04:09'Batten down the hatches. I think Matilda's under attack.'

0:04:09 > 0:04:12- RADIO:- 'Liverpool Coastguard, over.'

0:04:12 > 0:04:19Hi, Liverpool Coastguard. Yeah, we're just moving into a firing range area and we've heard...erm...some firing.

0:04:19 > 0:04:24- RADIO:- 'Princess Matilda, Liverpool Coastguard, stand by, please, over.'

0:04:24 > 0:04:27LOUD THUD

0:04:27 > 0:04:34- RADIO:- 'Princess Matilda, we spoke to the range control and they are active today until four o'clock.

0:04:34 > 0:04:37'They have you on radar, they have you on radar.

0:04:37 > 0:04:39'You should be OK, you should be OK. Over.'

0:04:39 > 0:04:43'We're not the first boat to come under attack here.

0:04:43 > 0:04:47'In the Second World War the Irish Sea was known as U-Boat Alley

0:04:47 > 0:04:52'and this coast was torpedoed by German submarines.'

0:04:52 > 0:04:59It's bad enough skippering a ship on its own in peacetime.

0:04:59 > 0:05:05Imagine what it was like to be at war though. Such bravery, such bravery.

0:05:05 > 0:05:08Well, they still go through it.

0:05:08 > 0:05:13- Well, that was exciting, wasn't it? Timmy?- Was a bit.

0:05:13 > 0:05:18Well, it's not over yet. If they start getting near...erm...

0:05:18 > 0:05:20there's the life raft.

0:05:33 > 0:05:38'Whitehaven was one of the most important British ports in the seventeenth century,

0:05:38 > 0:05:41'doing more trade than Liverpool.

0:05:41 > 0:05:45'Most of it was exporting coal from the world's deepest coal mines,

0:05:45 > 0:05:49'some of them with tunnels deep under the sea.'

0:05:52 > 0:05:55'Over a thousand ships have been built here

0:05:55 > 0:05:59'and the harbour is still a vital part of the town's economy.

0:05:59 > 0:06:04'As welcoming today as it has been for centuries.'

0:06:04 > 0:06:08- Through the old gates into the old Queen's Harbour.- OK.

0:06:08 > 0:06:12- There will be a couple of people there to help you catch your ropes. - Oh, lovely.

0:06:12 > 0:06:15If you need anything else, we're here 24/7.

0:06:15 > 0:06:17What a lovely welcome.

0:06:17 > 0:06:20Are you all this friendly?

0:06:24 > 0:06:30'It may be friendly but it's also packed.

0:06:30 > 0:06:35'This small space is the only room available for my big barge.'

0:06:37 > 0:06:41- We'll stop in a minute! - Ha-ha, I hope so.- So do I!

0:06:41 > 0:06:47'I thought, "Oh, no, please don't come in this bloody great thing."

0:06:47 > 0:06:51'The look of shock on people's faces when I do a nine-point turn in this!'

0:06:56 > 0:07:00Bit of a tight squeeze, isn't it? Bit of a squeeze.

0:07:00 > 0:07:08# Love thy neighbour Offer to share his burden

0:07:08 > 0:07:12# Tell him to say the word And you will see him through... #

0:07:13 > 0:07:16I think I did that all right.

0:07:18 > 0:07:22Five hours and then just that manic-ness of mooring

0:07:22 > 0:07:27and then getting it in there. That was a bit worrying!

0:07:27 > 0:07:31Nice guys, aren't they? Aren't they lovely?

0:07:31 > 0:07:34It's like all of a sudden you meet the friendly people, charming.

0:07:34 > 0:07:38And what a charming place. And this is nice. This is delightful.

0:07:38 > 0:07:42This is the life.

0:07:51 > 0:07:55Shame the sun's buggered off, isn't it?

0:07:59 > 0:08:02'Once a tiny fishing village,

0:08:02 > 0:08:06'Whitehaven was developed almost from scratch in the 17th century.

0:08:06 > 0:08:09'And much of its Georgian architecture remains today.'

0:08:11 > 0:08:15'At its height, it was the main trade route between England and America

0:08:15 > 0:08:21'and many believe the grid pattern of Whitehaven's streets inspired the design of New York.'

0:08:24 > 0:08:27I think it must be over there, the statue.

0:08:27 > 0:08:33'This statue commemorates John Paul Jones,

0:08:33 > 0:08:35'the father of the American Navy.'

0:08:35 > 0:08:40- He's not setting the cannon off there?- No, he's destroying it. He's stopping it so it can't be used.

0:08:40 > 0:08:45'John Paul Jones was a Scot who learned his seamanship in Whitehaven

0:08:45 > 0:08:50'but during the War of Independence, he came back here with an American crew

0:08:50 > 0:08:53'to try and destroy the English Navy.'

0:08:53 > 0:08:56There's 400 ships out here and he was going to set them on fire.

0:08:56 > 0:09:01But he didn't have enough oil, evidently, so he sent some of his crew to the local pub

0:09:01 > 0:09:04and trouble is, they stayed there and got pissed, right.

0:09:04 > 0:09:07Eventually, they came back with just a tiny bit of oil.

0:09:07 > 0:09:12'Things turned from bad to worse when one of John Paul's crew,

0:09:12 > 0:09:15'probably drunk by now, told locals about the plan.'

0:09:15 > 0:09:18200 of the town came charging down here

0:09:18 > 0:09:21saw what they were doing and they buggered off.

0:09:21 > 0:09:24So they started to try and sink them with these.

0:09:24 > 0:09:27Because he was a clever bugger, he knew if they did get caught,

0:09:27 > 0:09:31they'd sink him. So that's what they did, the first thing they did. Spike the guns.

0:09:31 > 0:09:37'This failed attempt was the last time an enemy force has stepped foot on English soil in wartime.'

0:09:40 > 0:09:46'And as the cannons have been spiked, there shouldn't be any more military attacks on Matilda.'

0:10:03 > 0:10:07We're going to the Isle of Man.

0:10:07 > 0:10:13That's nearly 40 miles. So when we're out here, we'll be 20 miles out to sea,

0:10:13 > 0:10:19which means we'll be the furthest we've been out to sea, erm...

0:10:19 > 0:10:21ever.

0:10:24 > 0:10:29As my experience increases, my nerves seem to increase exponentially.

0:10:29 > 0:10:32The more I know the more scared I get. Ha-ha.

0:10:36 > 0:10:42'Today is all about family. Joining us for the journey is Shane's sister, Jenny.'

0:10:42 > 0:10:47- Can you just wrap that rope up as well, Jen, because...- Aye aye!

0:10:47 > 0:10:50'We're off to see our son, Rafe, and his fiancee, Elize,

0:10:50 > 0:10:54'who are both in Douglas, the capital of the Isle of Man.

0:10:54 > 0:10:58Do you know what? I'm really excited about going somewhere totally, totally new.

0:10:58 > 0:11:00I'm looking forward to it.

0:11:00 > 0:11:04And if Tim's got anxious again... I don't know why he gets so anxious

0:11:04 > 0:11:07but there again he does, that's what he does, he gets anxious.

0:11:07 > 0:11:13He's done all his planning and I'm going to make some sandwiches cos I'm starving.

0:11:15 > 0:11:21Hi, Liverpool Coastguard, this is Princess Matilda. Just a notification of a routine passage

0:11:21 > 0:11:25to the Isle of Man. Over. We've just left Whitehaven Marina

0:11:25 > 0:11:32and our ETA in um... Douglas is, um...

0:11:32 > 0:11:35approximately 1900 hours, over.

0:11:35 > 0:11:41'Soon we'll be surrounded by family. Right now, we're surrounded by countries.'

0:11:41 > 0:11:47England, Solway Firth, Scotland...

0:11:47 > 0:11:51Right at the tip there.

0:11:51 > 0:11:58Northern Ireland. Just the tip of it there.

0:11:58 > 0:12:00Isle of Man.

0:12:00 > 0:12:07And just around the corner, not to be forgotten, because we have had a lovely cruise round you, Wales.

0:12:07 > 0:12:10- Great Britain!- It is.

0:12:21 > 0:12:25'The whole world shrinks, shrinks and shrinks and shrinks

0:12:25 > 0:12:29'and shrinks as we get cleverer at international air travel,

0:12:29 > 0:12:32'at space travel, at high-speed travel.

0:12:32 > 0:12:35'Boat travel stretches the world.'

0:12:37 > 0:12:42This is absolutely beautiful. I mean, look at this.

0:12:42 > 0:12:46This milky, filtered light.

0:12:46 > 0:12:51This is like, ohh...

0:12:51 > 0:12:54This is worth all the anxiety and the fretting.

0:12:57 > 0:13:02'Doing a slow circumnavigation of your own country

0:13:02 > 0:13:10'reaffirms how intricate and complicated and diverse we all are as nations

0:13:10 > 0:13:15'with our own perception of what the world is.'

0:13:15 > 0:13:19- Who won the Scrabble?- Jenny did.

0:13:19 > 0:13:24My sister let me. She always lets me win.

0:13:24 > 0:13:28- It's the way we stay friends, isn't it, Shane?- True, yeah.

0:13:34 > 0:13:40'10,000 years ago, a piece of rock broke away from the British mainland,

0:13:40 > 0:13:43'to form the Isle of Man.

0:13:43 > 0:13:47'Its people have that independent spirit too.

0:13:47 > 0:13:49'Formed in the eighth century,

0:13:49 > 0:13:53'its parliament is one of the oldest in the world.

0:13:53 > 0:13:57'The meaning of the flags' three-legged design is debated.

0:13:57 > 0:14:01'But many believe it is represents the sea god, Manannan,

0:14:01 > 0:14:05'who'd protect the island by hiding it in a cloud of mist.

0:14:05 > 0:14:08'Today, they just employ security guards.'

0:14:08 > 0:14:12- You're going to be trying for in-between those two vessels.- OK.

0:14:12 > 0:14:18- I'm going to join two ropes up together.- Why?- Because it's a huge wall, that's why.

0:14:18 > 0:14:20So...

0:14:20 > 0:14:23Oh, gosh. This is going to be fun.

0:14:25 > 0:14:30I don't know what Shane's done here because that's not joined.

0:14:30 > 0:14:34- Ha-ha.- Now what do we do?

0:14:34 > 0:14:38She was joining two ropes together but I don't think they are joined together.

0:14:38 > 0:14:43- OK, ready?- Yeah.

0:14:43 > 0:14:48I don't know whether you're friend or foe, whether we should allow you in the Isle of Man.

0:14:48 > 0:14:50You're not a raiding party, are you?

0:14:50 > 0:14:53Do we have to give a password?

0:14:53 > 0:14:59- I'm up. Thank you. Manx soil! - Hurray!- Hurray! Here I am!

0:14:59 > 0:15:02- Another land conquered. - Another one, yeah.

0:15:10 > 0:15:13'In Victorian times, Douglas was an exotic destination

0:15:13 > 0:15:16'for holidaymakers from northern England.

0:15:19 > 0:15:23'These horse-drawn trams, the oldest in the world,

0:15:23 > 0:15:26'date back to that Victorian tourist boom.'

0:15:28 > 0:15:33'So charming is the Isle of Man, it seems many of the tourists stayed.

0:15:33 > 0:15:40'In the last census, it was discovered nearly half the population is actually from mainland Britain.'

0:15:40 > 0:15:45When I went in there, I spoke to a fella who said, "It's nice here.

0:15:45 > 0:15:48"I came for a week and I've been here 12 years!" Ha-ha.

0:15:50 > 0:15:55'In the last decade, it reinvented itself as a base for the movie industry.

0:15:55 > 0:15:59'Doubling as London, New York

0:15:59 > 0:16:02'and even the Caribbean.'

0:16:06 > 0:16:10'With most families, the children come home to visit.

0:16:10 > 0:16:16'With ours we can take our home to visit them.'

0:16:20 > 0:16:23- Hi, Dad.- Hello, mate.

0:16:23 > 0:16:28'Rafe's been working on a film here, because, just like his old dad,

0:16:28 > 0:16:31'he's an actor.

0:16:31 > 0:16:34'Whether he'll follow me on to the sea is yet to be seen.'

0:16:34 > 0:16:38- Is that the longest stretch of open water you've ever been on?- Oh, no.

0:16:38 > 0:16:41- Oh, no.- No, oh, God, no!

0:16:41 > 0:16:44Hang on, that's the furthest we've been out to sea.

0:16:44 > 0:16:48We were 20 miles from land at one point.

0:16:48 > 0:16:52- Did you see the Tower of Refuge?- No.

0:16:52 > 0:16:56- The Tower of Refuge is a little castle just off the... - Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

0:16:56 > 0:17:00- On the island, yeah. - That's for sailors. If they couldn't get in, they would go there

0:17:00 > 0:17:03and shelter there for the night.

0:17:15 > 0:17:19'The Tower of Refuge was built by Sir William Hillary,

0:17:19 > 0:17:23'the founder of our friends, the Royal Lifeboat Institute.

0:17:23 > 0:17:25'Designed for stranded sailors,

0:17:25 > 0:17:28it used to be stocked with bread and water.

0:17:28 > 0:17:33'Luckily, so was the supermarket in Douglas.

0:17:33 > 0:17:38- 'So I think we'll be all right for our next journey.' - Do you like a bit of tongue?

0:17:38 > 0:17:41'We're going round the Isle of Man

0:17:41 > 0:17:44'and up to the next country in our adventure.'

0:17:48 > 0:17:50# If you're Irish Come into the parlour

0:17:50 > 0:17:54# There's a welcome there for you

0:17:54 > 0:18:00# And if your name is Timothy or Pat... #

0:18:00 > 0:18:04'We're coming into Belfast Lough, where the Titanic first sailed.

0:18:04 > 0:18:10'It was built in Belfast in 1909 in the Harland and Wolff Docks.

0:18:10 > 0:18:14'Weighing 42,000 tons

0:18:14 > 0:18:18'and built from steel, it was seen as a great achievement of its day.

0:18:18 > 0:18:22'Although for our steel boat, every port is a great achievement.'

0:18:22 > 0:18:27We're in Northern Ireland! IRISH ACCENT: In Northern Ireland.

0:18:27 > 0:18:32We're now in Northern Ireland. So we've actually done every nation

0:18:32 > 0:18:37there is in Britain until Scotland, which is the next one and then we've done it.

0:18:37 > 0:18:45# If you're Irish, this is the place for you! #

0:18:45 > 0:18:48'The wealth brought by Belfast's docks

0:18:48 > 0:18:53'is reflected in its impressive Victorian and Edwardian structures.'

0:18:55 > 0:18:59'Built in 1898, Ulster Hall, Belfast's famous music hall,

0:18:59 > 0:19:04'has attracted stars from many different fields.'

0:19:04 > 0:19:08So, Dickens actually came here and did one of his shows.

0:19:08 > 0:19:13How fantastic. Look at this. Who else has played here?

0:19:13 > 0:19:19- Led Zeppelin.- Led Zeppelin. - The Clash.- Elgar.

0:19:19 > 0:19:25'A local performer at this venue has been given a special plaque.'

0:19:25 > 0:19:30When anybody says they're going for a "Ruby", a generic term now for a curry.

0:19:30 > 0:19:32"Fancy a Ruby?"

0:19:32 > 0:19:35Well, this is Ruby Murray. She was born in Belfast in 1935

0:19:35 > 0:19:38and lived till 1996.

0:19:39 > 0:19:43'Towering over the heart of the city is the Europa Hotel.

0:19:43 > 0:19:47'It, too, has hosted the rich and famous.

0:19:47 > 0:19:49'But its past is a troubled one.'

0:19:49 > 0:19:54Now, this is famous for being... I'll say it quietly,

0:19:54 > 0:19:56..one of the most bombed hotels in the world.

0:19:58 > 0:20:02In the Troubles, this would have been surrounded by,

0:20:02 > 0:20:05probably, a fence. You wouldn't have been able to get in that way

0:20:05 > 0:20:08because the only way you could get into these big hotels

0:20:08 > 0:20:12in Northern Ireland then was through a security door.

0:20:12 > 0:20:17It's still here and still functioning. And look, it's a thriving place full of tourists.

0:20:17 > 0:20:24And there is the Crown Bar, one of the finest pubs in the English-speaking world.

0:20:28 > 0:20:33'The decor was designed in the late 19th century by Italian craftsmen

0:20:33 > 0:20:36'who'd come over to work on Belfast's churches.'

0:20:36 > 0:20:40The lighting is gas. It's still gas.

0:20:40 > 0:20:44And if you look at it, you can see that it's black around the top of them.

0:20:44 > 0:20:49Look at this beautiful stained-glass window. It's like a cathedral.

0:20:49 > 0:20:52A Victorian cathedral...

0:20:52 > 0:20:57devoted to the religion of imbibing.

0:20:57 > 0:21:01- Beautiful.- Fine vintage.

0:21:03 > 0:21:08I first came here 20 years ago right in the middle of the Troubles

0:21:08 > 0:21:12and the atmosphere in this place has completely changed.

0:21:12 > 0:21:15I love it, I just love it. I love being here.

0:21:15 > 0:21:18And not only do I love being here but we've come here on our boat.

0:21:18 > 0:21:23We came here across the Irish Sea.

0:21:23 > 0:21:25Like Vikings!

0:21:25 > 0:21:30# Tura lura lura

0:21:30 > 0:21:38# That's an Irish Lullaby. #

0:21:49 > 0:21:52'Scotland makes up a third of Great Britain,

0:21:52 > 0:21:57'much of it misty mountains and lochs.

0:21:57 > 0:22:03'We're about to spend the rest of the year exploring what the Scottish call "God's Country."'

0:22:05 > 0:22:09We're going to Portpatrick which actually sounds like an Irish port, doesn't it?

0:22:09 > 0:22:14From here to Scotland, we're 22 miles.

0:22:20 > 0:22:24'It's not very far, but we're low on diesel and I'm not taking risks.

0:22:24 > 0:22:29'The most common reason people call out the lifeboats is because they run out of fuel.'

0:22:33 > 0:22:39If this wind sticks about the same, we should have an all-right passage.

0:22:39 > 0:22:44- Will the sun come out? Does the sun ever... - It does, it does. Just for you.

0:22:44 > 0:22:48Oh, well, I have it on good authority the sun's coming out.

0:22:51 > 0:22:54'We're crossing the North Channel, following in the footsteps

0:22:54 > 0:22:58'of the first Celts, who went to Scotland over 1,000 years ago.'

0:23:00 > 0:23:05Good morning, Belfast Coastguard. Just to notify you of a passage we're taking

0:23:05 > 0:23:10from Bangor Harbour across to Portpatrick.

0:23:10 > 0:23:12'They'd have faced many dangers

0:23:12 > 0:23:16'but bloody huge tankers would not have been one of them.'

0:23:16 > 0:23:19It's heading straight for us!

0:23:19 > 0:23:24'The North Channel is a traffic route going out into the Atlantic

0:23:24 > 0:23:27'and we're cutting right across the path of a tanker

0:23:27 > 0:23:29'that's about 100 times bigger than us.'

0:23:29 > 0:23:33We're getting a bit too close there.

0:23:33 > 0:23:37They can't really stop. They take up to three miles to stop.

0:23:37 > 0:23:40Shall I call him on the radio?

0:23:40 > 0:23:43No, he's just...I'll just wait.

0:23:43 > 0:23:47I think I will.

0:23:47 > 0:23:51- I bottled it, didn't I? - No, you didn't bottle it, Timmy.

0:23:51 > 0:23:54No, you're being sensible. Of course you've not bottled it.

0:23:54 > 0:23:57You'd have been on collision course, if you'd carried on.

0:23:57 > 0:23:59You're not an idiot mariner.

0:23:59 > 0:24:04What's that in the water? Jellyfish?

0:24:07 > 0:24:10- Not sure.- It's a big weird scallop or something.

0:24:10 > 0:24:13It doesn't look like a scallop. I think it's a jellyfish.

0:24:13 > 0:24:17It doesn't look very nice, whatever it is.

0:24:17 > 0:24:20Right, I can get a move on now.

0:24:20 > 0:24:24I'm just not experienced enough to work it out, you know.

0:24:24 > 0:24:27But you've done completely the right thing. I don't know why you...

0:24:27 > 0:24:34We're 35 ton and he's like 3,000 tons...give or take.

0:24:45 > 0:24:49'Portpatrick once had great hopes of becoming a famous holiday destination.

0:24:49 > 0:24:57'In the 19th century, a ferry service from Ireland promised to make it a booming resort.

0:24:57 > 0:25:03'Plans changed because the ferries had a habit of hitting these nasty rocks.'

0:25:11 > 0:25:16This is... disorientation, this thing.

0:25:17 > 0:25:20It's like being drunk without the pleasure.

0:25:25 > 0:25:29- Come on, you old, wallowing pig! - Don't say that about Matilda.

0:25:29 > 0:25:32- She likes it.- No!

0:25:43 > 0:25:48'The safest way into port is to look out for two orange markers,

0:25:48 > 0:25:50'one on the harbour wall

0:25:50 > 0:25:53'and another on someone's house.

0:25:53 > 0:25:59'The idea is to line these two markers up and if you can keep them

0:25:59 > 0:26:02'aligned, you'll avoid the rocks and shallows at either side.'

0:26:06 > 0:26:10'Easier said than done when you're fighting the North Channel tide.'

0:26:44 > 0:26:46'That was tricky!

0:26:46 > 0:26:50'But what a lovely harbour saying, welcome to Scotland!

0:26:53 > 0:26:56'Greeting us is the majestic Portpatrick Hotel,

0:26:56 > 0:27:03'the place to stay for ferry passengers before the service was stopped courtesy of the rocks.'

0:27:08 > 0:27:12Look at him, look!

0:27:12 > 0:27:15Hello. Oh, look at those little red feet.

0:27:15 > 0:27:18That's a black guillemot and they're very, very rare.

0:27:18 > 0:27:23They only nest in this place. We get bird-watchers from all over coming to look at these.

0:27:23 > 0:27:28Now I've seen a black guillemot. Now I'm happy.

0:27:32 > 0:27:37Within a week, we'd actually navigated from every country there is in the British Isles.

0:27:37 > 0:27:44But to able to have done that, all by boat, to leave a port and to arrive in another country is amazing!

0:27:44 > 0:27:47- Cheers.- Cheers.- Well done.

0:27:55 > 0:27:58It's like something out of a dream.

0:27:58 > 0:28:01It's like living in a brochure.

0:28:03 > 0:28:06People at the funfair and it's pissing with rain, you know.

0:28:06 > 0:28:08It's going to drive me mad.

0:28:08 > 0:28:11It's going to drive me mad!

0:28:11 > 0:28:14There's only one thing to describe these conditions...

0:28:14 > 0:28:16Scotch mist.

0:28:20 > 0:28:27I can safely say, I reckon we're halfway round Britain.

0:28:27 > 0:28:34# Somewhere at sea A liner is somewhere at sea

0:28:34 > 0:28:42# Bringing to me a traveller Who will fill my life anew

0:28:42 > 0:28:50# She's out on the sea Somewhere at sea. #