Pennod 5 Wil ac Aeron

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-We're Wil and Aeron,

-farmers from the Dyfi Valley.

-From the Andean peaks

-to Scandinavian glaciers...

-..we've experienced rural life

-all over the world.

-In this series,

-our travels take us to Scotland.

-Welcome to Scotland. We made it.

-We're realizing a childhood dream.

-We're on a road trip...

-..in a camper van

-rescued from a scrapyard.

-We're hoping that it will survive

-a trip of over 1,500 miles.

-We're normally best friends.

-I'm in the wrong blooming lane.

-I'm in the wrong blooming lane.

-

-Just go round.

-A month in each other's pockets

-is asking for trouble.

-National Park, Highlands!

-We'll have new experiences...

-..and challenge each other.

-We'll see the traditional...

-..and modern influences.

-It's nice.

-Beyond the cities,

-Irn-Bru and haggis...

-..we'll see huge estates,

-mountains and distant islands.

-I can't get my head round

-the scale of it.

-We seek the difference

-between two ways of life.

-We end our journey

-with the crofters of Uist.

-It's perfect!

-At work and at play,

-we hear the island's story...

-..the romance

-and a vanishing way of life.

-On Uist, the old know

-and the young suppose.

-But is that good or bad?

-The island of North Uist

-is home to 3,000 people.

-Its peat bogs and moors...

-..are open to the wildest elements

-of Scotland's west coast.

-There are some nice pockets.

-Crofts have dotted the tough terrain

-since time immemorial.

-I'd take a lot of persuading

-before I came here to live.

-If someone gave me a choice

-between life in a city or here...

-..I'd choose this place every time.

-At least there's scope

-to do something here.

-I'm sure that, as a farmer...

-..you could improve

-on a lot of aspects.

-Could you?

-Yes.

-Driving along the narrow roads,

-past the ancient crofts...

-..is like travelling back in time.

-It's a fine morning, Wil.

-It's a fine morning, Wil.

-

-Wonderful.

-I'm looking forward to today.

-We're spending three days

-with a family...

-..that has lived on this croft

-for over a century.

-Three generations live there today.

-When you say croft,

-is it like a smallholding?

-From what I understand, you buy

-the rights to a piece of land.

-Nothing to do with the house,

-just the land.

-You don't own anything?

-You don't own anything?

-

-No.

-But if you've bought the rights,

-you can pass them on.

-They're in your family.

-You can pass them to your children,

-and your children's children.

-Here they are.

-Hello!

-Hello!

-

-You're here.

-Good morning.

-How are you? I'm Wil.

-How are you? I'm Wil.

-

-I'm Michelle.

-Nice to meet you, Michelle.

-Nice to meet you, Michelle.

-

-Hiya. I'm Aeron.

-Aaron?

-Aaron?

-

-Close enough!

-This is the Macdonald family,

-and no, we're not making it up.

-This is Wil.

-This is Wil.

-

-Hiya. Nice to meet you.

-Angus, the son, works the croft,

-but his mother, Ena, is the boss!

-She has lived on this land

-all her life.

-After travelling so far

-around Scotland...

-..we finally hear Scots Gaelic

-for the first time.

-Another thing is going to the bog.

-Another thing is going to the bog.

-

-Yes, to dig for peat.

-They would do good work.

-Two young men, two able young men.

-They have to earn their keep.

-They have to earn their keep.

-I couldn't agree more!

-Welsh-born Ruth is a neighbour

-and a close family friend.

-She moved here from Snowdonia after

-falling for Uist while on holiday.

-You speak Gaelic too?

-You speak Gaelic too?

-

-Yes.

-SHE SPEAKS GAELIC

-Oh.

-You're a dangerous woman.

-You understand everyone!

-We face a busy time.

-Angus explains what we'll be doing

-over the next few days.

-You can go to South Uist.

-It's thirty-odd mile away

-where you're going...

-..to see

-the old traditional ricks...

-..where everybody used to cut corn

-with the binder prior to...

-MOBILE PHONE

-Here we go again! A busy man!

-The first impression is that Angus

-is a jack of all trades.

-He's got a finger in several pies.

-He farms, he fishes, he sells,

-he's a builder, he does everything.

-He judges cattle too.

-His wife knows her stuff as well,

-about everything.

-The grandmother is prominent too,

-and not short of an opinion.

-Ruth, the neighbour,

-helps out often too, I'd say.

-So, we'll see

-what they have to offer.

-Our first task takes us

-to South Uist, a few miles away.

-There's corn to gather,

-and no baler in sight!

-What's going on here?

-How are you then, boys?

-You'll have to show us

-how it's done.

-We haven't done this.

-I've always been interested

-in the old way of doing things.

-My grandfather spoke about sheaves,

-but I haven't had the chance before.

-If it means coming all the way here

-to learn, then here I am.

-I'm enjoying it.

-It's the type of work

-that suits the pace of the island.

-They've got a bit more time

-on their hands, maybe...

-..even though

-they have enough to do.

-But it just fits in...

-..with the pace

-of island life, somehow.

-At home, it would take too long

-to do a whole field like this.

-It wouldn't be...

-..how can I put it...

-..it wouldn't make financial sense.

-They have to take it

-round to their side.

-Carry it round.

-Hold it around the middle.

-It's nice to hear them

-speaking Gaelic among themselves.

-The language isn't heard here

-as often as it was.

-But for these boys,

-Gaelic is their mother tongue.

-You take heart from hearing it.

-What's the Gaelic for string?

-What's the Gaelic for string?

-

-String.

-String.

-I learnt one thing

-from those two blokes.

-They don't do things

-because of the money.

-They do them

-because they enjoy doing them.

-That's a lesson for us all.

-Yes.

-I feel that a lot of people,

-the way farming has gone...

-..farm for farming's sake.

-The enjoyment has almost vanished.

-It's like a machine.

-You don't get a chance to switch off

-and grease things between jobs.

-To enjoy the way of life.

-At home, you clip the sheep.

-Once that's done, it's shearing.

-Once that's done,

-you sort the sheep for the rams.

-It's never-ending.

-They get a chance to chat here.

-They get a chance to chat here.

-

-You're right.

-This afternoon,

-Ruth has a job for us.

-Although there is

-mains electricity...

-..the islanders still use peat

-to heat their crofts.

-Who will get this peat?

-This part is for Angus himself.

-This part is for Angus himself.

-

-All for Angus.

-But some people

-will go and ask him for some.

-He does sell it as well.

-Do they have to pay for it?

-They pay Angus for the right

-to cut it, then it's theirs.

-It's up to them to turn it over,

-gather it into heaps...

-..and carry it to the road.

-You'll see that some

-keep it in fertilizer bags.

-What used to happen years ago,

-before these heaps...

-..people came with trailers,

-gangs of them, children and all.

-Everyone pitched in together.

-It was a communal thing to do.

-It's odd to think that Ruth,

-who isn't the youngest lady...

-..has moved to a place

-where life is quite hard...

-..and one of her hobbies

-is stacking peat.

-Yes, fine.

-I don't know.

-I quite enjoyed

-the first three piles.

-I've got a question for you.

-How would you describe

-life on this island in one word?

-Community.

-Community.

-Everyone knows each other

-and it's an honest place.

-You can't get better than that.

-Angus and Michelle's youngest son

-is Alexander.

-He'll be the next generation

-on the croft.

-You've done this before!

-You've done this before!

-

-Yes, I've done it loads of times.

-Do you enjoy it?

-Do you enjoy it?

-

-Yes.

-What fish is this?

-What fish is this?

-

-A grey mullet.

-As in rural Wales...

-..a lot of young people leave

-to find work in the city.

-As a result,

-young families are scarce here.

-What's it like growing up

-as a young fellow by the sea?

-Um...

-..it's..

-It's OK, but...

-..it's not really a big spot,

-so there's not a lot of people here.

-It's a bit hard to make friends...

-Right.

-..to be honest.

-What are you going to be

-when you leave school?

-I'll probably work

-for my dad at first.

-Yes. Do you like the farming life?

-Yes. Do you like the farming life?

-

-Yes.

-Your dad's a busy man.

-Yes.

-Do you think

-you'll follow in his footsteps...

-..and become

-a bit of a businessman?

-Maybe.

-Food time.

-Do you speak Gaelic to your father?

-No.

-No.

-

-Why not?

-Because I don't like speaking it.

-A feast awaits us

-in the peat-filled Aga.

-I think we've earned our keep today.

-An early night beckons.

-Tomorrow is the most important day

-of the year for the Macdonald croft.

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-Subtitles

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-It's our last day, Wil.

-I haven't washed for a while.

-I'm off to have a wash in the sea.

-It looks really cold, but I promised

-that I'd go for a swim.

-The traditional way of bathing.

-Come on!

-It's enough

-to turn your stomach first thing!

-I've never seen anything

-shift that fast!

-Right then...

-That's enough playing!

-Angus has a lot on his plate,

-and he needs help.

-Since coming here...

-..we've seen that crofters

-are part of Uist's identity...

-..and unique

-to the Scottish islands.

-But Angus has had to diversify.

-As well as crofting,

-his businesses include building...

-..fishing, contracting

-and gathering peat.

-Making a living from a small farm

-isn't easy these days.

-Without his other businesses,

-Angus couldn't afford to croft.

-Do you want to stay for a year?!

-How much are you paying?

-There's no pay. I'll get you food!

-We'll live on geese.

-We'll live on geese.

-

-We don't pay anybody round here.

-I didn't know that

-before coming over.

-This grain is called bere.

-It's the only crop that can survive

-the island's tough conditions.

-As such, it's crucial

-for crofters like Angus.

-You obviously

-have a few irons in the fire.

-Yes, aye.

-You started off just crofting?

-You started off just crofting?

-

-Yes, I did.

-I love crofting.

-That's my favourite occupation.

-Crofting is a fantastic way of life.

-Nothing compares to it,

-any other job you do.

-It's a good healthy job as well.

-But, unfortunately, it's difficult

-to make a living out of it.

-In order to make a living,

-he has had to adapt...

-..the traditional way of life

-that his mother Ena knows.

-It must be difficult

-for her to accept.

-You're successful at what you do,

-so she's bound to be proud of you.

-Is she accepting the fact now?

-Is she accepting the fact now?

-

-She probably is, eventually.

-Ideally, she'd rather stick

-to the corn stacks.

-That's all very well,

-and I really enjoy doing that.

-But we couldn't

-make a living out of it.

-Times have changed

-and you have to move with the times.

-Ena is a crofter from head to toe.

-She has been awarded an MBE for her

-contribution to this unique culture.

-Over a cuppa, we hear

-about the crofting life she knew...

-..that is fast changing.

-Tractors must have made

-a big difference.

-Oh, aye.

-Is that one of the biggest changes

-you've seen on the island?

-Tractors and machinery?

-I suppose so.

-I used to work with the horses

-with my father.

-Fill up the cart with seaweed.

-Do all the harrowing

-when I was a child.

-I've got a lovely photo.

-I don't know where I've put it.

-When you see some of the crofts

-that people have moved to...

-..do you feel they're not crofting

-them as well as they used to?

-They don't have to.

-They can go to the shop

-and buy their milk.

-They're not true crofters,

-in some respects.

-Well, not how we would

-describe it years ago.

-The most active crofters

-and well-worked crofts...

-..are all in their seventies now.

-Some of them...

-There's about four good crofts

-not far away.

-They're all bachelors.

-It's sad. It really is sad.

-I think, somehow, we were happier.

-There was more time for each other.

-You didn't have to think

-of making so much money, I suppose.

-You didn't have the bills coming in.

-You weren't saving up

-for a holiday.

-We didn't have phones.

-What else do we have today

-we didn't have then?

-It wasn't as if Ena

-was yearning for the old methods.

-What she missed most

-were the people.

-And the condition of the crofts.

-She showed the photos.

-Photos of people

-going about their work.

-Harvesting, gathering peat.

-She said that the methods have gone

-and the people have gone.

-Unfortunately, the modern world

-has had a negative effect.

-You couldn't live without

-technology, electricity and so on.

-But it hasn't done

-much good here, really.

-But maybe we're romanticizing.

-Maybe they should

-get with the times and move on.

-Maybe if more of the crofters...

-..had the same mindset as Angus,

-the situation would be better.

-But too many exist there

-instead of using the place.

-Despite the modern influences

-on Angus and his family...

-..there's one tradition

-that they're determined to keep.

-Every September, Angus leads

-his cattle to greener pastures.

-They'll spend winter

-on the enchanting island of Vallay.

-It's time to move the cattle.

-To an island, but the tide's out,

-so we won't drown.

-It's quite a task.

-Is it two miles?

-Is it two miles?

-

-A two-mile walk.

-The tide's out, so we can

-cross the beach to the island.

-I'm looking forward to this.

-Proper cowboys!

-We're driving

-over a hundred Highland cattle...

-..to the lonely island

-that sits like a crown above Uist.

-For a few hours each day,

-the tide goes out...

-..offering a rare opportunity

-to cross to the island.

-For Angus and his family,

-especially Ena...

-..this continues

-a very special tradition.

-I've driven cattle

-on several continents...

-..but this is a new experience.

-Seeing them go along the beach...

-..I love being a part of this.

-It's incredible.

-Is this why

-you get up in the morning?

-Definitely. It's what I love to do.

-This is a sight

-that's up with the best of them.

-It's paradise.

-The island, the expanse,

-the tide, the lovely cattle.

-It's perfect.

-If I had a horse, I'd feel like

-Clint Eastwood or John Wayne!

-Diversification has enabled Angus...

-..to hold on to the traditions

-that he loves.

-Who are we to doubt the future?

-This is an incredible place.

-It's a 650-acre island.

-Angus owns it

-and it's almost untouched by man.

-The plan is

-to renovate the mansion.

-This will be a paradise.

-Paradise, Angus.

-Paradise, yes, you're right.

-We've seen some sights

-during our trip...

-..but ending with this,

-crossing those cattle...

-..with that backdrop

-and this location...

-..this is the highlight, I think.

-It won't get better than this.

-I've really enjoyed it.

-Thank you.

-ANGUS SPEAKS GAELIC

-It has been an unforgettable trip,

-but it's time to go home.

-If I've learnt

-one thing about Scotland...

-..it's the scale

-of the terrain, its size.

-It's huge.

-As for the people,

-certainly the people we've met...

-..I can't speak for every Scot...

-..but they're ready

-to play their part...

-..in the community and at work...

-..from the big estates

-to the small islands.

-They're all prepared to work

-in order to make a living.

-On any level, they'll work

-for others or for themselves.

-They all play their part.

-And the van's still going.

-And the van's still going.

-

-That may be the biggest shock.

-The van's still going!

-And you've coped

-with the smell of my feet.

-Where can we go next?

-Where can we go next?

-

-I don't know.

-Anywhere the van will take us.

-S4C Subtitles by Testun Cyf.

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