0:00:04 > 0:00:07I've seen towns explode into cities.
0:00:07 > 0:00:10I've seen towns with their hearts ripped out.
0:00:10 > 0:00:16Every town has its own tales of triumph and catastrophe.
0:00:16 > 0:00:18All of them face challenges.
0:00:20 > 0:00:24Smaller than a city, more intimate, much greener.
0:00:24 > 0:00:27Towns are where we first learned to be urban.
0:00:27 > 0:00:30Harbour towns, market towns,
0:00:30 > 0:00:33island towns, industrial towns.
0:00:33 > 0:00:37Collectively, they bind our land together.
0:00:37 > 0:00:41As a geographer, I believe towns are communities of the future.
0:00:48 > 0:00:49This time, I'm in Oban,
0:00:49 > 0:00:53a bustling harbour town on the west coast of Scotland.
0:00:53 > 0:00:57Its name comes from the Gaelic meaning little bay.
0:00:57 > 0:01:01Gathered around this bay are flourishes of Victorian grandeur,
0:01:01 > 0:01:06the usual seaside suspects and a world-renowned distillery.
0:01:06 > 0:01:08And that's just for starters.
0:01:11 > 0:01:14For over 200 years,
0:01:14 > 0:01:18this vibrant port has inspired artists, writers and travellers.
0:01:18 > 0:01:22Many using Oban as a gateway to the Western Isles.
0:01:25 > 0:01:29In Oban, I'll be investigating a curious paradox.
0:01:29 > 0:01:35How a town with so much to offer is overlooked by so many.
0:01:35 > 0:01:38I've done some fairly nutty adventures in my lifetime,
0:01:38 > 0:01:41- but this takes the biscuit. - Bob up and down.
0:01:41 > 0:01:45I'll be seeing why this town aspires to the title
0:01:45 > 0:01:47seafood capital of Scotland.
0:01:47 > 0:01:50Mm! Absolutely delicious!
0:01:50 > 0:01:53And I'll be experiencing the tremendous power of the landscape.
0:01:55 > 0:01:58That is literally awesome.
0:01:58 > 0:02:03Join me on a journey to discover the fascinating past,
0:02:03 > 0:02:09the challenging present and the dynamic future of towns.
0:02:30 > 0:02:34The town of Oban is the gateway to the Western Isles.
0:02:34 > 0:02:38At its heart, there's no market square or shopping precinct,
0:02:38 > 0:02:40but a thriving harbour.
0:02:41 > 0:02:46This waterfront has been the beginning of many a great adventure.
0:02:46 > 0:02:48And it's also a critical lifeline.
0:02:52 > 0:02:54For centuries, Oban has been a jump-off point
0:02:54 > 0:02:57for exploring the islands.
0:02:57 > 0:02:59This has fuelled an identity crisis.
0:02:59 > 0:03:05The town is torn between being a port and a destination.
0:03:05 > 0:03:07So, what do people think about the town?
0:03:09 > 0:03:11I want to know the word on the street.
0:03:11 > 0:03:13Or in this case, the ferry.
0:03:13 > 0:03:15What do you know about Oban?
0:03:15 > 0:03:19Just a little bit I've read in the Lonely Planet series on Scotland.
0:03:19 > 0:03:22- And what did that tell you? - Not very much, actually.
0:03:22 > 0:03:24So, how long did you spend in Oban?
0:03:24 > 0:03:26The 30 minutes while we were waiting for the ferry.
0:03:26 > 0:03:29Are you ever tempted to stop off in Oban on the way through?
0:03:29 > 0:03:33No. We didn't stop, we just drove up and got the ferry.
0:03:33 > 0:03:36But for some, it's a very different story.
0:03:36 > 0:03:38We're selling some shellfish.
0:03:38 > 0:03:41We're organising shellfish to go to Spain.
0:03:41 > 0:03:45- How important is Oban to your business?- It's very important.
0:03:45 > 0:03:47We couldn't really operate without Oban as a hub.
0:03:47 > 0:03:49It's a good place. We love it.
0:03:52 > 0:03:55Most people pass Oban with barely a sideways glance.
0:03:55 > 0:03:59While to others, it's the focus of their lives.
0:04:00 > 0:04:04So, what's behind this town of two sides?
0:04:11 > 0:04:15A first glimpse of Oban is rarely forgotten,
0:04:15 > 0:04:16especially from the sea.
0:04:24 > 0:04:28Until the arrival of roads and railways in the 19th century,
0:04:28 > 0:04:31the easiest way to reach the town was by boat.
0:04:33 > 0:04:35And in the summer of 1847,
0:04:35 > 0:04:39two very special visitors dropped anchor in Oban Bay.
0:04:41 > 0:04:45Queen Victoria and Prince Albert sailed here on the Royal Yacht.
0:04:47 > 0:04:50Writing in her diary, the Queen described it as,
0:04:50 > 0:04:54"One of the finest spots we have seen."
0:04:54 > 0:04:56I'm sailing for Oban, too,
0:04:56 > 0:05:01but my vessel's a little less regal than Queen Victoria's.
0:05:01 > 0:05:04Off the portside here is the isle of Kerrera.
0:05:04 > 0:05:08It's six miles long and lies like a gigantic breakwater
0:05:08 > 0:05:10just off the mainland shore,
0:05:10 > 0:05:14creating this passage of sheltered water.
0:05:14 > 0:05:16Kerrera is Oban's minder,
0:05:16 > 0:05:20protecting the town from the wind and the waves
0:05:20 > 0:05:23of the mighty Atlantic out there.
0:05:23 > 0:05:25Without Kerrera, Oban wouldn't exist.
0:05:33 > 0:05:38And here's Oban coming into view, nestled into the cliff face.
0:05:38 > 0:05:43The town's developed on a narrow strip of land around the bay.
0:05:43 > 0:05:46Buildings stacked like a giant amphitheatre.
0:05:47 > 0:05:52And dominating all, an extraordinary edifice that draws the eye.
0:05:52 > 0:05:56It's Oban's Blackpool Tower, its London Eye.
0:05:56 > 0:05:58Intended to brand the town as unique.
0:05:58 > 0:06:01This, I must see.
0:06:04 > 0:06:07McCaig's Tower.
0:06:07 > 0:06:11Hewn from local granite and inspired by the Coliseum of Rome,
0:06:11 > 0:06:17this so-called folly was added to the town's skyline in 1897.
0:06:17 > 0:06:20Its purpose remains a mystery
0:06:20 > 0:06:23because its creator, John Stuart McCaig,
0:06:23 > 0:06:25a local banker and landowner
0:06:25 > 0:06:27died before its completion.
0:06:28 > 0:06:33Some say there were plans for another storey, even a roof.
0:06:33 > 0:06:38And that statues of the McCaig family would adorn the arches.
0:06:38 > 0:06:41I've passed through Oban loads of times,
0:06:41 > 0:06:42usually in a bit of a rush.
0:06:42 > 0:06:46And whenever I've looked up and seen this thing looming above the roofs,
0:06:46 > 0:06:49I thought of it as McCaig's monstrosity.
0:06:49 > 0:06:52But now I've taken the time to come up here and have a look,
0:06:52 > 0:06:55I've changed my mind. It's like a sanctuary.
0:06:55 > 0:06:59It's part of this busy little town, and yet it's perfectly tranquil.
0:07:08 > 0:07:11This is a fantastic vantage point,
0:07:11 > 0:07:15a great place to get a sense of the geography of the town.
0:07:15 > 0:07:17At the southern end of the bay
0:07:17 > 0:07:20is the ferry port and the railway station.
0:07:21 > 0:07:27And to the north, a swathe of hotels stretching along the esplanade.
0:07:27 > 0:07:31You can see how the island of Kerrera protects the harbour
0:07:31 > 0:07:35and why it was such an attractive refuge for its earliest settlers.
0:07:52 > 0:07:57Rich in history, this land was once the ancient Kingdom of Dalriada.
0:07:59 > 0:08:02Dalriada was inhabited by the Scoti,
0:08:02 > 0:08:05Gaelic Irish who settled on the west coast of Scotland.
0:08:09 > 0:08:13In the 7th century, a major base for this vast kingdom
0:08:13 > 0:08:16was at the northern end of Oban Bay.
0:08:16 > 0:08:21Today, it's the site of Dunollie Castle.
0:08:21 > 0:08:25Built in the 13th century, this was the seat of the Clan MacDougall.
0:08:27 > 0:08:29Wow!
0:08:29 > 0:08:32These walls must be ten-feet thick.
0:08:33 > 0:08:35Up here, the chiefs of the Clan MacDougall
0:08:35 > 0:08:37must have felt all powerful.
0:08:38 > 0:08:42Looking north, they could see the mouth of Loch Linnhe,
0:08:42 > 0:08:43westward...
0:08:45 > 0:08:49..they guarded the Sound of Mull and the isles beyond.
0:08:50 > 0:08:54And southward, they could see all the way down the Sound of Kerrara,
0:08:54 > 0:08:58gateway to the isles of Jura and Islay.
0:09:00 > 0:09:04This incredible vantage point was the clan seat of the MacDougalls,
0:09:04 > 0:09:09commanding a territory of 250 square miles.
0:09:10 > 0:09:14Dunollie was abandoned in 1746.
0:09:14 > 0:09:19The MacDougalls turned their back on their wild Highland ways
0:09:19 > 0:09:21and embraced more sophisticated pleasures.
0:09:23 > 0:09:26I'm curious to know how the Clan moved on.
0:09:26 > 0:09:31And I'm hoping Catherine Gillies, curator of Dunollie House will help.
0:09:31 > 0:09:34What was life like when the family moved to Dunollie House?
0:09:34 > 0:09:36Well, it was very different.
0:09:36 > 0:09:39And they certainly had very different aspirations.
0:09:39 > 0:09:41What we've got here is a document from 1737.
0:09:41 > 0:09:45And it's the list of plenishings or possessions
0:09:45 > 0:09:47that were owned by the last chief to live in the castle,
0:09:47 > 0:09:50the great swashbuckling Jacobite Iain Ciar.
0:09:50 > 0:09:53We see the list of his belongings on his death,
0:09:53 > 0:09:57which have tartan and guns, pistols, broadswords.
0:09:57 > 0:09:59These are all sort of warlike things,
0:09:59 > 0:10:01the trappings of a clan chief.
0:10:01 > 0:10:04And his son Alexander was not warlike.
0:10:04 > 0:10:06He was an Edinburgh lawyer.
0:10:06 > 0:10:07He was drinking claret on the Royal Mile.
0:10:07 > 0:10:10And he built this house that we're sitting in now.
0:10:10 > 0:10:13What was the relationship between this new forward-looking clan
0:10:13 > 0:10:17and the emerging town of Oban?
0:10:17 > 0:10:23In 1746, Oban was genuinely nothing much more than a village.
0:10:23 > 0:10:25But there was one interesting crossover,
0:10:25 > 0:10:28which starts to give a sense of the town beginning,
0:10:28 > 0:10:32and that is the first identifiable urban industry,
0:10:32 > 0:10:34which was the tobacco industry.
0:10:34 > 0:10:37- And this is Oban Mixture.- Right.
0:10:37 > 0:10:40It's not like buying an ounce of ready-rub produced anywhere else.
0:10:40 > 0:10:44They were still in this mindset of producing their own Oban tobacco.
0:10:44 > 0:10:45This is 20th century tobacco,
0:10:45 > 0:10:49but it's evidence of a much, much older association
0:10:49 > 0:10:51with making your own weed, basically.
0:10:51 > 0:10:55But have a sniff of that. It may just blow your head off.
0:10:55 > 0:10:57Oh! Wow! That's strong, isn't it?
0:10:57 > 0:10:59Yes, it's incredibly strong.
0:10:59 > 0:11:01Back in the 18th century,
0:11:01 > 0:11:05tobacco arrived in Scottish waters 100 tons at a time.
0:11:05 > 0:11:08A ship called the Diamond plied directly between
0:11:08 > 0:11:13the Western Highlands and Virginia in America 3,500 miles away.
0:11:13 > 0:11:16The Diamond was owned by a local merchant
0:11:16 > 0:11:18and tobacco barons from Glasgow,
0:11:18 > 0:11:22eager to tap this emerging market.
0:11:22 > 0:11:25- This is a huge moment in Oban's history.- Yes. Totally.
0:11:25 > 0:11:29- A tobacco factory. "This is us, we're manufacturers now."- Yes.
0:11:29 > 0:11:33Did the MacDougalls buy into this emerging industry, tobacco?
0:11:33 > 0:11:34I'm sure they will have done.
0:11:34 > 0:11:36They were certainly great snuff-takers.
0:11:36 > 0:11:39And we've got more snuff boxes than you can shake a stick at.
0:11:39 > 0:11:43And we actually have the evidence on this document of handkerchiefs,
0:11:43 > 0:11:45a snuff box and a pair of gloves,
0:11:45 > 0:11:47which is a sort of gentleman's equipment
0:11:47 > 0:11:50for ingesting nicotine, pretty much.
0:11:53 > 0:11:56The Diamond made at least seven transatlantic crossings
0:11:56 > 0:12:01until the business finally ran into the rocks, literally.
0:12:01 > 0:12:05The Diamond was wrecked on the coast of Kerrara just over there,
0:12:05 > 0:12:09killing Oban's tobacco business for good.
0:12:09 > 0:12:13But it was replaced by something else that suited pleasure seekers.
0:12:13 > 0:12:15Whisky.
0:12:15 > 0:12:19I'm beginning to think that Oban was founded on fags and booze.
0:12:22 > 0:12:26As a town, Oban was a late starter.
0:12:26 > 0:12:30Until the 1700s, it was little more than a small fishing hamlet
0:12:30 > 0:12:34occupying the boggy mouth of a river.
0:12:34 > 0:12:39The tobacco industry gave it the beginnings of an identity.
0:12:39 > 0:12:41But it was a hard life.
0:12:41 > 0:12:44You lived here not out of choice, but because you had to.
0:12:45 > 0:12:51It was around this time that two strangers showed up in the bay.
0:12:51 > 0:12:53John and Hugh Stevenson.
0:12:53 > 0:12:55They were brothers.
0:12:55 > 0:13:01In just 20 years, the Stevensons transformed a sleepy fishing village
0:13:01 > 0:13:05into one of the busiest commercial centres on the west coast.
0:13:05 > 0:13:07And the town remembers them.
0:13:10 > 0:13:15John and Hugh were the Richard Bransons of their day.
0:13:15 > 0:13:17Businessmen with vision.
0:13:17 > 0:13:19Shipbuilders, stonemasons, traders,
0:13:19 > 0:13:23these men recognised a wealth of local opportunity.
0:13:23 > 0:13:28They capitalised on one of Oban's great natural elements,
0:13:28 > 0:13:32the quality of its water, and on the local love of a good dram.
0:13:32 > 0:13:35They built a distillery.
0:13:35 > 0:13:39It was seed from which the town of Oban grew.
0:13:43 > 0:13:46Today, the distillery is one of the oldest producers
0:13:46 > 0:13:49of single malt Scotch whisky.
0:13:49 > 0:13:52Teddy Maclean has worked here for 28 years.
0:13:53 > 0:13:56So, this is where all the whisky's stored?
0:13:56 > 0:13:59Yes. It's all stored in the warehouses.
0:13:59 > 0:14:04And every so often, we have to come in and just tap the cask
0:14:04 > 0:14:05just to make sure it's not leaking.
0:14:05 > 0:14:08- Oh, I see.- So it's just a...
0:14:08 > 0:14:10and you'll hear...
0:14:11 > 0:14:12- That's a full sound.- Yeah.
0:14:12 > 0:14:14So let's have you try that one there.
0:14:18 > 0:14:20- Is that a full sound? - That sounds pretty full to me.
0:14:20 > 0:14:24That's only filled this year, so that shouldn't be leaking at all.
0:14:24 > 0:14:27You must have seen a few barrels pass through this warehouse.
0:14:27 > 0:14:30Oh, yes. When I started, we used to come in here quite regular.
0:14:30 > 0:14:34And you would have to go in and do thousands of casks, to tap them,
0:14:34 > 0:14:36just to make sure they weren't leaking.
0:14:36 > 0:14:38How unusual is it to find a whisky distillery
0:14:38 > 0:14:40right in the centre of a town?
0:14:40 > 0:14:43You've got to remember now,
0:14:43 > 0:14:46Oban itself is actually built round the distillery.
0:14:46 > 0:14:49Because the distillery's been here since 1794.
0:14:49 > 0:14:54What makes 14 years the magic number for maturing the whisky?
0:14:54 > 0:14:58Well, Oban used to be 12-year-old at one time.
0:14:58 > 0:15:01And they reckoned that it brought out more flavour
0:15:01 > 0:15:03by making it 14-years-old.
0:15:03 > 0:15:06I've been here for so long, I'm on my second fill of a bottle.
0:15:06 > 0:15:08That's 28 years.
0:15:08 > 0:15:10Because it's 14-year-old oak.
0:15:10 > 0:15:14But the new boys starting off on the job, maybe been here five years,
0:15:14 > 0:15:16and they've got good points to bring up now and then,
0:15:16 > 0:15:20and you just say, "Just sit back and think about one thing.
0:15:20 > 0:15:23"You've never produced a bottle of whisky yet."
0:15:23 > 0:15:26- You haven't been here 14 years. - You haven't been here 14 years.
0:15:28 > 0:15:33The success of the distillery gave Oban confidence.
0:15:33 > 0:15:36No longer was it a string of humble fishermen's cottages.
0:15:36 > 0:15:40The distillery attracted other businesses.
0:15:40 > 0:15:41There was a new optimism.
0:15:43 > 0:15:48Recognition of Oban's potential came in 1811
0:15:48 > 0:15:50when it was granted its Royal Charter,
0:15:50 > 0:15:54giving it a prestige it hadn't known before.
0:15:54 > 0:15:57Until now, links with the outside world
0:15:57 > 0:15:59had been by sailing boat or along tracks
0:15:59 > 0:16:03that were better suited to cattle than to stage coaches.
0:16:03 > 0:16:05All that was about to change.
0:16:13 > 0:16:16First came the Clyde puffers,
0:16:16 > 0:16:20little cargo vessels that delivered coal and brought back whisky.
0:16:20 > 0:16:24And they were soon followed by tourists.
0:16:24 > 0:16:26The opening of the Crinan Canal
0:16:26 > 0:16:29meant that steamboats could make the journey
0:16:29 > 0:16:32between Glasgow and Oban in record time.
0:16:34 > 0:16:37But it was the arrival of the railway in 1880
0:16:37 > 0:16:39that brought mass tourism,
0:16:39 > 0:16:44establishing Oban as the unofficial capital of the west coast.
0:16:46 > 0:16:49The list of pioneering visitors to Oban
0:16:49 > 0:16:53reads a bit like a 19th century Who's Who.
0:16:53 > 0:16:55William Wordsworth came here,
0:16:55 > 0:16:58as did fellow poet and novelist Sir Walter Scott.
0:16:59 > 0:17:03The key to Oban's success was keeping visitors in the town.
0:17:03 > 0:17:05This proved tricky.
0:17:05 > 0:17:08In the 1860s, a traveller wrote,
0:17:08 > 0:17:11"The tourist no more thinks of spending a week in Oban
0:17:11 > 0:17:15"than he thinks of spending a week in a railway station."
0:17:15 > 0:17:19For the town to prosper, it couldn't just be a stopover,
0:17:19 > 0:17:22a place en route to somewhere else.
0:17:24 > 0:17:28Then, as now, publicity was all important.
0:17:28 > 0:17:30The Ward Lock Guide from 1897
0:17:30 > 0:17:34reveals how busy Oban had become.
0:17:34 > 0:17:36"On account of its convenience
0:17:36 > 0:17:39"as a centre for excursions in all directions,
0:17:39 > 0:17:44"Oban has been aptly named the Charing Cross of the Highlands."
0:17:44 > 0:17:47But this book, Black's Picturesque Guide to Scotland,
0:17:47 > 0:17:49published a few years earlier,
0:17:49 > 0:17:52sees beyond the transit lounge image.
0:17:53 > 0:17:55"Being of comparatively recent origin,
0:17:55 > 0:17:58"the streets and buildings have a clean, modern aspect.
0:17:58 > 0:18:01"A marine parade is formed along the shore.
0:18:01 > 0:18:06"Oban has now become a place of great resort."
0:18:06 > 0:18:09Reviews like this were the best form of advertising.
0:18:09 > 0:18:11They made the hoteliers very happy.
0:18:15 > 0:18:19As the town grew to service the demands of tourists,
0:18:19 > 0:18:23it also built up the industry that first gave it life.
0:18:24 > 0:18:27From its beginnings, Oban was a fishing hamlet.
0:18:27 > 0:18:33And by the end of the 19th century, fishing was big business.
0:18:33 > 0:18:39The railway meant catches could be whisked from port to plate in a day.
0:18:39 > 0:18:41Herring was especially important.
0:18:41 > 0:18:43Here on Railway Pier,
0:18:43 > 0:18:47fishing boats would unload their catches of silver darlings.
0:18:47 > 0:18:49Herring by the million
0:18:49 > 0:18:53that turned this wharf into a giant outdoor fishmongers.
0:18:57 > 0:19:00Today, the industry is not what it was,
0:19:00 > 0:19:03but amongst the survivors is Alan Watt,
0:19:03 > 0:19:07who runs a fishmongers tucked away on the Railway Pier.
0:19:07 > 0:19:10I'd walked passed the end of this alleyway loads of times
0:19:10 > 0:19:13- before I realised you were here. - Originally, it wasn't an alleyway.
0:19:13 > 0:19:17That was the edge of the pier at one time, a long time ago.
0:19:17 > 0:19:20I mean, we've been here since 1918
0:19:20 > 0:19:23and everyone likes to get their fish straight from the boats,
0:19:23 > 0:19:24so obviously, it's landed here.
0:19:24 > 0:19:28In the olden days, we used to literally drag it with a hook
0:19:28 > 0:19:29across to the shop and filleted it.
0:19:29 > 0:19:32When you say 1918, you look a bit young to have been here since 1918.
0:19:32 > 0:19:35Well, I'm the third generation to do this.
0:19:35 > 0:19:38My son's here now, so he's the fourth generation.
0:19:38 > 0:19:42So I'm sure we must be one of the oldest family businesses in town.
0:19:42 > 0:19:45What was the harbour like when you were a boy? How busy was it?
0:19:45 > 0:19:49They say at one point, you could walk across from the Railway Pier,
0:19:49 > 0:19:51which is this pier, to the North Pier,
0:19:51 > 0:19:53across the tops of the boats.
0:19:53 > 0:19:56There were masses of boats. It was a huge industry in those days.
0:19:56 > 0:19:59But I'm afraid that's all gone now.
0:20:03 > 0:20:07A town needs jobs to survive.
0:20:07 > 0:20:10Fishing still employs over a hundred people,
0:20:10 > 0:20:14but that's far less than in its heyday.
0:20:14 > 0:20:19Now there's a very different industry that employs locals.
0:20:19 > 0:20:23One that involves an unusual commute to work.
0:20:23 > 0:20:26It's just before eight in the morning and I'm boarding a boat
0:20:26 > 0:20:28taking workers to the Morvern Peninsula,
0:20:28 > 0:20:30about ten miles north of Oban.
0:20:30 > 0:20:33Many of the people here are from the town.
0:20:33 > 0:20:36It's wet and windy, blowing a force five to six out there.
0:20:36 > 0:20:39But for everyone here, it's a normal journey to work.
0:20:42 > 0:20:48These guys work at Glensanda, Europe's largest granite quarry.
0:20:48 > 0:20:50There are no roads into the site,
0:20:50 > 0:20:54so the only way to get to work is by sea.
0:20:54 > 0:20:58Ian Henry and Gwen Brown are regular commuters.
0:20:58 > 0:21:01Do you ever look at the weather forecast the night before
0:21:01 > 0:21:02to see what it's going to be like?
0:21:02 > 0:21:06When I first started here, I would get some of the night shift
0:21:06 > 0:21:08to text me in the morning if it was going to be rough.
0:21:08 > 0:21:12But after a while, it just becomes part of your journey
0:21:12 > 0:21:15and if it's rough, then you get a wee bit of adrenaline going. It's fine.
0:21:15 > 0:21:17You tend to find folk that start here,
0:21:17 > 0:21:20especially when they have their first winter,
0:21:20 > 0:21:23if they can't hack the rough crossings, then they don't last.
0:21:23 > 0:21:26But you get through your first winter, you get used to it.
0:21:26 > 0:21:29But when it's not like this, you know, you're always looking out.
0:21:29 > 0:21:33There's seals, sometimes you see the porpoises.
0:21:33 > 0:21:35The biggest thing I've seen is a basking shark.
0:21:35 > 0:21:39- On the way to work! - On the way to work, yeah, yeah, yeah.
0:21:39 > 0:21:40That's amazing!
0:21:40 > 0:21:43Yeah. There's lots to see if you do look.
0:21:43 > 0:21:46I'm not going to see that on a bus going through Camden in the morning.
0:21:46 > 0:21:48LAUGHTER
0:21:48 > 0:21:51And this is where they work.
0:21:51 > 0:21:55Glensanda is one of the top producers of granite in Europe,
0:21:55 > 0:21:59processing over seven million tonnes of rock a year.
0:22:01 > 0:22:03The geology here is fascinating.
0:22:03 > 0:22:07Glensanda granite was formed 420 million years ago
0:22:07 > 0:22:09when a series of powerful earth movements
0:22:09 > 0:22:12formed the Caledonian mountain range.
0:22:13 > 0:22:15Molten rock trapped inside these mountains
0:22:15 > 0:22:18cooled slowly to form granite.
0:22:18 > 0:22:20And it's quarried here, near Oban.
0:22:20 > 0:22:23Ian's offered to show me around.
0:22:23 > 0:22:25How much granite is in here, do you know?
0:22:25 > 0:22:28Up here, 800 million tons.
0:22:28 > 0:22:30800 million tons?!
0:22:30 > 0:22:32Yeah. That we have planning permission to extract.
0:22:32 > 0:22:35There's a lot more than that in the mountain round about.
0:22:35 > 0:22:37Physically, how big is this?
0:22:37 > 0:22:41It's probably about a mile and a quarter across here.
0:22:41 > 0:22:43How much have you taken out so far?
0:22:43 > 0:22:46Total tonnage we've shipped out of Glensanda
0:22:46 > 0:22:48is just under 130 million tons.
0:22:48 > 0:22:52- 130 million tons.- That's since 1986.
0:22:52 > 0:22:56The mountain is being dug from the inside outwards,
0:22:56 > 0:22:59creating a massive crater.
0:22:59 > 0:23:03Each one of these giant steps is 60-feet high.
0:23:03 > 0:23:07There's enough rock here to be quarrying for another hundred years.
0:23:07 > 0:23:12This is typical granite that's come off a blast. Um...
0:23:12 > 0:23:14all the stuff you see here has been blasted at some time.
0:23:14 > 0:23:16You can see it's mainly pink.
0:23:16 > 0:23:19The colour really comes from the cooling of the magma
0:23:19 > 0:23:21when the granite was formed.
0:23:21 > 0:23:23Where is this granite going to end up?
0:23:23 > 0:23:25After we have crushed it and screened it
0:23:25 > 0:23:27and got into the sizes the customer wants,
0:23:27 > 0:23:29we're sending it all over Europe.
0:23:29 > 0:23:31- Why do they like Scottish granite? - It's the best stuff.
0:23:31 > 0:23:34SIREN WAILS
0:23:34 > 0:23:35This is a first for me.
0:23:35 > 0:23:41130,000 tonnes of rock are about to be blasted from this cliff face.
0:23:53 > 0:23:56I felt it come up through my feet first.
0:23:56 > 0:23:59- You see the movement, then you hear the bang.- Yeah.
0:23:59 > 0:24:02It's quite a kind of emotional moment.
0:24:02 > 0:24:05I've never seen a mountain blown to bits before.
0:24:05 > 0:24:07I like mountains.
0:24:07 > 0:24:09I have to confess, I've mixed feelings.
0:24:09 > 0:24:13This is one of the most beautiful landscapes on earth.
0:24:13 > 0:24:16But explosions like these pay the people who work here.
0:24:16 > 0:24:20And Britain is built with rocks like this.
0:24:20 > 0:24:23All towns and cities are made of rock.
0:24:23 > 0:24:25All the buildings that you live in, that you use,
0:24:25 > 0:24:29all the hospitals, the libraries, everything is built with rock.
0:24:29 > 0:24:34After the blast, it's time to collect the granite for processing.
0:24:34 > 0:24:37And that calls for a very special vehicle.
0:24:37 > 0:24:41Each one of these trucks weighs 100 tons.
0:24:41 > 0:24:44And they each carry 100 tons of granite.
0:24:44 > 0:24:47The driver is Colin MacKenzie.
0:24:48 > 0:24:50Were you born in Oban? Is it your hometown?
0:24:50 > 0:24:52I was born in Oban. Born and bred in Oban.
0:24:52 > 0:24:55It's a lovely wee town.
0:24:55 > 0:24:57I've been aware of the quarry my whole life
0:24:57 > 0:25:00because it's a big employer in the local area.
0:25:00 > 0:25:03I think it employs about 200 people overall.
0:25:03 > 0:25:08And in terms of locals, it's a good 50%.
0:25:08 > 0:25:11It's vital, I would say vital to the local economy, absolutely.
0:25:14 > 0:25:18If I can line up the tail end of the skip with the orange light,
0:25:18 > 0:25:22we should be pretty much in the centre.
0:25:22 > 0:25:25- What's it like driving one of these, Colin?- It's actually good fun.
0:25:25 > 0:25:28When I saw the trucks, I thought, "I'd love to drive them!"
0:25:28 > 0:25:30It's just like being a big kid
0:25:30 > 0:25:33because they're just like big toys, like big Tonka toys.
0:25:33 > 0:25:35It's good fun. What do you drive in real life?
0:25:35 > 0:25:37In real life, it's an estate car.
0:25:37 > 0:25:40I could do with putting mine through the crusher.
0:25:40 > 0:25:42I don't think it'll see out another MOT.
0:25:42 > 0:25:45The whole truck's vibrating.
0:25:45 > 0:25:47It's like being in a lorry during an earthquake.
0:25:47 > 0:25:50It is. It's quite...it's quite something.
0:25:50 > 0:25:53That's 100 tons of granite...
0:25:53 > 0:25:54delivered safely.
0:25:57 > 0:26:01Granite pounds support Oban's economy.
0:26:01 > 0:26:03And there's another big employer.
0:26:03 > 0:26:05One that provides a service to the town
0:26:05 > 0:26:09and a lifeline to countless far-flung communities.
0:26:13 > 0:26:16From the islands of Iona and Coll
0:26:16 > 0:26:19to Mull and Tiree, Colonsay and Kerrera,
0:26:19 > 0:26:24the Royal Mail delivers six days a week, all year around.
0:26:24 > 0:26:27Not only does the mail have to make it to Oban,
0:26:27 > 0:26:30but the mail in Oban has to make the ferry.
0:26:31 > 0:26:35Posties here don't just do the rounds of the town,
0:26:35 > 0:26:39they sort mail for ten islands, too.
0:26:39 > 0:26:44This involves precision timing, decent weather and solid teamwork.
0:26:45 > 0:26:50Delivery Office Manager Ian Tibetts oversees operations.
0:26:50 > 0:26:53It's just after 8:00 in the morning.
0:26:53 > 0:26:56Vans have been arriving here since 4:30.
0:26:56 > 0:27:00It's a well-oiled machine, and it needs to be.
0:27:00 > 0:27:02This mail can't miss the ferry.
0:27:02 > 0:27:05This is the last van of the day from Glasgow
0:27:05 > 0:27:08and apparently, things are going to get hectic now.
0:27:08 > 0:27:11So this is where everyone's waiting to see how much mail there is.
0:27:11 > 0:27:14If that's stuffed to the roof, you know you've got a busy morning.
0:27:14 > 0:27:17Well, that's right. That's medium. That's quite a reasonable last load.
0:27:17 > 0:27:19Let's go and get some troops.
0:27:19 > 0:27:24These are items that are both for north and south of the Isle of Mull.
0:27:24 > 0:27:27So our job is basically to work out which van that goes in.
0:27:27 > 0:27:29So tell me, Nick, Aros?
0:27:29 > 0:27:32I haven't the faintest idea. Where's Aros? North or South Mull?
0:27:32 > 0:27:34- It's in the north of Mull.- OK.
0:27:34 > 0:27:37- Tuloise?- You got me there, as well. Where's that?
0:27:37 > 0:27:40This one's Tobermory. Now, you should know that one.
0:27:40 > 0:27:42- Er... - That's on the north of the island.
0:27:42 > 0:27:44Right, OK.
0:27:44 > 0:27:45- Wouldn't be very good at this.- OK.
0:27:45 > 0:27:50Many of these parcels are a result of internet shopping.
0:27:50 > 0:27:52Er...
0:27:53 > 0:27:55This is especially popular with islanders
0:27:55 > 0:27:58who don't have a high street lined with shops.
0:27:58 > 0:28:04Sadly, my mental map of the islands isn't as good as Ian's.
0:28:04 > 0:28:07- Lochaline. Where's that? - Lochaline is Movern.- OK.
0:28:07 > 0:28:09There we are! Not bad.
0:28:09 > 0:28:108:30. Well done.
0:28:16 > 0:28:18Let's get the mail down to the ferry now.
0:28:19 > 0:28:22This is all run with military efficiency.
0:28:27 > 0:28:29It's quite exciting, isn't it?
0:28:29 > 0:28:32The whole kind of buzz about getting the mail ready to go.
0:28:32 > 0:28:35It's the period when lots of things need to happen very quickly,
0:28:35 > 0:28:39so you need a good system to make it work.
0:28:39 > 0:28:43What happens when you suddenly find there's a big wind blowing,
0:28:43 > 0:28:45there's no ferry, it's not managed to make it?
0:28:45 > 0:28:47Er...huge disappointment.
0:28:48 > 0:28:51The first thing I need to find out is it just delayed
0:28:51 > 0:28:55or is it going to get cancelled for a significant period?
0:28:55 > 0:28:58- Is that the Calmac ferry coming in? - That's the one you see there now.
0:28:58 > 0:29:02- That's the boat.- So everything's gone according to plan.
0:29:02 > 0:29:03This is a good day.
0:29:05 > 0:29:08I'm used to living in landlocked London.
0:29:08 > 0:29:10I cycle or walk everywhere,
0:29:10 > 0:29:14or take tubes or buses that pass every few minutes.
0:29:15 > 0:29:16Things are different here.
0:29:16 > 0:29:20Life is driven by ferry timetables.
0:29:20 > 0:29:21There's no alternative.
0:29:21 > 0:29:25You make that ferry. You have no choice.
0:29:25 > 0:29:27- So there she is.- Bang on time. - Yeah, it's good.
0:29:27 > 0:29:31Even after doing this many times, I always think how nice it looks
0:29:31 > 0:29:35on a sunny day, seeing the ferry come in. It's really good.
0:29:36 > 0:29:40Delivering mail here is a bit like a relay race.
0:29:40 > 0:29:42Ian drives the van onboard
0:29:42 > 0:29:45and a postie on Mull drives it off the other side.
0:29:47 > 0:29:50The post is safely onboard, and so am I.
0:29:52 > 0:29:56Caledonian MacBrayne is Scotland's largest ferry company,
0:29:56 > 0:30:00sailing 30 vessels to 23 islands on the west coast.
0:30:00 > 0:30:04They carry four-and-a-half million passengers a year.
0:30:06 > 0:30:10Today, the ferries are affectionately nicknamed Calmac by locals.
0:30:10 > 0:30:13And they're as important as they ever were.
0:30:13 > 0:30:15Everything goes by sea.
0:30:15 > 0:30:19Not just people and vehicles, but livestock, medicines,
0:30:19 > 0:30:22food and fuel, refrigerators, televisions.
0:30:22 > 0:30:24You name it, it's on board.
0:30:27 > 0:30:29I'm on the good ship Isle of Mull.
0:30:29 > 0:30:31It's been the main lifeline
0:30:31 > 0:30:34between Oban and the island for over 20 years.
0:30:34 > 0:30:38And on the bridge today is Third Officer John Melvin.
0:30:40 > 0:30:42On a normal day, we'll do six double crossings.
0:30:42 > 0:30:46So that's 12 times across here. And it takes about 45 minutes.
0:30:46 > 0:30:50Depends upon the weather and the tide, but usually about 45.
0:30:51 > 0:30:52It's a very busy run. We carry...
0:30:52 > 0:30:56I think we've got nearly 500 people on board at the moment.
0:30:56 > 0:31:00How crucial is this service as a lifeline to the islands?
0:31:00 > 0:31:03I think it would be reasonable to say that if this ferry wasn't running,
0:31:03 > 0:31:05then life would become quite difficult.
0:31:05 > 0:31:09We...this morning carry the Co-op, the Spar wagon,
0:31:09 > 0:31:11lots of coaches with tourists,
0:31:11 > 0:31:14and the post, of course.
0:31:14 > 0:31:16So in one day, if the ferry wasn't running,
0:31:16 > 0:31:20people would very quickly see an impact on what was happening.
0:31:20 > 0:31:23What are your customers like, the ferry passengers?
0:31:23 > 0:31:27Occasionally what happens is somebody might drive on in Oban
0:31:27 > 0:31:29and then forget that they actually drove on
0:31:29 > 0:31:32and they'll walk off on the Craignure side.
0:31:34 > 0:31:35There are just 14 minutes
0:31:35 > 0:31:38to get all the passengers and vehicles off the ferry
0:31:38 > 0:31:41and reload for the next journey.
0:31:41 > 0:31:46Just like the Royal Mail, this, too, is about precision timing.
0:31:46 > 0:31:50TANNOY: "The lifejacket-donning instructions are displayed..."
0:31:50 > 0:31:51Lifelines are vital here.
0:31:54 > 0:31:56Oban was once home to another lifeline.
0:31:57 > 0:32:01One that proved to be crucial for the entire world.
0:32:06 > 0:32:08Out there in the bay are the remains
0:32:08 > 0:32:12of one of the wonders of 20th century engineering.
0:32:13 > 0:32:15This is where the transatlantic
0:32:15 > 0:32:19telephone cable system emerged from the sea.
0:32:19 > 0:32:22You can just see the pale line of the concrete plinth
0:32:22 > 0:32:25that used to encase the cables.
0:32:25 > 0:32:29The cables started their journey over 2,000 miles away
0:32:29 > 0:32:31in Newfoundland, Canada.
0:32:31 > 0:32:35And they came ashore here at Oban in Scotland.
0:32:35 > 0:32:39"Oban, Argyll, was chosen as the site for the Eastern Shore Terminal."
0:32:41 > 0:32:45This was the world's first transatlantic telephone cable.
0:32:45 > 0:32:47TAT for short.
0:32:48 > 0:32:52It was laid in the summers of 1955 and 1956.
0:32:52 > 0:32:57And in its first year, carried 300,000 calls.
0:33:00 > 0:33:03Oban offered one of the shortest routes across the Atlantic,
0:33:03 > 0:33:07so it was a natural choice for the engineers.
0:33:08 > 0:33:13This stump is all that remains of a tall post that once stood here
0:33:13 > 0:33:17warning fishing boats to stay well clear of the area.
0:33:17 > 0:33:20They didn't want anchors or trawling gear damaging cables.
0:33:21 > 0:33:25And up here is the terminal building.
0:33:25 > 0:33:28It's derelict now. Too dangerous for me to go inside.
0:33:28 > 0:33:31But this is where the cables were monitored,
0:33:31 > 0:33:34maintaining that vital link with America.
0:33:36 > 0:33:39"At the newly-constructed terminal station,
0:33:39 > 0:33:41"technicians and scientists were already busy
0:33:41 > 0:33:44"testing, turning theory into fact."
0:33:45 > 0:33:49This place would have been teeming with workers back then.
0:33:49 > 0:33:53Archie McGill was one of the men who worked on the cable.
0:33:53 > 0:33:55I was the leading hand.
0:33:55 > 0:33:58And we were winching, pulling the cable
0:33:58 > 0:34:01from the puffer, which was around the bay out there.
0:34:01 > 0:34:03- There was a ship out there?- Yes.
0:34:03 > 0:34:06- There must have been about 100 folk. Near enough.- Yeah.
0:34:06 > 0:34:10- And did you know how important it was, the job you were doing?- Yes.
0:34:10 > 0:34:15During the Cold War, when relations between the United States
0:34:15 > 0:34:17and the Soviet Union deteriorated,
0:34:17 > 0:34:19TAT got a new role.
0:34:20 > 0:34:22It was used to carry a hotline
0:34:22 > 0:34:24between the White House and the Kremlin.
0:34:25 > 0:34:28We all had to sign the Official Secrets Act.
0:34:28 > 0:34:31And another thing, as well, working on the lines,
0:34:31 > 0:34:35when you picked up a conversation, you couldn't repeat that.
0:34:35 > 0:34:40When you look back, what did the laying of the cable mean to you?
0:34:40 > 0:34:44Well, it meant to us communication. To see what that...
0:34:44 > 0:34:46I'd better not say another word.
0:34:46 > 0:34:49..stupid devil Khrushchev was up to.
0:34:49 > 0:34:50Kennedy put him in his place.
0:34:50 > 0:34:54When were you allowed to talk about what you'd done here on the beach?
0:34:54 > 0:34:56We never talked about it.
0:34:56 > 0:34:57No.
0:34:57 > 0:35:00We just said it was a new cable, that was all.
0:35:01 > 0:35:05They never asked. Nobody would be silly enough to ask us,
0:35:05 > 0:35:08unless they were Russians or whatever.
0:35:09 > 0:35:13Oban's lifeline was vital for transatlantic communication.
0:35:14 > 0:35:18But after the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962,
0:35:18 > 0:35:21TAT became critical.
0:35:21 > 0:35:24A way to avoid accidental nuclear war.
0:35:27 > 0:35:32Today, Oban's no longer a critical link in transatlantic communication.
0:35:32 > 0:35:37Technology has moved on and we use satellites instead.
0:35:37 > 0:35:40Oban's always been on the way to somewhere else.
0:35:40 > 0:35:45Whether it's a cable to America or a ferry to a Hebridean island.
0:35:45 > 0:35:47But the big question is,
0:35:47 > 0:35:51how much does this role as a transit town, as a gateway,
0:35:51 > 0:35:55as one end of a lifeline thrown to others,
0:35:55 > 0:35:57how much does this supportive role
0:35:57 > 0:36:01get in the way of Oban's ability to look after itself?
0:36:11 > 0:36:15Walking around town, it seems busy enough.
0:36:15 > 0:36:17There are plenty of tourists in the streets
0:36:17 > 0:36:21and locals going about their everyday business.
0:36:21 > 0:36:24But I've a sense there's something missing.
0:36:37 > 0:36:41Like any town centre, Oban's has the usual mix of chain stores
0:36:41 > 0:36:44and more interesting independent shops.
0:36:44 > 0:36:47The ones that bring character to any high street.
0:36:47 > 0:36:51But looking around, you couldn't say things look particularly healthy.
0:36:51 > 0:36:54There are just too many "for sale" and "to let" signs.
0:36:55 > 0:36:58There are also poignant reminders of better times.
0:36:58 > 0:37:03Architectural flourishes from an age of busily-clinking tills.
0:37:07 > 0:37:10Oban's a little frayed at the edges.
0:37:10 > 0:37:12Victorian Oban had self-belief.
0:37:12 > 0:37:15It was a port with a purpose.
0:37:15 > 0:37:19From the grandeur of its hotels to grandstanding McCaig's Tower,
0:37:19 > 0:37:21Oban got it right then.
0:37:21 > 0:37:25It invited visitors to part with their tourist pounds.
0:37:29 > 0:37:31This confidence eroded with time,
0:37:31 > 0:37:35until the town looked more to the islands than to its heart.
0:37:37 > 0:37:39There's a struggle here.
0:37:39 > 0:37:43Oban can't survive without the harbour at its centre,
0:37:43 > 0:37:46yet it's the harbour that draws people through the town
0:37:46 > 0:37:48to a ferry that takes them away.
0:37:50 > 0:37:54To change, Oban needs to generate its own business,
0:37:54 > 0:37:58to reinvent itself, to bring trade from the islands to the town.
0:37:58 > 0:38:01And there's evidence this is happening.
0:38:08 > 0:38:10Ever since the town's beginnings,
0:38:10 > 0:38:12rearing livestock has been a way of life.
0:38:14 > 0:38:16And some of the closest farmland to the harbour
0:38:16 > 0:38:20is on the nearby island of Kerrara.
0:38:20 > 0:38:23Getting sheep to market is more challenging than on the mainland.
0:38:23 > 0:38:27You can't just herd your livestock onto a trailer.
0:38:27 > 0:38:30Today's passengers, of the woolly four-legged variety,
0:38:30 > 0:38:32have to catch a ferry.
0:38:34 > 0:38:36We're ferrying lambs across for market.
0:38:36 > 0:38:38It's sale day today, Tuesday.
0:38:38 > 0:38:42They're very well-behaved, generally speaking.
0:38:46 > 0:38:50Livestock arrive in Oban harbour from the larger islands, too.
0:38:50 > 0:38:52Mull, Tiree, Coll and Bara,
0:38:52 > 0:38:54all converging on the town.
0:38:54 > 0:38:58The harbour is the vital link to their ultimate destination,
0:38:58 > 0:39:00Oban livestock market.
0:39:03 > 0:39:05Farmers Tim and Gill Vollum
0:39:05 > 0:39:07regularly make the journey from Kerrara.
0:39:07 > 0:39:10Farming on Kerrara sounds like a big adventure.
0:39:10 > 0:39:13Yes, it is. It is a really big adventure,
0:39:13 > 0:39:14and one we've just started out on.
0:39:14 > 0:39:17We took over my dad's farm in November last year.
0:39:17 > 0:39:20Do you feel new kids on the block in here?
0:39:20 > 0:39:22Yes, actually.
0:39:22 > 0:39:26Some of the farmers have been coming to Oban market for 30, 40 years.
0:39:26 > 0:39:28Yeah, absolutely.
0:39:28 > 0:39:32Is this market here, is Oban going to work for you?
0:39:32 > 0:39:33I think so, absolutely.
0:39:33 > 0:39:36I mean, it's set up, it's part of the infrastructure, you know.
0:39:36 > 0:39:39- It supplies hundreds and hundreds of farms.- It's a major part of Oban.
0:39:39 > 0:39:41We'd be lost without it.
0:39:44 > 0:39:47Oban livestock market is a local success story.
0:39:47 > 0:39:50It was founded nearly 20 years ago
0:39:50 > 0:39:52when the old market near the town centre
0:39:52 > 0:39:55was closed to make way for a supermarket.
0:39:56 > 0:40:00Local farmers were worried they'd have to transport livestock
0:40:00 > 0:40:02to markets 100 miles away,
0:40:02 > 0:40:05so they set about raising half-a-million pounds
0:40:05 > 0:40:08to build a new market on the edge of town.
0:40:09 > 0:40:12One of the founders was Malcolm Macdonald.
0:40:12 > 0:40:16How difficult was it to set the new market up here?
0:40:16 > 0:40:20It was really quite a difficult job to do,
0:40:20 > 0:40:24but the landowner, they donated the land.
0:40:24 > 0:40:27Oh, really? He gave it to you for nothing?
0:40:27 > 0:40:28- Well, for a nominal sum.- Yeah.
0:40:28 > 0:40:32So that gave a huge...a huge boost.
0:40:32 > 0:40:38It sounds as if the market in Oban has been kept alive on this new site
0:40:38 > 0:40:41because everybody in the town pulled together. Is that right?
0:40:41 > 0:40:44That's exactly what happened. The farming community
0:40:44 > 0:40:47and the business community in the area all came together.
0:40:47 > 0:40:49Are you pleased with what you achieved here?
0:40:49 > 0:40:52Exceedingly pleased and very proud.
0:40:52 > 0:40:54- Yeah?- Yes. It's great.
0:40:54 > 0:40:56For a lot of these farmers,
0:40:56 > 0:41:00Oban market is not just a place to buy and sell livestock.
0:41:00 > 0:41:03It's a break from island life.
0:41:03 > 0:41:07Once here, the camaraderie matters as much as the chequebook.
0:41:09 > 0:41:11We came over last night and put them in here
0:41:11 > 0:41:13and got ready for the sale today.
0:41:13 > 0:41:14So, that's a two-day trip for you?
0:41:14 > 0:41:16A two-day trip, yes, aye. Aye-aye.
0:41:16 > 0:41:19But they've travelled well, they're looking fine, so quite happy.
0:41:19 > 0:41:21How important is Oban market to you?
0:41:21 > 0:41:24Oh, it's very important. It's a show and sale today.
0:41:24 > 0:41:27So it's always good to get a few drams with the farmers later on
0:41:27 > 0:41:30and unwind and before you know it, they're two or three bottles down
0:41:30 > 0:41:32and we're all shaking hands at the end of the day.
0:41:32 > 0:41:33So it's a great day out.
0:41:36 > 0:41:39Here is Oban investing in itself.
0:41:40 > 0:41:43Just as the Stevensons had the vision to build a distillery,
0:41:43 > 0:41:48so these men and women had the foresight to rebuild their market.
0:41:49 > 0:41:55All this symbolises a remarkable flowering of community spirit.
0:41:55 > 0:41:57Of urban fortitude.
0:41:57 > 0:42:01The people who pulled together to build this new market know
0:42:01 > 0:42:03that Oban is a whole lot more
0:42:03 > 0:42:06than a blur you glimpse on the way to somewhere else.
0:42:20 > 0:42:24The lands and waters of Oban work hard for the town.
0:42:24 > 0:42:26And they provide a good living,
0:42:26 > 0:42:28not just for farmers and fishermen,
0:42:28 > 0:42:31quarry blasters and distillery workers,
0:42:31 > 0:42:32but for artists, too.
0:42:33 > 0:42:37JMW Turner sought inspiration on these shores.
0:42:37 > 0:42:39And today, there's a local artist
0:42:39 > 0:42:42with his own colourful take on the landscape.
0:42:43 > 0:42:46John Lowrie Morrison, known as Jolomo,
0:42:46 > 0:42:49is one of the most sought after in the country.
0:42:50 > 0:42:53This is an incredibly powerful landscape, John,
0:42:53 > 0:42:56but what are you seeing in it as an artist?
0:42:56 > 0:43:00What I'm seeing in places like Oban and Mull etc,
0:43:00 > 0:43:02is the light.
0:43:02 > 0:43:04I really try to always paint
0:43:04 > 0:43:08what the light is actually doing to the landscape.
0:43:08 > 0:43:10When you talk about light, what are you seeing?
0:43:10 > 0:43:14Well, the light, you look at the light there to your right,
0:43:14 > 0:43:17you're getting quite a lot of the colour,
0:43:17 > 0:43:21but as you look at the light to the back, it's kind of silhouetted.
0:43:21 > 0:43:23So it's that kind of changes
0:43:23 > 0:43:25that I like putting into paintings.
0:43:25 > 0:43:28And that's the kind of light I like the best,
0:43:28 > 0:43:31where nearly all the detail's been taken out.
0:43:31 > 0:43:34The gloaming, as we call it in Scotland,
0:43:34 > 0:43:37the twilight, is the best time for me for painting.
0:43:38 > 0:43:41John sells his paintings all over the world.
0:43:41 > 0:43:44And they range in price from several thousand pounds
0:43:44 > 0:43:47to tens of thousands.
0:43:47 > 0:43:50- This is where I work here. - Good heavens!
0:43:50 > 0:43:53What on earth...is that?
0:43:53 > 0:43:57That's 15 years' worth of rolled up tubes.
0:43:57 > 0:43:59I have been offered a lot of money for this.
0:43:59 > 0:44:01How much have people offered you to buy this?
0:44:01 > 0:44:03Oh, thousands of pounds. Thousands of pounds.
0:44:03 > 0:44:06I wish I could sell my junk for thousands of pounds.
0:44:06 > 0:44:09What about paintings? That's what I've come to look at.
0:44:09 > 0:44:11- Some paintings here.- Wow!
0:44:11 > 0:44:14Oban's just down here and this is up the Sound of Mull
0:44:14 > 0:44:17and it's the morning light.
0:44:17 > 0:44:21It strikes me that they're quite transitory fleeting moments.
0:44:21 > 0:44:24- Yeah, exactly.- How many paintings do you think you've created?
0:44:24 > 0:44:27Oh, crumbs! Certainly well over ten thousand.
0:44:27 > 0:44:29- Ten thousand?!- Mm-hm.
0:44:29 > 0:44:34I probably sell about 700 paintings a year.
0:44:34 > 0:44:38And do you have any paintings of Oban or the immediate neighbourhood?
0:44:38 > 0:44:40- I've got one I'm working on.- Ah!
0:44:40 > 0:44:42I've just got a bit more to do to it.
0:44:42 > 0:44:43So we're looking out across the harbour.
0:44:43 > 0:44:48The Catholic cathedral, where the ferry would go out of the bay.
0:44:48 > 0:44:50I'll maybe do a wee bit just now.
0:44:50 > 0:44:52- Oh, really?- Oh, yeah, yeah. Why not?
0:44:52 > 0:44:55Are you happy for me to keep chatting while you're painting?
0:44:55 > 0:44:57Yes, um...Yeah.
0:44:57 > 0:44:59I haven't had an audience before ever.
0:44:59 > 0:45:02If I start throwing paint brushes at you, you know...
0:45:02 > 0:45:03THEY LAUGH
0:45:06 > 0:45:08Are you conscious that you're painting a shared view?
0:45:08 > 0:45:11This is one of the busiest towns on the west coast.
0:45:11 > 0:45:14I've thought of that before because I have painted this view before
0:45:14 > 0:45:16from slightly different angles
0:45:16 > 0:45:19and every sunset's different, so you get different colours.
0:45:19 > 0:45:23How much have you learned about Oban, from looking at it?
0:45:23 > 0:45:27I've painted Oban a lot over the years,
0:45:27 > 0:45:30er...from all different angles.
0:45:30 > 0:45:36It's one of these sort of towns that lends itself to being painted.
0:45:36 > 0:45:39There's so many areas that I just love painting.
0:45:39 > 0:45:41I love painting Oban.
0:45:45 > 0:45:49John paints places, meaningful locations.
0:45:49 > 0:45:51Oban is one of them.
0:45:51 > 0:45:56And these places, these landscapes captured on canvas,
0:45:56 > 0:45:57have a meaning for everyone.
0:45:57 > 0:46:01Whether they're foreigners rushing through town to catch a ferry,
0:46:01 > 0:46:05or whether they're locals waiting for a bus in George Street.
0:46:05 > 0:46:09Landscape paintings are one way of expressing a sense of place.
0:46:09 > 0:46:12They're place creators.
0:46:12 > 0:46:15Framing a view with brush and oil is like saying,
0:46:15 > 0:46:20"This is a place. Stop, look, enjoy!"
0:46:24 > 0:46:30The Oban area is underpinned by some fascinating geology.
0:46:30 > 0:46:33Volcanic lavas, conglomerates,
0:46:33 > 0:46:36sedimentary rocks 400 million-years-old,
0:46:36 > 0:46:39all attacked by the wild Atlantic.
0:46:41 > 0:46:45Sea and rock come together to create a rugged coast
0:46:45 > 0:46:48and a wonderful adventure playground.
0:46:48 > 0:46:51I'm at Ganavan Bay just outside town,
0:46:51 > 0:46:54and I'm about to get a taste of adventure.
0:46:54 > 0:46:58To see the coast close up, enjoy its wonderful views,
0:46:58 > 0:47:00most people take to the sea in a kayak
0:47:00 > 0:47:02or take a walk along the cliffs.
0:47:02 > 0:47:05Not me. I'm about to go coasteering.
0:47:09 > 0:47:12Helping me on my way is Niall Urquhart,
0:47:12 > 0:47:15a founder of social enterprise group Stramash.
0:47:15 > 0:47:18- Hi, there.- Hello, Nick. - All set?- Yes.
0:47:18 > 0:47:22Niall trains local apprentices to be outdoor leaders.
0:47:22 > 0:47:26And today, he's introducing me to Oban's wild side.
0:47:26 > 0:47:28What exactly is coasteering?
0:47:28 > 0:47:30Well, coasteering's a journey.
0:47:30 > 0:47:33It's a journey along the coastline, really at water level.
0:47:33 > 0:47:36So it's a wee bit of scrambling along the rocks,
0:47:36 > 0:47:39a bit of swimming, a wee bit of jumping in, as well.
0:47:39 > 0:47:41So a journey along the seashore.
0:47:41 > 0:47:44They invented footpaths so you didn't have to do this.
0:47:44 > 0:47:46You won't believe it, but some days,
0:47:46 > 0:47:49you come out here and the water's like glass.
0:47:49 > 0:47:51LAUGHTER
0:47:53 > 0:47:55- How you doing?- Not bad.
0:48:02 > 0:48:05- You OK?- Yep.
0:48:07 > 0:48:09You've got to laugh.
0:48:09 > 0:48:11If you do get swept out, float in the waves.
0:48:11 > 0:48:13Bob up and down.
0:48:29 > 0:48:31It's like being in a washing machine.
0:48:31 > 0:48:34Each time you think you've spotted a good foothold,
0:48:34 > 0:48:37it just disappears and you get swamped in froth.
0:48:37 > 0:48:42Yeah. And you can feel the suction of the wave as it pulls you back out.
0:48:42 > 0:48:45So that's part of the excitement and the fun of it, as well.
0:48:45 > 0:48:49I'll give you that, it is exciting. It's also absolutely mad.
0:48:49 > 0:48:51It is a little bit, yes.
0:48:51 > 0:48:55This is obviously something that Oban can offer
0:48:55 > 0:48:59that many other outdoor pursuit places perhaps would struggle with.
0:48:59 > 0:49:02Yeah. That's the amazing thing about Oban for outdoors.
0:49:02 > 0:49:05You've got coasteering, fantastic venues like this.
0:49:05 > 0:49:08You've got sea kayaking, some of the best in Europe.
0:49:08 > 0:49:09Sailing, as well.
0:49:09 > 0:49:11You're not far from the mountains, you've got gorges.
0:49:11 > 0:49:15It really is becoming the outdoor place in Scotland.
0:49:15 > 0:49:16So, can we do some more, Niall?
0:49:16 > 0:49:18Yeah, absolutely. Everyone up for it?
0:49:18 > 0:49:20- Yeah.- Yeah? OK, let's go, then.
0:49:22 > 0:49:24Here's a resource that's free,
0:49:24 > 0:49:29abundant and provides jobs for these apprentices, too.
0:49:29 > 0:49:33And it's local, just what the town needs.
0:49:33 > 0:49:36Well, we've got a bit of a surprise for you, Nick. Are you up for that?
0:49:36 > 0:49:39- Try me.- Yeah, come on. We'll head off up this way.
0:49:39 > 0:49:42I'm getting used to Niall's surprises by now.
0:49:42 > 0:49:45A little bit of fear, followed by a lot of fun.
0:49:48 > 0:49:51We've got a brilliant wee jump to finish with here.
0:49:51 > 0:49:54When you're going off, keep your legs together
0:49:54 > 0:49:57and either your arms by your side or up above your head,
0:49:57 > 0:49:58whichever you find easiest.
0:49:58 > 0:50:02OK? And it's good fun. Just enjoy yourself as you're going down there.
0:50:02 > 0:50:03OK?
0:50:03 > 0:50:06Geronimo!
0:50:08 > 0:50:09It's a very long way down.
0:50:10 > 0:50:12Geronimo!
0:50:21 > 0:50:24Coasteering is all in a day's work for these guys.
0:50:24 > 0:50:27And what an amazing job to have.
0:50:27 > 0:50:29You've got sea, terrific landscape
0:50:29 > 0:50:31and even the sun has come out.
0:50:31 > 0:50:34Outdoor adventure doesn't get much better than this.
0:50:36 > 0:50:39Oban has the sea, an unspoilt coastline,
0:50:39 > 0:50:43mountains, lochs, all of them right on the doorstep.
0:50:43 > 0:50:47I'm wondering why it took so long to embrace them.
0:50:47 > 0:50:49Perhaps the town was just too preoccupied
0:50:49 > 0:50:52in helping people get from A to B.
0:50:52 > 0:50:57Whatever the reason, Oban is finding its feet as an adventure town.
0:50:57 > 0:51:00So, what other strengths lie hidden?
0:51:05 > 0:51:07Like many harbour towns,
0:51:07 > 0:51:10Oban has a selection of seafood restaurants
0:51:10 > 0:51:12catering for all tastes and pockets.
0:51:12 > 0:51:15From fish and chips to a la carte dining.
0:51:18 > 0:51:22Alan McLeod has been in the restaurant business for 40 years
0:51:22 > 0:51:25and relocated to Oban 10 years ago.
0:51:25 > 0:51:29He spotted Oban's potential for getting the fish from the sea
0:51:29 > 0:51:32to your plate in record time.
0:51:32 > 0:51:35You really are right on the waterfront here, aren't you?
0:51:35 > 0:51:37We're right on the water's edge, Nick, yes.
0:51:37 > 0:51:39Alan has a small group of fishermen
0:51:39 > 0:51:43dedicated to catching seafood destined for his tables.
0:51:43 > 0:51:46Gordon Lamb fishes for langoustines.
0:51:46 > 0:51:49Gordon's been fishing for us for the last ten years.
0:51:49 > 0:51:51Never lets me down.
0:51:51 > 0:51:54Hate him to have to take a holiday.
0:51:54 > 0:51:55THEY LAUGH
0:51:57 > 0:52:00- Alan.- Hello, Gordon. - How are you doing?- I'm good.
0:52:00 > 0:52:04You managed to get a prawn or two today, or is it the usual?
0:52:04 > 0:52:06Just the usual. Life's a struggle.
0:52:06 > 0:52:10Freshly-caught langoustine, straight out the water.
0:52:10 > 0:52:11Ah, right.
0:52:11 > 0:52:14There's a few whoppers in amongst that.
0:52:14 > 0:52:17You usually put the whoppers to the top, Gordon.
0:52:17 > 0:52:19That's not true, that's not true at all.
0:52:19 > 0:52:21This is what we're looking for.
0:52:21 > 0:52:24Good lively prawns waving their arms about,
0:52:24 > 0:52:26saying goodbye to Gordon and hello to us.
0:52:26 > 0:52:29And how important is it to you, Alan,
0:52:29 > 0:52:32to be able to buy fish like this seafood straight from the quayside?
0:52:32 > 0:52:34It's what we pride ourselves on,
0:52:34 > 0:52:38being able to get fish within 20 metres of the restaurant.
0:52:38 > 0:52:42And Gordon never lets us down. It's very important to us.
0:52:42 > 0:52:45So, how long since this came off the seabed?
0:52:45 > 0:52:48They've not been out the water more than three hours, four hours at the most.
0:52:48 > 0:52:52How long till you could have this on a plate in your restaurant?
0:52:52 > 0:52:55It'll be on the table within an hour. Is that fresh enough?
0:52:55 > 0:52:58It makes it quite difficult for restaurants in Glasgow and London
0:52:58 > 0:53:00- to compete really, doesn't it? - Well, how could they?
0:53:00 > 0:53:03How could they possibly? They'd have to fly them down there.
0:53:03 > 0:53:06And even at that, they're not going to compete.
0:53:06 > 0:53:08What do they taste like?
0:53:08 > 0:53:10You're going to taste them shortly.
0:53:10 > 0:53:13Right. Well, thank you very much, Gordon.
0:53:13 > 0:53:15- I thought I'd get invited for lunch. - THEY LAUGH
0:53:15 > 0:53:18- You're very welcome. - No, you're fine.
0:53:18 > 0:53:20- Thanks, Gordon.- Cheers. - Cheers. I'll speak to you again.
0:53:20 > 0:53:22- Thanks, Gordon.- Bye.
0:53:27 > 0:53:29Oban's like any seasonal town.
0:53:29 > 0:53:34In summer, its population swells to around 20,000 people.
0:53:34 > 0:53:38That's a lot of hungry mouths to feed.
0:53:38 > 0:53:41But off-season, it's a very different story,
0:53:41 > 0:53:45with numbers struggling to reach just 9,000.
0:53:45 > 0:53:47The key to Oban's long-term success
0:53:47 > 0:53:50is sustaining itself throughout the year.
0:53:50 > 0:53:54And that's what Alan and other businessmen are trying to do.
0:53:54 > 0:53:56- Enjoy.- Thank you, Alan. No sauces then.
0:53:56 > 0:53:59No sauces. You won't need them. They're delicious.
0:53:59 > 0:54:02Thank you. Wow! Look at that.
0:54:05 > 0:54:09Oban thinks it's the seafood capital of Scotland.
0:54:09 > 0:54:13Well, that says an awful lot about this town's sense of self-belief.
0:54:13 > 0:54:16A belief that it's not just a portal to other places,
0:54:16 > 0:54:21but that it's one of Scotland's hotspots, a place in its own right.
0:54:24 > 0:54:26Mm! Absolutely delicious!
0:54:26 > 0:54:28And the seafood business
0:54:28 > 0:54:32is not the only glimmer of hope on Oban's horizon.
0:54:32 > 0:54:36A group of young folk are reviving Oban's cultural roots.
0:54:36 > 0:54:38BAGPIPE RECITAL
0:54:41 > 0:54:46Welcome to Skipinnish Ceilidh House, the cultural hub of Oban.
0:54:49 > 0:54:53I'm helping founder Rachel Walker drum up support for tonight's show.
0:54:53 > 0:54:55Do you fancy coming to a ceilidh tonight?
0:54:55 > 0:54:57Oh, yes, that sounds good. Where's that?
0:54:57 > 0:54:59Good. Just over the road there.
0:54:59 > 0:55:02We've got fiddle, pipes, Gaelic singing, Highland dancing.
0:55:02 > 0:55:04You can get up and do some ceilidh dancing.
0:55:04 > 0:55:06- Are you going to teach us? - We are. Yes.
0:55:06 > 0:55:07I'm not going to teach you.
0:55:07 > 0:55:09No, that's all right. I'm happy with that.
0:55:09 > 0:55:10THEY LAUGH
0:55:10 > 0:55:14So in a way, you're keeping the Gaelic culture alive by doing this
0:55:14 > 0:55:17because maybe there'll be youngsters thinking, "I'd Like to learn that."
0:55:17 > 0:55:20And they might grow up and pass it on to their children.
0:55:20 > 0:55:21We believe Gaelic music is,
0:55:21 > 0:55:24I don't know, one of the jewels in the crown of the Highlands.
0:55:24 > 0:55:26And we just want to showcase it. Show it off.
0:55:28 > 0:55:32The house is filling. And what a mix of people here.
0:55:32 > 0:55:34Tourists getting a traditional night out
0:55:34 > 0:55:36and locals getting employment
0:55:36 > 0:55:39and a chance to celebrate their heritage.
0:55:40 > 0:55:45Well, the stage is set, the band's ready. Let the fun begin.
0:55:45 > 0:55:47Hold on tight, here it comes.
0:55:47 > 0:55:50BAND BEGINS TO PLAY
0:56:05 > 0:56:08Part of me is concentrating on one step forward,
0:56:08 > 0:56:11two steps back, twist and turn.
0:56:11 > 0:56:16And the other part is being swept along by the band and the banter.
0:56:16 > 0:56:20Everyone here is joining in, is as one.
0:56:21 > 0:56:24And now and again, I get a flash of the view across Oban Bay,
0:56:24 > 0:56:27as if it's reminding me where I am.
0:56:36 > 0:56:38APPLAUSE
0:56:40 > 0:56:43I've not had time to get my breath back
0:56:43 > 0:56:46and Rachel is up singing a Gaelic song.
0:56:46 > 0:56:49The song of women working with newly-woven tweeds,
0:56:49 > 0:56:52celebrating the cloth and their companionship.
0:56:52 > 0:56:55RACHEL SINGS IN GAELIC
0:57:07 > 0:57:11I think Oban is on the verge of finding itself once again.
0:57:12 > 0:57:16And while arrivals and departures are a way of life here,
0:57:16 > 0:57:19there's a heartbeat in the town that's getting louder.
0:57:19 > 0:57:23A beat that sounds regardless of the ferry schedule.
0:57:24 > 0:57:28This town can be both a port and a destination.
0:57:36 > 0:57:38What a place.
0:57:38 > 0:57:41This gateway between highlands and islands.
0:57:41 > 0:57:45But it's an awful lot more than a waiting room, a transit town,
0:57:45 > 0:57:49a portal between two very different worlds.
0:57:49 > 0:57:53If you hesitate here, it's very hard to leave.
0:57:53 > 0:57:57It's inspiring, it's beautiful, it's forward looking.
0:57:57 > 0:58:00It's a little gem with a lot of soul.
0:58:02 > 0:58:04Next time, I'm in Saffron Walden,
0:58:04 > 0:58:07where I'll be investigating a town at tipping point.
0:58:07 > 0:58:10I do have an objection to seeing a sign up that says,
0:58:10 > 0:58:13"Thousands of new homes in Saffron Walden," when it's not true!
0:58:13 > 0:58:17I'll be discovering what makes a commuter town tick.
0:58:17 > 0:58:18495?!
0:58:18 > 0:58:22And I'll see what gives Saffron Walden its unique name.
0:58:22 > 0:58:25Three strands of saffron in every flower.
0:58:27 > 0:58:29Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd