:00:00. > :00:00.Tonight, after Manchester, how safe are we on a weekend
:00:00. > :00:10.Plus rugby legend Gavin Hastings and wife Diane are here to talk
:00:11. > :00:39.Welcome to Timeline, where we're also marking 15 years
:00:40. > :00:42.of the Falkirk Wheel, and checking out the spectacular
:00:43. > :00:45.scenery of Scotland's answer to Route 66.
:00:46. > :00:48.That's the North Coast 500 - stand-by for some
:00:49. > :00:58.Plus what happens when you take ponies into a care home?
:00:59. > :01:05.This week's atrocity in Manchester has prompted a major
:01:06. > :01:07.review of security and led to the announcement that more
:01:08. > :01:10.armed police will be deployed across Scotland
:01:11. > :01:15.It also saw the threat level increased, to the highest
:01:16. > :01:20.As we will see here now, there's a weekend of major events ahead,
:01:21. > :01:23.including tomorrow's visit of Barack Obama to the capital,
:01:24. > :01:27.Saturday's Scottish Cup Final, and the Edinburgh Marathon.
:01:28. > :01:31.So what's the best way to respond to any potential threat?
:01:32. > :01:34.Earlier I discussed this with the human rights lawyer
:01:35. > :01:37.Aamer Anwar, and first, former Justice Secretary Kenny
:01:38. > :01:46.MacAskill, who gave his view on more armed police on our streets.
:01:47. > :01:52.I think it's necessary. It's the world in which we live. Every
:01:53. > :01:55.government, both the British and Scottish, have a duty to keep their
:01:56. > :02:03.citizens safe and part of the armed police to reassure individual
:02:04. > :02:08.through a lot concerned. -- reassure individuals who are concerned. It
:02:09. > :02:11.will be scaled down once the security is moved from critical
:02:12. > :02:16.severe again. But at the moment to deter those who would perpetrate
:02:17. > :02:21.harm and to reassure honest citizens, high visibility is
:02:22. > :02:23.necessary. This has personal residence for you, the attack in
:02:24. > :02:29.Manchester, because you were born there and have family there. Yes,
:02:30. > :02:32.Mike two nieces probably would have been at the concert with my sister
:02:33. > :02:37.had they not had exams, so when I switched on the TV and saw this
:02:38. > :02:40.horror, they go several times a year and the fact that contacting
:02:41. > :02:48.friends, wanted to know their kids were OK, that their families were OK
:02:49. > :02:52.for me the issue very much was when it's about speaking with people,
:02:53. > :02:56.bombs don't distinguish race, colour and creed. This affects the whole
:02:57. > :02:59.community. We need to remember that in terms of what the solution is on
:03:00. > :03:02.the solution is the humanity and compassion we see in Manchester,
:03:03. > :03:08.that we saw at the jewel in Glasgow and cities across the country, how
:03:09. > :03:11.people feel about this. They struck at children, because they want to
:03:12. > :03:14.cause horror. They want to unleash our anger and throw away all the
:03:15. > :03:19.liberties and securities we take for granted in this country, to sow
:03:20. > :03:24.division. And have fear. And obviously, I asked my sister the
:03:25. > :03:27.question, she said, I'm not going to let my children go to a concert
:03:28. > :03:32.again. I said, you can't do that. This is what they want. I know when
:03:33. > :03:35.I came to this city when I was 18 years old music was the catalyst
:03:36. > :03:38.that tore down racial and political barriers and that's exactly what
:03:39. > :03:43.these people don't want and the way we do defeat them, obviously we have
:03:44. > :03:46.police, we need resources, we want these individuals caught soon as
:03:47. > :03:50.soon as possible but life, I don't often agree with the Prime Minister,
:03:51. > :03:54.which is our way of life has to prevail which includes music, dance,
:03:55. > :03:58.singing, football, and it has to go on. I know this weekend there will
:03:59. > :04:01.be football, there will be music, there will be events that memorials
:04:02. > :04:05.and people in Majesty will unite with the rest of the people in this
:04:06. > :04:09.country. Some have said the presence of armed police in the streets plays
:04:10. > :04:13.into the terrorists' hands because they want to frighten others into
:04:14. > :04:17.curbing liberties. Does that concern you? Oh, I think actually the advice
:04:18. > :04:23.given some years back was prescient in the criticism of the former Duke
:04:24. > :04:28.cost has been shown to be fair, the concept that officers should have
:04:29. > :04:33.their weapons locked away as fanciful when we have seen what has
:04:34. > :04:37.happened in London. These people are trying to attack not just our
:04:38. > :04:42.democracy but our values and our way of life and that causes great
:04:43. > :04:44.difficulties. The solution rests in intelligence. But we do have to be
:04:45. > :04:51.prepared for it. That's why there has to be armed police there. There
:04:52. > :04:55.does have to be visible, I think citizens could expect no less, that
:04:56. > :04:58.can't at the end of the day protected because that's why they
:04:59. > :05:01.attack aeroplanes, because it is symbolic of the Western world. Why
:05:02. > :05:05.do they attack football matches in Paris, or pop concerts with
:05:06. > :05:08.youngsters in in Manchester? It's because they view was as decadent
:05:09. > :05:12.and depraved to some extent in how we live. These soft targets are
:05:13. > :05:16.always going to be there, which is why both the police and security
:05:17. > :05:19.services require to protect them because they are targeting. That's
:05:20. > :05:24.why security at airports is necessary. It's why the checks we go
:05:25. > :05:27.through on planes might seem superfluous, but actually there is
:05:28. > :05:31.the desire to take down aviation because as -- because of its
:05:32. > :05:37.symbolism and likewise tragically, a friendly game between fans and Paris
:05:38. > :05:41.in -- France and Germany in Paris, or a pop concert, it's attacking the
:05:42. > :05:45.soft culture we have in the west, so we need to protect these things. Do
:05:46. > :05:50.you have concerns, Aamer Anwar, that peace-loving Muslims will feel once
:05:51. > :05:54.again targeted? I don't want to see a climate of fear where people are
:05:55. > :05:57.marked out because of the colour of their skin, where there is a climate
:05:58. > :06:07.of suspicion. That's the danger. Last time we were in the situation
:06:08. > :06:12.was 7/7, John Charles De is was shot dead and that's danger that lies
:06:13. > :06:15.ahead. The real issue is how to defeat terror is community-based
:06:16. > :06:20.intelligence. That won't come from the reassurance of armed police
:06:21. > :06:23.officers on the streets, but it's actually going to come from people
:06:24. > :06:28.contacting. There's a question about Salman Abbey-Leigh, five times over
:06:29. > :06:30.five years members of the Muslim community contacted the security
:06:31. > :06:35.services and said they had concerns about this individual -- Salman
:06:36. > :06:39.Abedi. Web with thanks for joining us.
:06:40. > :06:40.It's an engineering marvel which links two
:06:41. > :06:43.of Scotland's main canals - and doubles as a tourist
:06:44. > :06:46.The Falkirk Wheel has been a huge success since it
:06:47. > :06:49.Now, it's marking that anniversary with a special event this
:06:50. > :07:17.The Falkirk Wheel is 15 years old. In fact, 15 years old this week. It
:07:18. > :07:22.was opened by the Queen in a fanfare of excitement. We are absolutely
:07:23. > :07:27.thrilled to be celebrating this Saturday. We're expecting 5000-6000
:07:28. > :07:31.people to come and join us for the biggest birthday party the Falkirk
:07:32. > :07:35.Wheel has ever had. We've got lots of entertainment, from Romans, the
:07:36. > :07:39.real Romans coming to entertain people. We've got street theatre,
:07:40. > :07:43.we've got the biggest birthday cake the Falkirk Wheel has ever had, and
:07:44. > :07:48.it promises to be a really fantastic day. The Falkirk Wheel replaces a
:07:49. > :07:53.series of locks that originally existed to join the Forth and Clyde
:07:54. > :08:00.Canal with the Union Canal, which is around 35 metres higher up the land.
:08:01. > :08:05.The Falkirk Wheel essentially has two gondolas. It lifts water and
:08:06. > :08:10.boats using the power of eight kettles, no more, and it lifts
:08:11. > :08:17.boasts between those two canals. We get about 500,000 people year, many
:08:18. > :08:21.of whom want to come on the boat trips, some who take photos and
:08:22. > :08:25.marvel at the incredible engineer, and people come from all over the
:08:26. > :08:30.world to see this really unique attraction. Well, we just went up
:08:31. > :08:36.and round, like we are here now. Very enjoyable. It's not until you
:08:37. > :08:40.take the trip up and back you fully understand and appreciate what's
:08:41. > :08:46.gone behind in inventing that. Absolutely incredible. There's a
:08:47. > :08:50.magic about this place. It's nice. It looks marvellous, I've never seen
:08:51. > :08:53.anything like it. I don't care what the weather people say, we're
:08:54. > :08:59.expecting sunshine, so if you're at a loose end this weekend this is a
:09:00. > :09:00.great place to come and spend your time. Ewan-macro great weather this
:09:01. > :09:03.weekend. Looks fun. He's one of the most famous rugby
:09:04. > :09:06.players Scotland has ever produced. This one was a captain
:09:07. > :09:16.of the British and Irish Lions - And this weekend it's his wife Diane
:09:17. > :09:19.who's in the spotlight, as they're running as part
:09:20. > :09:22.of a relay team in the Edinburgh Marathon to raise
:09:23. > :09:24.money for Parkinson's. Diane was diagnosed with Parkinson's
:09:25. > :09:26.in 2003, and recently had a ground-breaking operation
:09:27. > :09:36.to improve things. I'm delighted to see you looking so
:09:37. > :09:41.well. Thank you. You've been living with Parkinson's for 14 years.
:09:42. > :09:44.What's life be like for you on the family in that time? Really, when I
:09:45. > :09:48.was first diagnosed my main issue was to bring the children up as well
:09:49. > :09:57.as I could and I think we've managed to do that. Honestly, they are
:09:58. > :10:01.lovely children! Yes, I think have established that, so one side done
:10:02. > :10:10.that my condition did deteriorate quite quickly last year, so that's
:10:11. > :10:14.when we decided to go down the way of the DVS operation, which has been
:10:15. > :10:19.an amazing success, given me a new lease of life. Tell me about the
:10:20. > :10:23.operation. I was unconscious for six hours, he probably knows more than I
:10:24. > :10:27.do. There were a couple of electrodes put into the brain, in a
:10:28. > :10:32.very selected, targeted area of the brain, and she is fitted with a
:10:33. > :10:37.battery powered stimulator. It sends all these stimulating signals into
:10:38. > :10:42.the areas of the brain. As a result of that, all the nasty side effects
:10:43. > :10:48.of the drugs that Diane has had to take, heard drug consumption has
:10:49. > :10:51.dropped by probably 60-70 percent. So all the side-effects of the means
:10:52. > :10:57.that she wouldn't be able to have sat still like this this time last
:10:58. > :11:03.year, and as a result she's put on some much-needed weight and our
:11:04. > :11:08.lives really have been transformed. How much weight have you put on and
:11:09. > :11:13.how has life changed? Three stone. I came out of hospital seven stone ?1
:11:14. > :11:19.and managed to put on about three stone, so I've given up weighing
:11:20. > :11:22.myself now. When you say, how has it changed, we are about to find out on
:11:23. > :11:28.Sunday because we're running in this relay marathon in the Edinburgh
:11:29. > :11:33.Marathon. I'm in a boys team and I've got former rugby colleagues Rob
:11:34. > :11:38.Andrew, a former British Lion and Richard Moon, who we were at
:11:39. > :11:42.Cambridge with and a son Connor Cameron, running in the boys' team
:11:43. > :11:45.and Diane has some of her girlfriends. We are running
:11:46. > :11:49.alongside the partners. Diane and I are doing the glory lead right at
:11:50. > :11:54.the end. How long are you running for? 4.4
:11:55. > :12:00.miles. How long we are running for maybe about two hours! The amount of
:12:01. > :12:08.training we've done! IQ OK to run? We find out on Sunday! You both are
:12:09. > :12:12.very fit and well. Thank you. Diane, how much training did you have to do
:12:13. > :12:18.for that? I've done more than Gavin, actually. He'll probably still beat
:12:19. > :12:23.me on the day. We are running together, love, it's all right, it's
:12:24. > :12:27.OK. He is Mr competitive. I have done training. This is all part of
:12:28. > :12:29.fundraising for Parkinson's and the two of you have devoted yourself to
:12:30. > :12:36.fund-raising over the last few years. Has that helps the two of you
:12:37. > :12:39.deal with this? In a funny way I'm sure you're right but I think when
:12:40. > :12:42.you are involved and obviously people, when they raise money for
:12:43. > :12:47.charity, they have a very personal cause to do so and clearly our cause
:12:48. > :12:52.is in Parkinson's. It's an extraordinary illness, there's
:12:53. > :12:56.literally tens of thousands of people that are affected by
:12:57. > :13:02.Parkinson's in the UK, and yet the drugs have not really changed in the
:13:03. > :13:06.last 50 years. Money will eventually find a cure for Parkinson's,
:13:07. > :13:12.probably not in our lifetime, but we hope that we can slow down or even
:13:13. > :13:19.stop the progression. So I'm a great believer that Diane's illness, it's
:13:20. > :13:23.not going to go away, she's had this amazing piece of ground-breaking
:13:24. > :13:28.surgery if you like, that's really helped her condition, but it's not
:13:29. > :13:32.in any provided a cure. But it's helped Diane and others manage her
:13:33. > :13:37.condition. As a result, we want to do our little bit. We are raising
:13:38. > :13:41.funds for Parkinson's UK. There's a little just giving page we have.
:13:42. > :13:45.Hopefully we'll raise a few more thousand pounds and that's what it's
:13:46. > :13:50.all about. Before you go, we've known each other a long time and I
:13:51. > :13:54.saw you when Parkinson's had a pretty strong grip on you, so
:13:55. > :13:58.compared to them, now, what's the difference? Well, I can sit at a
:13:59. > :14:02.dinner table without kicking men under the table without them trying
:14:03. > :14:06.to think I'm playing FTSE with them! I would literally be moving the
:14:07. > :14:10.whole time. I couldn't walk very far. I'd lost all my confidence. I
:14:11. > :14:16.had never gone on a plane on my own or gone into town, stopped at a
:14:17. > :14:18.friends at night because it was uncomfortable and people would be
:14:19. > :14:23.staring at me as well while I was moving the whole time, which made it
:14:24. > :14:29.worse. Whereas now, I have the confidence back and I feel a lot
:14:30. > :14:32.better with it as well. I was at a dinner where you both talked about
:14:33. > :14:36.each other and you really love each other. Gavin, you publicly said how
:14:37. > :14:42.much you loved Diane, how close you are. I think we are great pals and
:14:43. > :14:45.you get to a stage in life now that Diane goes off on holiday with her
:14:46. > :14:51.friends and I'm busy going off like I am in a few weeks' time with the
:14:52. > :14:55.Lions team and going to do some work in New Zealand, so it's a
:14:56. > :14:58.companionship, it's a friendship, and we've known each other for a
:14:59. > :15:02.long, long time. We are very comfortable with each other. All my
:15:03. > :15:08.friends have known as for almost as long as we've known each other.
:15:09. > :15:13.Diane W said he was your rock. I know, he is. We've been through a
:15:14. > :15:17.lot together over the past 14 years and you always say, I'm the only
:15:18. > :15:24.person who laughs at your jokes! You support each other through the
:15:25. > :15:28.marathon. Is it Sunday? Yes. We will certainly be doing that. Great to
:15:29. > :15:32.see you, you are looking fantastic. Thank you.
:15:33. > :15:35.You've probably heard of therapy dogs, who bring comfort and cuddles
:15:36. > :15:38.But did you know about therapy ponies?
:15:39. > :15:42.A group of them are spreading joy in care homes across the country.
:15:43. > :15:48.We popped along to Cluny Lodge in Edinburgh to meet them.
:15:49. > :16:03.Go on then. These horses are miniature Shetland ponies, Paul
:16:04. > :16:08.Wilson and Eduardo. We have got 14 altogether in our little heard. We
:16:09. > :16:12.use about eight of the horses out of the 14 for coming into care homes
:16:13. > :16:16.and doing visits. The manager here kept it a secret from them, telling
:16:17. > :16:20.them there would be VIPs coming in to visit them today, so nobody knew
:16:21. > :16:26.there were ponies coming in. Little did they know that the VIP stood for
:16:27. > :16:31.a very important horny. Here is Wilson! It takes people on journeys
:16:32. > :16:37.of memories. Take them back to when they had an experience of horses in
:16:38. > :16:41.their lives, and this, probably in their wildest dreams, did not think
:16:42. > :16:44.that where they were in life, that they were very frail, they were in a
:16:45. > :16:51.care home, that they were probably never going to get to part a force
:16:52. > :16:55.again. My granddaughter, she trained on a little black Shetland, which
:16:56. > :17:01.was the most bad tempered little animal! That ever walked the face.
:17:02. > :17:08.These are very good. These are angels. I think it is a good thing
:17:09. > :17:12.because this is what you missed. I know I miss my dogs. The worst is
:17:13. > :17:19.that I spoke to. That is what I miss a lot. I miss the animals more than
:17:20. > :17:30.the family, they say, but not quite true. A lovely wee boy! We have had
:17:31. > :17:33.them burst into tears with joy. Cuddling them, giving them, just
:17:34. > :17:37.really enjoying their company. And we have got them as soft as teddy
:17:38. > :17:46.theirs, so they like cuddling into them as well. To have it come into
:17:47. > :17:50.their home, to come into their room, so from -- for some very frail
:17:51. > :17:54.ladies and gentlemen in here who could not hope to set up in a chair,
:17:55. > :18:02.and John and Illingworth the horses enter the rims and that was
:18:03. > :18:08.fantastic. Can I patted again? We have seen people who, you know, in
:18:09. > :18:13.their journey through dementia, there is not one of a lot of that
:18:14. > :18:21.can reach them. -- there is not a lot. We had one lady, I noticed, who
:18:22. > :18:25.has a pretty poor short-term memory. She remembered the pony, she
:18:26. > :18:29.remembered their names. She sees me every day, she knows she knows me
:18:30. > :18:38.but she did not remember my name! That tells you a lot. That is
:18:39. > :18:41.magical. It really is. What is not to love about that. I was worried
:18:42. > :18:47.that they might make a mess, if you see what I mean. You know. But they
:18:48. > :18:50.actually wear nappies apparently. 'S we were going to get one in the
:18:51. > :18:52.studio. Accident waiting to happen!
:18:53. > :18:54.If you have anything you think should be on our Timeline,
:18:55. > :18:57.then it's easy to get in touch through social media.
:18:58. > :19:00.You can let us know what you want us to follow up through our Facebook
:19:01. > :19:05.You can find us online or you can email us.
:19:06. > :19:08.Last week you may remember my film about homelessness,
:19:09. > :19:12.when I spent the night out on the streets of Glasgow.
:19:13. > :19:15.But for the vast majority of homeless people, it's not
:19:16. > :19:20.You'll have seen political satirist James Devoy on this show
:19:21. > :19:25.What you probably don't know is that James was homeless for two years.
:19:26. > :19:45.We have all seen people huddled in doorways on rainy nights, curled up
:19:46. > :19:49.in sleeping bags and cardboard. It is awful but is not the whole story
:19:50. > :19:53.when it comes to almost missed. In fact, it is just the tip of the
:19:54. > :19:57.iceberg. I should know, I was homeless for two years. Yes, between
:19:58. > :20:02.the ages of 17 and 18, I was homeless. But unlike some people, I
:20:03. > :20:06.was lucky enough to find space in a shelter. Leith Street in Edinburgh
:20:07. > :20:10.is the first place I was registered. As of -- as I was under 18 at that
:20:11. > :20:14.end, I was found in young people's altar and, from there, moved to
:20:15. > :20:16.supported accommodation. All of these things are still count as
:20:17. > :20:22.homelessness. Never being able to settle or having a fixed abode,
:20:23. > :20:24.moving around at the drop of a hat, bouncing around friends south of
:20:25. > :20:28.between shelters, it all counts. After I was evicted from my
:20:29. > :20:32.supported accommodation, as my time had run out, a friend took me in and
:20:33. > :20:35.gave me enough time to sort some college I don't get back on my feet.
:20:36. > :20:40.I do not know what would have happened to me if he had not done
:20:41. > :20:43.that, so cheers, Mike. A bunch of together within the shelter with got
:20:44. > :20:50.hooked on drugs. I did not see most of them ever again and 50 I bumped
:20:51. > :20:54.into doing OK. It sucked, trust me, but for a huge amount of homeless
:20:55. > :21:00.people in Scotland, sleeping rough as a last resort. Stir in any
:21:01. > :21:03.shelter is not easy either. There are rules, lots of rules, and for
:21:04. > :21:06.some, sticking to them is not easy. People battling addiction may be
:21:07. > :21:09.asked to leave. People with undiagnosed mental health issues.
:21:10. > :21:13.What we see on the streets is just the most obvious side-effect of
:21:14. > :21:17.homelessness in Scotland. There is a less visible element of that which
:21:18. > :21:20.is affecting the entire country. As conditions change in Scotland,
:21:21. > :21:25.housing is becoming more precarious for some. There is an increased use
:21:26. > :21:28.of the bank and 0-hours contracts. More and more people are in danger
:21:29. > :21:33.of slipping into the invisible crack. Women escaping violent homes,
:21:34. > :21:37.often with children. One missed rent cheque, a redundancy or not enough
:21:38. > :21:41.shifts and you are where I was 17 years ago. It is not easy to climb
:21:42. > :22:09.out. I was told by one social worker,
:22:10. > :22:14.in no uncertain terms, that I could not get a job. I still had to sign
:22:15. > :22:17.on but I could not get a job because it would be minimum wage and that
:22:18. > :22:19.would not be enough to cover my shoulders so I had to do it so Spot
:22:20. > :22:22.from Trainspotting, go for interviews and purposefully not get
:22:23. > :22:25.them, which is not easy when you are as good looking as me. While many
:22:26. > :22:27.think of the homeless as people outside on wet nights, that is not
:22:28. > :22:30.what the word means. It is homelessness, not being without a
:22:31. > :22:33.house or not having a rest, it means to be without a home. Take it from
:22:34. > :22:34.me, home is far more than just four walls.
:22:35. > :22:35.That was James Devoy, talking about his own experience of homelessness.
:22:36. > :22:37.It's known as Scotland's answer to Route 66.
:22:38. > :22:41.The North Coast 500 was launched two years ago, as a way of encouraging
:22:42. > :22:43.tourism to some of the country's most remote places.The B-road
:22:44. > :22:45.journey of over 500 miles takes in breathtaking scenery -
:22:46. > :22:49.and Anne Lundon has seen it all for a series for BBC Alba.
:22:50. > :22:52.We'll chat to her in a moment, after a quick look at the programme.
:22:53. > :23:29.That looks absolutely spectacular. It was spectacular. Dell is exactly
:23:30. > :23:32.where this route is. It forms a loop around the Northern half of the
:23:33. > :23:38.country, so starting in Inverness you can go clockwise, which is not
:23:39. > :23:42.the way we did it. We did it anticlockwise. I think if I were to
:23:43. > :23:46.do it again I would go the other way, just to see things from a
:23:47. > :23:50.different perspective. But it was designed by the North Highland
:23:51. > :23:55.initiative, which will they would have always been there, that was set
:23:56. > :23:59.up to really push, you know, the less visitors parts of the
:24:00. > :24:02.Highlands. It has really taken off and I think a lot of people are
:24:03. > :24:07.really interested in doing the road. What kind of areas does it take him?
:24:08. > :24:16.Good start in Inverness. We went west and headed ... That is an
:24:17. > :24:20.incredible Winding Road. Supermarket is not for the faint-hearted. The
:24:21. > :24:27.driving experience is spectacular. At the bottom of the road, it says
:24:28. > :24:31.not advisable for a learner drivers! I have seen cyclists doing it, I do
:24:32. > :24:38.not know how they manage. We met all sorts of different people on the
:24:39. > :24:42.road. Cyclists, people in caravans, going by road, we met a group of
:24:43. > :24:48.bikers who were from Caithness. We bumped into them at an inn, which is
:24:49. > :24:52.not quite on the road. That is one of the things I would recommend as
:24:53. > :24:58.well, if you are going to be doing the right. Take the time to go off
:24:59. > :25:04.the beaten track. Asserting ins are just a little bit of the road. It is
:25:05. > :25:15.stunning, because you look at the Road to Gareloch. If you're going to
:25:16. > :25:22.do this, what would you see? Line summits, hair pin bends. I would
:25:23. > :25:26.say, from their afterwords Gareloch, up towards Ullapool, I am from the
:25:27. > :25:29.Hebrides myself so I am quite ashamed to admit that there are
:25:30. > :25:33.parts of that route I had never been on. I have obviously been to
:25:34. > :25:37.Ullapool to catch the ferry, but I would say that area on the West
:25:38. > :25:42.Coast, perhaps I am a little bit biased, being from the West Coast,
:25:43. > :25:45.but the scenery and the views on that route, on the West Coast, were
:25:46. > :25:50.just unlike any other I have seen anywhere else in this world. Is the
:25:51. > :25:53.infrastructure up to it? If they are promoting this route so much now, is
:25:54. > :26:00.there not a danger that all of these be roads will get clogged up? Speak
:26:01. > :26:03.out that is probably, you know, quote concern for a lot of the
:26:04. > :26:07.locals who live in the area. Because the roads have always been there,
:26:08. > :26:13.but, you know, there is no this page to advertise it as an official
:26:14. > :26:16.route, as it were, they are not designed for the amount of traffic
:26:17. > :26:19.on these roads now. That is probably something that might need to be
:26:20. > :26:24.looked at in the future. I am curious, I have a friend who
:26:25. > :26:28.was late for something and was up on top of that mountain and had to
:26:29. > :26:31.freewheel down a the stop cycling through the night to get somewhere,
:26:32. > :26:34.but you must submit some incredible people. It is not just drivers and
:26:35. > :26:39.cyclists, people from all over the world. Absolutely. We met all sorts
:26:40. > :26:42.from all over the world. Doing it in various different stages of the
:26:43. > :26:47.well. We did it in a daze. If I were to do it again, I would do it in the
:26:48. > :26:50.opposite direction and maybe take a little longer, do it at a more
:26:51. > :26:56.leisurely pace. But there definitely is something for everyone. All ages,
:26:57. > :27:00.I would say. Young and old, different budgets. You can stay in
:27:01. > :27:05.nice hotels or you can stay in equally as Naseby and bees, that are
:27:06. > :27:10.not as costly. I did meet, actually, a family setting out from Germany.
:27:11. > :27:14.-- equally as nice Bed Breakfasts. I asked the German family who they
:27:15. > :27:21.felt about the majors. Pre-warning them, because they were just
:27:22. > :27:26.starting out. They had never heard of midges before. I wonder how they
:27:27. > :27:31.got on. They did not have any repellent. They did in September and
:27:32. > :27:34.the midges were pretty bad them. We were very lucky with the weather.
:27:35. > :27:40.The person who can come up with a cure for that will be a millionaire!
:27:41. > :27:44.What is the end point? Started in Inverness and ended in Renfrew,
:27:45. > :27:50.Inverness. 01 signal? See, I really liked that about the route. Most
:27:51. > :27:52.people are relying on the phone, it was great. Wonderful.
:27:53. > :27:54.And you can watch the next episode in the series next
:27:55. > :27:57.Tuesday night at 8:30pm, on BBC Alba - and it's
:27:58. > :28:02.But before we go we'll leave you with a poem by 13-year-old
:28:03. > :28:04.schoolgirl Mila Stricevic, called "If I Ruled Scotland".
:28:05. > :28:06.She won a national competition to go to tomorrow night's
:28:07. > :28:08.big event in Edinburgh, where Barack Obama
:28:09. > :28:16.If I ruled Scotland, here's what I would do
:28:17. > :28:17.I'd make everything equal for me and you
:28:18. > :28:19.I'd educate Scotland on hope and peace
:28:20. > :28:23.If I ruled Scotland, here's a law I would pass
:28:24. > :28:25.When the sun shone, no kids were in class
:28:26. > :28:28.Instead, we'd play rounders or read in the shade
:28:29. > :28:31.After all, it's unlikely to last more than one day
:28:32. > :28:41.If I ruled Scotland, here's what I would do
:28:42. > :28:43.-- If I ruled Scotland, here's some stuff I would ban
:28:44. > :28:46.Like Mars bars deep-fried, or those pies in a can
:28:47. > :28:48.But don't fret, even though it has a strange hue
:28:49. > :28:56.For I would never get rid of our loved Irn-Bru
:28:57. > :28:58.If I ruled Scotland, I wouldn't allow
:28:59. > :29:00.Any racist nonsense to interfere with my vote
:29:01. > :29:33.That no matter the colour or tone of your skin
:29:34. > :29:37...team them up with a Michelin starred chef,
:29:38. > :29:39.putting their reputation on the line.
:29:40. > :29:46...which team will have the recipe for success?
:29:47. > :29:48.One minute to get the food on the plate.
:29:49. > :29:54.He could be some psycho for all I know.
:29:55. > :29:58.I have never slept with a man that I just met.