0:00:29 > 0:00:31Shining jewels in the sea.
0:00:33 > 0:00:35Glittering landscapes dotted around our shores.
0:00:40 > 0:00:43The British Isles is made up of more than 6,000 islands.
0:00:47 > 0:00:49From the wide-open landscapes of Shetland...
0:00:51 > 0:00:53..to the bustle of the Channel Islands...
0:00:54 > 0:00:57..each offers a different way of life.
0:00:59 > 0:01:02In this programme, we'll be looking at all aspects of island life.
0:01:04 > 0:01:07Today, I am in Scotland, heading to the Inner Hebrides.
0:01:07 > 0:01:11And the island I'm visiting, just over there, is full of surprises.
0:01:18 > 0:01:21Kerrera, the jewel in the Firth of Lorne -
0:01:21 > 0:01:23a land of sweeping acres and rugged cliffs...
0:01:26 > 0:01:29..pebbled coves and remote farms.
0:01:31 > 0:01:33People have lived here since the Bronze Age.
0:01:34 > 0:01:38These days, just 48 people call this island home.
0:01:40 > 0:01:43It's a perfect place for my first real taste of island life.
0:01:43 > 0:01:46And whilst I'm here, braving the elements,
0:01:46 > 0:01:49I'll be looking back at some of the times Countryfile has visited
0:01:49 > 0:01:51islands around our shores.
0:01:52 > 0:01:56Like the time Ellie marvelled at the wildlife in the Shetland Islands...
0:01:56 > 0:01:59- Oh, yes!- Can you see it off there? 30 or 40 yards offshore.
0:01:59 > 0:02:01Oh, fantastic!
0:02:01 > 0:02:05..to when Helen demonstrated her farming skills off the Welsh coast...
0:02:05 > 0:02:07SHE CALLS
0:02:07 > 0:02:09SHE CALLS
0:02:09 > 0:02:11CATTLE BELLOW
0:02:11 > 0:02:12Yay!
0:02:12 > 0:02:16..and when Matt discovered a tasty surprise in Anglesey.
0:02:16 > 0:02:18I'm a big fan of kiwi fruits and that...
0:02:18 > 0:02:19That is beautiful.
0:02:34 > 0:02:38Kerrera is the least known, yet closest of the Inner Hebrides.
0:02:38 > 0:02:42It sits less than a mile off Scotland's Argyll and Bute coast.
0:02:44 > 0:02:49It's just 4.5 miles long, by about a mile wide.
0:02:49 > 0:02:52There are farms, a ruined castle,
0:02:52 > 0:02:56spectacular views and a whole host of sheep.
0:02:59 > 0:03:01And linking Kerrera to the mainland,
0:03:01 > 0:03:04the ferry - the island's lifeline.
0:03:08 > 0:03:11Everything comes on and off the island by boat.
0:03:11 > 0:03:14Including the post.
0:03:18 > 0:03:21Gill Vollum is the island's postmistress.
0:03:21 > 0:03:24- Hello, Gill.- Hi there, Anita. How do you do?- Good to see you.
0:03:24 > 0:03:27- Nice to meet you.- I've got you a gift.- Thank you very much. - The post bag.
0:03:27 > 0:03:29- Right, where's the Post Office? - Just up in here.
0:03:29 > 0:03:31- This is it?- Yes, this is it.
0:03:31 > 0:03:34- THEY LAUGH The shed?!- Yes, the shed.
0:03:34 > 0:03:36How long has this been the sorting office?
0:03:36 > 0:03:38Since I started the job.
0:03:38 > 0:03:41- What, five years? Four years? - So it's just...- Yes.
0:03:41 > 0:03:44- And how many families have you got here?- We've got 18 houses.
0:03:44 > 0:03:48We've got the north end of the island, middle end of the island and then the south end.
0:03:48 > 0:03:50- And that's it?- Yeah. In our sheep shed.
0:03:50 > 0:03:54- 18 families. How many people is that?- 48.- 48 people on the island.
0:03:54 > 0:03:57- 48.- 12 of which are children. 13 of which are children!
0:03:57 > 0:03:59- Little baby Isabella is here. - Oh, fantastic!
0:03:59 > 0:04:01And another one on the way, which is exciting.
0:04:01 > 0:04:02- Right...- So, we sort it?
0:04:02 > 0:04:06- Let's see what we've got here. - So, do you know everybody's business, Gill?
0:04:06 > 0:04:08Yeah, pretty much. I try not to look at the important letters.
0:04:08 > 0:04:10I try to just pop things in.
0:04:11 > 0:04:14- The love letters...- The exciting day is exam results.
0:04:14 > 0:04:16That's always like... "Ooh, how are you doing?"
0:04:16 > 0:04:18I always try to get to them first.
0:04:18 > 0:04:21- Who's that? Jean McGregor. - Jean McGregor.- Over here.
0:04:21 > 0:04:23Park, over here.
0:04:23 > 0:04:24I think that's a love letter.
0:04:24 > 0:04:27Do you reckon? I think so, too. I have high hopes for that one.
0:04:27 > 0:04:29And is it always about the same amount of post that you get?
0:04:29 > 0:04:32Yeah, Tuesday seems to be very little mail for some reason.
0:04:32 > 0:04:34Mondays and Fridays are always really, really busy.
0:04:34 > 0:04:38And if people order packages and things like that, you get lots of big parcels.
0:04:38 > 0:04:41- And Christmas?- Nightmare. - THEY LAUGH
0:04:41 > 0:04:46- Exciting, huge things. - Do you get help at Christmas? - No. Just me.- Just you?- Just me, yes.
0:04:46 > 0:04:48- Right, what happens now? - That's us done.
0:04:48 > 0:04:50OK, so we are just going to put elastic bands around them all
0:04:50 > 0:04:53- and then we'll go off and deliver it.- All right.
0:04:53 > 0:04:57OK, so anyone gets the wrong letter today, it was my fault.
0:04:57 > 0:04:59I will send them directly to you.
0:04:59 > 0:05:01Yeah. It's your dodgy assistant.
0:05:01 > 0:05:03- Perfect, let's go. - All right, let's do it.
0:05:07 > 0:05:10The terrain on Kerrera is rough and rugged,
0:05:10 > 0:05:13with houses scattered all over the island.
0:05:13 > 0:05:14There is just one road,
0:05:14 > 0:05:18so delivering the post needs something a little special.
0:05:18 > 0:05:21- Ooh!- Ta-da! - This is fantastic!
0:05:21 > 0:05:23- Yes.- It's like a moon buggy.
0:05:23 > 0:05:25Yes, this is my Royal Mail post buggy.
0:05:25 > 0:05:27This is especially for you?
0:05:27 > 0:05:28Yep, especially for me.
0:05:28 > 0:05:31- To tackle these...- To manage to get around the whole island.
0:05:31 > 0:05:34- How fantastic! Shall we get in it? - Let's do it, let's go.
0:05:34 > 0:05:36Right, whilst we begin our adventure,
0:05:36 > 0:05:40let's look back at a time when Adam was on another Scottish island,
0:05:40 > 0:05:42where the post stopped long ago.
0:05:42 > 0:05:46Right, off I go. This is going to be fun!
0:05:48 > 0:05:50Seat belt on. Off we go.
0:06:04 > 0:06:06ADAM: Well, I've arrived on the Orkneys,
0:06:06 > 0:06:08and it's a world away from my farm on the Cotswolds.
0:06:08 > 0:06:11And I'm travelling south to meet up with Cyril Annal,
0:06:11 > 0:06:15whose family have owned Swona for generations.
0:06:15 > 0:06:17And his farm is based on South Ronaldsay.
0:06:23 > 0:06:25- You must be Cyril.- Yes.
0:06:25 > 0:06:28- Hello.- Hi, good to meet you.
0:06:28 > 0:06:29This is Alexander, my son.
0:06:29 > 0:06:31- Oh, hi, good to see you. - Nice to meet you.
0:06:31 > 0:06:33How many generations have been on this farm?
0:06:33 > 0:06:36Since 1600, came to Orkney first.
0:06:36 > 0:06:38Goodness me! That's incredible.
0:06:38 > 0:06:40Look, I have been doing a bit of research.
0:06:40 > 0:06:44And I found these old photographs of the family.
0:06:44 > 0:06:48- Who is this of?- That was my Uncle Arthur in Swona.
0:06:48 > 0:06:50- And that one? - That is my grandfather.
0:06:51 > 0:06:54This is over on Swona, that you own now?
0:06:54 > 0:06:57- Yes.- Yes, we do.- And these cattle that were there -
0:06:57 > 0:07:00domesticated, tame, being used to pull the plough...
0:07:00 > 0:07:04Great pets. They all had names and everything.
0:07:04 > 0:07:06And now, wild beasts of the island.
0:07:06 > 0:07:09Oh, completely feral.
0:07:09 > 0:07:10Crazy as can be.
0:07:12 > 0:07:17Cyril and Alex go to Swona to check on the cattle's welfare a couple of times a year.
0:07:17 > 0:07:19And today I'm lucky enough to be joining them.
0:07:25 > 0:07:29Despite supporting a vibrant community for generations,
0:07:29 > 0:07:31the island was abandoned in the '70s,
0:07:31 > 0:07:34when the difficulties of living here meant island life was unviable.
0:07:36 > 0:07:38How many acres is the whole island?
0:07:38 > 0:07:39About 270, roughly.
0:07:39 > 0:07:43270? They have a fair roam, these cattle.
0:07:43 > 0:07:47- It varies, depending on the tide. - We might never find them.
0:07:47 > 0:07:50They are here, or else they've all gone swimming.
0:07:50 > 0:07:51ADAM LAUGHS
0:07:52 > 0:07:54Well, there's plenty of cowpats.
0:07:54 > 0:07:57- They're definitely here.- Oh, they will be about somewhere, hopefully.
0:07:57 > 0:08:00- Is that one there?- Aye. - Oh, yes, that's one over there, yes.
0:08:00 > 0:08:02That looks like a bull to me.
0:08:02 > 0:08:05It's already spotted us. See him looking this way?
0:08:05 > 0:08:09Yeah. And so is it safe to just walk over towards him?
0:08:09 > 0:08:11- Erm, no.- No, we'll sort of go round in a circle,
0:08:11 > 0:08:15so that we don't get between that bull and the herd.
0:08:15 > 0:08:19- OK.- Cos he might decide that he wants to go back to the herd with us in between.
0:08:19 > 0:08:22They'll all run together and they'll not be looking at us,
0:08:22 > 0:08:24they'll be looking at one another.
0:08:24 > 0:08:26We have to be a bit careful.
0:08:28 > 0:08:32As we cautiously circle around the bull, the herd emerges.
0:08:33 > 0:08:34The main herd sticks together there.
0:08:34 > 0:08:37If yous can see the white one in the middle,
0:08:37 > 0:08:39she will be kind of the dominant female.
0:08:39 > 0:08:43And then, way off in the distance at the other side of the loch,
0:08:43 > 0:08:46- we think we've got an old bull lying down.- Yes, I can see him.
0:08:46 > 0:08:48We'll go and check him to see if he is OK.
0:08:48 > 0:08:53Last summer, the dominant bull pushed him out of the herd and forced him
0:08:53 > 0:08:56away from the herd and led him to the other end of the island.
0:08:56 > 0:09:01- It's really interesting, watching this behaviour.- Yeah.
0:09:01 > 0:09:04On a day like today, it looks idyllic, but, in reality,
0:09:04 > 0:09:08these cattle have a tough life out here in these conditions.
0:09:08 > 0:09:09It's survival of the fittest.
0:09:14 > 0:09:16So, what sort of age do you think he is, Cyril?
0:09:16 > 0:09:18That fella? 15 to 20.
0:09:18 > 0:09:21- Is he?- He is a very old gentleman.
0:09:22 > 0:09:25And on a modern farm, you just wouldn't see bulls that old, would you?
0:09:25 > 0:09:28You wouldn't see him. He would never be allowed to age.
0:09:28 > 0:09:32He'd probably have some of the problems that humans have,
0:09:32 > 0:09:34such as stiff and sore, as we all get.
0:09:34 > 0:09:36And he is walking along now.
0:09:36 > 0:09:39He is getting along OK and he is grazing.
0:09:39 > 0:09:42An amazing shape. He is quite sort of heavy at the front end and
0:09:42 > 0:09:43narrowing to the back end.
0:09:43 > 0:09:45Yes, this is so that he can push,
0:09:45 > 0:09:48head down and push the other one out of the way.
0:09:48 > 0:09:52He's sort of more like a buffalo than a modern Aberdeen Angus.
0:09:52 > 0:09:56- Yes.- Certainly no tags in their ears now, is there?
0:09:56 > 0:09:59They don't have to comply with all the DEFRA rules any more.
0:09:59 > 0:10:02If you help me, we will go and put a tag in this one now.
0:10:02 > 0:10:03THEY LAUGH
0:10:03 > 0:10:08I think we'll just leave the poor old fellow alone, shall we?
0:10:09 > 0:10:13It's fascinating to see how the cattle have returned to their wild instincts.
0:10:13 > 0:10:15But what of the people who lived on this island?
0:10:21 > 0:10:25A cluster of houses stands as a memorial to a lost way of life.
0:10:32 > 0:10:37At its peak, there were around 30 people living on the island in four or five houses.
0:10:37 > 0:10:40The land would have been farmed, the gardens would have been immaculate,
0:10:40 > 0:10:42and it would have been very well loved.
0:10:42 > 0:10:46But by 1974, there were only two left - Cyril's auntie and uncle,
0:10:46 > 0:10:49who were getting old, and they decided to leave, too.
0:10:53 > 0:10:55And this is how they left it.
0:10:55 > 0:10:59It's almost like they just walked out and left all of their belongings behind.
0:10:59 > 0:11:03There's an old newspaper here from 1974.
0:11:03 > 0:11:07Christmas cards. Look, even some reading glasses.
0:11:07 > 0:11:10Lovely old recipe book on how to make jams.
0:11:16 > 0:11:19It's as though they thought one day they'd be back.
0:11:30 > 0:11:33This is their lovely old cattle shed,
0:11:33 > 0:11:36where the cows and the oxen would have been brought in for the winter
0:11:36 > 0:11:39and tied up by the neck and led out to work.
0:11:39 > 0:11:42A very quiet, docile, domesticated animal.
0:11:42 > 0:11:46Now, their descendants are running wild on the island.
0:12:00 > 0:12:03ANITA: Here on Kerrera, I'm with postmistress Gill Vollum,
0:12:03 > 0:12:05helping with her post round.
0:12:07 > 0:12:09And we are in her special buggy,
0:12:09 > 0:12:11the only way of coping with the rough terrain.
0:12:11 > 0:12:14Are the roads all like this?
0:12:14 > 0:12:16This is the good bit of the road.
0:12:16 > 0:12:18- It's terrible!- It is.
0:12:18 > 0:12:20- Full of potholes.- Yes.
0:12:20 > 0:12:22But it's going to be a very beautiful ride.
0:12:30 > 0:12:32Oh, a big one. Whoo!
0:12:32 > 0:12:35Yeah. Hold on.
0:12:35 > 0:12:36Ooh!
0:12:38 > 0:12:40THEY LAUGH
0:12:47 > 0:12:48You grew up on this island.
0:12:48 > 0:12:51Yes, yes. Born and bred. My children will be third-generation.
0:12:51 > 0:12:54- Wow.- Yeah, yeah.- But you left the island?
0:12:54 > 0:12:58Yes, I left the island. I went to uni and worked at various outdoor centres.
0:12:58 > 0:13:00So, what brought you back?
0:13:00 > 0:13:03I'm not quite sure. A moment of madness that's not gone away!
0:13:03 > 0:13:06I love it. I can't imagine not being back.
0:13:06 > 0:13:09How long does it take you to get around the island on this?
0:13:09 > 0:13:12About three and a half hours. You can't go fast at all.
0:13:12 > 0:13:14No, it's so slow!
0:13:20 > 0:13:23- Dun-dun-dun!- I see houses.- Yeah!
0:13:23 > 0:13:26This is our first stop, just up here.
0:13:26 > 0:13:28Where's the letterbox?
0:13:28 > 0:13:29Kerrera doesn't do letterboxes.
0:13:29 > 0:13:34We have toy boxes, we have a fridge, we do doorsteps...
0:13:34 > 0:13:37- A fridge?- Yeah, a fridge. Somebody has an old fridge.
0:13:37 > 0:13:41- Just leave it here?- So, literally just propped up there would be great, thank you.
0:13:41 > 0:13:44- Simple as that. - Simple as that.- Job done.
0:13:44 > 0:13:46Let's go.
0:13:46 > 0:13:49Gill's family have lived on the island for more than 40 years.
0:13:49 > 0:13:52When she returned, she picked up where her dad left off.
0:13:53 > 0:13:56My dad used to have the farm, used to do this job actually,
0:13:56 > 0:13:58- used to be a postman as well.- Your dad was the postman?- Yeah, yeah.
0:13:58 > 0:14:00So I remember, as a little kid, we had a little pony,
0:14:00 > 0:14:05so riding the pony and going and delivering the post in the summer holidays and things like that.
0:14:05 > 0:14:09- So your dad didn't have the buggy? - No, he certainly didn't have the buggy. It was done by foot.
0:14:09 > 0:14:12- By foot or a pony? - By foot, yes. Or by pony.
0:14:12 > 0:14:15Sometimes he'd take the boat up to the north end, as well.
0:14:15 > 0:14:18- Fantastic memories. And here you are.- And here I am.
0:14:18 > 0:14:22- Doing your dad's old job. - Doing my dad's old job. Doing my dad's two old jobs, actually.
0:14:22 > 0:14:24Running the farm and doing the Post Office.
0:14:24 > 0:14:28There are fewer people on this island than in my extended family.
0:14:28 > 0:14:29Really? Oh, my goodness.
0:14:29 > 0:14:33Admittedly, I am from a very large Indian family, but still...
0:14:33 > 0:14:35Yeah, it's still crazy, isn't it?
0:14:35 > 0:14:37It is... I'm just... I mean, it is so beautiful,
0:14:37 > 0:14:40- but just getting your head around this way of life. - It's a very different way of life.
0:14:40 > 0:14:44- And does it feel like that when you're on the island? - No, it just feels normal.
0:14:44 > 0:14:46It's not until you start talking about it to other people,
0:14:46 > 0:14:50you start seeing it through other people's eyes when friends come to visit or
0:14:50 > 0:14:54people come to say hi that you realise just how different it can be.
0:14:54 > 0:14:56For instance, where do you get a pint of milk?
0:14:56 > 0:14:59The mainland. You have to go into town for everything. The lot.
0:14:59 > 0:15:02- There's no local shop? - There's no local shop at all.
0:15:02 > 0:15:03So bring everything. Be organised.
0:15:03 > 0:15:06My shopping list has suddenly got a lot bigger and a lot more organised.
0:15:09 > 0:15:12Not only is there no shop, there's no pub, no Post Office
0:15:12 > 0:15:16and the school closed nearly 20 years ago.
0:15:16 > 0:15:22But it's a growing community, and next stop is baby Isabella, the island's newest arrival.
0:15:22 > 0:15:24I've brought the post. Hi there.
0:15:24 > 0:15:26Oh, my goodness me!
0:15:26 > 0:15:29The youngest person on the island.
0:15:29 > 0:15:32- This is Isabella. - Isabella, I have brought your post.
0:15:32 > 0:15:34- Nice to meet you anyway. - Thank you.- See you.
0:15:39 > 0:15:41The most unusual postbox I've ever seen.
0:15:41 > 0:15:43It's because it's not a postbox. It's a toy box.
0:15:51 > 0:15:55- Done.- Well done. - Yep, so where next?
0:15:55 > 0:15:57That's us finished post round, so round to Sheila's, my friend's,
0:15:57 > 0:15:59- for a cup of tea, I reckon. - OK, great.- Yeah.
0:16:04 > 0:16:07A good morning's work in this peaceful place.
0:16:07 > 0:16:10But peace can't be taken for granted,
0:16:10 > 0:16:13as Ellie found out in the Channel Islands last year,
0:16:13 > 0:16:16where they were marking 70 years since the end of the Nazi occupation.
0:16:24 > 0:16:26ELLIE: Guernsey.
0:16:26 > 0:16:29Lying to the north-east of Jersey,
0:16:29 > 0:16:34just 24 square miles of patchwork fields and idyllic coastline.
0:16:36 > 0:16:38For five long years,
0:16:38 > 0:16:42the island was held to ransom by the demands of its captors.
0:16:42 > 0:16:44We are all familiar with the stories
0:16:44 > 0:16:48of the devastation and tragedy of the Second World War.
0:16:48 > 0:16:49But the effect of the occupation
0:16:49 > 0:16:52on the farming community of Guernsey isn't as well known.
0:16:54 > 0:16:58The Guernsey tomato had been an important source of income on the island
0:16:58 > 0:17:02for nearly 100 years, and an established part of the island's culture.
0:17:02 > 0:17:06In the 1930s, roughly one in 15 of the population were growers.
0:17:08 > 0:17:14But soon this hard-working community found themselves on the front line of the Nazi invasion.
0:17:17 > 0:17:20Molly Bihet, who lived near the harbour of St Peter Port,
0:17:20 > 0:17:24witnessed the German invasion of the island.
0:17:24 > 0:17:25She was just nine years old.
0:17:26 > 0:17:30Before the raid, it was just a nice place to be,
0:17:30 > 0:17:33because there were so many people we'd meet there.
0:17:35 > 0:17:39There was a lot of exporting, especially the tomatoes.
0:17:39 > 0:17:42My grandfather used to go every day to have a chat.
0:17:42 > 0:17:44It was a very busy place.
0:17:45 > 0:17:49The summer evening of the 28th of June 1940 was no exception.
0:17:52 > 0:17:54What were you doing on the day of the raid?
0:17:54 > 0:17:57We'd been to a shop, buying vegetables,
0:17:57 > 0:18:01and I had this cucumber.
0:18:01 > 0:18:05We heard these planes coming. We thought they were British.
0:18:05 > 0:18:08And we started waving. They came down very low.
0:18:08 > 0:18:11And then, all of a sudden, we could see the German signs.
0:18:11 > 0:18:13We could see the machine gunning,
0:18:13 > 0:18:17the planes came so low over the harbour.
0:18:17 > 0:18:18Where did they fly from?
0:18:18 > 0:18:20They came from north.
0:18:20 > 0:18:21We were terrified.
0:18:22 > 0:18:25Molly and her mum hid in a neighbour's cellar,
0:18:25 > 0:18:28while her grandfather and uncle, who were at the harbour,
0:18:28 > 0:18:30hid under the jetty.
0:18:30 > 0:18:33But for the dozens of fruit growers queueing in the port,
0:18:33 > 0:18:36there was nowhere safe to run.
0:18:36 > 0:18:39What happened to the tomato farmers that were there?
0:18:39 > 0:18:41The lorries were all burning,
0:18:41 > 0:18:44because they were full of tomatoes for exporting.
0:18:44 > 0:18:47The drivers had got underneath the lorries,
0:18:47 > 0:18:51thinking they were protected from the machine gunning.
0:18:51 > 0:18:52Of course, they weren't.
0:18:53 > 0:18:5834 civilians died from the attack and many more were injured.
0:18:58 > 0:19:03But the impact of the war on the island's horticultural industry had only just begun.
0:19:05 > 0:19:09Suzanne Brewer is a third-generation tomato grower.
0:19:09 > 0:19:12Many of her relatives lived and worked through the occupation.
0:19:14 > 0:19:17- Hi, Suzanne. Good to meet you.- Hi.
0:19:17 > 0:19:21How did life change for them when the occupation began?
0:19:21 > 0:19:24Well, after the bombing down at the harbour,
0:19:24 > 0:19:26exports of tomatoes had to stop.
0:19:26 > 0:19:29The managers of the vineries had to step aside
0:19:29 > 0:19:32and be told what to grow and when to grow it.
0:19:34 > 0:19:37Suzanne still has her family's diaries,
0:19:37 > 0:19:40which tell of the harsh reality of life at the time.
0:19:40 > 0:19:42It's incredible to have these.
0:19:42 > 0:19:45- Can we have a look at some of their entries in diaries?- Yes, of course.
0:19:45 > 0:19:49This is Uncle Arthur's diary from the beginning of the occupation.
0:19:49 > 0:19:54"Tomatoes abound and every cow and person is confronted with the colossal task -
0:19:54 > 0:19:59"that of eating 400,000 baskets of ripe fruit."
0:19:59 > 0:20:01But the surplus didn't last.
0:20:01 > 0:20:06By 1944 the islanders were starving and so, too, were the Nazi soldiers,
0:20:06 > 0:20:09who went to extreme lengths to survive.
0:20:09 > 0:20:11The tone in Uncle Arthur's diaries
0:20:11 > 0:20:15from 1940 to 1945 changes quite dramatically.
0:20:15 > 0:20:18"March the 31st, 1944.
0:20:18 > 0:20:21"I have had four robberies within 24 hours
0:20:21 > 0:20:23"and now they've been after my cow.
0:20:23 > 0:20:28"No words of mine can describe the feeling of insecurity about everything, everywhere."
0:20:29 > 0:20:33There was just an enormous amount of thieving going on.
0:20:33 > 0:20:36And sometimes it got quite violent.
0:20:36 > 0:20:40There is another entry here. Maybe, Ellie, you'd like to read it.
0:20:40 > 0:20:41Where is this one?
0:20:41 > 0:20:47Ah. "Then Mr Mahey told me a greenhouse robber, a soldier,
0:20:47 > 0:20:50"had shot dead a German gendarmerie man
0:20:50 > 0:20:53"who caught him robbing broccoli or potatoes last night."
0:20:54 > 0:20:57So, they're killing each other in their desperation.
0:21:00 > 0:21:0770 years on, and tomato farming under Nazi occupation is a memory held by a diminishing few.
0:21:07 > 0:21:11After a post-war boom, the industry fell into decline.
0:21:14 > 0:21:19In fact, there are now only a few commercial growers left on the island.
0:21:19 > 0:21:21But there's a new project that's been set up,
0:21:21 > 0:21:24with the aim of keeping that knowledge of the industry alive.
0:21:29 > 0:21:31Well done.
0:21:33 > 0:21:36One of the founders of the project is Jock Pettit.
0:21:37 > 0:21:39What is this project all about?
0:21:39 > 0:21:43Edible Guernsey is about bringing the infrastructure and expertise
0:21:43 > 0:21:47that was left over from the decline of the growing industries here
0:21:47 > 0:21:51and using them to teach people about food education and provide food security.
0:21:51 > 0:21:53And starting with children, then?
0:21:53 > 0:21:55Children certainly getting involved is fantastic,
0:21:55 > 0:21:57because food education obviously starts young.
0:21:57 > 0:22:00We've got people like Nigel as a mentor.
0:22:00 > 0:22:04There's a few others who have significant expertise in growing on the island.
0:22:04 > 0:22:06But we import most of our food.
0:22:06 > 0:22:10So we saw an opportunity to try and produce food locally.
0:22:10 > 0:22:13The tomato industry may be almost gone,
0:22:13 > 0:22:18but the knowledge gained by the growers of Guernsey in good times and bad
0:22:18 > 0:22:20will now hopefully live on.
0:22:26 > 0:22:28ANITA: I'm taking a look at island life.
0:22:28 > 0:22:30And I've come to Kerrera,
0:22:30 > 0:22:33a small island just off the west coast of Scotland.
0:22:33 > 0:22:36Sheep farming is one of the island's mainstays.
0:22:36 > 0:22:38There are three farms and a smallholding on the island.
0:22:39 > 0:22:42And they are all run by women,
0:22:42 > 0:22:45daughters who have succeeded their fathers on the family farm.
0:22:52 > 0:22:56Postie Gill, who we met earlier, and her best friend, Sheila,
0:22:56 > 0:22:59are neighbours, and both run their family farms.
0:23:01 > 0:23:03Well, Sheila, thanks for the coffee.
0:23:03 > 0:23:05- It's OK.- We deserve it after all that hard work delivering the post.
0:23:05 > 0:23:08So, you two have been friends for how long?
0:23:08 > 0:23:11- 30 years.- Oh, yes, 30 years. - 30 years.
0:23:11 > 0:23:15So, what are your memories of growing up on this unique little island?
0:23:15 > 0:23:17- Slightly bonkers.- A mixture.
0:23:17 > 0:23:20There were normally disasters with the pair of us involved.
0:23:20 > 0:23:23- Yeah.- We got ourselves into some right pickles.
0:23:23 > 0:23:25You must have had a really unique childhood. Very free, I'd imagine.
0:23:25 > 0:23:29- Yes.- It was very, very free.- We went to primary school here as well, so that was quite unique.
0:23:29 > 0:23:32There were 13 of us in the primary school. And we just roamed as a pack, really.
0:23:32 > 0:23:35- Both of you are mums. - Yep.- Yep.- You've both got two boys.
0:23:35 > 0:23:38- Yep.- How did you meet your husbands?
0:23:38 > 0:23:40Tell me they're not from the island!
0:23:40 > 0:23:42THEY LAUGH
0:23:42 > 0:23:44Sheila dragged me out to go to a wedding.
0:23:44 > 0:23:49And then we went up to the local pub and Tim was there with some friends.
0:23:49 > 0:23:52- And that's how Tim and I met. - My husband is South African.
0:23:52 > 0:23:56Came over here to coach rugby and... that's how I met him, really.
0:23:56 > 0:23:59So, you've basically dragged men, who...
0:23:59 > 0:24:02- Kicking and screaming.- Kicking and screaming.- Back into the hills.
0:24:02 > 0:24:05"Come and live where we grew up on this island with hardly anybody."
0:24:05 > 0:24:07But do they love it? They must do.
0:24:07 > 0:24:11- Yeah.- Yeah, they do. Now they do. They have warmed to it slowly. - THEY LAUGH
0:24:11 > 0:24:15I mean, I have to say, just having spent just the morning with you, Gill,
0:24:15 > 0:24:18there is magic in the air here. There is really something special about this place.
0:24:18 > 0:24:22And I know you are both working farmers, so there's work to be done, isn't there?
0:24:22 > 0:24:25- Yes.- What are we doing? - Giving Gill some sheep back.
0:24:25 > 0:24:26That shouldn't be on my farm!
0:24:26 > 0:24:30Yeah, our fences are fairly rubbish, so my sheep keep diving into Sheila's land.
0:24:30 > 0:24:34- So every now and then, we play sheep trumps and come and get our sheep back.- Yeah. Your turn.
0:24:34 > 0:24:36All right, so what's the plan?
0:24:36 > 0:24:40Need to get Gill's sheep from that pen, through these two gates, back into here.
0:24:40 > 0:24:42- Sounds easy enough. - I think we will need this one shut,
0:24:42 > 0:24:45- cos Gill's sheep are quite good at jumping.- Are they?- Yeah.
0:24:49 > 0:24:51Don't go down that way.
0:24:51 > 0:24:53- It's going beautifully.- Oh!
0:24:53 > 0:24:56- It's OK. I've got it. - Quick, she's got it!
0:24:56 > 0:24:58This is proper sheep tackling.
0:25:04 > 0:25:05Good skills, my darling.
0:25:05 > 0:25:08That got quite dramatic. THEY LAUGH
0:25:08 > 0:25:09Sheila, you are my hero.
0:25:09 > 0:25:12- LAUGHTER - I saved you!
0:25:18 > 0:25:20And I will be back with Sheila in just a moment.
0:25:20 > 0:25:24Before then, here's a reminder of the time John spent a day with
0:25:24 > 0:25:27another female farmer on a very different type of island farm.
0:25:44 > 0:25:48JOHN: Just off the coast of Northern Ireland lies the island of Rathlin.
0:25:51 > 0:25:54At just six miles long and one mile wide,
0:25:54 > 0:25:57the island is small in size, but rich in wildlife.
0:26:05 > 0:26:09Its beauty doesn't stop at this rugged coastline.
0:26:09 > 0:26:13Perhaps its greatest asset lies hidden beneath the surface of the sea.
0:26:15 > 0:26:18Here, the Atlantic Ocean meets the Irish Sea
0:26:18 > 0:26:22and the mingling of these waters provides the perfect setting for
0:26:22 > 0:26:26one of the most dynamic, most productive ecosystems
0:26:26 > 0:26:28on our planet - a forest of kelp.
0:26:28 > 0:26:32And the one here on Rathlin is truly spectacular.
0:26:40 > 0:26:44Just off its shores, this vast resource of seaweed
0:26:44 > 0:26:48provides a nutrient-rich and protective habitat for marine life.
0:26:49 > 0:26:53And though its value to wildlife is widely known, in recent years,
0:26:53 > 0:26:59people have been exploring the potential health benefits of this edible seaweed.
0:27:04 > 0:27:07Keen to make the most of this growing market,
0:27:07 > 0:27:14Kate Burns set up the UK's first kelp farm here on Rathlin in 2013.
0:27:14 > 0:27:16Well, here we are, Kate, on this beautiful,
0:27:16 > 0:27:18rocky shoreline, on a kelp hunt!
0:27:18 > 0:27:22- Indeed we are.- Why kelp? What's so special about kelp?
0:27:22 > 0:27:26Well, kelp is a superfood that we haven't really been eating much in
0:27:26 > 0:27:30the British Isles, and it's only now that we are realising
0:27:30 > 0:27:34A, how good it is for you, and B, actually what a great food product it makes.
0:27:34 > 0:27:35So, what is so good about it?
0:27:35 > 0:27:38Well, it's got more calcium and iron than any other vegetable.
0:27:38 > 0:27:43It is high in protein, in vitamin D, in roughage.
0:27:43 > 0:27:46- It doesn't look very nice. - No, it doesn't, actually!
0:27:46 > 0:27:50And when we farm it, it's different and you will see that later on.
0:27:50 > 0:27:54- Right.- And also, how we cook it makes it very palatable indeed.
0:27:55 > 0:27:58Kelp is very much a staple of Asian cuisine,
0:27:58 > 0:28:00but Kate is taking a more European approach.
0:28:02 > 0:28:05She is targeting gastronomes with her selection of
0:28:05 > 0:28:08ready-to-eat kelp tagliatelle and pesto.
0:28:08 > 0:28:12And although her crop grows out at sea, the work begins here on shore.
0:28:15 > 0:28:17So, what exactly are we looking for then?
0:28:17 > 0:28:20Well, we are looking for kelp which has spores on it.
0:28:20 > 0:28:23And, at the moment, we are looking for sugar kelp.
0:28:23 > 0:28:27In the month of February, it's the kind of kelp which is ready to release spores.
0:28:27 > 0:28:31- Ah.- That's some sugar kelp there. - Oh, right.
0:28:31 > 0:28:36- But it hasn't got any spores on it. - Oh, right. So that's no good.- No.
0:28:36 > 0:28:40- Here's a piece here.- Oh, right. - Here's a piece.- So, where are the spores, then?
0:28:40 > 0:28:43Well, can you see that black, dark line down the middle of it?
0:28:43 > 0:28:44Like a spine going down?
0:28:44 > 0:28:47- It looks like a spine. That's actually spores.- Uh-huh.
0:28:51 > 0:28:54Out in the ocean, kelp reproduces naturally,
0:28:54 > 0:28:57but Kate is taking a more hi-tech approach.
0:28:57 > 0:29:01Hers is cultivated in a lab before being transferred out to sea
0:29:01 > 0:29:03to grow into adult plants.
0:29:08 > 0:29:12First, the spores collected on the beach are cut out and cleaned.
0:29:13 > 0:29:16Then they are chilled for 24 hours
0:29:16 > 0:29:20before being released into sterile sea water.
0:29:20 > 0:29:24When they release, they become zooplankton for 24 hours.
0:29:24 > 0:29:27And they have tails and they are male and female and they swim.
0:29:27 > 0:29:29And they look for something to attach to.
0:29:29 > 0:29:33And if they don't attach within 24 hours, they die.
0:29:33 > 0:29:37- So you put string down for them? - We put spools of string in the lab.
0:29:37 > 0:29:40- Yes.- And, after about 35 days,
0:29:40 > 0:29:45they are 1mm or 2mm long and we transplant them to ropes
0:29:45 > 0:29:47at sea, in our licensed kelp farm.
0:29:55 > 0:29:59ANITA: John, off the coast of Northern Ireland back in March,
0:29:59 > 0:30:03finding out how seaweed is giving a boost to commerce on the island of Rathlin.
0:30:10 > 0:30:14Here on the Hebridean island of Kerrera, it's all about sheep.
0:30:14 > 0:30:15SHE WHISTLES
0:30:15 > 0:30:19Sheila McGregor is getting ready to move some of her thousand-odd ewes.
0:30:19 > 0:30:24Given my sheep wrangling skills, I'm sure she'll appreciate my help.
0:30:24 > 0:30:26SHEILA WHISTLES
0:30:26 > 0:30:27How brilliant!
0:30:30 > 0:30:33Sheila, that is seriously impressive.
0:30:33 > 0:30:37- I mean, the dog is impressive. - Yes.- But the whistling is as well.
0:30:37 > 0:30:38It all sounds the same to me.
0:30:38 > 0:30:40How long does it take to train the dog to do that?
0:30:40 > 0:30:43It's depends on the dog. But it takes about, I don't know,
0:30:43 > 0:30:45about six months, to get them fully trained.
0:30:45 > 0:30:47And then they just get better and better and then
0:30:47 > 0:30:51they start knowing better than you and then they just go off and they'll gather the field on its own.
0:30:51 > 0:30:54She'll come into this field and she's off and I'm like, "Come back! Not ready yet."
0:30:54 > 0:30:56- So it's instinctive? - It's instinctive, yeah.
0:30:56 > 0:30:58- You can see she's poised. - She ready, yep.
0:30:58 > 0:31:00- Is she waiting for you to whistle? - Yes.
0:31:00 > 0:31:01So give me a couple of commands.
0:31:01 > 0:31:03Let's see if I can hear the difference.
0:31:03 > 0:31:04Do one and then do...
0:31:04 > 0:31:07SHEILA WHISTLES COMMANDS
0:31:07 > 0:31:09- So that has told her... - So that is "coming up".
0:31:09 > 0:31:12And then, when she's had enough, "sit down". So...
0:31:12 > 0:31:13It's fantastic.
0:31:13 > 0:31:17- SHE WHISTLES - That's "coming to me".
0:31:17 > 0:31:19Oh, hello! Hello!
0:31:19 > 0:31:21Come and say hello.
0:31:21 > 0:31:24Flo. Come here. Oh, let's meet...
0:31:24 > 0:31:27Oh, Flo, you are brilliant.
0:31:27 > 0:31:29DOG WHINES
0:31:31 > 0:31:32Is it quite an isolating job?
0:31:32 > 0:31:36Because you are living on this island, you are sort of isolated as it is.
0:31:36 > 0:31:39- Yeah.- And on top of that, you're doing something that is solitary.
0:31:39 > 0:31:43It can be, but I've got Gill over the hill.
0:31:43 > 0:31:45I'm kind of used to the quietness of it all.
0:31:45 > 0:31:46So I don't feel isolated.
0:31:46 > 0:31:48And it does feel like a proper community here.
0:31:48 > 0:31:51- It's like everybody knows everybody. - Everybody does know everybody.
0:31:51 > 0:31:54And everybody knows what everybody else is doing and it's like...
0:31:54 > 0:31:58But that's part and parcel of living here. So, yeah, it's good.
0:31:58 > 0:32:01Shall we get down there and march these sheep where they need to be?
0:32:01 > 0:32:04- Yep.- OK.- The safest way is this way.
0:32:04 > 0:32:06But before we get stuck in,
0:32:06 > 0:32:09here's a look back to the time Ellie was on another Scottish island
0:32:09 > 0:32:11looking for beasts of a very different kind.
0:32:21 > 0:32:22ELLIE: This is Shetland.
0:32:25 > 0:32:27A sub-Arctic archipelago of Scotland
0:32:27 > 0:32:29and the UK's most northern habitation.
0:32:31 > 0:32:34Its largest island is known simply as Mainland,
0:32:34 > 0:32:37with its capital, Lerwick, at the heart.
0:32:39 > 0:32:44Around 22,000 people live on this remote outpost
0:32:44 > 0:32:48scattered some 100 miles off the north coast of Scotland.
0:32:48 > 0:32:51And at this time of year, the daylight is almost endless.
0:32:53 > 0:32:56The island's position in the North Atlantic mean they play host to more
0:32:56 > 0:32:59than a million breeding birds every year.
0:33:01 > 0:33:05But it's not just birds which make the most of this rocky outcrop.
0:33:05 > 0:33:07I am heading to the island of Fetlar,
0:33:07 > 0:33:10known locally as the "Garden of Shetland",
0:33:10 > 0:33:13in the hope of spotting some of its extra special residents.
0:33:18 > 0:33:23It's the greenest of all the islands and with only 81 residents,
0:33:23 > 0:33:26local lad and naturalist Brydon Thomason has been enchanted
0:33:26 > 0:33:28by the wildlife here since he was a toddler.
0:33:30 > 0:33:34Fingers crossed, today he is going to show me one of Shetland's
0:33:34 > 0:33:37most famous residents - the European otter.
0:33:38 > 0:33:40- How are you doing? - Very well.- You all right?
0:33:40 > 0:33:42Yes, nice to meet you.
0:33:42 > 0:33:44- You, too.- How are you doing? - So, any sign?
0:33:44 > 0:33:46I have actually just spotted one just up ahead.
0:33:46 > 0:33:49- Oh, fantastic.- It's quite a way off at the moment.
0:33:49 > 0:33:52But, as we move towards it, we'll try and keep our voices down.
0:33:52 > 0:33:55You know, they are very sensitive to any noise, or especially scent.
0:33:55 > 0:33:57- Yeah.- They are very scent sensitive.
0:33:57 > 0:33:59- If we just crouch down here, Ellie, for a minute.- All right.- We'll...
0:34:02 > 0:34:04We'll have a little scan again.
0:34:04 > 0:34:07OK, so there it is actually up again now, Ellie.
0:34:07 > 0:34:09So, if you just look... See in line with that headland?
0:34:09 > 0:34:11If you just come straight down...
0:34:11 > 0:34:14- Oh, yeah!- Can you see it off there? - Yeah!- 30 or 40 yards offshore.
0:34:14 > 0:34:15Oh, fantastic!
0:34:15 > 0:34:19It's just foraging. We refer to this as patch fishing, I guess.
0:34:20 > 0:34:22They've got favourite little areas of seabed.
0:34:22 > 0:34:26It could be a reef or it could be a kelp forest
0:34:26 > 0:34:28that they will forage on every day.
0:34:28 > 0:34:30They know their shoreline just intimately.
0:34:30 > 0:34:33It's exciting for me, you know, because otters, down south,
0:34:33 > 0:34:34are only out at night.
0:34:34 > 0:34:37Yeah, I mean, that's one of the big attractions for people
0:34:37 > 0:34:40watching otters in Shetland. They do tend to be diurnal.
0:34:40 > 0:34:43They're foraging through the daylight hours.
0:34:43 > 0:34:44And so, what is it about Shetland
0:34:44 > 0:34:47that is really ideal for otters and for wildlife in general?
0:34:47 > 0:34:51I suppose, looking at today as a perfect example,
0:34:51 > 0:34:55the shorelines, the lack of pollution, the lack of disturbance.
0:34:55 > 0:34:57I've seen a glimpse of an otter,
0:34:57 > 0:34:59but I know you've got some amazing shots on your laptop.
0:34:59 > 0:35:02Yeah, let's have a little look.
0:35:02 > 0:35:04This is footage that you've picked up from a camera trap.
0:35:04 > 0:35:07Yeah, the camera is hidden in amongst the boulders here.
0:35:07 > 0:35:10And this is an area we would call a lie up here,
0:35:10 > 0:35:12where otters come up and they spraint and they groom.
0:35:12 > 0:35:15And you can see them writhing around in the grass there.
0:35:15 > 0:35:20- Oh, yeah.- They are actually using scent glands as well to mark their territory.
0:35:20 > 0:35:22- So this is a dog, you can see him... - Oh, some grooming.
0:35:22 > 0:35:25- See him grooming.- Aw! - Dogs are very solitary.
0:35:25 > 0:35:27They spend their days just on their lonesome.
0:35:27 > 0:35:30Rarely do they interact with the families.
0:35:30 > 0:35:33You see him sprainting there on the rocks before he goes.
0:35:33 > 0:35:36- Oh, yeah. Sprainting. - And then he bimbles off down
0:35:36 > 0:35:38and carries on with his daily business.
0:35:40 > 0:35:43I just caught my first glimpse of a Fetlar otter.
0:35:43 > 0:35:45It seems luck is on my side.
0:35:48 > 0:35:50The wildlife here is in great shape.
0:35:58 > 0:36:01ANITA: I'm getting a taste of island life here on Kerrera,
0:36:01 > 0:36:04a small island just off the west coast of Scotland.
0:36:04 > 0:36:07And right now that means helping farmer Sheila McGregor.
0:36:10 > 0:36:12Do you think one of your sons will take over?
0:36:12 > 0:36:15- Oh, that would be nice, yep. - SHE WHISTLES TO SHEEPDOG
0:36:15 > 0:36:17But, I mean, if they don't want to, I can't make them.
0:36:17 > 0:36:19But ideally, that would be good.
0:36:19 > 0:36:20SHE WHISTLES
0:36:22 > 0:36:24Sheila, this is quite some sight.
0:36:24 > 0:36:27- I know!- I've never experienced anything like this before.
0:36:27 > 0:36:30Hundreds of sheep marching up a country lane.
0:36:30 > 0:36:31- Yeah.- Into the mist.
0:36:31 > 0:36:34- Into the mist, I know, it's very dramatic-looking today.- Isn't it?
0:36:38 > 0:36:40- It's dramatic.- It is.- It's noisy.
0:36:40 > 0:36:42- They are totally happy. - That's the main thing.
0:36:42 > 0:36:45And I am happy now. Everything has been done. I feel relieved.
0:36:49 > 0:36:51SHEEP BLEATING
0:36:51 > 0:36:55Well, these sheep sound happy, don't they? And I know there's more work to be done.
0:36:55 > 0:36:59But first, here's another chance to see Matt making a surprising discovery in Anglesey.
0:37:17 > 0:37:20Back in the Middle Ages, Anglesey was so productive
0:37:20 > 0:37:22that it was known as the breadbasket of Wales.
0:37:22 > 0:37:24But, as I'm about to explore,
0:37:24 > 0:37:28conditions here today are ripe for some very specialist harvests.
0:37:29 > 0:37:32I'm heading to a small plot of land that's a long way from
0:37:32 > 0:37:34the traditional kitchen garden.
0:37:34 > 0:37:38Keith and Kathryn Selfe moved here to retire five years ago.
0:37:38 > 0:37:41Keith was hankering for a quieter life,
0:37:41 > 0:37:44but green-fingered Kathryn had other ideas.
0:37:44 > 0:37:48She started a business growing exotic fruit.
0:37:48 > 0:37:52We've got kiwi fruit, bananas, oranges, lemons, limes.
0:37:52 > 0:37:54- So, all exotic, then? - Yep, definitely.
0:37:54 > 0:37:56It was never meant, was it, for plants, this polytunnel?
0:37:56 > 0:37:57- No, it wasn't.- Come on.
0:37:57 > 0:38:00That's why it's got extra wide doors and extra height.
0:38:00 > 0:38:03- Yeah.- It was to put Lily May in, my boat.
0:38:03 > 0:38:05But it never made it.
0:38:05 > 0:38:07- Bananas came in, and in, and in... - Nothing to do with me! - LAUGHTER
0:38:09 > 0:38:12So, Keith built a second polytunnel,
0:38:12 > 0:38:15which Kathryn also filled with fruiting greenery.
0:38:15 > 0:38:19Four years later, Lily May is still in need of some TLC.
0:38:19 > 0:38:21Poor Keith. He doesn't even like fruit!
0:38:23 > 0:38:26One banana a year and that's about it.
0:38:26 > 0:38:28There's no chance of me eating the profits.
0:38:28 > 0:38:32- We'll go to the vegetables. - Show me what you've grown outside.
0:38:32 > 0:38:34Keeping Kathryn's beloved plants fruitful in their new,
0:38:34 > 0:38:38more temperate home in Anglesey needs extra care and attention.
0:38:41 > 0:38:43As the cold weather tightens its grip,
0:38:43 > 0:38:46it's time to bed this tropical beauties down for the winter,
0:38:46 > 0:38:51with the help of a secret ingredient from the Anglesey seaside - seaweed.
0:38:57 > 0:38:59Give it a good bed down.
0:39:01 > 0:39:02Right the way around the edges.
0:39:02 > 0:39:07The seaweed actually works as a slow-release fertiliser.
0:39:07 > 0:39:09We could actually leave them out all year.
0:39:09 > 0:39:11- Could you?- They are hardy enough.
0:39:11 > 0:39:15But where we use the fruit to make produce, by taking them in,
0:39:15 > 0:39:17it gives them a bit of a head start in the spring.
0:39:17 > 0:39:21- Right.- So we get a much higher yield from each plant.
0:39:21 > 0:39:24OK. Right, we will go and put that one in the tunnel.
0:39:26 > 0:39:29One kiwi plant produces around 90 fruit in a season.
0:39:29 > 0:39:33So, with 100 plants, that's 9,000 kiwis a year.
0:39:36 > 0:39:40- Keith, shall I just pop this on here?- Yes, fine. Just on there. - There we are.- No problem.
0:39:40 > 0:39:43- That'll be it for winter now. - Well, there's another 95 to go.
0:39:43 > 0:39:45- That's fine.- So there's certainly no room for the boat this year.
0:39:45 > 0:39:49- Er, I think I need a big workshop, don't you?- You do.
0:39:52 > 0:39:55Time to find out what happens to all of those kiwis.
0:39:55 > 0:39:56Over the past three years,
0:39:56 > 0:40:03Kathryn has handmade 6,353 pots of award-winning jams and preserves.
0:40:06 > 0:40:09Well, Kathryn, this is a very tasty way of dealing with how productive
0:40:09 > 0:40:11- your kiwi plants are. - It certainly is, Matt.
0:40:11 > 0:40:14Yes, we make kiwi fruit jam.
0:40:14 > 0:40:16- Yes.- Along with a lot of others as well.
0:40:16 > 0:40:22And our range has gradually increased, as we source new recipe ideas.
0:40:22 > 0:40:24What is your secret, then?
0:40:24 > 0:40:28Good, fresh ingredients, no artificial colourings, preservatives.
0:40:28 > 0:40:31So everything that goes in the jar is 100% natural.
0:40:31 > 0:40:35Kathryn wants to increase jam production to 3,000 pots a year.
0:40:38 > 0:40:40I'm a big fan of Kiwi fruits and that...
0:40:40 > 0:40:42that is beautiful.
0:40:42 > 0:40:46And she has grand designs for another part of their retirement home.
0:40:46 > 0:40:50We've just got planning permission now to actually, dare I say it,
0:40:50 > 0:40:52turn the garage into a commercial kitchen.
0:40:52 > 0:40:54- Not Keith's garage! - Yes!- He's lost his polytunnel.
0:40:54 > 0:40:57- Now he's losing his garage.- And now he's going to lose his garage, yes.
0:40:57 > 0:41:01With the jam business going places, it looks like Keith's boat, Lily May,
0:41:01 > 0:41:04will be high and dry for a little longer.
0:41:11 > 0:41:14ANITA: Rocky inlets and rugged cliffs.
0:41:14 > 0:41:17Isolated farms and rich pasture.
0:41:17 > 0:41:19The island of Kerrera has a charm all of its own.
0:41:20 > 0:41:23One that's loved by Sheila's sister, Ann,
0:41:23 > 0:41:25who also lives and works on the island.
0:41:28 > 0:41:30- Good job there, Ann. - Hello.- Oh!
0:41:30 > 0:41:32What are they being herded up for?
0:41:32 > 0:41:35I've just got to check each of their mouths to make sure that all their teeth are fine.
0:41:35 > 0:41:39- You're being the dentist? - Yeah, the dentist.- Why do you have to check their teeth?
0:41:39 > 0:41:42If they're missing any teeth at all, they will struggle through the winter,
0:41:42 > 0:41:45not able to eat any grass, and they could lose a lot of condition.
0:41:45 > 0:41:47What happens if you do find one with...?
0:41:47 > 0:41:50We just have to sell it, have to let it go. It'll struggle through the winter.
0:41:50 > 0:41:54- So, that one was OK.- That one is fine. Healthy teeth. See, they've got no teeth at the top,
0:41:54 > 0:41:56so you want the bottom teeth to be behind the top jaw.
0:41:56 > 0:41:59Oh, steady on. Show us your teeth, go on. Cheese!
0:41:59 > 0:42:02- So she is fine. She's got all her teeth.- Good.
0:42:02 > 0:42:04- She's brushed them well! - She's brushed well.
0:42:04 > 0:42:07You've worked on this farm your whole life as well, Ann.
0:42:07 > 0:42:10Yes, uh-huh. Came over here when I was six months old,
0:42:10 > 0:42:12so 31 years now we've been here for, so...
0:42:12 > 0:42:14There's a lot of women that run farms on this island.
0:42:14 > 0:42:17Yeah, I know, there is. It's brilliant, though.
0:42:17 > 0:42:20That's the way you kind of want it. You know? Show the men up.
0:42:20 > 0:42:22- We'll show them how it's done. - 100% with you.
0:42:22 > 0:42:25- 100%.- Yeah.- And what type of sheep are these?
0:42:25 > 0:42:26These ones are Cheviots.
0:42:26 > 0:42:28Cheviots. and they are very good for this sort of land?
0:42:28 > 0:42:32Yeah, they are a hill sheep, so you want them for this sort of land that we've got on Kerrera.
0:42:32 > 0:42:37Cheviots, blackfaces, they kind of do with hill ground, so they do well here.
0:42:37 > 0:42:40So, you've been on the island pretty much your entire life.
0:42:40 > 0:42:42- Yes.- 31 years.
0:42:42 > 0:42:45Now, I know that your sister and I know that Gill have managed to ensnare
0:42:45 > 0:42:47men from the mainland and bring them over.
0:42:47 > 0:42:51- Yes.- In fact, your brother-in-law is all the way from South Africa. - I know!- How about you?
0:42:51 > 0:42:53- No.- No?- No-one in my life at the moment.
0:42:53 > 0:42:54- Single?- Yeah, single.
0:42:54 > 0:42:59Just me in my house on a Saturday night, fire on, dogs on my lap, watching the TV.
0:42:59 > 0:43:00SHE LAUGHS
0:43:00 > 0:43:03I'll be on my own for ever, I think, at this rate.
0:43:03 > 0:43:06I know it's a very different programme, but Ann is 31.
0:43:06 > 0:43:08She's gorgeous, she is great with sheep.
0:43:09 > 0:43:11And she is single.
0:43:11 > 0:43:12So, if you fancy living on an island...
0:43:12 > 0:43:15- Call me! - ANN LAUGHS
0:43:30 > 0:43:32ANITA: I'm on Kerrera,
0:43:32 > 0:43:35a small island off the Scottish coast, near Oban.
0:43:35 > 0:43:38It's where I've been enjoying a slice of island life.
0:43:38 > 0:43:42- It's OK. I've got it. - Great, she's got it.- I saved you!
0:43:42 > 0:43:43THEY LAUGH
0:43:51 > 0:43:53On Kerrera, there's no community centre, there's no pub,
0:43:53 > 0:43:57there's no church, so where do the islanders get together?
0:43:57 > 0:43:59The tearoom. And I guess it's signposted.
0:44:10 > 0:44:12Nearly there. Let's hope it's carrot.
0:44:18 > 0:44:21The tearoom is run by Aideen and Martin Shields.
0:44:21 > 0:44:23They were city dwellers
0:44:23 > 0:44:26who both gave up busy careers on the mainland to live the island life.
0:44:29 > 0:44:30So, I am intrigued by the two of you,
0:44:30 > 0:44:32because you're not islanders born and bred.
0:44:32 > 0:44:34You moved to this place.
0:44:34 > 0:44:37- That's right.- So what is the story? What was the pull?
0:44:37 > 0:44:42Well, it was probably eight years ago I came here with a band I sang with,
0:44:42 > 0:44:45just completely randomly, and we met some amazing people.
0:44:45 > 0:44:48Some people we are still friends with today.
0:44:48 > 0:44:53And I think it was a number of years later that we were here with your father, weren't we?
0:44:53 > 0:44:57Well, we came to Oban with my father and our friend told us that
0:44:57 > 0:44:59The Tea Garden, the business, was up for sale.
0:44:59 > 0:45:02Now, I hadn't been to the island before, but it sounded like the right thing.
0:45:02 > 0:45:05It was the right opportunity at the right stage in our lives.
0:45:05 > 0:45:08So, you'd been here once. You'd never been here.
0:45:08 > 0:45:10- No.- You heard that the tearoom was for sale,
0:45:10 > 0:45:12but you decided that it was the one for you.
0:45:12 > 0:45:15- I trusted his experience. - THEY LAUGH
0:45:15 > 0:45:17It was a bit of a leap of faith, it has to be said.
0:45:17 > 0:45:19Everybody thought we were mental.
0:45:19 > 0:45:21So what did you do before you moved here?
0:45:21 > 0:45:25I was working as a performer in a theatre show called Stomp,
0:45:25 > 0:45:28which is a great show. It was a dream come true for me.
0:45:28 > 0:45:32But I was on tour with them for eight years and I chose to leave Stomp,
0:45:32 > 0:45:35- come to Scotland to be with him. - She moved for love, Martin.
0:45:35 > 0:45:36I think so, yes.
0:45:36 > 0:45:40Yes. So this really is a completely different...
0:45:40 > 0:45:41Completely different, but, actually,
0:45:41 > 0:45:43I'm still using all the same tools of the job.
0:45:43 > 0:45:46I'm still using brooms and pots and pans and dustbins.
0:45:46 > 0:45:50But for the things that they are actually designed to be used for, these days.
0:45:50 > 0:45:52And you are not alone, are you? You do have...
0:45:52 > 0:45:54Well, people just want to be here with you.
0:45:54 > 0:45:56We do. We couldn't do it alone.
0:45:56 > 0:45:59Like, on a busy day, we could have up to 100 people come in here.
0:45:59 > 0:46:00So we do need some help.
0:46:00 > 0:46:04So we get friends and family and people from all over the world coming to stay with us.
0:46:04 > 0:46:06We have a lovely helper here for a few months, Izzy,
0:46:06 > 0:46:08who I think you might meet.
0:46:08 > 0:46:11She's kind of busy at the moment. So maybe you could go and help her?
0:46:11 > 0:46:15- Yeah.- She's making up some new accommodation for visiting guests in the Bell Tent.
0:46:15 > 0:46:18Gosh! For these lovely island people, you're not half slave drivers, are you?
0:46:18 > 0:46:21- Absolutely!- "Make the scones, help over there!" THEY LAUGH
0:46:21 > 0:46:24- All right, I'll see you later. - Thanks, Anita.
0:46:31 > 0:46:32- Hi, Izzy.- Hi!
0:46:32 > 0:46:35- How are you doing? - Great, how are you? - Yeah, very well.
0:46:35 > 0:46:37- Do you need a hand? - That would be lovely.
0:46:37 > 0:46:40Right... So, Izzy, where are you from?
0:46:40 > 0:46:42I am from Philadelphia in the United States.
0:46:42 > 0:46:44A long way from home?
0:46:44 > 0:46:47- A bit, yeah. - So what brought you here?
0:46:47 > 0:46:50So I came to work to do a work exchange here with Martin and Aideen,
0:46:50 > 0:46:53to work at the cafe, room and board.
0:46:53 > 0:46:56And I was originally only supposed to stay for about three weeks
0:46:56 > 0:46:58and I ended up staying for three months,
0:46:58 > 0:47:02- because I just fell in love with the island and the islanders. - That's incredible.- Yeah.
0:47:02 > 0:47:04But this isn't your first time, is it?
0:47:04 > 0:47:06This is not, no. So this is my second time back.
0:47:06 > 0:47:08What's the draw of the island?
0:47:08 > 0:47:10The island is absolutely stunning.
0:47:10 > 0:47:12I love getting to wake up here every single day,
0:47:12 > 0:47:16and the view, and it's just so beautiful and lovely.
0:47:16 > 0:47:18And I think the islanders bring so much to it as well.
0:47:18 > 0:47:20They are such a close-knit community,
0:47:20 > 0:47:22but they were so welcoming when I first came.
0:47:22 > 0:47:24And when I came back, it was like coming home.
0:47:24 > 0:47:27So, what to do your friends think about you being here?
0:47:27 > 0:47:28They are very jealous.
0:47:28 > 0:47:31- They don't think you're bonkers? - Not at all, no.
0:47:31 > 0:47:34They want to come and visit all the time.
0:47:34 > 0:47:37- Tell them, "You're welcome," if they can make a bed.- Exactly.
0:47:37 > 0:47:38Get here and get hands-on.
0:47:38 > 0:47:43- Right, well, I'm going to see if Aideen and Martin need a hand in the kitchen as well.- Perfect.
0:47:43 > 0:47:47- Thank you.- Of course. Thanks for the help.- Nice to meet you, Izzy.
0:47:47 > 0:47:50Vibrant communities are what keeps islands like Kerrera going.
0:47:50 > 0:47:54And the same is true for the islands all around our shores,
0:47:54 > 0:47:57as Helen found out when she visited Bardsey Island
0:47:57 > 0:47:58off the west coast of Wales.
0:48:05 > 0:48:08HELEN: I'm catching a lift on the boat that supplies the island.
0:48:08 > 0:48:11There's plenty of day-trippers making the crossing, too.
0:48:11 > 0:48:12And what a day for it!
0:48:14 > 0:48:17Bardsey is a tranquil, unspoiled island,
0:48:17 > 0:48:20but it is still a working island.
0:48:20 > 0:48:21Only ten people live here
0:48:21 > 0:48:25and when the boat comes in, they are all down to greet it.
0:48:25 > 0:48:27- Hello. Oh, hello, nice to meet you. - And you.
0:48:27 > 0:48:31Emyr Roberts is the island warden.
0:48:31 > 0:48:33He's the guy that keeps the holiday cottages supplied.
0:48:33 > 0:48:36If you need it, Emyr's got it.
0:48:36 > 0:48:38It's all basic, good stuff, you know,
0:48:38 > 0:48:40like fruit and veg and stuff like that.
0:48:40 > 0:48:43Do you not order goodies, sweets and chocolates?
0:48:43 > 0:48:45Not too much. They are, you know, they are treats.
0:48:45 > 0:48:48So, what do you do in the winter for food, then?
0:48:49 > 0:48:52Well, I've got a pretty good store of it up there.
0:48:52 > 0:48:54I bottle it and freeze it
0:48:54 > 0:48:57and whatever you can do to preserve it, you know?
0:48:58 > 0:49:01And it can be quite an interesting diet.
0:49:01 > 0:49:02HE LAUGHS
0:49:02 > 0:49:05- One last thing. - Oh, we can't forget the vinegar.
0:49:05 > 0:49:07Oh, that's very important.
0:49:07 > 0:49:09And we'll find out why in a minute.
0:49:13 > 0:49:15- OK, so this is your store? - This is the store.
0:49:18 > 0:49:22I thought this would be full of canned foods, but it's supplies.
0:49:22 > 0:49:26I mean, you must have 300 sponge scourers in here!
0:49:26 > 0:49:28I guess you do need a poker, don't you?
0:49:28 > 0:49:30Bedsheets. Bin.
0:49:30 > 0:49:32These are very useful things.
0:49:32 > 0:49:36- What are they? Oh, gloves. - Surgical gloves. - HE LAUGHS
0:49:36 > 0:49:39I'm not even going to ask! I'm not even going to ask!
0:49:39 > 0:49:42Emyr, your garden is phenomenal.
0:49:42 > 0:49:44Well, it's coming now. It's coming.
0:49:44 > 0:49:46Is this because you like growing veg,
0:49:46 > 0:49:49or because you need to grow all this veg?
0:49:49 > 0:49:52A bit of both, really. It will all get eaten.
0:49:52 > 0:49:56You know, it's not easy to get veg here in the winter.
0:49:56 > 0:49:59I can't imagine you'd ever need to go to a shop again.
0:49:59 > 0:50:00Oh, my word!
0:50:00 > 0:50:02Look at all the pickling!
0:50:02 > 0:50:05Pickled carrots, pickled beetroot, pickled...
0:50:05 > 0:50:08What? Have you pickled raspberries?
0:50:08 > 0:50:11Yeah, yeah. God, they're lovely.
0:50:11 > 0:50:13So, this is where all the vinegar goes.
0:50:13 > 0:50:16Wow! That's a lot of pickled items.
0:50:17 > 0:50:19Pickled beans, pickled cherries, pickled...
0:50:21 > 0:50:22It's a pickling factory!
0:50:24 > 0:50:29Self-sufficiency has been the name of the game here for islanders down the years.
0:50:32 > 0:50:35"There's a green track, lined with meadowsweet.
0:50:35 > 0:50:38"Stone houses, ramparts to the weather.
0:50:39 > 0:50:46"Small fields that run all one-way west to the sea,
0:50:46 > 0:50:51"inviting feet to make new paths to their own discovered places."
0:50:58 > 0:51:00Those words were written by Christine Evans -
0:51:00 > 0:51:03Colin the boatman's mum and celebrated poet.
0:51:03 > 0:51:05- Hello, Christine.- Hello!
0:51:05 > 0:51:08The island has been inspirational
0:51:08 > 0:51:11to her since she set up home here in the 1970s.
0:51:11 > 0:51:14How does this landscape, then, affect your poems?
0:51:16 > 0:51:18I think it started me writing,
0:51:18 > 0:51:21because of the sense of inclusiveness,
0:51:21 > 0:51:24the sense of everything in balance.
0:51:24 > 0:51:28And the way in which, you know, your senses are all made more alert,
0:51:28 > 0:51:30because you send so much time out of doors.
0:51:30 > 0:51:32And this is still a place of pilgrimage, isn't it?
0:51:32 > 0:51:37Yes. For 1,000 years, we had the monastery and we had monks.
0:51:37 > 0:51:39There was a tradition that if you were buried here,
0:51:39 > 0:51:42or you died on your way here, your soul wouldn't go to hell.
0:51:44 > 0:51:47But Bardsey's story is not just about the past.
0:51:47 > 0:51:49New arrivals are looking to the future.
0:51:53 > 0:51:56The Porter family came here from England four years ago
0:51:56 > 0:51:57to live a different life.
0:51:57 > 0:52:02Ben and Rachel are taught from home, which means lessons happen outside.
0:52:02 > 0:52:03Pretty good, eh?
0:52:08 > 0:52:10They are all kept busy running the island farm.
0:52:10 > 0:52:13There are 400 sheep, 25 Welsh Black cattle,
0:52:13 > 0:52:15and a couple of goats for milk.
0:52:19 > 0:52:22Dad Steve is on his own today, and being a farmer's daughter,
0:52:22 > 0:52:26I've been roped in to lend a hand and let off a little steam.
0:52:28 > 0:52:29Hup!
0:52:30 > 0:52:33Hup! CATTLE BELLOW
0:52:33 > 0:52:34Ooh!
0:52:34 > 0:52:36Yay!
0:52:36 > 0:52:39We're moving at them onto rare maritime pasture.
0:52:39 > 0:52:44It is found in few places and provides vital habitat for the island's sea bird populations.
0:52:45 > 0:52:47How do you rate life here?
0:52:47 > 0:52:49Unbeatable. Unbeatable.
0:52:49 > 0:52:52I mean, the combination of
0:52:52 > 0:52:56the environment that we live in,
0:52:56 > 0:52:59the great challenges of farming on a nature reserve
0:52:59 > 0:53:02and the wildlife that comes through here,
0:53:02 > 0:53:06the migrating birds - it's a tremendous place to live.
0:53:06 > 0:53:09- Is there anything you'd swap it for? - No.
0:53:14 > 0:53:16My time on Bardsey is up.
0:53:16 > 0:53:18But I reckon one day I'll be back,
0:53:18 > 0:53:22making another pilgrimage to this very special place.
0:53:33 > 0:53:36ANITA: Our islands are special places,
0:53:36 > 0:53:38offering a different way of life.
0:53:38 > 0:53:40Young people are their lifeblood.
0:53:40 > 0:53:43But when they grow up, they often move on,
0:53:43 > 0:53:46making it harder for smaller islands to survive.
0:53:46 > 0:53:50Here on Kerrera, with baby Isabella and all these guys running around,
0:53:50 > 0:53:53the future for this island is looking pretty good.
0:53:53 > 0:53:55And that is great to see.
0:53:56 > 0:53:58Here comes tea!
0:53:58 > 0:54:01I've had a fantastic time on Kerrera,
0:54:01 > 0:54:03with all three generations of islanders.
0:54:03 > 0:54:05Next week, Matt, Sean and Naomi
0:54:05 > 0:54:07will be celebrating the 60th anniversary
0:54:07 > 0:54:09of the Duke of Edinburgh Awards,
0:54:09 > 0:54:12and Helen has a very special royal appointment.
0:54:12 > 0:54:14So, do join us then. Bye for now.
0:54:14 > 0:54:18Who ate all the brownie? It's all gone!