Island Life Compilation Countryfile


Island Life Compilation

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Shining jewels in the sea.

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Glittering landscapes dotted around our shores.

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The British Isles is made up of more than 6,000 islands.

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From the wide-open landscapes of Shetland...

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..to the bustle of the Channel Islands...

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..each offers a different way of life.

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In this programme, we'll be looking at all aspects of island life.

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Today, I am in Scotland, heading to the Inner Hebrides.

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And the island I'm visiting, just over there, is full of surprises.

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Kerrera, the jewel in the Firth of Lorne -

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a land of sweeping acres and rugged cliffs...

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..pebbled coves and remote farms.

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People have lived here since the Bronze Age.

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These days, just 48 people call this island home.

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It's a perfect place for my first real taste of island life.

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And whilst I'm here, braving the elements,

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I'll be looking back at some of the times Countryfile has visited

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islands around our shores.

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Like the time Ellie marvelled at the wildlife in the Shetland Islands...

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-Oh, yes!

-Can you see it off there? 30 or 40 yards offshore.

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Oh, fantastic!

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..to when Helen demonstrated her farming skills off the Welsh coast...

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SHE CALLS

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SHE CALLS

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CATTLE BELLOW

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Yay!

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..and when Matt discovered a tasty surprise in Anglesey.

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I'm a big fan of kiwi fruits and that...

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That is beautiful.

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Kerrera is the least known, yet closest of the Inner Hebrides.

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It sits less than a mile off Scotland's Argyll and Bute coast.

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It's just 4.5 miles long, by about a mile wide.

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There are farms, a ruined castle,

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spectacular views and a whole host of sheep.

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And linking Kerrera to the mainland,

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the ferry - the island's lifeline.

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Everything comes on and off the island by boat.

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Including the post.

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Gill Vollum is the island's postmistress.

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-Hello, Gill.

-Hi there, Anita. How do you do?

-Good to see you.

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-Nice to meet you.

-I've got you a gift.

-Thank you very much.

-The post bag.

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-Right, where's the Post Office?

-Just up in here.

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-This is it?

-Yes, this is it.

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-THEY LAUGH The shed?!

-Yes, the shed.

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How long has this been the sorting office?

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Since I started the job.

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-What, five years? Four years?

-So it's just...

-Yes.

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-And how many families have you got here?

-We've got 18 houses.

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We've got the north end of the island, middle end of the island and then the south end.

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-And that's it?

-Yeah. In our sheep shed.

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-18 families. How many people is that?

-48.

-48 people on the island.

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-48.

-12 of which are children. 13 of which are children!

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-Little baby Isabella is here.

-Oh, fantastic!

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And another one on the way, which is exciting.

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-Right...

-So, we sort it?

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-Let's see what we've got here.

-So, do you know everybody's business, Gill?

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Yeah, pretty much. I try not to look at the important letters.

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I try to just pop things in.

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-The love letters...

-The exciting day is exam results.

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That's always like... "Ooh, how are you doing?"

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I always try to get to them first.

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-Who's that? Jean McGregor.

-Jean McGregor.

-Over here.

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Park, over here.

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I think that's a love letter.

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Do you reckon? I think so, too. I have high hopes for that one.

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And is it always about the same amount of post that you get?

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Yeah, Tuesday seems to be very little mail for some reason.

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Mondays and Fridays are always really, really busy.

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And if people order packages and things like that, you get lots of big parcels.

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-And Christmas?

-Nightmare.

-THEY LAUGH

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-Exciting, huge things.

-Do you get help at Christmas?

-No. Just me.

-Just you?

-Just me, yes.

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-Right, what happens now?

-That's us done.

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OK, so we are just going to put elastic bands around them all

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-and then we'll go off and deliver it.

-All right.

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OK, so anyone gets the wrong letter today, it was my fault.

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I will send them directly to you.

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Yeah. It's your dodgy assistant.

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-Perfect, let's go.

-All right, let's do it.

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The terrain on Kerrera is rough and rugged,

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with houses scattered all over the island.

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There is just one road,

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so delivering the post needs something a little special.

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-Ooh!

-Ta-da!

-This is fantastic!

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-Yes.

-It's like a moon buggy.

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Yes, this is my Royal Mail post buggy.

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This is especially for you?

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Yep, especially for me.

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-To tackle these...

-To manage to get around the whole island.

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-How fantastic! Shall we get in it?

-Let's do it, let's go.

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Right, whilst we begin our adventure,

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let's look back at a time when Adam was on another Scottish island,

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where the post stopped long ago.

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Right, off I go. This is going to be fun!

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Seat belt on. Off we go.

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ADAM: Well, I've arrived on the Orkneys,

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and it's a world away from my farm on the Cotswolds.

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And I'm travelling south to meet up with Cyril Annal,

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whose family have owned Swona for generations.

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And his farm is based on South Ronaldsay.

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-You must be Cyril.

-Yes.

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-Hello.

-Hi, good to meet you.

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This is Alexander, my son.

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-Oh, hi, good to see you.

-Nice to meet you.

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How many generations have been on this farm?

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Since 1600, came to Orkney first.

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Goodness me! That's incredible.

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Look, I have been doing a bit of research.

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And I found these old photographs of the family.

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-Who is this of?

-That was my Uncle Arthur in Swona.

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-And that one?

-That is my grandfather.

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This is over on Swona, that you own now?

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-Yes.

-Yes, we do.

-And these cattle that were there -

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domesticated, tame, being used to pull the plough...

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Great pets. They all had names and everything.

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And now, wild beasts of the island.

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Oh, completely feral.

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Crazy as can be.

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Cyril and Alex go to Swona to check on the cattle's welfare a couple of times a year.

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And today I'm lucky enough to be joining them.

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Despite supporting a vibrant community for generations,

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the island was abandoned in the '70s,

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when the difficulties of living here meant island life was unviable.

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How many acres is the whole island?

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About 270, roughly.

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270? They have a fair roam, these cattle.

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-It varies, depending on the tide.

-We might never find them.

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They are here, or else they've all gone swimming.

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ADAM LAUGHS

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Well, there's plenty of cowpats.

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-They're definitely here.

-Oh, they will be about somewhere, hopefully.

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-Is that one there?

-Aye.

-Oh, yes, that's one over there, yes.

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That looks like a bull to me.

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It's already spotted us. See him looking this way?

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Yeah. And so is it safe to just walk over towards him?

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-Erm, no.

-No, we'll sort of go round in a circle,

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so that we don't get between that bull and the herd.

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-OK.

-Cos he might decide that he wants to go back to the herd with us in between.

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They'll all run together and they'll not be looking at us,

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they'll be looking at one another.

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We have to be a bit careful.

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As we cautiously circle around the bull, the herd emerges.

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The main herd sticks together there.

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If yous can see the white one in the middle,

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she will be kind of the dominant female.

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And then, way off in the distance at the other side of the loch,

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-we think we've got an old bull lying down.

-Yes, I can see him.

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We'll go and check him to see if he is OK.

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Last summer, the dominant bull pushed him out of the herd and forced him

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away from the herd and led him to the other end of the island.

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-It's really interesting, watching this behaviour.

-Yeah.

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On a day like today, it looks idyllic, but, in reality,

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these cattle have a tough life out here in these conditions.

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It's survival of the fittest.

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So, what sort of age do you think he is, Cyril?

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That fella? 15 to 20.

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-Is he?

-He is a very old gentleman.

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And on a modern farm, you just wouldn't see bulls that old, would you?

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You wouldn't see him. He would never be allowed to age.

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He'd probably have some of the problems that humans have,

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such as stiff and sore, as we all get.

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And he is walking along now.

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He is getting along OK and he is grazing.

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An amazing shape. He is quite sort of heavy at the front end and

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narrowing to the back end.

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Yes, this is so that he can push,

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head down and push the other one out of the way.

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He's sort of more like a buffalo than a modern Aberdeen Angus.

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-Yes.

-Certainly no tags in their ears now, is there?

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They don't have to comply with all the DEFRA rules any more.

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If you help me, we will go and put a tag in this one now.

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THEY LAUGH

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I think we'll just leave the poor old fellow alone, shall we?

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It's fascinating to see how the cattle have returned to their wild instincts.

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But what of the people who lived on this island?

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A cluster of houses stands as a memorial to a lost way of life.

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At its peak, there were around 30 people living on the island in four or five houses.

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The land would have been farmed, the gardens would have been immaculate,

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and it would have been very well loved.

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But by 1974, there were only two left - Cyril's auntie and uncle,

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who were getting old, and they decided to leave, too.

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And this is how they left it.

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It's almost like they just walked out and left all of their belongings behind.

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There's an old newspaper here from 1974.

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Christmas cards. Look, even some reading glasses.

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Lovely old recipe book on how to make jams.

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It's as though they thought one day they'd be back.

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This is their lovely old cattle shed,

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where the cows and the oxen would have been brought in for the winter

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and tied up by the neck and led out to work.

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A very quiet, docile, domesticated animal.

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Now, their descendants are running wild on the island.

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ANITA: Here on Kerrera, I'm with postmistress Gill Vollum,

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helping with her post round.

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And we are in her special buggy,

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the only way of coping with the rough terrain.

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Are the roads all like this?

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This is the good bit of the road.

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-It's terrible!

-It is.

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-Full of potholes.

-Yes.

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But it's going to be a very beautiful ride.

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Oh, a big one. Whoo!

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Yeah. Hold on.

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Ooh!

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THEY LAUGH

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You grew up on this island.

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Yes, yes. Born and bred. My children will be third-generation.

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-Wow.

-Yeah, yeah.

-But you left the island?

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Yes, I left the island. I went to uni and worked at various outdoor centres.

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So, what brought you back?

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I'm not quite sure. A moment of madness that's not gone away!

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I love it. I can't imagine not being back.

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How long does it take you to get around the island on this?

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About three and a half hours. You can't go fast at all.

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No, it's so slow!

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-Dun-dun-dun!

-I see houses.

-Yeah!

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This is our first stop, just up here.

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Where's the letterbox?

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Kerrera doesn't do letterboxes.

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We have toy boxes, we have a fridge, we do doorsteps...

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-A fridge?

-Yeah, a fridge. Somebody has an old fridge.

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-Just leave it here?

-So, literally just propped up there would be great, thank you.

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-Simple as that.

-Simple as that.

-Job done.

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Let's go.

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Gill's family have lived on the island for more than 40 years.

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When she returned, she picked up where her dad left off.

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My dad used to have the farm, used to do this job actually,

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-used to be a postman as well.

-Your dad was the postman?

-Yeah, yeah.

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So I remember, as a little kid, we had a little pony,

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so riding the pony and going and delivering the post in the summer holidays and things like that.

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-So your dad didn't have the buggy?

-No, he certainly didn't have the buggy. It was done by foot.

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-By foot or a pony?

-By foot, yes. Or by pony.

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Sometimes he'd take the boat up to the north end, as well.

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-Fantastic memories. And here you are.

-And here I am.

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-Doing your dad's old job.

-Doing my dad's old job. Doing my dad's two old jobs, actually.

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Running the farm and doing the Post Office.

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There are fewer people on this island than in my extended family.

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Really? Oh, my goodness.

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Admittedly, I am from a very large Indian family, but still...

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Yeah, it's still crazy, isn't it?

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It is... I'm just... I mean, it is so beautiful,

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-but just getting your head around this way of life.

-It's a very different way of life.

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-And does it feel like that when you're on the island?

-No, it just feels normal.

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It's not until you start talking about it to other people,

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you start seeing it through other people's eyes when friends come to visit or

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people come to say hi that you realise just how different it can be.

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For instance, where do you get a pint of milk?

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The mainland. You have to go into town for everything. The lot.

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-There's no local shop?

-There's no local shop at all.

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So bring everything. Be organised.

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My shopping list has suddenly got a lot bigger and a lot more organised.

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Not only is there no shop, there's no pub, no Post Office

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and the school closed nearly 20 years ago.

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But it's a growing community, and next stop is baby Isabella, the island's newest arrival.

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I've brought the post. Hi there.

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Oh, my goodness me!

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The youngest person on the island.

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-This is Isabella.

-Isabella, I have brought your post.

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-Nice to meet you anyway.

-Thank you.

-See you.

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The most unusual postbox I've ever seen.

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It's because it's not a postbox. It's a toy box.

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-Done.

-Well done.

-Yep, so where next?

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That's us finished post round, so round to Sheila's, my friend's,

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-for a cup of tea, I reckon.

-OK, great.

-Yeah.

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A good morning's work in this peaceful place.

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But peace can't be taken for granted,

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as Ellie found out in the Channel Islands last year,

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where they were marking 70 years since the end of the Nazi occupation.

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ELLIE: Guernsey.

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Lying to the north-east of Jersey,

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just 24 square miles of patchwork fields and idyllic coastline.

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For five long years,

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the island was held to ransom by the demands of its captors.

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We are all familiar with the stories

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of the devastation and tragedy of the Second World War.

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But the effect of the occupation

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on the farming community of Guernsey isn't as well known.

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The Guernsey tomato had been an important source of income on the island

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for nearly 100 years, and an established part of the island's culture.

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In the 1930s, roughly one in 15 of the population were growers.

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But soon this hard-working community found themselves on the front line of the Nazi invasion.

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Molly Bihet, who lived near the harbour of St Peter Port,

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witnessed the German invasion of the island.

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She was just nine years old.

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Before the raid, it was just a nice place to be,

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because there were so many people we'd meet there.

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There was a lot of exporting, especially the tomatoes.

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My grandfather used to go every day to have a chat.

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It was a very busy place.

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The summer evening of the 28th of June 1940 was no exception.

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What were you doing on the day of the raid?

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We'd been to a shop, buying vegetables,

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and I had this cucumber.

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We heard these planes coming. We thought they were British.

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And we started waving. They came down very low.

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And then, all of a sudden, we could see the German signs.

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We could see the machine gunning,

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the planes came so low over the harbour.

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Where did they fly from?

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They came from north.

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We were terrified.

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Molly and her mum hid in a neighbour's cellar,

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while her grandfather and uncle, who were at the harbour,

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hid under the jetty.

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But for the dozens of fruit growers queueing in the port,

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there was nowhere safe to run.

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What happened to the tomato farmers that were there?

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The lorries were all burning,

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because they were full of tomatoes for exporting.

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The drivers had got underneath the lorries,

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thinking they were protected from the machine gunning.

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Of course, they weren't.

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34 civilians died from the attack and many more were injured.

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But the impact of the war on the island's horticultural industry had only just begun.

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Suzanne Brewer is a third-generation tomato grower.

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Many of her relatives lived and worked through the occupation.

0:19:090:19:12

-Hi, Suzanne. Good to meet you.

-Hi.

0:19:140:19:17

How did life change for them when the occupation began?

0:19:170:19:21

Well, after the bombing down at the harbour,

0:19:210:19:24

exports of tomatoes had to stop.

0:19:240:19:26

The managers of the vineries had to step aside

0:19:260:19:29

and be told what to grow and when to grow it.

0:19:290:19:32

Suzanne still has her family's diaries,

0:19:340:19:37

which tell of the harsh reality of life at the time.

0:19:370:19:40

It's incredible to have these.

0:19:400:19:42

-Can we have a look at some of their entries in diaries?

-Yes, of course.

0:19:420:19:45

This is Uncle Arthur's diary from the beginning of the occupation.

0:19:450:19:49

"Tomatoes abound and every cow and person is confronted with the colossal task -

0:19:490:19:54

"that of eating 400,000 baskets of ripe fruit."

0:19:540:19:59

But the surplus didn't last.

0:19:590:20:01

By 1944 the islanders were starving and so, too, were the Nazi soldiers,

0:20:010:20:06

who went to extreme lengths to survive.

0:20:060:20:09

The tone in Uncle Arthur's diaries

0:20:090:20:11

from 1940 to 1945 changes quite dramatically.

0:20:110:20:15

"March the 31st, 1944.

0:20:150:20:18

"I have had four robberies within 24 hours

0:20:180:20:21

"and now they've been after my cow.

0:20:210:20:23

"No words of mine can describe the feeling of insecurity about everything, everywhere."

0:20:230:20:28

There was just an enormous amount of thieving going on.

0:20:290:20:33

And sometimes it got quite violent.

0:20:330:20:36

There is another entry here. Maybe, Ellie, you'd like to read it.

0:20:360:20:40

Where is this one?

0:20:400:20:41

Ah. "Then Mr Mahey told me a greenhouse robber, a soldier,

0:20:410:20:47

"had shot dead a German gendarmerie man

0:20:470:20:50

"who caught him robbing broccoli or potatoes last night."

0:20:500:20:53

So, they're killing each other in their desperation.

0:20:540:20:57

70 years on, and tomato farming under Nazi occupation is a memory held by a diminishing few.

0:21:000:21:07

After a post-war boom, the industry fell into decline.

0:21:070:21:11

In fact, there are now only a few commercial growers left on the island.

0:21:140:21:19

But there's a new project that's been set up,

0:21:190:21:21

with the aim of keeping that knowledge of the industry alive.

0:21:210:21:24

Well done.

0:21:290:21:31

One of the founders of the project is Jock Pettit.

0:21:330:21:36

What is this project all about?

0:21:370:21:39

Edible Guernsey is about bringing the infrastructure and expertise

0:21:390:21:43

that was left over from the decline of the growing industries here

0:21:430:21:47

and using them to teach people about food education and provide food security.

0:21:470:21:51

And starting with children, then?

0:21:510:21:53

Children certainly getting involved is fantastic,

0:21:530:21:55

because food education obviously starts young.

0:21:550:21:57

We've got people like Nigel as a mentor.

0:21:570:22:00

There's a few others who have significant expertise in growing on the island.

0:22:000:22:04

But we import most of our food.

0:22:040:22:06

So we saw an opportunity to try and produce food locally.

0:22:060:22:10

The tomato industry may be almost gone,

0:22:100:22:13

but the knowledge gained by the growers of Guernsey in good times and bad

0:22:130:22:18

will now hopefully live on.

0:22:180:22:20

ANITA: I'm taking a look at island life.

0:22:260:22:28

And I've come to Kerrera,

0:22:280:22:30

a small island just off the west coast of Scotland.

0:22:300:22:33

Sheep farming is one of the island's mainstays.

0:22:330:22:36

There are three farms and a smallholding on the island.

0:22:360:22:38

And they are all run by women,

0:22:390:22:42

daughters who have succeeded their fathers on the family farm.

0:22:420:22:45

Postie Gill, who we met earlier, and her best friend, Sheila,

0:22:520:22:56

are neighbours, and both run their family farms.

0:22:560:22:59

Well, Sheila, thanks for the coffee.

0:23:010:23:03

-It's OK.

-We deserve it after all that hard work delivering the post.

0:23:030:23:05

So, you two have been friends for how long?

0:23:050:23:08

-30 years.

-Oh, yes, 30 years.

-30 years.

0:23:080:23:11

So, what are your memories of growing up on this unique little island?

0:23:110:23:15

-Slightly bonkers.

-A mixture.

0:23:150:23:17

There were normally disasters with the pair of us involved.

0:23:170:23:20

-Yeah.

-We got ourselves into some right pickles.

0:23:200:23:23

You must have had a really unique childhood. Very free, I'd imagine.

0:23:230:23:25

-Yes.

-It was very, very free.

-We went to primary school here as well, so that was quite unique.

0:23:250:23:29

There were 13 of us in the primary school. And we just roamed as a pack, really.

0:23:290:23:32

-Both of you are mums.

-Yep.

-Yep.

-You've both got two boys.

0:23:320:23:35

-Yep.

-How did you meet your husbands?

0:23:350:23:38

Tell me they're not from the island!

0:23:380:23:40

THEY LAUGH

0:23:400:23:42

Sheila dragged me out to go to a wedding.

0:23:420:23:44

And then we went up to the local pub and Tim was there with some friends.

0:23:440:23:49

-And that's how Tim and I met.

-My husband is South African.

0:23:490:23:52

Came over here to coach rugby and... that's how I met him, really.

0:23:520:23:56

So, you've basically dragged men, who...

0:23:560:23:59

-Kicking and screaming.

-Kicking and screaming.

-Back into the hills.

0:23:590:24:02

"Come and live where we grew up on this island with hardly anybody."

0:24:020:24:05

But do they love it? They must do.

0:24:050:24:07

-Yeah.

-Yeah, they do. Now they do. They have warmed to it slowly.

-THEY LAUGH

0:24:070:24:11

I mean, I have to say, just having spent just the morning with you, Gill,

0:24:110:24:15

there is magic in the air here. There is really something special about this place.

0:24:150:24:18

And I know you are both working farmers, so there's work to be done, isn't there?

0:24:180:24:22

-Yes.

-What are we doing?

-Giving Gill some sheep back.

0:24:220:24:25

That shouldn't be on my farm!

0:24:250:24:26

Yeah, our fences are fairly rubbish, so my sheep keep diving into Sheila's land.

0:24:260:24:30

-So every now and then, we play sheep trumps and come and get our sheep back.

-Yeah. Your turn.

0:24:300:24:34

All right, so what's the plan?

0:24:340:24:36

Need to get Gill's sheep from that pen, through these two gates, back into here.

0:24:360:24:40

-Sounds easy enough.

-I think we will need this one shut,

0:24:400:24:42

-cos Gill's sheep are quite good at jumping.

-Are they?

-Yeah.

0:24:420:24:45

Don't go down that way.

0:24:490:24:51

-It's going beautifully.

-Oh!

0:24:510:24:53

-It's OK. I've got it.

-Quick, she's got it!

0:24:530:24:56

This is proper sheep tackling.

0:24:560:24:58

Good skills, my darling.

0:25:040:25:05

That got quite dramatic. THEY LAUGH

0:25:050:25:08

Sheila, you are my hero.

0:25:080:25:09

-LAUGHTER

-I saved you!

0:25:090:25:12

And I will be back with Sheila in just a moment.

0:25:180:25:20

Before then, here's a reminder of the time John spent a day with

0:25:200:25:24

another female farmer on a very different type of island farm.

0:25:240:25:27

JOHN: Just off the coast of Northern Ireland lies the island of Rathlin.

0:25:440:25:48

At just six miles long and one mile wide,

0:25:510:25:54

the island is small in size, but rich in wildlife.

0:25:540:25:57

Its beauty doesn't stop at this rugged coastline.

0:26:050:26:09

Perhaps its greatest asset lies hidden beneath the surface of the sea.

0:26:090:26:13

Here, the Atlantic Ocean meets the Irish Sea

0:26:150:26:18

and the mingling of these waters provides the perfect setting for

0:26:180:26:22

one of the most dynamic, most productive ecosystems

0:26:220:26:26

on our planet - a forest of kelp.

0:26:260:26:28

And the one here on Rathlin is truly spectacular.

0:26:280:26:32

Just off its shores, this vast resource of seaweed

0:26:400:26:44

provides a nutrient-rich and protective habitat for marine life.

0:26:440:26:48

And though its value to wildlife is widely known, in recent years,

0:26:490:26:53

people have been exploring the potential health benefits of this edible seaweed.

0:26:530:26:59

Keen to make the most of this growing market,

0:27:040:27:07

Kate Burns set up the UK's first kelp farm here on Rathlin in 2013.

0:27:070:27:14

Well, here we are, Kate, on this beautiful,

0:27:140:27:16

rocky shoreline, on a kelp hunt!

0:27:160:27:18

-Indeed we are.

-Why kelp? What's so special about kelp?

0:27:180:27:22

Well, kelp is a superfood that we haven't really been eating much in

0:27:220:27:26

the British Isles, and it's only now that we are realising

0:27:260:27:30

A, how good it is for you, and B, actually what a great food product it makes.

0:27:300:27:34

So, what is so good about it?

0:27:340:27:35

Well, it's got more calcium and iron than any other vegetable.

0:27:350:27:38

It is high in protein, in vitamin D, in roughage.

0:27:380:27:43

-It doesn't look very nice.

-No, it doesn't, actually!

0:27:430:27:46

And when we farm it, it's different and you will see that later on.

0:27:460:27:50

-Right.

-And also, how we cook it makes it very palatable indeed.

0:27:500:27:54

Kelp is very much a staple of Asian cuisine,

0:27:550:27:58

but Kate is taking a more European approach.

0:27:580:28:00

She is targeting gastronomes with her selection of

0:28:020:28:05

ready-to-eat kelp tagliatelle and pesto.

0:28:050:28:08

And although her crop grows out at sea, the work begins here on shore.

0:28:080:28:12

So, what exactly are we looking for then?

0:28:150:28:17

Well, we are looking for kelp which has spores on it.

0:28:170:28:20

And, at the moment, we are looking for sugar kelp.

0:28:200:28:23

In the month of February, it's the kind of kelp which is ready to release spores.

0:28:230:28:27

-Ah.

-That's some sugar kelp there.

-Oh, right.

0:28:270:28:31

-But it hasn't got any spores on it.

-Oh, right. So that's no good.

-No.

0:28:310:28:36

-Here's a piece here.

-Oh, right.

-Here's a piece.

-So, where are the spores, then?

0:28:360:28:40

Well, can you see that black, dark line down the middle of it?

0:28:400:28:43

Like a spine going down?

0:28:430:28:44

-It looks like a spine. That's actually spores.

-Uh-huh.

0:28:440:28:47

Out in the ocean, kelp reproduces naturally,

0:28:510:28:54

but Kate is taking a more hi-tech approach.

0:28:540:28:57

Hers is cultivated in a lab before being transferred out to sea

0:28:570:29:01

to grow into adult plants.

0:29:010:29:03

First, the spores collected on the beach are cut out and cleaned.

0:29:080:29:12

Then they are chilled for 24 hours

0:29:130:29:16

before being released into sterile sea water.

0:29:160:29:20

When they release, they become zooplankton for 24 hours.

0:29:200:29:24

And they have tails and they are male and female and they swim.

0:29:240:29:27

And they look for something to attach to.

0:29:270:29:29

And if they don't attach within 24 hours, they die.

0:29:290:29:33

-So you put string down for them?

-We put spools of string in the lab.

0:29:330:29:37

-Yes.

-And, after about 35 days,

0:29:370:29:40

they are 1mm or 2mm long and we transplant them to ropes

0:29:400:29:45

at sea, in our licensed kelp farm.

0:29:450:29:47

ANITA: John, off the coast of Northern Ireland back in March,

0:29:550:29:59

finding out how seaweed is giving a boost to commerce on the island of Rathlin.

0:29:590:30:03

Here on the Hebridean island of Kerrera, it's all about sheep.

0:30:100:30:14

SHE WHISTLES

0:30:140:30:15

Sheila McGregor is getting ready to move some of her thousand-odd ewes.

0:30:150:30:19

Given my sheep wrangling skills, I'm sure she'll appreciate my help.

0:30:190:30:24

SHEILA WHISTLES

0:30:240:30:26

How brilliant!

0:30:260:30:27

Sheila, that is seriously impressive.

0:30:300:30:33

-I mean, the dog is impressive.

-Yes.

-But the whistling is as well.

0:30:330:30:37

It all sounds the same to me.

0:30:370:30:38

How long does it take to train the dog to do that?

0:30:380:30:40

It's depends on the dog. But it takes about, I don't know,

0:30:400:30:43

about six months, to get them fully trained.

0:30:430:30:45

And then they just get better and better and then

0:30:450:30:47

they start knowing better than you and then they just go off and they'll gather the field on its own.

0:30:470:30:51

She'll come into this field and she's off and I'm like, "Come back! Not ready yet."

0:30:510:30:54

-So it's instinctive?

-It's instinctive, yeah.

0:30:540:30:56

-You can see she's poised.

-She ready, yep.

0:30:560:30:58

-Is she waiting for you to whistle?

-Yes.

0:30:580:31:00

So give me a couple of commands.

0:31:000:31:01

Let's see if I can hear the difference.

0:31:010:31:03

Do one and then do...

0:31:030:31:04

SHEILA WHISTLES COMMANDS

0:31:040:31:07

-So that has told her...

-So that is "coming up".

0:31:070:31:09

And then, when she's had enough, "sit down". So...

0:31:090:31:12

It's fantastic.

0:31:120:31:13

-SHE WHISTLES

-That's "coming to me".

0:31:130:31:17

Oh, hello! Hello!

0:31:170:31:19

Come and say hello.

0:31:190:31:21

Flo. Come here. Oh, let's meet...

0:31:210:31:24

Oh, Flo, you are brilliant.

0:31:240:31:27

DOG WHINES

0:31:270:31:29

Is it quite an isolating job?

0:31:310:31:32

Because you are living on this island, you are sort of isolated as it is.

0:31:320:31:36

-Yeah.

-And on top of that, you're doing something that is solitary.

0:31:360:31:39

It can be, but I've got Gill over the hill.

0:31:390:31:43

I'm kind of used to the quietness of it all.

0:31:430:31:45

So I don't feel isolated.

0:31:450:31:46

And it does feel like a proper community here.

0:31:460:31:48

-It's like everybody knows everybody.

-Everybody does know everybody.

0:31:480:31:51

And everybody knows what everybody else is doing and it's like...

0:31:510:31:54

But that's part and parcel of living here. So, yeah, it's good.

0:31:540:31:58

Shall we get down there and march these sheep where they need to be?

0:31:580:32:01

-Yep.

-OK.

-The safest way is this way.

0:32:010:32:04

But before we get stuck in,

0:32:040:32:06

here's a look back to the time Ellie was on another Scottish island

0:32:060:32:09

looking for beasts of a very different kind.

0:32:090:32:11

ELLIE: This is Shetland.

0:32:210:32:22

A sub-Arctic archipelago of Scotland

0:32:250:32:27

and the UK's most northern habitation.

0:32:270:32:29

Its largest island is known simply as Mainland,

0:32:310:32:34

with its capital, Lerwick, at the heart.

0:32:340:32:37

Around 22,000 people live on this remote outpost

0:32:390:32:44

scattered some 100 miles off the north coast of Scotland.

0:32:440:32:48

And at this time of year, the daylight is almost endless.

0:32:480:32:51

The island's position in the North Atlantic mean they play host to more

0:32:530:32:56

than a million breeding birds every year.

0:32:560:32:59

But it's not just birds which make the most of this rocky outcrop.

0:33:010:33:05

I am heading to the island of Fetlar,

0:33:050:33:07

known locally as the "Garden of Shetland",

0:33:070:33:10

in the hope of spotting some of its extra special residents.

0:33:100:33:13

It's the greenest of all the islands and with only 81 residents,

0:33:180:33:23

local lad and naturalist Brydon Thomason has been enchanted

0:33:230:33:26

by the wildlife here since he was a toddler.

0:33:260:33:28

Fingers crossed, today he is going to show me one of Shetland's

0:33:300:33:34

most famous residents - the European otter.

0:33:340:33:37

-How are you doing?

-Very well.

-You all right?

0:33:380:33:40

Yes, nice to meet you.

0:33:400:33:42

-You, too.

-How are you doing?

-So, any sign?

0:33:420:33:44

I have actually just spotted one just up ahead.

0:33:440:33:46

-Oh, fantastic.

-It's quite a way off at the moment.

0:33:460:33:49

But, as we move towards it, we'll try and keep our voices down.

0:33:490:33:52

You know, they are very sensitive to any noise, or especially scent.

0:33:520:33:55

-Yeah.

-They are very scent sensitive.

0:33:550:33:57

-If we just crouch down here, Ellie, for a minute.

-All right.

-We'll...

0:33:570:33:59

We'll have a little scan again.

0:34:020:34:04

OK, so there it is actually up again now, Ellie.

0:34:040:34:07

So, if you just look... See in line with that headland?

0:34:070:34:09

If you just come straight down...

0:34:090:34:11

-Oh, yeah!

-Can you see it off there?

-Yeah!

-30 or 40 yards offshore.

0:34:110:34:14

Oh, fantastic!

0:34:140:34:15

It's just foraging. We refer to this as patch fishing, I guess.

0:34:150:34:19

They've got favourite little areas of seabed.

0:34:200:34:22

It could be a reef or it could be a kelp forest

0:34:220:34:26

that they will forage on every day.

0:34:260:34:28

They know their shoreline just intimately.

0:34:280:34:30

It's exciting for me, you know, because otters, down south,

0:34:300:34:33

are only out at night.

0:34:330:34:34

Yeah, I mean, that's one of the big attractions for people

0:34:340:34:37

watching otters in Shetland. They do tend to be diurnal.

0:34:370:34:40

They're foraging through the daylight hours.

0:34:400:34:43

And so, what is it about Shetland

0:34:430:34:44

that is really ideal for otters and for wildlife in general?

0:34:440:34:47

I suppose, looking at today as a perfect example,

0:34:470:34:51

the shorelines, the lack of pollution, the lack of disturbance.

0:34:510:34:55

I've seen a glimpse of an otter,

0:34:550:34:57

but I know you've got some amazing shots on your laptop.

0:34:570:34:59

Yeah, let's have a little look.

0:34:590:35:02

This is footage that you've picked up from a camera trap.

0:35:020:35:04

Yeah, the camera is hidden in amongst the boulders here.

0:35:040:35:07

And this is an area we would call a lie up here,

0:35:070:35:10

where otters come up and they spraint and they groom.

0:35:100:35:12

And you can see them writhing around in the grass there.

0:35:120:35:15

-Oh, yeah.

-They are actually using scent glands as well to mark their territory.

0:35:150:35:20

-So this is a dog, you can see him...

-Oh, some grooming.

0:35:200:35:22

-See him grooming.

-Aw!

-Dogs are very solitary.

0:35:220:35:25

They spend their days just on their lonesome.

0:35:250:35:27

Rarely do they interact with the families.

0:35:270:35:30

You see him sprainting there on the rocks before he goes.

0:35:300:35:33

-Oh, yeah. Sprainting.

-And then he bimbles off down

0:35:330:35:36

and carries on with his daily business.

0:35:360:35:38

I just caught my first glimpse of a Fetlar otter.

0:35:400:35:43

It seems luck is on my side.

0:35:430:35:45

The wildlife here is in great shape.

0:35:480:35:50

ANITA: I'm getting a taste of island life here on Kerrera,

0:35:580:36:01

a small island just off the west coast of Scotland.

0:36:010:36:04

And right now that means helping farmer Sheila McGregor.

0:36:040:36:07

Do you think one of your sons will take over?

0:36:100:36:12

-Oh, that would be nice, yep.

-SHE WHISTLES TO SHEEPDOG

0:36:120:36:15

But, I mean, if they don't want to, I can't make them.

0:36:150:36:17

But ideally, that would be good.

0:36:170:36:19

SHE WHISTLES

0:36:190:36:20

Sheila, this is quite some sight.

0:36:220:36:24

-I know!

-I've never experienced anything like this before.

0:36:240:36:27

Hundreds of sheep marching up a country lane.

0:36:270:36:30

-Yeah.

-Into the mist.

0:36:300:36:31

-Into the mist, I know, it's very dramatic-looking today.

-Isn't it?

0:36:310:36:34

-It's dramatic.

-It is.

-It's noisy.

0:36:380:36:40

-They are totally happy.

-That's the main thing.

0:36:400:36:42

And I am happy now. Everything has been done. I feel relieved.

0:36:420:36:45

SHEEP BLEATING

0:36:490:36:51

Well, these sheep sound happy, don't they? And I know there's more work to be done.

0:36:510:36:55

But first, here's another chance to see Matt making a surprising discovery in Anglesey.

0:36:550:36:59

Back in the Middle Ages, Anglesey was so productive

0:37:170:37:20

that it was known as the breadbasket of Wales.

0:37:200:37:22

But, as I'm about to explore,

0:37:220:37:24

conditions here today are ripe for some very specialist harvests.

0:37:240:37:28

I'm heading to a small plot of land that's a long way from

0:37:290:37:32

the traditional kitchen garden.

0:37:320:37:34

Keith and Kathryn Selfe moved here to retire five years ago.

0:37:340:37:38

Keith was hankering for a quieter life,

0:37:380:37:41

but green-fingered Kathryn had other ideas.

0:37:410:37:44

She started a business growing exotic fruit.

0:37:440:37:48

We've got kiwi fruit, bananas, oranges, lemons, limes.

0:37:480:37:52

-So, all exotic, then?

-Yep, definitely.

0:37:520:37:54

It was never meant, was it, for plants, this polytunnel?

0:37:540:37:56

-No, it wasn't.

-Come on.

0:37:560:37:57

That's why it's got extra wide doors and extra height.

0:37:570:38:00

-Yeah.

-It was to put Lily May in, my boat.

0:38:000:38:03

But it never made it.

0:38:030:38:05

-Bananas came in, and in, and in...

-Nothing to do with me!

-LAUGHTER

0:38:050:38:07

So, Keith built a second polytunnel,

0:38:090:38:12

which Kathryn also filled with fruiting greenery.

0:38:120:38:15

Four years later, Lily May is still in need of some TLC.

0:38:150:38:19

Poor Keith. He doesn't even like fruit!

0:38:190:38:21

One banana a year and that's about it.

0:38:230:38:26

There's no chance of me eating the profits.

0:38:260:38:28

-We'll go to the vegetables.

-Show me what you've grown outside.

0:38:280:38:32

Keeping Kathryn's beloved plants fruitful in their new,

0:38:320:38:34

more temperate home in Anglesey needs extra care and attention.

0:38:340:38:38

As the cold weather tightens its grip,

0:38:410:38:43

it's time to bed this tropical beauties down for the winter,

0:38:430:38:46

with the help of a secret ingredient from the Anglesey seaside - seaweed.

0:38:460:38:51

Give it a good bed down.

0:38:570:38:59

Right the way around the edges.

0:39:010:39:02

The seaweed actually works as a slow-release fertiliser.

0:39:020:39:07

We could actually leave them out all year.

0:39:070:39:09

-Could you?

-They are hardy enough.

0:39:090:39:11

But where we use the fruit to make produce, by taking them in,

0:39:110:39:15

it gives them a bit of a head start in the spring.

0:39:150:39:17

-Right.

-So we get a much higher yield from each plant.

0:39:170:39:21

OK. Right, we will go and put that one in the tunnel.

0:39:210:39:24

One kiwi plant produces around 90 fruit in a season.

0:39:260:39:29

So, with 100 plants, that's 9,000 kiwis a year.

0:39:290:39:33

-Keith, shall I just pop this on here?

-Yes, fine. Just on there.

-There we are.

-No problem.

0:39:360:39:40

-That'll be it for winter now.

-Well, there's another 95 to go.

0:39:400:39:43

-That's fine.

-So there's certainly no room for the boat this year.

0:39:430:39:45

-Er, I think I need a big workshop, don't you?

-You do.

0:39:450:39:49

Time to find out what happens to all of those kiwis.

0:39:520:39:55

Over the past three years,

0:39:550:39:56

Kathryn has handmade 6,353 pots of award-winning jams and preserves.

0:39:560:40:03

Well, Kathryn, this is a very tasty way of dealing with how productive

0:40:060:40:09

-your kiwi plants are.

-It certainly is, Matt.

0:40:090:40:11

Yes, we make kiwi fruit jam.

0:40:110:40:14

-Yes.

-Along with a lot of others as well.

0:40:140:40:16

And our range has gradually increased, as we source new recipe ideas.

0:40:160:40:22

What is your secret, then?

0:40:220:40:24

Good, fresh ingredients, no artificial colourings, preservatives.

0:40:240:40:28

So everything that goes in the jar is 100% natural.

0:40:280:40:31

Kathryn wants to increase jam production to 3,000 pots a year.

0:40:310:40:35

I'm a big fan of Kiwi fruits and that...

0:40:380:40:40

that is beautiful.

0:40:400:40:42

And she has grand designs for another part of their retirement home.

0:40:420:40:46

We've just got planning permission now to actually, dare I say it,

0:40:460:40:50

turn the garage into a commercial kitchen.

0:40:500:40:52

-Not Keith's garage!

-Yes!

-He's lost his polytunnel.

0:40:520:40:54

-Now he's losing his garage.

-And now he's going to lose his garage, yes.

0:40:540:40:57

With the jam business going places, it looks like Keith's boat, Lily May,

0:40:570:41:01

will be high and dry for a little longer.

0:41:010:41:04

ANITA: Rocky inlets and rugged cliffs.

0:41:110:41:14

Isolated farms and rich pasture.

0:41:140:41:17

The island of Kerrera has a charm all of its own.

0:41:170:41:19

One that's loved by Sheila's sister, Ann,

0:41:200:41:23

who also lives and works on the island.

0:41:230:41:25

-Good job there, Ann.

-Hello.

-Oh!

0:41:280:41:30

What are they being herded up for?

0:41:300:41:32

I've just got to check each of their mouths to make sure that all their teeth are fine.

0:41:320:41:35

-You're being the dentist?

-Yeah, the dentist.

-Why do you have to check their teeth?

0:41:350:41:39

If they're missing any teeth at all, they will struggle through the winter,

0:41:390:41:42

not able to eat any grass, and they could lose a lot of condition.

0:41:420:41:45

What happens if you do find one with...?

0:41:450:41:47

We just have to sell it, have to let it go. It'll struggle through the winter.

0:41:470:41:50

-So, that one was OK.

-That one is fine. Healthy teeth. See, they've got no teeth at the top,

0:41:500:41:54

so you want the bottom teeth to be behind the top jaw.

0:41:540:41:56

Oh, steady on. Show us your teeth, go on. Cheese!

0:41:560:41:59

-So she is fine. She's got all her teeth.

-Good.

0:41:590:42:02

-She's brushed them well!

-She's brushed well.

0:42:020:42:04

You've worked on this farm your whole life as well, Ann.

0:42:040:42:07

Yes, uh-huh. Came over here when I was six months old,

0:42:070:42:10

so 31 years now we've been here for, so...

0:42:100:42:12

There's a lot of women that run farms on this island.

0:42:120:42:14

Yeah, I know, there is. It's brilliant, though.

0:42:140:42:17

That's the way you kind of want it. You know? Show the men up.

0:42:170:42:20

-We'll show them how it's done.

-100% with you.

0:42:200:42:22

-100%.

-Yeah.

-And what type of sheep are these?

0:42:220:42:25

These ones are Cheviots.

0:42:250:42:26

Cheviots. and they are very good for this sort of land?

0:42:260:42:28

Yeah, they are a hill sheep, so you want them for this sort of land that we've got on Kerrera.

0:42:280:42:32

Cheviots, blackfaces, they kind of do with hill ground, so they do well here.

0:42:320:42:37

So, you've been on the island pretty much your entire life.

0:42:370:42:40

-Yes.

-31 years.

0:42:400:42:42

Now, I know that your sister and I know that Gill have managed to ensnare

0:42:420:42:45

men from the mainland and bring them over.

0:42:450:42:47

-Yes.

-In fact, your brother-in-law is all the way from South Africa.

-I know!

-How about you?

0:42:470:42:51

-No.

-No?

-No-one in my life at the moment.

0:42:510:42:53

-Single?

-Yeah, single.

0:42:530:42:54

Just me in my house on a Saturday night, fire on, dogs on my lap, watching the TV.

0:42:540:42:59

SHE LAUGHS

0:42:590:43:00

I'll be on my own for ever, I think, at this rate.

0:43:000:43:03

I know it's a very different programme, but Ann is 31.

0:43:030:43:06

She's gorgeous, she is great with sheep.

0:43:060:43:08

And she is single.

0:43:090:43:11

So, if you fancy living on an island...

0:43:110:43:12

-Call me!

-ANN LAUGHS

0:43:120:43:15

ANITA: I'm on Kerrera,

0:43:300:43:32

a small island off the Scottish coast, near Oban.

0:43:320:43:35

It's where I've been enjoying a slice of island life.

0:43:350:43:38

-It's OK. I've got it.

-Great, she's got it.

-I saved you!

0:43:380:43:42

THEY LAUGH

0:43:420:43:43

On Kerrera, there's no community centre, there's no pub,

0:43:510:43:53

there's no church, so where do the islanders get together?

0:43:530:43:57

The tearoom. And I guess it's signposted.

0:43:570:43:59

Nearly there. Let's hope it's carrot.

0:44:100:44:12

The tearoom is run by Aideen and Martin Shields.

0:44:180:44:21

They were city dwellers

0:44:210:44:23

who both gave up busy careers on the mainland to live the island life.

0:44:230:44:26

So, I am intrigued by the two of you,

0:44:290:44:30

because you're not islanders born and bred.

0:44:300:44:32

You moved to this place.

0:44:320:44:34

-That's right.

-So what is the story? What was the pull?

0:44:340:44:37

Well, it was probably eight years ago I came here with a band I sang with,

0:44:370:44:42

just completely randomly, and we met some amazing people.

0:44:420:44:45

Some people we are still friends with today.

0:44:450:44:48

And I think it was a number of years later that we were here with your father, weren't we?

0:44:480:44:53

Well, we came to Oban with my father and our friend told us that

0:44:530:44:57

The Tea Garden, the business, was up for sale.

0:44:570:44:59

Now, I hadn't been to the island before, but it sounded like the right thing.

0:44:590:45:02

It was the right opportunity at the right stage in our lives.

0:45:020:45:05

So, you'd been here once. You'd never been here.

0:45:050:45:08

-No.

-You heard that the tearoom was for sale,

0:45:080:45:10

but you decided that it was the one for you.

0:45:100:45:12

-I trusted his experience.

-THEY LAUGH

0:45:120:45:15

It was a bit of a leap of faith, it has to be said.

0:45:150:45:17

Everybody thought we were mental.

0:45:170:45:19

So what did you do before you moved here?

0:45:190:45:21

I was working as a performer in a theatre show called Stomp,

0:45:210:45:25

which is a great show. It was a dream come true for me.

0:45:250:45:28

But I was on tour with them for eight years and I chose to leave Stomp,

0:45:280:45:32

-come to Scotland to be with him.

-She moved for love, Martin.

0:45:320:45:35

I think so, yes.

0:45:350:45:36

Yes. So this really is a completely different...

0:45:360:45:40

Completely different, but, actually,

0:45:400:45:41

I'm still using all the same tools of the job.

0:45:410:45:43

I'm still using brooms and pots and pans and dustbins.

0:45:430:45:46

But for the things that they are actually designed to be used for, these days.

0:45:460:45:50

And you are not alone, are you? You do have...

0:45:500:45:52

Well, people just want to be here with you.

0:45:520:45:54

We do. We couldn't do it alone.

0:45:540:45:56

Like, on a busy day, we could have up to 100 people come in here.

0:45:560:45:59

So we do need some help.

0:45:590:46:00

So we get friends and family and people from all over the world coming to stay with us.

0:46:000:46:04

We have a lovely helper here for a few months, Izzy,

0:46:040:46:06

who I think you might meet.

0:46:060:46:08

She's kind of busy at the moment. So maybe you could go and help her?

0:46:080:46:11

-Yeah.

-She's making up some new accommodation for visiting guests in the Bell Tent.

0:46:110:46:15

Gosh! For these lovely island people, you're not half slave drivers, are you?

0:46:150:46:18

-Absolutely!

-"Make the scones, help over there!" THEY LAUGH

0:46:180:46:21

-All right, I'll see you later.

-Thanks, Anita.

0:46:210:46:24

-Hi, Izzy.

-Hi!

0:46:310:46:32

-How are you doing?

-Great, how are you?

-Yeah, very well.

0:46:320:46:35

-Do you need a hand?

-That would be lovely.

0:46:350:46:37

Right... So, Izzy, where are you from?

0:46:370:46:40

I am from Philadelphia in the United States.

0:46:400:46:42

A long way from home?

0:46:420:46:44

-A bit, yeah.

-So what brought you here?

0:46:440:46:47

So I came to work to do a work exchange here with Martin and Aideen,

0:46:470:46:50

to work at the cafe, room and board.

0:46:500:46:53

And I was originally only supposed to stay for about three weeks

0:46:530:46:56

and I ended up staying for three months,

0:46:560:46:58

-because I just fell in love with the island and the islanders.

-That's incredible.

-Yeah.

0:46:580:47:02

But this isn't your first time, is it?

0:47:020:47:04

This is not, no. So this is my second time back.

0:47:040:47:06

What's the draw of the island?

0:47:060:47:08

The island is absolutely stunning.

0:47:080:47:10

I love getting to wake up here every single day,

0:47:100:47:12

and the view, and it's just so beautiful and lovely.

0:47:120:47:16

And I think the islanders bring so much to it as well.

0:47:160:47:18

They are such a close-knit community,

0:47:180:47:20

but they were so welcoming when I first came.

0:47:200:47:22

And when I came back, it was like coming home.

0:47:220:47:24

So, what to do your friends think about you being here?

0:47:240:47:27

They are very jealous.

0:47:270:47:28

-They don't think you're bonkers?

-Not at all, no.

0:47:280:47:31

They want to come and visit all the time.

0:47:310:47:34

-Tell them, "You're welcome," if they can make a bed.

-Exactly.

0:47:340:47:37

Get here and get hands-on.

0:47:370:47:38

-Right, well, I'm going to see if Aideen and Martin need a hand in the kitchen as well.

-Perfect.

0:47:380:47:43

-Thank you.

-Of course. Thanks for the help.

-Nice to meet you, Izzy.

0:47:430:47:47

Vibrant communities are what keeps islands like Kerrera going.

0:47:470:47:50

And the same is true for the islands all around our shores,

0:47:500:47:54

as Helen found out when she visited Bardsey Island

0:47:540:47:57

off the west coast of Wales.

0:47:570:47:58

HELEN: I'm catching a lift on the boat that supplies the island.

0:48:050:48:08

There's plenty of day-trippers making the crossing, too.

0:48:080:48:11

And what a day for it!

0:48:110:48:12

Bardsey is a tranquil, unspoiled island,

0:48:140:48:17

but it is still a working island.

0:48:170:48:20

Only ten people live here

0:48:200:48:21

and when the boat comes in, they are all down to greet it.

0:48:210:48:25

-Hello. Oh, hello, nice to meet you.

-And you.

0:48:250:48:27

Emyr Roberts is the island warden.

0:48:270:48:31

He's the guy that keeps the holiday cottages supplied.

0:48:310:48:33

If you need it, Emyr's got it.

0:48:330:48:36

It's all basic, good stuff, you know,

0:48:360:48:38

like fruit and veg and stuff like that.

0:48:380:48:40

Do you not order goodies, sweets and chocolates?

0:48:400:48:43

Not too much. They are, you know, they are treats.

0:48:430:48:45

So, what do you do in the winter for food, then?

0:48:450:48:48

Well, I've got a pretty good store of it up there.

0:48:490:48:52

I bottle it and freeze it

0:48:520:48:54

and whatever you can do to preserve it, you know?

0:48:540:48:57

And it can be quite an interesting diet.

0:48:580:49:01

HE LAUGHS

0:49:010:49:02

-One last thing.

-Oh, we can't forget the vinegar.

0:49:020:49:05

Oh, that's very important.

0:49:050:49:07

And we'll find out why in a minute.

0:49:070:49:09

-OK, so this is your store?

-This is the store.

0:49:130:49:15

I thought this would be full of canned foods, but it's supplies.

0:49:180:49:22

I mean, you must have 300 sponge scourers in here!

0:49:220:49:26

I guess you do need a poker, don't you?

0:49:260:49:28

Bedsheets. Bin.

0:49:280:49:30

These are very useful things.

0:49:300:49:32

-What are they? Oh, gloves.

-Surgical gloves.

-HE LAUGHS

0:49:320:49:36

I'm not even going to ask! I'm not even going to ask!

0:49:360:49:39

Emyr, your garden is phenomenal.

0:49:390:49:42

Well, it's coming now. It's coming.

0:49:420:49:44

Is this because you like growing veg,

0:49:440:49:46

or because you need to grow all this veg?

0:49:460:49:49

A bit of both, really. It will all get eaten.

0:49:490:49:52

You know, it's not easy to get veg here in the winter.

0:49:520:49:56

I can't imagine you'd ever need to go to a shop again.

0:49:560:49:59

Oh, my word!

0:49:590:50:00

Look at all the pickling!

0:50:000:50:02

Pickled carrots, pickled beetroot, pickled...

0:50:020:50:05

What? Have you pickled raspberries?

0:50:050:50:08

Yeah, yeah. God, they're lovely.

0:50:080:50:11

So, this is where all the vinegar goes.

0:50:110:50:13

Wow! That's a lot of pickled items.

0:50:130:50:16

Pickled beans, pickled cherries, pickled...

0:50:170:50:19

It's a pickling factory!

0:50:210:50:22

Self-sufficiency has been the name of the game here for islanders down the years.

0:50:240:50:29

"There's a green track, lined with meadowsweet.

0:50:320:50:35

"Stone houses, ramparts to the weather.

0:50:350:50:38

"Small fields that run all one-way west to the sea,

0:50:390:50:46

"inviting feet to make new paths to their own discovered places."

0:50:460:50:51

Those words were written by Christine Evans -

0:50:580:51:00

Colin the boatman's mum and celebrated poet.

0:51:000:51:03

-Hello, Christine.

-Hello!

0:51:030:51:05

The island has been inspirational

0:51:050:51:08

to her since she set up home here in the 1970s.

0:51:080:51:11

How does this landscape, then, affect your poems?

0:51:110:51:14

I think it started me writing,

0:51:160:51:18

because of the sense of inclusiveness,

0:51:180:51:21

the sense of everything in balance.

0:51:210:51:24

And the way in which, you know, your senses are all made more alert,

0:51:240:51:28

because you send so much time out of doors.

0:51:280:51:30

And this is still a place of pilgrimage, isn't it?

0:51:300:51:32

Yes. For 1,000 years, we had the monastery and we had monks.

0:51:320:51:37

There was a tradition that if you were buried here,

0:51:370:51:39

or you died on your way here, your soul wouldn't go to hell.

0:51:390:51:42

But Bardsey's story is not just about the past.

0:51:440:51:47

New arrivals are looking to the future.

0:51:470:51:49

The Porter family came here from England four years ago

0:51:530:51:56

to live a different life.

0:51:560:51:57

Ben and Rachel are taught from home, which means lessons happen outside.

0:51:570:52:02

Pretty good, eh?

0:52:020:52:03

They are all kept busy running the island farm.

0:52:080:52:10

There are 400 sheep, 25 Welsh Black cattle,

0:52:100:52:13

and a couple of goats for milk.

0:52:130:52:15

Dad Steve is on his own today, and being a farmer's daughter,

0:52:190:52:22

I've been roped in to lend a hand and let off a little steam.

0:52:220:52:26

Hup!

0:52:280:52:29

Hup! CATTLE BELLOW

0:52:300:52:33

Ooh!

0:52:330:52:34

Yay!

0:52:340:52:36

We're moving at them onto rare maritime pasture.

0:52:360:52:39

It is found in few places and provides vital habitat for the island's sea bird populations.

0:52:390:52:44

How do you rate life here?

0:52:450:52:47

Unbeatable. Unbeatable.

0:52:470:52:49

I mean, the combination of

0:52:490:52:52

the environment that we live in,

0:52:520:52:56

the great challenges of farming on a nature reserve

0:52:560:52:59

and the wildlife that comes through here,

0:52:590:53:02

the migrating birds - it's a tremendous place to live.

0:53:020:53:06

-Is there anything you'd swap it for?

-No.

0:53:060:53:09

My time on Bardsey is up.

0:53:140:53:16

But I reckon one day I'll be back,

0:53:160:53:18

making another pilgrimage to this very special place.

0:53:180:53:22

ANITA: Our islands are special places,

0:53:330:53:36

offering a different way of life.

0:53:360:53:38

Young people are their lifeblood.

0:53:380:53:40

But when they grow up, they often move on,

0:53:400:53:43

making it harder for smaller islands to survive.

0:53:430:53:46

Here on Kerrera, with baby Isabella and all these guys running around,

0:53:460:53:50

the future for this island is looking pretty good.

0:53:500:53:53

And that is great to see.

0:53:530:53:55

Here comes tea!

0:53:560:53:58

I've had a fantastic time on Kerrera,

0:53:580:54:01

with all three generations of islanders.

0:54:010:54:03

Next week, Matt, Sean and Naomi

0:54:030:54:05

will be celebrating the 60th anniversary

0:54:050:54:07

of the Duke of Edinburgh Awards,

0:54:070:54:09

and Helen has a very special royal appointment.

0:54:090:54:12

So, do join us then. Bye for now.

0:54:120:54:14

Who ate all the brownie? It's all gone!

0:54:140:54:18

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