0:00:29 > 0:00:31If it's majesty you're after,
0:00:31 > 0:00:35the North Highlands of Scotland have it on a grand scale.
0:00:38 > 0:00:40From stunning mountain passes
0:00:40 > 0:00:43to rich, fertile plains, it's a landscape
0:00:43 > 0:00:45that inspires awe.
0:00:47 > 0:00:50And there's a new way of seeing it -
0:00:50 > 0:00:52the NC500,
0:00:52 > 0:00:57a 500-mile route that takes in the best this landscape has to offer.
0:01:00 > 0:01:02I'll be exploring some of the eastern route,
0:01:02 > 0:01:07and meeting the young couple beginning a new life as crofters.
0:01:10 > 0:01:13Whilst I'm in the west, coming face-to-face with this...
0:01:13 > 0:01:16the fearsome Bealach na Ba,
0:01:16 > 0:01:18the Pass of the Cattle,
0:01:18 > 0:01:21and one of the UK's highest roads.
0:01:22 > 0:01:24Also, Tom's looking at the dangers
0:01:24 > 0:01:27of driving in the countryside.
0:01:27 > 0:01:31For years, the number of people killed or seriously injured
0:01:31 > 0:01:34on our rural roads has been falling, but not any more.
0:01:34 > 0:01:36So what's changed?
0:01:36 > 0:01:38I'll be investigating.
0:01:40 > 0:01:43And Adam wonders if the future could be straw-powered.
0:01:44 > 0:01:46If you took a year's supply of straw
0:01:46 > 0:01:49to fuel this straw-powered fire station
0:01:49 > 0:01:51and laid the bales out end to end
0:01:51 > 0:01:53they'd reach from John O'Groats to Land's End.
0:01:53 > 0:01:56But it's not just by-products like straw
0:01:56 > 0:01:59that farmers are providing to satisfy our energy requirements,
0:01:59 > 0:02:01there are now a whole host of crops
0:02:01 > 0:02:04specifically grown for our power needs.
0:02:06 > 0:02:08BIRDSONG
0:02:14 > 0:02:18WIND WHISTLES
0:02:34 > 0:02:35The remoteness...
0:02:39 > 0:02:41..the solitude...
0:02:45 > 0:02:48..the glory of the North West Highlands.
0:02:48 > 0:02:52It's a landscape to fire the imagination,
0:02:52 > 0:02:54stir the spirit
0:02:54 > 0:02:56and feed the soul.
0:03:01 > 0:03:04And for those with a taste for adventure,
0:03:04 > 0:03:06there's a new way of seeing it.
0:03:06 > 0:03:09Because stringing all this beauty together
0:03:09 > 0:03:12is a new route, making use of old roads.
0:03:14 > 0:03:18It's called the North Coast - or NC - 500,
0:03:18 > 0:03:21a 500-mile long network of roads
0:03:21 > 0:03:23that loops around the coastline
0:03:23 > 0:03:24of the far North Highlands.
0:03:24 > 0:03:27You can drive it or bike it.
0:03:27 > 0:03:28I'm cycling some of the route
0:03:28 > 0:03:31that stretches along the west coast
0:03:31 > 0:03:32from the Applecross peninsula
0:03:32 > 0:03:34north to Ullapool.
0:03:36 > 0:03:39And right now, I'm feeling I might have bitten off more than I can chew.
0:03:40 > 0:03:42Oh...!
0:03:42 > 0:03:44Struth!
0:03:45 > 0:03:47You might not be able to see this,
0:03:47 > 0:03:49but the wind is so gusty,
0:03:49 > 0:03:52there are moments when it actually wants to blow you off the bike.
0:03:54 > 0:03:57This is the notorious Bealach na Ba,
0:03:57 > 0:03:58or Pass of the Cattle,
0:03:58 > 0:04:02one of the toughest roads to climb in the UK -
0:04:02 > 0:04:04merciless gradients,
0:04:04 > 0:04:06savage hairpin bends,
0:04:06 > 0:04:10six lung-bursting miles from sea level to the summit
0:04:10 > 0:04:12more than 2,000ft up in the clouds.
0:04:16 > 0:04:18It just saps your energy
0:04:18 > 0:04:20when you're up against a headwind.
0:04:27 > 0:04:29Oh, sheesh...!
0:04:29 > 0:04:30Actually knocks you off your bike.
0:04:30 > 0:04:32It's incredibly...
0:04:32 > 0:04:34incredibly strong.
0:04:34 > 0:04:35I'll try that again.
0:04:44 > 0:04:46Testing in the best of conditions,
0:04:46 > 0:04:50the weather today is doing me no favours at all.
0:04:50 > 0:04:52LOUD CLATTER OF HAIL
0:04:52 > 0:04:54Oh, my...GOODNESS!
0:05:01 > 0:05:04It's amazing - you can see the weather coming in for miles,
0:05:04 > 0:05:06and I knew this was on its way.
0:05:06 > 0:05:11It's packed with very painful hailstones!
0:05:12 > 0:05:14Urrgh! Ow!
0:05:17 > 0:05:19Whose idea was this in winter?!
0:05:19 > 0:05:21Oh, my... It's really hurting!
0:05:21 > 0:05:23OWWW!
0:05:29 > 0:05:31Ow, ow, ow, ow...!
0:05:31 > 0:05:32My legs are killing...
0:05:34 > 0:05:36That's not even funny.
0:05:40 > 0:05:43Then, as quickly as it blew in...
0:05:43 > 0:05:44it's blown out,
0:05:44 > 0:05:46leaving a dusting of snow in its wake.
0:05:51 > 0:05:52I will not be beaten.
0:05:52 > 0:05:54Back in the saddle!
0:05:56 > 0:05:58And I'm not alone.
0:05:58 > 0:06:01Tearing up the pass towards me is Mark Beaumont -
0:06:01 > 0:06:03he's renowned in cycling circles,
0:06:03 > 0:06:07a record-breaker, a demon on two wheels.
0:06:09 > 0:06:11- Hey!- Hey-hey!
0:06:11 > 0:06:13I knew you'd catch me up.
0:06:13 > 0:06:15- How are you doing? - Good, good.- Yeah!- How's this?
0:06:15 > 0:06:18This weather's nuts. I was going to give up
0:06:18 > 0:06:20- back down there, but it changed again.- Welcome to Scotland!
0:06:20 > 0:06:22Yeah...thanks, man!
0:06:23 > 0:06:25WIND WHISTLES
0:06:25 > 0:06:27Urgh...!
0:06:27 > 0:06:29- This is pretty gritty cycling. - Phoow...!
0:06:29 > 0:06:32- Come on! - Yeah, I'm there.
0:06:32 > 0:06:35You've made it up the Bealach na Ba, the Applecross pass.
0:06:35 > 0:06:37Yeah! Quite an achievement!
0:06:37 > 0:06:40That's the toughest conditions I've ever been up.
0:06:40 > 0:06:41- Really?- Yeah!
0:06:41 > 0:06:43We must be mad.
0:06:43 > 0:06:44Good on you.
0:06:44 > 0:06:46Yeah. Oh, what fun(!)
0:06:48 > 0:06:50The view from the top makes it all worthwhile,
0:06:50 > 0:06:55but it has been the toughest bike ride of my life,
0:06:55 > 0:06:58and I've just done a section of the NC500.
0:06:58 > 0:07:00Mark's done the lot,
0:07:00 > 0:07:02the whole 500 miles,
0:07:02 > 0:07:05and he did it in a mind-blowing
0:07:05 > 0:07:0737 hours and 58 minutes.
0:07:08 > 0:07:14That's right, 500 miles nonstop in a day and a half.
0:07:16 > 0:07:18What possessed you to do the crazy challenge
0:07:18 > 0:07:21of completing the NC500 in that time?
0:07:21 > 0:07:24Well, I spend my life exploring the world by bicycle -
0:07:24 > 0:07:28I'm just back from cycling the length of Africa -
0:07:28 > 0:07:31but, erm...I'd never done anything that big and crazy in Scotland,
0:07:31 > 0:07:34so I was quite inspired when I heard about the North Coast 500
0:07:34 > 0:07:36to give it a go.
0:07:36 > 0:07:39And, in my style, I wanted to set a record on it.
0:07:39 > 0:07:44The creation of the NC500 as a brand, if you like - how important is that?
0:07:44 > 0:07:46I mean, it's incredibly important.
0:07:46 > 0:07:47Erm...
0:07:47 > 0:07:50Life in the North of Scotland has always been based off the land,
0:07:50 > 0:07:54but the rural economy up here is fragile.
0:07:54 > 0:07:58So, the NC500 brings people to the North of Scotland.
0:07:58 > 0:08:01It reminds us there is so much north of Inverness.
0:08:01 > 0:08:03There must have been some low points along the route.
0:08:03 > 0:08:05Can you tell me about any?
0:08:05 > 0:08:06Yes.
0:08:06 > 0:08:09I mean, sleep deprivation gets anyone,
0:08:09 > 0:08:11and battling through the night
0:08:11 > 0:08:13knowing that you're not going to get off the bike
0:08:13 > 0:08:17until the following evening is just a mental battle.
0:08:19 > 0:08:20- SLURRED:- 'Awake, awake, awake...'
0:08:20 > 0:08:23Four, five, six in the morning, I was repeating to myself,
0:08:23 > 0:08:25"Stay awake, awake..."
0:08:25 > 0:08:27anything just to keep myself going on the bike.
0:08:28 > 0:08:30Yeah, in the darkest hours,
0:08:30 > 0:08:32you go to pretty dark places mentally,
0:08:32 > 0:08:33but then you come through that.
0:08:33 > 0:08:35It stops raining, the sun comes out...
0:08:35 > 0:08:38You look back, and they're actually your fondest moments,
0:08:38 > 0:08:40the times when you dig deepest.
0:08:40 > 0:08:41That's so interesting,
0:08:41 > 0:08:44because we can always remember the hardest days' filming.
0:08:44 > 0:08:45We talk about them endlessly.
0:08:45 > 0:08:48Almost like they're a pleasurable time, in a way.
0:08:48 > 0:08:51- Your blizzard today might be one of them!- Maybe it might be!
0:08:51 > 0:08:53What about the view while you're cycling?
0:08:53 > 0:08:55How much of a chance do you get to see around you?
0:08:55 > 0:08:57You're so tuned in to the world around you.
0:08:57 > 0:09:00You see, you hear, you smell everything.
0:09:00 > 0:09:02And you see the world in incremental changes.
0:09:02 > 0:09:04You don't sort of fly into a place
0:09:04 > 0:09:06then compare it to where you've come from.
0:09:06 > 0:09:09You get to see change, see culture and people and places
0:09:09 > 0:09:12and geography, and that for me is addictive.
0:09:16 > 0:09:20Remember, you can also drive the NC500.
0:09:24 > 0:09:26Now, cycling or driving might be
0:09:26 > 0:09:29a great way to enjoy the countryside,
0:09:29 > 0:09:32but despite their beauty, rural roads
0:09:32 > 0:09:35are still the most dangerous places for motorists,
0:09:35 > 0:09:37as Tom's been finding out.
0:09:44 > 0:09:47Vast stretches of landscape,
0:09:47 > 0:09:49a patchwork of fertile fields
0:09:49 > 0:09:51and tranquil villages.
0:09:53 > 0:09:55But beneath this view of our countryside
0:09:55 > 0:09:57lies a darker picture.
0:09:58 > 0:10:01And that's here on our rural roads,
0:10:01 > 0:10:05where you're twice as likely to die driving as in built-up areas.
0:10:06 > 0:10:09Last year on average, three people a day
0:10:09 > 0:10:11died in collisions in the countryside.
0:10:14 > 0:10:17Rural roads have always been known to have more accidents,
0:10:17 > 0:10:21but until recently, that rate appeared to be falling.
0:10:21 > 0:10:24Since 2005, there had been a dramatic decline
0:10:24 > 0:10:26in the number of people killed and seriously injured
0:10:26 > 0:10:29on our country roads.
0:10:29 > 0:10:32But that's changed and there are those who believe our rural roads
0:10:32 > 0:10:36are becoming more dangerous once again.
0:10:36 > 0:10:39Lincolnshire has some of the most hazardous roads in the country.
0:10:39 > 0:10:42It tops the list for road casualties
0:10:42 > 0:10:43in a Parliamentary advisory report.
0:10:45 > 0:10:47But rural road safety isn't just a story
0:10:47 > 0:10:50about people who are killed on our roads,
0:10:50 > 0:10:53it's also about those who are seriously injured.
0:10:53 > 0:10:54Like Connor Wilson.
0:10:54 > 0:10:58He was just 18 when his car spun off the road in 2011.
0:11:00 > 0:11:01He was in a coma for nine weeks
0:11:01 > 0:11:04and suffered a life-changing brain injury
0:11:04 > 0:11:07which left him with short-term memory problems.
0:11:07 > 0:11:08Wallet.
0:11:09 > 0:11:10Camera.
0:11:11 > 0:11:13Beach scene.
0:11:14 > 0:11:15Erm...
0:11:17 > 0:11:19Four years later, he's still recovering.
0:11:21 > 0:11:22I was driving
0:11:22 > 0:11:24and I fell asleep at the wheel
0:11:24 > 0:11:27and I came off the road
0:11:27 > 0:11:28and hit a tree
0:11:28 > 0:11:32and that's all I knew for about nine weeks.
0:11:32 > 0:11:35And you've got the story of your crash on your arm here.
0:11:35 > 0:11:37Talk me through this.
0:11:37 > 0:11:39- Got a tree right there.- Yeah.
0:11:39 > 0:11:42It was at night I crashed, so I've got...
0:11:42 > 0:11:43- Oh, you've got the moon.- Got a moon.
0:11:43 > 0:11:45You've also got some wording around here.
0:11:45 > 0:11:48"Being defeated is often a temporary condition.
0:11:48 > 0:11:50"Giving up is what makes it permanent."
0:11:50 > 0:11:52- Is that what you believe? - Yeah.
0:11:52 > 0:11:54It's what I believe because you can't really...
0:11:54 > 0:11:57If you give up, then that makes you a quitter.
0:11:57 > 0:11:59- So you haven't given up?- No. No.
0:11:59 > 0:12:01I'll keep on going to get what I want.
0:12:01 > 0:12:04And how has it affected his life from your point of view?
0:12:04 > 0:12:05And your life?
0:12:05 > 0:12:06As a family, it rips you apart.
0:12:06 > 0:12:09It rips you apart, because not only did it leave Connor
0:12:09 > 0:12:12with a life-changing injury, it has a ripple effect
0:12:12 > 0:12:14on the whole family,
0:12:14 > 0:12:16because now it's getting to know somebody new.
0:12:16 > 0:12:20Because my son that I brought up for 18 years
0:12:20 > 0:12:22changed his personality, totally.
0:12:22 > 0:12:24Erm...and at times I didn't like that person,
0:12:24 > 0:12:25when he woke up.
0:12:25 > 0:12:27He was very hard work.
0:12:27 > 0:12:29- Oh, that's tough.- It was, very.
0:12:29 > 0:12:30I knew I loved him, I could SEE my son,
0:12:30 > 0:12:33but it wasn't my son. And it's getting to love somebody else.
0:12:33 > 0:12:35And he is, he's a good guy, you know?
0:12:35 > 0:12:38Things HAVE changed, but I can hardly remember
0:12:38 > 0:12:41the old Connor, as we call him, now.
0:12:44 > 0:12:46Accidents like Connor's
0:12:46 > 0:12:48had become less common.
0:12:48 > 0:12:50Between 2005 and 2012
0:12:50 > 0:12:51there was a huge fall
0:12:51 > 0:12:55in the number of people being killed
0:12:55 > 0:12:58on Britain's rural roads -
0:12:58 > 0:13:00dropping from 1,949 to 1,023.
0:13:02 > 0:13:05But now those figures are starting to rise again.
0:13:05 > 0:13:091,063 people were killed on Britain's country roads last year.
0:13:11 > 0:13:13Lincolnshire is following the national trend
0:13:13 > 0:13:15with a rise in road deaths.
0:13:16 > 0:13:20John Siddle is from Lincolnshire Road Safety Partnership,
0:13:20 > 0:13:23which was formed in 2000 to reduce the number of fatalities.
0:13:26 > 0:13:28So why are our country roads so dangerous?
0:13:29 > 0:13:32As you see, the weather's already dropping down,
0:13:32 > 0:13:33the fog's coming in, or mist.
0:13:33 > 0:13:36It's an open, undulating road,
0:13:36 > 0:13:37twists and turns.
0:13:37 > 0:13:40Some of the vehicles haven't even got their lights on at the moment,
0:13:40 > 0:13:44so very difficult for other drivers to spot them at a distance.
0:13:44 > 0:13:47A lot of our rural roads in Lincolnshire are tree-lined,
0:13:47 > 0:13:51deep, water-filled ditches at the side of the road...
0:13:51 > 0:13:54Very challenging for drivers.
0:13:54 > 0:13:57These, together with narrow carriageways
0:13:57 > 0:14:00and hidden dips, are some of the inherent dangers of our rural roads.
0:14:00 > 0:14:02When combined with poor driving
0:14:02 > 0:14:04and excessive speed,
0:14:04 > 0:14:06accidents are more likely.
0:14:06 > 0:14:08The risk is great.
0:14:08 > 0:14:11Oh, he's going some! Did you see that?!
0:14:11 > 0:14:15Yeah, exactly. That car bounced at that junction.
0:14:15 > 0:14:19- For a half a second, he was out of control.- Yeah!
0:14:19 > 0:14:22- You could feel it, hear it! - He gathered it back up.
0:14:22 > 0:14:25Not all drivers would be able to do that.
0:14:26 > 0:14:29So we know why our rural roads are dangerous,
0:14:29 > 0:14:31but despite safety measures
0:14:31 > 0:14:33and government campaigns,
0:14:33 > 0:14:35it appears the number of casualties
0:14:35 > 0:14:37is on the rise again.
0:14:37 > 0:14:38Why is that?
0:14:38 > 0:14:40Some say that turnaround is down to money,
0:14:40 > 0:14:42as I'll be finding out later.
0:14:52 > 0:14:55- JOE:- Few places can rival the raw beauty and rich scenery
0:14:55 > 0:14:58of the north-eastern Highlands -
0:14:58 > 0:15:00a breathtaking landscape
0:15:00 > 0:15:01where heather-clad hillsides
0:15:01 > 0:15:04plummet into the icy waters of the North Sea.
0:15:07 > 0:15:09While Ellie's exploring the west,
0:15:09 > 0:15:12I'm taking the NC500 down through Sutherland
0:15:12 > 0:15:15on the east coast from Golspie to the Black Isle,
0:15:15 > 0:15:19through some of Scotland's most fertile farming country.
0:15:22 > 0:15:24But life in this remote region has never been easy,
0:15:24 > 0:15:28and living off the land here is not for the faint-hearted.
0:15:31 > 0:15:32Farming in these parts
0:15:32 > 0:15:36has traditionally been characterised by the croft,
0:15:36 > 0:15:38a smallholding where the crofter raised a few crops
0:15:38 > 0:15:40and grazing livestock -
0:15:40 > 0:15:42just enough to feed their family.
0:15:42 > 0:15:46But recent decades have seen a steady decline in crofting
0:15:46 > 0:15:49as the children of these rural communities
0:15:49 > 0:15:52left for opportunities further afield.
0:15:55 > 0:15:57But now it seems crofting is making a comeback,
0:15:57 > 0:16:00with a new generation embracing its ethos
0:16:00 > 0:16:02of small-scale sustainability
0:16:02 > 0:16:04and close connections with the land.
0:16:06 > 0:16:09Traditionally, crofts are handed down through the family,
0:16:09 > 0:16:12but every once in a while, one comes up for sale.
0:16:13 > 0:16:15Tom and Steffi Geldard were lucky,
0:16:15 > 0:16:18they were able to buy their own croft earlier this year.
0:16:18 > 0:16:23Tom is a Highlander, while Steffi hails from Bavaria in Germany.
0:16:23 > 0:16:25They met while shearing sheep.
0:16:25 > 0:16:26Together with their pug, Friedland,
0:16:26 > 0:16:28they look after four cattle,
0:16:28 > 0:16:3040 sheep and a collection of hens.
0:16:32 > 0:16:34Their croft is made up of rough hill grazing,
0:16:34 > 0:16:37birch woodland and 12 acres of good pasture.
0:16:39 > 0:16:40This is a hard life.
0:16:40 > 0:16:43What's the toughest challenge you've faced so far, would you say?
0:16:43 > 0:16:45Well, there's only the two of us,
0:16:45 > 0:16:48and there's so much work that needs done.
0:16:48 > 0:16:49There is a lot of work.
0:16:49 > 0:16:53You get home after a day's work and you've still got a couple of hours.
0:16:53 > 0:16:55Did you find that intimidating, or do you find it exciting?
0:16:55 > 0:16:58Is that a good challenge, or one that grinds you down a bit?
0:16:58 > 0:17:00It's a great challenge. We're never bored and, erm...
0:17:00 > 0:17:02It's really enjoyable. Everything.
0:17:02 > 0:17:04Even if the weather's not great.
0:17:04 > 0:17:06And especially on your own place, you know?
0:17:06 > 0:17:09Most crofters need a second income
0:17:09 > 0:17:11and Tom works away in the week.
0:17:11 > 0:17:14But the couple have big plans to make the croft pay in the future.
0:17:16 > 0:17:18We would like tourist accommodation up here.
0:17:18 > 0:17:23But I would like people to do an active farm holiday here,
0:17:23 > 0:17:26and get stuck in the peat-cutting and haymaking
0:17:26 > 0:17:29and sheep shearing and feeding pet lambs...
0:17:29 > 0:17:31Especially for families with kids.
0:17:31 > 0:17:35I think it's so important to teach them
0:17:35 > 0:17:37where things come from.
0:17:37 > 0:17:38Go back to the roots.
0:17:38 > 0:17:40We love the community here.
0:17:40 > 0:17:44- We wouldn't want to move for any money in the world, really.- No!
0:17:51 > 0:17:55They've been warmly welcomed into the tight-knit crofting community.
0:17:55 > 0:17:58They're being mentored by their neighbour, Bertie Bougher,
0:17:58 > 0:18:00a crofter of nearly 40 years.
0:18:01 > 0:18:05What do you make of this younger generation coming into it?
0:18:05 > 0:18:07I think it's a great thing.
0:18:07 > 0:18:11It's a boost that the crofting communities are needing.
0:18:11 > 0:18:14Because there is an ageing population, to a certain extent,
0:18:14 > 0:18:16in a lot of the crofting communities.
0:18:16 > 0:18:20Do you enjoy sharing your knowledge? I mean, you've been through it all.
0:18:20 > 0:18:21You've done it, haven't you?
0:18:21 > 0:18:25Yes, yes... I don't push my knowledge onto people,
0:18:25 > 0:18:27but, yes, any knowledge that I can pass on...
0:18:27 > 0:18:28- You won't PUSH it on them...- No.
0:18:28 > 0:18:31..but what's the most important thing these guys should know
0:18:31 > 0:18:33in their first year of crofting, do you think?
0:18:33 > 0:18:35I would say one of the first things
0:18:35 > 0:18:37is that he buys in stock that has been
0:18:37 > 0:18:40acclimatised to certain things in this area.
0:18:40 > 0:18:43Like, tick is a big problem in this area,
0:18:43 > 0:18:47so he takes on stock that's been acclimatised to tick on the ground.
0:18:47 > 0:18:50So it's just learning the local ways, really?
0:18:50 > 0:18:53Learning the local ways, that's right.
0:18:56 > 0:19:00Tom and Steffi have 40 Cheviot sheep, a traditional crofting breed.
0:19:00 > 0:19:03They look great - a really healthy flock!
0:19:03 > 0:19:05- They're in good condition, aren't they?- Yeah.
0:19:05 > 0:19:07That's what I want them to look like now.
0:19:07 > 0:19:09A bit fluffed up so they'll be warm in the winter.
0:19:09 > 0:19:12- You've one... Just one black one there.- Yes, for good luck.
0:19:12 > 0:19:14Everybody should have one, I think.
0:19:14 > 0:19:15Come on, girls.
0:19:15 > 0:19:17Today they're dosing them for fluke.
0:19:17 > 0:19:20Bertie's on hand to lend them his know-how and help out.
0:19:21 > 0:19:25And since Steffi is six months pregnant, any extra help is useful.
0:19:26 > 0:19:28It's going to be a very exciting time, then, in the spring -
0:19:28 > 0:19:31first lambs coming through and, of course, your own first arrival.
0:19:31 > 0:19:33Yeah, yeah.
0:19:33 > 0:19:35There's going to be lots of youngsters goin' about, anyway.
0:19:37 > 0:19:40Tom and Steffi are part of a new wave of young people
0:19:40 > 0:19:43returning to the land.
0:19:48 > 0:19:5025-year-old Maddy Norval
0:19:50 > 0:19:52is from the Young Crofters Group,
0:19:52 > 0:19:56an organisation set up especially to help 21st-century crofters
0:19:56 > 0:19:57like Tom and Steffi.
0:19:59 > 0:20:03Is there a place for this kind of farming in the modern world?
0:20:03 > 0:20:05Yeah, definitely.
0:20:05 > 0:20:07Through my work with the Young Crofters I'm seeing a real
0:20:07 > 0:20:11interest in food sustainability
0:20:11 > 0:20:14and where your food's coming from
0:20:14 > 0:20:17and the story behind it and how it's raised.
0:20:17 > 0:20:20There's a real interest in young people for that kind of information.
0:20:20 > 0:20:22Looking ahead, if this way of life
0:20:22 > 0:20:24is going to be sustained in the future,
0:20:24 > 0:20:27what are the biggest challenges to overcome with crofting?
0:20:27 > 0:20:29Access to crofts is a really important aspect
0:20:29 > 0:20:31for getting young people into crofting.
0:20:31 > 0:20:34There's so much pressure on crofts in rural communities.
0:20:34 > 0:20:37They're being snapped up for holiday homes because its a beautiful place.
0:20:37 > 0:20:40But it's a beautiful place because of crofting,
0:20:40 > 0:20:42so if more people buy them for holiday homes,
0:20:42 > 0:20:44there's less croft land that will actually be worked.
0:20:44 > 0:20:47So you'd say the future's bright? There are enough people out there
0:20:47 > 0:20:49who want to sustain this way of life?
0:20:49 > 0:20:52I think that the future definitely is good for crofting,
0:20:52 > 0:20:54as long as we keep working hard at it.
0:20:54 > 0:20:57Crofting is by no means an easy life,
0:20:57 > 0:20:59but the rewards can be many.
0:20:59 > 0:21:02Tom, Steffi and Maddy have made a commitment,
0:21:02 > 0:21:06and with more young people like them taking up the challenge,
0:21:06 > 0:21:10the future of crofting looks to be in good hands.
0:21:26 > 0:21:29I've left the fearsome Pass of the Cattle behind me
0:21:29 > 0:21:32and I'm heading north along the coast.
0:21:32 > 0:21:34The NC500 here is a winding way
0:21:34 > 0:21:37of ragged inlets and white sandy beaches
0:21:37 > 0:21:41and I've now swapped pedal-power for motorboat.
0:21:42 > 0:21:45This landscape is a long way from the fertile farmlands
0:21:45 > 0:21:48of the Black Isle that Joe's been exploring in the east,
0:21:48 > 0:21:52but it's rich in its own natural resources.
0:21:52 > 0:21:54These deep, sheltered sea lochs
0:21:54 > 0:21:58can support a £1.8 billion industry -
0:21:58 > 0:22:00aquaculture.
0:22:00 > 0:22:02Or fish farming, to you and me.
0:22:04 > 0:22:07Based near the coastal town of Ullapool,
0:22:07 > 0:22:08Wester Ross Fisheries
0:22:08 > 0:22:11is the oldest independent salmon farm in Scotland.
0:22:11 > 0:22:14What do the salmon need that they get here?
0:22:14 > 0:22:17Well, the first thing they get is a nice, safe, secure environment.
0:22:17 > 0:22:20We've selected this site because it's very sheltered,
0:22:20 > 0:22:23although, ironically, in Gaelic, this loch actually means
0:22:23 > 0:22:26- "the Loch of the Thousand Winds". - Oh, really?
0:22:26 > 0:22:31Gilpin Bradley heads up the business here at Loch Broom.
0:22:31 > 0:22:33How big an operation have you got going here?
0:22:33 > 0:22:35Well, this is a relatively small salmon farm.
0:22:35 > 0:22:38On this site we've about 50,000 fish in total.
0:22:38 > 0:22:41So we're harvesting today. This is a fairly regular event,
0:22:41 > 0:22:42so we've crowded the net.
0:22:42 > 0:22:45So you'll see the salmon a little bit denser than normal.
0:22:45 > 0:22:48- Right.- And that's just so that we can manage to remove them
0:22:48 > 0:22:50and get them onto the killing table.
0:22:51 > 0:22:54Last year, Scottish salmon farms
0:22:54 > 0:22:58produced nearly 180,000 tonnes of fish,
0:22:58 > 0:23:02making farmed Atlantic salmon Scotland's largest food export.
0:23:03 > 0:23:05But despite its economic success,
0:23:05 > 0:23:08salmon farming remains controversial.
0:23:08 > 0:23:11Stocked with hundreds of thousands of fish,
0:23:11 > 0:23:15farms can make ideal breeding grounds for a deadly marine parasite -
0:23:15 > 0:23:17the sea louse.
0:23:17 > 0:23:19Lice can infect native wild fish
0:23:19 > 0:23:21as well as the farmed ones,
0:23:21 > 0:23:23and are an ever-present threat.
0:23:24 > 0:23:25We check for lice every week.
0:23:25 > 0:23:27We take samples from every pen.
0:23:27 > 0:23:30And all the information is available to the public,
0:23:30 > 0:23:31as to what lice levels are.
0:23:31 > 0:23:34So you'd always inspect the salmon behind the fins.
0:23:34 > 0:23:37- And they're just a couple of millimetres, the lice?- Absolutely.
0:23:37 > 0:23:39There's not a scale missing... Beautiful. No, we're delighted.
0:23:39 > 0:23:41No lice there.
0:23:41 > 0:23:44Lice are easily the largest challenge that salmon farmers face.
0:23:44 > 0:23:47Effectively, when I've got 50,000 salmon on this site,
0:23:47 > 0:23:48we have got 50,000 hosts.
0:23:48 > 0:23:51And each of those hosts could have one adult female louse
0:23:51 > 0:23:53that could multiply.
0:23:53 > 0:23:54Some people's perception might be
0:23:54 > 0:23:56that because they're intensively farmed in this way,
0:23:56 > 0:23:58it makes the lice problem worse.
0:23:58 > 0:24:00Yeah. Potentially...
0:24:00 > 0:24:03we could make the lice problem worse, and that's...
0:24:03 > 0:24:05We view that as our number one responsibility.
0:24:05 > 0:24:08We have to minimise the impact of any lice issues that we have.
0:24:08 > 0:24:11Currently, we are achieving zero lice per fish.
0:24:11 > 0:24:13We haven't always achieved zero,
0:24:13 > 0:24:16and it's been a tough challenge to get to that level,
0:24:16 > 0:24:17and we're not complacent.
0:24:17 > 0:24:20It's an industry that's still got a lot to learn,
0:24:20 > 0:24:23and we have to keep making good advances.
0:24:25 > 0:24:28Conventionally, chemicals are used to treat the lice.
0:24:29 > 0:24:32There are, however, concerns about their environmental impact.
0:24:32 > 0:24:36But here, they believe they've struck upon an ingenious
0:24:36 > 0:24:40but simple solution to an industrial-scale problem -
0:24:40 > 0:24:42let nature do the work.
0:24:45 > 0:24:47There are fish native to these waters
0:24:47 > 0:24:51that are known to have a taste for sea lice -
0:24:51 > 0:24:55Ballan and cuckoo wrasse eat lice in the wild,
0:24:55 > 0:24:57and now many in the industry are pinning their hopes
0:24:57 > 0:25:01on them doing the same job for farmed salmon.
0:25:01 > 0:25:04So, how is it that the wrasse help the salmon?
0:25:05 > 0:25:08Well, the wrasse, basically, eat the lice off the salmon.
0:25:08 > 0:25:10We put them in the pens, they swim around,
0:25:10 > 0:25:12and they just swim alongside the salmon
0:25:12 > 0:25:15and take the lice off as the salmon are swimming.
0:25:15 > 0:25:19Wrasse are already used in Norwegian salmon farms,
0:25:19 > 0:25:21but in Scotland, it's still quite new.
0:25:21 > 0:25:24It's Tessa Dorian's job to gather wild wrasse
0:25:24 > 0:25:26for use in the farm here.
0:25:26 > 0:25:29There's a few in there! A few cheeky crabs, as well.
0:25:29 > 0:25:30We do.
0:25:30 > 0:25:33- We've got a bucket for the wrasse and we have...- Yeah!
0:25:34 > 0:25:36- So that's...- That's a Ballan wrasse.
0:25:36 > 0:25:37A Ballan wrasse.
0:25:37 > 0:25:39And that is the kind that we really want.
0:25:39 > 0:25:41What sort of size are you going for?
0:25:41 > 0:25:44Between 12 and 25 centimetres are the limits
0:25:44 > 0:25:47we're allowed to keep, and these are probably just on the limit.
0:25:47 > 0:25:49Why is there a limit like that?
0:25:49 > 0:25:53It's to leave a sustainable population behind, so...
0:25:53 > 0:25:55Cos we don't want to wipe out a species in an area,
0:25:55 > 0:25:56we want them to carry on producing.
0:25:58 > 0:26:00- Can I get one?- Yes. - Is this one here?- Yes.
0:26:02 > 0:26:03There we go.
0:26:03 > 0:26:06It's a fairly innocuous looking fish, this one.
0:26:06 > 0:26:10And yet, doing such an important job in the salmon-farming industry.
0:26:11 > 0:26:13This could well be the future.
0:26:13 > 0:26:15Off you go, eat some lice.
0:26:22 > 0:26:25Time now to put the wrasse we've just caught to work.
0:26:26 > 0:26:30- What is that contraption sticking out of the water?- That's their house.
0:26:30 > 0:26:32- The wrasse house!- The wrasse house.
0:26:32 > 0:26:34So they've somewhere to hide, when they're in the pen.
0:26:34 > 0:26:37- To mimic the rocks and the kelp? - Mimic the rocks and kelp.
0:26:37 > 0:26:40That's the imitation kelp on the rope, and that's the house.
0:26:43 > 0:26:44There we are!
0:26:44 > 0:26:46Straight away he's swum down.
0:26:46 > 0:26:48Get on and eat those lice, then.
0:26:48 > 0:26:50Now their work starts.
0:26:50 > 0:26:53Those in the industry here are hoping these wrasse
0:26:53 > 0:26:54could solve the lice problem,
0:26:54 > 0:26:58but it could be a while before we know if they're effective.
0:26:58 > 0:27:02For now, though, it seems these little fish offer an alternative
0:27:02 > 0:27:04to chemicals in the fight against sea lice.
0:27:04 > 0:27:07We don't want to put anything into the sea
0:27:07 > 0:27:08that doesn't come from the sea.
0:27:08 > 0:27:10We want to get away from chemicals.
0:27:10 > 0:27:12We're the guardians of this environment,
0:27:12 > 0:27:13we make our living from it.
0:27:13 > 0:27:16So we want to look after the environment as best we can.
0:27:22 > 0:27:26Earlier, we heard that deaths and serious injuries on our country roads
0:27:26 > 0:27:29are on the increase again after many years of decline.
0:27:29 > 0:27:31But why?
0:27:31 > 0:27:32Here's Tom.
0:27:33 > 0:27:39In Britain, we have nearly 155,000 miles of country roads,
0:27:39 > 0:27:42more than 5,500 of them in Lincolnshire.
0:27:42 > 0:27:44It's one of our largest rural counties
0:27:44 > 0:27:47and its roads are typical of those in our countryside.
0:27:49 > 0:27:51Here in Lincolnshire, after years of progress,
0:27:51 > 0:27:55the number of deaths on the roads is rising once again
0:27:55 > 0:27:58and we appear to be seeing that same unfortunate trend
0:27:58 > 0:28:00on rural roads across Britain.
0:28:00 > 0:28:02So why is that?
0:28:02 > 0:28:05Some say it's down to budgets.
0:28:05 > 0:28:07According to a Parliamentary report,
0:28:07 > 0:28:10there's been a dramatic cut in local authority capital spending
0:28:10 > 0:28:12on road safety across England,
0:28:12 > 0:28:17with figures falling from £177 million spent in 2010,
0:28:17 > 0:28:20to just £2 million spent in 2012.
0:28:22 > 0:28:25And on top of that, the Road Safety Grant -
0:28:25 > 0:28:27a pot of money from central government
0:28:27 > 0:28:29that local authorities could bid for for safety schemes -
0:28:29 > 0:28:32was abolished in 2010.
0:28:33 > 0:28:37With local authority budgets also cut in recent years,
0:28:37 > 0:28:38money is tight.
0:28:38 > 0:28:41But there are those who think we can't afford not to act,
0:28:41 > 0:28:45including the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents.
0:28:46 > 0:28:49RoSPA doesn't think that it's acceptable
0:28:49 > 0:28:52that we're killing three people every day on country roads,
0:28:52 > 0:28:53and I think it's something
0:28:53 > 0:28:56that the country can't afford either morally or financially,
0:28:56 > 0:28:58when you think road accidents cost
0:28:58 > 0:29:01around about £16 billion a year to the economy.
0:29:01 > 0:29:03Why do you think we saw such a welcome decline
0:29:03 > 0:29:05and then casualties plateau out?
0:29:05 > 0:29:07We have had a double whammy.
0:29:07 > 0:29:10One, we've been coming out of the recession, which is great,
0:29:10 > 0:29:12so we've had more people driving on the roads,
0:29:12 > 0:29:14hence more crashes.
0:29:14 > 0:29:17Secondly, there's been a really big reduction -
0:29:17 > 0:29:21about a 37% reduction - in funding for local authorities.
0:29:21 > 0:29:23And there isn't the expertise
0:29:23 > 0:29:26or the money there to actually engineer the roads
0:29:26 > 0:29:28so they are safer.
0:29:28 > 0:29:30And that's not the only squeeze.
0:29:30 > 0:29:34In Lincolnshire, John Siddle is also feeling the pinch
0:29:34 > 0:29:36with the county council reducing its grant
0:29:36 > 0:29:38to the Road Safety Partnership.
0:29:38 > 0:29:41We know we've got certain things to do around the county.
0:29:41 > 0:29:44We just have to work better, smarter,
0:29:44 > 0:29:47do things more cost-effectively,
0:29:47 > 0:29:50and hopefully, get the same results but with less money.
0:29:50 > 0:29:51You say "hopefully" -
0:29:51 > 0:29:54is there a danger that cut could make the roads more dangerous?
0:29:54 > 0:29:56Erm...
0:29:56 > 0:29:57the roads are where they are.
0:29:57 > 0:30:00The work that we do around drivers...
0:30:00 > 0:30:01We look at vulnerable groups.
0:30:01 > 0:30:03All the work we do with them,
0:30:03 > 0:30:06we hopefully can put into place to reduce the casualties.
0:30:06 > 0:30:09The other side of it - the roads -
0:30:09 > 0:30:12are dealt with by Highways.
0:30:12 > 0:30:14Their budgets are being cut as well,
0:30:14 > 0:30:18but again, they're looking at smarter, better ways to work.
0:30:20 > 0:30:21So with budgets being cut,
0:30:21 > 0:30:24what money there is needs to be targeted carefully,
0:30:24 > 0:30:27and that's not always as easy as it seems.
0:30:28 > 0:30:31At Nottingham University's Accident Research Unit,
0:30:31 > 0:30:35they're looking at what influences the way motorists actually drive.
0:30:36 > 0:30:39Now, like most people, I don't think I'm a bad driver -
0:30:39 > 0:30:41I certainly do enough of it -
0:30:41 > 0:30:44but I guess we're about to find out.
0:30:46 > 0:30:49I'm going to be put through my paces in a driving simulator
0:30:49 > 0:30:52to see how I cope with some of the typical hazards of rural roads.
0:30:52 > 0:30:55My driving will be monitored
0:30:55 > 0:30:57by Dr Peter Chapman and his team.
0:30:57 > 0:30:59We're just about to start, if you're ready?
0:30:59 > 0:31:01Peter is a psychologist,
0:31:01 > 0:31:04and this simulator is part of his research into drivers' attitudes.
0:31:07 > 0:31:10So, obviously, I'm slightly itching to get by this digger.
0:31:10 > 0:31:12He's looking at the speedo.
0:31:12 > 0:31:14He can see he's only going at 20
0:31:14 > 0:31:16and he wants to be going at 60.
0:31:16 > 0:31:17Give it a go, see what happens.
0:31:17 > 0:31:19Way-heyy...feels funny.
0:31:21 > 0:31:23There we go. The open road.
0:31:25 > 0:31:28In reality, this is where accidents can happen.
0:31:28 > 0:31:32With long stretches of road comes the temptation to speed.
0:31:32 > 0:31:35I keep thinking they're about to put something
0:31:35 > 0:31:37to jump out in front of me, like a deer.
0:31:37 > 0:31:38Not a bad guess.
0:31:38 > 0:31:41Passed the Honda plant.
0:31:41 > 0:31:43Still speeding again.
0:31:43 > 0:31:45Oh! And I hit the dog.
0:31:45 > 0:31:46I hit the grey dog.
0:31:47 > 0:31:48Oops!
0:31:48 > 0:31:50Time to find out the results.
0:31:52 > 0:31:54So how did I do, Peter? I fear I might be in the doghouse!
0:31:54 > 0:31:57THEY LAUGH
0:31:57 > 0:31:59Well, apart from that small incident with the dog,
0:31:59 > 0:32:01you were driving extremely safely.
0:32:01 > 0:32:04So what changes can be made to make it safer?
0:32:04 > 0:32:06There are small things you can do, but you have to be careful.
0:32:06 > 0:32:09People put money into road safety intervention
0:32:09 > 0:32:11and it makes things worse.
0:32:11 > 0:32:15Things that work better tend to be small changes to road markings
0:32:15 > 0:32:17to make it clear where the dangers are.
0:32:17 > 0:32:21So, white lines along the side to make the verge extremely clear.
0:32:21 > 0:32:24Those kind of things do make a difference.
0:32:24 > 0:32:28They make the roads seem more dangerous in a way that's true
0:32:28 > 0:32:29and let people drive safely.
0:32:29 > 0:32:31So, often, the correct intervention
0:32:31 > 0:32:33is making people realise it is dangerous?
0:32:33 > 0:32:35If you can get into the psychology of the driver,
0:32:35 > 0:32:38get them thinking about what they will think,
0:32:38 > 0:32:41it's much more effective than just going for the engineering.
0:32:44 > 0:32:48Dr Chapman's theories seem to be borne out in the real world.
0:32:48 > 0:32:50Back in Lincolnshire,
0:32:50 > 0:32:53a brand-new straight stretch of the A16 near Spalding
0:32:53 > 0:32:57appears to have given some drivers a false sense of security,
0:32:57 > 0:32:59with tragic consequences.
0:33:00 > 0:33:04We've had eight fatalities and 15 serious injuries
0:33:04 > 0:33:06since its completion.
0:33:06 > 0:33:10- Over roughly what stretch of road? - This is about 8.5 miles long.
0:33:10 > 0:33:14So, you've almost had a death per mile in just five years.
0:33:14 > 0:33:17- That's shocking.- It is, yes.
0:33:17 > 0:33:20For John, the solution is greater driver awareness
0:33:20 > 0:33:23of the consequences of driving too fast,
0:33:23 > 0:33:28even if that's just the realisation that they could be caught speeding.
0:33:28 > 0:33:31We believe that probably around 60% of all of the incidents
0:33:31 > 0:33:34could be solved with average speed cameras.
0:33:35 > 0:33:38But for RoSPA, smarter thinking by local authorities
0:33:38 > 0:33:41won't be enough to keep accident numbers down.
0:33:41 > 0:33:44They want a stronger lead from central government.
0:33:44 > 0:33:46We need national targets
0:33:46 > 0:33:50so they can actually drive down casualties on their roads.
0:33:50 > 0:33:54And secondly, to have a very clear road safety strategy.
0:33:54 > 0:33:58Equally, highway authorities need to be adequately funded
0:33:58 > 0:34:01so they can actually engineer the roads so they are safer.
0:34:06 > 0:34:08The Government have recently started a new campaign
0:34:08 > 0:34:12to warn drivers of the dangers of rural roads.
0:34:12 > 0:34:17They also say they've tightened the laws on drink and drug driving
0:34:17 > 0:34:19and are tackling speeding.
0:34:20 > 0:34:23Rather than setting centralised targets,
0:34:23 > 0:34:25the Government say local authorities are better placed
0:34:25 > 0:34:29to decide what to do to make their roads safer.
0:34:29 > 0:34:33In addition, the Government say they plan to spend £28 billion
0:34:33 > 0:34:36improving Britain's roads in the next six years.
0:34:40 > 0:34:43We bear a big responsibility
0:34:43 > 0:34:46for making sure we reach the end of any journey safely
0:34:46 > 0:34:48by driving carefully.
0:34:48 > 0:34:50But government policy and spending
0:34:50 > 0:34:53has helped to cut casualties in the past
0:34:53 > 0:34:56and it would be good to resume that direction of travel.
0:35:14 > 0:35:18An increasing number of farmers are growing crops for energy.
0:35:18 > 0:35:21Things like sugar beet, maize and oilseed rape
0:35:21 > 0:35:23are being turned into biofuels.
0:35:23 > 0:35:27But, as Adam's been finding out, the future could be straw-powered.
0:35:31 > 0:35:34Fuel costs are a major concern for all of us.
0:35:34 > 0:35:38But for farmers with a few acres to spare, there could be an answer.
0:35:40 > 0:35:42I've travelled to Buckinghamshire
0:35:42 > 0:35:44to find out how farming crops for fuel
0:35:44 > 0:35:47could make farmers' energy bills that much more manageable.
0:35:49 > 0:35:51When I was at agricultural college,
0:35:51 > 0:35:54the type of plants that we were taught to grow
0:35:54 > 0:35:56were crops like peas and wheat and barley -
0:35:56 > 0:35:58the sort of things that you can eat.
0:35:58 > 0:36:02And farmers are still very good at producing food for our table.
0:36:02 > 0:36:06But now, many farmers are turning to crops to produce energy,
0:36:06 > 0:36:07like this willow.
0:36:11 > 0:36:16Matthew Hunt owns 30 acres of land just outside Chesham.
0:36:16 > 0:36:19He's made a business out of experimenting with willow
0:36:19 > 0:36:22and other energy crops that will be used to generate power.
0:36:26 > 0:36:28- Hi, Matt.- Hi, Adam.- Good to see you.
0:36:28 > 0:36:30- How are you doing? All right? - Yeah, good, thanks.
0:36:30 > 0:36:33- Looks like you're burning up a bit of energy.- I am.
0:36:33 > 0:36:36- What are you up to?- Planting willow for biofuel.- How does that work?
0:36:36 > 0:36:38You take a cutting from last year, nine-inch cutting,
0:36:38 > 0:36:40and place it in the ground.
0:36:40 > 0:36:42- You have to make sure the buds are up the right way.- Yeah.
0:36:42 > 0:36:45- And pop it in the hole.- OK. - Give it a little tap with a hammer.
0:36:48 > 0:36:51- And, essentially, you're done. - Explain how biofuels work, then.
0:36:51 > 0:36:55Biofuels, essentially, you plant them, you harvest them,
0:36:55 > 0:36:56turn them into energy,
0:36:56 > 0:37:00that energy then gets converted into heating and hot water.
0:37:00 > 0:37:02You'll be coppicing this how soon?
0:37:02 > 0:37:04This bed will be another two years before it's ready to coppice.
0:37:04 > 0:37:06It does grow very fast, doesn't it, willow?
0:37:06 > 0:37:08It grows exceptionally fast.
0:37:08 > 0:37:10And you're trying lots of different varieties here.
0:37:10 > 0:37:13Yeah, we're trialling 30-plus varieties here
0:37:13 > 0:37:16to find out what's the highest yielding crop, the most calorific,
0:37:16 > 0:37:18the best suited for a biomass boiler.
0:37:18 > 0:37:21Tell me about the biofuels, then. What are you trying to achieve?
0:37:21 > 0:37:26We're trying to achieve minimum land usage from farmers
0:37:26 > 0:37:28so you're not wasting land,
0:37:28 > 0:37:31so trying to get the most out of every acre that they've got.
0:37:31 > 0:37:35The plants Matt grows are designed to be burned in boiler systems
0:37:35 > 0:37:39that supply heat and hot water to farmhouses or rural businesses.
0:37:40 > 0:37:43To keep things simple, the landowners growing the fuel
0:37:43 > 0:37:45need to be able to harvest it themselves.
0:37:46 > 0:37:48So, now it's ready to be harvested?
0:37:48 > 0:37:52Yeah, all you need is a chainsaw licence and a chainsaw.
0:37:52 > 0:37:55No big machinery, no expensive machinery. That's all you need.
0:37:55 > 0:37:56So, you're trying to keep it simple.
0:37:56 > 0:37:58Yeah, from the field to the fuel stores,
0:37:58 > 0:38:01simple as possible and cost-effective as possible.
0:38:01 > 0:38:02Now that it's been harvested,
0:38:02 > 0:38:04those stumps will start to grow again, will they?
0:38:04 > 0:38:06Straight away, in the spring.
0:38:06 > 0:38:08In three years' time, you'll be cropping again.
0:38:08 > 0:38:10The matter that's been chopped off,
0:38:10 > 0:38:12will that be able to go straight into the woodchip boiler?
0:38:12 > 0:38:14No, we open-air dry it for about eight months,
0:38:14 > 0:38:16so then it goes straight into the fuel store.
0:38:16 > 0:38:18That's what you're doing here now,
0:38:18 > 0:38:20- and then that'll go back to the house?- Correct.
0:38:23 > 0:38:26But when it comes to finding the most efficient energy crop,
0:38:26 > 0:38:30willow isn't the only tree that Matt's been experimenting with.
0:38:32 > 0:38:34As well as poplar, Matt's also planted
0:38:34 > 0:38:36several hundred eucalyptus trees.
0:38:38 > 0:38:41- It smells delicious, doesn't it? It's lovely.- Yeah.
0:38:41 > 0:38:42Absolutely beautiful.
0:38:42 > 0:38:45Why did you come up with the idea of growing eucalyptus?
0:38:45 > 0:38:48Eucalyptus is known for its oil content,
0:38:48 > 0:38:50so we're taking a guess at the calorific value,
0:38:50 > 0:38:53the energy produced from this plant's going to be very high.
0:38:53 > 0:38:55- So, you're really excited about it? - I'm very excited.
0:38:55 > 0:38:58- Look at the growth rate in a year. - Incredible, isn't it?
0:38:58 > 0:39:00It's planted as a small, tiny sapling.
0:39:00 > 0:39:02There's thousands of trees and thousands of plants out there
0:39:02 > 0:39:05that'll make a good biofuel - you just have to research.
0:39:05 > 0:39:07You're just going to keep trying until you find the ultimate ones?
0:39:07 > 0:39:10Correct. Eucalyptus might well be one of them.
0:39:13 > 0:39:16For those of us without a spare five acres to grow trees,
0:39:16 > 0:39:20Matt's also been developing some surprising alternative fuel sources.
0:39:24 > 0:39:27- What have we got here?- You should really recognise this, Adam.
0:39:27 > 0:39:30It looks like a grass pellet. Is it?
0:39:30 > 0:39:33- No, it's rapeseed, crushed rapeseed. - Oh, I should have known that.
0:39:33 > 0:39:36Yeah, my neighbour crushes our rapeseed and produces oil
0:39:36 > 0:39:40and, yeah, gets these slugs of what's left over.
0:39:40 > 0:39:42But we actually use it in animal feed.
0:39:42 > 0:39:44Yeah, that's one of its many uses.
0:39:44 > 0:39:45We use it as fuel
0:39:45 > 0:39:48- and we're finding it's twice as powerful as a wood pellet.- Really?
0:39:48 > 0:39:51- Yeah.- Because of the oil?- The oil content of it, yeah.- Wonderful.
0:39:51 > 0:39:53Incredible stuff, isn't it?
0:39:53 > 0:39:56So, you can pellet pretty much anything to put into the boiler.
0:39:56 > 0:39:59You can. Most food waste, you could actually pelletise.
0:39:59 > 0:40:01Here's another one here.
0:40:01 > 0:40:03- What's this, then?- Have a smell.
0:40:05 > 0:40:09- No, I can't...- This is it before it's been pelletised.
0:40:10 > 0:40:12It looks like peat.
0:40:12 > 0:40:16- It's coffee.- Coffee!- Spent coffee. - I can't smell it at all.
0:40:16 > 0:40:19- Amazing.- We're trying to divert anything going to landfill.
0:40:19 > 0:40:20So, it's waste to energy.
0:40:20 > 0:40:22Why let it rot in landfill
0:40:22 > 0:40:25and produce the same amount of CO2 as when it's burned?
0:40:25 > 0:40:27So, really, you're making a business
0:40:27 > 0:40:30and something that's quite ethical at the same time.
0:40:30 > 0:40:32And supplying people with energy.
0:40:32 > 0:40:35- You just tip that in the top and get out pellets?- Correct.
0:40:35 > 0:40:37Oh, I've got to see this.
0:40:37 > 0:40:38WHIRRING
0:40:41 > 0:40:45I never thought coffee would help with your central heating system.
0:40:48 > 0:40:51It's great to see green technology like this
0:40:51 > 0:40:55that can help farmers get their energy bills under control.
0:40:55 > 0:40:56On a much larger scale,
0:40:56 > 0:41:00farms are also providing fuels that can benefit us all.
0:41:02 > 0:41:04This was the first and still is
0:41:04 > 0:41:07one of the largest straw-fuelled power stations in the UK.
0:41:07 > 0:41:09It's located in the fens of Cambridgeshire
0:41:09 > 0:41:11and supplies electricity
0:41:11 > 0:41:15to thousands of businesses and homes in the local area.
0:41:15 > 0:41:18It's farm-supplied power generation on a massive scale.
0:41:28 > 0:41:29Justin Long's job is to make sure
0:41:29 > 0:41:32the power station is supplied with straw all year round.
0:41:34 > 0:41:35Livestock farmers use straw
0:41:35 > 0:41:38for bedding down their animals and feeding them.
0:41:38 > 0:41:41But a lot of people wouldn't have thought of using it to produce energy.
0:41:41 > 0:41:42How did that idea come about?
0:41:42 > 0:41:44Well, as you and I both know,
0:41:44 > 0:41:48many farmers used to burn the straw in the arable field itself
0:41:48 > 0:41:49following the harvest.
0:41:49 > 0:41:51That got rid of a lot of the surplus.
0:41:51 > 0:41:54Once that was banned for environmental reasons,
0:41:54 > 0:41:56there was a surplus of straw available
0:41:56 > 0:42:00within this primarily cereal-growing region in the east here.
0:42:00 > 0:42:03This was capitalised upon by building this power station.
0:42:03 > 0:42:07How are you sourcing all this straw? You must have quite a difficult job.
0:42:07 > 0:42:08We can do.
0:42:08 > 0:42:11The weather can obviously have quite an effect.
0:42:11 > 0:42:14We have an 11, 12-week window at harvest time
0:42:14 > 0:42:16when we have to procure all of the station's requirement
0:42:16 > 0:42:18for the following year.
0:42:18 > 0:42:20And obviously, the wet weather we had this harvest,
0:42:20 > 0:42:22yeah, did make things quite tricky.
0:42:24 > 0:42:29Once the straw's collected, it's a simple trip from field to furnace.
0:42:29 > 0:42:30But in a power station of this size,
0:42:30 > 0:42:33generating electricity from burning the bales
0:42:33 > 0:42:35is a very hi-tech process.
0:42:36 > 0:42:39Bernel Alberga oversees the whole operation.
0:42:39 > 0:42:42What's it like as a product to produce energy?
0:42:42 > 0:42:45My previous experience was at a gas station.
0:42:45 > 0:42:48Gas, very linear, doesn't change.
0:42:48 > 0:42:50Straw has its own challenges.
0:42:50 > 0:42:55It varies from bale to bale, the density varies, the moisture varies.
0:42:55 > 0:42:57Causes a few problems.
0:42:57 > 0:43:00I understand in your company you're burning other products off farm.
0:43:00 > 0:43:02Yes, we have a power station that burns poultry litter,
0:43:02 > 0:43:07another one that burns horse waste bedding, and also forestry woodchip.
0:43:07 > 0:43:11- So, really, can you burn anything that farmers can produce?- Of course.
0:43:11 > 0:43:14There are other things that you have to take into consideration
0:43:14 > 0:43:16when you do burn it, such as emissions.
0:43:16 > 0:43:19But, yes, if you can burn it, you can make energy from it.
0:43:19 > 0:43:22So, how green is this energy, then?
0:43:22 > 0:43:25It's very green. We're essentially a carbon neutral business,
0:43:25 > 0:43:28so the fuel that we burn, any emissions that we produce
0:43:28 > 0:43:31are readily absorbed by next year's harvest.
0:43:31 > 0:43:33So, it's very green.
0:43:34 > 0:43:37Energy sources likes straw are increasingly being used
0:43:37 > 0:43:40to supply electricity to the National Grid.
0:43:41 > 0:43:45And on a smaller scale, energy crops like willow and eucalyptus
0:43:45 > 0:43:49are being grown to supply heat and hot water to individual properties.
0:43:50 > 0:43:52So, in the future,
0:43:52 > 0:43:55farmers will not only be providing a lot of food for your tables,
0:43:55 > 0:43:57but also energy for your homes.
0:44:06 > 0:44:09I'm continuing my journey along the NC500,
0:44:09 > 0:44:10the new scenic route
0:44:10 > 0:44:16that loops around Scotland's remote and beautiful North Highlands.
0:44:16 > 0:44:18I've been travelling the eastern stretch through Sutherland,
0:44:18 > 0:44:22and now I've come to one of the jewels of the route.
0:44:22 > 0:44:23The Black Isle.
0:44:27 > 0:44:29The Black Isle boasts a diverse landscape
0:44:29 > 0:44:33of ancient woodland and verdant rolling hills
0:44:33 > 0:44:37and is famed for its unusually temperate climate.
0:44:37 > 0:44:40It's the climate as well as this lovely, dark, rich soil
0:44:40 > 0:44:44that make this farmland some of the most fertile in Scotland.
0:44:48 > 0:44:51Every year, the Black Isle produces almost 40,000 tonnes
0:44:51 > 0:44:53of exceptional arable crops.
0:44:53 > 0:44:57In summer, the fields are a patchwork of the land's bounty.
0:44:58 > 0:45:01Clearly, it's a bit late in the year to witness that spectacle,
0:45:01 > 0:45:04but I still want to understand what makes the Black Isle
0:45:04 > 0:45:05such a land of plenty.
0:45:11 > 0:45:13'John McCallum's family have been farming on the Black Isle
0:45:13 > 0:45:17'for 12 generations, more than 400 years.'
0:45:17 > 0:45:21So, John, tell me, why is the Black Isle so good for farming?
0:45:21 > 0:45:25Well, it's sort of got its own little microclimate, really.
0:45:25 > 0:45:28The rainfall comes and deposits on the hills,
0:45:28 > 0:45:31about 23, 24 inches a year, which is very low.
0:45:31 > 0:45:34- Of rain?- It's about as low as you'll get in the UK, to be honest.
0:45:34 > 0:45:37And yet, just 70 miles to the west, it's about the highest.
0:45:37 > 0:45:42You get a much warmer and drier climate for growing cereals.
0:45:42 > 0:45:43And what about the soil?
0:45:43 > 0:45:45We've got two or three feet of black soil here.
0:45:45 > 0:45:47That's fantastic for growing cereals.
0:45:47 > 0:45:50You know, it doesn't dry out in the hot periods
0:45:50 > 0:45:53and it's actually very dry, even after this heavy rain last night.
0:45:53 > 0:45:55- We're walking quite freely on it. - Yeah.
0:45:55 > 0:45:59It's not sticking to your boots like what a lot of heavier ground would.
0:45:59 > 0:46:01There are small deposits of clay,
0:46:01 > 0:46:03but most of it's a sandy medium loam,
0:46:03 > 0:46:05and it's good stuff for this job.
0:46:05 > 0:46:08- What have you got in the ground at the moment?- This is wheat,
0:46:08 > 0:46:12sown a month ago for harvesting the end of September next year.
0:46:12 > 0:46:14And give me a clue... I've heard several explanations.
0:46:14 > 0:46:17What's the reason behind it being called the Black Isle?
0:46:17 > 0:46:18There are two or three stories.
0:46:18 > 0:46:20One is because when you're ploughing,
0:46:20 > 0:46:22it's a lovely, black soil coming up.
0:46:22 > 0:46:23And there's other stories about,
0:46:23 > 0:46:25because it's surrounded as a peninsula
0:46:25 > 0:46:27and the snow lands on the hills
0:46:27 > 0:46:30and this can be completely free from snow,
0:46:30 > 0:46:32so it looks darker all the time.
0:46:32 > 0:46:35Although you don't get much rain here, there's a bit coming in now.
0:46:35 > 0:46:38I think we're going to get a shower here any minute, so...
0:46:38 > 0:46:39Let's head for shelter, shall we?
0:46:43 > 0:46:47Wheat is only a small part of what John grows.
0:46:47 > 0:46:51Today, his son Mark is preparing the fields for their main crop.
0:46:52 > 0:46:56It's the one that's most highly prized in these parts.
0:46:57 > 0:46:59Malting spring barley,
0:46:59 > 0:47:03essential ingredient of Scotland's national tipple - whisky.
0:47:03 > 0:47:08Why is barley from the Black Isle so good for malting
0:47:08 > 0:47:10and so good for, ultimately, making whisky?
0:47:10 > 0:47:14Our soil here produces low nitrogen barley,
0:47:14 > 0:47:16which is required for malting,
0:47:16 > 0:47:18which then in turn produces good malt,
0:47:18 > 0:47:21which in turn produces good whisky.
0:47:21 > 0:47:24We grow some of the best malting barley in Scotland
0:47:24 > 0:47:27and even, possibly, it could be argued, in the UK for distilling.
0:47:27 > 0:47:31How much whisky could you make from a field like this?
0:47:31 > 0:47:34This field's just over 20 acres, eight hectares.
0:47:34 > 0:47:38- It can produce approximately 7,000 bottles of whisky.- Is that right?
0:47:38 > 0:47:42Yeah. Yeah, I wouldn't like to drink them all.
0:47:42 > 0:47:45By next summer, these fields will be rich with barley.
0:47:46 > 0:47:48And later, I'll be heading inland
0:47:48 > 0:47:51to discover how this precious grain ends up in your glass.
0:47:53 > 0:47:56In a moment, we'll have the week's weather.
0:47:56 > 0:47:57But before that, a big thank you
0:47:57 > 0:48:01to all of you who bought the 2016 Countryfile calendar.
0:48:01 > 0:48:03And if you haven't got one yet,
0:48:03 > 0:48:05here's how you can get your hands on one.
0:48:07 > 0:48:11The Colours of the Countryside calendar costs £9.50,
0:48:11 > 0:48:14including delivery in the UK.
0:48:14 > 0:48:18You can buy yours either via our website:
0:48:20 > 0:48:23Or by calling the order line:
0:48:26 > 0:48:30Standard geographic charges from landlines and mobiles will apply.
0:48:30 > 0:48:34To order by post, send your name, address and cheque to:
0:48:45 > 0:48:48A minimum of £4 from the sale of each calendar
0:48:48 > 0:48:51will be donated to the BBC Children in Need appeal.
0:48:52 > 0:48:54You know what I'm going to say.
0:48:54 > 0:48:57Christmas isn't far away. This could be the perfect stocking filler.
0:48:57 > 0:48:59Although you'd need quite a wide stocking.
0:48:59 > 0:49:02Anyway, here's the weather for the week ahead.
0:50:11 > 0:50:12I've been heading south
0:50:12 > 0:50:16along the stunning eastern stretch of the North Coast 500,
0:50:16 > 0:50:17Scotland's newest tourist route.
0:50:17 > 0:50:19My journey has brought me here,
0:50:19 > 0:50:22to the fertile farmlands of the Black Isle.
0:50:22 > 0:50:26The farmers grow all sorts here, but the most prized crop is barley,
0:50:26 > 0:50:30essential for making Scotland's most famous export - whisky.
0:50:31 > 0:50:34So, I've come here to the Glen Ord Distillery
0:50:34 > 0:50:37to find out how the humble grain of barley
0:50:37 > 0:50:40is transformed into uisge beatha, the water of life.
0:50:43 > 0:50:44Founded in 1838,
0:50:44 > 0:50:48Glen Ord is one of the oldest distilleries in Scotland
0:50:48 > 0:50:50and the very last on the Black Isle.
0:50:50 > 0:50:54It's also one of the few distilleries
0:50:54 > 0:50:56that still does its own malting,
0:50:56 > 0:50:59the first, crucial stage of turning barley into whisky.
0:51:01 > 0:51:04Alistair MacKenzie is the malting manager.
0:51:06 > 0:51:08So, Alistair, what is malting? Why do you do it?
0:51:08 > 0:51:10Malting is, essentially,
0:51:10 > 0:51:13breaking down the protein within the barleycorn
0:51:13 > 0:51:15so we can give the distillery access to the starch
0:51:15 > 0:51:17that's in the barley crop.
0:51:17 > 0:51:19So, how do you do that? What's the process?
0:51:19 > 0:51:22What we try and do is, we replicate what happens in the field
0:51:22 > 0:51:25by adding some moisture to the grain, which is what we're doing here.
0:51:25 > 0:51:29We'll bring up the moisture and allow the corn to germinate
0:51:29 > 0:51:32so that when we take it to the distillery, we can grind it
0:51:32 > 0:51:36and add hot water to it and take the alcohol from the grain.
0:51:36 > 0:51:39Probably the best thing to do is to actually take a sample of it
0:51:39 > 0:51:40- and I'll show you what I mean.- OK.
0:51:43 > 0:51:46This is lovely and moist. You can see it's sort of shiny.
0:51:46 > 0:51:48If you look at the end of the barleycorn there,
0:51:48 > 0:51:50you can see the chit beginning to come out of the grain.
0:51:50 > 0:51:52That little white end, yeah, OK.
0:51:52 > 0:51:54That's what we're looking to do at this stage up here,
0:51:54 > 0:51:56is for that to happen, so it's now...
0:51:56 > 0:51:59The first part of germination has begun
0:51:59 > 0:52:01and we can then send it to the second stage
0:52:01 > 0:52:04where we can bring it on further, under controlled process.
0:52:06 > 0:52:10Once malted, the barley is ready for the next stage.
0:52:10 > 0:52:14Distillery manager Kirsty Dagnan is walking me through the process.
0:52:15 > 0:52:17What next? What happens?
0:52:17 > 0:52:21So, from the malted barley, it's ground up, it's mashed.
0:52:21 > 0:52:25We add water to it and that's to turn the starch into sugar.
0:52:25 > 0:52:28'Yeast is then added in these tubs, called washbacks,
0:52:28 > 0:52:31'which starts the process of turning it into alcohol.'
0:52:31 > 0:52:32It's kind of brown and soupy.
0:52:32 > 0:52:34What percentage would this be at this point?
0:52:34 > 0:52:36This is roughly about 8%.
0:52:36 > 0:52:38Still quite a long way from whisky at this point.
0:52:38 > 0:52:40It is at this point, yeah.
0:52:44 > 0:52:45So, the stillhouse.
0:52:45 > 0:52:48When I think of a distillery, this is what's in my mind.
0:52:53 > 0:52:57When you're running a business on this modern, huge scale,
0:52:57 > 0:53:00how linked is it still with its past?
0:53:00 > 0:53:04Craft and the heritage are very much at the heart of what we do.
0:53:04 > 0:53:05You've seen wooden washbacks
0:53:05 > 0:53:08that are still made by a family-run company that's very local.
0:53:08 > 0:53:10You see the big copper stills behind you,
0:53:10 > 0:53:12and they are still made by coppersmiths
0:53:12 > 0:53:15that have gone through probably an eight-year apprenticeship.
0:53:15 > 0:53:18This is a modern process now, so you must be changing some things.
0:53:18 > 0:53:20We're trying to make ourselves
0:53:20 > 0:53:22as environmentally friendly as possible,
0:53:22 > 0:53:25so here we re-use our hot water in the malting process.
0:53:25 > 0:53:28So, we're using less heavy fuel oil and we get less gas,
0:53:28 > 0:53:31and making us as energy efficient as possible.
0:53:31 > 0:53:33You get a lot of your barley from the Black Isle.
0:53:33 > 0:53:35Is it important to get local produce
0:53:35 > 0:53:38or is it all down to price when you're doing it on a big scale?
0:53:38 > 0:53:40Not at all. For us, it's actually down to the quality.
0:53:40 > 0:53:44So, we need good quality barley, good quality water, and yeast.
0:53:44 > 0:53:46That's the only three things that we can use for making whisky,
0:53:46 > 0:53:48so we're very, very fortunate
0:53:48 > 0:53:51that we have all of these great resources round about us.
0:53:51 > 0:53:53There's one tradition that may have fallen by the wayside,
0:53:53 > 0:53:56which is the workers having a few drams.
0:53:56 > 0:53:59Yes, it was a tradition that the workers got a dram in the morning,
0:53:59 > 0:54:02a dram at lunchtime and a dram if they did a dirty job.
0:54:02 > 0:54:06- I wonder how they managed to operate under that amount of drink.- Yeah.
0:54:06 > 0:54:08I think it's probably a much safer place to work now
0:54:08 > 0:54:09than it used to be.
0:54:13 > 0:54:16So, Kirsty, this is the quiet end of the process
0:54:16 > 0:54:20- where the whisky just sits and sits for years and years, right?- Yes.
0:54:20 > 0:54:23It has to sit for at least three years to be called Scotch whisky.
0:54:23 > 0:54:25- That's part of the definition? - Yeah, it is.
0:54:25 > 0:54:27How many casks have you got here?
0:54:27 > 0:54:28We've got about 12,000 casks here,
0:54:28 > 0:54:30and that is actually a small warehouse.
0:54:30 > 0:54:33We use either European oak or American oak,
0:54:33 > 0:54:36so it's sherry or bourbon casks that we use for Glen Ord.
0:54:36 > 0:54:38- Different flavours from each?- Yes.
0:54:38 > 0:54:40Get more sherry flavours from the sherry casks
0:54:40 > 0:54:42and then bourbon sweet flavours from the bourbon casks.
0:54:42 > 0:54:45The Glen Ord is a blend of the two different cask types.
0:54:45 > 0:54:47It sounds lovely.
0:54:47 > 0:54:50- And we've got on very well today, haven't we?- We have, yes.- Yeah?
0:54:50 > 0:54:52- You know what I'm going to ask you next.- Would you like a wee dram?
0:54:52 > 0:54:54Oh, well, if you insist! I wouldn't force you.
0:54:54 > 0:54:57- OK!- But if we could just try a little, that would be lovely.- Yeah.
0:54:59 > 0:55:01- How's my timing?- That's very good.
0:55:01 > 0:55:03I'm definitely going to need a hand here. Ready?
0:55:03 > 0:55:07- Yeah, go for it.- OK, so it's there. - Oh, look at the colour of that!
0:55:07 > 0:55:10- Isn't that fantastic? - What a beaut.- Right...
0:55:10 > 0:55:12- Let's try a little bit of this. - Fancy a bit?
0:55:15 > 0:55:18- Hit me up.- OK. Here we go. Down the hatch. So...
0:55:18 > 0:55:20- Slainte mhath.- Ah, slainte mhath!
0:55:23 > 0:55:24Mm.
0:55:24 > 0:55:27- That is beautiful, isn't it? - Amazing, yeah. Warming.- Gosh!
0:55:27 > 0:55:29If you did the NC500 at this time of year,
0:55:29 > 0:55:30you'd need that at the end of it.
0:55:30 > 0:55:32I think I deserve it after my small stretch.
0:55:32 > 0:55:35Whew! Well, that's all we've got time for this week.
0:55:35 > 0:55:37Next week, I'm going to be in the Peak District
0:55:37 > 0:55:39in the search of one of our fastest animals.
0:55:39 > 0:55:41- We'll see you, then.- Cheers.- Bye-bye.
0:55:41 > 0:55:43Hey, we could make a night of this.
0:55:43 > 0:55:46- We've got a whole barrel to get through there.- Bring in the whisky.