:00:27. > :00:31.Hello and a very warm welcome to Landward, taking you on a weekly
:00:32. > :00:34.journey across the great Scottish countryside.
:00:35. > :00:38.Later in the programme, I will be continuing my epic voyage down the
:00:39. > :00:42.length of the River Clyde. Here is what else is on Landward this
:00:43. > :00:46.week... Aspen trees get a helping hand to
:00:47. > :00:50.flourish... You make sure you have got a large
:00:51. > :00:53.number of male and females together and try and get them to flower
:00:54. > :00:57.together, so you have a decent variety of genetics.
:00:58. > :01:00.We find out how to make biscuits from acorns...
:01:01. > :01:05.And this requires an essential ingredient - elbow grease.
:01:06. > :01:08.And I will be helping make a massive work of art on Bennachie Hill.
:01:09. > :01:12.The idea itself is very simple, actually. It is just looking at
:01:13. > :01:16.forestry management and how the Forestry Commission plants the land
:01:17. > :01:23.and how, in general, they manage the whole landscape.
:01:24. > :01:28.The news is full of stories about young people struggling to find good
:01:29. > :01:31.opportunities in the current economic climate, but Sarah has been
:01:32. > :01:34.to find out about one internship scheme that is paid and gives
:01:35. > :01:43.trainees plenty of practical experience in rural businesses.
:01:44. > :01:47.For years, we have been hearing that the average age of farmers is
:01:48. > :01:53.increasing. At the moment, it is about 58. On top of that, the
:01:54. > :02:00.farming workforce tend to be older, too. More than half are over 44. It
:02:01. > :02:03.is estimated that, by the year 2020, though up to 30,000 employees are
:02:04. > :02:09.required to take up jobs in land-based industries. These include
:02:10. > :02:15.farming, forestry and horticulture. But where are all these skilled
:02:16. > :02:21.people going to come from? There is a big skills shortage. We
:02:22. > :02:25.have to look at why and a lot of it, I would say, is we maybe have one or
:02:26. > :02:27.maybe two generations who were not encouraged to go down the
:02:28. > :02:37.skills-based route of apprenticeships, whether it be in
:02:38. > :02:45.agriculture or other industries. It was further education, further
:02:46. > :02:49.education. It is now hitting home. And Ringlink is one organisation
:02:50. > :02:52.trying to tackle the problem. It is a co-operative group that
:02:53. > :02:58.specialises in machinery and labour-saving - very roughly, a temp
:02:59. > :03:04.agency for farmers. They have started the own internship scheme.
:03:05. > :03:07.Through our organisation, Ringlink Services, we take on the interns and
:03:08. > :03:17.we then contract them out to mentors that we have got from the
:03:18. > :03:20.membership. The scheme starts with two weeks of
:03:21. > :03:26.training, in areas such as health and safety and first aid. Then, it
:03:27. > :03:30.is out onto the farm. They are just finishing school. They
:03:31. > :03:34.do not want to go on to further education or college or certainly,
:03:35. > :03:38.not at this stage. Some of them just want to get out there and earn and
:03:39. > :03:43.learn and find out, is this the career for them? At 16, not all
:03:44. > :03:49.16-year-olds know what they want to do.
:03:50. > :03:53.Euan Will and David Petrie are both interns on the scheme. Do you have a
:03:54. > :03:59.farming background? No, my granny was a farmer, but that
:04:00. > :04:03.was as close as I got. When I was 13, during a school holiday I got a
:04:04. > :04:06.weekend job with a local farm for a three years and then I saw the
:04:07. > :04:12.internship and thought, "That three years of experience let me know that
:04:13. > :04:15.farming was for me. I want to expand my knowledge even more." Now, your
:04:16. > :04:19.bosses is just out of earshot, so you can say what you like, you can
:04:20. > :04:24.tell the truth. How much are you enjoying it?
:04:25. > :04:28.It is the best place I have been. Everyone is good to work with, the
:04:29. > :04:31.boys here are really helpful. You could not ask for much more, to be
:04:32. > :04:33.honest. What sort of things are you getting
:04:34. > :04:36.to do? A wide variety, from carting silage,
:04:37. > :04:43.to picking up bales, gathering bales, feeding cattle, working with
:04:44. > :04:47.cattle. A wide variety. And what would you like to do at the
:04:48. > :04:50.end of it? Hopefully, carry on in farming, in
:04:51. > :04:54.some way or another. What about you, David, what would
:04:55. > :04:58.you like to do at the end of it all? I would love to get into farming as
:04:59. > :05:04.a full-time job and, hopefully, at some point, get my own farm, if that
:05:05. > :05:06.is possible. It will be a lot of work but, hopefully, it will work
:05:07. > :05:11.out. Each intern works on one farm. David
:05:12. > :05:17.Petrie is being mentored by Ian Green of Corskie Farm, near
:05:18. > :05:21.Fochabers. How big a commitment is it for you, in terms of your time
:05:22. > :05:26.and, even, your money? It is a commitment, but I see it as
:05:27. > :05:31.a beneficial commitment. Obviously, it is taking a bit of time up, not
:05:32. > :05:34.just my own, but also the staff. Obviously, there is also the
:05:35. > :05:39.financial commitment - there is a weekly wage. But I think it is
:05:40. > :05:41.important to give the ones that are interested and keen on agriculture
:05:42. > :05:45.that commitment. It is just a pilot scheme at the
:05:46. > :05:47.moment. How are things working so far?
:05:48. > :05:51.It has been quite beneficial, I would like to think for all the
:05:52. > :05:53.parties involved. It would be disappointing if it did not
:05:54. > :05:57.continue. The plan for next year is to expand
:05:58. > :06:01.the number of places on the scheme from six to 12. One could argue that
:06:02. > :06:03.this is not going to make much of a dent on the 30,000 employees
:06:04. > :06:28.required by 2020, but it is a start. Over the last two weeks, I have
:06:29. > :06:36.followed the path of the River Clyde, from its source in Leadhills
:06:37. > :06:42.to the outskirts of Glasgow. The Clyde is perhaps best known for its
:06:43. > :06:43.industrial heritage,. But it is also home to some spectacular medieval
:06:44. > :06:56.architecture. Bothwell Castle has stood guard over
:06:57. > :06:58.the Clyde for 700 years. It really is one of the most
:06:59. > :07:04.outstanding 13th-Century castles anywhere in the realm. It tells us
:07:05. > :07:12.so much about the siege warfare, it tells us a lot about how life was
:07:13. > :07:14.lived in a-high lordly status. How important was the river to this
:07:15. > :07:18.castle? Really important, because it gave it
:07:19. > :07:22.a strategic importance. And the way it wrapped itself around the castle,
:07:23. > :07:28.along the south and west, give it a very clear defence on that side, as
:07:29. > :07:32.well. And how big a role did the castle
:07:33. > :07:36.play in the history of medieval Scotland in this area?
:07:37. > :07:39.It was really important in the wars of independence. It was quite a
:07:40. > :07:44.target for Edward I forces. He besieged the castle twice. The
:07:45. > :07:48.castle went through a number of sieges. It changed hands several
:07:49. > :07:51.times, but at the end of the 14th century, it fell into the hands of
:07:52. > :07:54.the Douglas family, the Black Douglases, who are a very important
:07:55. > :07:59.family nationally, second only to the royal family of Scotland. They
:08:00. > :08:00.extended and repaired the original castle and built brand-new
:08:01. > :08:10.architecture of their own. From Bothwell, the River Clyde winds
:08:11. > :08:16.its way to Glasgow Green, in the East End of the city.
:08:17. > :08:21.Today, the Green is where people come to relax and enjoy themselves.
:08:22. > :08:27.It is also home to one of Scotland's oldest rowing clubs.
:08:28. > :08:33.We have been on the Clyde for about 150 years. We have been on this site
:08:34. > :08:38.for 105 years. We have had numerous Olympic champions come through the
:08:39. > :08:44.door. Right now, we are experiencing a real surge of interest in the
:08:45. > :08:49.sport, post the Olympic Games. We are going out on the water today.
:08:50. > :08:58.What are we going to do and how tough and difficult is it? I am
:08:59. > :09:03.pretty hopeless at these things. You will be fine, you will be fine.
:09:04. > :09:07.You will find it is not as easy as these boys are making it look. There
:09:08. > :09:12.will be the odd "pander moments", when it gets a wee bit wobbly. But I
:09:13. > :09:15.have never gone in and I do not intend to go in today.
:09:16. > :09:26.Right, that is good news. Very good news.
:09:27. > :09:33.So much training do you have do to be to be OK at this?
:09:34. > :09:37.To be OK? Well, that is the thing about this sport, most people tend
:09:38. > :09:41.to train a lot. At the, sort of, club level of the sport, most people
:09:42. > :09:45.are training once a day. Once a day,really? Even at club
:09:46. > :09:48.level? Yes, they would be doing six or
:09:49. > :09:53.eight sessions a week, just to get by in the sport. The really good
:09:54. > :09:57.ones will be training twice a day and that is just to compete at
:09:58. > :10:01.national level. OK, start to work a bit, will you?! Let us have a bit of
:10:02. > :10:05.effort! A bit of effort? I thought I was
:10:06. > :10:15.doing a bit of effort. Come on, push!
:10:16. > :10:25.Whoa! I thought I was going in there. Classic. That is fantastic.
:10:26. > :10:29.Going overboard into the water, just as we get back to the boathouse.
:10:30. > :10:38.Thought you were going in, did you? I just,,, Don't do that! Not funny!
:10:39. > :10:52.Next week, I will be back on dry land, finding out about the Clyde's
:10:53. > :10:57.shipbuilding heritage. Still do, hope to make a sweet snack from
:10:58. > :11:01.acorns. As the autumn leaves change colour
:11:02. > :11:04.and fall in our woodlands, one of the most spectacular is the aspen,
:11:05. > :11:08.but as Euan has been finding out, these trees are a bit thin on the
:11:09. > :11:22.ground and need quite a bit of encouragement to reproduce.
:11:23. > :11:33.This is one of the most enigmatic and beautiful of Scotland's native
:11:34. > :11:47.trees. The aspen, so-called because it appears to tremble in the wind.
:11:48. > :11:50.Aspen are real in the native woodlands and most can be found in
:11:51. > :11:57.the north of the country, usually in small and isolated stands.
:11:58. > :12:09.The goal in colonies that spread through a single system.
:12:10. > :12:16.Genetically, they may be thousands of years old, because a tree will
:12:17. > :12:27.die and a small part of that will come back from the route and take
:12:28. > :12:33.life. So these trees where effectively one tree? Yes, they were
:12:34. > :12:39.one tree for thousands of years. That would system survives and from
:12:40. > :12:50.the root system of the original, they come up continually. What about
:12:51. > :12:56.biodiversity? Yes, 20 years ago that would not have been seen as
:12:57. > :13:04.important. But it has now been identified as being a extremely
:13:05. > :13:12.important. It is also the home to a very rear fly. Also, you get the
:13:13. > :13:18.likes of the beetle moth which are normally found near places like
:13:19. > :13:27.this. And every animal seems to love it. If you give them a choice of
:13:28. > :13:35.leaves to eat, they will invariably always choose the leave of the Aspin
:13:36. > :13:46.'s. In common with other species which are male and female genes, the
:13:47. > :13:53.aspen is really flower in the Scottish climate. They are made up
:13:54. > :14:01.of genetically identical trees of a different sex. Growing them in a lab
:14:02. > :14:08.is one we've which would allow the species to flourish. Scientists at
:14:09. > :14:20.the high-end island wildlife park are doing just that. Aspin 's have
:14:21. > :14:29.male and female clients, so it has to have flowers on both male and
:14:30. > :14:37.females to flourish. We set up our own situation here, so if you can
:14:38. > :14:42.get enough columns, getting off meals and females together, you can
:14:43. > :14:57.get them to flower and then get a decent Friday of genetics. The idea
:14:58. > :15:02.is that we want them to flower. We actually go along and cut the tree,
:15:03. > :15:11.so it feels threatened and feels the need to flower, to survive. This is
:15:12. > :15:14.the north and this is some of the first seagoing switch of been
:15:15. > :15:21.produced. Once they are older, they will be planted amongst the
:15:22. > :15:29.fragmented strands of Aspin 's break the Highlands. It would be good to
:15:30. > :15:35.have Aspin is linked up across the entire landscape here. It is a
:15:36. > :15:44.native tree to Scotland and the super icon. It is absolutely
:15:45. > :15:52.fantastic to look at. Despite its ancient lineage, aspen has been
:15:53. > :15:58.overlooked and become rear. But with a bit of help, this enigmatic cheek
:15:59. > :16:02.and take its rightful place at the top of the table.
:16:03. > :16:06.Now, if you have a comment you want to make about anything you see on
:16:07. > :16:13.the programme or maybe you have an amazing story to tell, then drop us
:16:14. > :16:18.an e-mail to... No, the sun is trying to poke through, but the wind
:16:19. > :16:21.is absolutely raw. To find out the prospects for the weekend and
:16:22. > :16:23.beyond, it is now over to Christopher Blanchett, for the
:16:24. > :16:35.Landward weather forecast. This weekend, a tale of two has.
:16:36. > :16:41.Saturday, cloudy and mail, Sunday, sunny and called. We have this
:16:42. > :16:48.weather front of the north-west of the country, of which is bringing a
:16:49. > :16:52.lot of wind. It is rather murky and drizzly in the central belt and the
:16:53. > :17:03.West. The rain will begin to push its way south during the course of
:17:04. > :17:12.the day. The fragment as it comes down. Some parts of Aberdeen show
:17:13. > :17:21.will avoid any note together. Nason mailed via, comparatively, with the
:17:22. > :17:25.rise of 13 Celsius. Though, on the health and maintenance, it is going
:17:26. > :17:34.to be pretty wet virtually everywhere. In the eastern ridges,
:17:35. > :17:39.not quite as much rain. Again, a lot of very heavy wind. Here are the
:17:40. > :17:51.unsure Watters over in the East, it is once again a
:17:52. > :17:55.south-westerly force five, strengthening to GeForce seven
:17:56. > :18:00.during the course of the day. That weather front continues to sink
:18:01. > :18:06.South, fragmenting all the whale. It will leave it try, clear and cold as
:18:07. > :18:13.we head into the early hours of Sunday, with the widespread frost on
:18:14. > :18:18.the way. Still windy in the North, and if we look at the detail for
:18:19. > :18:26.Sunday, there is this weather front pushing, but well away from us.
:18:27. > :18:29.Sunday, not looking too bad. It is dry, bright and sunny, but it is
:18:30. > :18:37.called, with the temperatures struggling to get above seven
:18:38. > :18:43.Celsius. As we head towards Monday, the next system is working its way
:18:44. > :18:49.in. It is a messy all day, but it is a day of transition. There will be
:18:50. > :18:57.areas of rain on Monday, with temperatures still around the eight
:18:58. > :19:10.Celsius mark, but in choose the, much colder. -- Tuesday. At best,
:19:11. > :19:18.daytime temperatures of only three or four Celsius. Add on a strong
:19:19. > :19:24.northerly wind and it will feel even colder than that. Wednesday, a
:19:25. > :19:32.similar story, with more frequent showers in the East Coast.
:19:33. > :19:35.Over the years, woodland forager and outdoor survival expert Patrick
:19:36. > :19:38.McGlinchey has shown us a host of ancient bushcraft skills.
:19:39. > :19:44.This week, he is taking us into the woods to collect acorns for one of
:19:45. > :19:59.his favourite autumn recipes, acorn biscuits.
:20:00. > :20:06.Autumn is my favourite season of the year. It is a time when the nature
:20:07. > :20:13.provides the forager with a wide variety of fruit and nuts.
:20:14. > :20:21.There is probably a lot of reasons why this has been a good year. We
:20:22. > :20:26.have had the wet spring, a lot of blossom on the trees and a lack of
:20:27. > :20:31.wind. Of course, we have also had the glorious summer.
:20:32. > :20:41.This is what I have gathered today. This seed of the matey -- the acorn.
:20:42. > :20:51.It is packed full of carbohydrates and minerals. It was a staple food
:20:52. > :20:58.for our ancestors. Today, I am going to make acorn biscuits, not unlike
:20:59. > :21:07.what takes. I am also collecting some whale apples.
:21:08. > :21:19.Now, for the fruit paste, this sorrel will do the trick. As always,
:21:20. > :21:24.be careful about what you pick, if you are unsure about it, leave it
:21:25. > :21:31.alone. Before we can make the flower, we have two scraped the
:21:32. > :21:40.membrane of the outside of the acorn.
:21:41. > :21:51.What we have got to do is kind the acorns into a paste. Believe you me,
:21:52. > :21:54.this is a lot of work and requires an essential ingredient -- elbow
:21:55. > :22:07.grease. That was hard work. But in true blue
:22:08. > :22:12.Peter fashion, this is something that I don't earlier in the week. I
:22:13. > :22:21.have put it in a bottle with some water. It is important to separate
:22:22. > :22:29.the bitter chemical tannin from the paste. If you leave on Friday, the
:22:30. > :22:34.water will Brown and take that out and you can then pour it away. After
:22:35. > :22:39.a couple of days, you have nice tan in three flower.
:22:40. > :22:47.To make the boat takes, I use a little flour and some brown sugar.
:22:48. > :22:57.This is the best part. Well the door rests, I can get on
:22:58. > :23:18.with the paste. What we are looking for is it to be
:23:19. > :23:25.nice and flat. Not too thick. We will cut out a nice round shape. The
:23:26. > :23:32.rehab it. A beautiful cake, ready for the pan.
:23:33. > :23:45.After a couple of minutes each side, pretender topping. -- put in
:23:46. > :23:53.the topping. It is no time for the taste test.
:23:54. > :24:09.I have got to say, these are delicious. Full of flavour, nutty,
:24:10. > :24:15.with the fruity time. A true taste of Scotland.
:24:16. > :24:18.Last week, I joined over 30 artists on Bennachie Hill in Aberdeenshire
:24:19. > :24:32.to help create a large scale work of art. Here is what happened.
:24:33. > :24:47.I am here on the fourth and final day of the project. The work is hard
:24:48. > :24:49.vision. The idea is very simple, looking at forestry management and
:24:50. > :25:01.how the Forestry Commission manages the manned -- the land and the whole
:25:02. > :25:10.landscape. The whole idea started with looking at the landscape from
:25:11. > :25:20.an ADL point of view. I just wanted to create another triangle of my
:25:21. > :25:25.own. What am I going to do? We're going to give you a paintbrush and a
:25:26. > :25:37.bucket. You just follow everybody else. When I was told I was going to
:25:38. > :25:40.be creating a work of art, this did not really come into my mind, but,
:25:41. > :26:02.hey. The site chosen was recently cleared
:26:03. > :26:11.by the Forestry Commission. I love this area and this has been the year
:26:12. > :26:14.of magical Scotland. We were looking for Reagan for various individuals
:26:15. > :26:24.and groups to work with artists and we approached them and they said,
:26:25. > :26:27.that is an interesting project. I had been up here looking at the
:26:28. > :26:33.natural environment and painting some pictures, but they said, we
:26:34. > :26:38.could get more and get more contemporary artists involved. I
:26:39. > :26:44.thought that sounded interesting and we decided to go for it and that is
:26:45. > :26:49.where we are today. So it is not just about providing a canvas for
:26:50. > :26:55.the actors, you are actually taking part? Absolutely. Yes, we have had
:26:56. > :27:01.other members of the commission note as well. It has been great fun. I
:27:02. > :27:10.never thought I would be painting tree stumps. The only way you could
:27:11. > :27:19.view the whole thing is by standing on top of the hill. For me, that is
:27:20. > :27:20.because a lot of my work, it can be hidden unless you see it from a
:27:21. > :27:47.certain angle. As installations go, it is
:27:48. > :27:51.incredibly simple. It is as a free trees have gone back into the
:27:52. > :28:06.landscape, but for this view alone, this walk is well worth it.
:28:07. > :28:13.All this and art as well. And that is almost all we have time
:28:14. > :28:15.for this week. Here is what is coming up on the programme next
:28:16. > :28:18.week... Why Scotland punches above its
:28:19. > :28:26.weight in the potato industry. And I conclude my journey down the
:28:27. > :28:32.River Clyde. The ships have been on these waters for many years in the
:28:33. > :28:37.first of these came down in 1812. So join us for that and much more at
:28:38. > :28:40.the same time next week - Friday night, 7.00pm, on BBC Two Scotland.
:28:41. > :28:42.In the meantime, from all the team here, thanks for your company. Bye
:28:43. > :28:47.for now.