Episode 25 Landward

getting some advice on how to stay safe as we approach the winter

walking season. But first, here's what else is coming up on the

programme. The Crown Estate, investing in coastal communities. We

see some great opportunities, whether it be agriculture, right

down to the leisure and tourism aspects, to really make a

difference. I'll be hearing from both sides, in

a heated debate about who should be allowed to fish for salmon and when.

And Nick tucks into a hearty bowl of North-East fish soup.

I think Cullen Skink really does deserve its place among the world's

greatest soups. Scotland's hills in winter. A heady

mix of striking beauty and potential danger.

When you head into the high hills in winter, you're choosing to enter an

environment you cannot control, a place that makes you feel small and

potentially vulnerable. For me, that is part of the beauty.

If you want to enjoy all that the hills offer in winter, you must

prepare properly. Mike Pescod is a mountain guide and a member of the

Lochaber Mountain Rescue team. Take me through what you reckon you

should have in your rucksack for all eventualities in the winter.

If something goes wrong, it's going to take quite a while to get any

rescue, it will take quite a long time. If you twist your ankle or get

a bit lost, having stuff in your bag to survive for 12 hours longer than

you are planning to be out is probably a good starting point. So

really handy, right at the top, is my map and compass. And I've looked

at my map the night before and worked out my route. And I've got it

packed in quite a small map case so it's easy to get in and out of your

pocket. That way, you can track your route as you go along and you are

more likely to get it out and have a look. So instead of just getting it

out when you are lost or in a blizzard, that's too late, just keep

it handy. Small map, so you can track your distance. And I have my

head torch. At this time of year, it gets dark at 4pm, so I have short

daylight, so a lot of time we are walking in the dark. So that is key.

As soon as it starts snowing in the winter, we have crampons, making

sure that they are fitted well to your boots and just getting used to

your crampons, how they go on to your boots. If you can be quite

slick at getting them on and fitted to your shoes, you avoid that really

cold fingers thing. Practice that at home with warm

fingers and get it on quickly. You should always have extra warm

layers and Mike also recommends taking lots of gloves. None are 100%

waterproof, so to avoid getting numb fingers, take plenty. Another thing

to take lots of is food. Vital to keep energy levels up.

And then all that stuff that will help you survive that little bit

longer. First off in there is my survival bag. A really simple bit of

kit, a plastic bag, 6' x 3', and an orange plastic bag. But it makes

such a difference if you are caught out, it keeps the wind out and you

get rid of that wind-chill effect straightaway. You are out of the

elements and it is bright orange, which is fantastic for a rescue

service looking for somebody. It is much easier than looking for

something dark. In a white environment. Definitely,

it makes a big difference. Along with that, I have my spare

clothing that I don't think I'm going to use. This is extra, that is

warm clothing, this is for if something goes wrong. Another

synthetic layer, and more hats and gloves. Yet more hats and gloves! I

have got a first aid kit in here as well and the kind of things that you

want it for are sprains and twists, if you twist an ankle, kind of big

dressings. Plasters and fiddly bits, it's not really that kind of injury

we're going to get. Anything left in there?

A bit of hot juice is really important. A hot cup of tea makes

such a difference to you. So have a flask.

That is the kit, but of course, there is the preparation to be done

as well. Last winter, eight fatalities in Scotland's mountains

were caused by avalanches. The highest for years. It is vital that

anyone who's heading out into the hills checks the weather forecast,

but there's also a daily avalanche forecast. From now until mid-April,

the Avalanche Information Service offers daily forecasts, covering the

five most popular mountain areas in Scotland. The forecasts can even be

accessed via a new mobile site for last-minute checks. Find a link to

that and other relevant safety sites on our website.

How vital a service is the Avalanche Warning Service?

It's a fantastic service and absolutely key preparation for a day

out climbing or walking. You shouldn't just look at it the night

before you go out, look at it for the whole week. So you've got a

really good picture of how snow is forming, where it's building up, the

areas to avoid. Do you find that people come up for

a weekend with their pals, they know they're coming away they've maybe

come a long way, they've booked their accommodation, they're going

to be out doing certain things and the pressure to do that sometimes is

the wrong pressure? It's the wrong pressure and I think

also, people have specific routes in mind. So they come up on their

weekend and think, right, this is the route I want, and don't have

enough flexibility. To do one route is not necessarily going to work

well. We should go the other way. We should be flexible. You should look

at other routes to do and they also should have a range of different

routes. There are ten or 12 routes to do and they are all really good,

so do a range of things. And look at the avalanche and weather forecast

all week, so you've got a really good picture of what's going to

happen that weekend and you can choose the best route for the

conditions on that weekend. Is it just the Avalanche Service, or

are there other things available that people can get hands-on

experience with? There is, there are all sorts of

training courses that you can go on. You can learn quite a lot from the

forecast, from reading books, but hands-on coaching from somebody

that's got all that experience is really valuable. They can point out

different types of snow and what are they like. The Mountaineering

Council of Scotland are running two here at Nevis Range at the end

December. And the William Mountain Festival, workshops are running

there, so they are available. Hire a mountaineering guide and instructor

and they will keep you well in with the proper avalanche coaching.

I have to say, just walking up here, my left eye was just looking at that

view. This is what being in the hills in winter is all about. Just

look at that. Absolutely. Absolutely amazing.

Over the last few weeks, Nick has been visiting cities and towns that

will forever be associated with certain types of food. This week, he

is in a north-east port where a certain hearty soup was created.

When it comes to hearty warming soups, the Scots are masters.

Perhaps the finest of them all got its name from this small fishing

village here in the north-east of Scotland, but it is known

mind. So how did this creamy smoked fish soup put Cullen on the culinary

map? And how did that obscure name come about?

It seems obvious that a fish soup should have its origins in a fishing

village and, in the 19th century, Cullen harbour was the centre of a

thriving herring industry, and it also specialised in the production

of smoked haddock. But the name skink, well, its origins are

altogether more obscure. One person who may know the answer

is Trace Fuller, Cullen cafe owner and winner of the 2013 World Cullen

Skink Championship. So, Trace, tell me a little bit

about what makes you a Cullen Skink award winner.

Because the judges said it was the best that day. Fantastic. Tell me

the recipe. What goes into it? Right, basically, at the moment, my

water's boiling. So you are going to parboil the potatoes? Right. They

get left to boil for now. A wee bit of sea salt. I do not measure

anything. You just do it by feel? Yes. And now I'm adding the

bouillon. Wow. Potatoes, stock, onion and bay leaf. You're going to

leave that to cook. And that's it. Fish? Don't add that. Yet. OK. Where

is my fish? Here. Now, this is the star ingredient of any Cullen Skink,

smoked haddock. Where does this come from? This comes from J Smith's, of

Sandend. And Sandend is just up the road, isn't it? Yes. So we dice this

up, the smoked haddock. I don't dice it it, I just rip it. So tell me

about this World Cullen Skink-Making Championship that you won. Yes. The

judges all came round, tasted it, and I noticed that they did take two

spoonfuls of mine and I thought... Always a sign. It has boosted my

business amazingly. In Old Scots, the word skink means

sharing, and beef shin bones were used for making soup. -- means shin.

But during hard times, people couldn't afford meat and substituted

it with fish. Simply, it's a creamy soup made from smoked haddock,

potatoes and onions. Wow, that looks fantastic! Great,

thanks, Trace. So World Championship Cullen Skink, here in Cullen.

Mmm! It's delicious. And I think Cullen Skink really does deserve its

place amongst the world's greatest soups.

Still to come on the programme: I'll be hearing from anglers and netsmen,

in what is a heated debate about the right to catch salmon.

Last week, I reported from Glenlivet on one aspect of the role of the

Crown Estate. This week, I'll be looking into their role in managing

the sea bed and foreshore. It's commonly thought that the Queen

owns the foreshore and sea bed around the coast, but that is a bit

of a myth. In fact, the foreshore and sea bed out to 12 nautical miles

are owned and managed by the Crown Estate, which is a legal obligation

to generate income for the Treasury, to be used for the public benefit.

We manage the sea bed and foreshore, half the foreshore in Scotland, and

that means we look out for the different interests in the marine

environment. Take me through the elements of the

coastal portfolio. It's made up of a number of

different elements. So ports and harbours, we've got general folio in

rural areas, moorings and agriculture, so a big mix right

across Scotland. -- aquaculture. Do you charge rent toward the users? We

don't charge everyone, but not everyone is using it for a

commercial purpose. So we have a remit to make sure that we return a

revenue surplus and we take accordance of that when we're

working out charges and calculations. So if I'm walking

along the seashore and I see a little oyster and I pick it up and

eat it, am I technically breaking the law because it belongs to you? I

think there is a pragmatic approach to things like that and people like

to enjoy public access. And, for example, metal detecting is

something that in some areas, a lot of people like to do as a recreation

and on our website, there is an easy-to-use forum to say, I'm going

to be using this area for that recreation activity.

The Crown Estate has just signed the first Local Management Agreement of

its kind to allow the community to invest in and benefit from the

foreshore. Gus Macaulay, from North Uist, is part of a group called

Comann Na Mara, that is working with the Crown Estate to establish marine

leisure activities at Lochmara. We are in collaboration with The

Crown Estate. We are creating a 26 berth pontoon system there. We can

do this at the moment because of this new Local Management Agreement

with The Crown Estate, which gives a smaller organisation like us the

chance to realise a project such as this. Without The Crown Estate, it

wouldn't have happened. Take me through the business arrangement you

have with them. We have two agreements. We have a licence

agreement for the seabed and a leasing agreement for the pontoons

over a period of 30 years. We have an investment from The Crown Estate.

They believe that our project can work. It is up to us. We have been

given the opportunity of that, so we have to make that financial side

work. They have been criticised for not engaging with communities. Do

you think things are getting better? Very much so. It is all very well to

stand out lobbing bricks over the garden wall. What you have to do is

step up to the table and engage their investing projects. People

have to speak to them about it. The project is really positive. It is a

good community group. For us, it is quite simple. We can invest with the

organisation and they get a deal from us that works for them and we

get a return on our capital, which works for everyone. Any plans to

have more projects in the future like this project? The process is

something we are trying to roll out further. We see some great

opportunities, whether it be agriculture, right down to the

marine leisure. The Crown Estate also works closely with fish farms

around the coast. I've come to meet Stuart Cannon. We have been here

about 40 years. And we started with trout and trout is still our main

production, but we also contract salmon and then we grow halibut as

well. Explain the specifics of the business relationship you have with

them. They are our landlords. They charge us a rental fee. We have

controls in as much as that we are allowed a set number of cages, an

area that we have to work with. Would you say your relationship with

The Crown Estate are good? Are there any gripes that frustrate you?

Possibly, my frustration in wanting to expand, and as an industry in

wanting to be expand, they could be more positive. Where it would be

helpful is if they could - some to have the rental fees they collect

from us, if they put that back to some of the communities and also put

probably more research into the industry as well. We have our

problems. They do help with that. It could be greater.

One of the criticisms that have been levelled at The Crown Estate is it

takes a long time to get anything done. There's lots of bureaucracy.

Are you addressing that? Absolutely. My team wants to get things done. I

want to see the opportunities converted into real delivery on the

ground and we don't want people to be frustrated in dealing with us. It

is something we take seriously. We try to be as efficient as we

possibly can. The Crown Estate has many critics saying it is an

outdated form of land management and ownership. For the time being, it

has a huge role to play in managing large chunks of our seabed and land

with the purpose of generating income for the Treasury, for the

benefit of the public. If you have a comment about anything

you see on the programme, or have a story to share with us, send us an

e-mail to [email protected]. Now, the weather here is still beautiful,

but crisp. What about the prospects for this weekend and beyond?

Good evening to you. A very unsettled spell of weather takes us

throughout the weekend and well into next week. We have a Met Office

warning in force for the strength of the winds. It is all down to this

area of low pressure out in the Atlantic. Tomorrow will start benign

enough. Before long, that rain will sweep in from the rest. It will turn

heavy. We will see gusts of 60mph to 70mph. That rain lingering well into

the afternoon. There will be some issues with standing water and spray

on the roads, particularly across southern and Central Scotland.

Something a bit drier getting into the Western Isles later in the

afternoon. On the whole, it will be a fairly mild day, temperature-wise.

It's not a day to be taking to the hills across all the ranges.

Temperatures will be close to freezing. There will be rain or snow

in the west. Storm-force winds with gusts of 110mph across the summits.

For Scottish coastal waters, out to the west, winds are south-westerly,

force seven to severe gale nine. Out to the east, winds south or

south-westerly force six to force eight. For the rest of the

afternoon, as we head towards evening, that band of rain will

clear. Behind it, things will dry up for a time. Winds will ease for a

time. Then we will see another band of heavy showers moving in from the

west. Temperature-wise, it will be close to freezing with a touch of

frost. So, into Sunday. We are watching this area of low pressure

approaching off the Atlantic once again. We have another Met Office

yellow warning in force. A bright start. Then that rain will push in.

The winds will strengthen once again. Storm-force around exposed

north-western coasts. For Monday, that deep low will pull away. You

can see it is still breezy, still strong winds, still a feed of

showers in the north and west falling as snow on the hills. A

really cold feel to the day on Monday. For Tuesday, another area of

low pressure tracks our way. It is important to note that the exact

track of these lows is subject to change. At the moment, for Tuesday,

it looks like more rain in the north and west. Again, snow for the hills.

Temperature-wise, around 7-8 Celsius. Again, gale or severe

gale-force winds. It will stay very wet on Wednesday. Severe gales. Keep

up-to-date with the forecast. Leaping salmon, battling upstream. A

classic image of Scotland. But there is a debate raging over who should

be allowed to catch salmon and when. The right to fish salmon is a

Heritable title. That title gives its owners the legal right to sell,

lease or pass the fishing rights to their heirs. On rivers, people can

own the right to fish certain stretches. They can charge anglers

to fish on that beat. Salmon netters have the right to net at specific

locations, called stations, like this one. They can sell their catch

as Scottish wild salmon. Rod-caught salmon cannot be bought and sold.

The only Scottish wild salmon that can legally be sold are net-caught

fish. Here lies the problem. The only way that salmon netters can

make money is by catching plenty of fish, so they can sell them. The

only way beat owners can make money is to have plenty of fish in the

river so they can charge anglers to fish there. The Anging season --

angling season on most rivers runs from February to October. For the

last 14 years, they have chosen to delay the start of their season to

help conserve the spring-run of salmon.

Spring-run fish are the fish that come into the rivers in the early

part of the year. They generally stay out at sea for two or more

years. It's the spring-run, the early-running fish that are the most

vulnerable. The number of fish coming back into the rivers has

declined from about 20% of all the fish leaving the rivers, down to 5%.

During the spring-run of salmon, many rivers operate a strict catch

and release programme. The rod fisheries is releasing 91% of the

fish caught during that time. The netters' decision to delay the start

of their season also conserves stock. Things might be about to

change. This year, at the AGM, the Salmon Net Fishing Association of

Scotland decided to lift the voluntary ban. Up until this year,

we have been doing it for no compensation whatsoever. What's been

happening is the angling proprietors on the rivers have been able to earn

an income from their beats. Even though they have been doing catch

and release, they have been able to earn an income from their Heritable

title. As we have the same rights as the angling fraternity, it is only

right we get some income. The lifting of the vol unfrom I delay in

the start of the netting season is just the first step in a

negotiation. In the longer term, the netsmen would like to see the

netting season changed to allow them to fish until later in the year when

there are more salmon. Marine Scotland have said that the summer

stocks are stable and autumn stocks are increasing. Why not adjust the

season? You wouldn't expect a farmer to harvest his crops when the crops

are not ready to harvest. Surely, it is logical to adjust the seasons?

These seasons have been set in 1868, where there is no flexibility. A

change in the law would be required to change the season. In the

meantime, compensation has been proposed as a temporary solution.

Salmon stocks are managed by district salmon boards. It's been

suggested these should pay salmon netters in return for delayed start

to their season. We certainly do not want the fish where there are

concerns regarding the health of the stock. My brother has a family

working with us in the business. I have a young family coming up. It is

important to us that the salmon stocks remain healthy. It is not an

issue of rods versus nets. It is an issue of conservation. There is not

enough fish in the early part of the year to go around. Therefore, that

is why what both the salmon netters were doing in the early part of the

year and the catch and release has been so valuable to ensure that

resource is sustainable for the long-term. We would hope that

everyone would think very carefully about increasing exploitation on

this very vulnerable stock component. Over and over on

Landward, we come across different interests competing for a single

resource. Whether it is deer, land, birds or fish. With livelihoods at

stake, passions can become heated. But with salmon being such a vital

part of the Scottish economy, it is important that a solution is finally

reached. Before I leave the shadow of Ben Nevis, I have time to tell

you what is coming up next week. The team will be in Orkney for our

annual Christmas Special. We will be finding out about the importance of

the Winter Solstice and exploring some island food traditions. Please

join us for that if you can at the same time next week. From all the

Landward team here, thank you so much for your company. Bye for now.