Episode 4 Landward

Hello and a very warm welcome to Landward.

This week I'm on the south shores of Loch Ness

where later in the programme a unique race takes place

pitting men and women against horses.

First, here's what else is coming up on Landward.

As raptor killings hit the headlines,

Landward looks into the background to this awful story.

Since 1989, nearly 100 birds have been found in Scotland

that have been confirmed as illegally poisoned.

Ewan reveals Scotland's newest long-distance trail

in memory of one of the world's great conservationists.

And Sarah is in the Forth estuary

uncovering the secret history of our most unlikely street food.

I spotted one, maybe. Maybe.

But first, I've been investigating the science that's transforming

the breeding of our most iconic cattle.

Since the 19th century,

the name Aberdeen Angus has been synonymous with quality beef.

The breed is hardy, they grow fast and the beef tastes good.

That reputation was developed and maintained over the years

because of careful selective breeding

and here at the Stirling Bull Sales,

you can see some of the best examples of the breed

anywhere in the world.

Traditionally, breeding was seen as more of an art than a science,

relying on a farmer's eye for a good beast.

Nowadays, technology, though, is starting to play a bigger role.

If you were buying a car, you would look at the brochure

for the engine sizes available and the fuel consumption figures.

Now, farmers can look at a similar table of stats

about a bull's breeding potential,

called Estimated Breeding Values, or EBVs,

and you'll find them on display in the cattle pen

or in the sale catalogue.

The Aberdeen Angus Breed Society is just one of the many that use EBVs.

The data can be used to predict a variety of attributes,

from the size of a steak on a bull's male offspring,

to the amount of milk produced by a female calf.

I've come to North Craigieford Farm in Aberdeenshire

to meet Linda McKendrick, who runs a company

specialising in scanning beef cattle.

She's using an ultrasound scanner on 30 Aberdeen Angus

to collect some of the raw data that feeds into the EBVs.

So, take me through the process. What are you actually doing, then?

After I take his weight, I take a fat measurement.

Easy. Easy.

I take a fat measurement, on both the rump and the rib eye.

The data Linda collects about the amount of fat marbling and the depth

of back fat will be used to build a database

which will produce the EBV.

When I'm looking at this,

I can see the depth of the skin at the top of the screen, there.

It tells me at the side exactly what fat depth he's got.

0.46, which is 5.

Linda also has to take some more...delicate measurements

and in this case, bigger is definitely better.

The size of the scrotum can indicate increased fertility in a bull

and provide information about any offspring the bull may have.

I sneak round the corner, as gentle as I am...

..as gentle as I am, quite a few of the fellas don't like it.

If they're pear shaped, you're always looking for the widest point.

That's fine.

41s. What a cracking set, eh?

Rather him than me.

Now, there are concerns that some people are too reliant on EBVs.

They don't tell you everything.

For example, a breeding bull has to have strong legs.

It's an onerous job covering dozens of cows.

Not every bull's hindquarters can take it.

But there's no EBV that tells you how good their legs are.

The stock manager here is Andrew Reid.

He's won three breed championships at the Highland Show

and he favours an experienced eye over statistics and measurements.

But increasingly, he's meeting buyers who think otherwise.

Are people relying on these figures, or is this just an indicator

-amongst lots of...?

-Recently at the bull sales,

you will get a lot of buyers coming to you who have very much

looked at the figures and the catalogue

before they came to the bull sales, and they will have some traits

that they don't like

and they will have highlighted it in their catalogues.

It is quite evident there are people out there buying bulls on figures.

And is that maybe not the right way to go?

I'm not going to say. It's not for me to say

because at the end of the day, it's for everyone to do their own thing.

But back at the sales, what are the others saying?

I think the younger generation are looking at EBVs

before they actually look at the animal,

which I think is a danger zone.

I always look at the bull first and then look at the EBVs after that

and mix-and-match the two.

You can't look at it as the full package.

You've got to look at it as an aid.

You've got to go and study the actual bull itself

and more importantly, if you can, go back and look at

-the lines that they've come from.

-If you were buying a bottle of wine,

you wouldn't buy one with no label on, would you?

So science and technology are playing

an increasingly important role in the breeding process.

But no matter how they develop, they'll never fully replace

experience and an eye for a good beast.

Now, from a very modern beef story

to a long-lost Edinburgh fishing industry.

Forget haddock and chips.

A few hundred years ago, the capital was once the UK centre

of the oyster industry.

The Forth was so abundant in oysters that they were an everyday food.

Sarah's been finding out about the secret history

of this luxurious shellfish.

-Thank you.

-Enjoy.

These days, oysters are seen as a luxury treat,

served in a nice restaurant like this, maybe with a glass of fizz.

But there was a time, however, when here in Edinburgh,

oysters were cheap and plentiful,

a common street food for the masses.

In the 18th century, huge oyster beds covered 50 square miles

in the Firth of Forth.

Every year when the oysters came into season in autumn,

the men from the Forth fishing villages

from Newhaven to Cockenzie sailed out to dredge the beds.

The people of Edinburgh were ready for their catch.

Fisher lassies carried baskets of their oysters up to sell

on Edinburgh streets

and the most famous of them all

were the colourfully-dressed Newhaven fishwives...

..famous for both their beauty and their sales banter.

The oysters were also sold in lively taverns

where the normal rules of polite society were abandoned.

Every class of society mixed

just to get their hands on the lushest bivalve.

Genteel ladies socialised with the lowliest of labourers.

But by the beginning of the 20th century,

the oyster beds of the Firth had been decimated,

fished out of existence.

Across at the other side of the Forth, and in terrible weather,

I've met Professor Chris Smout.

We've come to take a look at an old harbour

that was a key location in the story of the oysters' demise.

-But you can see traces of the harbour on the shore, here.

-OK.

And it was quite a small one and a completely secret one.

-A completely secret harbour?

-Yes.

Tell me the role this harbour played.

Well, when they caught the oysters,

very many of them were very small oysters

which were not allowed to be exported.

But the market abroad was for very small oysters,

which they wanted to take as breeding stock.

This secret harbour was the centre of an illegal trade.

Tiny Forth oysters were smuggled out to reseed other oyster beds

in England and abroad that had already been overfished.

You are taking out 30 million oysters a year from these beds.

The consumption of London was about 700 million oysters a year.

Just think of that! 700 million oysters.

It's hard to comprehend, that sort of number.

And the market was huge. I mean, you've got more than 100 boats

as late as the 1860s.

At the time when this harbour was being used, more than 100...

-So if you'd been looking out, you'd have seen boats everywhere?

-Yes. And they were little boats.

They had a crew of three, at that time.

Five earlier on, but three at this time.

And they dredged the oysters up with something that looks a little bit

like an agricultural harrow.

There were repeated attempts by various bodies to stop overfishing,

but ultimately, they all failed.

By the early 20th century, there were no oysters left on the Forth.

A century on, you can still find evidence of the oyster beds.

I'm told that if we look closely, we might find some old oyster shells

-from the original beds. What are the chances?

-Absolutely every chance, cos they're all over the place.

I don't think we'll walk very far before we spot some.

'Dr Janet Brown is a shellfish scientist.

'She believes native oysters could be reintroduced to the Forth.'

-Ooh!

-Spotted one, maybe. Maybe.

-Is this one?

-Yeah.

-Oh, wow!

-Old shells.

-That's incredible.

-They're quite large.

At the moment, there are no immediate plans to re-establish

oyster reefs in the Forth. But Janet remains hopeful.

We shouldn't ignore the fact that the shellfish has an important role

in providing a habitat, and if you have a reef,

then you've got hiding places for young lobsters, young crabs,

young fish and other benefits that we've lost.

Another good reason to bring back the oyster beds. Roll on the day.

Now, from extinct oysters on the Forth

to the increasing threat facing birds of prey.

12 rare red kites

and four buzzards have now been found dead on the Black Isle.

It's not often that wildlife makes the national news headlines.

..the Highlands represents the worst poisoning incident

of its type in Scotland...

Over the past month, 14 red kites

and five buzzards have been found dead on the Black Isle.

This is the largest case of mass poisoning ever recorded.

Over the last 25 years,

the red kite has been reintroduced at various sites across the country.

I'm at the Tollie Red Kite Visitor Centre near Dingwall

where I'm hoping to see the birds in action.

-This is the way to the feeding station.

-OK.

Brian Etheridge is the red kite officer on the Black Isle.

He's been involved in red kite reintroduction for 25 years.

In 2007, Landward filmed him ringing chicks as part of the project.

Some of these birds are now dead.

You're clearly angry, but there must be a tremendous

amount of sadness as well at this sort of unnecessary killing.

Absolutely. Really sad about it.

It's been very depressing because all the birds have been...not found

at one time - it's been virtually every day, there's another one found.

I've got to go along and identify the species for the police,

and often these birds are ringed and I'm the person that's marked them

when they were young birds.

I'll have been there when they've only been a few weeks old.

I'm there many years later to pick up their body and identify them.

What's the reaction been from the general public in this area?

Very supportive. They're absolutely appalled, like I am.

They can't understand it either.

Now, this, here, is the table you normally feed them at.

Are we going to see some today, do you think?

Are there plenty around, still?

Well, obviously, there's a lot less than there was a month ago.

Yes, we should see birds here later,

but probably not in the numbers we would have seen.

The food has been out for about half an hour now.

Expect to see lots of kites. So far, just one.

Historically, like many birds of prey,

red kites were sometimes persecuted by gamekeepers and farmers

who thought they took game.

As scavenger feeders, red kites are also susceptible

to poisoned food laid out for other animals, like rats -

feeding habits that make this a hard crime to solve.

This is really difficult to investigate.

Unlike a buzzard or a crow that will come in

and eat where the food is, the kite swoops in, takes the food away -

to a tree top, for example - and if it's poisoned meat,

that's where they die, and that can be kilometres away

from the poison source.

Since the reintroductions began a quarter of a century ago,

the RSPB have been comparing how populations have grown

in different locations.

Duncan Orr-Ewing is the head of species management for the RSPB.

We have two populations of red kites,

one on the Black Isle, one in the South of England.

The same number of birds were reintroduced at the same time,

yet the story is so different in both areas.

Here, we have a population of red kites that stands and has stood

for the past ten years, about 50 to 60 breeding pairs.

In the South of England, the population is ten times that.

Why do you think that is, then?

The difference can be largely explained by different prevailing

levels of illegal persecution of birds of prey,

particularly illegal poisoning.

Since reintroductions of red kites began in Scotland in 1989,

nearly 100 birds have been found in Scotland that have been confirmed

as illegally poisoned.

There are probably many more that have died out there

and have not been found.

It remains a mystery why raptors on the Black Isle are being killed,

and the police investigation is continuing.

A reward in excess of £25,000 is on offer

for information leading to a conviction,

and police want to speak to anyone who may know who is responsible.

So, if you can help at all, please get in touch.

Details on our website.

Many years ago, a young man by the name of John Muir

left his home here in Dunbar to embark upon possibly

his greatest ever adventure.

He travelled 134 miles across Central Scotland

until he reached the Clyde, and that's where he and his family

caught the boat to America.

That young Scots boy went on to become one of the founding fathers

of the conservation movement,

yet he never forgot his Dunbar roots.

There can be no doubt that the writings of John Muir

developed a relationship between human culture

and wild nature, and to celebrate his achievements

and his works, the newly extended John Muir Way

allows all of us to enjoy all of this.

The newly extended route follows Muir's original steps

from the North Sea to the Firth of Clyde.

Walkers, cyclists and horse riders will pass through

some of Scotland's best natural landscapes,

including here at the Dalmeny Estate,

where my bike and I caught up with one of the men

behind the extension, Keith Geddes.

So, what was his contribution?

Major contribution, and the route gives you a clue,

from Dunbar, his birthplace, through to Loch Lomond,

the Trossachs National Park, Scotland's first National Park.

Of course, he's perhaps best known for being

one of the fathers of the American national park movement,

so he was a major figure in America

and, indeed, he's a major figure throughout the world these days.

-But not massively known in Scotland yet.

-Not yet.

SNH did a survey last year

where they found that 23% of Scots knew of John Muir,

but they knew mainly of John Muir in terms of the country park

or the John Muir Trust. They didn't know a lot about John Muir himself

and, hopefully, this new route will help change that.

The route itself, why? What's the point of it?

Essentially, what we're saying is, this route goes through

parts of Scotland that round about 2.5, 3 million people live

within close proximity of the route,

and it's a real opportunity for them to start to engage with nature

and maybe to start to engage with John Muir.

So it's nature on your doorstep.

The footfall of two gardening poets, American Andrew Schelling

and Gerry Loose from Helensburgh

will declare the way open this Monday.

Along the route, they'll be making poems and sowing seeds

native to both Scotland and America.

I asked Gerry why he was doing it.

The driving force for me is to celebrate what he did

in some small way in Scotland, and to have a bit of fun along the way.

You're also planting seeds.

-You've got some there.

-I've got some seeds here.

-Show me your seeds

-and tell me why.

-These seeds and trees represent trees

that he would have known here in Scotland, his home country,

native Scottish trees, like... This is yew, for example.

And trees that he came across and admired hugely

because they were so damned big and so damn unusual to a Scotsman.

-And you're just planting these at random along the way?

-No.

-Tossing a sequoia to one side as you walk!

-Well, if I could...

We're doing other things.

Also, poetry as well.

-Yeah, poetry.

-You've got a really old, battered book.

-Yes.

-This is my John Muir satchel.

-The Kilmarnock Edition, Robert Burns.

So what's the connection with John Muir?

The connection is he travelled with a copy of Burns's poetry.

There's any number of poems,

but I think of the Epistle To Davie,

because Scotland is not always the most clement of climates,

I thought this was kind of pertinent.

While winds frae off Ben-Lomond blaw

An' bar the doors wi' driving snaw

An' hing us owre the ingle

I set me down to pass the time

An' spin a verse or twa o' rhyme

In hamely, westlin jingle

While frosty winds blaw in the drift...

You can walk, cycle or ride the new John Muir Way,

and the extended route opens this week.

Poetry isn't obligatory.

We're always keen to hear what you have to say on Landward,

so why not send us your ideas for future programmes to...

You can also go online to get our five-day weather forecast at...

Adventure races are growing in popularity

and last Sunday, here on the banks of Loch Ness,

an epic challenge took place from Whitebridge to Drummond Farm

near Dores, one of the newest events on the calendar.

These folks here are registering for a race.

Nothing unusual about that, but they're competing against

not only each other but other people on horseback

over 16 miles. It's going to be tough,

it's going to be sore...and I don't think they'll be smiling at the end.

Three of you, quite clearly, are athletic people

but you're taking on a horse today, people on horseback. Why?

Well, always looking for new challenges.

And I quite like horses.

We just fancied the challenge, and Mark's a runner,

Kerry and I both ride, so we thought we'll go for it,

but I'm not sure.

Could man win today?

I don't think so.

Last year, a man who looked like a very good runner got beaten,

so unless there's anyone of that standard here, it'll be difficult.

-OK. Enjoy today.

-Thanks very much.

-Have a great time.

Three, two, one, go!

The course is just over 16 miles cross-country.

The runners go first, but it's no great advantage.

It's a time trial, and the horses will soon be hot on their heels.

It's called Man V Horse,

and a few days before the event, I went to meet its organiser,

Candy Cameron.

I thought I was going to find out a bit more about the course,

but there was more in store than I'd bargained for.

OK, Candy, so you're suggesting that I run part of this course?

Well, this is the easiest part of the course, the easiest bit of hill.

-That's about 400ft of rise on...

-It's a nice, steady climb.

It's really not too bad going.

-And they carry on up here, do they?

-Yes.

-And it's nice going underfoot, look.

-Lovely(!)

-Perfect.

If you're on a horse, yeah.

'So it seems I'll be running

'a short section of this unusual endurance race

'just for fun...apparently.'

I think you've got about 2, 2½ miles to run altogether.

But most of it's downhill.

Apart from that bit, which is very much uphill.

When I first think of man versus horse,

I'll say straightaway horse is going to win.

So how do you go about setting a course that gives the man,

or woman for that matter, a chance?

We weren't trying to make a level playing field.

The men are much, much quicker going up and down the steep hills.

The horses really only catch them on the flat on good going,

-and go past them.

-So it's all about terrain?

You set the course in such a way that there's lots of steep bits,

tricky bits for the horses to go over, and man is supposedly faster.

-Much faster down the steep hills.

-Really?!

We're about an hour into the race

and normally, at this stage, we'd expect to see

a mixture of humans and horses.

But so far, it's only humans.

This is the third year this event has taken place.

In the first two years, the horse won.

Maybe this year man can turn the tables.

Then, dashing from the woods, this guy makes an appearance.

And if his pace is anything to go by,

it's going to be just as tough a challenge this year.

Here comes the first horse.

What happens now is the horse will get a vet check

to see if the heart rate's OK, and this is the bit I'm going to run,

this next section, which is about 2½ miles with a bit of a climb.

Idea is to give us a sense of just how tough this is for both

the runners and the riders.

So I get my running shoes on.

The horse gets a quick cool-down and we're all good to go.

And here we go. Up this hill straightaway.

I'll be filming with this camera.

See you later. Bye.

HE PANTS

Well, I'm going flat-out here,

but it's obviously not fast enough.

And away they go.

I'm just going to have to step up a gear.

And eventually, the relentless ascent eases into

more even ground, as we pass through some forest,

but with this mist, it is a bit spooky.

Strange noises...

Don't like it.

Now here's the twisty, windy stuff.

If what Candy told me is true, I should make up some ground here.

This section here - S-bends -

I'd imagine horses would have to walk slowly down here.

Riders would dismount.

In fact, we'll just see, shall we?

HE PANTS

Hmm.

Not exactly what I'd been hoping for.

All this and camerawork too!

Half an hour of very hard running and I'm exhausted,

but the end is coming into sight.

I've just run about 2, 2½ miles,

and you get a real sense of the changing terrain

from that kind of forest road

up to the gravelly part on the top

and then the spinning sort of S-bend descent. Tough, definitely tough,

for both runner and rider.

I'm getting in the car and going to the finish for some CAKE!

Right, let's do it.

That's bloody miserable.

So, I didn't get a place because I didn't do the whole course,

but I'm happy to say, this year, for the first time ever,

the race is won by a human.

It's pretty tough.

Yeah. It was a long way

and I was beginning to cramp up at the end,

and I wish I'd stopped earlier.

I'd like to ask Alec Keith to come up,

as the fastest and the first man to beat the horse.

-Well done.

-Thank you very much.

Thank you.

And, for the record, horses took second and third places.

Now, for the most important part of the day...

Some people say you can judge the quality of a race

by the size of the spread on offer afterwards.

If that's the case, then this is one of the best races in the world.

I'll have one of these wee boys here, I reckon.

Mmm...mmm.

On next week's programme - we'll discover the strategy

for combating one of our most unlikely imports...

and I get to sample one of the world's rarest whiskies.

Oh, my God.

That's incredible.

So join us for that and much more at the same time next week,

Friday night, seven o'clock, on BBC Two Scotland.

In the meantime, from all the Landward team here at Loch Ness,

thank you so much for your company. Bye for now.