Episode 25 Landward

Hello and a warm, festive welcome to the very last show of 2015

and what a year it's been.

Over the past 12 months, we've travelled far and wide

to bring you the very best stories from the Scottish countryside.

We're at Tyrebagger Woods near Aberdeen,

where there are hundreds of Christmas trees on sale

but before the Forestry Commission put us to work, we thought

we'd bring you some of our highlights from the Landward year.

Absolutely. Later in the programme,

we'll reveal what your favourite Landward moment is from 2015.

-Guys, did you not get the memo?

-What was that?

Oh, Christmas jumper! I'm sorry.

-Yeah? Ready for work?

-It's a good look.

-See you later, obviously.

-See you later.

-Come on, Bracken.

With only seven days to go before the big ho-ho-ho,

it's all go here at the Tyrebagger Woods

and the man in charge is Dan Cadle.

-Dan, greetings.

-Hi, Sarah.

-How you doing?

-Nice to meet you.

-How busy is it?

-Really busy.

It's really, really busy.

We've had one busy weekend

and we're just approaching our next busy weekend, probably have

5,000 people through the door this coming weekend.

-Where do your trees come from?

-We've got a variety of trees.

We've got three different sorts of species of trees.

We've got the Northern Firs which we're standing in just now.

These come from near Edinburgh.

We sell Lodgepole Pine which is quite a...

It's a bushy tree, quite fragrant,

they come from near Perth and we sell spruce

and they're actually grown in our Christmas tree producing area

in Yorkshire.

Now, what tips for looking after a tree?

The most important thing is to cut an inch off the bottom of your tree.

That way, it exposes fresh wood

and it can soak up lots and lots of water.

In a warm house, a tree can soak up about a pint of water a day.

I feel a bit the odd one out here, where's your costume?

Er... Maybe in the shed.

-OK, next year, right?

-Oh, maybe.

So, right, I'll let you carry on, I'm going to skip off.

I'll see you later.

So the wood is obviously a great place to go

if you're into wildlife and over the course of this year,

I've gone in search of some truly amazing animals, domestic and wild.

Back in May, I took my youngest son, Robbie,

to a BioBlitz at Milton Loch in the Cairngorms,

where over 170 unique species were identified in just three hours.

Wowee, look at that one.

Bah, bah, bah! Up, up, up!

'And it's not just wild animals I've been getting to grips with,

'the valley sheep have to be the cutest thing on Landward this year.'

He's enjoying this.

SHEEP BLEATS

They're keen for food.

'Well, apart from the goats at the open farm

'that were absolutely adorable.'

-Very cute.

-He is very cute.

-He's very sweet.

So pull it towards you. Yeah, pull it towards you. Don't drop it.

'But I have done more this year than just meet cuddly animals.'

We can cut that out, we can cut that.

'I've made peasemeal in Golspie...'

-Oh! It's coming out.

-Feel a bit.

'..been stretchered off a cliff by a mountain rescue team...'

Oh, my God, I feel quite... I think I feel quite sick.

'..and followed the Monty Python trail to Doune Castle.

'All in a year's work.'

I've had some fantastic experiences on Landward this year

and it's almost impossible to choose a favourite one

but after much deliberation I've chosen my trip to Barra Beach.

PLANE ENGINE DROWNS SPEECH

That flight, that experience is so famous that, look,

people have just come down to watch the plane land

and look at that view when you arrive.

That is amazing.

Just 20 minutes after landing

and the beach has returned to its normal tranquillity.

I mean, I'm still buzzing from that landing,

it was absolutely fabulous to come in on the beach but I suppose,

in terms of airport jobs, is yours one of the best in the world?

Well, I would say it is. When you look at the place around you here,

it's, um...

When it's like this, it's a lovely office.

'Neil Maclean is one of the handful of full-time staff

'who run the airport.'

At the end of the day, what we've got to do is make sure

that the surface is appropriate for the aircraft.

Basically, we check the beach twice a day,

so when the tide's coming in, the tide will drop off flotsam, jetsam,

the occasional dead bird, barrels, what have you,

and basically we ensure that none of that stuff's left lying about

because, of course, if that hits the aircraft,

it'll cause it quite a bit of mischief.

We came in one morning and just up there, actually,

somebody had built a beautiful sandcastle.

-Oh...

-Huge thing.

-..don't say that you ruined the sandcastle.

Afraid so.

So, sandcastle-free,

this beach provides a vital link to the mainland for goods and visitors.

But there's another way it contributes to the local economy.

-Donald? Hello, how you doing? I'm Sarah.

-Hello, how you doing?

-You're hard at work.

-Yes, aye.

'This is one of the best cockle beaches around.

'Donald Maclean runs Barratlantic,

'a company that exports the little delicacies.'

Yeah, there's quite a few people dotted about.

How many people are working on the beach today?

There'll be about five or six on today for this tide.

And will you always come to the same beach or do you change about?

No, you change different areas of the beach, you know,

they're not in the same area every day

because you've got to give it a rest.

What is the technique of cockling?

-Just normal rake and...

-Yeah?

-And some hard work.

-And some hard work.

-Right, will I have a go?

-Yeah.

-Yeah, I should really, shouldn't I?

-Yeah, yeah.

Oh, I've got one. There we go, is that a goody?

-Yeah, that's a nice-sized one.

-Oh, that's a good sound.

There you are, Sarah. Do you want to taste one?

Oh, really? Donald's going to make me eat one.

-He's going to make me eat a raw cockle.

-Yeah.

Why's it they always look so...

funny? Right, OK, what do I do?

Just put it into your mouth. Grab that.

Take a bite out of it.

Nice, salty taste.

-Well, actually, that's quite nice.

-Oh, they're beautiful.

-I've had worse. That's actually nice.

-It is, it's nice.

What do I owe you for that cockle, then?

-HE LAUGHS

-20 pence.

There's three different kinds of Christmas tree

on offer here at Tyrebagger

and just up here there's a family who are trying to make

that difficult decision about what size, what shape

and what species of tree, so I'm going to help.

Buried in amongst the Northern Fir are Emma, Norrie and Jen

trying to decide what one you're wanting.

This is the Northern Fir, why this one?

Just cos it's pretty.

What kind of shape are you looking for? Cos this one's quite...

This one's really good for decorating as opposed to

-some of the cheery, busy ones.

-Exactly, yeah.

That's why, cos it sits well with the decorations on the tree.

Also, it holds its needles so...

They're two important qualities.

-So is that it?

-Yeah, well, ish.

We're going to have a look at some of the other ones just to

be on the safe side but it's probably going to be this type.

-Good luck!

-OK, thanks very much.

-Thank you.

-OK, thanks.

You know, I may be wrong but I've got a sneaking feeling

that this could take some considerable time.

Over the last 12 months,

I've done some amazing stories on Landward.

Some have been highly informative, some have been fun

and some have been downright scary.

Some of my favourite action stories this year include

a trip down a zip wire...

..welding a bull sculpture...

..and the fastest car ride of my life.

I've never been in anything as fast as this before.

Goodness me!

'But speed isn't everything.

'I also got the chance to fulfil one of my biggest childhood dreams.'

TRAIN WHISTLE

'After all these years, I actually got to be a train driver.

TOOT-TOOT!

'And this year I was in Portsoy to indulge yet another

'of my lifelong loves.'

We're here for the remaking of a classic British film

and I'm really excited because the book that this is based on

has been an important part of my library for years.

I've got two copies - a paperback edition that I carry with me

and this, a precious first edition of Whisky Galore.

And it's also an opportunity for the people of Portsoy to share

the screen with the movie leads, Gregor Fisher and Eddie Izzard.

We've got a part 16th century harbour here, this is...

I mean, you're filming in right smack in the middle of history here.

It's terrific.

From the fictitious island of Todday to the very real of Stroma,

another great highlight for me,

and I was absolutely fascinated by the story

of how this once-vibrant community

transformed into the ghostly, abandoned world it is today.

The population peaked, in 1901, at 375 -

they had their own school and their own church.

And this would have been the reality of living on Stroma.

You've got the traditional box bed, really close to the fire,

it would've been quite cosy, all the cooking done here.

But, still, a pretty harsh life.

Well, this charming place certainly feels romantic to me.

But, for me, the highlight of the 2015 season has been dogs.

I got this little beauty at the start of the summer

but I think it's going to be a long time before she's as well trained

as some of the hounds that we filmed in the Scottish borders

earlier this year.

Something out of the ordinary is happening in the hills

near Newcastleton.

It's been going on for more than 200 years,

but southern Scotland and northern England are the only parts of the UK

where you can witness it.

This is hound trailing.

DOGS BARK AND BAY

The dogs race over eight miles or so of rough country,

following a trail of man-made scent.

Enthusiastic dog owners gather most weekends

between March and October for races like this.

-And who's this?

-This is Daz.

Wow, he's lovely.

'Competing today is Jenny Horn's dog, Daz.'

So, what's his chances?

Um, his chances are very good today

because he's dropped down a class because he's had a few injuries

-this year so I've dropped him down a class.

-Poor boy.

Now, I'm no expect but I expected a foxhound type animal

and this is very, very different.

Over the decades, they have been bred and they've been bred finer.

More racy, OK?

He's like a greyhound with attitude, isn't he?

Well, that's right. That's right.

DOGS BARK

-So is there any tactics involved in this?

-No, not really.

Just go as fast as you can.

It is truly an amazing spectacle, isn't it?

The dogs are flying over the course but, for some,

following the scent isn't as easy as it looks.

Do you get nervous at this point at all? You've done all you can now.

When Daz was a puppy and he won 31 trails,

-I couldn't sleep the night before.

-But you can sleep now?

I'm all right now because he's nothing to prove, has he?

Driving the dogs onto the finish is the thought of some tasty grub

and Daz is in for a treat.

It's chicken and pasta.

So does Daz like that?

Yeah. They don't look at it, actually, they just gulp it down.

-So what about yours?

-I've got pasta.

-Oh, look at that.

-Some sardines and cake.

-And a bit of fairy cake as well.

-Yes.

Each to his own, I suppose, but it certainly seems to be working.

THEY SHOUT

'No gold medal for Daz and Jenny, but it's still a podium finish.'

-Heroic second.

-Yes.

He ran very well, I'm very happy with him

and he's come in safe and sound, that's the main thing.

-It was a close finish though.

-It was a close finish, very exciting.

-He seems absolutely exhausted.

-That's what it's all about.

Yeah, he is. You would be and all if you'd ran round there.

Christmas tree growing is worth £200 million to the UK economy

and this is the Forestry Commission's biggest outlet in Scotland

and I've been given the job of packaging the trees.

-Hi, guys, can I help you?

-Yeah.

-Thank you very much indeed.

So do you have your plans?

You've got the tinsel and the baubles and all the lights sorted out?

-Oh, yes.

-Excellent. Let's just spin it round here.

'This, frankly, is a piece of cake compared to everything else

'I've done this year.'

-Thank you very much.

-OK, guys, thanks.

'It's been an invigorating 12 months, to say the least.

'Taking a trip on the Thurso Lifeboat in the Pentland Firth

'was a brilliant and, at times, scary experience.

'But I'm proud to say I managed to keep my lunch to myself.'

Now, this is a very, very benign day.

There's no wind, the sun's shining,

there's three people trying to hold on to Colin, our cameraman -

that shows you how wild it is.

But the sense of the elements here is all around us, it's just ferocious.

Incredibly exciting.

Goodness me!

'And sticking with the water theme, I felt incredibly privileged

'to go diving with veteran wildlife cameraman Doug Allan.'

-Those jellyfish are amazing.

-Aye, they're nice, eh?

-There's lots of the purple ones.

-Yeah.

-There's at least two kinds.

'Anyway, after all that,

'I was looking forward to getting back on dry land.

'What was I thinking? This IS Scotland.'

Who suggested motorcycling?

Why didn't we do this in a car with a roof?!

'Nevertheless, it was still tremendous fun

'exploring our country's best biking roads.

'Thankfully, the producers relented,

'and I got to travel the stunning new North Coast 500 route by car, too.

'And, on a more poignant note,

'it was great to see that Landward can actually make a difference.

'After our World War I special last year,

'a campaign began to create a memorial in the Cabrach

'to honour the fallen of the Great War.'

But my favourite Landward experience of 2015 has to be

going in search of a white deer on the Isle of Arran.

To see this beautiful creature pop up out of the bracken

less than 40 yards in front of us was a truly special moment.

'Using the wind direction to our advantage,

'we climb above the area where Rab thinks the deer is hiding.'

So is this the high point, as high as we're going to be?

Yeah, this will do and we'll just work our way in

and hopefully we'll be able to look down onto her from above.

The wind's perfect. Wind's come good and it's great.

-In the meantime, head down.

-Down the way.

'Then, it's a matter of sitting and waiting.'

This hind is three years old now and she'll stay in this location.

She'll be hefted to this area, she'll know where to go

in the different weather

and where the best feeding is at different times of the year

and they tend to very much just stay in that pad

for the rest of their life.

And will they actually mate with other red deer, then?

Yeah, oh, yeah.

It doesn't know it's a white deer, it just thinks it's a red deer.

-Uh-huh.

-You know, and, I mean, its offspring, I mean,

it could have generations of offspring

-and they'll, you know, they'll just be normal red deer.

-Normal red.

It's just a freak gene that throws off this...

It's not an albino. It's, er...

just got white hair.

(Look. It's only about 50, 60 metres away.

(You see the head in the bracken?)

(My goodness, look at that.

(Yeah. Right there, right there!)

It knows we're here.

It does know, just straight at us.

We're in very close to it.

That's so white, that's amazingingly white.

-Yes.

-It's heading off now.

It'll probably move off round, you know, it's moved off round

-and it'll move round into the bracken.

-Yeah.

Might pull away up

but I would think it will just find somewhere out the way and...

-That's amazing.

-Wee bit camera shy, probably.

-We were sitting here...

-Walked up, sitting here for five minutes.

-Aye.

Obviously, you know exactly what you're doing. Took us...

-40 yards away and then suddenly, wow.

-Yeah.

I can't tell you how thrilled I am, having just seen that.

I mean, seeing something so rare is a real privilege,

proof that they're not just creatures of folklore and mythology

but now and again, if you're really lucky, and take someone

like Rab with you, you can see them in the Scottish countryside.

Brilliant.

Now, you may have noticed that there are only three of us here today.

And there's a sneaking feeling that Mr Nick Nairn

is avoiding all the hard work.

Yeah, over the course of the year, Nick has been cooking up a storm

in the Landward food van, with the aid of his trusted helper over here.

-There you go.

-Yes, sadly Nick couldn't be with us today

but we caught up with the Christmas Grinch in the street market

in Aberdeen to find out his highlights of 2015.

Keep 'em coming.

That was sore.

Over the last year, we've taken the Landward Street Food Van

to Inverness, Ayr and Aberdeen

to meet and share food ideas with you, the audience.

And I must say, I've been really impressed

at how willing we Scots are to try new things.

'I began the year finding out about

'what butchers call the fifth quarter.

'That's offal to you and me.'

Wow! That is...

This is not what I expected.

'Dougie and I went foraging for wild garlic and nettles.

'Easier said than done.'

-So show it who's boss. Be firm.

-OK.

-Very good. It didn't sting you?

-Not in the slightest, no.

-All right, I'll give it a go.

-DOUGIE MOUTHS

Ai-yaa!

'Thanks for that one, Dougie(!)

'I think the producers forgot the gloves on purpose.

'The people of Aberdeen loved our nettle and wild garlic pesto.'

-You like it?

-Oh, aye.

-Tasty, yes.

-It's actually all right, aye.

-Wow.

Ladies, ladies, ladies, ladies. Ah, no, no, no.

Nick Nairn can't even give it away, look. People are refusing.

-Pasta?

-No, thank you, mate.

-Look at me. I'm a better salesman than you.

"I'm no' eating that, it's got nettles in it."

'Well, maybe not all of them.

'So not everyone likes eating weeds.

'But could we tempt them with kale cooked three ways?'

It's delicious, nutritious...

-and the other thing.

-All those things.

-Yes.

Do you like kale?

Ooh, that is really nice.

Mmm. Excellent.

The whole bit, there you go.

Spicy. It's almost like prawn crackers.

Ooh!

Lovely!

Is there not any more?

I can't wait to get back on the road again.

And if you think that we should bring the Landward Street Food Van

to your area, then get in touch with us via the Facebook page

or e-mail us at [email protected].

And a very, very merry Christmas to you all.

Grinch, indeed!

Here's Dougie and the team.

You know, I've learned lots from Nick in the Food Van this year,

like, for example, how to wash dishes,

but let us not forget that he got to sample the wonderful local produce

-available at the Royal Highland Show.

-And that's right.

For the first time ever, we brought you not one but two

live shows from Ingliston, and what amazing shows they were.

Ooh! Thank you very much.

Yes, we had animals live on set, a record-breaking sausage competition,

and, of course, me beating Mr Vipond at a stock-judging competition.

Right, who better to consult than none other than Catrin Miller,

a former Stockman of the Year.

-Catrin, it's pretty serious stuff out there.

-Yeah, very.

This is one of the most prestigious awards within

the Young Farmers' calendar, one that you want to win.

So take us through the competition, what are we actually seeing?

Well, morning and afternoon there's 240 competitors from the length

and breadth of the country, from Orkney to Dumfries and Galloway.

You're either judging beef, dairy or sheep in the morning,

and then the top six from each, um...category

get through to the Stocksman of the Year finals in the afternoon.

How tough is it? Because they are taking it very seriously

-and we're up against each other today...

-Pretty nervous.

..so how difficult is it to actually choose a good beast?

You're wanting someone with show presence, bright, alert,

a good balanced animal, good top, good in their legs.

Go with your gut instinct, don't get confused.

-Don't get confused. Don't get confused, Sarah.

-Don't get confused.

-See you later.

-Catrin, thanks very much indeed.

-No problem.

I would say good luck but I wouldn't mean it.

The class we are judging is Limousin bulls.

I'm focusing, I'm focusing.

I'm thinking of all those times that I should have listened to

my husband when he was talking about what makes a good beast.

Line, width, balance, good feet, nice head.

Thing is, you're not allowed to talk to any of the other competitors.

So I can't ask them what they think, though I want to. Very difficult.

Not confident now. Sarah was, earlier. I'm less so.

After much deliberation and a lot of guesswork,

we put the bulls in order of how we think they rank.

So, how did we do?

-Moment of truth, isn't it?

-I'm oddly nervous.

-Catrin, come on.

-OK, so we've got your official scores in.

-Uh-huh.

-Not that I'm competitive or anything.

-Dougie...

-Uh-huh.

-23.

-Out of?

-50.

-Right.

Sarah...38.

-She asked her husband. That's just so not fair.

-I never win! I won, I won!

-Thanks, Catrin.

-That's all right.

-Can I get a recount?

-Steward's enquiry.

-Absolutely.

-Not that I'm competitive or anything.

Yes, Sarah certainly knows a good back end when she sees one.

Now, over the past couple of weeks we've been asking you

to get in touch to tell us what you think are the best moments

from Landward in 2015, and many of you have been doing just that.

Some of you wanted to see the biblical rains

of the Berriedale Braes on my biking trip around the north coast.

There were also votes for two other points on that journey,

Loch Maree and Smoo Cave.

But, by the narrowest of margins, the viewers' choice

is Sarah's encounter with the native ponies of Eriskay.

Donald?

-Hi, how are you doing?

-Hi, Sarah. Not bad, yourself?

-Good.

-So these are yours?

-Yeah, yeah.

-Lovely-looking beasts.

-Do you want to have a look at them?

-Yeah, I'd love to come in. Can we just go over?

-Yeah, yeah.

-It's not on?

-No, it's not, no. I don't think it is, anyway.

Donald John McInnis has lived in Eriskay all his life

and he is a stalwart of the island's Eriskay Pony Society.

The family have been keeping ponies all our life,

we're born and brought up with ponies all our lives.

-So it's in the blood, to keep ponies.

-If you like, yeah.

Tell me a bit about the history. What did they used to be used for?

As you can see, the island is a very rocky and very hilly area

and back in the olden days, if you like, they were used to carry peats,

then they'd be taking the seaweed off the shore to use on their crops,

and maybe even taking hay home, that kind of thing.

So islanders would have depended on them.

Oh, yes, definitely, yeah, yeah.

Donald John has had one new recent arrival,

and another foal is expected any time soon.

So just explain who we've got here.

-OK, this one here is Rosie.

-Rosie.

-And she is the mother of this newborn foal.

-Good-looking beasts.

-They are, yeah, yeah.

-Are you happy with them?

-Yeah, yeah.

So what's the foal called?

-We haven't named the foal yet, he's only a couple of weeks old.

-OK.

-So yet to be named.

-Yet to be named.

-And who's this one here?

This one here is Molly. And, er...

She's... We're expecting her to have a foal within the next...

few days, I would say.

And this is her last year's foal, a young filly.

-Very nice foal, very nice pony.

-So you're happy with that one.

-Yeah, I am.

-But these ones that you've got aren't purebreeds?

-They aren't purebreed, no.

-They aren't purebreeds?

-No, no.

I mean, how many purebreeds to you think would be left on the island?

-On this island?

-Yes.

-None.

-None?

-None.

These ponies are so at home in this landscape.

I mean, bred precisely to cope with its island climate.

We can only hope that their numbers recover. Can't we?

Over the last year, we've travelled from Dumfries and Galloway

up to John O'Groats and almost everywhere in between.

We're taking a wee break over the winter months

and I appreciate I may never work again, given my outfit choice,

but if you want to get in touch with us, do so via our Facebook page,

and if you've got any stories you'd like to see in the new series,

then get in touch.

That's all we have time for,

but we wish you a very merry Christmas from all the Landward team,

and we will be back with a brand-new series in the new year.

-You need a bigger one.

-Merry Christmas.

-Merry Christmas.