0:00:03 > 0:00:06This week on Landward we're heading north.
0:00:06 > 0:00:10In fact, we're going as north as you can go on the British mainland.
0:00:30 > 0:00:33- This is it, isn't it?- I think it is. - It looks awfully like it.
0:00:33 > 0:00:35The road's about to stop, I reckon.
0:00:37 > 0:00:41From the most northerly point of mainland Britain, Dunnet Head,
0:00:41 > 0:00:43all the way along to Duncansby Head,
0:00:43 > 0:00:46the Pentland Firth creates its own unique habitat.
0:00:46 > 0:00:50The North Sea meets the Atlantic here and they battle it out,
0:00:50 > 0:00:51and that's what gives this place
0:00:51 > 0:00:54a fearsome reputation amongst mariners.
0:00:54 > 0:00:57For centuries, the people living here have been hugely
0:00:57 > 0:01:01influenced by the sea and the rugged coastline.
0:01:06 > 0:01:09The Pentland Firth spans 70 miles.
0:01:09 > 0:01:12As we explore this coastline and its dangerous waters,
0:01:12 > 0:01:16I'll be hitting the waves with the crew of the Thurso Lifeboat.
0:01:16 > 0:01:19Incredibly exciting. Goodness me!
0:01:20 > 0:01:23Five miles east at Castletown Harbour, Sarah will be
0:01:23 > 0:01:28discovering the story of how Caithness flagstone paved the world.
0:01:28 > 0:01:32From here it went all over the British Empire and beyond that.
0:01:32 > 0:01:37And just north of the mainland on the island of Stroma, Euan explores
0:01:37 > 0:01:41this abandoned community and talks to the only man still farming here.
0:01:41 > 0:01:44When I was a younger man probably I didn't enjoy it too much, I was
0:01:44 > 0:01:46maybe wanting to go out, but now that I'm married,
0:01:46 > 0:01:48I'm quite happy to come over here for a wee while.
0:01:55 > 0:01:56In January this year,
0:01:56 > 0:01:59the unrelenting power of these waters hit
0:01:59 > 0:02:02the headlines as a passenger ferry came across the upturned
0:02:02 > 0:02:05hull of a cargo vessel, the Cemfjord,
0:02:05 > 0:02:08before it sank with the loss of eight crew.
0:02:10 > 0:02:12The meeting of the Atlantic Ocean
0:02:12 > 0:02:16and the North Sea in this narrow channel makes the Pentland Firth
0:02:16 > 0:02:20one of the most unpredictable and treacherous passages in the world.
0:02:21 > 0:02:23'The first thing I want to do is find out what
0:02:23 > 0:02:26'it's like for the lifeboatmen who have to go out in all
0:02:26 > 0:02:29'weathers to try and help those in danger.'
0:02:30 > 0:02:35The Thurso Lifeboat took part in the search for the Cemfjord's missing crew,
0:02:35 > 0:02:39just one of the many callouts these volunteers attend each year.
0:02:39 > 0:02:42Today, I'm joining them on a training run out in the western
0:02:42 > 0:02:44edge of the Pentland Firth.
0:02:52 > 0:02:54This is a Severn-class lifeboat,
0:02:54 > 0:02:58the biggest vessel of its type in the RNLI fleet.
0:02:58 > 0:03:04It has 2,500 horsepower and a top speed of 25 knots.
0:03:04 > 0:03:06It is incredibly powerful and noisy,
0:03:06 > 0:03:10but it has to be to deal with these ferocious waters.
0:03:12 > 0:03:17'Coxswain Wayne Munroe has been in the RNLI for 45 years.
0:03:17 > 0:03:20'He is the longest-serving member in Scotland.
0:03:20 > 0:03:25'He knows exactly why these waters are so notorious.'
0:03:26 > 0:03:28Very strong tides.
0:03:28 > 0:03:308, 10, 12 knots a tide.
0:03:30 > 0:03:33On the east side there, at Duncansby, it runs north and south.
0:03:33 > 0:03:39Here with us on the north coast, it runs east and west,
0:03:39 > 0:03:42and there's areas and there's different swirls coming round
0:03:42 > 0:03:46the islands in the Firth and some of the shore ground...
0:03:46 > 0:03:48The shore juts out. St John's Point,
0:03:48 > 0:03:51it's notorious, tide rips around that
0:03:51 > 0:03:53and, I mean, it's just not a place to be.
0:03:54 > 0:03:59Over the years, these vicious tidal currents have been given names.
0:03:59 > 0:04:03The Merry Men of Mey is said to boil like a cauldron
0:04:03 > 0:04:08and The Swilkie, a whirlpool, is Norse for "The Swallower".
0:04:08 > 0:04:11I guess that's the thing about the lifeboat, isn't it?
0:04:11 > 0:04:14You know, all the time when you shouldn't be going out, you guys have to go out.
0:04:14 > 0:04:16Yeah, it doesn't matter what way the tide is,
0:04:16 > 0:04:19if there's somebody in distress in the firth,
0:04:19 > 0:04:22we can't hold back, we've got to go and it can be very,
0:04:22 > 0:04:28very uncomfortable and, at times, you wish you were somewhere else.
0:04:28 > 0:04:29I bet. Absolutely.
0:04:30 > 0:04:33Now, currently, we're just sitting still in the water,
0:04:33 > 0:04:36bobbing up and down by about 15-20 feet.
0:04:36 > 0:04:39Now, this is a very, very benign day, there's no wind,
0:04:39 > 0:04:40the sun's shining,
0:04:40 > 0:04:43there's three people trying to hold on to Colin, our cameraman,
0:04:43 > 0:04:45that shows how wild it is,
0:04:45 > 0:04:49but the sense of the elements here is all around us. It's just...
0:04:49 > 0:04:54potentially ferocious. Incredibly exciting.
0:04:54 > 0:04:56Goodness me!
0:04:58 > 0:05:01I want to stay here for a while, but I can't imagine being here
0:05:01 > 0:05:03at a time of emergency.
0:05:03 > 0:05:04It would be different altogether.
0:05:06 > 0:05:08It's said that no-one can really know
0:05:08 > 0:05:11the waters of the Pentland Firth.
0:05:11 > 0:05:14Crew mechanic Andy Pearson witnessed its unpredictable nature
0:05:14 > 0:05:18earlier this year when searching for the Cemfjord's missing crew.
0:05:18 > 0:05:22That was quite eerie because when we actually got to it, it was in
0:05:22 > 0:05:25the darkness, quite rough weather and just the bow of the boat
0:05:25 > 0:05:29sticking up out of the water, about ten metres' worth of it.
0:05:29 > 0:05:33That's quite an eerie place to be, in pitch-black.
0:05:33 > 0:05:35You can be out there and it can be maybe like this right now,
0:05:35 > 0:05:39but within five minutes, it can be totally different
0:05:39 > 0:05:42and it's just the way the tide runs, the currents, the wind hitting
0:05:42 > 0:05:43the tide, tide against wind,
0:05:43 > 0:05:46can just alter the waves dramatically within seconds.
0:05:47 > 0:05:49Tragically, there was nothing that
0:05:49 > 0:05:52the lifeboat could do for the crew of the Cemfjord,
0:05:52 > 0:05:56but, last year, they made 14 launches and nine rescues.
0:05:59 > 0:06:03I hadn't really realised about the ferocity and the danger in the water
0:06:03 > 0:06:04of the Pentland Firth,
0:06:04 > 0:06:07so hats off to these guys and the heroic work they do.
0:06:07 > 0:06:10Later in the programme, I'll be looking into an ambitious
0:06:10 > 0:06:15project to harness that power, generating tidal energy.
0:06:21 > 0:06:25These waters may be dangerous but, for the people who live here,
0:06:25 > 0:06:28they're their only way to get to and from the islands.
0:06:28 > 0:06:33Euan is also breaking the waves, en route to a rather special place.
0:06:38 > 0:06:40We're going out to the island of Stroma.
0:06:40 > 0:06:43I've sailed past it a few times, both north and south,
0:06:43 > 0:06:44and it is a scary experience.
0:06:44 > 0:06:48When you get past the point, the sea suddenly starts boiling
0:06:48 > 0:06:49and there's dragons underneath the water,
0:06:49 > 0:06:51there's giants rocking the boat,
0:06:51 > 0:06:53the tiller gets torn out of your hand.
0:06:53 > 0:06:57It is an amazing experience, but luckily the skipper of this
0:06:57 > 0:07:01boat knows more about these waters than anybody else around.
0:07:01 > 0:07:04William Simpson's family own Stroma
0:07:04 > 0:07:06and he uses it for grazing his sheep.
0:07:06 > 0:07:09He comes over to the island every spring for lambing,
0:07:09 > 0:07:13joined by his son, Jamie. This is the first visit this year.
0:07:13 > 0:07:15My father was born on the island.
0:07:15 > 0:07:17He did all his schooling on Stroma.
0:07:17 > 0:07:20My grandfather and grandma came from Stroma.
0:07:24 > 0:07:28Stroma is the most southerly of the islands in the Pentland Firth.
0:07:30 > 0:07:33It's Norse name means "island in the tidal stream".
0:07:37 > 0:07:42The ferocious tides and wild weather make it a difficult place to get to.
0:07:42 > 0:07:46We've just come off a dark blue, coming into this lighter blue,
0:07:46 > 0:07:48as they touch, they turn the tides,
0:07:48 > 0:07:50you can actually see different colours.
0:07:50 > 0:07:55- This is where the giant octopus live as well.- Not seen one yet.
0:07:55 > 0:07:58So, how often do you go out to the island, because you don't live there permanently?
0:07:58 > 0:08:01We don't go over very much in the winter time.
0:08:01 > 0:08:04I'm afraid our sheep very much have to take care of themselves.
0:08:05 > 0:08:09I don't know if you're seeing this, but every now and again the boat
0:08:09 > 0:08:11suddenly goes whoosh as we enter one of these whirlpools.
0:08:11 > 0:08:14It's quite exciting, the big change in the height of the tide.
0:08:14 > 0:08:17Is it just me? Do you get excited at this point as well?
0:08:17 > 0:08:21Well, it makes me hang on sometimes, but I can't say I'm getting excited.
0:08:21 > 0:08:22THEY LAUGH
0:08:22 > 0:08:26You don't know what the boat's going to do because it depends...
0:08:26 > 0:08:29It's not predictable so you've got to just hang on.
0:08:33 > 0:08:37I hang on tightly and in 20 minutes, we've made our bumpy crossing
0:08:37 > 0:08:40and moor in the picturesque Stroma Harbour.
0:08:47 > 0:08:51Here we are in Stroma. Great place.
0:08:51 > 0:08:54We'll go and check up on the sheep, see if everything's in order.
0:08:54 > 0:08:58- See if they survived the winter OK, then?- Well, we will see. Hopefully they have, yes.
0:09:13 > 0:09:16While William goes to round up his sheep,
0:09:16 > 0:09:18I want to have a look round this fascinating island.
0:09:21 > 0:09:25There's nobody else here now, but it was once a thriving community.
0:09:25 > 0:09:28People have lived here since the Stone Age.
0:09:28 > 0:09:32Low-lying and flat, it's blessed with fertile soil making it
0:09:32 > 0:09:34ideal for farming.
0:09:34 > 0:09:36But there was another way of making a living which
0:09:36 > 0:09:39drew on their unrivalled skills as seamen.
0:09:40 > 0:09:44The men were expert fishermen, catching cod, herring,
0:09:44 > 0:09:45lobster and crab.
0:09:46 > 0:09:49The catch would be divided equally between the crew
0:09:49 > 0:09:52and the surplus would be sold to merchants in Wick.
0:10:01 > 0:10:05But the spoils of the turbulent seas went far beyond fish.
0:10:08 > 0:10:10This is the north side of the island
0:10:10 > 0:10:12and this is where the Atlantic meets the North Sea.
0:10:12 > 0:10:15As you can see, they're really not getting on very well
0:10:15 > 0:10:17together and over the decades,
0:10:17 > 0:10:21many ships have been wrecked just off this coast and the goods
0:10:21 > 0:10:26from the wrecks would have been a welcome windfall for the islanders.
0:10:26 > 0:10:28Anything that could be transported by boat could
0:10:28 > 0:10:31end up in the hands of the islanders.
0:10:31 > 0:10:35This photograph shows a consignment of apples.
0:10:35 > 0:10:37With 60 known shipwrecks recorded around Stroma,
0:10:37 > 0:10:40the lighthouse was built in 1896.
0:10:42 > 0:10:46It's said some islanders opposed the building of it as it would end
0:10:46 > 0:10:48the supply of salvaged goods.
0:10:49 > 0:10:53But it was built and continues to warn ships of danger to this day.
0:10:57 > 0:11:01So, fishing, farming and salvage earned the islanders their living.
0:11:04 > 0:11:05But what was life actually like?
0:11:14 > 0:11:17This would have been the reality of living on Stroma.
0:11:17 > 0:11:22You've got the traditional box bed really close to the fire -
0:11:22 > 0:11:23it would have been quite cosy.
0:11:23 > 0:11:26All the cooking done here...
0:11:26 > 0:11:28but still a pretty harsh life.
0:11:38 > 0:11:42The population peaked in 1901 at 375.
0:11:42 > 0:11:45They had their own school and own church.
0:11:48 > 0:11:51After the First World War, the fishing deteriorated
0:11:51 > 0:11:54and it became increasingly difficult to make a living.
0:11:54 > 0:12:00Adding to the economic problems, in 1944, the 11-plus exam meant that
0:12:00 > 0:12:04all children over 12 had to finish their education on the mainland.
0:12:06 > 0:12:09Eventually, the 20th century caught up with life on Stroma.
0:12:09 > 0:12:12Opportunities on the mainland drew people away,
0:12:12 > 0:12:15mainly to work at the nuclear power station in Dounreay.
0:12:15 > 0:12:20By 1957, only 16 people were left on the island
0:12:20 > 0:12:23until the last family left in 1962.
0:12:27 > 0:12:30The people may have gone, but the island remains a rich
0:12:30 > 0:12:33habitat for seals...
0:12:33 > 0:12:35birds...
0:12:35 > 0:12:38and, of course, William's sheep.
0:12:38 > 0:12:40I wonder how he's getting on?
0:12:40 > 0:12:43- They're obviously a bit nervous. - Yeah. Well, they're nervous just now
0:12:43 > 0:12:46because they've not seen anybody for most of the winter.
0:12:46 > 0:12:48They've not been fed, but now when we come out
0:12:48 > 0:12:52and put them in feeders and start patrolling them for lambing,
0:12:52 > 0:12:55they'll settle down then and we'll get closer to them then.
0:12:55 > 0:12:58So, how long will you spend on the island now that you're out?
0:12:58 > 0:13:02We'll probably spend about four to five weeks on the island.
0:13:02 > 0:13:04Yeah, it's...
0:13:04 > 0:13:07Hopefully that will take care of most of the busy part of the lambing.
0:13:07 > 0:13:09Do you look forward to that or do you dread it?
0:13:09 > 0:13:12- Do you escape? How do you see it? - I quite look forward to it now.
0:13:12 > 0:13:15When I was a younger man, probably I didn't enjoy it too much,
0:13:15 > 0:13:18I was maybe wanting to go out, but now that I'm married, I'm quite
0:13:18 > 0:13:20happy to come over here for a wee while.
0:13:20 > 0:13:23And you do get to live in the manse, of course.
0:13:23 > 0:13:25Yes, as I say, we stay in the manse.
0:13:25 > 0:13:28I don't know if the Minister would approve of some of our activities,
0:13:28 > 0:13:31- but that's where we live.- So, you just picked the best house, did you?
0:13:31 > 0:13:36- Well, yes, probably.- So, is it hard living?- It's different, yeah.
0:13:36 > 0:13:37It's challenging.
0:13:37 > 0:13:41And, strangely, you're the only guy farming it, where at one point
0:13:41 > 0:13:45- there was hundreds of people farming. - Yeah, there'd be a lot of them
0:13:45 > 0:13:47take their living from the sea as well,
0:13:47 > 0:13:49crofting would be just a secondary.
0:13:49 > 0:13:52So, do you see it as romantic or is it just me?
0:13:52 > 0:13:55It's a beautiful day, it's kind of isolation.
0:13:55 > 0:13:57Is it a million miles from romantic?
0:13:57 > 0:14:00Yeah, I'm not so sure about romanticness but...
0:14:00 > 0:14:02quite a challenge, yeah,
0:14:02 > 0:14:06but I don't think there's much romance.
0:14:06 > 0:14:09Well, this charming place certainly feels romantic to me.
0:14:09 > 0:14:13And while I wander towards my own personal rainbow,
0:14:13 > 0:14:17Sarah is back on the mainland with her feet firmly on the ground.
0:14:22 > 0:14:26That's right. I'm staying on terra firma.
0:14:26 > 0:14:30This area has a unique geology that gave rise to a prosperous
0:14:30 > 0:14:3119th century industry.
0:14:31 > 0:14:35An industry that is, literally, resurfacing today.
0:14:37 > 0:14:38This is Castletown Harbour
0:14:38 > 0:14:42and it's made entirely from Caithness flagstone,
0:14:42 > 0:14:46and it is stone like this that was sent from here by boat
0:14:46 > 0:14:50to pave the streets around the world, from New York to Sydney.
0:14:53 > 0:14:56It's been used in Caithness for centuries - for flooring,
0:14:56 > 0:14:59roofing, walls and fences.
0:15:01 > 0:15:05It splits easily, it's hard-wearing and it looks great
0:15:05 > 0:15:09and in the early 1800s, local landowner James Traill
0:15:09 > 0:15:12decided to turn it into big business.
0:15:13 > 0:15:17He saw that he could make something big out of exporting it.
0:15:17 > 0:15:21'Muriel Murray of the Castlehill Heritage Society explains more.'
0:15:21 > 0:15:27It was a huge employer and it attracted people from the west
0:15:27 > 0:15:31because it was at a time when some people were being driven out
0:15:31 > 0:15:33of their homes in the west, in the glens,
0:15:33 > 0:15:36and Caithness was a good place to come.
0:15:36 > 0:15:38In this small village alone,
0:15:38 > 0:15:43nearly 1,000 men were employed as quarriers and cutters.
0:15:43 > 0:15:48At its height, output rose to 35,000 tonnes a year.
0:15:48 > 0:15:53So, from this small part of Scotland, the stone enjoyed global success.
0:15:53 > 0:15:58Yes, from here it went on small ships to main bases
0:15:58 > 0:16:03like Edinburgh and Newcastle and London. From there it was put onto
0:16:03 > 0:16:08larger ships and it went all over the British Empire and beyond that.
0:16:08 > 0:16:13This remarkable history is now being celebrated with a flagstone trail
0:16:13 > 0:16:15here in the old Castlehill quarry.
0:16:16 > 0:16:20So, Muriel, what is this beautiful-looking structure?
0:16:20 > 0:16:26This is the base of a wind pump, and the wind pump took the water
0:16:26 > 0:16:31out of the workings and helped the process of the cutting.
0:16:31 > 0:16:34So, what happened to the industry? Why did it waste away?
0:16:34 > 0:16:38It was Portland cement that sounded the death knell
0:16:38 > 0:16:42of the stone industry, because it was much more convenient.
0:16:42 > 0:16:48It was on site when you needed it, you didn't have to transport it.
0:16:48 > 0:16:52There was also subsidised stone of a similar nature
0:16:52 > 0:16:55coming from Norway, which the Norwegian government was
0:16:55 > 0:16:58supporting, so this was sort of priced out of the market.
0:16:58 > 0:17:02But if you thought that was the end of the story then you'd be wrong,
0:17:02 > 0:17:05because Caithness flagstone has a new lease of life
0:17:05 > 0:17:08and is enjoying huge demand.
0:17:16 > 0:17:21I've come to the Spittal Quarry, near Watten, where business is booming.
0:17:21 > 0:17:25So much so, in the last six months they've doubled the workforce
0:17:25 > 0:17:27and are now working 24-hours a day.
0:17:28 > 0:17:30And for all the modern technology,
0:17:30 > 0:17:35the flagstone is still split by hand the old-fashioned way.
0:17:35 > 0:17:37'Maybe it's a new career for me.'
0:17:37 > 0:17:42- Follow this line here.- Follow this line. OK. I'm putting that bit in?
0:17:42 > 0:17:48- Yes, like this.- Uh-huh. - Tap, then move along.- OK.
0:17:48 > 0:17:52- Try and make it as even as possible? - Yes.- Right. OK. Jeez!
0:17:52 > 0:17:53SHE LAUGHS
0:17:56 > 0:17:57Right.
0:17:59 > 0:18:01Move along.
0:18:01 > 0:18:05- I tell you what, I don't think you need to worry about your job. - OK.
0:18:05 > 0:18:07I'm not very good. Can I go and find the boss?
0:18:07 > 0:18:09I'll go find the boss.
0:18:13 > 0:18:16Stone as far as the eye can see.
0:18:16 > 0:18:19How popular is Caithness slab at the moment?
0:18:19 > 0:18:21It's starting to get a lot more popular.
0:18:21 > 0:18:24We're starting to get back into the markets where we can export
0:18:24 > 0:18:25outside of Scotland...
0:18:25 > 0:18:29'Quarry director Mark Mancini runs this operation.
0:18:29 > 0:18:32'He explains what sparked this revival.'
0:18:32 > 0:18:35It's the ideal product for using on streetscapes and there's not a lot
0:18:35 > 0:18:36of products that you can get in Britain
0:18:36 > 0:18:40that have the characteristics of the flagstone, that's as durable,
0:18:40 > 0:18:42as hard-wearing and has the same kind of aesthetics,
0:18:42 > 0:18:45and we're starting to get enquiries now from places like Boston who want
0:18:45 > 0:18:48to start using the material again from the heritage point of view.
0:18:48 > 0:18:50They want to redo the docks, those kind of things.
0:18:50 > 0:18:53- So, it's sort of gone full circle then.- It has, yeah.
0:18:53 > 0:18:57Hundreds of years ago, it came from here and they're now coming back to this quarry.
0:18:57 > 0:19:00They're coming back to the same place to get the same stuff, yeah.
0:19:00 > 0:19:02So, have you got a big enough quarry?
0:19:02 > 0:19:03Yeah, we've got plenty of land.
0:19:03 > 0:19:05I'm hoping we've got enough to see me through at least.
0:19:05 > 0:19:09- All I can see is stone. - Stone everywhere.- Stone everywhere!
0:19:09 > 0:19:11I'm looking for a bit of stone for the garden.
0:19:11 > 0:19:15- Can we come to an agreement?- Yeah. I'll see if I can do a deal for you.
0:19:15 > 0:19:17- OK. I like that bit over there.- OK. - Right.
0:19:20 > 0:19:24So, next time you're walking through any city centre in Scotland,
0:19:24 > 0:19:28be it Edinburgh's Royal Mile or the city square in Dundee,
0:19:28 > 0:19:32chances are you'll be standing on Caithness flagstone.
0:19:40 > 0:19:44Here on Landward, we travel the length and breadth of the country.
0:19:44 > 0:19:48While we're out and about, we like to discover what the best thing
0:19:48 > 0:19:49is about the places we visit.
0:19:51 > 0:19:54And as we are all in Caithness this week, I thought I'd
0:19:54 > 0:19:58pop into the county seat and ask what is the best thing about Wick?
0:20:00 > 0:20:03- Nice place.- Yeah? - It's a brilliant place.
0:20:03 > 0:20:06They're so friendly. That's the reason I moved up here.
0:20:06 > 0:20:11- It's a nice place to live. Everybody's dead friendly.- Quiet. Reasonable.- Are they welcoming?
0:20:11 > 0:20:16- Yeah, as long as you've got enough money.- Well, it's lovely living next to the sea.
0:20:16 > 0:20:20- People will stop and give me directions.- Well, I've only been here for about an hour.
0:20:20 > 0:20:23- The best thing about Wick? - HE BLUSTERS
0:20:23 > 0:20:27One of the town's claims to fame is this, Ebenezer Place,
0:20:27 > 0:20:30recognised by the Guinness Book of records as the shortest
0:20:30 > 0:20:34street in the world - two metres six centimetres or one short leap.
0:20:35 > 0:20:38It's a difficult question. It's tough. It's tough.
0:20:38 > 0:20:42Well, I think the best place about Wick is if you go round to Trinkie.
0:20:42 > 0:20:46- Do you know where it is?- Is that the pool?- Yeah, the pool.
0:20:46 > 0:20:48Which way to the Trinkie pool?
0:20:48 > 0:20:52You just go straight up here, right up the cliff road, keep going,
0:20:52 > 0:20:54take the second left...
0:20:56 > 0:20:58Probably that place there, De Vita's.
0:20:58 > 0:21:01- Is that right? De Vita's Pizza? - Yeah.
0:21:04 > 0:21:07So, that's what the good folk of Wick think is best about their town,
0:21:07 > 0:21:10but I reckon this here should get a special mention.
0:21:12 > 0:21:16The Black Stairs, so pretty that back in the 1930s,
0:21:16 > 0:21:20Salford artist LS Lowry committed them to canvas.
0:21:20 > 0:21:23Or cardboard or whatever he was working on at the time.
0:21:28 > 0:21:31As I discovered earlier in the programme,
0:21:31 > 0:21:34the powerful tidal streams of the Pentland Firth makes it notoriously
0:21:34 > 0:21:38difficult and dangerous for shipping, but all that power
0:21:38 > 0:21:43has been described as the greatest untapped source of energy in Scotland.
0:21:45 > 0:21:51So, how do you harness that power and turn it into electricity?
0:21:51 > 0:21:55To find out, I headed to a windswept construction site on the shore
0:21:55 > 0:21:59of the Inner Sound of the Pentland Firth, at Ness of Quoys in Canisbay.
0:22:02 > 0:22:06An ambitious scheme has just started, hoping to exploit
0:22:06 > 0:22:10the immense energy from these powerful tides.
0:22:10 > 0:22:14The waters ebb and flood almost constantly through the firth.
0:22:16 > 0:22:20The plan is to install turbine generators on the seabed.
0:22:22 > 0:22:24As the tide turns, the generators rotate
0:22:24 > 0:22:27so they're always able to take advantage of the flow.
0:22:29 > 0:22:33They hope to install around 60 turbines in total,
0:22:33 > 0:22:37but they will be introduced in stages, with just four to begin with.
0:22:38 > 0:22:42Dan Pearson is the project's Chief Executive.
0:22:42 > 0:22:46What has the reaction been from locals to you doing this here?
0:22:46 > 0:22:49Well, at first, I think they thought we were slightly mad.
0:22:49 > 0:22:52I think everyone who lives locally sees the power of the sea daily
0:22:52 > 0:22:56and I think there's a degree of curiosity as well,
0:22:56 > 0:22:59but everyone has been behind us - local fishermen, the yachtsmen
0:22:59 > 0:23:02and all the sea users have been very helpful.
0:23:02 > 0:23:04Even the fishermen? Because you wouldn't be able to stick
0:23:04 > 0:23:07a net down there if you've got a turbines in there?
0:23:07 > 0:23:09Well, actually, this area here, the fishermen don't throw nets here.
0:23:09 > 0:23:13This is the last place they want to put any nets,
0:23:13 > 0:23:14they lose them anyway to the flow.
0:23:14 > 0:23:20There are places where they put their pots on the outer side here and
0:23:20 > 0:23:23we've been in discussion with them about whether we would affect them
0:23:23 > 0:23:25or not, and I think it's fair to say they've been very supportive.
0:23:25 > 0:23:27They don't think we'd be involved
0:23:27 > 0:23:30and we have people who are employed locally as well, so we get to
0:23:30 > 0:23:34hear if there's any kind of concerns that people might have.
0:23:36 > 0:23:40Well, it all sounds great in theory, but how on earth do you
0:23:40 > 0:23:44actually get a turbine onto the bottom of that maelstrom out there?
0:23:45 > 0:23:47Eddie Scott explains the process.
0:23:47 > 0:23:52It's an absolutely fantastic day if not a little windy.
0:23:52 > 0:23:55How do you get in there safely and efficiently to put turbines in?
0:23:55 > 0:23:58Well, that's one of the key things that we've been
0:23:58 > 0:24:00working on for quite some time and fundamentally we use
0:24:00 > 0:24:05dynamically positioned ships with large cranes on them,
0:24:05 > 0:24:08and right at periods of slack water, that gives us
0:24:08 > 0:24:12our window of opportunity where we can come out and do some
0:24:12 > 0:24:17of that work and placing the turbine support structures on the seabed.
0:24:17 > 0:24:19The turbines have two main components -
0:24:19 > 0:24:23a base support unit weighing a mighty 400 tonnes that
0:24:23 > 0:24:26sits on the seabed, held in place by gravity,
0:24:26 > 0:24:29and a turbine unit that locks onto the base.
0:24:31 > 0:24:34And then we can bring the turbines out and install them
0:24:34 > 0:24:37onto the turbine support structures that we have,
0:24:37 > 0:24:40so very challenging and very time-consuming.
0:24:40 > 0:24:43This is a bold and ambitious project
0:24:43 > 0:24:46and with today's appetite for renewable energy, the formidable
0:24:46 > 0:24:51forces of the Pentland Firth could become one of our greatest allies.
0:24:56 > 0:24:59But the firth isn't just a resource for humans.
0:24:59 > 0:25:02These waters have long been a valuable resource for a vast
0:25:02 > 0:25:04range of wildlife.
0:25:04 > 0:25:08Sarah is going to find out about a plan to monitor the effects of
0:25:08 > 0:25:12the tidal wave project on one of the largest - the orca or killer whale.
0:25:15 > 0:25:19- Hi, Colin. How are you doing? - Hello. Nice to see you.- And you.
0:25:19 > 0:25:21- Have you spotted anything yet? - No, not really.
0:25:21 > 0:25:24I've been here for several hours and the sea is absolutely perfect.
0:25:24 > 0:25:26'Here at Duncansby Head at the eastern end
0:25:26 > 0:25:27'of the Pentland Firth,
0:25:27 > 0:25:30'I'm meeting Colin Bird from the Sea Watch Foundation.'
0:25:32 > 0:25:34We're looking for killer whales.
0:25:34 > 0:25:38At this time of year, you could expect to see two or three pods
0:25:38 > 0:25:41per week passing through the Pentland Firth.
0:25:41 > 0:25:44They do in fact feed on our seals that are out there.
0:25:44 > 0:25:47OK, so can we get excited about maybe seeing some today?
0:25:47 > 0:25:49It's being in the right place at the right time.
0:25:49 > 0:25:54Orcas, at this particular location, can be seen just below the cliffs.
0:25:54 > 0:25:56Right. So, just below where we're standing?
0:25:56 > 0:25:57Just below where we're standing.
0:25:57 > 0:26:01They very often come across from Stroma
0:26:01 > 0:26:03and actually go round the corner here,
0:26:03 > 0:26:05within 50 metres of the cliffs.
0:26:05 > 0:26:09- Can I have a wee look through here? - Yes, by all means.
0:26:09 > 0:26:11'It's not my lucky day.'
0:26:12 > 0:26:17But these library pictures show a pod that regularly travels this route.
0:26:19 > 0:26:21Every May for the last five years,
0:26:21 > 0:26:25Colin has organised a volunteer watch here at Duncansby Head to
0:26:25 > 0:26:28record orca sightings over a period of a week.
0:26:29 > 0:26:33This has allowed him to build a picture of the whales' behaviour.
0:26:33 > 0:26:35He can use this information to see
0:26:35 > 0:26:38whether the tidal energy project affects them.
0:26:41 > 0:26:43Well, the problem is nobody really knows
0:26:43 > 0:26:46because there's no projects of this nature anywhere in the world,
0:26:46 > 0:26:49so we're not 100% certain what's going to happen.
0:26:49 > 0:26:52So, what are you hoping to prove with the watch then?
0:26:52 > 0:26:56Well, what we're trying to find out is what dangers they face from this installation.
0:26:56 > 0:26:57And are you looking for volunteers?
0:26:57 > 0:26:59We are always looking for volunteers.
0:26:59 > 0:27:02- The more eyes we have on the sea the better.- Right.
0:27:02 > 0:27:05- Well, I'll keep having a wee look. - Yes, by all means.
0:27:05 > 0:27:08- If you see a killer whale, please scream.- I will shout, don't worry.
0:27:09 > 0:27:13So, I have a few minutes to hope for a glimpse before I head off to
0:27:13 > 0:27:14meet Dougie and Euan.
0:27:16 > 0:27:22As the old saying goes, good things come to she who waits. And waits.
0:27:24 > 0:27:25And waits.
0:27:31 > 0:27:36- This has been fantastic. There she is there.- Hello, Sarah.
0:27:41 > 0:27:45- Hello, boys.- Hello.- How are you? - Good to see you. Great.- Good to be here.
0:27:45 > 0:27:49Stunning day, isn't it? Just brilliant.
0:27:49 > 0:27:52- So the burning question is did you see any whales?- Not this time.
0:27:52 > 0:27:55- Because Dougie and I saw about 20 just over there.- Oh, yeah(!)
0:27:55 > 0:27:58It's always the way. Whatever.
0:27:58 > 0:28:01In the meantime, from all of us here in glorious Caithness...
0:28:01 > 0:28:03- Bye-bye.- Bye.- Bye-bye.