Episode 6 Landward

Hello, and a very warm welcome to Landward.

This week, I'm on the road in this little beauty.

CAR REVS

In a moment, I'll be setting off along a brand-new touring route

that takes in some of Scotland's most stunning scenery,

and here's what else is coming up on the programme.

We meet the woman who's challenged herself

to spend a year only eating meat she's hunted down herself.

I haven't eaten meat for a few weeks,

so I want to get something for the table.

Euan investigates the future for Scottish dairy production.

This is making butter.

This is the way that grandmother used to make it on a smaller scale.

Technology I can understand.

And Sarah pays homage to the castle

where Monty Python searched for the Holy Grail.

I'm on the road with a spirit of adventure.

I'm driving along this country's answer to Route 66,

a new route that's been launched to promote the north of Scotland.

The North Coast 500-mile route starts in Inverness

in a round trip across to the west coast,

then upwards through the north-west Highlands,

then down the east coast from John O'Groats.

I'm going to explore some of the highlights.

It's not so much a new road

but a new way of exploring existing roads,

devised by North Highlands Initiative to boost visitor numbers,

and I'm keen to find out what difference it'll make

to the people and places along the route.

I also get to play in this beautiful car,

in stunning scenery.

Fine job today, I reckon, very fine job.

Look at that!

Now, you won't find many motels,

or old-fashioned diners along the way,

but there are plenty of businesses hoping to benefit

from the North Coast 500.

Viv, what do you have today?

Well, I've got these langoustines.

'Vivienne Rollo runs this roadside seafood cafe

'in a remote part of Wester Ross.'

How much passing trade do you actually get from the road itself?

Quite a lot, actually, and a lot of people come back,

which is nice, actually,

but even today we had Dutch, Germans, French, Italians.

-It does seem pretty remote here, doesn't it?

-That's what people say.

They say, "This is really remote,"

and I said, "Well, that is the main west coast road."

How much benefit do you hope to get from the promotion of this route?

Quite a lot of people like to do circular routes, like,

they know they're not just going somewhere

and having to come back,

so a lot of people like to feel like they're continuing on the journey,

but it would be quite good if they had a theme tune, like...

Drive 500 Miles by The Proclaimers,

or something like that!

Unfortunately, I don't have time to sit and eat.

-I've got some driving to do.

-OK. Well, on you go. Thanks very much.

-Thank you. Bye.

-Thanks for calling in.

MUSIC: I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) by The Proclaimers

Just along the road, and my journey takes a dramatic turn

as I make my way up one of the highest roads in the country,

the famous Bealach na Ba,

also known as the road to Applecross.

Here, the North Coast 500 rises from sea level to 2,000 feet,

up this twisting and turning single track

with really amazing hairpins at the top.

It's already very popular with riders, bikers, drivers.

In fact, I've cycled this a couple of times

and I can tell you, it's much easier driving.

It's also nice to admire the view. CAR SLOWS

First gear, I think.

It's nice to admire the view without lots of puffing and panting.

What a drive!

And what a view!

But it doesn't end here.

Over the hill,

the delights of Applecross beckon.

This area has long been popular with car rallies and bike tours,

a tidy source of income for the Applecross Inn.

I'm meeting owner Judith Fish

to find out her hopes for the North 500 route.

-Hi, there.

-Hi, there. How are you doing?

-Very well. How are you?

-Yes, I'm very well, thank you.

-Now, this place is incredible

cos it always seems to be busy, but do you think the North Coast 500

-will be something that benefits your business?

-I think it will.

I think we're always looking for new business.

We've always got to be looking ahead.

We already have an awful lot of modes of transport

coming to Applecross Inn.

What we'd love to encourage, though,

is we've an awful lot to offer in Applecross,

is for people to stay longer.

So, I think the North Coast 500,

I'm hoping that they'll take the time

and explore the places on the route.

So, you're hoping the kickback is not just for your business,

it's for the whole community?

What we'd like to see is people not rushing around the North 500,

but to actually come and spend a couple of days here.

OK, got a full tank of gas, as they might say in Route 66 land,

but in North Coast 500 land...

..got a lot of rain, so this has got to go on.

This may take me some time.

The Highlands attract over two million visitors a year,

so it's hoped the North Coast 500

will catch the imagination of those seeking an authentic experience.

Travellers come from all over the world to America

to do the iconic Route 66, but with scenery like this,

there's no reason why our own Scottish version

can't ignite that spirit of adventure

and become just as popular,

although next time I'm going to bring a bigger car!

While I continue my journey, Euan's been on the road, too,

visiting the farmers who produce the milk

that most of us take for granted.

It's an industry rarely out of the headlines,

as farmers fight low milk prices and cheap imports,

but the Scottish government has a plan they think will help.

The dairy industry has a vital role in rural Scotland.

In some areas, particularly in the south-west,

it's a mainstay,

an industry that offers young people employment

and a chance to stay and work in the country.

So, how old are these ones?

These ones'll be around four months, I think.

They're lovely, aren't they?

-Sometimes!

-Really? A bit stroppy, are they?

'Caitlin Bowen works on a farm near Stranraer.

'She wants a future in the dairy industry.'

So, why did you want to get involved with cattle?

Well, my dad brought me,

and one day, I was still up at three in the morning

and he asked me to come in with him, and...

-just didn't leave.

-Really?

I just really like cows!

So, what's the long-term plans, then?

Hoping to get into management, herd management...

..and have a little farm of my own, maybe a wee dairy.

Is that not a big leap of faith, though,

because there's a lot of gloom and doom around at the moment

about the dairy industry?

That's, you know, you're committing yourself to a career.

Just hoping that the prices, and...

all the stuff that's went wrong recently gets better,

so there is a future for... people like me, and the cows.

Caitlin's ambitions for the future are shared by many,

but how can they be met?

Well, it's hoped this might be the answer.

A 25-point action plan issued by the Scottish government,

and one of the key objectives

is to get more Scottish dairy produce on the supermarket shelves.

Traditionally, Scotland has been known for

its liquid milk production.

We do make great butter, cheese, and other dairy produce,

but not on a large scale.

To satisfy demand, we have to import vast quantities.

In the UK, £1.5 billion is spent buying dairy produce each year.

If we could replace even some of those imports with home produce,

it would help secure a better future for the industry.

Hiya.

'Caitlin's boss, dairy farmer Gary Mitchell,

'is shocked by the amount we import.'

Well, it probably surprised me more than anybody, actually.

Last year, when I looked into the figures

for the amount of cheese that we import,

I was astounded that over 400,000 tonnes of it was imported.

'That's more than half of what we consume.'

How easy is it to actually go and buy Scottish produce,

Scottish cheese, made with Scottish milk?

Well, I actually do all my own shopping

and it astounds me every time I go to the cheese shelf,

how many things I need to look at,

how many labels I need to try and read

to try to see where the country of origin is,

and at the moment, I think there's a lot of smoke and mirrors

exactly where it's actually produced, where it is packed,

you know, so these are the things,

how do we educate the consumer if even I'm confused?

Inspired by Gary, I've done my own rummaging on supermarket shelves.

I can understand importing speciality cheeses

like this parmesan from Italy, but have a look at this.

Cheddar, something we do produce in Scotland,

but if you look at the back of the packet,

it says it was processed in the UK...

or possibly Ireland, or New Zealand or Australia,

using milk from any of those countries.

All we can say about this is it was put in a packet here.

The most recent figures show that in January and February this year,

we imported 12,000 tonnes of cheddar cheese.

10,000 tonnes came from the Republic of Ireland,

half of the rest from New Zealand and Australia.

And that's money that could be going back into the rural economy

to help youngsters like Caitlin stay in the industry that they love.

Later in the programme,

Euan will be visiting two successful dairy businesses from Scotland

of very different scales,

who are doing their best to make Scottish produce

the first choice for consumers.

Well, I'm gently meandering along the North Coast 500,

very happy indeed, but here on Landward,

one of our goals is to show people where their food comes from,

and Sarah has been to meet one woman who's taken that mission

onto a whole different level.

This is Louise Gray.

She's set herself an unusual challenge,

and it's not for the faint-hearted.

She wants to take real responsibility

for the food she eats, and for the next year,

she's only eating meat she's killed herself.

Today, she plans to stalk and shoot a roe deer buck.

She's never done it before,

so her guide Kevin Ramshaw is checking she has the skills

to bring the animal down cleanly.

How was that? How do you feel with that?

-That's the best one I've done, yeah.

-That's absolutely stunning.

-Hi, Louise. Hi, Kevin.

-Hi.

-Hi.

-Have you had a practice?

-Yep.

-Are you happy?

-I am. That's a good...

I've been told that it has to be a close group.

-Tutor happy?

-Yep, very happy.

Yeah. They look pretty good to me. Are you ready to go out, then?

-Yeah, I think so.

-Shall we go?

-OK.

-Let's have a go.

So far, Louise has shot a rabbit and a feral sheep,

so how did all this come about?

Well, it happened by accident, really.

I'm an environmental journalist,

so I'm very aware of climate change and the threat of global warming,

And I know one of the easiest things I could do is become a vegetarian,

but every time I say, "Right, I'm vegetarian,"

a friend or a member of my family

would come back with a beautiful piece of game,

maybe a rabbit,

something that's a pest and needs to be controlled anyway.

-You grew up on a farm.

-I did, yeah.

So I never managed to...make the decision to become vegetarian,

so at one point, I said,

"Well, OK, I'll only eat animals I've killed myself,"

and I just got this amazing reaction from people

and it just snowballed.

People feel disconnected from meat,

and the idea that someone might help them to understand where it's from,

might vicariously, on their behalf, go and find out where it's from,

seemed to really interest them.

So, that's the motivation.

Now for the reality.

Only roe bucks may be shot at this time of year,

the does aren't in season.

In this farmland near Arbroath,

deer are shot already to protect crops and forestry...

and they're not the only animal round here.

-A bull.

-Yeah.

-Are you scared?

-A little.

(So am I.)

We decide discretion is the better part of valour

and skirt around the edge of the field.

'Now the stalking can begin in earnest.'

For hours we scour the area.

Before we know it, dusk begins to fall,

and although we get some tantalising glimpses of deer,

a meat-free dinner for Louise looks more and more likely.

-It's getting to the point that it is maybe too dark.

-Yeah, that's it.

What's going through your head at the moment?

Well, we've had such a long stalk...

..and I'm getting a bit cold and tired, but I do want to do it.

We call it quits for the night and get some rest,

ready for an early start tomorrow.

How did you feel going to bed last night?

A little disappointed.

-But it's actually quite nice to be out...

-Again?

-..really early in the morning.

-Yeah, despite the time.

Once you're up, it's quite an amazing time to be out

and the wildlife feels really... Everything's alive.

We'd better get going, then. Shall we? OK.

Once again, Kevin leads the way.

He knows this area well,

and has a few more good spots up his sleeve.'

(Kevin is scoping out round the corner.)

(It's hard to know what he's doing.)

(I'm not sure.)

Kevin's spotted something.

This could be Louise's chance to get some meat.

Finally, the rifle comes out of its case.

It's the perfect target,

except, unfortunately, it's a doe,

and she can't be killed at this time of year.

Louise needs the buck to come back into sight.

-WHISPERING:

-We're watching the doe now at the minute,

but the buck's stopped barking,

so it might have decided just to go into the edge of the wood

and have a little bit of a snooze, so at the moment,

we're just going to wait and see if he comes back out.

We wait and wait and wait...

and then...

nothing. It looks like the buck is down for the day.

It's 8:20 in the morning.

-I think we've just had our last chance, haven't we?

-Yes. I think so.

-No joy.

-No.

-An evening, a morning...

-Yeah.

-And no joy.

-Just goes to show it's not as easy as people think.

-No, not at all.

And I mean, I must admit, even though I was saying, you know,

there's a part of you that doesn't want to kill one,

I am disappointed because...

..you have to focus.

There's quite a lot of adrenaline,

so when it comes to...

..nothing at all, then that is disappointing.

Do you think you'll go out again and try soon?

Yes. Yeah, I think I will.

I haven't eaten meat for a few weeks,

so...I want to get something for the table.

And also, when I do get it, it's something that...

I'm grateful for, and I appreciate, and also, for me,

it's a way of celebrating the animal

cos often I'm sharing it with people

and discussing how it was killed,

so it becomes....an experience,

an education for everyone, so I do enjoy the whole process.

Here on Landward, we travel all over the country,

and while we're on the road, we like to find out what the locals think

the best thing about their area is.

As I make my way round the North Coast 500,

I've stopped off to ask what is the best thing about Gairloch?

There are many things in Gairloch you can actually do

-when you come up and visit.

-The Heritage Museum.

It's so interesting.

I absolutely love the beaches.

The scenery, and you also get dolphins out there on the ocean.

They're mint.

There's lovely cafes,

there's a little shop that's been there for many years

that's very popular with the locals.

Old Inn's probably quite nice for a pint or two.

Also the pier, just down that way.

Gairloch is actually a collection of small communities

on the shores of Loch Gairloch.

The most southerly is Charleston, here,

where the harbour is.

Best thing about Gairloch? Er...

There's many hotels and pubs that you can go

and enjoy a lovely light bite.

Go along to The Shieling for a good scone.

You can go to Flowerdale, which is a lovely walk.

For a good cake, go to the Gale Centre.

-Do you work for the tourist board?

-No!

SHE LAUGHS

-The most important thing, come to the Gairloch?

-Yeah, to see us.

Friendly people!

But my favourite thing is something you can listen to.

Gairloch is also home to this.

Two Lochs Radio,

the smallest commercial radio station in Britain.

Local news, road reports, police messages,

what's on, and what's not.

Where would we be without Two Lochs Radio? Thank you.

Earlier in the programme,

Euan discovered how much dairy produce we import into Scotland.

Now he's on the trail to find out how some Scots producers

are fighting back.

The Scottish government has come up with a 25-point plan

they think will improve the state of the dairy industry.

One of the changes they'd like to see

is an increased investment in processing capacity,

and in simple terms that means they just want more dairy products

to be made here.

I'm on my way to visit two different family businesses.

Both already make dairy produce

and are keen to grow their businesses

in line with the Scottish government ambitions.

First up, the St Andrews Farmhouse Cheese Company,

based on a farm near Crail.

MOOING

Of course, the heart of any dairy operation are the cattle,

and it's 2:30 and there's something like 200 cows in there,

-is that right?

-That's correct.

Ready to be milked.

-Stand by. OK.

-OK.

Robert Stewart's herd provides the milk

while his wife, Jane, makes the cheese.

The cheese operation was our attempt to add value to the milk,

because we thought we were not getting enough for the milk

we were producing on the farm.

So, rather than just wait for someone to come along

and pay us a better price,

we thought we'd actually try and influence the price ourselves,

by turning it into a value-added product.

Was that a scary decision?

It was, quite scary.

We knew nothing about making cheese.

We had to go and learn how to make cheese,

we had to get the money together to finance the cheese-making operation,

and then actually do it,

so there's a huge amount of work involved.

In the dairy, Jane makes 1.5 tonnes of cheese every month.

So, this is where the magic happens.

-This is it, yes.

-This is our cheese vat.

'Selling your own cheese is no quick fix, though.'

We started this in 2008 and it's a lot of work, a lot of commitment

and cheese is not the easiest thing in the world to make.

So, it's been a really steep learning curve for us.

Making it is one thing, and selling it is another,

and they are both equally...

you can have a shed of cheese, but if you've no markets for it

there's no point, so you've got to be able to increase your reputation

and at the same time keep the quality of the product top-notch.

The hard work seems to be paying off for the Stewarts,

but not all dairy farmers

will want or be able to produce their own cheese.

Most need to sell their milk to a processor.

The company I'm visiting next is also a family-run business

with ambitious plans to increase processing capacity.

They're just operating on a slightly different scale.

Graham's Family Dairy processes the milk from almost 100 different

farms. They employ over 450 people,

and have a turnover of £85 million.

They have plans to build a new £20 million dairy processing plant,

and training centre.

Robert Graham, the son of the dairy's original founder,

is showing me their amazing butter churn.

This is making butter. We've got in there two tonnes of cream.

-It's ready to go?

-It's ready to go.

This is the traditional way to make it.

This is the way the grandmother used to make it on a smaller scale.

Technology I can understand.

Robert's keeping it in the family.

His son, Robert Jr, is the current managing director,

and he's confident there's huge potential

to replace imported products.

We are in I think a crazy situation

where the number-one spreadable butter brand in Scotland is Danish,

the number-one cheddar brand in Scotland is Cornish,

the one and two yoghurt brands in Scotland are French and English.

These are added-value areas,

there are areas where it should be Scottish products at the forefront,

so I think there's a lot to go at to get Scottish products

on the shelves in Scotland and then, take it beyond,

whether that's into England or look for global markets.

And Robert believes the demand for local produce is there.

See, our growth as it is just now,

our spreadable butter's growing at 76% a year, phenomenal growth,

so more customers are picking it up,

so I think the Scottish consumer

absolutely wants more Scottish products,

whether that's spreadable butter, butter, yoghurts or cheeses.

The success of the companies I've visited today

shows that the potential to replace imported dairy produce from abroad

is very real,

provided you get the products and the marketing just right,

but it's not easy, it's difficult,

and requires the likes of you and me to get out there and buy Scottish.

And I suppose the bottom line is

if you want a thriving, successful Scottish dairy industry,

then you've got to put your money where your mouth is.

Driving the North Coast 500 has been like

appearing in my own private road movie,

and Scotland has been providing

spectacular film locations for years.

Sarah is visiting one that's been a favourite with film-makers

and movie tourists for the last four decades.

Blockbusters like Harry Potter,

Skyfall, and The Da Vinci Code were all shot in this country,

but I'm here at Doune Castle to find out about a cult classic

that was filmed here 40 years ago.

Yes, it's Monty Python And The Holy Grail,

filmed here in 1974 for the BBC's Film Night programme.

I blow my nose on you, so-called King Arthur.

You and your silly English k-nig-ts!

In the movie, Doune Castle is Scotland's answer to Camelot.

The castle attracts nearly 50,000 visitors a year

and according to Historic Scotland's Nikki Scott,

even after all this time,

Monty Python is still one of the main reasons they come.

About 50% of visitors to Doune Castle are Python pilgrims,

so visiting just because of Monty Python And The Holy Grail.

Now, go away or I shall taunt you a second time.

-So, what brought you here to visit?

-Quest of the Holy Grail.

-Are you a Monty Python fan?

-I am a Monty Python fan.

-K-NIG-TS:

-Run away! Run away! Run away!

I like the "Run away!" "Attack! Attack! Attack!"

And then you get this little moment

and this, "Run away! Run away!"

I love that bit.

-What brought you here?

-Well, Monty Python for Luke.

-Yes, it's all about Monty Python.

-It's all about Monty Python.

For me, anyway.

When we were in Scotland, I found out that Doune was the place

where it was filmed and I was like, "I've got to go,"

because I've seen that film so many times and, yeah, it's been great.

Are we there?

This is where so many of the famous scenes were filmed.

Absolutely, yeah.

If you can picture some insults being hurled.

Now, look here, my good man!

I don't want to talk to you no more,

you empty-headed animal food trough wiper.

I fart in your general direction.

Your mother was a hamster and your father smelled of elderberries.

Perfect insults for many situations, I think.

I seem to have... fallen through time.

But after 40 years, the Python pilgrims now have competition.

A new set of set-jetters are moving in,

since new hit US show Outlander was filmed here.

Are you fans of the Outlander series?

Yeah, we were watching it before we came.

And is it quite nice to connect this building

with what you see on screen?

Oh, absolutely, yeah. It's really neat.

Now I want to go home and watch everything again.

I want to see the scenes and I want to see if I can find it

back in the shows.

The film industry's love affair with Scotland

shows no sign of letting up.

Where the movie business goes,

tourism quickly follows,

and with locations like this, it's hardly surprising.

Now, where are my coconuts?

CLACKING OF COCONUT-BASED HOOVES

Sarah, horsing about as usual.

That's 135 miles done,

just 365 to go.

I've got some driving to do.

Cheery-bye!