0:00:02 > 0:00:04This weekend marks the end of British summertime.
0:00:04 > 0:00:07The clocks go back, plunging us into six months of darkness.
0:00:07 > 0:00:10But fear not, Landward is here to brighten your winter evenings.
0:00:29 > 0:00:32Hello and a very warm welcome to the programme.
0:00:32 > 0:00:34In a moment, Euan will be on the trail
0:00:34 > 0:00:36of wildlife moving into our cities
0:00:36 > 0:00:39and finding out how people and animals can live together
0:00:39 > 0:00:40in perfect harmony.
0:00:40 > 0:00:44But first, here's what else is coming up on Landward.
0:00:44 > 0:00:47'I continue my Small Isles journey
0:00:47 > 0:00:49'with a trip to the renewable isle...'
0:00:49 > 0:00:52We've backed up the power generated with batteries.
0:00:52 > 0:00:56That way, we guarantee power all the time.
0:00:56 > 0:01:00'..the spectacular Iron Age brochs of Caithness...'
0:01:00 > 0:01:01Wow, look at this!
0:01:01 > 0:01:04What you see here is the scant remains
0:01:04 > 0:01:06of what could have been up to 40 feet high.
0:01:06 > 0:01:10'..and Sarah takes a dip on the wild side.'
0:01:10 > 0:01:11It's better than expected.
0:01:11 > 0:01:13It's no Baltic, it's no bad.
0:01:20 > 0:01:23But first, there's more to forestry than meets the eye.
0:01:26 > 0:01:29Euan's been down to the Deeside Woods today to discover
0:01:29 > 0:01:32how forestry can bring benefits to local communities.
0:01:39 > 0:01:43There's a saying that sometimes you can't see the wood for the trees.
0:01:43 > 0:01:47It basically means you've lost sight of the big picture.
0:01:49 > 0:01:54And that, ironically, is definitely the case when it comes to forestry.
0:01:54 > 0:01:57It's often seen as an industry
0:01:57 > 0:02:01where very little happens over long periods of time.
0:02:01 > 0:02:04A pension fund or investment trust will plough millions into
0:02:04 > 0:02:08planting young saplings and then stand back for decades
0:02:08 > 0:02:11until it's time to harvest using itinerant workers,
0:02:11 > 0:02:15workers who don't live locally and who don't inject anything
0:02:15 > 0:02:17into the local economy.
0:02:17 > 0:02:20But that perception is viewed by many as being wrong.
0:02:23 > 0:02:29Forestry in Scotland is now worth £1 billion to the Scottish economy.
0:02:29 > 0:02:33And that figure is set to grow further if the industry can meet
0:02:33 > 0:02:39the government's target of planting 200 million new trees by 2022.
0:02:42 > 0:02:44Stuart Goodall is the Chief Executive
0:02:44 > 0:02:47of the forestry industry body, ConFor,
0:02:47 > 0:02:51and I'm meeting him to find out how the industry plans to expand
0:02:51 > 0:02:54and how communities across Scotland could benefit.
0:02:55 > 0:02:59How exciting a time is this for Scottish forestry?
0:02:59 > 0:03:01Well, it's a very exciting time for Scottish forestry
0:03:01 > 0:03:04because we planted a lot of trees 30, 40, 50 years ago
0:03:04 > 0:03:08and now we're in a situation where we're seeing those forests mature
0:03:08 > 0:03:10and on the back of that, it's creating huge opportunities,
0:03:10 > 0:03:14huge opportunities for employment as we develop all the businesses
0:03:14 > 0:03:17- that a mature forestry sector has. - What is the reality now?
0:03:17 > 0:03:20Because I've been guilty, as many others have,
0:03:20 > 0:03:23of seeing forestry as a blanket plantation,
0:03:23 > 0:03:27very little employment locally and very little that gets
0:03:27 > 0:03:30contributed to the economy locally as a result of that.
0:03:30 > 0:03:31Well, there's two parts to it.
0:03:31 > 0:03:34So there's the trees that we planted in the past then.
0:03:34 > 0:03:36As we come now, when we harvest them, we're harvesting them
0:03:36 > 0:03:39and then we're putting in different age classes.
0:03:39 > 0:03:41What I mean by that is it's not all just all grown at the one time
0:03:41 > 0:03:43and harvested at the one time.
0:03:43 > 0:03:46We start to put it in and replant it at different ages.
0:03:46 > 0:03:48And then when we're creating new forests,
0:03:48 > 0:03:51we're doing it in a different way. Now we leave the buildings,
0:03:51 > 0:03:53for example and we're starting to see people coming in
0:03:53 > 0:03:55and occupying those farmhouses,
0:03:55 > 0:03:58and actually we've done a bit of work recently in the Borders
0:03:58 > 0:04:01which has shown that where modern planting is taking place,
0:04:01 > 0:04:03there's more people living and working on the land
0:04:03 > 0:04:05than there had been prior to that.
0:04:05 > 0:04:07So is just the likes of me wrong?
0:04:07 > 0:04:10It's just a wrong perception of what the reality is?
0:04:10 > 0:04:13I think it was an understandable perception
0:04:13 > 0:04:16from what was in the past. And what we're very keen to do now
0:04:16 > 0:04:19is to show people what modern forestry is about.
0:04:21 > 0:04:24And a good example of what modern forestry is all about
0:04:24 > 0:04:28can be found here on the Glen Tanar Estate on Royal Deeside.
0:04:29 > 0:04:33- It's a glorious time of year, isn't it?- It's lovely, yes.
0:04:33 > 0:04:36'The estate is owned and run by Michael Bruce and it shows
0:04:36 > 0:04:38'how forestry, in all its forms,
0:04:38 > 0:04:42'can benefit both the local economy and the community.'
0:04:44 > 0:04:47Well, I've been running this business for 28 years and
0:04:47 > 0:04:52every year, forestry has been a core contributor to the estate economy.
0:04:52 > 0:04:53What about jobs?
0:04:53 > 0:04:58How many folk are employed or touched by forestry on your estate?
0:04:58 > 0:05:02I would say that of our 28 employees on the estate, about half of them,
0:05:02 > 0:05:06about 14 directly or indirectly are dependent on the forest.
0:05:06 > 0:05:09We've got a riding centre here on the estate.
0:05:09 > 0:05:10They use all the forest tracks.
0:05:10 > 0:05:15Deer stalkers, half of their year is spent helping to control
0:05:15 > 0:05:16the deer in the forest.
0:05:16 > 0:05:19Although the direct forestry squad is two,
0:05:19 > 0:05:21we're hoping to maybe increase that to three.
0:05:21 > 0:05:24We've then got contractors who are regulars.
0:05:24 > 0:05:26They all live in the local area
0:05:26 > 0:05:29and they come and help and support us every year
0:05:29 > 0:05:31because some of the equipment that they've got is big,
0:05:31 > 0:05:33and it's expensive, so I can't afford it.
0:05:33 > 0:05:36I focus on growing the trees.
0:05:36 > 0:05:39And some of the wood from those trees is turned into
0:05:39 > 0:05:42a range of products for the house-building industry
0:05:42 > 0:05:44here at the James Jones timber mill.
0:05:45 > 0:05:48The mill is on the estate itself
0:05:48 > 0:05:49and employs 50 people.
0:05:52 > 0:05:54Ian Pirie is the managing director.
0:05:56 > 0:05:59All the supplies to this mill are coming, the bulk,
0:05:59 > 0:06:01within a 50-mile radius.
0:06:01 > 0:06:04A little from Perthshire, but the majority coming from Aberdeenshire.
0:06:04 > 0:06:06But what about jobs?
0:06:06 > 0:06:09Because one of the accusations about the forest industry
0:06:09 > 0:06:11is it's not local jobs.
0:06:11 > 0:06:14It's itinerant workers or it's all going overseas.
0:06:14 > 0:06:17Well, that's absolutely not the case here.
0:06:17 > 0:06:20I would think everybody that's working in the mill here is coming
0:06:20 > 0:06:22from probably within a 20-mile radius.
0:06:22 > 0:06:25In fact, they're actually high-quality jobs
0:06:25 > 0:06:26that are sustainable.
0:06:26 > 0:06:31You know, we haven't paid people off here in 30 years, to my knowledge.
0:06:31 > 0:06:35There will probably be 150 people directly benefiting from this mill.
0:06:37 > 0:06:39When I started filming this piece,
0:06:39 > 0:06:43I was guilty of seeing some aspects of commercial plantation as having
0:06:43 > 0:06:48a negative impact on Scotland, but as we've heard, forestry can create
0:06:48 > 0:06:54jobs and it can create a positive contribution to the rural economy.
0:06:54 > 0:06:55So in many ways,
0:06:55 > 0:06:58I can now see just a little bit more wood for the trees.
0:07:03 > 0:07:07Now, from the woodlands of Deeside to the brochs, cairns and castles
0:07:07 > 0:07:10that pepper the Caithness countryside.
0:07:12 > 0:07:16There are scores of sites, but they are often overlooked
0:07:16 > 0:07:20by tourists bound for more famous archaeological sites in Orkney.
0:07:22 > 0:07:24That's a shame,
0:07:24 > 0:07:27and when Landward heard about plans by ambitious locals to put
0:07:27 > 0:07:30Caithness on the tourist map, we had to pay them a visit.
0:07:32 > 0:07:34- How are you doing?- Hello, Dougie. Welcome to Caithness.
0:07:34 > 0:07:37'Spearheading the project, is Kenneth McElroy.'
0:07:37 > 0:07:38Are you ready to go see a broch?
0:07:38 > 0:07:42'Today, he's taking me on a whistle-stop tour of the best
0:07:42 > 0:07:44'heritage sites Caithness has to offer.
0:07:44 > 0:07:47'But they're not always easy to find.'
0:07:48 > 0:07:51Well, you certainly wouldn't know it was here.
0:07:53 > 0:07:55Oh, my goodness! A clamber up.
0:07:55 > 0:07:57Watch out for the nettles.
0:07:57 > 0:07:59Wow, look at... Look at this!
0:07:59 > 0:08:02- So what is this? - You're looking at a broch, Dougie.
0:08:02 > 0:08:05This is a 2,000-year-old prehistoric structure
0:08:05 > 0:08:10built during the Iron Age and unique to Scotland.
0:08:10 > 0:08:14It's basically a dry-stone tower and what you see here is the scant
0:08:14 > 0:08:17remains of what could have been up to 40 feet high, actually.
0:08:17 > 0:08:20But when you look in a structure like this, you can really see,
0:08:20 > 0:08:23you know, just how intelligent and clever and good with their hands
0:08:23 > 0:08:25as well that they would have been.
0:08:25 > 0:08:27The brochs of Orkney and Shetland may be better known,
0:08:27 > 0:08:30but Caithness has its fair share.
0:08:30 > 0:08:33Caithness has more brochs than anywhere else in Scotland.
0:08:33 > 0:08:36We have around about 185
0:08:36 > 0:08:39whereas Orkney has 120, so we're certainly beating them there.
0:08:39 > 0:08:42- People don't know it's here. - Absolutely.
0:08:42 > 0:08:44Yeah, it's not far off the A9, actually.
0:08:44 > 0:08:49But if you didn't know about it, you just wouldn't know it was here.
0:08:49 > 0:08:52Keen to draw more attention to these historic sites,
0:08:52 > 0:08:56Ken and others have set up the Caithness Broch Project.
0:08:56 > 0:08:58Part of our project is to promote Caithness
0:08:58 > 0:09:01as a heritage tourism destination.
0:09:01 > 0:09:06Like I say, it has some fantastic castles, it has all these brochs,
0:09:06 > 0:09:09it has cairns, it has some really interesting
0:09:09 > 0:09:11tales and legends as well.
0:09:11 > 0:09:12But hopefully you'll see that.
0:09:13 > 0:09:17Next stop, the grey cairns of Camster.
0:09:20 > 0:09:23- Now, these look amazing. - Glad you like them.
0:09:23 > 0:09:24Incredible.
0:09:26 > 0:09:31These Neolithic burial chambers were built over 5,000 years ago.
0:09:31 > 0:09:35They're some of the best examples of their kind in Britain.
0:09:35 > 0:09:38One of the good things, when we arrived here, the signage is good.
0:09:38 > 0:09:41There's a kind of path across the marshes there as well.
0:09:41 > 0:09:43It's all kind of set up properly.
0:09:43 > 0:09:46- Yet, there's no-one here.- Yeah, and that's what we're trying to change.
0:09:46 > 0:09:48We want more tourism and we want tourists to come here
0:09:48 > 0:09:50and enjoy what we have to offer.
0:09:50 > 0:09:52- Can we go inside?- Yeah, absolutely.
0:09:59 > 0:10:01Wow. Another incredible place.
0:10:02 > 0:10:04That's amazing, isn't it?
0:10:04 > 0:10:06So this isn't a broch, though. This is a cairn.
0:10:06 > 0:10:08So how come this fits into your project?
0:10:08 > 0:10:12Well, what we're hoping to achieve is just promoting Caithness as
0:10:12 > 0:10:13a heritage tourism destination
0:10:13 > 0:10:15as a whole.
0:10:15 > 0:10:16So it's not just about the brochs.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19It's about the overarching history and archaeology of the area.
0:10:19 > 0:10:21Where are you taking me next?
0:10:21 > 0:10:23We're probably going to take you to the most
0:10:23 > 0:10:25spectacular sight in Caithness yet, so...
0:10:25 > 0:10:26- Let's do it.- Let's go.
0:10:27 > 0:10:29From dark interiors...
0:10:31 > 0:10:32..to dramatic exteriors.
0:10:33 > 0:10:36Our next stop is Castle Sinclair Girnigoe,
0:10:36 > 0:10:40another gem that's relatively unknown outside the area.
0:10:42 > 0:10:45Goodness, look at this place.
0:10:45 > 0:10:48This is truly extraordinary. So this is medieval, right, I'm guessing?
0:10:48 > 0:10:49That's right, yes.
0:10:49 > 0:10:51Sometime around the 14th, 15th century.
0:10:51 > 0:10:54So it's not just about brochs and cairns.
0:10:54 > 0:10:56- It's a bigger project than that. - Absolutely.
0:10:56 > 0:10:58Caithness is just... it's littered with history.
0:10:58 > 0:11:02I mean, just in this bay alone, we have around about six castles and dozens of brochs.
0:11:02 > 0:11:04And they're all worth seeing.
0:11:04 > 0:11:07Eventually, Ken's group hope to build a replica broch.
0:11:09 > 0:11:13A broch reconstructed as it would have been 2,000 years ago,
0:11:13 > 0:11:15a living history experience, if you will.
0:11:15 > 0:11:17Which would serve as an archaeological experiment,
0:11:17 > 0:11:20a drystone dyking workshop and, ultimately,
0:11:20 > 0:11:24a major visitor attraction and a vivid learning experience as well.
0:11:24 > 0:11:27- A living history, if you will. - My goodness.
0:11:27 > 0:11:30- Big old project, then.- Yeah, quite big.- You've got a lot to do.
0:11:30 > 0:11:33It's incredible and the things that you showed me today,
0:11:33 > 0:11:35I never knew they were here. That's the thing.
0:11:35 > 0:11:36I've been up in this area many, many times.
0:11:36 > 0:11:39That's what we're trying to do. We're trying to stamp our feet and say,
0:11:39 > 0:11:41"Listen, Caithness has got it all."
0:11:49 > 0:11:53Working on Landward, we're often surprised by the strange and unusual
0:11:53 > 0:11:56place names we stumble upon as we travel around the country.
0:11:56 > 0:11:58And over the next couple of weeks,
0:11:58 > 0:12:00we're going to be looking into the derivation of a few of them.
0:12:02 > 0:12:06First up, it's the wee place with the big name, Maggieknockater.
0:12:06 > 0:12:08But who was Maggie?
0:12:11 > 0:12:15It's a tiny hamlet of only a few homes on the A95 in Moray.
0:12:15 > 0:12:18And going at that speed, if you blink, you'll miss it.
0:12:21 > 0:12:23But what about the name?
0:12:23 > 0:12:27It turns out it has nothing to do with anyone called Maggie.
0:12:27 > 0:12:33Maggieknockater is the anglicised version of the old Gaelic name Magh an Fhucadair,
0:12:33 > 0:12:35which means field of the fuller
0:12:35 > 0:12:37or plain of the hilly ridge.
0:12:37 > 0:12:39Up until the early 1970s,
0:12:39 > 0:12:42there was a large apiary here and that name lives on
0:12:42 > 0:12:45in the Scottish country dance, The Bees of Maggieknockater.
0:12:45 > 0:12:49And if you have any weird and wonderful place names you'd like to tell us about,
0:12:49 > 0:12:54get in touch via our Facebook page or e-mail landward@bbc.co.uk.
0:13:00 > 0:13:02On Landward we love to see wildlife.
0:13:02 > 0:13:04Preferably, in its natural habitat.
0:13:07 > 0:13:11But when it makes its way into urban areas, it can cause problems.
0:13:12 > 0:13:15Euan's been to Edinburgh to find out what happens when
0:13:15 > 0:13:17wild animals stray into the city.
0:13:19 > 0:13:22We think of deer on the hill and the glen,
0:13:22 > 0:13:25in the field and the forest but, increasingly,
0:13:25 > 0:13:29roe deer are being spotted right here in our towns and our city.
0:13:29 > 0:13:33Now, we all love to see wildlife, but deer on the doorstop
0:13:33 > 0:13:36can lead to conflict between them and us.
0:13:38 > 0:13:41I've come to Winton on the outskirts of Edinburgh,
0:13:41 > 0:13:44where the deer have taken to coming right up to the back door.
0:13:46 > 0:13:49- Dick.- Euan.- Great to see. - Nice to see you.
0:13:49 > 0:13:51'I'm meeting Dick Playfair
0:13:51 > 0:13:55'of the Lowland Deer Network, who knows the problems this can cause.'
0:13:57 > 0:14:00Well, we've got an increasing roe deer population,
0:14:00 > 0:14:02a territorial animal,
0:14:02 > 0:14:05and they look for new territories and they're needing to expand.
0:14:05 > 0:14:09So what we're seeing is them moving to areas which suit them,
0:14:09 > 0:14:12where they can find food, where they can find new territory
0:14:12 > 0:14:15and this is perfect for them, to be honest.
0:14:15 > 0:14:18A lot of people do love seeing deer and would like to see them
0:14:18 > 0:14:21out on their morning walk but if you're planting trees,
0:14:21 > 0:14:24you've got expensive plants in your garden or you're a local authority
0:14:24 > 0:14:27and you've got a budget to actually put in landscaping,
0:14:27 > 0:14:32then the last thing you want is this creature coming along and chewing up your plants.
0:14:32 > 0:14:34But what about...things like dogs?
0:14:34 > 0:14:37- That must be a problem in this kind of environment?- It is.
0:14:37 > 0:14:40Deer and dog walkers don't go together very well.
0:14:40 > 0:14:44We've had situations with people losing their dogs behind deer,
0:14:44 > 0:14:46not knowing where they've gone.
0:14:46 > 0:14:48And, of course, dogs and deer will run out in front of cars
0:14:48 > 0:14:50and that sort of thing.
0:14:50 > 0:14:53The encroachment into human population can also lead
0:14:53 > 0:14:55the deer into harm's way.
0:14:55 > 0:14:58Where you have deer in increasing numbers, that's where you
0:14:58 > 0:15:01start to see wildlife crime,
0:15:01 > 0:15:03with acts of cruelty involving deer.
0:15:03 > 0:15:07You'll find deer being shot at with crossbow bolts, for example,
0:15:07 > 0:15:12or people having their dogs chase after deer as they do with hares.
0:15:12 > 0:15:14So particularly on urban fringes,
0:15:14 > 0:15:16that's the sort of activity that you need to keep an eye out for.
0:15:19 > 0:15:22But by far the biggest problem is the potential for havoc
0:15:22 > 0:15:24caused by deer and traffic.
0:15:24 > 0:15:29It's estimated that there are up to 74,000 accidents involving
0:15:29 > 0:15:31deer in the UK each year.
0:15:32 > 0:15:35And if the deer are invading cities and towns,
0:15:35 > 0:15:38then they're crossing more roads.
0:15:38 > 0:15:40So, Euan, I brought you up here because we're right next to the city
0:15:40 > 0:15:44bypass and roadside edges actually provide perfect habitat for
0:15:44 > 0:15:46them to hang around in and, to be quite frank,
0:15:46 > 0:15:49the noise of the traffic doesn't disturb them that much.
0:15:50 > 0:15:53You've got a project up and running where you're encouraging
0:15:53 > 0:15:56people to be more aware of roe deer and to report sightings.
0:15:56 > 0:16:00It's really good that people should be aware of what wildlife is around
0:16:00 > 0:16:04them and so often people will just ignore the fact that there happens to be
0:16:04 > 0:16:07a roe deer or a family of roe deer just down there in the hollow.
0:16:11 > 0:16:14So it seems you can have too much of a good thing.
0:16:14 > 0:16:15And without management,
0:16:15 > 0:16:19the roe deer population will get out of control.
0:16:20 > 0:16:23If you would like to find out more about what can be done to control
0:16:23 > 0:16:27these animals, you can visit the Lowland Deer website.
0:16:27 > 0:16:30You'll find a link to that on the Landward page.
0:16:34 > 0:16:35SHIP'S HORN BLASTS
0:16:36 > 0:16:38And now I'm off to sea again.
0:16:40 > 0:16:44I'm continuing my voyage of discovery around the amazing place
0:16:44 > 0:16:46that is the Small Isles.
0:16:47 > 0:16:51The Small Isles sit off the southwestern tip of Skye.
0:16:51 > 0:16:55They are Rum, Eigg, Muck, and Canna.
0:16:57 > 0:17:00Last week, I braved Rum in the rain to discover what's left of
0:17:00 > 0:17:02the settlement of Harris,
0:17:02 > 0:17:07a testament to the impact of the Highland Clearances of the 1820s.
0:17:10 > 0:17:14This week my journey has brought me to Eigg, a very modern island
0:17:14 > 0:17:17owned by the community and brimming with technology.
0:17:20 > 0:17:23Almost 20 years ago, Eigg was in private hands.
0:17:23 > 0:17:25Living here wasn't easy.
0:17:25 > 0:17:28There was no mains electricity and the only power came from
0:17:28 > 0:17:30noisy diesel generators.
0:17:30 > 0:17:31CHEERING
0:17:31 > 0:17:34When the community successfully completed its buyout,
0:17:34 > 0:17:37the residents set about modernising their island.
0:17:40 > 0:17:42I'm here to find out how life has changed in the last two
0:17:42 > 0:17:46decades since the buyout and I'm here to meet Maggie Fyffe, my guide,
0:17:46 > 0:17:48who's lived here for 35 years.
0:17:50 > 0:17:53- Maggie.- Hello.- How's it going? Nice to see you.- I'm good, how are you?
0:17:53 > 0:17:55Very well. There's a beach down yonder, can we go for a wander?
0:17:55 > 0:17:57- We could do, aye.- Let's do that.
0:18:00 > 0:18:04Maggie, cast your mind back 20 years or so, round about the time of the community buyout.
0:18:04 > 0:18:07What was the island like at that time?
0:18:08 > 0:18:12Well, it was a pretty exciting time because, you know,
0:18:12 > 0:18:15we were focusing on buying the island but, prior to that,
0:18:15 > 0:18:17it was a pretty depressed place, I would say,
0:18:17 > 0:18:21because people didn't have security. That was the key issue, I think.
0:18:21 > 0:18:24So how did you manage your energy needs back then?
0:18:24 > 0:18:28- Back then, most people had a generator at the house.- Right.
0:18:28 > 0:18:31So come sort of evening time,
0:18:31 > 0:18:34you could hear engines running all over the place.
0:18:34 > 0:18:36We could have a stereo and a laptop
0:18:36 > 0:18:40but I couldn't have a washing machine, for instance!
0:18:45 > 0:18:50With the cost of a subsea power cable to bring electricity from the mainland proving prohibitive,
0:18:50 > 0:18:56the community decided to turn to the elements - sun, wind, and water.
0:18:56 > 0:18:59Eigg is now known as the renewable isle
0:18:59 > 0:19:01after becoming the first place in the world to have its
0:19:01 > 0:19:06electricity needs met entirely by solar, hydro and wind power.
0:19:07 > 0:19:09Tying these diverse sources together to provide
0:19:09 > 0:19:12a stable electricity supply was John Booth,
0:19:12 > 0:19:14a director of Eigg Electric.
0:19:16 > 0:19:18John, you have this integrated system with hydro,
0:19:18 > 0:19:20with wind and with solar.
0:19:20 > 0:19:21How does that actually work?
0:19:21 > 0:19:25Well, we feed the power generated by each of the renewables
0:19:25 > 0:19:28at the location where we generate
0:19:28 > 0:19:32into a high-voltage grid that runs the length of the island.
0:19:32 > 0:19:36Because the power produced by renewable resources
0:19:36 > 0:19:40is very variable, we couldn't possibly have a stable power supply.
0:19:40 > 0:19:44So we back this up with a bank of batteries that is
0:19:44 > 0:19:47connected directly to the grid.
0:19:47 > 0:19:51That way we guarantee power all the time.
0:19:51 > 0:19:55- So shall we go and have a look where the batteries are? - Yes, indeed. Why not?- Excellent.
0:19:56 > 0:19:59The project cost £1.6 million,
0:19:59 > 0:20:03a quarter of the price of an undersea cable from the mainland.
0:20:04 > 0:20:07Right, I'm not technically minded at all, so explain to me
0:20:07 > 0:20:10in layman's terms what actually happens in here.
0:20:10 > 0:20:13Well, here we have inverters
0:20:13 > 0:20:18which are connected to a bank of batteries on the other side of the wall.
0:20:18 > 0:20:20So if there is a surplus of power being
0:20:20 > 0:20:24produced by the renewables, it will flow into the batteries.
0:20:24 > 0:20:28If there is a deficit, it will flow out of the batteries
0:20:28 > 0:20:32and that is how we guarantee stable, 24-hour power
0:20:32 > 0:20:35that makes up for the fluctuations in the output of the renewables.
0:20:35 > 0:20:39So how much... Do they pay more or less than they would have done in the mainland?
0:20:39 > 0:20:42- I would say they pay about a third more.- OK.
0:20:42 > 0:20:44So it's not a cheap option.
0:20:47 > 0:20:48Maybe not.
0:20:48 > 0:20:52But having a reliable and renewable electricity supply has brought
0:20:52 > 0:20:55people back to the island and established new businesses.
0:20:56 > 0:20:59The last thing I expected to find on Eigg was a record company.
0:21:00 > 0:21:04Lost Map Records is run from the island by Johnny Lynch.
0:21:06 > 0:21:10So, Johnny, tell me. How did you end up being here on Eigg?
0:21:10 > 0:21:13I moved here about six years ago.
0:21:13 > 0:21:16My girlfriend had just come back to the island. She was born here.
0:21:16 > 0:21:20She had just come back to take over the tenancy of her uncle's farm.
0:21:20 > 0:21:22And as soon as I arrived here,
0:21:22 > 0:21:27I just fell in love with the place so I've never left.
0:21:27 > 0:21:30So running your own business, were you not concerned by the potential challenges of that,
0:21:30 > 0:21:33you know, in a remote location?
0:21:33 > 0:21:37Running Lost Map Records is done predominately using the internet
0:21:37 > 0:21:41connection that we have here so I Skype with bands, I chat with bands.
0:21:41 > 0:21:43My life revolves around the internet.
0:21:43 > 0:21:47I guess a solid electricity supply is hugely important as well for that?
0:21:47 > 0:21:48It's essential, yeah.
0:21:48 > 0:21:51Since that has come to the island, the whole island
0:21:51 > 0:21:55has thrived, really, off the back of the electricity system that we've got here.
0:21:56 > 0:21:59With entrepreneurs like Johnny going to work on Eigg,
0:21:59 > 0:22:01the future for the island looks bright.
0:22:03 > 0:22:06It really is amazing what the people of Eigg have achieved
0:22:06 > 0:22:07in the past two decades.
0:22:07 > 0:22:10Their ingenuity and entrepreneurship have created
0:22:10 > 0:22:12an environment where life can thrive.
0:22:14 > 0:22:15Next time I'll be on Muck,
0:22:15 > 0:22:19the last remaining privately-owned island in the Small Isles.
0:22:26 > 0:22:29And now we're heading to the Cairngorms to meet
0:22:29 > 0:22:33a hardy breed that brave all the faces of our wonderful climate,
0:22:33 > 0:22:37taking a dip in Scotland's lochs and rivers.
0:22:37 > 0:22:40We sent Sarah for an unexpected surprise.
0:22:42 > 0:22:44You know, when I was asked if I wanted to do
0:22:44 > 0:22:48a piece on swimming, I thought, "Yeah, fine. I like a nice swim."
0:22:48 > 0:22:52But this was not exactly the location I had in mind.
0:22:54 > 0:22:57I can live without flumes or wave machines,
0:22:57 > 0:23:03but I was kind of expecting walls and a roof and maybe some heating.
0:23:04 > 0:23:06- Calum.- Hi, Sarah, how you doing? - Good, how are you doing?
0:23:06 > 0:23:08- Good, thanks. - I'm getting slightly worried.- OK.
0:23:08 > 0:23:12- Where exactly are we swimming today?- We are swimming right here.
0:23:12 > 0:23:16- This is the Lochan Uaine in the Cairngorms National Park. - It looks cold.
0:23:16 > 0:23:18It's going to be a wee bit chilly.
0:23:18 > 0:23:21No bad. So no bad is when you get in and you don't immediately want to
0:23:21 > 0:23:23get straight back out.
0:23:23 > 0:23:26It's, basically, if the water doesn't cause your feet pain.
0:23:26 > 0:23:28Oh, that's no bad, like.
0:23:28 > 0:23:32Calum Maclean has become an internet sensation with millions of
0:23:32 > 0:23:36views on BBC Scotland's The Social website.
0:23:36 > 0:23:39His regular posts feature his passion for swimming in all
0:23:39 > 0:23:44kinds of wild and wonderful places around the Scottish countryside.
0:23:44 > 0:23:46And the worst of it is when it's Baltic.
0:23:46 > 0:23:49Baltic is, basically, when you're breaking the ice on the edge
0:23:49 > 0:23:52of the loch to get in. It's kind of an in, out, shake it all about.
0:23:52 > 0:23:55Make sure nothing's fallen off and everything's still intact
0:23:55 > 0:23:57on your body. It's brutal.
0:23:58 > 0:24:00So how did you get into wild swimming?
0:24:00 > 0:24:03I think it's something that I've always done from a young age.
0:24:03 > 0:24:05you know, swimming at beaches, swimming at lochs.
0:24:05 > 0:24:09And just over the last few years it's something that I've almost
0:24:09 > 0:24:13become obsessive about and I was seeking out new wilder places,
0:24:13 > 0:24:15- more remote lochs as well. - How often do you swim?
0:24:15 > 0:24:17I try and swim every single day.
0:24:17 > 0:24:21So it's easier in summer when it's a wee bit warmer, the days are longer.
0:24:21 > 0:24:25But, yeah, usually, at least a couple of times a week I'm out swimming somewhere.
0:24:25 > 0:24:29- So you try and swim outdoors nearly every single day.- Yeah.
0:24:29 > 0:24:32- Regardless of the weather? - Pretty much, yeah, yeah.
0:24:32 > 0:24:33I think the more you do it,
0:24:33 > 0:24:37the more your body becomes accustomed to it and used to it.
0:24:37 > 0:24:39I'll take your word for it.
0:24:39 > 0:24:42Your Facebook posts are very popular viewing.
0:24:42 > 0:24:44They've caught the public's attention.
0:24:44 > 0:24:46What sort of reaction do you get from people?
0:24:46 > 0:24:50- Most people ask if I'm crazy, so most people...- Are you?
0:24:50 > 0:24:52I don't know. I don't think I am.
0:24:52 > 0:24:54I think the people that don't go out swimming,
0:24:54 > 0:24:56I think they might be the ones that are mad, I think.
0:24:56 > 0:24:59You could be sitting on your sofa, you could be going for a swim in a loch.
0:24:59 > 0:25:01I know which one I'd prefer to do, anyway.
0:25:01 > 0:25:03Tell me a bit about where we are today.
0:25:03 > 0:25:07Well, we're at the Lochan Uaine today, which means the Green Lochan.
0:25:07 > 0:25:09You can see from the colour of the water how it gets its name.
0:25:09 > 0:25:12And it's quite a nice one. It's got a beach you can access through
0:25:12 > 0:25:14so instead of having to climb over rocks, you can walk straight in.
0:25:14 > 0:25:17Right, I think we should do what we came to do.
0:25:17 > 0:25:19- Is it time to get changed? - It is, yes.- OK.
0:25:19 > 0:25:21- No putting it off now.- Let's do it.
0:25:23 > 0:25:27- Ready?- Yes, are you ready?- I don't know. Top tips for wild swimming?
0:25:27 > 0:25:30Well, I'd say the top tip for getting in is just to take it nice and slow.
0:25:30 > 0:25:31So you want to get your legs wet,
0:25:31 > 0:25:34you want to splash some water up on your chest, up on your face,
0:25:34 > 0:25:37make sure you don't get that cold water shock once you get straight in past your neck.
0:25:37 > 0:25:41- Mind over matter.- It is. That's what it is.- Are we going to go for it? - Are we going to go for it?
0:25:41 > 0:25:42- Yes, let's go.- Let's do it.
0:25:43 > 0:25:48'Following Calum's advice, I ease myself gently into the chilly loch.
0:25:51 > 0:25:57'But, ultimately, we're not here to splash about. We're here to swim.'
0:26:01 > 0:26:02SHE WHOOPS
0:26:06 > 0:26:09How does the water feel to you?
0:26:09 > 0:26:10I don't know. What would you say?
0:26:10 > 0:26:13- I would say it's no bad. - It's no bad.
0:26:13 > 0:26:15It's better than expected.
0:26:15 > 0:26:17It's no Baltic, it's no bad.
0:26:21 > 0:26:24This is great. It feels really good.
0:26:24 > 0:26:27- And I'm not just saying that. It feels good.- Does feel good, yeah.
0:26:29 > 0:26:34'And it doesn't just feel good. The Green Lochan is truly gorgeous.'
0:26:41 > 0:26:45Do you know...? It's not as cold as I thought it was going to be.
0:26:45 > 0:26:48No, it's really not today. It's quite nice, actually.
0:26:48 > 0:26:53- You feel so awake and alive when you're in there, don't you? - Yeah, you do.
0:26:53 > 0:26:57And it just... It's amazing. I see why you do it now. It was great fun.
0:26:57 > 0:26:59- You get addicted.- What happens now?
0:26:59 > 0:27:01Right, well, as soon as you get out, you want to get your towel,
0:27:01 > 0:27:03and you want to get dry as quickly as possible.
0:27:03 > 0:27:06And, then, after that, you want to reward yourself with some cake.
0:27:06 > 0:27:09Ah, I love cake. Let's go.
0:27:12 > 0:27:16'And so, with tea and cake in hand, we took in the view.
0:27:16 > 0:27:22'The Green Lochan, my first wild swim, and it was no bad.'
0:27:28 > 0:27:30Coming up next week...
0:27:30 > 0:27:32Scotland's best prepare for battle
0:27:32 > 0:27:34in the European Ploughing Championships.
0:27:35 > 0:27:39We have to keep trying. We have to try harder anyway.
0:27:39 > 0:27:42We celebrate 70 years of banking on the move.
0:27:43 > 0:27:47And I continue my Small Isles journey in the stunningly
0:27:47 > 0:27:49beautiful Isle of Muck.
0:27:49 > 0:27:52We're always trying to keep the community quite stable out here.
0:27:52 > 0:27:56We work quite hard to keep a vibrant community going.
0:27:56 > 0:27:58There is nowhere better in the world, I would say.
0:27:58 > 0:28:01Please join me for that and much more at the same time next week.
0:28:01 > 0:28:04Friday night, 7:30 on BBC ONE Scotland.
0:28:04 > 0:28:07In the meantime, from all the Landward team here in Speyside,
0:28:07 > 0:28:09thank you so much for your company. Bye for now.