0:00:02 > 0:00:05This week on Landward, we delve into myths and legends,
0:00:05 > 0:00:07hawks and the harvest.
0:00:07 > 0:00:09It's 30 minutes full to the brim.
0:00:28 > 0:00:31Hello, and a very warm welcome to Landward.
0:00:31 > 0:00:33This year is the 200th anniversary
0:00:33 > 0:00:35of one of Scotland's greatest novels -
0:00:35 > 0:00:38Rob Roy by Sir Walter Scott.
0:00:38 > 0:00:42In a moment, I'll be looking into the facts behind the fiction,
0:00:42 > 0:00:45and here's what else we've got coming up for you.
0:00:45 > 0:00:47Euan's tracking down sparrowhawks...
0:00:47 > 0:00:51These feathers almost act like human fingerprints.
0:00:51 > 0:00:53..I discover how the wet summer has hit farmers...
0:00:53 > 0:00:56Is this unusable? It's just going to stay in the ground, then?
0:00:56 > 0:00:59This area here, we'll just plough it back in and go again next year.
0:00:59 > 0:01:01Three, two, one.
0:01:01 > 0:01:05..and Arlene's on a dolphin rescue exercise.
0:01:11 > 0:01:14But first, on this damp, misty day,
0:01:14 > 0:01:16I'm here on the shores of Loch Katrine,
0:01:16 > 0:01:20to celebrate an important anniversary.
0:01:20 > 0:01:22Exactly 200 years ago,
0:01:22 > 0:01:24Sir Walter Scott wrote a novel
0:01:24 > 0:01:27about an outlaw who lived around these parts.
0:01:27 > 0:01:30The book, Rob Roy, was a phenomenal success,
0:01:30 > 0:01:33selling over 10,000 copies in the first year,
0:01:33 > 0:01:37making Rob Roy a national folk hero and Scott a household name.
0:01:39 > 0:01:43Scott's novel portrayed Rob Roy as a swashbuckling Scottish Robin Hood,
0:01:43 > 0:01:46but in real life, he was very different.
0:01:46 > 0:01:49- Peter, how are you? - Really lovely to meet you, Dougie.
0:01:49 > 0:01:52- And you, too.- What a nice day it is! - It's absolutely horrific.
0:01:52 > 0:01:54Shall we put our hoods up and wander on?
0:01:54 > 0:01:57- I think that's a pretty good idea. - It's wild, isn't it?
0:01:59 > 0:02:03Peter Broughan was the producer of the 1995 film Rob Roy,
0:02:03 > 0:02:06and an expert on the man and the myth.
0:02:07 > 0:02:10So, Peter, 22 years since the film came out.
0:02:10 > 0:02:13- Yes!- I would imagine that you had to do a huge amount of research for it.
0:02:13 > 0:02:17- Yes.- So, what's the significance of this particular glen?
0:02:17 > 0:02:19Well, this is the place where Rob Roy was born,
0:02:19 > 0:02:20over there at Glengyle.
0:02:20 > 0:02:22You can see the house there,
0:02:22 > 0:02:24and he was born in the bothy behind the house.
0:02:24 > 0:02:27So, this is where it all started in 1671.
0:02:27 > 0:02:29Was he a man of means, then, given the fact that
0:02:29 > 0:02:31- that's not a small kind of area by any means?- No, no.
0:02:31 > 0:02:34Well, he was reasonably prosperous by the standards of the time,
0:02:34 > 0:02:38but he was a drover. I mean, that was his main source of employment,
0:02:38 > 0:02:39was being a farmer and a drover.
0:02:39 > 0:02:43Because the economy of the Highlands at the time was entirely based on -
0:02:43 > 0:02:45almost entirely based on - cattle.
0:02:45 > 0:02:49The trade got very busy in the sort of mid-17th century,
0:02:49 > 0:02:51and after the Union of the Crowns,
0:02:51 > 0:02:55and then the market got bigger and bigger down south.
0:02:55 > 0:02:57So, these guys would gather up the beasts,
0:02:57 > 0:02:59and then drive them, you know,
0:02:59 > 0:03:01- across that way...- Uh-huh.
0:03:01 > 0:03:03Going eastwards, either to Crieff or Falkirk, to market.
0:03:05 > 0:03:08Rob Roy's Scotland was a turbulent place,
0:03:08 > 0:03:11riven by political and religious conflict,
0:03:11 > 0:03:13fuelled by the battle for the Crown.
0:03:14 > 0:03:17- Politically, where was he, then? - He was a Jacobite.
0:03:17 > 0:03:21He was very much involved in trying to get the Stuart
0:03:21 > 0:03:24kings back onto the throne of Scotland, and if that's political,
0:03:24 > 0:03:26- then that's political. - That certainly is.
0:03:27 > 0:03:31Over the years, Rob Roy became a well-respected cattleman,
0:03:31 > 0:03:34but when he was unable to repay a loan,
0:03:34 > 0:03:39he ended up on the wrong side of the powerful Duke of Montrose.
0:03:39 > 0:03:41- He had a deal with Montrose, he borrowed £1,000...- Mm-hmm.
0:03:41 > 0:03:44..and that's when his life changed dramatically.
0:03:44 > 0:03:46It did. It was a cattle deal,
0:03:46 > 0:03:49the cattle deal went wrong, so after that,
0:03:49 > 0:03:51Montrose took revenge on him by seizing his properties
0:03:51 > 0:03:54and burning down his buildings and all the rest of it,
0:03:54 > 0:03:57and Rob Roy became an outlaw after that.
0:03:57 > 0:04:00He was officially an outlaw, and he had to live outside the law,
0:04:00 > 0:04:02and he also took revenge on Montrose,
0:04:02 > 0:04:05so it was backwards and forwards, tit-for-tat.
0:04:05 > 0:04:08You know, mutual violence against each other.
0:04:08 > 0:04:11We talk about hard men today, and it's a bit of a pernicious myth,
0:04:11 > 0:04:15the Scottish hard man, but, my God, Rob Roy MacGregor was a hard man,
0:04:15 > 0:04:16a really hard man.
0:04:16 > 0:04:19And the Duke of Argyll had a role to play within all that, as well?
0:04:19 > 0:04:21Yeah, at the same time as he was having the feud
0:04:21 > 0:04:23with Montrose, he also enjoyed the patronage
0:04:23 > 0:04:25and the protection of the Duke of Argyll.
0:04:25 > 0:04:29I think Rob Roy was always a pawn in the game that these larger guys,
0:04:29 > 0:04:32these larger figures, were playing with each other.
0:04:32 > 0:04:35He had the protection over a long period.
0:04:37 > 0:04:39But it wasn't to last.
0:04:39 > 0:04:41After many turbulent years,
0:04:41 > 0:04:43Rob Roy was eventually convicted of fraud,
0:04:43 > 0:04:46and did time in London's notorious Newgate Prison.
0:04:48 > 0:04:51He was later pardoned, and lived out the rest of his days
0:04:51 > 0:04:55back at his farm, Inverlochlarig.
0:04:55 > 0:04:56We just carry on up here.
0:04:56 > 0:04:57He died in 1734,
0:04:57 > 0:05:01and was laid to rest in the churchyard at Balquhidder.
0:05:03 > 0:05:04So, here we are.
0:05:04 > 0:05:07So, here. This is the man's grave.
0:05:08 > 0:05:12Which people still come and visit, as you can see, and leave offerings.
0:05:12 > 0:05:17"Died 28th December, 1734, aged around 70."
0:05:17 > 0:05:18I don't think he was quite as old as that.
0:05:18 > 0:05:21I think that's giving him a few years that he didn't have.
0:05:21 > 0:05:24So, why do you think, then, he has become such a mythical figure?
0:05:24 > 0:05:27Rob Roy was utterly real.
0:05:27 > 0:05:31Erm...he was struggling against much bigger and greater forces than him,
0:05:31 > 0:05:35and trying to survive at a time when that was very challenging.
0:05:35 > 0:05:39And, you know, I think his story, and triumphing over those kind of
0:05:39 > 0:05:43pressures and those kind of oppositions and obstacles,
0:05:43 > 0:05:45means that, you know, he's a man for his time,
0:05:45 > 0:05:47but he's also a man for all time.
0:05:48 > 0:05:52And that's why the myth has been revisited time and again
0:05:52 > 0:05:57in books, on stage, and on the big screen.
0:05:57 > 0:06:00A legend in his own lifetime and beyond.
0:06:00 > 0:06:04The story of the real Rob Roy was forged in this landscape.
0:06:09 > 0:06:10Now, we're going to Aberdeen Beach,
0:06:10 > 0:06:13where Arlene is about to take part in a rescue mission.
0:06:16 > 0:06:21Stranded marine mammals are one of the most disturbing and perplexing
0:06:21 > 0:06:22wildlife sights.
0:06:22 > 0:06:26Just last week, a dolphin stranded itself in Buckie Harbour,
0:06:26 > 0:06:30and despite the best efforts of specially trained volunteers,
0:06:30 > 0:06:32the white-beaked dolphin died.
0:06:33 > 0:06:36But when these beautiful creatures do become stranded,
0:06:36 > 0:06:38there's no time to ponder the reasons why.
0:06:38 > 0:06:41It's imperative that they are returned to the sea or they'll die.
0:06:43 > 0:06:45These ones aren't real dolphins,
0:06:45 > 0:06:49and this is an exercise run by the British Divers Marine Life Rescue,
0:06:49 > 0:06:51who attended the Buckie incident.
0:06:52 > 0:06:54Founded in 1988,
0:06:54 > 0:07:00the BDMLR now runs training courses for volunteers across the country.
0:07:01 > 0:07:04The training coordinator is Stephen Marsh.
0:07:04 > 0:07:06Well, it's really important.
0:07:06 > 0:07:09I mean, we've got 3,500 volunteers out there.
0:07:09 > 0:07:11Getting them trained up is really important
0:07:11 > 0:07:14for when we do have the mass strandings.
0:07:14 > 0:07:16In the last sort of five or six years,
0:07:16 > 0:07:18we've had five major mass strandings,
0:07:18 > 0:07:21and giving them the skills is great.
0:07:21 > 0:07:23On our day training course, they get to know the basics.
0:07:23 > 0:07:26This is where they actually get to feel what it's like for a whole day,
0:07:26 > 0:07:29actually caring for animals on the beach.
0:07:29 > 0:07:32Because we've got quite a few animals that are on their sides...
0:07:32 > 0:07:36Today's exercise involves the mass stranding
0:07:36 > 0:07:38of pilot whales and dolphins.
0:07:38 > 0:07:41Once the animals are upright, then we can start working on
0:07:41 > 0:07:44first aid with our watering cans and our sheets, OK?
0:07:44 > 0:07:46Members of the public, of course, if they see this,
0:07:46 > 0:07:48it's very distressing, and they'll want to assist,
0:07:48 > 0:07:51they'll want to help, but that can cause problems, though, can't it?
0:07:51 > 0:07:55It can. We had incidences where people have actually
0:07:55 > 0:07:57taken a filler hose and started filling up the blowhole,
0:07:57 > 0:08:00because they know that that's where the water comes out,
0:08:00 > 0:08:01so that's how they breathe.
0:08:01 > 0:08:05These are mammals, so that blowhole is actually a nostril,
0:08:05 > 0:08:07so we can't put anything in there.
0:08:07 > 0:08:10Where members of the public can help is obviously by calling us.
0:08:10 > 0:08:12If they can get the animals upright safely,
0:08:12 > 0:08:14then that really does help us.
0:08:17 > 0:08:19British Divers Marine Life Rescue
0:08:19 > 0:08:23was called out over 850 times last year,
0:08:23 > 0:08:25mostly to help stranded seals,
0:08:25 > 0:08:28but over 80 call-outs were to whale and dolphin strandings.
0:08:30 > 0:08:33Just try and gently pull them together.
0:08:33 > 0:08:35One, two, three.
0:08:36 > 0:08:38In our exercise,
0:08:38 > 0:08:42two of the dolphins are stranded on the beach side-by-side.
0:08:42 > 0:08:46We need to get them separated, so they can be rolled upright,
0:08:46 > 0:08:47treated and monitored.
0:08:48 > 0:08:51Why is it so important to have them upright?
0:08:51 > 0:08:54Just for inside, obviously it's going to injure them,
0:08:54 > 0:08:56so you need to be able to balance out.
0:08:56 > 0:08:58Right, so there's too much pressure if they're on their side?
0:08:58 > 0:09:00Crush injuries.
0:09:00 > 0:09:03What causes these creatures to come up on shore?
0:09:03 > 0:09:06What is it that confuses them?
0:09:06 > 0:09:10Very often, it can be anthropogenic, or man-made, causes.
0:09:10 > 0:09:11There can be natural causes,
0:09:11 > 0:09:14and over the last few years, we've had both.
0:09:14 > 0:09:17With pilot whales, pilot whales are very, very family-oriented,
0:09:17 > 0:09:19so if one animal gets into trouble,
0:09:19 > 0:09:22they will come in, seek shelter close to shore,
0:09:22 > 0:09:25and if they get caught out, if one gets caught out,
0:09:25 > 0:09:28then the others will probably try and come up with them.
0:09:28 > 0:09:32We've had them frightened in by underwater explosions,
0:09:32 > 0:09:35where armaments were being detonated,
0:09:35 > 0:09:38but we do get a lot of natural incidences as well,
0:09:38 > 0:09:41where we've got animals in distress, and they come to shelter.
0:09:47 > 0:09:50My job is collecting water in buckets at the moment,
0:09:50 > 0:09:52because what I've discovered is,
0:09:52 > 0:09:55there are no menial tasks to an exercise like this.
0:09:55 > 0:09:57Everyone has to work as a team.
0:10:03 > 0:10:08I guess the important thing is to avoid the blowhole at all costs.
0:10:08 > 0:10:10The beach is a hive of activity,
0:10:10 > 0:10:14with 65 volunteers from as far afield as Devon and Durness,
0:10:14 > 0:10:17all learning new skills or having a refresher.
0:10:19 > 0:10:22So, we're trying to rehabilitate this,
0:10:22 > 0:10:25or trying to stabilise this pilot whale here,
0:10:25 > 0:10:27so we can get it back into the water
0:10:27 > 0:10:29when the tide comes back in, so we're just keeping him moist
0:10:29 > 0:10:31just now, keeping him up in temperature,
0:10:31 > 0:10:33and just basically keeping him alive, hopefully.
0:10:33 > 0:10:36Currently, I'm measuring the breath rate to see how anxious
0:10:36 > 0:10:38the animal is, or if he's nice and relaxed.
0:10:38 > 0:10:41So, we've actually got a female here. So I'm waiting to see.
0:10:41 > 0:10:44There should be one breath every minute to have a nice relaxed whale.
0:10:44 > 0:10:46We have got signs up today,
0:10:46 > 0:10:48telling people in the area what's going on today,
0:10:48 > 0:10:50but there are a lot of people coming up to the beach,
0:10:50 > 0:10:52looking over the wall and think it's all real,
0:10:52 > 0:10:55so they run down to come and offer to help with buckets,
0:10:55 > 0:11:00and anything they can do to help, so, in the real thing, yeah,
0:11:00 > 0:11:01there's a lot of emotion involved.
0:11:01 > 0:11:04Someone cover the blowhole for me? Thanks.
0:11:05 > 0:11:08Just hold on to him there.
0:11:08 > 0:11:11As the tide turns, we start refloating the animals.
0:11:14 > 0:11:16Three, two, one.
0:11:18 > 0:11:20Steady.
0:11:20 > 0:11:23Our dolphin is the first to be slowly carried and reintroduced
0:11:23 > 0:11:24to the water.
0:11:38 > 0:11:41Well, these dolphins and whales might just be made out of latex,
0:11:41 > 0:11:43but you do become emotionally involved,
0:11:43 > 0:11:46and I've learned so much today from the volunteers,
0:11:46 > 0:11:48and maybe in the future, should the need arise,
0:11:48 > 0:11:50I'm ready to be part of something special,
0:11:50 > 0:11:53to get these incredible creatures back out to sea.
0:11:59 > 0:12:01For details of courses in your area,
0:12:01 > 0:12:04go to the British Divers Marine Life Rescue website.
0:12:07 > 0:12:10Now, from the coast to our nation's capital,
0:12:10 > 0:12:13where Euan's on the trail of a bird of prey
0:12:13 > 0:12:15making a success of living in the city.
0:12:20 > 0:12:23Sparrowhawks are magnificent hunters...
0:12:24 > 0:12:26..largely preying on small birds.
0:12:32 > 0:12:34I love sparrowhawks.
0:12:34 > 0:12:37There's a pair hunt in the woods near my home in Banffshire,
0:12:37 > 0:12:41and they're fast, cunning and incredibly beautiful,
0:12:41 > 0:12:43but you don't have to live in the countryside to enjoy them,
0:12:43 > 0:12:46because they're doing really well in our towns and in our cities.
0:12:46 > 0:12:49And here at the Botanic Gardens in Edinburgh,
0:12:49 > 0:12:53there's said to be at least two pairs, and I'm going to try -
0:12:53 > 0:12:54try - and find them.
0:12:59 > 0:13:01See if the workers have seen any.
0:13:03 > 0:13:05Have you seen any sparrowhawks?
0:13:07 > 0:13:08- No.- No?
0:13:13 > 0:13:17Sparrowhawks are proving pretty elusive so far, but they are here.
0:13:17 > 0:13:18And they have had lunch.
0:13:23 > 0:13:25You'll have to take my word for this - I've just seen one.
0:13:25 > 0:13:28It went whoosh, a flash of grey, and it was gone.
0:13:31 > 0:13:34I think that might be my lot for today.
0:13:34 > 0:13:38But newly published research has actually revealed
0:13:38 > 0:13:40that urban sparrowhawks
0:13:40 > 0:13:42are doing better than their country cousins.
0:13:43 > 0:13:46- Euan.- Staffan.- Nice to meet you.
0:13:46 > 0:13:51Staffan Roos from the RSPB is one of the authors of the study.
0:13:51 > 0:13:53- You were quite surprised at what you found?- I was.
0:13:53 > 0:13:57I thought that the sparrowhawks out in the countryside would have
0:13:57 > 0:14:00higher breeding success than the sparrowhawks here in Edinburgh,
0:14:00 > 0:14:03but to our surprise, it was the opposite.
0:14:03 > 0:14:05Any indication of why?
0:14:05 > 0:14:08I think most of our results suggest that it's better
0:14:08 > 0:14:12food resources here in the city than in the countryside.
0:14:13 > 0:14:15This is because people are putting out bird tables?
0:14:15 > 0:14:19That could be one good reason for it.
0:14:19 > 0:14:20When people feed birds in their gardens,
0:14:20 > 0:14:23it's a bit like calling the sparrowhawk and saying,
0:14:23 > 0:14:27"Dinner is served." And sad as it might be to see your blackbird
0:14:27 > 0:14:29being taken by a sparrowhawk,
0:14:29 > 0:14:31predation is a natural process.
0:14:34 > 0:14:37So, what did the study throw up? What were the results of it?
0:14:37 > 0:14:41The most striking result was that of all the pairs we studied,
0:14:41 > 0:14:45both in the countryside and here in urban Edinburgh,
0:14:45 > 0:14:48there were much higher failure rates in the rural study.
0:14:48 > 0:14:52- This is breeding failures? - Breeding failures, so they lay eggs,
0:14:52 > 0:14:55but at some point during the breeding cycle, they fail.
0:14:56 > 0:15:00Out of 20 nests where eggs didn't hatch,
0:15:00 > 0:15:0218 were in rural locations.
0:15:02 > 0:15:06Sparrowhawks out in the countryside gave up their breeding attempt,
0:15:06 > 0:15:09and that could have been due to lack of food.
0:15:10 > 0:15:13The years of field work that provided this information
0:15:13 > 0:15:17were put in by members of the Scottish Raptor Study Group,
0:15:17 > 0:15:21among them, Mike Thornton and Ian Todd.
0:15:21 > 0:15:26They are absolute experts at spotting sparrowhawks.
0:15:26 > 0:15:27But not today!
0:15:27 > 0:15:30Morning, guys. Any sparrowhawks this morning?
0:15:30 > 0:15:31I'm afraid not, Euan.
0:15:31 > 0:15:33No, sparrowhawks are very elusive predators.
0:15:33 > 0:15:34They're lovely birds, though!
0:15:34 > 0:15:37They're fantastic birds, but they use cover,
0:15:37 > 0:15:39they use a lot of cover to ambush their prey,
0:15:39 > 0:15:42and hence they're very hard to see, and also very fast on the wing.
0:15:42 > 0:15:45But they're incredible predators, and they've colonised
0:15:45 > 0:15:48- urban environments like this. - They are really smart, though.
0:15:48 > 0:15:50Usually whenever I've seen a sparrowhawk, it's whoosh,
0:15:50 > 0:15:53and it's going through a hole in the hedge and hammering a blackbird
0:15:53 > 0:15:55- or something like that. - Well, they know what they're doing.
0:15:55 > 0:15:58They're sitting in a tree, watching for their prey species,
0:15:58 > 0:16:00then they plan out what their route of attack will be.
0:16:00 > 0:16:02They'll fly one side of the hedge,
0:16:02 > 0:16:04they'll flip over and surprise the birds,
0:16:04 > 0:16:07and hopefully one comes within its clutches.
0:16:08 > 0:16:11The female, when she's incubating,
0:16:11 > 0:16:12she moults feathers,
0:16:12 > 0:16:15and when you find moulted feathers on the ground,
0:16:15 > 0:16:17you know you're pretty near a nest site.
0:16:17 > 0:16:20And, in fact, here's a sparrowhawk moulted feather.
0:16:20 > 0:16:23These feathers almost act like human fingerprints,
0:16:23 > 0:16:26because you can identify an individual sparrowhawk
0:16:26 > 0:16:29based on the pattern and the number of bars on the feather.
0:16:29 > 0:16:31So, if you've got these feathers, or a few of them,
0:16:31 > 0:16:34you know pretty sure you've got a nesting sparrowhawk?
0:16:34 > 0:16:35They're a funny shape.
0:16:35 > 0:16:37They're not really an elegant bird, are they?
0:16:37 > 0:16:40Oh, they're very elegant. They're designed for speed.
0:16:40 > 0:16:42Long tail, broad wings.
0:16:42 > 0:16:44I would say they're a more charismatic flying bird
0:16:44 > 0:16:47than the peregrine, and everybody speaks about the peregrine,
0:16:47 > 0:16:50but the sparrowhawk is much better, much more charismatic.
0:16:51 > 0:16:54The results of this study are incredible,
0:16:54 > 0:16:57and the fact that the good folk of Edinburgh
0:16:57 > 0:17:00can now see one of Scotland's most iconic birds of prey
0:17:00 > 0:17:03in their back garden is fantastic.
0:17:09 > 0:17:12Now it's time to continue my search across Scotland
0:17:12 > 0:17:16for those weird and wonderful things that have inspired curiosity
0:17:16 > 0:17:17across the ages.
0:17:20 > 0:17:22This week, I'm in Aberdeenshire...
0:17:23 > 0:17:25Oh! Oops!
0:17:25 > 0:17:27..using my ears instead of my eyes.
0:17:29 > 0:17:32Now, when you hit one stone with another,
0:17:32 > 0:17:35it's usually a very disappointing thud or clinking sound,
0:17:35 > 0:17:39but the stone I'm looking for has a very distinctive sound, apparently.
0:17:40 > 0:17:42CLINK
0:17:42 > 0:17:44THWACK
0:17:44 > 0:17:45RINGING
0:17:45 > 0:17:47A-ha! There you go.
0:17:47 > 0:17:49Very different.
0:17:49 > 0:17:50This is the ringing stone,
0:17:50 > 0:17:53known locally as the Ringing Stone of Richachary.
0:17:55 > 0:17:56Wow.
0:17:56 > 0:18:00This isn't the only such stone you can find in Scotland.
0:18:00 > 0:18:02There are other examples dotted around
0:18:02 > 0:18:06of these sonorous, or lithophonic, rocks.
0:18:06 > 0:18:10Now, no-one knows why this rock actually rings.
0:18:10 > 0:18:12Some suggest a high iron content,
0:18:12 > 0:18:15others say that it's full of gold coins,
0:18:15 > 0:18:18but I reckon, and this is a brand-new theory just made up today,
0:18:18 > 0:18:21that there must be some kind of resonator here.
0:18:21 > 0:18:24It's essentially hollow - that's why you get that noise.
0:18:25 > 0:18:27The truth is, no-one really knows why it rings,
0:18:27 > 0:18:31but I urge you to come, along here, pick up a stone and give it a tap.
0:18:31 > 0:18:34And imagine that for thousands and thousands of years,
0:18:34 > 0:18:36people have been doing the exact same thing.
0:18:40 > 0:18:43I'm remaining in the north-east now, to see how the weather
0:18:43 > 0:18:46has been putting a dampener on this year's harvest.
0:18:52 > 0:18:55This summer was Scotland's fifth wettest on record,
0:18:55 > 0:18:58bringing serious trouble for our farmers.
0:18:59 > 0:19:03The high levels of rainfall caused delays to harvesting,
0:19:03 > 0:19:04and led to abandoned crops.
0:19:04 > 0:19:06The effects are still being felt.
0:19:09 > 0:19:10Oh, look at that!
0:19:10 > 0:19:13To find out about the implications of all this unwanted rain,
0:19:13 > 0:19:16I've come to meet Aberdeenshire farmer Andrew Booth,
0:19:16 > 0:19:20who only just managed to finish his harvest in mid-October.
0:19:20 > 0:19:23- How you doing?- All right, Dougie, yourself?- Very well.
0:19:23 > 0:19:26- Good to see you.- And you, too.- I see you're dressed for the occasion.
0:19:26 > 0:19:27I've got the wellies on, yeah.
0:19:27 > 0:19:30Now, the weather this summer has been truly atrocious.
0:19:30 > 0:19:32How has that affected the farm?
0:19:32 > 0:19:34Well, we're way further behind than we normally are.
0:19:34 > 0:19:37You know, we're now into October. We have finished harvesting,
0:19:37 > 0:19:39but we're still trying to drill next year's crops.
0:19:39 > 0:19:41So, how long did the harvest actually take this year?
0:19:41 > 0:19:42Well, we started early.
0:19:42 > 0:19:45We thought we were going to have a great nice early harvest,
0:19:45 > 0:19:49but it's 70 days from start to finish, and yet harvest being a...
0:19:49 > 0:19:51My father tells me harvest month is September,
0:19:51 > 0:19:53and the combines only rolled for five days in September.
0:19:53 > 0:19:56- Wow, that's a huge difference. - A huge difference to normal.
0:19:56 > 0:19:59- So, do you still have fields with a lot of water on it?- Yeah, yeah.
0:19:59 > 0:20:01We've got a serious amount of water-logging in some areas
0:20:01 > 0:20:03of the fields. You can see just in the distance here,
0:20:03 > 0:20:06there's a bit in the middle of that field that we never got to,
0:20:06 > 0:20:07and we won't get to now.
0:20:07 > 0:20:09Can we have a wee look at the rest of the farm?
0:20:09 > 0:20:11Certainly. Let's jump in the car.
0:20:11 > 0:20:14Andrew's farm covers 3,000 acres just north of Aberdeen.
0:20:14 > 0:20:17He grows barley, wheat and oats.
0:20:18 > 0:20:22So, has the major problem for you been getting to the crops
0:20:22 > 0:20:23because it's so wet?
0:20:23 > 0:20:26Yeah, we've certainly had to choose our fields wisely.
0:20:26 > 0:20:27Machinery is so much bigger
0:20:27 > 0:20:29these days that when you do eventually get to it,
0:20:29 > 0:20:32you can harvest a lot of crop in a short period of time.
0:20:32 > 0:20:33Uh-huh.
0:20:33 > 0:20:36But even then, there could still be problems.
0:20:36 > 0:20:39We've just had to leave that bit. You'll see the bit through there.
0:20:39 > 0:20:42- Oh, look at that. That's pretty bad, isn't it?!- Yeah.
0:20:47 > 0:20:50So, to be fair, you know, in the spring,
0:20:50 > 0:20:55this was wet in the spring when it was sewn, hence it's pretty thin,
0:20:55 > 0:20:58but it's now just impossible to pass.
0:20:58 > 0:21:00You can see that the quality has gone.
0:21:00 > 0:21:04This is a milling oat, and we don't really want any blemishes.
0:21:04 > 0:21:05And you've got the black in there.
0:21:05 > 0:21:08- You've got the blackening a bit, part of it, yeah.- Is this unusable?
0:21:08 > 0:21:11- It's just going to stay in the ground, then?- This area here,
0:21:11 > 0:21:13- we won't, because we'll do more damage to the soil...- Yes.
0:21:13 > 0:21:16..by trying to come in here and get this than what it's worth.
0:21:16 > 0:21:18- A-ha.- So we'll just leave this,
0:21:18 > 0:21:21and hopefully in the spring, when we can travel,
0:21:21 > 0:21:23we'll just plough it back in, and go again next year.
0:21:24 > 0:21:27So, the harvest has been late and difficult,
0:21:27 > 0:21:30and there have been some losses.
0:21:30 > 0:21:31But is there any good news?
0:21:33 > 0:21:36Yields are actually, to be fair, when we've got to harvest,
0:21:36 > 0:21:39have actually been quite good, and quality, apart from maybe this,
0:21:39 > 0:21:41has stood up.
0:21:41 > 0:21:44My concerns are more with what we're trying to drill just now
0:21:44 > 0:21:45for next year.
0:21:45 > 0:21:46We already,
0:21:46 > 0:21:49we feel like we're on the back foot a little bit for next year.
0:21:49 > 0:21:53It all depends on how mild a winter or not we have.
0:21:55 > 0:21:58As well as the crops, Andrew farms livestock,
0:21:58 > 0:22:02and the problems with the harvest affect the animals, too.
0:22:02 > 0:22:03Just in here. Yeah.
0:22:04 > 0:22:08The price of straw has rocketed by almost 30%,
0:22:08 > 0:22:11from around £10 per bale in 2016
0:22:11 > 0:22:14to around £13 per bale this year.
0:22:14 > 0:22:17Ultimately, this is some wheat straw that we very nearly ploughed
0:22:17 > 0:22:20into the ground because we couldn't get to it for a month -
0:22:20 > 0:22:22it lay on the ground for a month.
0:22:22 > 0:22:25We eventually had two days back-to-back, were able to bale it,
0:22:25 > 0:22:27but it's lost its body,
0:22:27 > 0:22:29so it's not going to last as long as it normally would.
0:22:29 > 0:22:32- So that...? - So we'll have to use more.- Yeah.
0:22:32 > 0:22:35And ultimately there'll be potentially a shortage,
0:22:35 > 0:22:38and that doesn't just affect us up here in the north-east of Scotland.
0:22:38 > 0:22:39We've straw in the shed
0:22:39 > 0:22:41that's destined for the south-west of Scotland.
0:22:41 > 0:22:43It'll travel from the north-east
0:22:43 > 0:22:44all the way to the south-west of Scotland.
0:22:44 > 0:22:47So it's not just... There's the veg farmers as well.
0:22:47 > 0:22:50So, carrots will need to be protected with straw
0:22:50 > 0:22:53to keep the frost off them, and they need a huge amount of straw as well,
0:22:53 > 0:22:56so there's a real knock-on effect to all parts of the industry.
0:22:56 > 0:22:58Well, Andrew, thank you very much indeed for telling me
0:22:58 > 0:23:00all about the difficulties you've had.
0:23:00 > 0:23:02Hopefully we'll have a nice winter,
0:23:02 > 0:23:04and you'll have a good summer next year.
0:23:04 > 0:23:05Let's get out of the road of these beasties.
0:23:05 > 0:23:08- Let them back to where they... - Yeah.- Enjoying the bedding.
0:23:08 > 0:23:09- Exactly.- Exactly.
0:23:09 > 0:23:11COW MOOS
0:23:11 > 0:23:14Dairy farmers also suffered because of the wet summer,
0:23:14 > 0:23:18with waterlogged pastures providing poor grazing.
0:23:18 > 0:23:20An extra difficulty for an industry
0:23:20 > 0:23:23with tight margins and strong competition.
0:23:23 > 0:23:27Willingness to adapt is often the only way to survive.
0:23:27 > 0:23:31Arlene is heading to East Lothian now, to meet a husband and wife team
0:23:31 > 0:23:32who've been nominated
0:23:32 > 0:23:36for this year's Farmers Weekly Diversification Award.
0:23:36 > 0:23:38Daddy did it.
0:23:38 > 0:23:43Yester Farm Dairies, with its herd of 400 Holstein Friesian cows,
0:23:43 > 0:23:45is owned and run by Simon and Jackie McCreery.
0:23:48 > 0:23:50- Nice to meet you, Simon.- And you. - Jackie.- Welcome, hi.
0:23:50 > 0:23:52You've brought the weather with you!
0:23:52 > 0:23:54I have, thank you. Specially for you.
0:23:54 > 0:23:55Faced with a volatile market,
0:23:55 > 0:23:57they changed the way they did business.
0:23:59 > 0:24:02Frustrated with the low price of milk in the early 2000s,
0:24:02 > 0:24:05Simon and Jackie took matters into their own hands,
0:24:05 > 0:24:07and with Scottish Government cash,
0:24:07 > 0:24:11they installed their own milk processing plant.
0:24:11 > 0:24:15By 2007, they were selling their produce, including soft cheeses,
0:24:15 > 0:24:17locally in East Lothian.
0:24:19 > 0:24:22You decided to expand, develop, do something different,
0:24:22 > 0:24:24and that's where the soft cheeses came in?
0:24:24 > 0:24:27That's right, because we were making our own milk and cream,
0:24:27 > 0:24:30which was going fine, selling locally, we had a local market,
0:24:30 > 0:24:34but we undertook a review of the business
0:24:34 > 0:24:37in 2011 or so, and realised there were lots of farmhouse cheddars,
0:24:37 > 0:24:40lots of farmhouse hard cheeses, ice creams,
0:24:40 > 0:24:45but there seemed to be a gap for Scottish artisan soft cheeses.
0:24:45 > 0:24:48In 2015, with another round of funding,
0:24:48 > 0:24:52Simon and Jackie were able to convert an old grain shed
0:24:52 > 0:24:54into a state-of-the-art cheese production room,
0:24:54 > 0:24:57where they're making their own take on an Italian favourite.
0:24:59 > 0:25:01It's our fior di latte mozzarella,
0:25:01 > 0:25:04which really means cows' milk mozzarella.
0:25:04 > 0:25:06It's made in the traditional way,
0:25:06 > 0:25:10in the open vats, and it makes a really good quality,
0:25:10 > 0:25:13stretchy, tasty pizza mozzarella.
0:25:18 > 0:25:21Hmm, all this talk of cheese has got my taste buds tingling.
0:25:21 > 0:25:26Time to don my hairnet and find out how the mozza is made.
0:25:26 > 0:25:29- Hello, Arlene!- How are you?- I'm well.- Oh, cheesy hands, very nice!
0:25:29 > 0:25:31Welcome, yes, lovely bit of whey on my hands!
0:25:31 > 0:25:33Well, listen, this looks very interesting.
0:25:33 > 0:25:35- What are you up to right now? - We're making mozzarella.
0:25:35 > 0:25:37This is mozzarella cheese,
0:25:37 > 0:25:40- and we're preparing it for putting on our pizzas.- OK.
0:25:40 > 0:25:42And would you like to give me a hand?
0:25:42 > 0:25:43I would love to give you a hand.
0:25:43 > 0:25:45- Let me show you what to do. - On you go.
0:25:45 > 0:25:47- Hold the knife like this.- Uh-huh.
0:25:47 > 0:25:49And just slice like that.
0:25:49 > 0:25:52- Very, very soft.- I can probably do that, I think. OK.
0:25:52 > 0:25:54And then you pick that up...
0:25:55 > 0:25:57- ..and throw it over there. - Ready to get in the machine.
0:25:57 > 0:26:00- Over there, yeah.- I might fall in, this is the only problem.
0:26:00 > 0:26:02- I'm quite short. - You wouldn't be the first!
0:26:02 > 0:26:05- And it's quite a long stretch. - Go on!
0:26:05 > 0:26:06Not just the cheese that's stretching.
0:26:06 > 0:26:10OK, that's actually thicker than I thought it was going to be.
0:26:10 > 0:26:11Nice texture.
0:26:11 > 0:26:12- It's a lovely texture.- Right, OK.
0:26:12 > 0:26:14And so you're throwing it over there,
0:26:14 > 0:26:17and it's ready for the guys on the machine to put it in to cook it
0:26:17 > 0:26:20and to stretch it, and you're doing a super job there.
0:26:20 > 0:26:23- Oh, thanks very much.- You might just well find yourself fully
0:26:23 > 0:26:26- employed here!- That's great - I'm ready for the next stage.
0:26:27 > 0:26:29And that's getting the curd sliced...
0:26:29 > 0:26:30Perfect.
0:26:30 > 0:26:32..cooked,
0:26:32 > 0:26:35and the all-important stretch.
0:26:35 > 0:26:36Look at the texture of it!
0:26:36 > 0:26:40It's beautiful. It forms a lovely sheen.
0:26:40 > 0:26:44It may be all about the stretching, but for this soft cheesemaker,
0:26:44 > 0:26:46cutting the mozza into blocks is just...
0:26:46 > 0:26:49- Ooh!- Perfect!
0:26:49 > 0:26:51..a stretch too far.
0:26:51 > 0:26:53You're very strong! Jeepers!
0:26:56 > 0:26:57Perfect.
0:27:01 > 0:27:03- Mm-mm!- There's the stretch!
0:27:03 > 0:27:06SHE LAUGHS
0:27:08 > 0:27:10Oh, that is good.
0:27:10 > 0:27:11That's very good.
0:27:11 > 0:27:13Now, I hear that you've been nominated
0:27:13 > 0:27:15for Diversification Farmer of the Year,
0:27:15 > 0:27:17which is a big deal.
0:27:17 > 0:27:20Well, it was a shock to us to be shortlisted.
0:27:20 > 0:27:24We're up with two other really go-ahead farming families.
0:27:24 > 0:27:26It was great to be recognised.
0:27:26 > 0:27:28It's a great profile for the business, as well,
0:27:28 > 0:27:31and for our whole team, who work really hard to produce.
0:27:31 > 0:27:32We certainly don't do it ourselves.
0:27:32 > 0:27:34We'd lots of other people involved.
0:27:34 > 0:27:36Well, it's been an absolute pleasure being here.
0:27:36 > 0:27:38I wish you every success, and I'm going to take my pizza now.
0:27:38 > 0:27:40Thank you!
0:27:44 > 0:27:45That's about it for this week.
0:27:45 > 0:27:48Here's what on Landward next time around.
0:27:50 > 0:27:53Euan's going to ground - looking for badgers...
0:27:54 > 0:27:56Wow. I'm guessing this is badgery here, is it?
0:27:56 > 0:27:58Yeah, it's been recently dug last night.
0:27:58 > 0:28:00Last night?
0:28:00 > 0:28:05..and Arlene's beside the sea, dealing with the menace of nurdles.
0:28:05 > 0:28:07- Can you start spotting them now? - Oh, my goodness!
0:28:07 > 0:28:09There are so many of these.
0:28:09 > 0:28:12Yeah, we're going to be here for a long time.
0:28:12 > 0:28:16So, please join us for that and much more a week on Friday,
0:28:16 > 0:28:18as we're taking a break for Children in Need.
0:28:18 > 0:28:20In the meantime, from all of us here, thank you so much
0:28:20 > 0:28:22for your company. Bye for now.