Episode 1 Monty Halls' Great Hebridean Escape

Imagine a picture-perfect thatched cottage near its own white sand bay.

That's one of the most beautiful beaches I've ever seen.

Imagine a string of islands

with some of the most remarkable wildlife in the British Isles.

Imagine having the run of those islands on land...

This is what the Outer Hebrides is all about.

..and at sea.

That's exactly what I'm doing for the next six months.

I'm a voluntary wildlife ranger

in this stunning chain of islands.

My job will bring me into contact with amazing flora and fauna...

Look at that! Fantastic!

..and with the people in some of the most remote islands in Britain.

Welcome to my great escape!

As you can tell,

it's high summer in Scotland and that's the town of Oban,

on the British mainland.

On my bow, I've got a seven-hour journey to a set of islands

that's going to be my home for six months.

The trip from my Bristol home to my new base in North Uist

is over 600 miles!

It's a continuation of a journey I started last year

when I spent six months in Applecross,

way up the coast, beyond the Isle of Skye.

One of the things I learned in Applecross was all about community.

Especially coming from the city,

a frantic pace of life, they taught me what community's all about.

Naturally, it wouldn't be half as much fun if I did it on my own,

so Rubes is also coming along.

Wouldn't dream of doing it without him.

We're a couple of fellas off on a big adventure.

This is where we're going to live. Over there!

'I've made my living as a marine biologist and diver,

'so forgive me for getting slightly excited!'

Imagine these islands in sunlight, these waters flat calm

and crystal clear, and these reefs just team with life.

TANNOY: 'The vessel will shortly be arriving at Castlebay.'

This is a proper wild, rugged set of islands.

As a marine biologist, this is Nirvana for me.

'Passengers who'll be disembarking follow the gangway.'

To my regret, we're not getting off.

We've been on the ferry four hours.

This is the southern tip of the Outer Hebrides.

We've got to move further north, about another two hours.

The ferry will drop me at Lochboisdale.

From there, it's an hour and a half by road

to my new home at the top of North Uist.

STARTING MOTOR WHIRRS

Not a good noise, is it?

WHIRRING

The Landy has given up the ghost.

I have a large queue of irate and tired motorists behind me wedged on the ferry.

My starter motor's knackered.

Oh, good. They're all getting out.

-Put it in top gear.

It's got two and a half tonnes of kit in it, that's the problem.

ENGINE STARTS

Hardly the triumphal arrival that I had in mind.

Two days' drive, seven hours on the ferry,

an hour and a half to go.

I'm knackered, completely knackered.

In six months' time, I'm going to be driving that way, towing the boat.

Going home. I hope I've achieved something in that six months.

The problem is, you can't just jump in.

These are close-knit communities. They've got ways of doing things.

It's going to be a real challenge.

I need to tread carefully. I want to make my mark.

It's 11 at night, but this far north there's a glow in the sky

which picks out the landscape

of tussock and sea lochs as I move from island to island.

Just passed a sign saying North Uist.

This is it. Arrival at long last.

I'm a broken man, but this is it. This is home.

It's fantastic, very Hans Christian Andersen.

It's absolutely beautiful.

'The cottage has stood here for several hundred years.'

Home, sweet home.

Looks as though it's made of icing.

'Inside, everything is bang up-to-date -

'everything an aspiring ranger could hope for.'

-LAUGHING:

-Outrageous!

Rubes! Look at this! I'm a very happy man.

A very tired man, but I'm a very happy man.

There we are. This is base camp.

It feels really homely, and I want to climb into that bed now.

Which is what I'm going to do.

Daylight reveals my new home in all its glory -

a sheltered haven in a Hebridean landscape.

After a year of city living, I can't get stuck in fast enough.

Morning one. It's half past nine in the morning.

Got in about one. Absolutely shattered.

I keep walking round the house

muttering to myself darkly,

like some loon, about what an amazing place it is.

Come on, Rubes. This is the manor. This ain't no park in Bristol.

'The southern isles of the Outer Hebrides

'consist of nine inhabited islands and dozens of uninhabited ones.

'They're about as remote as you get in Britain.

'The population of 6,000 is steadily declining,

'as young people leave to live on the mainland.

'The wildlife is outstanding.

'11 species of whale and dolphin can be seen in these waters.

'20,000 grey seals come to pup each year

'and there are countless pairs of wading birds.

'The coastal grassland, "machair", are home to an outstanding array

'of wild flowers,

'and are the last stronghold of the increasingly rare corn crake.

'Being a nature ranger for such an extraordinary place is a dream job.'

I'm just heading to Berneray.

The tiny island is the most northerly part of my patch.

It's home to 124 people.

You can't accuse them of lacking ambition.

They've been trying to get funding for a full-time nature ranger,

so they like the idea that I'm happy to do it on a voluntary basis.

This is the seal viewing point on the island of Berneray.

It's the perfect example of what I'd like to do while I'm here.

Focal points where, for example, you can see a large marine mammal.

There aren't many places on the shore where that's guaranteed.

There's a common seal colony here,

so the locals put up an information board.

They've got this exactly right. It blends in.

Loads of great information.

Two species of seal, the grey and common seal.

The seals seen are common seals.

That is a common seal.

It's got a pug nose, slightly smaller than a grey seal.

Looks a bit like a Labrador, a smooth labrador, basically.

The other thing that's passed on here is key information.

"Scotland has more than 90% of the UK population of grey seals

"and 90% of the UK population of common seals."

This is just the sort of thing I want to replicate while I'm here.

My bosses are a committee of islanders and I'm keen to find out what they want me to do.

From my perspective, I'm absolutely champing at the bit now

to get on with it.

We've got quite a few ideas.

We have the opportunity to tap into the skills

that you have as a marine biologist.

Some sort of wildlife guide with birds and mammals and plants.

I bet people have got some terrific photographs.

If there are gaps, I can get the photos.

That's something I'd love to do, as a budding wildlife photographer.

We talked about having a board with short walks.

In the Forestry, they've got a board up. You can do walk one, walk two.

-Supported by the leaflets.

-I will get stuck in like a man possessed.

There's one other person I need to meet.

Until 2003, the islands had a ranger who covered Berneray

and the southern Outer Hebrides.

But the funding ran out and the job came to an end.

These causeways are incredibly significant.

They're a very easy way to get from one island to another.

Originally, they weren't linked,

so the islands developed very much separate identities and cultures.

To a degree, those identities and cultures have been blurred a bit

with the arrival of the causeways.

That ex ranger I'm going to see is Jimmy McLetchie,

who I think is going to be a huge part of my time up here.

Oh, look at that!

It IS an owl!

Fantastic! Like a guard of honour leading me in

to the meeting with Jimmy.

Jimmy's invited me to go fishing to brief me on what the job entails.

-Hello, Jimmy. How's things?

-Not bad. You all set for the day?

I simply cannot wait.

I've asked Jimmy to show me round,

and the tidal pools where you catch sea trout are a good place to start.

What a spot. What a spot. Let's get stuck in.

-There you are.

-What do you want to try?

-Something slightly larger.

-This is made with deer hair.

-Deer hair gives it that buoyancy.

-I had no idea deer were buoyant.

I suppose they are. Very good swimmers!

You don't need to cast a very long line.

Slowly move the fly in. You can use the rod like that.

Like a single flick. Ooh! A little flash. Was that at your fly?

He didn't want it.

That casual flick that Jimmy's doing.

That takes about a lifetime to learn.

-Just a bit of a flick?

-Yeah. Up upright and then out straight.

Between you, me and the gate post,

with my Ninja guide, the Obi-Wan of fly fishing,

don't let on that I've just hooked my own backside.

We're fishing for sea trout, which return to the islands to spawn,

but the big ones are famously elusive.

It's not what I wanted. This is a new fly he's on.

Let's look at what we've got here.

-Is it a little bass?

-It might be a sea trout. I'm not sure.

It is a sea trout.

-He's just taken the fly.

-It's a little bar of silver.

If salmon's the king of fish, this is the prince of fish.

A quarter of a pound in weight.

Not really for eating, but it means we might find some bigger ones.

Jimmy, you were the ranger here.

-I can see it in your eyes that you miss it.

-Oh, yeah.

It was one of the greatest things ever, showing people my environment,

telling them what it was like to live here, the archaeology.

It was incredible.

How do you think I can help?

We can look at the self-guided trails, we can look at the beaches

and go into schools to deliver marine and environmental education.

We've got so much marine here.

We used to take kids onto the beach

and tell them about the shores.

Having you do talks would enthuse the schools.

Definitely. I'd LOVE to do that.

'Jimmy is now a tourist guide.

'There's not much he doesn't know about his home.'

Jimmy has taught me a method for getting cockles.

Just find a bit of green on the sand and then just below there,

strangely enough, will be a cockle, and these are delicious.

That's dinner for tonight sorted.

Jimmy's saying that the bit of seaweed that gives them away

latches onto the shell of a cockle

like a little flag giving away the position of a cockle.

In evolutionary terms, that was a bit of a blunder.

If I died and went to heaven, this is how I imagine heaven.

You'd be Elle McPherson, but aside from that this would be heaven.

Right, we've got clams. We've got bacon.

We've got sweetcorn. We've got onion. We've got tomato sauce.

I just stirred it together with lemon juice and black pepper.

You're supposed to take them out of their shells first!

Mm. Very nice.

I know I'm here to do a job but I'm keen to have animals of my own,

like I did last year.

I'm here to see a man about a pig.

There's a ferry about to hove into view from the Isle of Skye.

On that ferry is an old mate of mine, Keith.

If you need to know anything about pigs, he's your man.

'Hopefully, I'm going to have a few pigs by the cottage

'that I'll fatten up and then we'll slaughter them and eat them

'Christmas, New Year.

'Keith was my saviour last year

'when I was blundering from one catastrophe to the next.

'I can't tell you how glad I am that he's helping me out.'

-Did you miss me?

-Absolutely.

The plan is today that myself and Keith are going to put up the fence

for the pig enclosure.

Right, mate. Let's crack on.

See ya later(!)

-Right.

-Have a stick.

One, two, three, four...

One thing I learned was if there's a way out, they'll find it.

This fence has got to be rock solid or they'll be gone.

-That'll do about here, Monty.

-OK. About there?

-I reckon.

-What happened to your other stick?

-It fell over. It's the wind!

That's an omen about my fence building.

-You need a hole four foot deep that size.

-Four foot?

Do you want me to crack on there?

-Find another spade.

-No worries. I'll be about an hour!

Rubes, you're not helping.

These holes are for the strainers.

You're a tail with an idiot hanging off it!

This fence will not only be subjected to angry pigs...

..but also to Hebridean storms, you know, 120-mile-an-hour winds.

So these strainers need to be really strong.

-What have you done with the soil?

-Threw it there.

-What are you going to put back in the hole?

-The dog!

A scene of Biblical endeavour. Out the way, Rubes.

That'll do!

Next job, put the bottom wire on.

It's a real education working with Keith.

He wants to do everything right. His work ethic is unbelievable.

It completely puts me to shame.

Right...

Your left hand needs to be higher.

'My ranger duties will include hammering fence and sign posts,

'so it's important that I get it right.'

Your left hand needs to be higher.

See the top? You're meant to be hitting it flat.

'I couldn't have a better teacher.'

Eight o'clock in the evening. It's been a long old day.

These squalls were blowing through all day.

You get quite cold and it saps you a bit.

But we've done well.

We've built a fence that could contain an infuriated bull elephant.

It's a proper Hebridean fence.

You've got to drive everything in deep.

I've really enjoyed it.

I've learned about how to build a fence. It's quite complicated.

Cheers.

One thing about being on the coastline - the coast is there -

loads of flotsam and jetsam gets washed up.

Loads of these fishermen's buoys turn up.

This is Rubes' Nemesis.

This is his Everest.

Go on, Rubes. Ready? Go on, Rubes!

He can't get his mouth round it and he can't push it under water.

And it makes him crazy. He just does that for 20 minutes.

That's how I walk him now!

Go on, Rubes! You can do it! Go on, Rubes!

It does mean he'll have some sort of nervous breakdown!

Well done, Rubes. Good boy!

He always comes back in

and he's, like, "I just can't do it."

And then forgets next time.

Come on, then. Let's go!

You'll have it next time! Guaranteed.

I haven't been here a week yet

but I'm adjusting to the pace of the islands.

You can't rush anything here, and my search for stock is no exception.

For some reason that I haven't figured out yet,

there aren't many pigs in the Outer Hebrides.

There is a local lady who, apparently, does keep pigs.

I see a pig shelter. The Bonnie View bed and breakfast!

I enjoyed having the old pigs last time.

Woke up to the sound of contented oinking in my cottage.

Wait in there, Rubes.

'Heather Morrison moved here from Glasgow when she was eight,

'whilst her husband, Ian, is Hebridean born and bred.'

Nice to meet you. I'm Monty.

Be nice, Rubes!

'They keep some nice rare breed pigs - Gloucester old spots.'

He's never seen a Gloucester old spot piglet before!

Rubes, what's this?

-Big pig farmers will not rear them.

-Really?

It's too much trouble.

'They're too slow-growing for modern pig farmers and are docile.

'Their extra fat content makes them hardy so, for a novice like me,

'in a place like this, they're the ideal pig.'

Look at the size of that! This is Boris the boar.

He's a big lad. Hello, Boris.

He's your sire.

-Will he ever go to slaughter?

-No. He'll just die of old age.

What a life! Should I return as an animal I'd like to return as Boris.

Amazing.

Just the bulk of Boris is so impressive -

a pig, placid, happy animal,

as opposed to this buffoon!

To my delight, I found out that Heather also has turkeys.

I thought I'd get some turkeys, big Christmas feast round my cottage.

Chinned by a turkey!

The grey ones are Narragansetts. They're a very rare breed.

But I decided this year to get some traditional white.

Obviously, you breed these for Christmas.

These ones, except for one of the Narragansetts. I'll be keeping it.

-Would you mind if I took a few of these?

-Yeah. That's fine.

Brilliant.

Thank you, Heather. Turkeys and pigs! Brilliant.

A whole range of new experiences already today.

Being chinned by a turkey.

Fantastic!

-Very interesting. So, about a month's time?

-A month's time.

That should give me time to build a turkey run.

My priority's getting to know the islands as well as I can.

That means heading out into the unpredictable Atlantic ocean

for a true wilderness experience.

Big day today cos we're going out in the RIB.

This is going to be a significant bit of kit for me.

My "jurisdiction" as a voluntary nature warden

means moving along this stretch of coastline.

There are some fantastic features - a huge grey seal colony, the second largest one in Europe,

and, of course, the wonderland of all the reefs.

This is the way to get there, and it starts today.

Oh, yeah.

There's a bend so it's difficult to get down. He's doing fantastic.

I'm a legend.

-Fantastic.

-We should quit now!

That will be the most smooth thing we do all week.

-That's pretty impressive.

-Thank you. I'm sure you're being polite.

We're just about to head out, but look at this water.

This is crystal clear. It looks like the Caribbean.

The reason is this is cold Atlantic water.

There are few pollutants cos it's come right out from the Atlantic.

This is very cold, full of oxygen, holds loads of nutrients

and rammed with fish life.

It's a beautiful sight.

On the shoreline, you've got the markers,

so when we head out, we start to line them up.

It will be your guiding way back in.

You can't beat the local knowledge Jimmy's got.

Otherwise, you're picking your way through.

The Monachs are five miles off shore

but, from my bay, they're a 30-mile round trip

in a boat I'd never taken to sea.

Without Jimmy, I wouldn't even get out of the reefs in the bay.

The Monachs consist of five low-lying islands

and became a nature reserve in 1966.

They're home to the second largest grey seal colony in the world.

Over 100 species of bird have been recorded,

including one of the largest black guillemot colonies in the UK.

The name Monach derives from "monastery".

There used to be one on the islands

but they've been uninhabited since 1948.

The lighthouse went out of operation many years ago.

They've been recommissioning these and it came on in the last winter.

It's got an 18-mile beam.

Today, crofters ship sheep out here to graze in the summer months

and fishermen use the old schoolhouse to shelter from storms.

-Have we got any fenders?

-No.

-OK. Right.

-..Is the short answer!

-That's another thing we need to get.

Get your rope set.

They're evocative places, lighthouses.

Particularly deserted lighthouses.

This has been a beacon for the islanders for many, many years.

It faces into the open Atlantic.

You know when you see the lighthouse

and that big old beam turning, you're home.

It's such an isolated spot - beautiful and peaceful -

but there are still signs of the ferocity of the environment.

You can still see a bit of the decking.

That's been chewed up and spat out by the Atlantic.

Just imagine the power of the waves that did this

to this lump of metal, and got it this far up the beach.

It's high tide. I'm a good 150 metres from the beach.

I don't want to disturb them, but in there,

are some young shag, I think.

Perfect nesting spot, I suppose.

The main reason Jimmy brought me was to show me things

he feels can really make an impression on visitors.

Imagine coming camping and you don't think there's anything here,

and suddenly you're intertwined with the history.

-Just small amounts of text.

-It's important for me to see this.

-This is the sort of thing, in terms of interpretation boards, that you want.

-Yeah.

Something that fits in with the environment, that will last a long time and won't disintegrate.

I'm feeling a bit under pressure. Jimmy did a brilliant job as ranger.

He's expecting the same from me.

Turn round towards the white.

We probably need to move at the most efficient speed.

We don't have a huge amount of fuel but we should be fine.

Along there.

The reason for all this excitement, it's quite an early trip

and the fuel was getting a bit low, or really quite low.

-Quite low.

-As in, I've no idea how the engine's still going.

We were always perfectly safe.

-We're here. We'll just land onto the pier.

-No worries.

-I'll hold her.

-I'll reverse the Landy down. See you in four hours!

Oh. Not much!

'The realisation's dawned a bit about what I'm trying to do

'in the very short time I'm here.

'I've got to try to do stuff'

that Jimmy, with all his experience,

hasn't been able to do, because of lack of funding, for years.

It's extremely intimidating.

I said right from the word go that I wanted to make my mark,

to leave a legacy, leave the place better than I found it

in terms of the trails, in terms of the natural history,

in terms of systems being in place.

It's a real challenge I've set myself, I've realised.

Jimmy doesn't suffer fools gladly.

I get the impression that he has thrown a gauntlet down to me.

We'll see. Begins here.

Suddenly, I realise how short time is

and how little I know, and how much I have to do.

Rubes, what are you doing?

The first thing I want to do is get out and do the trails.

That's something I can do with my own two feet and two hands.

Heading south, now.

There's a weird thing going on here. It's a local custom, as it were.

They say "up south". So I'm going up south at the moment.

Down to Eriskay.

Jimmy's given me various jobs while I'm out here, things to chase up.

One of them is these self-guided walks.

These haven't been touched for years.

They'll be overgrown, sign posts will be down.

I'm going to get out with a map and a GPS and try and run it.

I'm here. I'll run down the shore. good chance to see otters.

Then down onto the road again and along this long rocky shoreline.

Should see really interesting stuff. Then back on the road.

Got a camera to film myself huffing and puffing and sweating en route.

Good for filming the subsequent rescue.

Really looking forward to getting stuck in. Off we go.

Come on, Rubes!

Eriskay's the smallest inhabited island, less than three square miles

and home to just 130 people.

But it packs a fair old punch in wildlife, history and scenery.

Halfway along the beach, you've got this,

a monument to Bonnie Prince Charlie,

who landed on this beach on 23rd July 1745.

He started the Jacobite uprising that had a huge impact

on the history of Scotland.

Initially, it was successful but ended in defeat at Culloden,

which affected the whole way the Highlands lived their lives.

Traditional celebrations of island culture were pretty much banned.

I think this is one of the old posts.

It needs direction arrows, maybe a little thing saying what it is.

There's a few of these on the route

so I need to find the next one.

Just out of interest, that black dot on the beach is my dog,

who, apparently, has no interest in local history whatsoever,

which is disappointing.

Rubes, come on!

'Tourism is the key to the island's economic future.

'Part of my job is to improve the experience for visitors.'

Not terribly gazelle-like on the road.

0ne of the things that's striking about this route

is from the original map that was drawn up back in the mists of time,

it's so easy to get lost.

So all of these junctions need markers.

Otherwise, we're going to have bewildered tourists.

The idea for the new pamphlet I'm going to produce

is that we have photos so you can't go wrong.

A photo at each junction, so idiots like me can't get lost.

Uphill now. Come on. Chop chop.

It's uphill, but it's worth all the effort.

Uphill here is where the great view of the islands is.

It's a hard climb but it's worth it.

I've got the wind in my face.

Arrayed before me are Skye, Soay, Canna, Rhum, Eigg and Muck.

It sounds like a recipe but it's one of the best views in the world.

The Western Isles in all their glory. It's beautiful.

It's a great run.

If you walked it, took your time, I'm sure you'd see otters,

beautiful quiet inlets, amazing views.

One thing, everything's slightly fallen into disrepair.

The tracks are very overgrown.

So maybe take the quad bike in and really clear it all out.

Get some good material out there and open up the magic of the island.

How can you have that much energy? That is ridiculous!

-You want to go round again?

-BARKS

Apart from a few plantations, there's a distinct lack of trees.

As I'm going to be here into the winter, I need to think about fuel.

Today, Jimmy's going to show me the ancient noble art of peat cutting.

We're going to give you this here, a peat iron or tarasgeir in Gaelic.

This is quite a special one.

My dad got it at a sale in Harris. It had been used for generations.

It's made to fit underneath your chin.

You can lean on the top of it. This is the step.

You'll be pushing down straight.

First, you measure out the bog. 20 to 25 yards.

About 25 strides, I guess.

So we've got to cut to there. That's what you're doing today.

Should have taken shorter strides! Schoolboy error!

Here, it's exactly two foot across.

We're going to start going through all the way down.

If you keep going. More of a demo...

You can do it that way as well.

If you just keep coming, that's ideal.

This is just the start for you.

It's a nice feeling when you cut into it.

Like slicing into a wet fruit cake. We all know how nice that feels!

Go back now up here, and we'll start taking this

across the way, cutting across the way.

Lift it up a bit.

My dad used to come out here when I was younger.

-He used to cut in the moonlight.

-Wow.

-With the older people.

I used to ask him, "Why are you doing that?"

He said, "Why should I do it the next day?"

They had such busy lives, the old crofters.

-There is no avoiding the graft, is there?

-No.

-No substitute.

-The next stage.

-The peat iron.

-The big beast.

Sit it straight, steady continual push down.

-Take the peat away now.

-Got it.

That goes there.

So the blade stays straight. You back up, then we're going down.

-Stand up.

-Yeah.

-You're standing up like that.

Now you're throwing it out there.

It's got to go in a straight line. The furthest peat is thrown there.

'The peats are laid out individually.

'It helps them to dry out.

'I'll be back in a month to turn them over.'

That's got an imprint of Rubes' face!

'And then in another month to take them home.

'It's my turn.'

Pull back the blade that way and don't move it.

-How are you liking that?

-Very good.

Feels very satisfying. Ask me the same question in six hours.

These are the ones that Jimmy did, in neat lines.

These were thrown by an increasingly desperate gasping man.

I've gone for the scatter-gun approach.

As opposed to the neat lines. Don't believe in neat lines.

How are we getting on?

Not bad. We're not even a quarter way yet.

My dad had an idea when I was younger.

He knew that I'd get tired quickly.

He used to have a little bottle of whisky.

He'd throw it down the bog and say,

"Reach there and we'll have a break."

So wherever this lands, we stop.

-Rubes, bring it back!

-Well done, Rubes.

-Rubes!

One more last piece.

Last one. Nice and neat.

Now, that,

-is a good day's work!

-Quarter of a day's work.

Now put an initial in the peat to say you were here.

I think most people will be able to identify my peat.

It's badly cut and appallingly stacked, so it's unique.

-A little sip of whisky, mate, to celebrate?

-You've earned it.

We have.

I must learn not to throw flasks. Slainte mhath. Slainte mhath.

Your good health.

I'm renting my cottage from my neighbour,

who happens to be an earl, the Earl of Granville.

Most people here are on first name terms.

That house is Fergus's, the laird.

'Fergus runs the estate that owns virtually the whole of North Uist.

'It's vital that I have him, his family and his dogs on my side.'

-I'm Monty. Who are you?

-George.

-Hello, George.

-Violet.

-That's a lovely name, Violet. Hello, Rose.

This one here's the top dog, another Ruby.

-Two Rubies.

-Really? How confusing!

I thought it was summer. I thought it would be sunshine.

-Is it normally sunny here?

-Yeah.

-Is it?

-No.

-Always sunny and hot(!)

-Perpetually? I'd heard that about the place!

Despite the shocking weather, Fergus is keen to get me out fishing.

The first salmon of the season have been seen.

The wind's blowing about 60 miles an hour!

Storm's come in from the Atlantic. The perfect evening for fly fishing!

Apparently, some salmon have come in. They're the king of fish.

Usually when they've just arrived, a smaller fly is more effective.

-It's not too bad out the wind.

-Round the corner might be testing.

-What's the largest salmon you've had?

-Here, about 23.

-About that length.

-That is a substantial salmon.

This is a seminal moment. I've never cast a fly for a salmon before.

If I caught one, it would be a tremendous moment.

It must be strange for them.

They have to change from being in salt water to being in fresh water.

That's a great evolutionary trick they've nailed.

-That's very complex biology.

-Yeah.

It's one of the great migrations, isn't it?

-These animals have been tagged over thousands of kilometres.

-Absolutely.

Considerable distances in a day to get back to their place of spawning.

Why today? Conditions aren't ideal.

Is it the grapevine, rumours of one or two fish in?

I just heard that they had recently arrived in big numbers.

When they've just arrived, they're often very keen to take the fly.

So it's worth getting out and having a go.

-WIND HOWLS

-Listen to that wind!

The wind moaning in the cables.

It's a nice scene, isn't it?

Father and son bonding.

It seems ridiculous.

We're in the teeth of an Atlantic gale here,

but it's still salmon fishing in the Outer Hebrides

with an absolute expert.

I wouldn't be anywhere else. Great stuff.

I don't think it's looking terribly promising. It's a bit too windy now.

The water's getting stirred up, which makes the fish feel sick.

-It can be officially classed as a heroic effort.

-Absolutely.

I'd have been at home thinking it's a perfect evening.

Now I know it's not.

-Is this as bad as it gets?

-Well, I wouldn't say this was bad at all.

I like this weather, especially on a beach. It's quite invigorating.

With the wind and rain, you get the feeling of the open spaces.

You grew up here most of your life?

My parents moved here when I was four. I've been here ever since.

-It's a great place for my children to be.

-Yeah. Isn't it?

It's somewhere that draws you back, even on a day like this.

The thing about the weather is it's always changing.

A day like this, then a good day. You see it coming over the Atlantic.

It really ambushes you. It barrels in because we are in the Atlantic.

The weather changes like that, which is what happened today.

It can be gone equally quickly, but not tonight.

This is it till January!

BAGPIPES PLAY IN DISTANCE

It's a perfect day.

A nice bit of July sunshine and gentle sea breeze.

There's an idyllic scene in front of me - the North Uist Highland Games.

It's a small affair, a gathering of everyone from the islands.

The communities that make up North Uist compete in cultural events -

dancing, piping and athletics and then there are the heavy events,

which attract some intimidating looking competitors.

This is the heavy hammer, which just looks awesome.

I'm hoping the light hammer, which I've entered,

is a mallet, like the one they're banging in pegs with.

The exact one they're banging in the pegs with.

Look at the lads in the kilts.

They've got massive spikes in the front of their boots

for the shin-kicking competition.

No, it's not!

It secures them in the deck when they throw the big hammers.

-You come from outside Uist?

-I've come from Lewis.

My cousin and another friend of mine came down for the day

-to compete in the North Uist Games.

-Yeah! Very important!

-Looking at your technique, do you train a lot?

-We train all year.

I do it outside until October. The nights start to shorten and the weather gets a bit miserable.

I go inside and start on the weights.

-And, um...

-So you take it pretty seriously?

-Aye. You have to.

-I'm doing the light hammer.

-All right. Yes.

-God help us.

-OK.

Any tips you've got for me?

Say you're facing 12 o'clock?

-Try and commence your pull about 2 o'clock.

-Right.

So that's that harsh, dragging it down?

Keep your body as high as possible. You don't want to hit the ground.

So, you do one, two,

and then you catch it here and over out, left foot back.

Thank you very much.

-Are you doing the light hammer?

-I will indeed.

-I'll be watching.

Monty Halls!

How bad can it be?

-You're after big Johnny!

-Oh, right!

Polite applause. Sort of golf club!

The gentleman's broken the hammer.

We can all go and have a beer now?

'Unfortunately, the light hammer is replaced. Time for my next throw.'

Marks for altitude.

All right, Rubes, you idiot!

'I've no points on the board,

'but I'm dragooned into the Sollas B-team

'to see if I can change this situation in the final event.'

This is the tug-o-war.

I wore my big boots cos I thought I might do the tug-o-war.

Jimmy's said, "Monty, can I borrow your big boots?"

I was like, "Of course you can, Jimmy."

I've given him my big boots and it turns out he's pulling against me.

I'm doing it in my socks. Jimmy's wearing my boots. Good work.

I like what he did then.

-Why don't I grab them?

-Do they fit?

And run! Let's go then, lads.

Probably belong to some massive geezer!

Jimmy!

-Are those big on you?

-No. They're just lovely.

Just get on with it.

Not only wearing boots that are four sizes too small,

I'm also the anchor, apparently!

Just hold it there!

Playing a waiting game.

Hold. Hold. Hold big man!

Hold.

CROWD SHOUTS: Pull!

Poetic justice, that's what's just happened to Jimmy.

Turns out when your toes are crunched up you can pull quite hard.

How are the boots, Jimmy? Are they all right?

-What did you think of the tug-o-war?

-It's brutal. Savage.

-Get it right.

-OK.

Easy tiger!

All together, lads! Pull.

Awesome.

We were just toying with them.

We're not people. We're tugs.

Should give the handshake to Jimmy.

Well done.

'After the satisfaction of beating Jimmy, we're demolished in the final by a team of man mountains.

'But it's been a fantastic day.

'At the cottage, it's nearly time for some new arrivals.

'My turkeys and pigs have been fattening up and are due any day.

'But my turkey run is still anything but predator proof.'

Heather, who's providing the turkeys and the pigs, is around shortly.

What with one thing and another I haven't got round to doing this.

I need to show her I'm going to be a responsible turkey owner.

They don't strike me as a high-maintenance bird.

That sentence has got me in a lot of trouble in the past!

If you're wondering about the preponderance of black dogs,

Reuben reproduces like an amoeba. Every night, a black dog appears.

Actually, they're Fergus's dogs.

The original plan was to build a turkey hutch.

Fortunately, Fergus, my landlord,

has got a turkey hutch.

I'm going to pick it up today and we'll put it in.

I'll tell Heather I built it with my own hands.

What turkey could want more?

I've press-ganged Adam, a local member of the film crew, to help me.

-I have the feeling this is going to be a mission.

-When you're ready.

Yeah, keep going. Keep going. And steady there.

-There we are.

-It's going to be a bit more painless than I thought.

Um...

If I get the quad and put the quad here,

we'll try and perch it on the back.

-This has potential!

-LAUGHS

-All right, Ad?

-Yeah.

-Well done, mate.

Rubes, out the way, you fool!

That's fine, mate.

-Ad, thank you.

-No worries.

I thought I had the most difficult job there.

Six very bewildered looking turkeys.

-Hello.

-Now, that's how you reverse a trailer.

Hi, how are you?

-Ah, look at them! They're so much bigger!

-I'm sure.

Rubes, I'd keep your nose out.

Streaky and Smoky, that's what I'll call them.

Rubes!

You're in pig heaven!

It's like all Rubes' Christmases have come at once. Two mates.

Wait till he sees the turkeys.

Here we are, ladies and gentleman.

How do you encourage a turkey to come out? Oh, like that. Robust.

Out, out, out.

Go on. Explore. They're going to be huge by Christmas.

Come on!

Just learned there's a fence.

What a great sight.

Completes the picture, doesn't it? Have a bit of stock here.

-I might introduce Rubes to them.

-They're used to dogs.

You are a very brave pig.

Completely unfazed, that's amazing.

Is that nice?

This is me getting attached to my pigs, which is never a good idea.

All right, Rubes? You've got to behave.

-GRUNTING

-That contented grunting is coming from me, not the pigs.

I do have to remember that these boys are for the chop.

Not to get too attached.

That completes the idyll.

Look at them under him! LAUGH

They seem particularly nice pigs, those two.

The turkeys as well, of course.

Yeah. Nice. Got me cottage. Got me Landy. Got me boat.

Got me turkeys. Got me pigs. And got me ridiculous dog. Not too bad.

Rubes! That might have been a tad exuberant!

'Next time, the ranger work starts in earnest,

'guiding tourists on a nature walk.'

Any marine biologists here? No? Good.

'Mrs Monty! I'm roped in to help with some traditional celebrations.'

THEY SING

'And St Kilda or bust - a sea journey to the edge of the world.'

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd