0:00:06 > 0:00:08Imagine walking away from your normal life
0:00:08 > 0:00:12to live on a beautiful island packed with spectacular wildlife.
0:00:12 > 0:00:14Whoa!
0:00:15 > 0:00:17Well, that's what I'm doing,
0:00:17 > 0:00:22working as a volunteer nature ranger in the Outer Hebrides.
0:00:23 > 0:00:25Welcome to my Great Escape.
0:00:25 > 0:00:26Come on Reubs, come on.
0:00:35 > 0:00:40It's 600 miles from my home in Bristol to North Uist,
0:00:40 > 0:00:42where summer is turning to autumn.
0:00:42 > 0:00:46My pigs and turkeys are getting fat.
0:00:46 > 0:00:53And I've been busy checking out the old nature trails and getting to know these extraordinary islands.
0:00:53 > 0:00:55I've got the wind in my face, I'm on top of the cliff,
0:00:55 > 0:00:59it's got to be one of the best views in the world.
0:00:59 > 0:01:01This week...
0:01:01 > 0:01:06I'm here to find a sea monster. Come on Reubs, off we go.
0:01:06 > 0:01:09About 150 to 200 whale strandings around our coast each year.
0:01:09 > 0:01:14I see first hand how deer numbers are kept under control.
0:01:16 > 0:01:19Looks like this is it.
0:01:19 > 0:01:25And the Laird of North Uist shows me the secret to catching razor clams.
0:01:25 > 0:01:29People have been doing this for thousands of years and have known
0:01:29 > 0:01:34that if you look hard enough, there's a little package of protein that'll keep you alive.
0:01:47 > 0:01:52I'm seven weeks in now and one of my great frustrations here is it's all very well making these plans,
0:01:52 > 0:01:56I've made lots of plans in the seven weeks, I'm making lots of contacts.
0:01:56 > 0:02:00And I haven't got any money to do all the things I want to do,
0:02:00 > 0:02:04put the guided trails in, print the leaflets, it all costs money.
0:02:08 > 0:02:13I need several thousand pounds and I'm going to have to raise it all from the local community.
0:02:19 > 0:02:23There aren't many occasions when everyone on the islands gets together,
0:02:23 > 0:02:29but the North Uist Agricultural Show is one of them, and it's too good an opportunity to miss.
0:02:31 > 0:02:35The whole idea of these shows is that they're a great kind of celebration
0:02:35 > 0:02:39of all the locals coming together, all the stock, lots of different animals,
0:02:39 > 0:02:42all the different generations are here as well.
0:02:42 > 0:02:46This is a real festival, it's a celebration of all that's good
0:02:46 > 0:02:48about the agriculture, the livestock and everything here.
0:02:48 > 0:02:53What I'm thinking of doing is organising a gourmet feast that will showcase
0:02:53 > 0:02:56all the different foods these islands produce,
0:02:56 > 0:03:01and with a bit of luck it'll raise all the money I need for environmental projects.
0:03:04 > 0:03:10There's a man I've spotted here, he's going to be extremely significant for me.
0:03:10 > 0:03:12It's a guy called Neil who owns the Langass Lodge.
0:03:12 > 0:03:18Neil is the younger brother of my landlord, Fergus, aka Earl Granville, the Laird of North Uist.
0:03:18 > 0:03:21But this is the first time we've met.
0:03:21 > 0:03:25- Hello, Neil, I'm Monty.- Hello. - Nice to meet you.- Nice to meet you.
0:03:25 > 0:03:29I know Fergus has spoken to you about the feast, the concept of the feast,
0:03:29 > 0:03:33it's all a fundraiser basically to raise money for the ranger position.
0:03:33 > 0:03:37- Oh, I see.- And various sort of nature projects around the islands.
0:03:37 > 0:03:41So the idea would be things like setting up guided trails,
0:03:41 > 0:03:44- putting signposts in, but it all requires funding.- Yeah.
0:03:44 > 0:03:46So I thought it would be a really nice way to showcase
0:03:46 > 0:03:51the very best of the islands and the best of the produce,
0:03:51 > 0:03:55so do something like 15 courses, very small courses.
0:03:55 > 0:03:59So a scallop and a langoustine, a bit of venison, a bit of...
0:03:59 > 0:04:03- You know, and then tell the story behind each course.- Yeah, that's a good idea.- Yeah.
0:04:03 > 0:04:08It's something our chef would enjoy doing, and we'll be able to manage it, I'm sure.
0:04:08 > 0:04:09Fantastic, that's very kind.
0:04:09 > 0:04:14It's a great start. Now all I have to do is organise everything else.
0:04:14 > 0:04:16Thank you so much, lovely to meet you.
0:04:16 > 0:04:19I've got to draw up a guest list of people with deep pockets,
0:04:19 > 0:04:23persuade fishermen and farmers to give me all the ingredients for free,
0:04:23 > 0:04:25and pull in favours from wherever I can.
0:04:25 > 0:04:27What could possibly go wrong?
0:04:27 > 0:04:31I thought I'd start by getting myself a little local publicity,
0:04:31 > 0:04:35as the worst ever entrant in any class at the show.
0:04:35 > 0:04:39We're about to enter the dog and owner obstacle course
0:04:39 > 0:04:44and I can't tell you the capacity for massive catastrophe that holds.
0:04:44 > 0:04:48Because when Reubs gets excited when we run along together,
0:04:48 > 0:04:50he's still got a bit of a puppy in him, he jumps up and nips me,
0:04:50 > 0:04:53and doing an obstacle course is quite exciting.
0:04:53 > 0:04:56Are you ready for it, Reubs, are you ready, are you ready?
0:04:56 > 0:04:59Come on then, Reubs, over, over. No, no, no, this way, this way.
0:04:59 > 0:05:03Over, over, over, way-hay, well done! Come on, Reubs, come on.
0:05:03 > 0:05:06Reubs, over that, oh, go on. Come on, Reubs, Reubs.
0:05:08 > 0:05:11Yes, over the jump, go on over, go over the jump, yeah.
0:05:11 > 0:05:14Are you ready, Reubs, watch this.
0:05:16 > 0:05:19Very good. Go on, go on.
0:05:19 > 0:05:22Just showboating now. Right, Reubs, come on, come on, Reubs.
0:05:22 > 0:05:24Oh, you star, this way, this way.
0:05:26 > 0:05:30Good boy, good boy, now over this one, oh...!
0:05:30 > 0:05:33LAUGHTER
0:05:33 > 0:05:34Well done, Reubs!
0:05:34 > 0:05:36APPLAUSE
0:05:38 > 0:05:40Piece of cake.
0:05:40 > 0:05:41Well done, Reubs.
0:05:41 > 0:05:43Good lad, good lad, clever boy.
0:05:48 > 0:05:51I've given myself four weeks to organise the feast
0:05:51 > 0:05:57because until I've got some cash there's really very little I can do, other than plan ways of spending it.
0:05:58 > 0:06:04I'm driving towards the great craggy wedge that rises out of North Uist,
0:06:04 > 0:06:07it's Eaval, the mountain of Eaval,
0:06:07 > 0:06:12which sounds like some sort of fantasy sci-fi thing but it's only actually 300 metres high.
0:06:12 > 0:06:16But I'll say it's a thousand feet cos that sounds a lot more impressive!
0:06:16 > 0:06:20But one of the ideas is to try and put a guided trail,
0:06:20 > 0:06:25either up the mountain or around it or whatever.
0:06:25 > 0:06:28So I'm going to go and explore options, see what it's like up there,
0:06:28 > 0:06:32and perhaps look at an option as well of getting to the foot of it by boat.
0:06:32 > 0:06:35That might be quite an interesting way to open up a new trail to Eaval.
0:06:35 > 0:06:38The one thing I can guarantee is if the weather stays like this,
0:06:38 > 0:06:43a bit blustery, it'll be wild but the view will be breathtaking.
0:06:43 > 0:06:46Come on, Reubs.
0:06:46 > 0:06:47- Hello, Nick.- Oh, hi.
0:06:47 > 0:06:51- Do you want me to cast off? - Yeah, if you would.- Reubs, come on.
0:06:51 > 0:06:55Nick very kindly agreed to give me a lift out to the foot of Eaval.
0:06:55 > 0:06:59This is a great shortcut and it's a great chance to have a chat with Nick and weave through this
0:06:59 > 0:07:04beautiful little archipelago of islands to actually get to the foot of the mountain.
0:07:04 > 0:07:08You moved up here 30 years ago, didn't you?
0:07:08 > 0:07:10- Yep.- About 30 years ago?
0:07:10 > 0:07:13- Yeah, 30 years ago. - And where did you move up from?
0:07:13 > 0:07:18- I was teaching in Burnley for two and a half years.- Right.
0:07:18 > 0:07:23What sort of things are you seeing wildlife-wise around the island?
0:07:23 > 0:07:28Sometimes I go looking for wildlife and then I find that, you know, it was behind me all the time.
0:07:28 > 0:07:33- Yeah, yeah.- I know the first day we went looking for a sea eagle
0:07:33 > 0:07:37and then my neighbour told me that he'd been looking at one through binoculars
0:07:37 > 0:07:40- the evening before, sat right behind our house.- Really?
0:07:40 > 0:07:44And I mean we were just... I was probably reading a book on how to find sea eagles.
0:07:44 > 0:07:49- If I'd have just turned around... - There was one perched on the back of your armchair!- Exactly.
0:07:51 > 0:07:54Ah, ha-ha, you all right?
0:07:54 > 0:07:56You're all right, Reubs.
0:07:56 > 0:08:01This is a real growing industry up here.
0:08:01 > 0:08:06Nick's an ex-fisherman and essentially gave up the fishing to buy this boat
0:08:06 > 0:08:10because eco-tourism's starting to really take off here...
0:08:10 > 0:08:14as it should. This is a miraculous environment,
0:08:14 > 0:08:21this little network of islands and channels, it's alive with otters, the sea eagles, golden eagles.
0:08:21 > 0:08:24There's a heck of a lot going on here, dolphins.
0:08:24 > 0:08:27And the best way to see it is just get out in a boat
0:08:27 > 0:08:30with a pair of these and just have a good old hunt round.
0:08:35 > 0:08:39He's just said there's something on the shore here.
0:08:41 > 0:08:43Whoa, here we go.
0:08:47 > 0:08:51That was an absolutely magnificent pair of stags, because one of the ways
0:08:51 > 0:08:55stags are graded is the amount of points on their antlers.
0:08:55 > 0:09:03And one of those had at least eight points on its antlers, which makes it a 16-point stag.
0:09:03 > 0:09:07Above 12 it becomes a royal stag,
0:09:07 > 0:09:12it's a regal animal that only the regent can hunt, traditionally.
0:09:12 > 0:09:17So that was slightly beyond a royal stag that, and what a great sight.
0:09:24 > 0:09:26I think that's the easiest way.
0:09:26 > 0:09:28You put me to shame.
0:09:31 > 0:09:33God, Reub, I'm impressed!
0:09:36 > 0:09:40So, onward and upward, but mainly upward.
0:09:42 > 0:09:45Hah, Reubs, don't peak too early.
0:09:56 > 0:09:59An awful lot of people go hiking
0:09:59 > 0:10:02in the highlands and islands, of course.
0:10:02 > 0:10:06You've got to be careful, you know, you've got to take the right gear
0:10:06 > 0:10:11because it's demanding, physically demanding, and the weather can change like that.
0:10:11 > 0:10:14And if you're tired, you haven't got a compass, you haven't got
0:10:14 > 0:10:17a means of communication, people don't know where you are,
0:10:17 > 0:10:22you haven't got waterproofs, suddenly a bit of an emotional day out
0:10:22 > 0:10:24turns into a serious, serious drama.
0:10:24 > 0:10:30But it's beautiful, it's worth every step, every step, look at this, look at the view.
0:10:32 > 0:10:34Are you ready, chum?
0:10:34 > 0:10:37Come on then, let's go, next stage, come on.
0:10:37 > 0:10:42The next stage is going to be fairly heinous I think.
0:10:53 > 0:10:57Nearly there, we're on the summit ridge,
0:10:57 > 0:10:59the Hillary Step.
0:11:00 > 0:11:02I'm making this out to be this
0:11:02 > 0:11:04heinous, hard climb, it's not at all,
0:11:04 > 0:11:11it's the sort of thing my granny used to do, in tweed, with a stout pair of boots.
0:11:22 > 0:11:24That's the summit.
0:11:35 > 0:11:40This is what the Uists and the Outer Hebrides are all about.
0:11:41 > 0:11:45To look around me, you can see the odd house
0:11:45 > 0:11:48and the rest is just wilderness,
0:11:48 > 0:11:54and there's certain places where nature holds sway over man.
0:11:54 > 0:11:56And this is one of them, I think,
0:11:56 > 0:11:59this is Britain's wilderness.
0:11:59 > 0:12:01Fantastic sight.
0:12:03 > 0:12:05Even Reubs is excited.
0:12:08 > 0:12:10Eaval is breathtaking.
0:12:10 > 0:12:14Writing a trail guide is going to be a top priority.
0:12:16 > 0:12:20And looking down over the whole landscape has really inspired me about the feast.
0:12:20 > 0:12:24The islands are like a giant larder, with produce unrivalled anywhere in
0:12:24 > 0:12:27Britain or indeed the world, and I want the feast to reflect that.
0:12:38 > 0:12:41What I'd like to do with this feast is I'd like to make it a journey
0:12:41 > 0:12:44across this landscape, this incredible landscape,
0:12:44 > 0:12:46and a celebration of the food it produces.
0:12:46 > 0:12:49So we're going to start out at the sea with things like langoustine,
0:12:49 > 0:12:53scallop, and then we're going to move onto the beaches, muscles.
0:12:53 > 0:12:56and then we're going to move onto a croft with things like lamb.
0:12:56 > 0:13:00Then we're going to move into the hills with things like venison.
0:13:06 > 0:13:11All the money the feast raises will go straight into environmental projects and I'm determined
0:13:11 > 0:13:15to leave my mark here, because these islands are so special.
0:13:15 > 0:13:20Today I'm off to see some of the rarest birds in Britain, sea eagles.
0:13:21 > 0:13:25There's a real protocol with these single track roads,
0:13:25 > 0:13:29and you pull over, it just means you're stopping and starting all the time.
0:13:29 > 0:13:34Initially you're like that, it means you get to wave to everyone on the island at least once a day.
0:13:34 > 0:13:37When you've been here for a while you get all cool about it
0:13:37 > 0:13:40and you just raise a laconic finger, sort of cool finger like that.
0:13:40 > 0:13:43That means you're a local and you're kind of in the know.
0:13:43 > 0:13:45Like this, watch, perfect demo.
0:13:45 > 0:13:47Thank you.
0:13:54 > 0:13:59This is probably one of my last chances to actually get out and see the sea eagles.
0:13:59 > 0:14:04The youngsters are going to fledge very, very soon, which means they're going to fly the nest.
0:14:04 > 0:14:08And although I've seen sea eagles before, I've only ever seen them in the distance.
0:14:08 > 0:14:14So this is a great opportunity to see one up close taking a fish from the water, which will be fantastic.
0:14:26 > 0:14:28I think it is, I think it is, yeah.
0:14:28 > 0:14:31Yes, it is.
0:14:31 > 0:14:37Just seen an eagle, saw it flying along the coast, what a sight, what a sight, seven foot wingspan.
0:14:37 > 0:14:40And it's just gone into its nest just there so the idea now,
0:14:40 > 0:14:44I'm just going to catch a couple of pollack and try and lure it out.
0:14:44 > 0:14:48There's two eagles, we've got two eagles.
0:14:48 > 0:14:52There they are, and that is a significant portion
0:14:52 > 0:14:56of the sea eagle population of the UK.
0:14:56 > 0:14:59There they are, look at that, look at that.
0:14:59 > 0:15:01Fantastic.
0:15:01 > 0:15:06They were introduced in 1975, they only started breeding in 1985,
0:15:06 > 0:15:08and estimates vary as to the numbers,
0:15:08 > 0:15:12but what you're looking at there is the fourth largest bird of prey
0:15:12 > 0:15:15on Earth, and it's right here off the coast of Britain.
0:15:15 > 0:15:17With any luck I'm going to catch a pollack.
0:15:17 > 0:15:22Fantastic eyesight, they're almost a kilometre away but they'll pick up me waving it
0:15:22 > 0:15:25and with any luck they'll come and take it out of the water.
0:15:25 > 0:15:29Got to catch a pollack first though, which has been a problem for me in the past.
0:15:32 > 0:15:35Oh, hello!
0:15:35 > 0:15:38Always takes time, encounters like this.
0:15:38 > 0:15:42Every time I've ever wanted to get a photograph of an animal like this, there's no substitute
0:15:42 > 0:15:47for just hanging around and waiting, and it'll come to you in its own time and on its own terms.
0:15:47 > 0:15:49A couple more and we're in business.
0:15:49 > 0:15:53They're obviously just hunting just round the other side of that headland.
0:15:53 > 0:15:57There it is, yeah, I can see him.
0:15:57 > 0:16:00No, there we are, look!
0:16:00 > 0:16:03Look at that, he's going to come right over.
0:16:04 > 0:16:07Whoa, look at that.
0:16:09 > 0:16:14Right, I'm going to try and get right underneath, I feel completely ridiculous, by the way.
0:16:14 > 0:16:17Suddenly there's four of them.
0:16:17 > 0:16:20But these are obviously the young. I've seen more than two birds,
0:16:20 > 0:16:22so these are the ones that have fledged.
0:16:24 > 0:16:27He's definitely got his eye on me, you can see he's hanging around.
0:16:30 > 0:16:33OK, here we go.
0:16:33 > 0:16:35Look at that.
0:16:42 > 0:16:45And they obviously want a fish, they're watching us.
0:16:46 > 0:16:50I just wish they'd come a little bit closer.
0:16:50 > 0:16:56Fantastic sighting, superb to see all four of them, and to see them come over so close was amazing.
0:16:56 > 0:17:02The scale of these cliffs, these cliffs are large and even they didn't dwarf this huge animal.
0:17:02 > 0:17:05And I have had the opportunity to drive up and down the coast
0:17:05 > 0:17:11of the Outer Hebrides waving a pollack above my head, which I never thought I'd do, I feel privileged.
0:17:11 > 0:17:16But a lovely day, a lovely day, so head home, I think.
0:17:24 > 0:17:29The eagles might not have wanted my pollack but I know someone at home who might.
0:17:38 > 0:17:43One of the things I really want to do up here is try and learn how to cook this food properly.
0:17:43 > 0:17:49You know, this is the harvest of the sea, you just go out there and these are rich, rich, rich waters.
0:17:49 > 0:17:53The pollack is, it's an amazing animal, the pollack,
0:17:53 > 0:17:56a very, very successful predator on the reef.
0:17:56 > 0:18:02Same family as the cod and they're a kind of ambush predator, they sit very close to the reef.
0:18:02 > 0:18:07So what I'm going to do is, I'm going to do some goujons with these,
0:18:07 > 0:18:12so the first thing I've got to do is find its goujons.
0:18:12 > 0:18:17And you can see, look at that white meat, it's muscle, this animal needs
0:18:17 > 0:18:20explosive speed, it's an ambush predator.
0:18:26 > 0:18:32This thing, to get to this size, would have had an amazing life history, they spawn in deep water
0:18:32 > 0:18:35in January through to April,
0:18:35 > 0:18:40down in sort of 100-200 metres of water which is pitch black.
0:18:40 > 0:18:45When they hatch, they scull their way to shallow water
0:18:45 > 0:18:48and they live off tiny crustaceans and plankton.
0:18:48 > 0:18:54And then if they grow to their full size they can get really huge, they get a metre long.
0:18:54 > 0:18:58Bad enough for a pollack to be caught
0:18:58 > 0:19:02and dragged away from its home reef, but then it has the indignity of being cooked by me.
0:19:12 > 0:19:14That's really good.
0:19:14 > 0:19:19It's just a nice white fish, tastes like cod and this is a pollack,
0:19:19 > 0:19:22and for some reason we don't eat them.
0:19:22 > 0:19:28And things like cod are under such intense pressure, these can be caught close to shore
0:19:28 > 0:19:34by anyone just off reefs and they're delicious, and we should be catching animals like this,
0:19:34 > 0:19:37things like pollack, a more successful species,
0:19:37 > 0:19:40and giving things like cod a bit of a break, I think.
0:19:45 > 0:19:48Here we go chum. Sit.
0:19:48 > 0:19:49Try some.
0:19:54 > 0:19:58I saw you eat some sheep poo this afternoon.
0:19:58 > 0:20:01Are you telling me my goujons are no good?
0:20:09 > 0:20:14I'm staying on the islands until the New Year, so I'm fattening up some pigs and turkeys for Christmas,
0:20:14 > 0:20:17which I must say I have some mixed feelings about.
0:20:17 > 0:20:18All right, chaps.
0:20:18 > 0:20:22It's feeding time, isn't it? You actually want a bit of scran.
0:20:22 > 0:20:24I play the game sometimes, have you ever seen the game
0:20:24 > 0:20:28with those tiny little pigs that you throw and you see how they land?
0:20:28 > 0:20:31I do it with these two, really, you know.
0:20:31 > 0:20:34I got an 87 point break the other day.
0:20:34 > 0:20:39There we are, that's a 20 pointer!
0:20:39 > 0:20:41Really going to struggle in a few months time
0:20:41 > 0:20:46to take these chaps to the abattoir but there we go.
0:20:46 > 0:20:49Maybe I'll just send Reubs.
0:20:49 > 0:20:51Right, bit of food,
0:20:51 > 0:20:53here we go, fellas, come on.
0:20:59 > 0:21:00Look at that.
0:21:03 > 0:21:07You're looking at a sausage on legs, basically, and a pork chop on legs.
0:21:11 > 0:21:12Out the way, chaps.
0:21:12 > 0:21:15I'll fatten you up for Christmas.
0:21:30 > 0:21:34This is a very significant meeting I'm going to now.
0:21:34 > 0:21:39It's with John, who is the chef at the Langass Lodge.
0:21:39 > 0:21:42He's the man who's going to be cooking the great feast, for a start,
0:21:42 > 0:21:46but also because he's the chef, he's locked in to all the local suppliers.
0:21:46 > 0:21:52So this meeting, I'm hoping I can tap into John's expertise
0:21:52 > 0:21:56and it'll set me out on the start of this trail around the island...
0:21:58 > 0:22:01..to actually find the producers...
0:22:01 > 0:22:05The producers of this phenomenal natural produce up here.
0:22:05 > 0:22:08- Hello, John, how are you? - Good, good.
0:22:08 > 0:22:12John Buchanan is originally from the Isle of Lewis.
0:22:12 > 0:22:13This looks fantastic.
0:22:13 > 0:22:17He joined the Langass Lodge straight from catering college
0:22:17 > 0:22:18nearly 25 years ago.
0:22:18 > 0:22:21So have you had any more thoughts about the feast?
0:22:21 > 0:22:25- Absolutely.- I think we were up to 17 courses, weren't we, last time we talked?
0:22:25 > 0:22:29So much available on the island, what do you want to do with it?
0:22:29 > 0:22:32- I was wondering if... Like doing it three things at a time.- Oh, yes.
0:22:32 > 0:22:36So three tiny little things. On the plate, almost like tapas almost.
0:22:36 > 0:22:41Three tiny little things on the plate, and then almost have like a host, who says,
0:22:41 > 0:22:44"Now...we move into the sea."
0:22:44 > 0:22:48And in the sea you'll find a scallop, these are the best scallops,
0:22:48 > 0:22:50you know, a langoustine, whatever.
0:22:50 > 0:22:53You can go one plate and you can call it "From the shore".
0:22:53 > 0:22:57You can get some mussels, some cockles, some razor clams and make a dish.
0:22:57 > 0:23:01That's free of charge, anybody can do it, if you can be bothered to go and do it.
0:23:01 > 0:23:04So the next stage is really, I think as I said,
0:23:04 > 0:23:10going to suppliers, because I want to learn the whole, it's almost...
0:23:10 > 0:23:12- The chain.- The chain, the way...
0:23:12 > 0:23:14- Stuff just doesn't grow on trees.- No.
0:23:14 > 0:23:19A prawn doesn't arrive in the supermarket...just like that.
0:23:19 > 0:23:23I can give you all the phone numbers and the people to speak to, the guys we use.
0:23:23 > 0:23:25That would be fantastic.
0:23:29 > 0:23:35With John's contacts, I'm on my way, but I can't neglect my ranger duties.
0:23:37 > 0:23:41One of the joys of this job is you never know what any day is going to bring.
0:23:45 > 0:23:46I'm here to find a sea monster.
0:23:46 > 0:23:50There's been a rumour of an animal washed up here
0:23:50 > 0:23:54and I've had my first clue, just as I've got out of the Land Rover.
0:23:54 > 0:23:56There's a very strong smell of ammonia, so I'm going to have
0:23:56 > 0:24:00a little walk down the beach and see... See what I see, basically.
0:24:00 > 0:24:02Come on, Reubs, off we go.
0:24:02 > 0:24:06Another clue that there's something here is there's a huge number of black-backed gulls.
0:24:06 > 0:24:09Black-backed gulls, they're the kind of vultures of the beach
0:24:09 > 0:24:13and they're just moving off, but they're clustered around something and plainly
0:24:13 > 0:24:18there is a very large substantial animal half buried in the sand, so let's go and have a look.
0:24:18 > 0:24:23From looking at it from this distance it's a shark, it's a large shark of some sort.
0:24:27 > 0:24:29It's not a large shark.
0:24:31 > 0:24:32That's a cetacean.
0:24:34 > 0:24:37It's some sort of large dolphin or...
0:24:37 > 0:24:41And it's got the dorsal fin really far back so more of a porpoise than a dolphin.
0:24:41 > 0:24:45I don't think it is a dolphin, it's some sort of small whale or something.
0:24:45 > 0:24:48But a clue will be a beak, if there's a beak here,
0:24:48 > 0:24:50you get these large beaked whales.
0:24:50 > 0:24:52But I don't think it is, I think it's a...
0:24:52 > 0:24:58Well, there is a beak there, a bit of a beak, let's have a look.
0:24:58 > 0:25:00Oh, there is a beak there, quite a substantial beak.
0:25:00 > 0:25:05Now I'm not a cetacean expert, I'm not a whale and dolphin expert,
0:25:05 > 0:25:09and by the look of things
0:25:09 > 0:25:13you know it's got a beak, so it's some sort of beaked whale.
0:25:13 > 0:25:15We don't know a great deal about beaked whales.
0:25:16 > 0:25:21They tend to live on squid and so they hunt in deep water
0:25:21 > 0:25:26and really it's not an animal that's seen that often.
0:25:26 > 0:25:31So this would be of great interest, this particular stranding, it'll be of great interest
0:25:31 > 0:25:36to people like the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society, so I'll have a natter with them about it.
0:25:36 > 0:25:39Internet access on the islands is patchy,
0:25:39 > 0:25:44so I'm off to the Kirkibost Community Centre to log on and email the experts.
0:25:47 > 0:25:50I think, potentially, that beaked whale could be quite significant
0:25:50 > 0:25:52because they're very unusual.
0:25:52 > 0:25:57We don't come across them very often, and so I need to think quite carefully about the next step.
0:25:57 > 0:26:03So I'm sending the photos I took to the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society and the scientists there,
0:26:03 > 0:26:07with a view to maybe, I could take some biopsies and we'll get an idea of...
0:26:07 > 0:26:13Perhaps which population it's from and also its pollution levels.
0:26:13 > 0:26:17Whether there's pollution in it that might have killed it.
0:26:17 > 0:26:22But just to know how I proceed from this point on.
0:26:22 > 0:26:25I don't want to mess this up with potentially quite a rare
0:26:25 > 0:26:28and quite an exciting find on one of the beaches of Benbecula.
0:26:28 > 0:26:31Let's see what happens, let's see what they come back with,
0:26:31 > 0:26:34the scientists down there, and I'll do precisely what they tell me.
0:26:49 > 0:26:52Got to make a few calls, try and organise the feast,
0:26:52 > 0:26:57but in there I can't get any signal and there's very few places round here I can get a signal.
0:26:57 > 0:27:00Bizarrely, one of them is on the boat.
0:27:01 > 0:27:05I've been inviting everyone I can think of, from local businessmen to the airline
0:27:05 > 0:27:12that flies to the Outer Hebrides in the hope they'll donate lots of money, but it's a long old process.
0:27:12 > 0:27:14Brilliant, brilliant.
0:27:14 > 0:27:16It's going to be quite a night.
0:27:16 > 0:27:22An endless succession of answer phones and people who are busy, but I've got to stick at it.
0:27:25 > 0:27:32We're edging towards autumn now and it's rainy and very, very windy.
0:27:32 > 0:27:36But every now and then the sun breaks through and it's a lovely combination.
0:27:36 > 0:27:40You get wonderful colours and it looks wild and it's stark and beautifully lit
0:27:40 > 0:27:42and just very nice.
0:27:42 > 0:27:45I've also started gathering the ingredients.
0:27:45 > 0:27:51Just popping in to see folk at the smokehouse who are providing huge amounts of stuff for the feast.
0:27:51 > 0:27:55The smokehouse exports salmon and trout all over the world
0:27:55 > 0:28:00and the work that goes into a slice of smoked salmon is a real eye-opener.
0:28:01 > 0:28:04Annie is originally from America and she's one of many people
0:28:04 > 0:28:08I've come across on the islands who came for a visit and never went home.
0:28:08 > 0:28:12- Welcome to the Hebridean Smokehouse. - Thank you very much.
0:28:12 > 0:28:15We go through so much to take care of the fish.
0:28:15 > 0:28:19You don't want to do anything that's going to split the flesh,
0:28:19 > 0:28:23cause the fish to bend, or if you pick them up sometimes with one hand
0:28:23 > 0:28:25you'll feel the vertebrae's kinda popping.
0:28:25 > 0:28:28That is poetry in motion.
0:28:28 > 0:28:33So usually when we're handling the fish we try to use two hands instead of one.
0:28:34 > 0:28:39The fillets are salted to remove some of the moisture before smoking.
0:28:39 > 0:28:42Now that's the peat.
0:28:42 > 0:28:46That's the peat, we break it up a bit and we top it with a wet sawdust
0:28:46 > 0:28:52cos we don't want it to flame, we just want the smoke, so the wet sawdust will keep it from flaming.
0:28:52 > 0:28:56I love the idea of peat smoking because it's the very essence of the islands.
0:28:56 > 0:28:59- Isn't it?- It's what makes up the islands.- Literally, yeah.
0:29:01 > 0:29:05And there it is, I'm just going to smell it.
0:29:05 > 0:29:07Oh, I love it, lovely.
0:29:07 > 0:29:10It smells like walking past a bothy,
0:29:10 > 0:29:16you know, with a fire going on a nice autumnal evening.
0:29:16 > 0:29:20It's a very sort of romantic, peaty smell.
0:29:20 > 0:29:22So how long will it spend in there, Annie?
0:29:22 > 0:29:27At least 12 hours, just for flavour, that's what it's doing with the fish.
0:29:27 > 0:29:30- But does it cook it? - It doesn't cook it.- Right.
0:29:30 > 0:29:32So this has all been smoked already.
0:29:36 > 0:29:38We can go to this table here.
0:29:38 > 0:29:41This line across here, if you go like that you can feel it,
0:29:41 > 0:29:44these are the pin bones. So before the fish can be sliced,
0:29:44 > 0:29:47each of these pin bones have to be taken out.
0:29:47 > 0:29:50It's literally just tweezing those bones out.
0:29:52 > 0:29:54The first few are the hardest.
0:29:54 > 0:29:57Yeah!
0:29:57 > 0:29:59- That was a lot of work, for sure. - Under pressure, yeah.
0:29:59 > 0:30:02When you've finished, just run your finger down.
0:30:02 > 0:30:06Yeah, I seem to have left one or two, funny old thing.
0:30:06 > 0:30:08I'll be with you in a moment, don't worry!
0:30:08 > 0:30:10Great stuff.
0:30:10 > 0:30:13- All right.- Now the slicing.- Yes.
0:30:13 > 0:30:16When you slice, you want your knife as parallel to the board
0:30:16 > 0:30:21as you can have it, and this sawing motion is really, really important.
0:30:21 > 0:30:24The more you saw, the more the knife will cut.
0:30:24 > 0:30:27The other thing you're watching is the thickness of the slice,
0:30:27 > 0:30:30you should be able to see your knife through the slice.
0:30:33 > 0:30:35That's quite good.
0:30:35 > 0:30:39- But this piece we don't use.- Oh, don't we, that is a tragedy!
0:30:39 > 0:30:43Your next slice, you just... So you just go back just a little bit
0:30:43 > 0:30:46and just start, just do the same thing again.
0:30:46 > 0:30:48Let your knife just do the slicing.
0:30:48 > 0:30:50That's actually very good,
0:30:50 > 0:30:52- see how you can see your knife through there?- Thanks.
0:30:52 > 0:30:58- That's quite a good slice there, for your first slice.- Shall I just stop? I should just stop now.
0:30:58 > 0:31:00There you go, you know, no, no, no.
0:31:01 > 0:31:04That's not so great. Somewhat ragged.
0:31:04 > 0:31:08If you got a piece like that, it would go with the pate fish.
0:31:08 > 0:31:12We'd put that, we'd kinda chop it up and put it in the bag for the pate.
0:31:12 > 0:31:15They're going to have quite a large pate pile at the end of this!
0:31:15 > 0:31:20- My nerves are in tatters now. - Are they?
0:31:20 > 0:31:22They are absolutely immaculate, your slices.
0:31:22 > 0:31:27This is a ham-fisted rugby player with a low attention span.
0:31:30 > 0:31:31I think...
0:31:31 > 0:31:33I'm going to retire hurt.
0:31:33 > 0:31:36So what would you do with that, Annie, that pile of...?
0:31:36 > 0:31:40- This actual pile here?- Yeah, yeah.
0:31:40 > 0:31:42It would all go into pate.
0:31:42 > 0:31:44Do you know, why doesn't that...?
0:31:44 > 0:31:46I don't think we could use any of that.
0:31:46 > 0:31:50I can see you searching for a subtle way to say that but there isn't really.
0:31:50 > 0:31:55It'll make the next bit of salmon I get from here that little bit... Knowing what's gone into it.
0:31:55 > 0:31:57- The quality.- It's really significant.
0:31:57 > 0:32:01- Yes, it is, yes, thank you. - All right, Annie, thank you so much.
0:32:01 > 0:32:03- Cheers.- No worries, cheers.- Bye-bye.
0:32:03 > 0:32:06And Annie's said very kindly that I can take it out to Reubs.
0:32:06 > 0:32:09He's been sitting in the car and he's bored out his brains.
0:32:09 > 0:32:15And I've always said Reubs is part otter because he loves the sea so much, so hopefully he'll enjoy this.
0:32:15 > 0:32:18I have no idea at all how Reubs is going to react to this.
0:32:18 > 0:32:22I know he gets hungry in the car cos whenever I leave him in the car
0:32:22 > 0:32:25he always eats my headrests, or seatbelts.
0:32:25 > 0:32:27Hey, Reubs!
0:32:27 > 0:32:29Reubs, I'm sorry, that's a long time in the Landy, isn't it?
0:32:29 > 0:32:32No more than normal. Look at this.
0:32:32 > 0:32:35Are you ready, are you ready, go on then, Reubs.
0:32:38 > 0:32:39What do you think, Reubs, no?
0:32:43 > 0:32:45Reubs, I'll give you a straight choice.
0:32:45 > 0:32:51OK, this prime piece of Atlantic salmon - pink, delicious flesh
0:32:51 > 0:32:54that's worth a fortune, or this pebble?
0:32:56 > 0:32:58Which one do you want?
0:32:58 > 0:33:00Throw you the salmon? Go on, Reubs.
0:33:00 > 0:33:01Throw the pebble?
0:33:05 > 0:33:07Reubs!
0:33:16 > 0:33:20The next thing I need to get sorted for the feast is the main course, venison.
0:33:20 > 0:33:25The meat needs to hang for a few weeks before it's ready to eat so there's no time to waste.
0:33:33 > 0:33:38I've joined Niall Leveson-Gower, who runs the hotel where the feast will be happening,
0:33:38 > 0:33:40and Colin Newton, one of the gamekeepers
0:33:40 > 0:33:42on the North Uist Estate.
0:33:43 > 0:33:46- Lovely day.- A good day, yeah.
0:33:46 > 0:33:51So the plan for the day, Niall, I'm in your capable hands.
0:33:51 > 0:33:55Well, I don't know about that but we'll go and see if we can get
0:33:55 > 0:33:57a stag for the feast.
0:33:57 > 0:34:02So we've got a little bit of a convoy thing going on here, more of an amphibious military exercise.
0:34:02 > 0:34:04So that's Colin.
0:34:04 > 0:34:07Colin's going to come with us on the stalk, yeah.
0:34:07 > 0:34:12And he's probably going to be the guy who pulls the trigger if we're lucky enough to get into a stag.
0:34:12 > 0:34:13Grand, grand.
0:34:13 > 0:34:18I always think for, in terms of me, I'm not personally into sort of trophy shooting or anything.
0:34:18 > 0:34:21Well, what we'll be looking for today is a small stag.
0:34:21 > 0:34:26- A small stag?- A cull stag, or an old one or an injured one.
0:34:26 > 0:34:31So essentially you're culling the herd, almost, you're taking out the weak ones.
0:34:31 > 0:34:35And the ones that would quite possibly die on the hill anyway so, yeah.
0:34:35 > 0:34:38That's our aim anyway.
0:34:38 > 0:34:40- Yeah, yeah. - Leave the strong ones to breed.
0:34:40 > 0:34:44It's not long before Niall spies some shootable stag, so it's a quick
0:34:44 > 0:34:47change into our stalking gear and head up into the hills.
0:34:50 > 0:34:53At the moment, the wind's in our faces which is the perfect place
0:34:53 > 0:35:00to be of course, cos we're walking into the wind so our smell's being carried that way, but the problem
0:35:00 > 0:35:07with these valleys and hills and coves, is it changes direction and switches and turns all the time.
0:35:07 > 0:35:11And if it switches and they just get a hint of us, then they're gone.
0:35:11 > 0:35:17Also, if another herd that's over there gets a hint of us or sees us,
0:35:17 > 0:35:20they'll go and that'll send the stag we're after off, so...
0:35:22 > 0:35:25We'll just go and have a look from that ridge, if you just stay here.
0:35:27 > 0:35:34It's actually perfect countryside for stalking this, because it's a series of ridges
0:35:34 > 0:35:41so you go to the top of one and you do a little spy and you look at the whole valley in front of you,
0:35:41 > 0:35:44and then you move through that valley, go to the next one and the next one.
0:35:47 > 0:35:50- They must have winded us on the way. - They've just stopped there,
0:35:50 > 0:35:52that's a big stag.
0:35:52 > 0:35:54Long shot though.
0:36:09 > 0:36:12We're a few weeks before the rut starts
0:36:12 > 0:36:18and at this time of year, estates start culling the weakest stags so they don't get a chance to breed.
0:36:18 > 0:36:23Any stag we shoot today would have been destined for the dinner table anyway.
0:36:23 > 0:36:27WHISPERS: We'll go up and he'll put some bullets in the magazine.
0:36:27 > 0:36:30- Right. - We'll do that at the last minute.
0:36:33 > 0:36:38OK, this is the kind of final bit of the stalk now, last 150 metres or so.
0:36:38 > 0:36:42Colin's going to sit there and hopefully take the shot from there
0:36:42 > 0:36:45but we've got to be really quiet from this point on.
0:36:45 > 0:36:51All right, the very last ridge, we've just found them right there,
0:36:51 > 0:36:53right in front of us.
0:36:54 > 0:36:55So this is it.
0:37:05 > 0:37:06GUNSHOT FIRES
0:37:08 > 0:37:11Last gasp.
0:37:15 > 0:37:18Wow, a huge animal.
0:37:18 > 0:37:20- Big 'un.- Yeah.
0:37:20 > 0:37:26But a really good one to shoot, he's got, you can see, an uneven head, just these two points on this side.
0:37:26 > 0:37:30And that's sort of quite... Is that a poor condition thing or is that?
0:37:30 > 0:37:34Yeah, well basically it's the breeding. You're trying to eliminate the poor breeders.
0:37:34 > 0:37:39- But this antler's potentially quite dangerous to the other stags. - Oh, right, of course.
0:37:39 > 0:37:41Cos usually they've got these things.
0:37:41 > 0:37:45When they're sparring they will stop the other antler but this one would...
0:37:45 > 0:37:49- We've been out to this stag before actually.- Yeah, yeah.
0:37:49 > 0:37:56And you can just see straight away, you know, the contrast with this and what you see on a wall.
0:37:56 > 0:37:59Or what you see in a big healthy stag out there.
0:37:59 > 0:38:01You can see the difference, can't you?
0:38:01 > 0:38:04Well, there we go...
0:38:04 > 0:38:10There we go, and this guy hopefully will be turned into money to support the ranger position.
0:38:10 > 0:38:13And hopefully keep an eye on the environment of the islands.
0:38:32 > 0:38:36The whale, the beached whale, has created quite a stir.
0:38:36 > 0:38:41I've sent off the pictures to the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society and they've spoken
0:38:41 > 0:38:45to their experts there and the pictures have even gone to America.
0:38:45 > 0:38:51So what I'm going to do now is go back and take a sample, do some measurements,
0:38:51 > 0:38:55just have a slightly closer look at it and try and unravel the mystery
0:38:55 > 0:38:58of what actually happened to this animal.
0:38:58 > 0:39:01And then take the sample back and send them off,
0:39:01 > 0:39:04and then await results.
0:39:10 > 0:39:12Looking very sorry for itself now.
0:39:12 > 0:39:15This is a real bonanza for everything on the beach
0:39:15 > 0:39:19that eats carrion, and that's pretty much everything.
0:39:19 > 0:39:25So if you look, you've got skuas there, you've got black-backed gulls,
0:39:25 > 0:39:29herring gulls, they'll all just come in and make the most of this.
0:39:30 > 0:39:34There's about 150 to 200 whale strandings
0:39:34 > 0:39:35around our coast each year.
0:39:35 > 0:39:40And what they do is they give us a glimpse of another world.
0:39:40 > 0:39:46And the beaked whales particularly hunt in very deep water a kilometre down hunting for squid.
0:39:46 > 0:39:54So this guy would have lived in a world of abyssal darkness, hence the tiny, tiny little eye,
0:39:54 > 0:40:00but obviously it uses that fantastic echo location to actually hunt its main prey, which is squid.
0:40:00 > 0:40:01Eugh!
0:40:01 > 0:40:07Now, the three different species are Cuvier's, Sowerby's and True's beaked whales.
0:40:09 > 0:40:12And they wash up really very rarely,
0:40:12 > 0:40:16so this fellow has generated a fair amount of interest.
0:40:16 > 0:40:22So what I've got to do is take a skin sample and a little muscle sample as well
0:40:22 > 0:40:26and send it off to the labs and see what they can say about this particular whale.
0:40:26 > 0:40:32Now, some very strong recommendations should you ever come across a stranded whale.
0:40:32 > 0:40:38Number one is don't touch it, they've got some really nasty infections in them.
0:40:39 > 0:40:42And the other one is try and stay up wind. Whoo!
0:40:42 > 0:40:46They absolutely hustle, it reeks.
0:40:46 > 0:40:49I'm going to dig out the beak slightly and then get some
0:40:49 > 0:40:56really accurate measurements and then leave it to mother nature.
0:40:56 > 0:41:03Interesting thing about blubber. A whale stores all its toxins in there
0:41:03 > 0:41:07and that's worked really well for it until mankind's come along
0:41:07 > 0:41:11and filled the sea with all sorts of things that the whales have to deal with.
0:41:11 > 0:41:15In some parts of America where whales wash up on the beach,
0:41:15 > 0:41:20they're considered so full of chemicals that they're classified as toxic waste.
0:41:20 > 0:41:26Cos this will just be so full of nasty PCBs and all sorts of odds and bobs like that.
0:41:26 > 0:41:31But that's the whale's kind of chemical life history in there,
0:41:31 > 0:41:35a depository for all the horrible gunk we fill the oceans with.
0:41:35 > 0:41:39I'll get the measurements and then I'll go and be sick.
0:41:46 > 0:41:50It'll take the experts a few weeks to analyse the tissue sample
0:41:50 > 0:41:53and work out exactly what type of whale this is,
0:41:53 > 0:41:58but it's obviously an unusual stranding, which is pretty exciting really.
0:42:02 > 0:42:05Come on, Reubs.
0:42:16 > 0:42:19It's hard to think about food after that stomach-churning stench,
0:42:19 > 0:42:23but the day of the feast is fast approaching.
0:42:29 > 0:42:33There's a real ground rush in this last week and the reason
0:42:33 > 0:42:37is that everything obviously has to be totally fresh,
0:42:37 > 0:42:40and so I'm gathering food basically for 50 people here
0:42:40 > 0:42:43and local producers are doing the same.
0:42:43 > 0:42:46And there's certain things that I'm having to physically gather myself,
0:42:46 > 0:42:51like razor clams, like cockles, scallops and all that sort of stuff.
0:42:51 > 0:42:55So I'm heading out to meet Fergus, the Laird, whose father moved
0:42:55 > 0:43:00the family to North Uist from their ancestral home in Staffordshire when Fergus was a baby.
0:43:00 > 0:43:05I'm heading out to go and try and get hold of some razor clams,
0:43:05 > 0:43:09one of the early courses is razor clams.
0:43:09 > 0:43:17Steeped in mystique and folklore about the best way to get the razor clams,
0:43:17 > 0:43:20and Fergus thinks he's got a great technique.
0:43:22 > 0:43:25Absolutely delicious, you can do this, anyone can do this down the beach.
0:43:25 > 0:43:29They're pretty much around the whole of the British Isles, razor clams.
0:43:30 > 0:43:33Good, I do like it when it's like this.
0:43:33 > 0:43:36You've just got a hint of a storm coming in and the water looks dark
0:43:36 > 0:43:40and there's a bit wind in your hair, you know,
0:43:40 > 0:43:43and it's really nice actually, you get nice smells.
0:43:43 > 0:43:46As ever, I am in your capable hands.
0:43:46 > 0:43:51Tide's looking good at the moment, you can see the kelp coming out, that's a good sign.
0:43:51 > 0:43:56So the problem the razor clam's got is it's just a tube of delicious meat, it's a muscular foot.
0:43:56 > 0:44:00And it's wrapped itself in this hard shell and given itself the ability
0:44:00 > 0:44:04to tunnel at amazing speed straight down through the sand.
0:44:04 > 0:44:06And the moment it feels a bit of vibration it's gone,
0:44:06 > 0:44:10so there is a real kind of sense of achievement when you get one.
0:44:10 > 0:44:14You're stalking them basically, and we need 50 for the feast.
0:44:14 > 0:44:17You have to be obviously careful feeling down the knife,
0:44:17 > 0:44:21yours is quite blunt, but then a tiny bit of sideways pressure
0:44:21 > 0:44:24is enough to stop it going down.
0:44:24 > 0:44:30You don't have to hold it hard, just a thumb against the side of it will stop it descending.
0:44:30 > 0:44:32- I've got one here.- Oh, well done.
0:44:32 > 0:44:33- Do you want to feel him?- Yes.
0:44:33 > 0:44:38If you put your finger... Just hold him sideways, he won't go down.
0:44:38 > 0:44:41- Oh, I've got him.- Have you got him?
0:44:41 > 0:44:43And then just a...to and fro rocking.
0:44:48 > 0:44:52That's the muscular foot there, that's the delicious bit,
0:44:52 > 0:44:57and obviously that's what he uses to drive himself down into the sand.
0:44:57 > 0:45:02And when you catch one, he'll sort of try and dive down in pulses and he's contained in his own
0:45:02 > 0:45:06cooking container basically, you can just put these straight on the fire.
0:45:06 > 0:45:10- This is quite a strong one, this one. - Oh, really? The size of your leg.
0:45:10 > 0:45:12I could well get pulled down after it!
0:45:12 > 0:45:14It's really pulling very hard.
0:45:14 > 0:45:16Wow, it just keeps on coming.
0:45:16 > 0:45:19A good size, excellent.
0:45:19 > 0:45:24Fergus has caught about eight, I've caught one, seems to be the normal ratio for my...
0:45:24 > 0:45:30- Well, now you've got a good knife.- I've got a good knife, yeah, that's what it's all about.
0:45:30 > 0:45:34That knife is a legend among razor clams, it's been operating...
0:45:34 > 0:45:36- Look at that...- First stroke. - The first stroke.
0:45:36 > 0:45:40There's that puff and then he...
0:45:40 > 0:45:42So a double hook up.
0:45:45 > 0:45:46Oh, this is a good 'un.
0:45:46 > 0:45:51I'm afraid I think you're going to beat me, I've got a very slim one.
0:45:53 > 0:45:57You'll glance round and just see the tips of my wellies sticking out of a big hole.
0:45:59 > 0:46:02Oh, well, they're small but incredibly strong.
0:46:02 > 0:46:03- Perfectly formed.- Yes.
0:46:07 > 0:46:09There we go.
0:46:11 > 0:46:13Worth it, though.
0:46:16 > 0:46:20People have been doing this for thousands of years and have known that just beneath the sand there,
0:46:20 > 0:46:24if you look hard enough, is a little package of protein that'll keep you alive.
0:46:24 > 0:46:26And I'd say we've got enough now for the feast.
0:46:26 > 0:46:30So it was a triumph, fantastic.
0:46:30 > 0:46:33Why I'm doing this Fergus, this is for the feast,
0:46:33 > 0:46:39so we show a local hunter-gatherer, indigenous person.
0:46:39 > 0:46:41All right.
0:46:52 > 0:46:55OK, I've been razor clamming and Reubs, as normal,
0:46:55 > 0:46:57has been a complete liability.
0:46:57 > 0:47:00But there's one thing that I've got left to do
0:47:00 > 0:47:04and for that, Reubs is absolutely essential.
0:47:04 > 0:47:09I'm planning an auction as part of the feast and local artist Richard Bramble
0:47:09 > 0:47:15has donated some of his exquisite painted plates for free, which should raise a lot of cash.
0:47:15 > 0:47:17I don't know, I was thinking to sign it on the back.
0:47:17 > 0:47:21- We'll get Reuben's paw print hopefully.- Of course.
0:47:25 > 0:47:27And we might not do anything with these,
0:47:27 > 0:47:31- these are the birds we get up here. - Well, that'll be great.
0:47:31 > 0:47:32If I go and get him.
0:47:32 > 0:47:35Now, Reubs, don't embarrass me.
0:47:35 > 0:47:37Come on.
0:47:37 > 0:47:39He thinks he's going to the beach.
0:47:39 > 0:47:42Reubs, come on in.
0:47:42 > 0:47:44- Right, here he is.- Hello.
0:47:44 > 0:47:48The star of the show. Right, Reubs,
0:47:48 > 0:47:50this is your moment of truth.
0:47:50 > 0:47:52Do not embarrass me.
0:47:52 > 0:47:55This is when all those years of obedience training kick in.
0:47:55 > 0:48:00- Shall we put the plate on the floor, I think?- Yes.
0:48:00 > 0:48:02- Let's put it there.- What I'll do is, I'll get him to sit.
0:48:02 > 0:48:06Reubs, come here, sit, Reubs, Reuben, oi, sit.
0:48:06 > 0:48:08Hey, shush, Reuben, Reuben. Sit.
0:48:11 > 0:48:14- Good boy.- Is it water soluble paint?
0:48:14 > 0:48:17- All right, Reuben.- It is, yeah.
0:48:17 > 0:48:19Give that another go.
0:48:19 > 0:48:21Come here, come here, come here.
0:48:21 > 0:48:23You haven't got any chocolate, have you?
0:48:24 > 0:48:26Come here, Reubs. Who's that?
0:48:26 > 0:48:29Good lad, come here, give us your paw.
0:48:29 > 0:48:32Reuben!
0:48:32 > 0:48:36- Would you like to have another go? - We'll have another go.
0:48:36 > 0:48:38Reubs!
0:48:38 > 0:48:41- You might need to wash all these. - Yeah.
0:48:42 > 0:48:44Paw, paw.
0:48:46 > 0:48:48Good boy. Wait there.
0:48:52 > 0:48:56We can definitely get a better one, we can get a better one.
0:48:58 > 0:49:00Good boy. There we go.
0:49:00 > 0:49:03All right, Reubs.
0:49:03 > 0:49:07On the plastic, no, on the plastic, Reubs...
0:49:07 > 0:49:09- Oh, hang on.- Actually, yeah.
0:49:09 > 0:49:10Yeah.
0:49:12 > 0:49:15That's the one.
0:49:17 > 0:49:19Perfect, that's a paw print, isn't it?
0:49:19 > 0:49:25Well, after all that effort I'm hoping Richard's plates will help me reach my goal of two or three grand.
0:49:27 > 0:49:29His and Reubs autographs will surely increase the value,
0:49:29 > 0:49:34and mine should add at least an extra 50p.
0:49:44 > 0:49:46The great day has dawned
0:49:46 > 0:49:48and the day of the great feast.
0:49:48 > 0:49:53I'm just chasing round the last few things, picking up various odds and bobs.
0:49:53 > 0:49:57The lodge is flat out setting everything up, we've got guests
0:49:57 > 0:50:02flying in from all over the place, there's a real sense of occasion.
0:50:02 > 0:50:06I've no idea how much money we'll raise but I hope for a significant
0:50:06 > 0:50:12amount, and it all kicks off the work of the ranger from tonight.
0:50:17 > 0:50:21All the food has been donated free of charge, amazing generosity.
0:50:21 > 0:50:25There's langoustine from Rob Keltie.
0:50:28 > 0:50:33Heather Morrison, who sold me Smoky and Streaky, donates some organic pork.
0:50:41 > 0:50:43They look like cocklers to me.
0:50:43 > 0:50:49Shona, John and Andrew Currie have supplied handpicked cockles.
0:50:53 > 0:50:56Hector Stewart offers some fresh crab claws.
0:50:56 > 0:50:57Perfect, thank you very much.
0:50:59 > 0:51:04And everything else, including the venue, comes from the brothers, Fergus and Niall,
0:51:04 > 0:51:10so everyone will eat for free, and that means I can angle for some meaty donations.
0:51:10 > 0:51:13All right, chaps. Cheers, good luck.
0:51:13 > 0:51:17Right, the lads have now got seven hours
0:51:17 > 0:51:21until the first guests turn up, and just have a little think about that.
0:51:21 > 0:51:27They're cooking 17 courses, I think it is, for 50 people coming from the length and breadth
0:51:27 > 0:51:33of the UK, and it's the first time they've done anything like this here, so seven hours to go.
0:51:50 > 0:51:53Ladies and gentlemen, if you'd like to move through,
0:51:53 > 0:51:56we'll crack on with the feast in about five minutes or so.
0:52:05 > 0:52:08Ladies and gentlemen, hello. Hello in the cheap seats!
0:52:08 > 0:52:11LAUGHTER
0:52:11 > 0:52:15Thanks so much for supporting us tonight for this feast.
0:52:15 > 0:52:18It's a really significant event in terms of the money we're
0:52:18 > 0:52:21trying to raise for the local environment and the ranger programme.
0:52:21 > 0:52:26So what we're going to do for the meal itself is go on a ramble through the islands,
0:52:26 > 0:52:30let's go on a ramble through this amazing ecosystem.
0:52:30 > 0:52:33Each course you're about to eat is a different part of the ecosystem
0:52:33 > 0:52:36that we're going to walk through or take a boat to.
0:52:36 > 0:52:41And the first place naturally, as a marine biologist, that I think we should go, is the sea.
0:52:59 > 0:53:04OK, ladies and gentlemen, the tour continues and this time it's a rocky shore.
0:53:04 > 0:53:06The mussels,
0:53:06 > 0:53:10the clams, the razor fish, the cockles are basically
0:53:10 > 0:53:13the cleanest and the sweetest you're going to get anywhere in the UK.
0:53:13 > 0:53:17And the cockles you're about to eat have been gathered
0:53:17 > 0:53:19by Shona, John and Andrew.
0:53:19 > 0:53:22So that's the next course, the shellfish course, so enjoy.
0:53:22 > 0:53:24So far I've enjoyed every bite.
0:53:24 > 0:53:27It's been very nice, very tasty.
0:53:27 > 0:53:30- Well, it's just lovely.- Yeah?
0:53:30 > 0:53:33Crab and scallops and black puddings, and everything's just wonderful.
0:53:33 > 0:53:36The gastronomic journey continues to the crofts
0:53:36 > 0:53:39and up into the hills.
0:53:41 > 0:53:46I am absolutely blown away, absolutely fantastic, and this is home-grown.
0:53:46 > 0:53:50The next stage is the auction and this is the first time we're
0:53:50 > 0:53:53really going to try and touch on what the evening's all about,
0:53:53 > 0:53:59ie trying to raise a little bit of money, so I'll be really interested to see how much these items go for.
0:53:59 > 0:54:05Various hampers, paintings and of course our special plates, have all been donated by the local community.
0:54:05 > 0:54:09Thank you very much, 80 quid, 80 quid, this is personal now.
0:54:10 > 0:54:15Something like 190 and we're talking a set of leaflets, us producing a set of leaflets.
0:54:15 > 0:54:18OK, 310, going once, going twice.
0:54:18 > 0:54:22- 310!- 310, oh, thanks, Mike, fantastic. Well done, mate.
0:54:22 > 0:54:24APPLAUSE
0:54:26 > 0:54:29This is the absolute piece de resistance,
0:54:29 > 0:54:33and the most exciting part, as my lovely assistant is showing you,
0:54:33 > 0:54:36the most exciting part is that on the back
0:54:36 > 0:54:41it's been signed by myself, by Richard, best of all, by Reuben.
0:54:41 > 0:54:44That is Reuben's paw print, so we start, I think, at 200,
0:54:44 > 0:54:49220, brilliant, 230, 240, 250...
0:54:49 > 0:54:55At 260, fantastic, thank you very much, 270, 280...
0:54:55 > 0:54:59Completely unique. 310, do we have 310?
0:54:59 > 0:55:04Fantastic, thank you so much, 310, 320, 330, brilliant at the end, thanks so much.
0:55:04 > 0:55:06350? Thank you very much at the end.
0:55:06 > 0:55:13350, 360, they're going once, going twice, going three times at 360.
0:55:13 > 0:55:16Thank you very much, fantastic... Oh, sorry, yes.
0:55:16 > 0:55:19APPLAUSE
0:55:19 > 0:55:21The auction's raised about 1,500 quid, I think.
0:55:21 > 0:55:26But the absolute key to the whole thing is these envelopes.
0:55:26 > 0:55:29And just at the end of the evening, getting people to fill them out
0:55:29 > 0:55:33and just give a few bob and help us do the jobs we need to do.
0:55:33 > 0:55:36It's really vital that at the end of this evening
0:55:36 > 0:55:39I can pick up these envelopes and I've got enough money in
0:55:39 > 0:55:42to set me on the road to get stuck into all the projects
0:55:42 > 0:55:46that desperately need doing over the next few months.
0:55:54 > 0:55:58Well, it's been a great evening, it has been a great evening on every level.
0:55:58 > 0:56:01The guys in the kitchen, what a great team,
0:56:01 > 0:56:04they really pulled it off and you can tell they're really buzzing
0:56:04 > 0:56:08cos it's an amazing achievement that they've produced 15, 16 courses, seamless.
0:56:08 > 0:56:14The best and probably the biggest meal I've eaten in my entire life, so fantastic.
0:56:14 > 0:56:16I'm off to do some very bad guitar playing now.
0:56:16 > 0:56:19Cheers, slainte mhath.
0:56:36 > 0:56:39MUSIC: "Fisherman's Blues" by The Waterboys
0:56:50 > 0:56:53Finally, I've been told that Alison and Ada have counted the money
0:56:53 > 0:56:57and in there the answer awaits, so let's see.
0:56:57 > 0:57:03The money now belongs to the ranger committee and it's up to them how they'll spend it.
0:57:04 > 0:57:07In this envelope I have a thousand quid.
0:57:07 > 0:57:09Now that was... It's from the auction
0:57:09 > 0:57:13and there's one waiting for us at Langass cos it was one of the guests.
0:57:13 > 0:57:16- Gosh, yes.- For the big platter, which I think was about 400.
0:57:16 > 0:57:22We have the ones that we opened here today including cheques and cash.
0:57:22 > 0:57:27- It comes to £880.- Ah.
0:57:27 > 0:57:30But then we've got a total of £2,250.
0:57:30 > 0:57:32Brilliant, brilliant.
0:57:32 > 0:57:35- That's fantastic.- That is brilliant.
0:57:35 > 0:57:39We're on our way. I said between two and three grand, that's what I was really hoping for.
0:57:39 > 0:57:42- That's brilliant. - That was great, wonderful.- Terrific.
0:57:44 > 0:57:48Well, 2.5 grand, it's not a king's ransom.
0:57:48 > 0:57:52I was kind of hoping for three, but it means we're off now.
0:57:52 > 0:57:56That is a working budget here and there's loads I can do with that money,
0:57:56 > 0:57:59so let's get on and put the money to work.
0:57:59 > 0:58:04Next time, a pod of wild dolphins off the shores of Barra.
0:58:04 > 0:58:08Taking sheep to market, Uist style.
0:58:09 > 0:58:14And newborn pups on Europe's largest seal sanctuary.
0:58:36 > 0:58:39Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:58:39 > 0:58:42E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk