0:00:07 > 0:00:12'My six months as a voluntary environmental ranger in the Outer Hebrides are nearly over.'
0:00:16 > 0:00:18That is amazing. What a shot.
0:00:18 > 0:00:22'But the wildlife of the islands is about to give me a spectacular send-off.'
0:00:22 > 0:00:24(I can see an otter.)
0:00:24 > 0:00:27Welcome to my Great Escape.
0:00:27 > 0:00:28Come on, Rubes! Come on.
0:00:40 > 0:00:44'It's early December, and I'm on my way to a very important meeting.
0:00:47 > 0:00:50'I'm five months into my stint working as a voluntary environmental ranger
0:00:50 > 0:00:53'in the southern islands of the Outer Hebrides.
0:00:56 > 0:01:00'I've been using my background as a marine biologist to gather material
0:01:00 > 0:01:03'for interpretation boards about the rocky shore.'
0:01:04 > 0:01:08It was rock pools that set it all off for me. It's the reason I'm standing here today.
0:01:10 > 0:01:12'And I've been researching walking trails on each of
0:01:12 > 0:01:17'the six main islands that I cover, from Berneray in the north...'
0:01:17 > 0:01:19..to Barra in the south!
0:01:21 > 0:01:23'Now, co-ordinates have been set...
0:01:25 > 0:01:28'..marker posts delivered to far-flung locations...'
0:01:28 > 0:01:34Just up there is the black house that Bonnie Prince Charlie hid in.
0:01:34 > 0:01:36'..and hammered into position.
0:01:36 > 0:01:39'But all the information is in my head,
0:01:39 > 0:01:43'and that's not going to be any good when the first tourists start to arrive
0:01:43 > 0:01:45'and want a trail to follow.
0:01:45 > 0:01:48'It's time to get it all down on paper.'
0:01:50 > 0:01:54Just hoving into view on the horizon is the ferry.
0:01:54 > 0:01:59And on that ferry is a man who's going to turn my half-baked ideas
0:01:59 > 0:02:02and hare-brained schemes into reality, hopefully.
0:02:02 > 0:02:07He's a designer come down to create leaflets and interpretation boards
0:02:07 > 0:02:12to give information for tourists in a nice, digestible form when they come to visit the islands.
0:02:12 > 0:02:14Hi. Are you Richard?
0:02:14 > 0:02:16Are you Richard?
0:02:16 > 0:02:17Hello, Richard, how are you?
0:02:17 > 0:02:20'Richard Chyzy has come down from Lewis,
0:02:20 > 0:02:22'one of the islands to the north of me.
0:02:22 > 0:02:25'He moved there from Northumberland just six months ago, to combine
0:02:25 > 0:02:29'his love of wildlife with his work as a graphic designer.'
0:02:29 > 0:02:31Just to sort of bullet-point it,
0:02:31 > 0:02:34I thought a leaflet with the walks in.
0:02:34 > 0:02:38I'm trying to do one on each island and produce a little booklet.
0:02:38 > 0:02:42And £1 of that will go to the retailer who sells it,
0:02:42 > 0:02:47and a couple of pounds will go to the ranger project, so go to local environmental projects.
0:02:47 > 0:02:51- That's a good idea, yeah. - Yeah. The next priority, I'd say, is the rock pooling,
0:02:51 > 0:02:55and happily, I have done, as you can see, a superb design.
0:02:55 > 0:03:01What I've tried to do is pick species that kids can
0:03:01 > 0:03:05definitely find very easily, so it's a nice, accessible thing for them.
0:03:05 > 0:03:07You know, they're off on a hunt to go and find them,
0:03:07 > 0:03:12and the rules about putting animals in buckets and giving them somewhere to hide...
0:03:12 > 0:03:15'I'm desperate to get my hands on the material before I leave
0:03:15 > 0:03:19'and with Christmas just three weeks away, Richard's on a tight deadline.'
0:03:19 > 0:03:23- But the workbook is the most urgent thing, yeah?- Yeah.
0:03:23 > 0:03:26- Right.- It's so important in all this that...
0:03:26 > 0:03:29They're sort of collating all the work that I've done here
0:03:29 > 0:03:32into a tangible form that can benefit people in the future.
0:03:32 > 0:03:37- That's all about design, isn't it, and yeah, making it accessible. - Yeah, it's all doable.
0:03:37 > 0:03:43- Three weeks is doable. It'll be hard work, but it's possible.- We've hit that sort of point now, haven't we?
0:03:43 > 0:03:45Where it just has to be done.
0:03:45 > 0:03:47'The pressure's off me now,
0:03:47 > 0:03:51'but I still need to raise more cash to pay for a big print run of trail guides.
0:03:51 > 0:03:56'I do have plans, and the most ambitious should raise several thousand pounds.'
0:04:01 > 0:04:04Going stalking again today. But it's stalking with a difference,
0:04:04 > 0:04:08because there's a friend of mine called Steve Burgess, who's up here for a few days.
0:04:08 > 0:04:14And, er, Steve is an internationally renowned wildlife artist.
0:04:14 > 0:04:18I've invited him up here because I think the rutting stag
0:04:18 > 0:04:22out on the hills of the Outer Hebrides is one of the great wildlife spectacles.
0:04:22 > 0:04:25So we're going to go in today. We're going to try and get really close
0:04:25 > 0:04:28and try and get that magic shot of a stag roaring.
0:04:28 > 0:04:31Then Steve's going to go away and do a picture of it,
0:04:31 > 0:04:36and we're going to sell the picture to raise money for the ranger position and environmental projects.
0:04:36 > 0:04:39Our guide for the day is Niall Leveson-Gower.
0:04:39 > 0:04:41He runs the local hunting lodge
0:04:41 > 0:04:43and if anyone can find a stag in rut, he can.
0:04:43 > 0:04:46There we are. Look at that, right on top of the hill.
0:04:49 > 0:04:52So, Steve, why haven't you painted a stag before?
0:04:52 > 0:04:55Is this just something that's missing from your repertoire?
0:04:55 > 0:04:56Yeah, it is, basically.
0:04:56 > 0:05:00I mean, I've not been to this part of Scotland before.
0:05:00 > 0:05:02Normally, I end up going to places like Africa,
0:05:02 > 0:05:06painting all the big beasties out there - elephants, lions, et cetera.
0:05:06 > 0:05:09It is a classic painting, isn't it?
0:05:09 > 0:05:13The Monarch Of The Glen is probably the most famous wildlife painting.
0:05:13 > 0:05:16It is, and I suppose that's one of the reasons I've maybe steered clear of it.
0:05:16 > 0:05:21Because, er... A lot of places, you see the classic stag pose on the hillside.
0:05:21 > 0:05:26It's difficult, without really putting some thought into it, to do something a little bit different.
0:05:26 > 0:05:28Wow. Certainly seem to be a few around.
0:05:31 > 0:05:34Just get into the midst of it all.
0:05:41 > 0:05:43See that sort of cliffy face there?
0:05:43 > 0:05:47- Yeah.- Then we go up a little bit from the ridge.
0:05:47 > 0:05:49Oh, I've got him. I've got him.
0:05:49 > 0:05:54How does this compare, Steve, to some of the stuff you've done in Africa?
0:05:54 > 0:05:57At the moment, it's comparing very well.
0:05:57 > 0:06:02Big difference is, in Africa, you don't get a chance to get out the vehicle and stalk the animals.
0:06:02 > 0:06:05That's what I'm enjoying about being here -
0:06:05 > 0:06:08getting out and getting one to one with nature, as it were.
0:06:08 > 0:06:10MONTY WHISPERS:
0:06:49 > 0:06:52Oh, that's the shot.
0:06:54 > 0:06:56Going to get them swimming.
0:06:58 > 0:07:01That is amazing. What a shot.
0:07:02 > 0:07:04Oh, yeah!
0:07:06 > 0:07:07Fantastic.
0:07:14 > 0:07:16Get a nice shot of him coming out, I think.
0:07:17 > 0:07:19Oh, wow! Look at him.
0:07:19 > 0:07:20He's in good shape.
0:07:28 > 0:07:31- How'd you get on, Steve?- OK.- Great.
0:07:31 > 0:07:33Amazing sight, seeing them swim.
0:07:33 > 0:07:36I've never seen that before today.
0:07:36 > 0:07:38So what happens now, Steve?
0:07:38 > 0:07:41From this point on, you've got your photos.
0:07:41 > 0:07:43I think, more importantly,
0:07:43 > 0:07:47you've got a kind of taste of the essence of the landscape here.
0:07:47 > 0:07:49Yeah, I have, definitely.
0:07:49 > 0:07:52I'll go back now and collate all the photos I've got, you know,
0:07:52 > 0:07:56pick out the best ones that I could potentially use for paintings,
0:07:56 > 0:08:01whether it's of bits of landscape, rocks, the hinds, the stags, whatever.
0:08:01 > 0:08:07Do a few sketches, come up with a few ideas, and hopefully come up with the big painting.
0:08:07 > 0:08:13'My plan is to unveil the painting during the big New Year's Eve bash at Niall's hotel.
0:08:14 > 0:08:18'The money it raises will fund a big print run of my trail guides,
0:08:18 > 0:08:23'and the profits from THEM will go straight into environmental projects.'
0:08:33 > 0:08:37Now, I might look as though I'm heading off to St Kilda
0:08:37 > 0:08:39with all this foul weather gear, but I'm not.
0:08:39 > 0:08:43I'm about to bath the dog.
0:08:43 > 0:08:45One of us living here stinks,
0:08:45 > 0:08:48and I'm pretty confident it's not me.
0:08:48 > 0:08:49So Rubes,
0:08:49 > 0:08:51you ready?
0:08:51 > 0:08:54He hates being bathed, by the way.
0:08:54 > 0:08:55So, er...
0:08:55 > 0:08:57OK. Ready, Rubes?
0:08:57 > 0:09:01Fantastic. You think you're going for a walk, don't you? OK, and left.
0:09:01 > 0:09:03OK, Rubes. Go on!
0:09:05 > 0:09:07'Thanks to all the peat in the water,
0:09:07 > 0:09:10'it's dirty brown before we even start.
0:09:10 > 0:09:13'And it's only going to get worse.'
0:09:13 > 0:09:14Get lathery. Well done.
0:09:17 > 0:09:19Brilliant. Well done.
0:09:19 > 0:09:22Rubes, this is perfumed shampoo.
0:09:22 > 0:09:23Good lad.
0:09:25 > 0:09:28All the local dogs will be taking the mickey, won't they?
0:09:28 > 0:09:29There we go then, Rubes.
0:09:31 > 0:09:33Nearly there, Rubes.
0:09:33 > 0:09:34Quick rinse.
0:09:34 > 0:09:36Do you want a blow-dry? No?
0:09:36 > 0:09:39There we are. That'll be a tenner.
0:09:39 > 0:09:41You do smell...
0:09:43 > 0:09:45..like a window box.
0:09:45 > 0:09:46There we are.
0:09:46 > 0:09:48Rubes, out you get.
0:09:48 > 0:09:49Hey! Well done.
0:09:51 > 0:09:52You smell...
0:09:52 > 0:09:54Oh, you smell fantastic!
0:09:54 > 0:09:56Get out there and pull.
0:09:58 > 0:10:01'That's Rubes sorted, but the chores keep mounting up.
0:10:03 > 0:10:08'With my days as busy as ever, some jobs have to wait until after dark.'
0:10:08 > 0:10:11For some reason best known to themselves,
0:10:11 > 0:10:13the pigs ate their last front door.
0:10:13 > 0:10:16And of course, the wind really howls in,
0:10:16 > 0:10:19and you need to keep the heat in that their bodies... Ouch!
0:10:19 > 0:10:23Not easy doing DIY when you've got large pigs eating your ankles.
0:10:23 > 0:10:26The interesting thing is, it's...
0:10:26 > 0:10:30about 4.30 in the afternoon at the moment.
0:10:30 > 0:10:32The daylight is so brief.
0:10:32 > 0:10:36You see, the sun just peeks shyly above the horizon, then disappears.
0:10:36 > 0:10:40So you've just got to make the most of it, and you work, often, into the evening.
0:10:40 > 0:10:42Mind your nose! That'd really hurt.
0:10:42 > 0:10:47It's interesting that your rhythms adjust to this very basic,
0:10:47 > 0:10:49kind of feral thing of the light.
0:10:49 > 0:10:53I find I'm really - ow! - tired by...
0:10:53 > 0:10:57by five o'clock. You know, it's just winter rhythms.
0:10:58 > 0:11:01'But Uist folk aren't the kind to quietly hibernate.
0:11:01 > 0:11:06'With the nights starting to get longer, entertainment moves indoors,
0:11:06 > 0:11:09'and everyone starts to gear up for the Christmas ceilidhs.'
0:11:09 > 0:11:13This is my debut ceilidh lesson.
0:11:13 > 0:11:15And it ain't going to be pretty.
0:11:16 > 0:11:17CEILIDH MUSIC PLAYS
0:11:17 > 0:11:19Whee-oo!
0:11:19 > 0:11:21That was a very subdued one - very middle class.
0:11:25 > 0:11:26Which way do I go?
0:11:26 > 0:11:29I go... Oh, down to the bottom. Oh, right.
0:11:31 > 0:11:33Oh, right.
0:11:35 > 0:11:37- You cast off to the side.- OK.
0:11:39 > 0:11:40Oh, that hand out?
0:11:42 > 0:11:45Oh, that's perfect! That was seamless.
0:11:54 > 0:11:56I'm wildly spinning out of control.
0:11:59 > 0:12:00Very good!
0:12:00 > 0:12:02I'm not going to remember that in the heat of battle.
0:12:02 > 0:12:04Oh, thank you. Thank you.
0:12:04 > 0:12:07Not used to doing things like that sober.
0:12:07 > 0:12:12'It's really important, things like this at this time of year, up in these islands,
0:12:12 > 0:12:16'cos the whole community moves indoors, and you can see why this type of dancing
0:12:16 > 0:12:19'has developed up here, cos it's everyone dancing together.'
0:12:19 > 0:12:23It's fantastic. Just leave your dignity by the door, and you get stuck in.
0:12:23 > 0:12:26Really, really enjoyed that. I'm hooked. Brilliant.
0:12:40 > 0:12:45These islands are a globally significant place for migratory birds and wading birds.
0:12:50 > 0:12:52And one of the most glamorous -
0:12:52 > 0:12:55the kind of superstar of all of them - are the swans.
0:12:55 > 0:13:00'Whooper and mute swans come from as far afield as Siberia
0:13:00 > 0:13:03to spend a relatively mild winter on the Uists.
0:13:04 > 0:13:07'Of the two, the whooper swans, with the yellow beak,
0:13:07 > 0:13:08'are the rarest visitors.
0:13:08 > 0:13:14'There are about 200 in all, and most of them return to the Arctic to breed.
0:13:14 > 0:13:17'But a tiny number stay year round,
0:13:17 > 0:13:20'making them a particular attraction.'
0:13:20 > 0:13:24There's only three breeding pairs of whooper swans in Scotland.
0:13:24 > 0:13:26And one of them's here,
0:13:26 > 0:13:30and they have an area that they kind of work, as it were.
0:13:30 > 0:13:34It's almost like their patch of three lochs.
0:13:34 > 0:13:38And this is one of the lochs, and there's a couple more over there.
0:13:43 > 0:13:46It's animals like this, I think,
0:13:46 > 0:13:51that represent a great asset for these islands.
0:13:52 > 0:13:55And it's a critical time
0:13:55 > 0:13:58in the future of the Western Isles,
0:13:58 > 0:14:00cos they're haemorrhaging people.
0:14:00 > 0:14:02People are just disappearing,
0:14:02 > 0:14:06and they've got world-class attractions like this.
0:14:06 > 0:14:10You know, one of the best places in the world to see migrating birds.
0:14:12 > 0:14:17And it's an asset they need to celebrate and develop, I think,
0:14:17 > 0:14:19for the future of the islands.
0:14:24 > 0:14:29You can see it's a big old metabolic effort to get airborne.
0:14:29 > 0:14:33They need a runway, which is why these lochs are so perfect for them.
0:14:33 > 0:14:37And the Uists, where the water is land and the land is water,
0:14:37 > 0:14:40is an ideal stopping-off point for them.
0:14:50 > 0:14:53It's a great sight, though. It's worth waiting for.
0:15:19 > 0:15:22It's early December,
0:15:22 > 0:15:26which is great news if you're a small child, for instance - very exciting.
0:15:26 > 0:15:30But it's pretty bleak news, I'm sad to say, if you're a turkey.
0:15:31 > 0:15:36And the time has come to take 'em off to be...
0:15:36 > 0:15:37to be slaughtered.
0:15:37 > 0:15:41OK, chaps. Nothing to be alarmed about.
0:15:41 > 0:15:45'The turkeys are another important part of my fundraising drive.
0:15:45 > 0:15:50'The money I get for them will go towards the trail guides and interpretation boards.
0:15:50 > 0:15:55'I'm keeping one for my own Christmas meal, but the rest have buyers lined up.'
0:15:55 > 0:16:00Sorry, chaps, sorry. Come on. Look at the size of those drumsticks.
0:16:00 > 0:16:01Come on. In, in, in.
0:16:01 > 0:16:06I've quite enjoyed having the turkeys. They're quite a bright bird, as birds go.
0:16:06 > 0:16:07Come on in. Come on in.
0:16:07 > 0:16:09That way, that way, that way.
0:16:10 > 0:16:13The grey ones are the smart ones, I think.
0:16:19 > 0:16:21He's always been a bit of a maverick, that grey one.
0:16:21 > 0:16:23Come on, chum.
0:16:23 > 0:16:25Come on.
0:16:25 > 0:16:29There he is, going quietly into the good night,
0:16:29 > 0:16:31or whatever the expression is.
0:16:31 > 0:16:33Pigs are observing this entire scene
0:16:33 > 0:16:37rather nervously, I think.
0:16:37 > 0:16:42But the whole idea of raising these turkeys was to raise money for the ranger position.
0:16:42 > 0:16:45And each turkey's - what? - 30, 40 quid. Maybe a bit more.
0:16:45 > 0:16:48So 250 quid or so
0:16:48 > 0:16:51towards the local environmental projects,
0:16:51 > 0:16:53so money well spent.
0:16:53 > 0:16:56Although not entirely sure the turkeys would agree with that.
0:17:05 > 0:17:10'Turkeys gone, it's a reminder that I'm leaving MYSELF in a couple of weeks.
0:17:12 > 0:17:16'Despite more than five months of trying, I still haven't seen an otter,
0:17:16 > 0:17:20'the absolute poster boy of Hebridean wildlife.
0:17:20 > 0:17:23'But today I'm meeting up with my old mate Jimmy MacLetchie,
0:17:23 > 0:17:26'who used to be the ranger here. He's found some amazing evidence
0:17:26 > 0:17:31'that there's a whole family living less than a mile from my cottage.'
0:17:31 > 0:17:34This is one of my favourite walks.
0:17:34 > 0:17:38- And it's plainly an area of huge otter activity, isn't it?- Yeah.
0:17:38 > 0:17:40- Look at this.- Yeah.
0:17:41 > 0:17:43They're just marking this area here, the sprint.
0:17:43 > 0:17:47It's known as a sprinting site. It's almost like putting their perfume and odour on there
0:17:47 > 0:17:51and all the coding for other otters, that only otters can understand.
0:17:51 > 0:17:56- They'll come along and sniff this, and they'll put a sprint on top of it as well.- Look at that.
0:17:56 > 0:17:58That's really fresh.
0:17:58 > 0:18:01That must be... What do you think, Jimmy? This morning?
0:18:01 > 0:18:04Well, it must be fairly fresh, because it's still not crusted.
0:18:04 > 0:18:08Yeah. It's not frozen either, and you can see in here, as well,
0:18:08 > 0:18:10the otoliths.
0:18:10 > 0:18:13The otoliths are the ear bones of fish, basically,
0:18:13 > 0:18:15and they're very, very tough.
0:18:15 > 0:18:18That's how you can identify what animals
0:18:18 > 0:18:22marine animals have been eating - which fish species - by their otoliths.
0:18:22 > 0:18:24They build up these little mounds
0:18:24 > 0:18:28and the nitrates and everything going through the soil actually enriches it
0:18:28 > 0:18:32and the grass starts to grow and becomes a lot greener and richer than anywhere else.
0:18:32 > 0:18:34In simple terms, a pooing house.
0:18:34 > 0:18:36- Yeah! Right. - HE GROANS
0:18:36 > 0:18:40Got to stop making that noise when I stand up. Why don't you make that noise?
0:18:40 > 0:18:41Can you see the...
0:18:41 > 0:18:45Oh, just on the... We're talking up there, on the distance, yeah.
0:18:45 > 0:18:48Oh, wow! Look at that.
0:18:48 > 0:18:51I mean, look at all that. That's brand new.
0:18:51 > 0:18:54Last night, probably, or early this morning.
0:18:54 > 0:18:58- So that's a valuable piece of real estate in there.- It is. Prime spot.
0:18:58 > 0:19:00Prime spot, yeah, beautiful views.
0:19:00 > 0:19:04They slide as well, otters. They run along and go down on their bellies. This is a natural slope.
0:19:04 > 0:19:06Of course, yeah, just straight down to the sea.
0:19:06 > 0:19:08- You can just imagine them lolloping. - Yes.
0:19:08 > 0:19:12He goes into that puddle there, he's almost sliding into this.
0:19:12 > 0:19:14You see where he's come in here,
0:19:14 > 0:19:18and he's splashed into there and broken the ice, then come in here.
0:19:18 > 0:19:20Oh, so this is really... There we are.
0:19:20 > 0:19:25He's used that so recently that he's broken this ice.
0:19:25 > 0:19:26And then he's come out and shaken.
0:19:26 > 0:19:29You can still see the wetness there.
0:19:29 > 0:19:32Wow. But of course, this is really important, isn't it?
0:19:32 > 0:19:38Fresh water for them to wash themselves, and keep that waterproof integrity in the coating.
0:19:38 > 0:19:42You can actually see where the body's gone in.
0:19:42 > 0:19:44There's thicker ice here.
0:19:44 > 0:19:47This has formed today.
0:19:47 > 0:19:49Isn't that amazing?
0:19:49 > 0:19:54- And you say this is one of the most dramatic you've ever seen? - Yeah, it's incredible,
0:19:54 > 0:19:58cos normally they're scattered way over the coastline, but this is so intense to me.
0:19:58 > 0:20:03- There must be at least three otters here, or more, looking at the amount of activity.- Yeah.
0:20:03 > 0:20:05It just shows you -
0:20:05 > 0:20:10such a bleak environment, yet we just found otter heaven.
0:20:10 > 0:20:12Fantastic, fantastic.
0:20:12 > 0:20:14'Otter heaven, but no otters.
0:20:14 > 0:20:18'These, though, are the clearest signs that I've seen yet,
0:20:18 > 0:20:19'all thanks to local knowledge.
0:20:19 > 0:20:22'So I'm going to follow up any other leads I can find,
0:20:22 > 0:20:27'in the hope of that magical encounter before I leave.'
0:20:39 > 0:20:44The house is a hovel and I want Christmas to be special,
0:20:44 > 0:20:47so I'm cleaning up.
0:20:51 > 0:20:52I've no idea what...
0:20:52 > 0:20:57weird and ancient part of his dog DNA had a problem with Hoovers.
0:20:59 > 0:21:01Oh, sorry, Rubes! Sorry.
0:21:05 > 0:21:07- VACUUM STOPS - There you go, Rubes.
0:21:07 > 0:21:09You killed it.
0:21:18 > 0:21:22Being a bloke, you know, you've got to have a massive tree, haven't you?
0:21:22 > 0:21:24I need some pebbles, Rubes.
0:21:27 > 0:21:28Come on, then.
0:21:33 > 0:21:34Rubes, come here.
0:21:35 > 0:21:37Thank you.
0:21:40 > 0:21:42Good height, this tree, for me.
0:21:42 > 0:21:43Just right.
0:21:43 > 0:21:45# In the lane
0:21:45 > 0:21:48# Snow is glistening
0:21:48 > 0:21:50# A beautiful sight
0:21:50 > 0:21:52# We're happy tonight
0:21:52 > 0:21:56# Walking in a winter wonderland... #
0:21:58 > 0:22:02It's not something I'm particularly into, actually - putting big lights up
0:22:02 > 0:22:06all over the outside of houses at Christmas. It's a bit of a tradition in some places, isn't it?
0:22:06 > 0:22:11But this place is kind of in the middle of nowhere. It'd be a lovely thing to come back to,
0:22:11 > 0:22:16I think, just to see the sort of festive lights twinkling in the distance. And it's a one-off for me.
0:22:16 > 0:22:21Chance to spend a Christmas in this cottage - middle of nowhere.
0:22:21 > 0:22:23There we go - nice and festive.
0:22:23 > 0:22:25My house can now be seen from space.
0:22:26 > 0:22:28Come on, Rubes, in we go.
0:22:28 > 0:22:31# Walking in a winter wonderland. #
0:22:42 > 0:22:45This is it. This is the bleak midwinter.
0:22:45 > 0:22:49It's the winter solstice, which is the shortest day of the year,
0:22:49 > 0:22:51so we're at a turning point, really.
0:22:51 > 0:22:56From now on, the days get longer and we start pushing inexorably towards spring.
0:22:56 > 0:22:59So it's a day of celebration, really, for local people.
0:22:59 > 0:23:01Kind of at a turning point.
0:23:01 > 0:23:06The dunes here, you can see. It's midday, and the sun doesn't even get up above the dunes.
0:23:06 > 0:23:09It really just peeks over the horizon,
0:23:09 > 0:23:12and you get these gunmetal grey skies. Rubes!
0:23:13 > 0:23:18Rubes goes completely insane because of the roar of the waves and the feel of the wind in his fur.
0:23:18 > 0:23:20And I'm a bit the same myself,
0:23:20 > 0:23:23so my beach patrolling duties continue.
0:23:23 > 0:23:26But what I'm doing is trying to run them to stay warm.
0:23:26 > 0:23:28Come on, then, Rubes, let's go. Let's go.
0:23:35 > 0:23:38'It's...really cold now.
0:23:38 > 0:23:40'It's proper North Atlantic cold, you know -
0:23:40 > 0:23:45'this wind shrieking off the water. It's got real venom about it now,
0:23:45 > 0:23:49'and when you get out there, you get cold so quickly - the wind chill, you know.'
0:23:49 > 0:23:50Come on.
0:23:51 > 0:23:53Friend of mine from down south
0:23:53 > 0:23:56has bought me a hat and sent it up to me
0:23:56 > 0:23:58because they're worried about me.
0:23:58 > 0:23:59I'll put it on.
0:23:59 > 0:24:02First time Rubes saw me in it, he attacked me,
0:24:02 > 0:24:04and then he attacked the hat.
0:24:04 > 0:24:08He obviously thought I was under some sort of assault from some weird clingy creature.
0:24:08 > 0:24:11There we are - ready for anything now. You ready, Rubes?
0:24:11 > 0:24:12Come on, then, Rubes.
0:24:14 > 0:24:19It's my first kind of really, REALLY cold night.
0:24:19 > 0:24:20Perfectly still,
0:24:20 > 0:24:25and all around me the hills are glinting in the moonlight.
0:24:25 > 0:24:27There we are. That's the moon.
0:24:27 > 0:24:32And it feels like I'm absolutely, utterly in the middle of nowhere.
0:24:32 > 0:24:35And if you think I look scary on this camera,
0:24:35 > 0:24:36wait till you see my dog.
0:24:38 > 0:24:40HE CHUCKLES
0:24:40 > 0:24:43Rubes, you look terrifying!
0:24:43 > 0:24:44Great eyes! Good work with the eyes.
0:24:46 > 0:24:48Rubes, that's really scary!
0:24:48 > 0:24:49Come on in. Come on.
0:25:00 > 0:25:04Christmas Eve, and it's deep and crisp and even.
0:25:04 > 0:25:06It's a winter wonderland. Look at that.
0:25:15 > 0:25:19It was minus 16 last night.
0:25:20 > 0:25:23REALLY cold. Obviously, minus 16 is pretty cold.
0:25:23 > 0:25:25Everything is frozen up - look.
0:25:30 > 0:25:33This, by they way, is, I think,
0:25:33 > 0:25:36the nicest place I've ever spent Christmas.
0:25:36 > 0:25:38Webster, top of the tree.
0:25:38 > 0:25:40Don't think I've ever spent Christmas
0:25:40 > 0:25:45in a more cosy, idyllic, festive setting.
0:25:45 > 0:25:48And there's mission control for Christmas dinner tomorrow.
0:25:48 > 0:25:51And Rubes, my Christmas companion,
0:25:51 > 0:25:54is fast asleep on the bed,
0:25:54 > 0:25:59beside himself with excitement, hoping that Santa comes.
0:25:59 > 0:26:00Wow, looks great!
0:26:02 > 0:26:05# Have yourself
0:26:05 > 0:26:09# A merry little Christmas... #
0:26:13 > 0:26:14Christmas morning.
0:26:14 > 0:26:17Christmas morning.
0:26:17 > 0:26:19Merry Christmas, wherever you are.
0:26:24 > 0:26:27I'm off to feed the pigs.
0:26:27 > 0:26:28Come on, Rubes.
0:26:28 > 0:26:31I've got them an apple each for Christmas.
0:26:31 > 0:26:33Morning, pigs.
0:26:33 > 0:26:36Here you are, chaps - here's an apple. There you go.
0:26:36 > 0:26:38Christmas apple.
0:26:38 > 0:26:39Come on, Rubes.
0:26:39 > 0:26:41Massive gin and tonic.
0:26:43 > 0:26:45Right! Come on, then, chaps.
0:26:47 > 0:26:50As I pour this out, by the way,
0:26:50 > 0:26:53I'd like to remind you that today, I'm going swimming.
0:26:53 > 0:26:55Local tradition, apparently,
0:26:55 > 0:26:57which I'm deeply suspicious about.
0:26:58 > 0:27:01But first, it's time for presents.
0:27:01 > 0:27:04In most households, it's all about the kids.
0:27:04 > 0:27:08In mine, for "kids", read "dog".
0:27:08 > 0:27:09Here we go, Rubes.
0:27:09 > 0:27:11Rubes, you ready? Are you ready?
0:27:14 > 0:27:15Look at that, Rubes.
0:27:16 > 0:27:18Look at that, Rubes. It's a stick.
0:27:18 > 0:27:21So that's Reuben's present out the way.
0:27:21 > 0:27:22But I know
0:27:22 > 0:27:26that, er, he's got me a present as well.
0:27:27 > 0:27:29What could it be?
0:27:30 > 0:27:32It's a pebble.
0:27:33 > 0:27:35That's lovely. Thanks, Rubes.
0:27:44 > 0:27:48Very Christmassy scene, in a way, obviously with the frost
0:27:48 > 0:27:50and the, er...
0:27:50 > 0:27:54And the whole thing of being on the islands and the sense of community.
0:27:54 > 0:27:57So I think it's a great place to spend Christmas.
0:27:57 > 0:27:59Perfect place to spend Christmas.
0:28:00 > 0:28:02Now heading down to the beach,
0:28:02 > 0:28:06where lots of families get together and just have a few drinks
0:28:06 > 0:28:08and check each other out and just make sure, you know,
0:28:08 > 0:28:11everyone's had a good Christmas and everyone's OK.
0:28:11 > 0:28:14And then a few friends coming round this evening.
0:28:15 > 0:28:19It's always quite nerve-racking, isn't it, because I'm heading off for my swim,
0:28:19 > 0:28:23and all I can see is ice-rimed shores
0:28:23 > 0:28:27and iron-hard ground, coated in frost.
0:28:27 > 0:28:30There are masses of people here.
0:28:30 > 0:28:32Good grief.
0:28:35 > 0:28:37Right.
0:28:37 > 0:28:38- Merry Christmas.- Merry Christmas.
0:28:38 > 0:28:41- Whoo!- Have that one. Looks better.
0:28:42 > 0:28:45I think everyone's edging down to the beach
0:28:45 > 0:28:48for the traditional...plunge.
0:28:49 > 0:28:54I was saying to Rob the other day, I'm deeply suspicious of the whole swimming tradition thing,
0:28:54 > 0:28:58but I want to be going at about 40 mph when I hit the sea.
0:28:58 > 0:29:00- I think that's the idea, isn't it? - Yes.
0:29:01 > 0:29:04I've been doing a fair amount of research
0:29:04 > 0:29:07into winter swimming in the Outer Hebrides,
0:29:07 > 0:29:10and it's something that's been going on for years.
0:29:10 > 0:29:16And it turns out that between 1742 and 1896...
0:29:18 > 0:29:21..cold-water swimming was always done in the Outer Hebrides...
0:29:21 > 0:29:23in a mankini.
0:29:24 > 0:29:26LAUGHTER
0:29:29 > 0:29:30Right.
0:29:30 > 0:29:32How bad can it be?
0:29:58 > 0:30:00I'd like to point out that is very cold.
0:30:00 > 0:30:03THE CROWD CHEERS
0:30:05 > 0:30:07- Well done, mate.- Well done, man. I'm proud of you.
0:30:07 > 0:30:09- I think your beard kept you warm. - Yeah!
0:30:10 > 0:30:13Delighted I did it. Feel a new man.
0:30:13 > 0:30:16A new man. Right, I need to get out of my mankini.
0:30:31 > 0:30:36'Back at the cottage, I'm cooking my first ever Christmas dinner -
0:30:36 > 0:30:40'one of my own home-grown turkeys, with all the trimmings.
0:30:40 > 0:30:43'There's loads more than Rubes and I could get through,
0:30:43 > 0:30:46'so we've invited some friends - among them Jimmy,
0:30:46 > 0:30:50'whose knowledge as the ex-ranger has been invaluable, and Alison,
0:30:50 > 0:30:53'who works at the local community centre and has helped to steer me
0:30:53 > 0:30:55'through the politics of life in the Uists.'
0:30:55 > 0:30:58- Wow, look at this.- That's enormous!
0:30:58 > 0:31:00It is a monster, isn't it?
0:31:03 > 0:31:06I've been on the phone to my mum most of the afternoon.
0:31:06 > 0:31:09Like "Mum, it's starting to bubble a bit. Is that all right?"
0:31:09 > 0:31:11"Yeah, it's absolutely fine".
0:31:11 > 0:31:16Haven't been in touch for five months, and then suddenly, she gets 12 calls in one afternoon.
0:31:16 > 0:31:19Look at the size of that.
0:31:19 > 0:31:22Looks like Usain Bolt's leg.
0:31:23 > 0:31:25An entire drumstick.
0:31:25 > 0:31:28Parmesan-glazed parsnip,
0:31:28 > 0:31:31butter-and-lemon-glazed carrots,
0:31:31 > 0:31:34- Brussels sprouts with smoked bacon...- Yes.
0:31:34 > 0:31:36..and my own... And Bernard.
0:31:36 > 0:31:38- Bernard's right leg. - It's too big to eat, that!
0:31:38 > 0:31:40Can we just watch you eating?
0:31:40 > 0:31:43- Thank you very much, Monty.- Just a little something I rustled up.
0:31:49 > 0:31:52I think the parsnips are a triumph.
0:31:52 > 0:31:54Amazing, you know, things I've been growing here
0:31:54 > 0:31:57that you guys don't know about.
0:31:59 > 0:32:03'The piece de resistance is Alison's flaming clootie dumpling,
0:32:03 > 0:32:07'a local twist on the traditional Christmas pud.'
0:32:07 > 0:32:09- That's going now. - That's going, yeah.
0:32:09 > 0:32:13'That's it. End of a perfect Christmas day.'
0:32:13 > 0:32:15Like a little Vesuvius.
0:32:15 > 0:32:16'..in so many ways.
0:32:16 > 0:32:19'To go down the beach this morning and see everyone down there
0:32:19 > 0:32:23'and realise how many people I've got to know over my time in the islands...'
0:32:23 > 0:32:25Gigantic plate of food.
0:32:25 > 0:32:28'And then have a meal this evening
0:32:28 > 0:32:32'with these people I've come to know on the islands over the time I've been here.'
0:32:39 > 0:32:41So...a perfect day...
0:32:42 > 0:32:46..in a perfect place with perfect company.
0:32:46 > 0:32:49And I think you can't ask much more than that for Christmas.
0:32:52 > 0:32:53HE BLOWS
0:32:53 > 0:32:55HE SPLUTTERS
0:32:55 > 0:32:58That didn't quite work out the way I wanted it to.
0:33:12 > 0:33:17This morning is one of the first mornings for I don't know how long
0:33:17 > 0:33:19where the ground hasn't been frozen solid
0:33:19 > 0:33:21and the pigs' water hasn't been frozen.
0:33:21 > 0:33:24You can see they're tucked up nice and warm in their little house.
0:33:24 > 0:33:27That's their front door. That's their third front door.
0:33:27 > 0:33:32They keep eating their front doors for some reason. So morning, pigs!
0:33:33 > 0:33:38It's really hard for them to move on this ground when it's frozen,
0:33:38 > 0:33:40so they tend to stay inside.
0:33:40 > 0:33:42Morning, Streaky.
0:33:42 > 0:33:44How are you? You all right?
0:33:44 > 0:33:47Morning, Smokey. How's it going?
0:33:47 > 0:33:49The size of them.
0:33:49 > 0:33:53It's very hard for them to move on this ground. They're like rugby players in stilettos.
0:33:53 > 0:33:56They do this - "Ow, ow, ooh, ow!",
0:33:56 > 0:34:00cos the ground's really hard, isn't it, chaps?
0:34:00 > 0:34:02Even from when they were piglets,
0:34:02 > 0:34:06they still have the same sort of little characteristics.
0:34:06 > 0:34:10Streaky, who's the boar, has his vulnerable spot,
0:34:10 > 0:34:12which is just there.
0:34:12 > 0:34:15That causes his knees to buckle.
0:34:15 > 0:34:17Easy. Easy, Streaky, go on.
0:34:17 > 0:34:20Go on, fight it. You can stay up. You can...
0:34:20 > 0:34:22No! Go on.
0:34:22 > 0:34:24And down he goes.
0:34:24 > 0:34:28They've been an absolute pleasure to have, these pigs.
0:34:28 > 0:34:31They're great company and we have a little natter every morning.
0:34:31 > 0:34:34Oi! I've really enjoyed having them.
0:34:34 > 0:34:36You know, resilient,
0:34:36 > 0:34:39very friendly, very docile.
0:34:40 > 0:34:42Yeah, it's been grand.
0:34:42 > 0:34:47It's been good knowing them, but I'll only know them for a couple more days.
0:34:49 > 0:34:51Here we go.
0:34:53 > 0:34:54There we go.
0:35:21 > 0:35:26The gentleman you can see trudging over the headland behind me there is Andy,
0:35:26 > 0:35:29who is a local guy who watches otters along here.
0:35:29 > 0:35:31His house is just there - beautiful house.
0:35:31 > 0:35:35Sometimes he takes a kayak out and gets incredibly close to them,
0:35:35 > 0:35:37and that is what we're going to be doing today.
0:35:37 > 0:35:41Five and a half months I've been waiting for today.
0:35:41 > 0:35:43So good things come to those who wait,
0:35:43 > 0:35:47and karma demands that I have a close encounter with an otter today.
0:35:47 > 0:35:52'Andy McKinnon's been watching and filming his local otters for the past four years,
0:35:52 > 0:35:54'and he has an impressive strike rate.'
0:35:54 > 0:35:57- Where's the best point, Andy? Just here?- Just go in here.
0:35:57 > 0:36:02'But as I know to my cost, there's no such thing as a guaranteed sighting.'
0:36:02 > 0:36:06- What percentage chance would you say if you were a betting man? - Difficult to say.
0:36:08 > 0:36:10I saw four yesterday.
0:36:10 > 0:36:11Could be none today.
0:36:11 > 0:36:15The old "I saw four yesterday" line! I've heard that a lot.
0:36:24 > 0:36:29And it's just a question of just sort of waiting, isn't it, and looking for that distinct bow wave.
0:36:31 > 0:36:35But this is the best chance yet, I'd say.
0:36:39 > 0:36:42Absolutely beautiful evening.
0:36:46 > 0:36:52It's definitely THE way to see an otter, isn't it, doing this?
0:36:52 > 0:36:56You're down at water level, you're silent, you can just sit quietly. That's the key, isn't it?
0:36:56 > 0:37:00You know, right in the heart of where they're hunting, where they're operating.
0:37:03 > 0:37:07- HE WHISPERS:- We've just heard the noise of what may be an otter
0:37:07 > 0:37:08in this bay here.
0:37:14 > 0:37:18Trying to look as inconspicuous as we possibly can in a bright orange canoe.
0:37:22 > 0:37:23Oh, there he is.
0:37:26 > 0:37:29There's an otter...just here.
0:37:37 > 0:37:40Can see an otter.
0:37:43 > 0:37:48So this is it. At the eleventh hour of my sixth month...
0:37:50 > 0:37:52..we get our close encounter.
0:37:54 > 0:37:57He's chilling out of an evening.
0:37:57 > 0:37:59Whoa!
0:37:59 > 0:38:00Great stuff!
0:38:00 > 0:38:04He's moving closer and closer, so we're just sitting tight.
0:38:07 > 0:38:10With any luck... There he is! He's just behind me there.
0:38:10 > 0:38:14And closer and closer and closer. We're going to really encounter...
0:38:19 > 0:38:22I've waited a very long time for this.
0:38:31 > 0:38:33He just popped up about...
0:38:34 > 0:38:37..three feet in front of the tip of the canoe.
0:38:41 > 0:38:44I've never seen an alarmed otter before.
0:38:46 > 0:38:48It's amazing.
0:38:50 > 0:38:53I could have touched him with my paddle.
0:38:57 > 0:38:59I think he may have clocked us.
0:38:59 > 0:39:01Yes, he did, didn't he, plainly.
0:39:04 > 0:39:05Fantastic.
0:39:25 > 0:39:29'Back at the cottage, it's time to start my farewells.'
0:39:29 > 0:39:31Oi! Smokey and Streaky are leaving.
0:39:31 > 0:39:35A trailer's going to picking them up soon. Always knew this moment would arrive.
0:39:35 > 0:39:36Time to say goodbye to the pigs.
0:39:36 > 0:39:39All right, all right, fellas.
0:39:39 > 0:39:41Oi, knock it off.
0:39:43 > 0:39:45But they've been great animals,
0:39:45 > 0:39:47these, and they've been great company.
0:39:47 > 0:39:52The whole reason for having them was to raise money for the ranger position with their meat,
0:39:52 > 0:39:56so this morning I went to the cashpoint and I got out £200 of my own money
0:39:56 > 0:39:59that I'm going to donate to local environmental projects.
0:39:59 > 0:40:03And Smokey and Streaky here are going to go to a city farm
0:40:03 > 0:40:07and live long, fat, dumb, happy lives.
0:40:10 > 0:40:12'The plane's bringing in Carole Burke,
0:40:12 > 0:40:16'who manages the Almond Valley city farm, near Edinburgh.
0:40:17 > 0:40:22'She's Smokey and Streaky's ticket out of here, so I'm hoping they'll be on best behaviour.
0:40:22 > 0:40:26'They're booked on the early ferry tomorrow, assuming all goes well today.'
0:40:26 > 0:40:30- Hello, Streaky. I know. This is Streaky.- Streaky.
0:40:30 > 0:40:32And this is Smokey.
0:40:32 > 0:40:33You can tell them apart.
0:40:33 > 0:40:36Smokey's got black ears,
0:40:36 > 0:40:38- and Streaky's got...- White.
0:40:38 > 0:40:43- And the sort of people you get visiting, the sort of people that come along?- It's families.
0:40:43 > 0:40:45It's a very family-orientated farm,
0:40:45 > 0:40:49and we also have school groups that come to learn about animals as well.
0:40:49 > 0:40:51This, by the way, is Heather and Ian,
0:40:51 > 0:40:54who are coming to take Smokey and Streaky.
0:40:54 > 0:40:56Hello, Heather.
0:40:56 > 0:40:58- Hello.- How are you?
0:40:58 > 0:41:03'Heather's the crofter I got the pigs from originally, and she'll be transporting them to the mainland'.
0:41:03 > 0:41:07- And this is Carole. - Pleased to meet you. - Hi, lovely to meet you. Two kisses.
0:41:08 > 0:41:09- And this is Ian.- How do?
0:41:09 > 0:41:12Well, let the fun begin. Off we go.
0:41:16 > 0:41:19They might just go straight in, actually.
0:41:23 > 0:41:25Round here, chaps, come on. In you go.
0:41:26 > 0:41:28Come on.
0:41:28 > 0:41:30Come on.
0:41:33 > 0:41:38You ever heard of that thing where you get them to go into a bin, and then you back them in somewhere?
0:41:38 > 0:41:40You ever heard of that?
0:41:41 > 0:41:43I know this looks like lunacy.
0:41:48 > 0:41:50Nothing to worry about.
0:41:50 > 0:41:51CAROLE CHUCKLES
0:42:04 > 0:42:06Can I just say how intelligent my pigs are?
0:42:06 > 0:42:10Because this is the weak spot. They know this is a weak spot.
0:42:10 > 0:42:13And we've left him at the weak spot.
0:42:13 > 0:42:14Well done, Ian.
0:42:14 > 0:42:15Yeah, OK.
0:42:16 > 0:42:19OK, if you give me that board in. Quick, quick, quick!
0:42:22 > 0:42:23Yeah, I've got him, I've got him.
0:42:23 > 0:42:26There you go, there he goes. There he goes.
0:42:26 > 0:42:30And if we close that divide and if we close the gate, yeah.
0:42:30 > 0:42:33THEY CHEER
0:42:33 > 0:42:35Piece of cake.
0:42:35 > 0:42:37- THEY LAUGH - Piece of cake.
0:42:37 > 0:42:39Move it forward.
0:42:39 > 0:42:42Well done. Carole, I assure you they're not normally that difficult.
0:42:42 > 0:42:46- They're normally terribly well behaved.- I'm having second thoughts!
0:42:46 > 0:42:48You're city slickers now.
0:42:48 > 0:42:49Not country boys any more.
0:42:49 > 0:42:52See you, Streaky. See you, Smokey.
0:42:52 > 0:42:56Take it easy. Enjoy your life as celebrities.
0:42:56 > 0:42:58I wouldn't get too complacent, Rubes. You're next, pal.
0:42:58 > 0:43:01- CAROLE CHUCKLES - If I can persuade Carole.
0:43:03 > 0:43:07- What did you have in here? Was it turkeys?- Turkeys, yes.
0:43:07 > 0:43:12We started off with just the one run, but they got, strangely enough, bigger when I fed them.
0:43:28 > 0:43:33The final few posts still need to be hammered in on the Udal walk,
0:43:33 > 0:43:35the North Uist walk, which is my favourite walk
0:43:35 > 0:43:37and Jimmy's favourite walk.
0:43:37 > 0:43:41So I've left those posts, so me and Jimmy can hammer them in together.
0:43:43 > 0:43:47I just thought it'd be a really nice way to sort of finish the whole thing.
0:43:48 > 0:43:52Assuming we can batter it in to the iron-hard tundra
0:43:52 > 0:43:55that is the Udal peninsula at the moment.
0:44:01 > 0:44:04Shall we take a little walk round and maybe look at a spot to put a post up?
0:44:04 > 0:44:09Cos that's the idea of the trails, isn't it, that you can kind of see the next post?
0:44:10 > 0:44:12This is a very tidy Land Rover.
0:44:12 > 0:44:14Uncharacteristically tidy.
0:44:15 > 0:44:16Right.
0:44:20 > 0:44:21Wow, Monty!
0:44:21 > 0:44:25That's quite something, isn't it? Why here?
0:44:25 > 0:44:27Er...
0:44:27 > 0:44:33Well, I know what I felt when I first walked up this rise and I looked at that beach.
0:44:33 > 0:44:37One of the reasons for putting in the trails and all that
0:44:37 > 0:44:41is to try and share that experience with other people who come to the islands,
0:44:41 > 0:44:44and try and share that sense of wonder,
0:44:44 > 0:44:47of being exposed to views like this.
0:44:48 > 0:44:52- Wow.- It's amazing, isn't it? Just rock hard.
0:44:52 > 0:44:53It's pretty rough.
0:45:01 > 0:45:05- Pretty good. - Oh, the final symbolic clout. Go on.
0:45:05 > 0:45:06Go on, miss it.
0:45:06 > 0:45:08Hey!
0:45:08 > 0:45:10There we go.
0:45:11 > 0:45:13- That's about it.- Well done, mate.
0:45:13 > 0:45:16- Well done, sir.- Well done. Thank you so much.
0:45:16 > 0:45:20- Really. Thanks for all your help round the islands. - I need to get my car keys.
0:45:20 > 0:45:22I thought we would have a symbolic bottle.
0:45:22 > 0:45:24Thank you so much for coming here.
0:45:24 > 0:45:27- My pleasure, mate, my pleasure. - And for doing what you're done.
0:45:27 > 0:45:30Well, thank you for your hospitality and many cheers.
0:45:30 > 0:45:31Slainte mhath.
0:45:39 > 0:45:41Your fingers will be welded to that bottle now.
0:46:16 > 0:46:20'New Year's Eve, or Hogmanay, as it's known in the Highlands and the islands -
0:46:20 > 0:46:22always a big deal this time of year up here.
0:46:22 > 0:46:25But it's particularly poignant and special for me
0:46:25 > 0:46:30because, of course, this is the end of my time here. It's the culmination of six months' work,
0:46:30 > 0:46:33and we've got the Langass Lodge full of friends
0:46:33 > 0:46:36and people I've got to know over the last six months,
0:46:36 > 0:46:38who've all helped me out in some way or another.
0:46:38 > 0:46:43And I'm hoping for a real humdinger of an evening.
0:46:43 > 0:46:46It's a sort of fond farewell to the islands, really.
0:46:50 > 0:46:54'On the agenda tonight, we've got good food...'
0:46:54 > 0:46:57This is proper winter food.
0:46:57 > 0:46:59'..good company, good music...'
0:46:59 > 0:47:02BAND PLAYS A SOFT-ROCK TUNE
0:47:10 > 0:47:13..and also unveil the picture. Now, the picture is the oil painting
0:47:13 > 0:47:17that Steve Burgess, the wildlife artist who was up here about a month and a half ago...
0:47:17 > 0:47:20We took him out into the rut, the stag rut.
0:47:20 > 0:47:23And he was blown away by it, and he did a picture
0:47:23 > 0:47:28that we're going to sell to try and raise money for local environmental projects.
0:47:28 > 0:47:31'Steve's paintings sell for up to £15,000,
0:47:31 > 0:47:35'and he's promised to donate half the proceeds to the ranger fund.'
0:47:35 > 0:47:38So that's a very, very significant painting.
0:47:39 > 0:47:44Been a magical full stop to my time up here, really - just couldn't be better.
0:47:44 > 0:47:48Surrounded by my friends, all dancing, having a great time.
0:47:48 > 0:47:50- You're always welcome back.- Great.
0:47:50 > 0:47:53Leaving is going to be hard. It really is.
0:47:53 > 0:47:55- ALL:- Three, two, one...
0:47:55 > 0:47:58- Happy new year! - CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:47:58 > 0:48:01ALL: # Should auld acquaintance be forgot
0:48:01 > 0:48:05# And never brought to mind?
0:48:05 > 0:48:10# Should auld acquaintance be forgot
0:48:10 > 0:48:14# For the sake of auld lang syne? #
0:48:14 > 0:48:16Happy new year, by the way.
0:48:16 > 0:48:19- Kiss me. Mwah! - We're going to miss you.
0:48:19 > 0:48:21Oh, happy new year, mate!
0:48:21 > 0:48:25Have a good one. Have a great summer.
0:48:25 > 0:48:27- Have a great summer.- See you back.
0:48:30 > 0:48:32CHEERING
0:48:35 > 0:48:39- CROWD CHEERS - Got to make that noise at firework displays. That noise.
0:48:48 > 0:48:50CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:48:54 > 0:48:56REFLECTIVE GAELIC SONG PLAYS
0:49:05 > 0:49:10'Overnight, the snow and plummeting temperatures have transformed the winter landscape.
0:49:15 > 0:49:19'For someone about to head south, it's a timely reminder that the year-round inhabitants
0:49:19 > 0:49:24'of the islands can expect the weather to get worse before it gets better.'
0:49:38 > 0:49:43It's an interesting time to leave, because January/February,
0:49:43 > 0:49:46everyone tells me up here, is the really tough time up here
0:49:46 > 0:49:52because the big winter storms come in, and it's sort of grey and dank.
0:49:52 > 0:49:55And the interesting thing about my time up here is
0:49:55 > 0:49:59December and November have been the two most beautiful months of my whole time up here.
0:49:59 > 0:50:02So I think the lingering feeling with me is a...
0:50:02 > 0:50:06a feeling of wanting to come back.
0:50:12 > 0:50:16This is my final meeting with the ranger committee.
0:50:16 > 0:50:20It's almost a chance for me to see if I've passed muster -
0:50:20 > 0:50:25you know, to see if I've done the job while I'm here and find out how they've viewed my efforts.
0:50:25 > 0:50:28So the main item on the agenda today is the handover,
0:50:28 > 0:50:32the financial position and tying up loose ends.
0:50:32 > 0:50:35Yes. So shall I fill you in on what's still to come?
0:50:35 > 0:50:38I am desperately trying to get hold of the walks booklets
0:50:38 > 0:50:43and the interpretation boards to get them down here before I leave the islands.
0:50:43 > 0:50:45One of the reasons is that I spoke to CalMac and they said,
0:50:45 > 0:50:50"Absolutely fine. You can screw it onto the area that they've set aside,
0:50:50 > 0:50:53"which is in the kids' area, when you leave," which would be lovely.
0:50:53 > 0:50:58Nice final gesture, putting the interpretation board in. But if I haven't got them, I can't do it.
0:50:58 > 0:51:01So I'm hoping, tomorrow, to pick them up.
0:51:01 > 0:51:03And the final thing for me, really,
0:51:03 > 0:51:06is to say thank you very much
0:51:06 > 0:51:08for looking after me while I've been here.
0:51:08 > 0:51:11I think one of the interesting things
0:51:11 > 0:51:14is that you have actually demonstrated
0:51:14 > 0:51:16- that there is a need for a ranger service.- Yeah.
0:51:16 > 0:51:19And personally, I hope that what comes out of this is that
0:51:19 > 0:51:22we've actually created a framework
0:51:22 > 0:51:25which will enable a ranger service to be started up again.
0:51:25 > 0:51:27That's music to my ears, quite frankly.
0:51:35 > 0:51:37I've been truly happy in that cottage.
0:51:37 > 0:51:41I think it's a combination of things. I mean, who wouldn't be?
0:51:41 > 0:51:42It's the most beautiful cottage.
0:51:42 > 0:51:46I've also had, while I've been here, a sort of genuine sense of purpose.
0:51:46 > 0:51:48And the vindication of that, for me,
0:51:48 > 0:51:51was hearing Andrew say at the meeting that they thought
0:51:51 > 0:51:55one of the things I'd done was really show the value of the ranger here.
0:51:55 > 0:51:59So it was an ambition realised in so many ways -
0:51:59 > 0:52:03doing the ranger position, living somewhere like this, becoming part of the community.
0:52:03 > 0:52:06So it was at the end of my rainbow in every sense, I think.
0:52:08 > 0:52:10Come on, fool. Come on, Rubes. Oi!
0:52:40 > 0:52:42Back to Bristol, Rubes.
0:52:44 > 0:52:46Off we go. Come on, Rubes.
0:52:50 > 0:52:52Come on.
0:52:52 > 0:52:54Rubes, leave the stone.
0:52:59 > 0:53:03My ferry pulls away in an hour. I've been here six months,
0:53:03 > 0:53:07and the interpretation boards and the walks booklets,
0:53:07 > 0:53:11which are the culmination of all my efforts here,
0:53:11 > 0:53:14are, as we speak, heading into Lochmaddy.
0:53:14 > 0:53:17Richard has been snowed into his house for five days
0:53:17 > 0:53:20and has just managed to get out this morning.
0:53:20 > 0:53:22He's on the Isle of Lewis.
0:53:22 > 0:53:24One of the crew - one of the film crew -
0:53:25 > 0:53:27has very kindly gone across on the ferry
0:53:27 > 0:53:30with a little handheld video thing like you take on holiday
0:53:30 > 0:53:34to get the actual handover moment from Richard.
0:53:34 > 0:53:36- Happy new year.- Happy new year.
0:53:36 > 0:53:39So this is a real race against the clock.
0:53:39 > 0:53:41- These are the rock pool displays. - A-ha.
0:53:41 > 0:53:45And it has literally come down to the last 20 minutes
0:53:45 > 0:53:50about whether I can actually get my hands on them before I leave.
0:53:50 > 0:53:53The reason it's vital they're there is,
0:53:53 > 0:53:57I want to actually screw one of them onto the, er, wall...
0:53:57 > 0:54:00of the ferry, the bulkhead.
0:54:01 > 0:54:03So...yeah.
0:54:03 > 0:54:07It really has come down to this last few minutes about whether
0:54:07 > 0:54:11the boards will be there when I get there, and I'll be gutted if they're not.
0:54:29 > 0:54:31No-one here.
0:54:35 > 0:54:36Wait there, Rubes.
0:54:38 > 0:54:42Board the ferry in about ten minutes.
0:54:42 > 0:54:45I think I've just seen it coming round the corner there.
0:54:45 > 0:54:48- Ah! Hello, chaps.- Hi.
0:54:48 > 0:54:50Hello.
0:54:53 > 0:54:56- Hello, mate. How are you? All right? - Yeah.- Yeah, good.
0:54:56 > 0:55:01- This COULD be the interpretation boards and walks booklets.- Ah, right.
0:55:01 > 0:55:04- Which is lovely, mate, to have you here when they... - This is your handover.
0:55:04 > 0:55:08Don't even get out of the car if you haven't got them.
0:55:08 > 0:55:09- Made it!- Have you got them?
0:55:09 > 0:55:11- I have indeed.- Well done.
0:55:11 > 0:55:14- Well done, well done.- Yes. - Fantastic.
0:55:14 > 0:55:17And with about five minutes to spare.
0:55:19 > 0:55:23- These are the boards.- Amazing. Fantastic.
0:55:23 > 0:55:25The booklets.
0:55:25 > 0:55:29Now, these are just a sample, I hasten to add. There's going to be a mass print run.
0:55:29 > 0:55:345,000 of these will be spread round the islands. And mate, I'm so pleased you're here.
0:55:34 > 0:55:35This is all your expertise as well.
0:55:35 > 0:55:37Hey!
0:55:37 > 0:55:39- Wow.- There we are.
0:55:39 > 0:55:40That is stunning.
0:55:41 > 0:55:43There's so many memories.
0:55:43 > 0:55:47And your favourite, Udal. There's the last post we hammered in.
0:55:47 > 0:55:49That's great. Really good.
0:55:49 > 0:55:52Amazing. Here we are. Let's have a quick look at the boards.
0:55:55 > 0:55:57- Wow!- It's lovely, isn't it?
0:55:57 > 0:55:59That is stunning.
0:55:59 > 0:56:03- Fantastic.- Excellent, well done. - Thank you.
0:56:03 > 0:56:07In the very nick of time. Last-minute stuff. What we're hoping, Jimmy,
0:56:07 > 0:56:11is one day to actually have a coastal route that covers all the different environments,
0:56:11 > 0:56:16so it covers the sand and the rocks and the macha and the shallows and...
0:56:16 > 0:56:22- Wow! I think they're stunning. Just so beautiful to have something like this.- Thank you, Jimmy.
0:56:22 > 0:56:24Yeah, it is.
0:56:24 > 0:56:26Mate. Well done.
0:56:26 > 0:56:30- Andrew, thank you so much. - Thank you very much.- My pleasure.
0:56:30 > 0:56:34- Alison.- Bye, Monty.- Take care. Thank you for looking after me and feeding me.
0:56:47 > 0:56:50This is my very final act as the ranger -
0:56:50 > 0:56:54quite fittingly, on the ferry as I leave the islands.
0:56:54 > 0:56:57It's just to get this interpretation board put up.
0:56:57 > 0:57:02Hopefully, this'll inspire the next generation of marine biologists
0:57:02 > 0:57:05and rangers and conservationists.
0:57:05 > 0:57:08I would have tried to do it up there. There you go.
0:57:08 > 0:57:10That end.
0:57:11 > 0:57:13Great detail here, by the way.
0:57:13 > 0:57:17There's a rock pool species that you don't see very often.
0:57:17 > 0:57:20Photo number five has got Rubes in it.
0:57:27 > 0:57:29Fantastic.
0:57:30 > 0:57:31- Thank you.- OK.
0:57:31 > 0:57:33Good stuff.
0:57:34 > 0:57:36All that work.
0:57:39 > 0:57:40That's Jimmy and Alison.
0:57:46 > 0:57:49It's a poignant moment - there's no doubt about it.
0:57:51 > 0:57:55I don't tend to get overly sentimental about places when I leave them,
0:57:55 > 0:57:58because I've done so much travelling in my life
0:57:58 > 0:58:01and I'm constantly moving on to the next thing.
0:58:01 > 0:58:05But there are certain places that leave a mark on you,
0:58:05 > 0:58:10and I think this place has left an indelible mark on me.
0:58:10 > 0:58:14And my life's a little bit richer for knowing these islands.
0:58:14 > 0:58:17I get the feeling that this isn't the end of something
0:58:17 > 0:58:20as the islands disappear into the distance.
0:58:20 > 0:58:24That it's actually the beginning of a lifelong association
0:58:24 > 0:58:27for me with the Uists and Barra.
0:58:29 > 0:58:32Come on, then, Rubes. Come on.
0:58:38 > 0:58:39Come on, Rubes.
0:58:49 > 0:58:52Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:58:52 > 0:58:56E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk