Hidden Highlands of Scotland Secret Britain


Hidden Highlands of Scotland

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This is a story of Britain.

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But a Britain we rarely see.

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Britain as an undiscovered country.

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Our glorious landscape isn't just spectacular.

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It's full of secrets and surprises.

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It's absolutely beautiful.

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We asked you to share your secret places with us.

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And your response was overwhelming.

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You're taking us to some remarkable sites.

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Wow. It really is magical.

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-What a view!

-That is glorious, isn't it?

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We'll also share a few secrets of our own.

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Oh, look at that. Fantastic!

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Ah, that's amazing!

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Like being a child again.

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This is Britain as you've never seen it before.

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Oh, my word!

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Wow, that's really incredible.

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I don't think I could dream up a view as good as that.

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-So if you want to know a secret...

-Then come with us.

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Britain is blessed with magnificent mountains.

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Uplands which are shrouded in secrets.

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In the Lake District, a symphony of rock

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and water reaches its crescendo with Scafell Pike.

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While northern Wales is crowned by the majestic peaks of Snowdonia.

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But our most mountainous

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and mysterious realm is the Scottish Highlands.

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With Britain's highest mountain.

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And Britain's deepest water.

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The Scottish Highlands are the perfect place to keep a secret.

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The Highlands stretch across half of Scotland.

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We are making for the region of greatest extremes.

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The Great Glen, which cuts through the Highlands from coast to coast.

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The mighty Ben Nevis, our tallest peak, looms over the glen.

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And in its dark heart, the legendary waters of Loch Ness.

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I reckon the Great Glen's got to be stacked full of secrets, hasn't it?

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It has, look at the size of it.

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There's bound to be some amazing stories here.

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Do you know, I love this part of the world. I can't wait for this.

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To unlock our first secrets, we need a view over the glen,

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and this contraption's going to help us gain some height.

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-So, are you up for it?

-I'm really excited. Yeah, looking forward to it.

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-Are you?

-But if you want to take a view in,

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what you need is a little secret cheat.

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-How about the gondola?

-Oh, yes, I'm in.

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Look at that there, that jump. Come off down those rocks.

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Aonach Mor, a mountain just north of Fort William,

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attracts extreme outdoors enthusiasts.

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-Look...

-There's jumps!

-All these jumps all through the rocks

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-and through the trees.

-No, thank you.

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-Ah, that's terrifying speed!

-I did part of it once.

-Did you?

-Yeah.

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How did you get on?

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-Very badly.

-Did you?

-THEY LAUGH

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But these barren mountains offer a secret source

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of inspiration for a more serene activity.

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Jamie Hageman's spent years living here, working as a landscape artist.

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Jamie's artistic eye gives him a unique perspective

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on the secrets of the Highlands that most overlook.

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-You all right, Jamie?

-Hello.

-Hi, Jamie.

-Can we join you?

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Go for it.

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In your workplace.

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That's good. You're good.

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-Thanks.

-That's amazing.

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That's brilliant.

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What would you say is the secret to being an artist up here?

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For me, it's all about painting the mountains at their most impressive.

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So it's about finding these hidden viewpoints

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that show the mountains at their best.

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And in the glens, there must be so many secret hidden spots

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that you can get to that people just don't normally go.

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Yes, definitely.

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With Ben Nevis, you've got a broad side above Fort William that's

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the usual way up that I would suggest

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that you head up, round the northeast side,

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and look at the northeast buttress of Ben Nevis.

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-That's amazing.

-It's not an obvious viewpoint, but this viewpoint shows

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Ben Nevis looking very alpine and not actually that recognisable.

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I think it's about the viewpoints that aren't obvious,

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-that's the thing.

-Lovely.

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You've found all these secret vantage points here,

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in the Highlands. We're here for a few days.

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Can you recommend where we go and see your secret places?

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You've got to climb Britain's highest mountain.

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You've got to climb Ben Nevis.

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But I would recommend climbing it from the northeast side.

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Maybe hire a guide to take you up through the 600-metre cliffs.

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That's for you.

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-THEY LAUGH I'll take that one on.

-Anything else?

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-Well, you've heard of the Loch Ness Monster?

-Yes.

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There might be other monsters around in Scotland,

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so you could search out one of those.

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-Secret monsters for me.

-And what else?

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Well, you've heard of Bonnie Prince Charlie

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and all his hideaways throughout the Highlands.

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-Well, you could try finding one of those.

-Good stuff.

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What an adventure. Thank you very much indeed.

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The scale of the Highlands is immense.

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Not only is this the most mountainous part of Britain

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but this region's also the least populated part of Europe.

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Leaving plenty of space to hide its secrets.

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So, using your suggestions and Jamie's top tips,

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we're going solo for a spell to cover more ground.

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I'm starting with our tallest order -

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find a secret route up Britain's highest mountain.

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This is Jamie's beautiful painting,

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but when you see Ben Nevis for real, it's pretty daunting.

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Now, I'm a farmer, so the great outdoors is no stranger to me,

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but I'm no mountain man.

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And to discover Ben Nevis' secrets,

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I'm going to have to climb up that beast.

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Being Britain's highest mountain, Ben Nevis attracts

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tens of thousands of walkers every year.

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But few explore the north face.

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Its dramatic cliffs make it the mountain's secret side.

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John Lyall has spent 20 years mountaineering in Scotland,

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so who better to uncover Ben Nevis' mysteries?

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So you're going to be my guide up the mountain for the next 24 hours?

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Yeah.

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That's a fairly imposing sight, isn't it?

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I must say, I'm feeling quite nervous about this.

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At least the weather's on our side at the moment.

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Yeah, it's looking super, isn't it?

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So what's the plan then, John?

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Well, we're heading up to the Scottish Mountaineering Club's

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hut at the foot of the cliffs of the north face

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and then we're going to climb the Ledge Route,

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which is actually just straight up above there.

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Crikey, that sounds a bit scary!

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You're a man of the mountains.

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And what is it that makes it so special to you?

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Just everything about the Highlands.

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Favourite climbs, yeah. Definitely some favourite climbs.

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The Cuillins of Skye, that's an area where I did a lot of my first

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scrambling and climbing

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and they're an amazing place above the sea,

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spiky peaks reaching into the sky, and that's a special area.

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But there are lots of them

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and some of them are just hidden little corners

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that not many other people know about.

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It's a hike up to our overnight hut,

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and with every step, the weather clears a bit more

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to reveal the mountain in all its dramatic grandeur.

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Ben Nevis is often wreathed in cloud,

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so it feels like it's enticing me with a secret view all of my own.

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-Is that the summit up there, John?

-Yeah. That's it.

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You can just see above that tiny, little patch of snow.

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-Just come out of the cloud?

-Yeah.

-Amazing!

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Little bit of mist. It's fantastic, isn't it?

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And what are your favourite spots up there, up the ben?

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Well, the summit's pretty good.

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I've climbed Ben Nevis getting on to 100 times or more,

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and you get more connected with it the more time you spend there.

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And have you got some favourite secret spots up there

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-and names of places that you love?

-Definitely some favourite

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hidden little corners that not many people go but are real gems, yeah.

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There's really only one gem that I'm interested in right now.

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Whereabouts is this Ledge Route then, John?

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-Well, you see this steepish bit of rock up here?

-Yeah.

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We go around the left side of that and then up

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onto the crest of the ridge above it.

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And then we go...

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-(up there.)

-Crikey!

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What, we're going to walk along there? Are you sure about this?

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Yeah.

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Looks horrible.

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This face of the mountain has numerous secrets

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known only to those bold enough to climb these awe-inspiring cliffs.

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Beneath them, nestles our home for the night.

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No mere bolt hole,

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this is Britain's only alpine hut, and it has its own surprises.

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Mountaineers have been exploring Ben Nevis' secrets

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for over 100 years.

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To make it easier to open new routes, the Scottish Mountaineering Club

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built the alpine hut as a permanent base for the harsh north face.

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Opened in 1929, it was named in honour of a local climber,

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Charles Inglis Clark,

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who had been killed during the First World War.

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Since then, the hut has hosted many of Britain's greatest

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climbers in whose footsteps I must follow.

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Here we are, at one of our most famous mountains

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that's full of secret routes and nooks and crannies.

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And the way that I'm going to get up it is supposed to be

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up there somewhere.

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It's really quite daunting.

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Have to see what tomorrow brings.

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While you've had your head in the clouds, Adam,

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I've been looking into the glen's hidden depths.

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There are more than 30,000 lochs in Scotland,

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and you've told us about many magical places

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with water at their heart.

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Of course, the most famous up here is the mighty Loch Ness.

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It was born millions of years ago with the shift of a seismic

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fault line,

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then gouged out by enormous glaciers during the last ice age.

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Loch Ness holds more water than all the lakes

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of England and Wales put together.

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And, of course, it's also home to one of the most famous

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monster mysteries in the world.

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Whether Nessie's here or not, she is a global superstar.

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I'm on the hunt for another monster.

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But this one I won't find in Loch Ness.

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A local tip-off is taking me 30 miles west

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to the magnificent Loch Morar.

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It's wonderfully isolated, easily missed

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if you stick to the tourist trail.

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For some, it's the most beautiful body of water in Britain.

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What's beyond question is it's the deepest -

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plunging down 310 metres,

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that's over 1,000 feet beneath the surface of the loch.

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And try and get your head around just how deep this water is.

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Imagine this, you can stand the Eiffel Tower in the loch

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and still there would be 30 feet of water above it.

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So if you can lose the Eiffel Tower in here,

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what else could be hiding in Loch Morar?

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Rumours of a mysterious monster christened Morag

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have swirled around this loch for over 100 years.

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And to date, there are over 30 reported sightings of Morag.

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But a monster? Really?

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That would be quite some secret.

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If there's one person who can lift the lid on the mysteries of Morar,

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it's Viv De Fresnes who manages the loch.

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Go on, tell me about life here.

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It's just all about the peace and the quiet really for me.

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I love it. Yeah.

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We don't allow jet skies or speed boats on it

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to try and keep it as peaceful as this.

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And I love the fish here. Wild trout, you can't beat them.

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And there's salmon and sea trout in the loch as well.

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And obviously the monster.

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Obviously. Obviously the monster.

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Viv has treated all the Morag stories with a fair degree of

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scepticism, but some of his friends, like Ewen MacDonald,

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are absolutely convinced the monster of Morar exists.

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Ewen, how are you doing?

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Hello, yes, fine thanks.

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Good. So you're a believer in the monster?

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Yes. I've seen it a couple of times.

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-Oh, you have?

-Uh-huh.

-Go on, tell me the tale.

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We were cruising here on a motor boat between the islands

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and we seen this wake running in the water.

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We followed it and this head came out of the water

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and you could see this mane on the back of the head

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and it sort of moved around a bit.

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And then the head down and then it disappeared.

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Left a swirl of water.

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What did you think at the time?

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It was a monster, you see.

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Um. Well, a lot of people over the years have seen something

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and some of them are very believable, they really are.

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Well, most of them.

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There's a couple of lads here from Newcastle,

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and they were out fishing for a week.

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And I came up to see how they were getting on.

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And they were sitting in the car park, very agitated.

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I says, "What's the matter?"

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The monster came up beside them, just beside the surface

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beside them. They panicked when they seen this thing.

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And they really were very believable, those two.

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They were very scared.

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Even two terrified fishermen couldn't quite convince Viv

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that the monster Morag is real,

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but a recent event may have changed his mind.

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My daughter Fiona and I were over the far side of the loch

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and Fiona said, "What's that, Dad?"

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I looked out on the loch

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and there were these two things about a mile away.

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I've never seen anything like it in 20-odd years on the loch.

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-I managed to get a picture of it.

-Let's have a look.

-Or them,

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-there's two.

-Oh, really?!

-See if I can find it here.

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The day before that, I would have stood here and said,

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-"Nah, load of nonsense."

-Wow.

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It's not like a boat wash, if you know what I mean.

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Do you know what shocks me about that? It's quite how big...

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They're big things. That's nearly a mile away.

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Could this really be Morag?

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And if it is, why are there two wakes?

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-What do you think it is, then?

-I've no idea.

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-I love that.

-I really haven't an idea, so...

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The story is that it's land-locked eels, grown huge.

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And there are records of land-locked eels having

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-this membrane-like growth round their heads.

-OK.

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-So that could be the mane.

-That could be it.

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I certainly don't think it's a monster.

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If there is something out there, I don't think it's a monster

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or a dinosaur of any kind.

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This is about the only dinosaur we've got round here.

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-SHE LAUGHS

-How rude. How rude.

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Maybe an eel could grow to a monster size here,

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but I think something else is feeding the mythology of Morag.

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It's the magic of this place.

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And who better ask about the magical secrets of Loch Morar

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and monster Morag than a child?

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Viv's daughter, Fiona.

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So can you remember the day that you and your dad were out

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and you saw what might be the signs of Morag?

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Yeah, I did. We were up over there and I said, "Dad, what was that?"

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Cos there was these two long things swimming in the water.

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So it was you that spotted it first just cos it looked so unusual?

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Yeah. Cos at first I thought it was two eels, but it wasn't.

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Well, I don't know.

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There's no sign of the monster so far

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but the setting of Loch Morar casts its own spell.

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I feel like I'm in a child's adventure story, especially

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with all these enchanting islands.

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You're so lucky having this.

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Tell me about the islands around here.

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-Why are they special to you?

-They just seem so magical.

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They're really good to explore

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cos there are loads of little hiding places and trees to climb.

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-Do you have a favourite?

-Fairy Island, definitely.

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Fairy Island? Which one is it?

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This one here?

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-What a place.

-Yeah.

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-This is your own secret entrance to Fairy Island?

-Yeah.

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That's really hidden, isn't it?

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As we glide in towards Fairy Island,

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I feel like I'm entering a land that time forgot.

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Wow.

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It's absolutely magical.

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-It's truly wild out here, isn't it?

-Yep.

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-There's not a footpath to be found.

-Nope.

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Oh, yeah, this is the viewpoint.

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You could see Morag from up here, couldn't you?

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-Yeah.

-What do you think Morag is?

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Like a big kind of fish thing that has flippers like a seal.

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-Oh, right.

-But the back like a big dragon.

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And that day that you were out with your dad and he took the photo,

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do you think that was Morag?

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I don't know.

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-Do you think she has a lonely life out there?

-No.

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-I think there's six, seven of them.

-So they're sociable?

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Yeah, cos there can't only be one.

0:19:180:19:20

I've found it so enjoyable experiencing

0:19:260:19:30

and seeing the loch through the eyes of a child.

0:19:300:19:34

It's inspired me

0:19:340:19:35

to think that if I wait here just a few moments longer,

0:19:350:19:39

I might just catch a glimpse of Morag the monster.

0:19:390:19:43

This landscape feels like a fitting home for myths and legends.

0:19:450:19:50

They've been a bit of a theme in viewers' suggestions.

0:19:500:19:53

Which have taken us all over Britain

0:19:530:19:55

in search of undiscovered stories.

0:19:550:19:57

But right now, I'm tackling a very real kind of secret -

0:20:000:20:04

finding a route up this terrifying-looking mountain.

0:20:040:20:07

Don't let me hold you up.

0:20:070:20:09

I've spent the night in an alpine hut built nearly a century ago

0:20:110:20:15

at the foot of Ben Nevis.

0:20:150:20:16

Yesterday, bathed in sunshine, the ben's north face looked bad

0:20:180:20:23

enough, but now, clothed in mist, it's even more intimidating.

0:20:230:20:27

It's like the mountain is hiding its secrets,

0:20:290:20:33

waiting to catch me unawares.

0:20:330:20:34

I'm glad John's climbed Ben Nevis nearly 100 times.

0:20:370:20:40

So, Adam, I think we'll just stop up here and put our harness

0:20:450:20:49

and helmets on and get roped up.

0:20:490:20:53

Right.

0:21:000:21:01

Things are getting a little bit more serious.

0:21:020:21:04

And I am feeling a bit apprehensive.

0:21:060:21:09

It seems that this journey up the mountain, for me it's all new.

0:21:090:21:13

It's a complete education.

0:21:130:21:15

So you're going to look after me, John, aren't you?

0:21:150:21:17

We're going to look after one another.

0:21:170:21:19

It's not long before it becomes all too clear why we've roped up.

0:21:240:21:28

Goodness me, John.

0:21:290:21:31

It looks like we've come to a mass of cliffs.

0:21:310:21:33

Is this a bit of a dead-end?

0:21:330:21:35

It can look that way with the abyss here in front of us,

0:21:350:21:39

-but we're actually going to cross the gully further up.

-Yeah.

0:21:390:21:41

Then we're going to traverse round underneath this big steep cliff

0:21:410:21:44

-and all the way round.

-OK.

0:21:440:21:46

-That looks pretty serious down there.

-OK.

0:21:460:21:49

Just make sure you get your feet in good, solid footholds

0:21:520:21:55

as you come round there.

0:21:550:21:57

Ledge Route was first opened up in 1893 by some of the pioneers

0:22:000:22:05

of British mountaineering.

0:22:050:22:06

We're walking in the footsteps of giants.

0:22:080:22:11

The route combines scrambles, traverses and climbs...

0:22:110:22:15

There's some loose blocks there.

0:22:150:22:17

..which is why mountaineers view this as a real classic.

0:22:170:22:21

-Right.

-OK.

0:22:210:22:23

Until now, at least I've been able to see where I'm going.

0:22:250:22:28

OK, climb when you're ready.

0:22:300:22:32

Just step up to your left there.

0:22:320:22:34

But as the cloud closes in,

0:22:360:22:37

it's like the mountain is toying with us.

0:22:370:22:40

-More exposed here.

-OK.

0:22:400:22:43

-Blimey.

-Right.

0:22:450:22:47

This is quite a ridge.

0:22:510:22:53

The swirling mist obscures my view, suddenly opening up to reveal

0:22:540:22:59

the hidden, terrifying drops on either side.

0:22:590:23:02

-We'll just stay a little bit away from the edge there.

-Yeah.

0:23:020:23:05

Good idea.

0:23:050:23:07

There's some great drops down there.

0:23:070:23:08

OK.

0:23:100:23:11

Crikey, don't want to drop down there.

0:23:140:23:16

It's with some relief that we make it off the ridge

0:23:180:23:21

and onto the plateau.

0:23:210:23:22

I'm no mountaineer yet, but I feel it's quite an achievement to have

0:23:260:23:30

come along that ridge.

0:23:300:23:32

And now the top of Ben Nevis is not far away.

0:23:320:23:36

Groping our way through the mist,

0:23:380:23:40

we could be the only people on the mountain.

0:23:400:23:43

But Ben Nevis has yet another secret to reveal.

0:23:460:23:49

Goodness me, John!

0:23:520:23:53

We come round the corner from a desolate mountainside

0:23:530:23:56

with no people and now there's quite a crowd.

0:23:560:23:58

What's going on?

0:24:020:24:03

Well, this is the Ben Nevis Hill Race. It's an annual event.

0:24:030:24:08

Oh, my word. Cause an accident.

0:24:080:24:10

'Suddenly I feel a little...overdressed.'

0:24:100:24:14

They're going at a fair old pace, aren't they?

0:24:140:24:17

That's the way to go, isn't it?

0:24:170:24:18

How long does it take them to run up and run down?

0:24:180:24:21

Er, quicker than us!

0:24:210:24:24

HE LAUGHS

0:24:240:24:26

That's all very well, but they haven't had to climb

0:24:260:24:29

the northeast face.

0:24:290:24:31

They ran up the walkers' route instead. That has to be cheating.

0:24:310:24:35

Apparently, 400 people take part every year and the top runners

0:24:360:24:41

will climb to the summit and race back down in just over 90 minutes!

0:24:410:24:46

Astonishing!

0:24:460:24:47

Let's go and put my hand on this final summit.

0:24:480:24:51

The mountain has one final secret,

0:24:530:24:55

one that even those who make this most demanding of ascents

0:24:550:24:59

often fail to discover.

0:24:590:25:01

What are all these rocky shapes in the mist then, John?

0:25:010:25:05

They're old ruins of the weather observatory,

0:25:050:25:08

meteorological observatory,

0:25:080:25:10

that was up here from 1883 until 1904.

0:25:100:25:13

That was when the Victorians' excitement with science

0:25:150:25:18

reached fever pitch.

0:25:180:25:19

Then this weather station was intended to reveal

0:25:200:25:23

the secrets of the Earth's atmosphere.

0:25:230:25:26

21 years it was manned all the time, storms all sorts of things, yeah.

0:25:260:25:29

Quite an experience living up here doing that.

0:25:290:25:32

Hmm, I think I know why they shut it down.

0:25:320:25:35

1883 -

0:25:350:25:37

cloudy, cold.

0:25:370:25:39

1884 -

0:25:390:25:41

cloudy, cold.

0:25:410:25:43

1885 - cold, cloudy.

0:25:430:25:46

Finally, I've reached the top, the highest point in Britain.

0:25:500:25:55

-Hey, hey.

-Well done.

0:25:560:25:58

-Thank you for looking after me.

-Not at all.

0:25:580:26:01

Well done.

0:26:010:26:03

-The route OK?

-Not too bad. Not too bad.

0:26:030:26:05

Just got to get back down again now.

0:26:050:26:06

I think I can feel the sun coming out.

0:26:110:26:13

'It seems wishful thinking...'

0:26:150:26:17

The mist is clearing.

0:26:170:26:19

'..but as we descend, the mountain reveals what's been hidden.'

0:26:190:26:23

-Beautiful! What a view.

-Loch Linnhe, Loch Eil.

0:26:230:26:28

Fort William is where?

0:26:280:26:30

-Just down here...

-Over there, just over the edge?

0:26:300:26:32

-You're just seeing the edge of it.

-Beautiful.

0:26:320:26:35

And the halfway loch just down here.

0:26:350:26:37

Nearly 26 hours after setting off,

0:26:460:26:48

I'm relieved to be back at the beginning.

0:26:480:26:52

Well, I have to say,

0:26:520:26:53

I was pretty nervous about climbing

0:26:530:26:55

Ben Nevis, but having done it, I can really understand why

0:26:550:26:59

mountaineers like John are drawn to these extraordinary places,

0:26:590:27:03

and I feel quite privileged to have shared the secrets

0:27:030:27:07

of the highest mountain in the UK.

0:27:070:27:10

If, like us, you're on a hunt for Highland secrets...

0:27:200:27:23

It's great to go by foot.

0:27:230:27:25

The right to roam in Scotland means you're pretty much free

0:27:260:27:29

to explore wherever your legs can take you.

0:27:290:27:31

But 70-odd years ago, access to areas around Fort William

0:27:330:27:36

was tightly restricted.

0:27:360:27:38

Even locals had to carry passes and paperwork.

0:27:430:27:47

Because this was a landscape in lockdown.

0:27:470:27:50

That's because, during the Second World War,

0:27:510:27:53

this area of the Highlands became a top secret training ground.

0:27:530:27:57

The rugged terrain was ideal for training a new elite force.

0:27:570:28:01

The Commandos.

0:28:030:28:04

From 1940 onwards, men tested their mettle in these mountains.

0:28:110:28:16

The Great Glen and the surrounding area rang with

0:28:160:28:19

gunfire as Commando warfare was invented here in secret.

0:28:190:28:23

I tell you what, having climbed up Ben Nevis, using that as their

0:28:230:28:27

training ground, these guys must have been as tough as old boots.

0:28:270:28:31

But the Commandos weren't the first military figures

0:28:330:28:36

to operate in this part of the Highlands.

0:28:360:28:38

250 years ago, the king's troops were combing the hills

0:28:420:28:46

and glens for an enemy of the state.

0:28:460:28:48

Now, somewhere around here, so the story goes,

0:28:500:28:53

is the secret hiding place of the Young Pretender to the

0:28:530:28:57

British Throne - Bonnie Prince Charlie.

0:28:570:29:00

-What we've got to do is try and find it.

-Yes.

0:29:000:29:03

The grandson of James II, Britain's last Catholic king,

0:29:060:29:09

Bonnie Prince Charlie vowed to overthrow George II, a Protestant.

0:29:090:29:14

But the prince's rebellion was to end in defeat

0:29:160:29:19

at the Battle of Culloden.

0:29:190:29:20

Branded a traitor, the Bonnie Prince was forced to flee.

0:29:230:29:27

Pursued by the government's redcoats, he took refuge in a succession

0:29:280:29:32

of caves and other hideaways right across the Highlands.

0:29:320:29:35

One of those secret hiding places is reputed to be nearby.

0:29:370:29:41

-Oh, look at this.

-Wow.

0:29:420:29:44

-Wow, this is a good one.

-Spectacular!

0:29:440:29:47

-Lovely, isn't it?

-Yeah.

0:29:480:29:50

-Right, let's get the map out.

-Are we anywhere near?

0:29:500:29:53

Well, if my map-reading's correct, I reckon this cave

0:29:530:29:58

must be up behind the waterfall there somewhere.

0:29:580:30:02

So, as much as you'd like to go for a swim, maybe we should get on.

0:30:020:30:06

Another time.

0:30:060:30:07

Today, this is all Forestry Commission land.

0:30:100:30:14

These trees are new growth.

0:30:140:30:16

But back in 1745, this was all open moor.

0:30:160:30:20

Swarming with redcoats, it would provide scant comfort

0:30:200:30:23

for a pampered prince on the run.

0:30:230:30:26

BATTLE CRY

0:30:260:30:28

But making his way from one hiding place to another,

0:30:280:30:31

the Young Pretender wrote his name into the very fabric

0:30:310:30:34

of the Highland landscape.

0:30:340:30:35

Now, Ellie, according to the map,

0:30:380:30:41

this cave that Bonnie Prince Charlie hid away in,

0:30:410:30:43

-is somewhere up there.

-Let's crack on, these midges are killing me.

0:30:430:30:47

They're horrible, aren't they?

0:30:470:30:48

-It could well be up here, that view's amazing.

-It is, isn't it?

0:30:540:30:57

-You could see the enemy coming.

-Yeah,

0:30:570:30:59

and he was running for his life.

0:30:590:31:00

It's got to be round here somewhere.

0:31:040:31:06

There's a bit of a hole there.

0:31:080:31:10

That's a foxhole, that's not going to fit Bonnie Prince Charlie

0:31:110:31:14

-in there.

-HE LAUGHS

0:31:140:31:16

Or maybe I'm wrong. Maybe I'm wrong.

0:31:160:31:18

-Are we going up?

-Yeah, let's go up here.

0:31:200:31:22

-Ohh.

-Look, that is.

-Yeah, you're right.

0:31:250:31:27

It's the back of the cave. It's tiny, isn't it?

0:31:270:31:29

SHE LAUGHS Good hiding place.

0:31:290:31:31

-You'd never be discovered in there.

-Go on, climb in.

0:31:310:31:34

-No creature comforts. After you.

-HE LAUGHS

0:31:340:31:36

You're the red-headed Celt.

0:31:360:31:38

-THEY LAUGH

-Go on.

-All right.

0:31:380:31:40

Crumbs.

0:31:430:31:44

If you did get discovered though,

0:31:450:31:47

-you've got no way of running away.

-No.

0:31:470:31:50

You're just stuck in here.

0:31:500:31:52

Come on, Ellie, there's room for two.

0:31:520:31:54

-There isn't.

-You can be my guard.

0:31:540:31:56

Look at this. How the mighty fall.

0:31:560:32:00

-He went from leading men to living in a...

-I know, on the run.

0:32:000:32:03

..a tiny hovel like this.

0:32:030:32:05

-At least the midges aren't coming in.

-That's a bonus.

0:32:050:32:07

Looking on the bright side.

0:32:070:32:09

-He didn't bother scratching his name on the wall, did he?

-No, he didn't.

0:32:090:32:13

He did have a good view, though.

0:32:170:32:19

He certainly did.

0:32:210:32:22

Although he didn't have much time to look at it. He had to keep running.

0:32:220:32:25

True enough.

0:32:250:32:26

Shame I didn't bring some whisky.

0:32:260:32:28

Only these mountains now know whether Bonnie Prince Charlie

0:32:300:32:33

really stood here, scanning for signs of pursuit.

0:32:330:32:36

But he did spend five months on the run,

0:32:390:32:42

scrambling from one bolt hole to the next,

0:32:420:32:45

before eventually escaping to France...never to return.

0:32:450:32:49

He has, however, become a figure of romantic legend

0:32:550:32:59

and I must admit, I'm keen to see what other secrets

0:32:590:33:02

might be associated with the prince's adventures here.

0:33:020:33:05

Ah, Ellie, you're not alone.

0:33:070:33:09

Romance, legend and drama draw millions of tourists

0:33:090:33:14

to Scotland every year.

0:33:140:33:15

Amongst the sights they come to see...are islands like Skye.

0:33:180:33:22

Peaks like Ben Nevis.

0:33:270:33:28

And the mythological depths of places like Loch Ness.

0:33:300:33:35

However, there is one problem many visitors face.

0:33:370:33:41

The mountains make it difficult terrain to travel through.

0:33:410:33:44

And in the Highlands, the wiggly routes make it difficult

0:33:440:33:47

to visualise where everything is.

0:33:470:33:49

What you're trying to say is, people get lost.

0:33:490:33:52

Indeed, but there is a secret solution to this problem,

0:33:520:33:56

one which you've tipped us off about.

0:33:560:33:58

The secret's to be found in Eddleston, near Peebles,

0:34:000:34:04

in the grounds of this hotel.

0:34:040:34:06

Hunt around and you'll come across an incredible guide

0:34:110:34:14

to Scottish geography.

0:34:140:34:15

One which Keith Burns stumbled across completely by accident

0:34:160:34:20

when he was visiting the hotel in 1996.

0:34:200:34:24

I walked into this clearing and saw this pit,

0:34:240:34:29

full of undergrowth, it was a jungle.

0:34:290:34:32

And looking down into the undergrowth,

0:34:320:34:34

I thought I saw a shape that looked like the Mull of Galloway

0:34:340:34:37

because the Mull of Galloway's a very characteristic shape.

0:34:370:34:39

I thought, no, I'm imagining things.

0:34:390:34:41

This is silly. But if that's the Mull of Galloway,

0:34:410:34:44

there should be an island where the Isle of Arran is.

0:34:440:34:49

And I walked in the direction of where Arran would be

0:34:490:34:52

and I found the Isle of Arran.

0:34:520:34:55

Ten minutes later, having walked over Ben Nevis

0:34:550:34:58

and the northwest Highlands, I was at Cape Wrath.

0:34:580:35:02

Absolutely astonished to have realised that

0:35:020:35:05

this was a three-dimensional topographic model

0:35:050:35:08

of the whole of Scotland. I was absolutely stunned.

0:35:080:35:11

What Keith had stumbled upon was this...

0:35:120:35:16

the largest three-dimensional map in the world.

0:35:160:35:20

Incredibly it had been lost, completely overgrown,

0:35:240:35:29

a secret hidden in the grounds of the hotel and ignored for years.

0:35:290:35:33

It had been commissioned by this man, Jan Tomasik,

0:35:350:35:38

the hotel's owner in the 1970s.

0:35:380:35:41

Originally from Poland, Jan was stationed in Scotland

0:35:420:35:46

and fought in Normandy during World War II. He never went home.

0:35:460:35:51

Confronted with queries about Scottish geography

0:35:510:35:54

from his hotel guests, Jan built this enormous map in the grounds.

0:35:540:35:59

Sadly, he was forced to sell the hotel before it was completed

0:35:590:36:04

and the project was abandoned.

0:36:040:36:05

Condemned to disappear in the undergrowth for years.

0:36:050:36:09

Since rediscovering it, Keith has raised funds

0:36:110:36:14

and an army of volunteers to complete Jan Tomasik's vision.

0:36:140:36:18

Having been overgrown, there's still work to do.

0:36:200:36:23

But the map is already a testament to its Polish creator's amazing vision.

0:36:230:36:29

That's thanks to its original design,

0:36:290:36:32

scaled down to the millimetre by architectural students.

0:36:320:36:36

For a one-in-10,000 scale 3D map, the accuracy I find quite amazing.

0:36:360:36:43

Keith's team hope the map will become a tourist attraction

0:36:450:36:49

in its own right, one which celebrates the secret links

0:36:490:36:52

between Scotland and Poland.

0:36:520:36:55

The connections between Poland and Scotland go back 400 years or so.

0:36:560:37:02

Initially, there were a lot of Scottish immigrants to Poland,

0:37:020:37:07

merchants, mercenaries, craftsmen,

0:37:070:37:10

and Bonnie Prince Charlie's mother was Polish.

0:37:100:37:14

So the importance of the map is about the connections

0:37:140:37:18

between the Polish and Scottish people.

0:37:180:37:21

The eventual aim is to flood the pit, as Tomasik intended,

0:37:210:37:25

so that the water forms the lochs and seas

0:37:250:37:28

that give Scotland her distinctive shape and character.

0:37:280:37:31

We hope we can leave the map in the state

0:37:310:37:36

that Jan Tomasik would be pleased with.

0:37:360:37:39

And then hopefully there'll be enough local community involvement

0:37:390:37:44

that it'll be adopted and looked after for the future.

0:37:440:37:48

Your insights have revealed many secrets

0:38:070:38:09

as we've travelled around Britain.

0:38:090:38:11

But now I'm following my own instincts.

0:38:110:38:14

My quest to discover more about Bonnie Prince Charlie

0:38:140:38:18

has led me to an isolated spot on the west coast of Scotland.

0:38:180:38:21

Bonnie Prince Charlie landed just across the water from here

0:38:240:38:28

in the summer of 1745.

0:38:280:38:31

He'd sailed from France to begin a battle not just for the control

0:38:310:38:34

of the country but for its very soul.

0:38:340:38:37

It was a time of huge religious conflict,

0:38:440:38:46

when kings were crowned as much for their religion

0:38:460:38:49

as for their ancestry.

0:38:490:38:50

The Highlands were a Catholic stronghold,

0:38:530:38:56

making them a natural power base for Bonnie Prince Charlie's attempt

0:38:560:38:59

to overthrow the Protestant King George II.

0:38:590:39:03

However, when the Young Pretender's rebellion failed

0:39:030:39:06

his supporters here would pay a bloody price.

0:39:060:39:09

New fortresses were built across the Highlands,

0:39:110:39:14

garrisons for thousands of the king's men.

0:39:140:39:17

Catholicism was outlawed.

0:39:180:39:21

The clans were brutally suppressed.

0:39:210:39:24

Even the wearing of tartan was banned.

0:39:240:39:28

Anyone who raised a voice at the draconian measures

0:39:280:39:31

was ruthlessly dealt with.

0:39:310:39:33

But the battle for the soul of the Highlands continued...in secret.

0:39:350:39:40

Facing the complete loss of their culture,

0:39:430:39:46

Catholic Scots established a network of secret hiding places

0:39:460:39:49

across the Highlands, to train new priests.

0:39:490:39:53

From locations disguised to look like innocent farm houses,

0:39:530:39:57

priests would disperse across the countryside.

0:39:570:40:00

They slept rough in the heather,

0:40:000:40:01

giving them their name, heather priests.

0:40:010:40:04

Constantly on the move to avoid detection by the authorities.

0:40:040:40:08

I've joined writer Ann Lindsay to walk to one of the communities

0:40:130:40:17

that relied on these so-called heather priests

0:40:170:40:20

to keep their faith alive.

0:40:200:40:22

It's so remote that even now the only way to get there

0:40:220:40:26

is by boat or on foot.

0:40:260:40:28

Wow, they're, sort of, revealed to you all of a sudden, these houses.

0:40:280:40:31

-I know, it's like a little secret village.

-Yeah.

0:40:310:40:34

And there's more, you know, just round the corner and spread around.

0:40:340:40:38

Some are still ruined.

0:40:380:40:40

But no church?

0:40:400:40:42

No church because this was the time when Catholicism almost died out.

0:40:420:40:48

So how did people who were Catholic take mass?

0:40:480:40:52

Well, somehow the word would have gone around

0:40:520:40:54

and so everybody would gather, down on the beach,

0:40:540:40:56

because the heather priest had to be able to leave very fast

0:40:560:40:59

and there's a story, how 1,000 people gathered

0:40:590:41:02

right down on the beach to hear mass.

0:41:020:41:06

This hamlet is a time capsule,

0:41:060:41:08

it remains much as it was in those dark days.

0:41:080:41:12

The people here lived in fear of reprisal

0:41:140:41:17

but it was the heather priests who were most at risk.

0:41:170:41:20

They knew that the mere act of holding a mass

0:41:200:41:23

-could result in brutal punishment.

-SCREAMING

0:41:230:41:27

If they were caught the first time, practising mass,

0:41:290:41:32

the heather priest would be banished.

0:41:320:41:34

The second time, they would be executed.

0:41:340:41:36

Eventually their faith won through.

0:41:470:41:49

As the perceived threat the Highlanders posed

0:41:490:41:52

to the Crown receded, the Acts that banned Catholicism were repealed.

0:41:520:41:56

The clouds that hung over this remote hamlet disappeared,

0:41:580:42:02

to be replaced by a sense of timelessness and magic.

0:42:020:42:05

I've written about all sorts of secret and mystical places,

0:42:090:42:13

and of all the places that I've found, this is my favourite.

0:42:130:42:17

-It is absolutely like a little lost world.

-Wonderful. Wonderful!

0:42:170:42:22

It's a stunning spot, an unlikely front-line in a secret battle

0:42:240:42:29

for the soul of the Highlands.

0:42:290:42:31

The heather priests have long since faded into history

0:42:330:42:36

but it's wonderful to wander in their secret steps.

0:42:360:42:40

Thanks to your suggestions, we're uncovering all sorts of secrets

0:42:460:42:50

as we're exploring the Highlands.

0:42:500:42:52

From the mountain highs, to the depths of its lochs,

0:42:540:42:57

you've inspired us to take a fresh look

0:42:570:43:00

at some of Britain's most glorious countryside.

0:43:000:43:02

Now, you can take the boy out of the farm...

0:43:040:43:07

But you can't take farming out of the boy.

0:43:070:43:09

Yes, there's one story that piqued my farming interest.

0:43:090:43:14

You know, the last thing I expected to find in the Scottish Highlands

0:43:140:43:19

was this, an American-style cattle ranch.

0:43:190:43:23

Yee-ha!

0:43:230:43:25

People have always struggled to bring large scale agriculture

0:43:300:43:33

to the Highlands.

0:43:330:43:35

With steep slopes and large areas of bog,

0:43:350:43:37

the land hasn't leant itself to the kind of mixed farms like mine.

0:43:370:43:42

Instead these mountains have largely been the preserve of sheep,

0:43:440:43:48

which flourish despite the difficult conditions.

0:43:480:43:52

So what possessed anybody to try and establish a cattle ranch here?

0:43:520:43:57

I mean, it's a vision of the Midwest that even has a cowboy and a cowgirl.

0:43:580:44:06

It's all thanks to an extraordinary character called Joe Hobbs,

0:44:060:44:10

a Brit who'd ranched in Canada.

0:44:100:44:12

I'm meeting the present-day owners, Paolo and Elspeth Berardelli,

0:44:130:44:17

to find out more.

0:44:170:44:19

Hobbs had a bit of a vision that this land could produce a lot more.

0:44:190:44:22

It was relatively unproductive, I think.

0:44:220:44:24

It had some sheep on it but he saw the land as very similar

0:44:240:44:27

to the land that he'd ranched in Alberta and he decided to buy it.

0:44:270:44:32

He transformed the place, draining it, doing all sorts, you know.

0:44:320:44:35

And these are some of the pictures, are they?

0:44:350:44:38

Yeah, this is the ranch in it's...in its heyday, so...

0:44:380:44:41

Here they are bringing in the cattle into our yards,

0:44:410:44:44

which are still very much as they were then.

0:44:440:44:47

Wonderful, isn't it?

0:44:470:44:48

Hobbs' massive project was designed to turn the boggy,

0:44:500:44:54

tussock-covered land of the Highlands into grassy pastures,

0:44:540:44:58

capable of producing enough good-quality feed

0:44:580:45:01

for a large herd of cattle during the long winter months.

0:45:010:45:04

And in 1950s Scotland, it was a revolutionary idea.

0:45:070:45:12

Ever the showman, Joe Hobbs convinced Pathe News

0:45:140:45:18

to feature his audacious project.

0:45:180:45:21

-ANNOUNCER:

-Starting with a herd of 70 Angus Herefords,

0:45:210:45:24

JW Hobbs, a Briton who once ranched in Canada,

0:45:240:45:26

has raised his stock in seven years to over 1,000.

0:45:260:45:29

And all on land where men thought no sizeable herd could ever find feed.

0:45:290:45:34

All the Scottish cattlemen had to wear tam-o'-shanters and...

0:45:340:45:38

everything on horseback, riding around.

0:45:380:45:41

I think it was quite...it must have been quite a sight, you know?

0:45:410:45:43

And a lot of people, they had a lot, a lot of men working on the place.

0:45:430:45:47

The family still uses horses to help wrangle the cattle.

0:45:530:45:56

So I'm joining Anna and Fergus for a Wild West-style round up.

0:45:560:46:01

Come on, horse! Walk on, walk on.

0:46:010:46:04

Come on, horse. And, er...

0:46:040:46:06

HE LAUGHS

0:46:090:46:11

I'm not quite as nimble as the children,

0:46:140:46:16

who are already showing me up.

0:46:160:46:18

And, er, there we go.

0:46:180:46:20

And, thankfully, I've got a lovely steady Highland pony

0:46:200:46:24

to look after me. Walk on, then so I can get my foot in.

0:46:240:46:27

Oh, hello! Ah, it's all gone wrong. HE LAUGHS

0:46:270:46:33

We're off to round up some cattle that have strayed from the main herd.

0:46:340:46:38

Wait for me. Tck-tck, tck-tck.

0:46:380:46:41

Heyup, hup-hup-hup-hup-hup-hup.

0:46:540:46:57

WHISTLING

0:46:570:47:00

At least I look at home on the range...

0:47:010:47:03

..if not on a horse.

0:47:040:47:06

This is absolutely brilliant.

0:47:070:47:09

I have to let you into a secret. When I was a boy, I wanted to be a cowboy,

0:47:090:47:13

but on a motorbike...cos I'm rubbish on a horse.

0:47:130:47:16

Come on, then, walk on.

0:47:160:47:18

WHISTLING

0:47:200:47:22

At the moment, Anna's rounding up the cattle...

0:47:220:47:26

and Fergus is rounding up...me.

0:47:260:47:29

-He's a bit of a plodder.

-Go on, walk on.

0:47:290:47:32

Ferg', watch that one.

0:47:320:47:33

Well, it's not exactly been Blazing Saddles

0:47:350:47:37

but after just over an hour, we've reunited the herd.

0:47:370:47:42

Great job, team!

0:47:420:47:44

Now, I'm looking forward to those cowboy staples - coffee and beans.

0:47:440:47:49

Living the dream. Living the dream.

0:47:490:47:51

Shall we head back to the ranch?

0:47:510:47:53

Let's go, horses roll. Tck-tck, tck-tck. Come on.

0:47:530:47:57

This big country invites those with grand schemes to make their mark.

0:48:080:48:12

The mighty Caledonian Canal links the lochs together,

0:48:140:48:18

making a secret watery highway,

0:48:180:48:21

its epic scale only appreciated from the air.

0:48:210:48:24

Surrounding this waterway, rock rises up in grand salute.

0:48:260:48:30

Yet in the midst of all this majestic landscape

0:48:360:48:39

is a hidden Highland secret that's very human and deeply personal.

0:48:390:48:45

Which is why I've come to the Black Isle, near Inverness

0:48:450:48:48

at the northern end of the Great Glen.

0:48:480:48:52

When we asked you to share your secret places with us,

0:48:520:48:55

we heard about a rather mysterious tradition.

0:48:550:48:58

Now a cloot in Scots is a piece of cloth, like this.

0:48:580:49:02

And somehow these cloots are tied up with a secret,

0:49:020:49:06

intensely private ritual, at something called a clootie well.

0:49:060:49:11

I know the tradition is something to do with hanging cloots, or cloths,

0:49:150:49:19

in a tree.

0:49:190:49:21

Whatever it is, there's a distinctly otherworldly feel to this place,

0:49:210:49:25

created by an ancient custom sitting side-by-side with our modern world.

0:49:250:49:31

Wow, there's more revealing themselves.

0:49:310:49:33

Oh, they're quite far flung from the path,

0:49:330:49:36

they're all out across the trees.

0:49:360:49:39

Clearly, whatever tradition was going on years ago,

0:49:400:49:44

is still very much alive today.

0:49:440:49:46

Goodness.

0:49:480:49:49

They're certainly increasing in number...everywhere you look.

0:49:500:49:56

Oh, my word, look at this.

0:49:560:49:59

It feels like the whole wood is full of them.

0:49:590:50:01

Every branch...is covered.

0:50:030:50:07

It looks a bit like a festival from years ago

0:50:070:50:10

and everything's just been left.

0:50:100:50:11

I've arranged to meet Dr Alix Powers-Jones,

0:50:160:50:19

who's going to reveal the ritual of the Clootie Well.

0:50:190:50:22

-Hi, Alix.

-Hello.

-There's even more of them.

-They're everywhere.

0:50:220:50:27

-It never ends. So this is the Clootie Well, then?

-It is.

0:50:270:50:31

-Right, what's that all about?

-The Clootie Well's all about the water.

0:50:310:50:34

It's in fact not a well, it's a spring

0:50:340:50:36

that comes out underneath the hill.

0:50:360:50:38

-How long have people been coming here?

-It's a pre-Christian, Iron Age

0:50:380:50:42

Celtic tradition, so potentially thousands of years.

0:50:420:50:45

And people came to ask for something.

0:50:450:50:48

-So it's all for good luck?

-More likely for this particular spring,

0:50:480:50:52

it was about the health of children.

0:50:520:50:54

What they would do is they would dip their rag in the water,

0:50:540:50:57

say you'd got a headache, they would rub it on your head

0:50:570:51:01

and then they would tie the cloot to a branch.

0:51:010:51:03

So instead of you decaying, you being ill, or dying,

0:51:030:51:07

it was the rag that would decay.

0:51:070:51:09

Once, the neighbouring road would have been a pilgrims' route.

0:51:110:51:14

Now, it's the A832.

0:51:140:51:16

But the well still attracts visitors in the know,

0:51:190:51:22

which is why there are cloots as far as the eye can see.

0:51:220:51:25

Why do you think people still come,

0:51:280:51:30

even though we've got the Health Service?

0:51:300:51:32

It's like any superstition. Why do you not go under a ladder?

0:51:320:51:36

Why do you throw a coin in a well?

0:51:360:51:38

It's exactly that same persistence of old traditions,

0:51:380:51:41

-old superstitions.

-You can see all these trees are completely covered.

0:51:410:51:45

-Where is the well?

-The well, the spring is actually down

0:51:450:51:49

nearer the road, do we want to go and have a look?

0:51:490:51:51

Yeah, let's take a look.

0:51:510:51:53

-Yes, that's not much of a well.

-No, it's definitely a spring.

0:52:020:52:05

-THEY LAUGH

-But people left rags, cloots.

0:52:050:52:08

We think of rags as almost worthless.

0:52:080:52:12

But certainly a couple of hundred years ago or 1,000 years ago,

0:52:120:52:16

cloth was very valuable. You perhaps had only one skirt

0:52:160:52:19

and a pinafore and a top.

0:52:190:52:21

If you had a cloot that you cooked in, that you prepared puddings

0:52:210:52:25

or dumplings in, it would be passed from mother to daughter.

0:52:250:52:29

They were valuable things. So to give it away, to hang it in a tree

0:52:290:52:34

and to say, "I'm not having it any more,"

0:52:340:52:36

-was a significant thing to do.

-You wanted a wish in return.

0:52:360:52:39

-You wanted something in return.

-Absolutely.

0:52:390:52:41

-And to that end, do you have a cloot with you?

-I do.

-Right.

0:52:410:52:44

-I have a cloot with me in my pocket, there we go.

-OK.

0:52:440:52:46

-I shall leave you to your moment.

-Thank you.

-Thanks very much, Alix.

0:52:460:52:49

-Thank you.

-Bye-bye. Bye.

0:52:490:52:51

The secret traditions of our ancient ancestors are still very much alive

0:53:030:53:08

in this shrine to healing.

0:53:080:53:10

It seems hope springs eternal in the human heart.

0:53:100:53:14

Your suggestions have inspired us to take a journey round the Great Glen.

0:53:190:53:24

And it's revealed all sorts of secrets, from the mysterious...

0:53:240:53:27

At first I thought it was two eels. But...it wasn't.

0:53:270:53:31

-To the mystifying...

-At least the midges aren't coming in.

0:53:310:53:34

-Looking on the bright side.

-That's good.

0:53:340:53:38

But now we're in search of the magical.

0:53:380:53:40

I reckon we're nearly there.

0:53:420:53:43

-There's a bit of a clearing on this corner.

-Yeah.

0:53:430:53:46

Got to be a view from there, hasn't there?

0:53:460:53:48

-I'm not going to look until the last second.

-Don't look, don't look!

0:53:480:53:51

-Are you ready? Wait for it. Wow!

-What a view!

0:53:510:53:55

That's really incredible with the mountains just falling down

0:53:580:54:01

into the loch.

0:54:010:54:02

This is the Glenfinnan Viaduct.

0:54:080:54:12

Completed in 1898,

0:54:120:54:14

it was the largest concrete engineering project in Britain.

0:54:140:54:18

And over 100 years later,

0:54:220:54:24

the 21-arch construction still takes the breath away.

0:54:240:54:28

-That's glorious, isn't it?

-It really is.

0:54:280:54:31

-I don't think I could dream up a view as good as that.

-Incredible.

0:54:310:54:36

Overlooking the magnificent Loch Shiel,

0:54:360:54:39

the viaduct owes much of its recent fame to a certain boy wizard.

0:54:390:54:44

Can you just hear that there coming?

0:54:500:54:52

I can, yeah. APPROACHING TRAIN

0:54:520:54:55

-Look, I can see the steam.

-Oh, yeah, yeah!

0:54:550:54:58

Oh, wow!

0:54:580:55:00

-The Hogwarts Express! Harry Potter rides again.

-Yeah!

0:55:050:55:10

-A train full of wizards.

-HE LAUGHS

0:55:100:55:13

Oh, what are we doing up here? We should be on it.

0:55:140:55:17

Well, you're always calling me an old witch, let's see what I can do.

0:55:170:55:20

BELL CHIMES Goodness me, here we are.

0:55:200:55:22

You really have got magical powers.

0:55:220:55:24

I told you I was a witch and you will be nice to me,

0:55:240:55:26

or I'll turn you into a frog.

0:55:260:55:29

-This is amazing.

-Look at this.

0:55:290:55:31

The views are still good from here.

0:55:310:55:33

In fact, this carriage is where they filmed.

0:55:330:55:35

-I'm sitting where Harry Potter sat.

-You are Ron Weasley.

0:55:350:55:38

I am him. SHE LAUGHS

0:55:380:55:41

I'm not quite Hermione but I'll do my best.

0:55:410:55:44

The real secret of this train isn't starring as the Hogwarts Express

0:55:520:55:56

for Harry Potter.

0:55:560:55:57

The revelation is the glorious countryside it passes.

0:55:590:56:03

Views which cast their own magic spell.

0:56:030:56:06

It also has a surprising past.

0:56:090:56:13

What was this train originally used for then? Do you know?

0:56:130:56:15

So, this line was originally built to transport the herring

0:56:150:56:18

-down to London.

-Oh, right.

0:56:180:56:20

Now, I think, it's just tourists, tourists, tourists,

0:56:200:56:22

enjoying these incredible views.

0:56:220:56:25

Running between Fort William, at the foot of Ben Nevis

0:56:250:56:28

and Mallaig, where ferries depart for Skye and the Outer Hebrides,

0:56:280:56:33

the track unites mountains and the sea.

0:56:330:56:36

Well, it's a lot easier than walking up Ben Nevis, I can tell you.

0:56:370:56:41

That's for sure.

0:56:410:56:42

Oh, there's some beaches. That is beautiful.

0:56:470:56:52

There's barely a soul, it's lovely.

0:56:520:56:54

The track terminates at the sea.

0:56:570:56:59

But our journey through Secret Britain isn't quite over yet.

0:56:590:57:03

Ahh, we're here.

0:57:090:57:12

-I've got one more secret for you.

-All right, come on.

0:57:120:57:15

It's a bit of a hike but Adam's secret site is worth the effort.

0:57:150:57:19

-This is a beautiful spot to end, isn't it?

-It really is.

0:57:360:57:40

-I thought you'd like it.

-Love this.

0:57:400:57:42

For me, you know, those rugged, unforgiving tops of Ben Nevis,

0:57:420:57:47

down to the beautiful, tranquil coastline with the sunset

0:57:470:57:51

-just couldn't be better.

-Mmm.

0:57:510:57:53

This is a lovely end. Look at that sun now behind the mountains.

0:57:530:57:58

It's beautiful.

0:57:590:58:01

People forget how many wonderful places and amazing secrets

0:58:010:58:05

-we have across the UK.

-Hmm.

0:58:050:58:07

-Where next?

-Well, we need a few suggestions, don't we?

0:58:070:58:11

And that's where you come in.

0:58:110:58:13

We'd love you to share your secret places, hidden stories...

0:58:130:58:17

-And magical mysteries.

-So we can share more of Secret Britain.

0:58:170:58:23

Visit our website...

0:58:230:58:26

..to get in touch.

0:58:290:58:30

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