0:00:02 > 0:00:05Welcome back to my camper van journey
0:00:05 > 0:00:07along the roads less travelled
0:00:07 > 0:00:09in the West Highlands of Scotland.
0:00:09 > 0:00:12It's one where I'm deliberately taking my time.
0:00:12 > 0:00:16Why hurry when you're immersed in what I believe are
0:00:16 > 0:00:20some of the finest landscapes you'll find anywhere in the world?
0:00:22 > 0:00:24This is, unashamedly,
0:00:24 > 0:00:26a celebration of our great country.
0:00:26 > 0:00:28So here's an offer -
0:00:28 > 0:00:31why don't you join me on this journey of discovery?
0:00:31 > 0:00:34Oh, I'm in heaven!
0:00:34 > 0:00:37This is as good as it gets.
0:00:44 > 0:00:47In the first programme, I got off to a great start,
0:00:47 > 0:00:49visiting three fantastic islands.
0:00:49 > 0:00:51Luing was a revelation.
0:00:51 > 0:00:54Just 20 miles south of Oban,
0:00:54 > 0:00:56it's steeped in history and industrial heritage,
0:00:56 > 0:00:59with stunning views over the Atlantic.
0:00:59 > 0:01:01It's absolutely wonderful.
0:01:02 > 0:01:06On a day like this, where else would you want to be?
0:01:06 > 0:01:09The landscape of Seil was dramatic and rugged,
0:01:09 > 0:01:12something I didn't expect from an island
0:01:12 > 0:01:15whose highest point is less than 150 metres.
0:01:15 > 0:01:19And there's this real sense that it's a very hilly, craggy,
0:01:19 > 0:01:21almost mountainous landscape
0:01:21 > 0:01:24that sort of calls out, "Explore me!"
0:01:24 > 0:01:27And I enjoyed every minute on Lismore.
0:01:27 > 0:01:30Here, I felt I was stepping back to a time
0:01:30 > 0:01:33when our ancestors first started exploring our landscape.
0:01:33 > 0:01:37You know, it's amazing to think this has stood here for 2,000 years.
0:01:37 > 0:01:39Phew.
0:01:40 > 0:01:42Returning to the mainland,
0:01:42 > 0:01:45I've learned about the fascinating geology
0:01:45 > 0:01:47behind the Port Appin peninsula,
0:01:47 > 0:01:51I made an ascent of one of the lesser-known hills in Glencoe,
0:01:51 > 0:01:55and in Moidart, I discovered the finest of coastal walks.
0:01:55 > 0:02:00They have this sense of unspoiled, remote wildness.
0:02:02 > 0:02:05Finally, I swapped my boots for paddles,
0:02:05 > 0:02:08and took to the water for a packrafting trip
0:02:08 > 0:02:12around the dozens of skerries that litter the coast at Arisaig.
0:02:13 > 0:02:18Oh, there's a seal. Oh, there's a lot of seals around. Yahoo!
0:02:19 > 0:02:22And yet I'm only halfway through my journey.
0:02:22 > 0:02:25I can't guarantee the weather but I've a sneaking suspicion
0:02:25 > 0:02:29that what lies ahead will be every bit as good.
0:02:29 > 0:02:32I'm now in Armadale on the Isle of Skye and, from here,
0:02:32 > 0:02:36I'm going to head south, deep into the Sleat peninsula.
0:02:42 > 0:02:45You'll have noticed I'm not in my camper van.
0:02:45 > 0:02:47HE PANTS
0:02:47 > 0:02:49One of the great advantages
0:02:49 > 0:02:53of a journey like this is that I can go for a hill walk or a climb,
0:02:53 > 0:02:56I can take my packraft and enjoy the water,
0:02:56 > 0:03:00or I can grab my bike off the back, just whenever I feel like it,
0:03:00 > 0:03:03and go off for an overnight, with all my camping gear.
0:03:05 > 0:03:10As I get older, these old legs complain more and more
0:03:10 > 0:03:13about carrying heavy loads up and down mountains,
0:03:13 > 0:03:16so nowadays, I tend to take all my camping gear on the bike
0:03:16 > 0:03:19and go off and enjoy a bit of cycle touring
0:03:19 > 0:03:23or what, nowadays, they call "bikepacking".
0:03:31 > 0:03:33Most people tend to leave Armadale
0:03:33 > 0:03:37and head north to enjoy the rugged grandeur of the Cuillin,
0:03:37 > 0:03:41or the sculptured landscapes of the lovely Trotternish Ridge,
0:03:41 > 0:03:44or maybe even to go and do a bit of shopping in Portree
0:03:44 > 0:03:46but, instead, I've turned south.
0:03:46 > 0:03:50I want to reach the southern extremity of the Isle of Skye,
0:03:50 > 0:03:53the very foot of the Sleat peninsula,
0:03:53 > 0:03:56a peninsula that many people refer to as "the garden of Skye".
0:03:58 > 0:04:01The Sleat peninsula is bigger than you might think -
0:04:01 > 0:04:05roughly 15 miles long by five miles wide,
0:04:05 > 0:04:09and I was surprised to learn that almost 1,000 folks stay here
0:04:09 > 0:04:10all year round.
0:04:10 > 0:04:12Whoo-hoo!
0:04:13 > 0:04:16I'm always curious to know how people manage to earn a living
0:04:16 > 0:04:18in the rural parts of Scotland,
0:04:18 > 0:04:22so I'm pedalling down to the small community of Aird.
0:04:22 > 0:04:25I'm looking for the last house at the end of the tarmac road
0:04:25 > 0:04:27and someone who could be
0:04:27 > 0:04:30an ambassador for this part of the world.
0:04:30 > 0:04:32I'm off to meet Heather McDermott.
0:04:33 > 0:04:36The single-track road makes people feel like
0:04:36 > 0:04:39they're going to the end of the world, but once you're here,
0:04:39 > 0:04:42once you live in Sleat, there's so much happening,
0:04:42 > 0:04:44there's so many people coming through.
0:04:44 > 0:04:47It's a lot more cosmopolitan than people realise, up here.
0:04:47 > 0:04:49I'd never have thought it was cosmopolitan,
0:04:49 > 0:04:53but there you go. Are you attracted to remote places, wild places?
0:04:53 > 0:04:56I think I am, from growing up here
0:04:56 > 0:05:00and having my mini adventures over the hills and down to the beach.
0:05:00 > 0:05:03It's something about being so close to the coast. I just love it.
0:05:03 > 0:05:06I can't remember a time when I ever felt,
0:05:06 > 0:05:08"I really want friends to be closer to me," you know?
0:05:08 > 0:05:13We'd always arrange things to happen and there was always a friend round,
0:05:13 > 0:05:14or we were always, you know,
0:05:14 > 0:05:17building a den in the garden or whatever.
0:05:17 > 0:05:18Because we boarded at school,
0:05:18 > 0:05:21it means that you're with your friends during the week,
0:05:21 > 0:05:24so you'd see them more than you would if you were at home,
0:05:24 > 0:05:26- which was great. - So you went to school in Portree?
0:05:26 > 0:05:29Yeah. It was all the way up there, so it was great. I loved it.
0:05:29 > 0:05:32Not being with the parents all week and, you know,
0:05:32 > 0:05:34you could do what you want up there, nobody knew.
0:05:34 > 0:05:36You could get up to all sorts of mischief up there.
0:05:36 > 0:05:38CAMERON LAUGHS
0:05:38 > 0:05:42The Sleat peninsula has been Heather's home for most of her life
0:05:42 > 0:05:43but when she left school,
0:05:43 > 0:05:47she headed south to study art at Edinburgh University.
0:05:47 > 0:05:51Now she's back and is running her own jewellery business.
0:05:51 > 0:05:53I'd always be drawn back to here
0:05:53 > 0:05:56and the harbours and the colours,
0:05:56 > 0:06:00and I think colours always played such a big part of my work.
0:06:00 > 0:06:02I always come back to this place.
0:06:02 > 0:06:04So, what are the colours of Skye?
0:06:04 > 0:06:08Oh, there are so many. Actually, I call one of my necklaces
0:06:08 > 0:06:11"a dreich necklace", because it's this stainless-steel,
0:06:11 > 0:06:15really grey necklace, and it's all sort of distressed,
0:06:15 > 0:06:17and it just looks, you know...
0:06:17 > 0:06:19when the rain comes across Eigg
0:06:19 > 0:06:23and it's just grey, but you have all these different tones of grey.
0:06:23 > 0:06:26And then the fishing nets that all the fishermen use
0:06:26 > 0:06:29in all their boats, and the buoys and the floats and, yeah,
0:06:29 > 0:06:33you're spoilt for choice up here, you really are.
0:06:33 > 0:06:36I'm fascinated with the concept of a "distressed" necklace.
0:06:36 > 0:06:40It depends what mood I'm in how distressed it looks.
0:06:40 > 0:06:45But I've sort of developed this technique where I colour steel
0:06:45 > 0:06:49and then I get the shape back and I... Yeah, just really work into it
0:06:49 > 0:06:52and just create these distressed looks.
0:06:52 > 0:06:56It's supposed to look like weathered woods that you find on the beach,
0:06:56 > 0:06:57and the fishing boats,
0:06:57 > 0:07:01and it's all taken from that kind of peeling-paint look,
0:07:01 > 0:07:04but in a more wearable way, sort of thing.
0:07:04 > 0:07:07I see your workshop here actually looks quite technical.
0:07:07 > 0:07:10I mean, you've got files and hammers and goodness knows what.
0:07:10 > 0:07:13I mean, how technical is the process?
0:07:13 > 0:07:14It depends what you're making.
0:07:14 > 0:07:18For a jeweller, I think, your standard kit would be
0:07:18 > 0:07:20a blowtorch, a saw,
0:07:20 > 0:07:23a file and a hammer, and a couple of pliers.
0:07:23 > 0:07:26I mean, you don't really need that much more.
0:07:26 > 0:07:29I find it extraordinary that you've got this beautiful stuff here
0:07:29 > 0:07:32and it's created by blowtorches and hammers and files.
0:07:32 > 0:07:35I love it! A power tool, you know,
0:07:35 > 0:07:38figuring out how to use something bigger, I love it.
0:07:40 > 0:07:44So, this is me just cutting up my wire
0:07:44 > 0:07:48to make some diamond shapes for a necklace.
0:07:48 > 0:07:52I will then just bend each piece of wire,
0:07:52 > 0:07:54using my thumb and my pliers.
0:07:56 > 0:07:59And each piece normally has about 30 links.
0:07:59 > 0:08:02Do you have an item that you could show me
0:08:02 > 0:08:05and then tell me what the natural inspiration was for that?
0:08:05 > 0:08:08Yeah, sure. So, actually, I've got this piece here.
0:08:08 > 0:08:11This is all based on fishing nets
0:08:11 > 0:08:14and how the floats are all caught.
0:08:14 > 0:08:17The chain is steel. It's a very fine steel,
0:08:17 > 0:08:19so it really catches the light.
0:08:19 > 0:08:22- It's lovely. - And then you've got the circles.
0:08:22 > 0:08:25I use quite uniform shapes throughout my jewellery,
0:08:25 > 0:08:29so it's nothing too fancy, but it's just to make that statement.
0:08:29 > 0:08:32Tell me, is there somewhere close to your home here
0:08:32 > 0:08:36where you go often and get most inspiration?
0:08:36 > 0:08:39Yeah, we've got a wee beach that we go down to,
0:08:39 > 0:08:42that we've been down to as kids,
0:08:42 > 0:08:44and that's where you'll find me and my mum
0:08:44 > 0:08:47bent over on the beach, beachcombing.
0:08:47 > 0:08:50Not looking at the view, it'll be what we can find on the beach,
0:08:50 > 0:08:53and I always come back pockets full of all these pebbles.
0:08:53 > 0:08:56It's like, "Where are we going to put them?"
0:08:56 > 0:08:59So we've got lots of little corners in the house
0:08:59 > 0:09:01of, like, brightly coloured bits.
0:09:01 > 0:09:04You never know what you're going to find down there. I love it.
0:09:04 > 0:09:05And Heather's right.
0:09:05 > 0:09:10This peninsula is full of wonderful, isolated beaches and bays,
0:09:10 > 0:09:14and if, like me, you're on a bike, the road doesn't stop at Aird.
0:09:18 > 0:09:20Phew.
0:09:20 > 0:09:22Oh, wow.
0:09:22 > 0:09:24It's steep.
0:09:24 > 0:09:27Well, as you can see, I'm now off road,
0:09:27 > 0:09:30and this bike is ideal for that, I have to say.
0:09:30 > 0:09:34It's got smaller tyres, smaller wheels, a steel frame,
0:09:34 > 0:09:36but it's still hard work.
0:09:36 > 0:09:38But, anyway, look on the positive side,
0:09:38 > 0:09:40because they say on Skye,
0:09:40 > 0:09:44if you don't like the weather, wait ten minutes and it'll change.
0:09:44 > 0:09:46It's perfect.
0:10:02 > 0:10:05Ah, the unmistakable outline of the Cuillin of Rum,
0:10:05 > 0:10:08one of my favourite islands.
0:10:12 > 0:10:16I've always thought of this as a hidden corner of Skye
0:10:16 > 0:10:18and, to complete a perfect day,
0:10:18 > 0:10:21what better than a night under canvas?
0:10:21 > 0:10:25Ah, this is exactly what I've been looking for.
0:10:26 > 0:10:29A lovely view, a beautiful seascape,
0:10:29 > 0:10:32a nice, green patch of turf
0:10:32 > 0:10:33to put my tent down,
0:10:33 > 0:10:36a bit of a breeze to keep the midges away,
0:10:36 > 0:10:39and only a few sheep for company.
0:10:39 > 0:10:41I think I've arrived in heaven.
0:10:41 > 0:10:43Whoo-hoo!
0:10:53 > 0:10:55You know, it's just struck me,
0:10:55 > 0:10:57even just two or three years ago,
0:10:57 > 0:11:01I'd have been coming down with two big rear panniers,
0:11:01 > 0:11:03full of camping equipment,
0:11:03 > 0:11:06but now I've got everything I need for one or two nights' camping
0:11:06 > 0:11:09in one, two, three little bags,
0:11:09 > 0:11:12and these bags are also quite streamlined.
0:11:12 > 0:11:16So you don't get the wind resistance from big panniers at the back.
0:11:16 > 0:11:18I tend to carry a little rucksack with me
0:11:18 > 0:11:20when I'm out on the bike like this,
0:11:20 > 0:11:23really just in case I feel like going for a wee hill walk,
0:11:23 > 0:11:25and it's always quite handy.
0:11:25 > 0:11:28But, essentially, everything I need goes into these bags
0:11:28 > 0:11:30and it's just a question of hauling it out.
0:11:32 > 0:11:34The tent inner.
0:11:34 > 0:11:37I don't have to go very far because this looks ideal just here.
0:11:37 > 0:11:39Perfect.
0:12:01 > 0:12:05You know, it strikes me that you can take the ageing,
0:12:05 > 0:12:09long-distance backpacker and put them into a camper van,
0:12:09 > 0:12:15but you can never quite take the wild camper out of that camper van.
0:12:15 > 0:12:18And even if it's only in small doses,
0:12:18 > 0:12:20to come out for a night like this,
0:12:20 > 0:12:23it's quite sublime.
0:12:34 > 0:12:38Sometimes, I think I could stay on Skye for good.
0:12:38 > 0:12:40It's not only the mountains that are impressive
0:12:40 > 0:12:43but the coastline is equally dramatic
0:12:43 > 0:12:46and on a day like this, the views are stunning.
0:12:46 > 0:12:48But this year,
0:12:48 > 0:12:52I want to explore parts of Scotland that I've previously passed by,
0:12:52 > 0:12:56and as I get older, I realise there's more to this country of ours
0:12:56 > 0:12:58than just mountain summits.
0:12:59 > 0:13:04My route now takes me through a succession of dramatic landscapes.
0:13:04 > 0:13:07There's the sheer grandeur of the Kintail mountains.
0:13:07 > 0:13:11Then it's on to the magnificent coastline around Torridon.
0:13:11 > 0:13:15There's the beauty and mystery of Loch Maree,
0:13:15 > 0:13:18the isolated Melvaig peninsula,
0:13:18 > 0:13:21and journey's end is high above Ullapool.
0:13:23 > 0:13:25But I'm in no hurry to get there.
0:13:25 > 0:13:29The roads-less-travelled doctrine, I think,
0:13:29 > 0:13:33prohibits me from crossing back to the mainland over the Skye Bridge,
0:13:33 > 0:13:36so I'm going to leave Skye the same way I arrived, by ferry,
0:13:36 > 0:13:40this time, the Kylerhea to Glenelg ferry,
0:13:40 > 0:13:43on board the nice, old MV Glenachulish.
0:13:50 > 0:13:53You may have noticed the name of this ferry.
0:13:53 > 0:13:55It was named Glenachulish
0:13:55 > 0:13:57because it was originally built
0:13:57 > 0:13:59to cross from North to South Ballachulish,
0:13:59 > 0:14:02across Loch Leven, and of course there's a bridge there now,
0:14:02 > 0:14:04there's been a bridge there since 1975,
0:14:04 > 0:14:06so the ferry was made redundant,
0:14:06 > 0:14:10and then it was moved north to cover this very narrow crossing
0:14:10 > 0:14:13between Kylerhea and Glenelg.
0:14:13 > 0:14:18It's an interesting ferry because it's the only manual-turntable ferry
0:14:18 > 0:14:20in the entire world.
0:14:22 > 0:14:26And here's a tip. Remember this for your pub quiz -
0:14:26 > 0:14:30you can spell "Glenelg" forwards or backwards,
0:14:30 > 0:14:32and it doesn't make the slightest difference.
0:14:41 > 0:14:44I've now negotiated the steep twists and turns
0:14:44 > 0:14:47of the Mam Ratagan pass, and I'm arriving in Kintail.
0:14:47 > 0:14:50Like so much of the West Highlands,
0:14:50 > 0:14:54this landscape is dominated by a succession of imposing mountains.
0:14:56 > 0:14:59I'm here to meet an old friend of mine.
0:14:59 > 0:15:02Willie Fraser was brought up 50 miles away, in Applecross,
0:15:02 > 0:15:05but moved to Kintail 30 years ago.
0:15:05 > 0:15:07He's been a shepherd, a gillie,
0:15:07 > 0:15:11a member of the mountain rescue team and, for the last two decades,
0:15:11 > 0:15:16the custodian of the National Trust for Scotland's Kintail Estate.
0:15:17 > 0:15:21If it wasn't for the midges, this area would be perfect,
0:15:21 > 0:15:24but I'm not going to let the little blighters spoil my day out
0:15:24 > 0:15:27with someone I've always admired.
0:15:27 > 0:15:31I came here initially to work in one of the sheep farms,
0:15:31 > 0:15:35and I still remember my drive up Loch Duich
0:15:35 > 0:15:39and looking up to the Five Sisters and saying to my friend,
0:15:39 > 0:15:43"Oh, for goodness' sake, we're not expected to go up there, are we?"
0:15:43 > 0:15:46And lo and behold, almost 30 years later,
0:15:46 > 0:15:49I'm still going up there.
0:15:49 > 0:15:53- So, you worked as a shepherd? - I did, yeah.- What was that like?
0:15:53 > 0:15:57I loved it, being out there and working a dog on these hills.
0:15:57 > 0:16:00I mean, there's nothing like it, you know, up on the tops and that.
0:16:00 > 0:16:02It was just that sort of freedom,
0:16:02 > 0:16:05seeing the sheep getting gathered off the high tops.
0:16:05 > 0:16:09But it was a good life and I think, looking back on it,
0:16:09 > 0:16:12I would still love to be doing that but, unfortunately,
0:16:12 > 0:16:15it's not an easy way to make a living, or a decent living.
0:16:15 > 0:16:18Now, you've been working for the National Trust for Scotland
0:16:18 > 0:16:20here in Kintail for over 20 years.
0:16:20 > 0:16:23What sort of changes have you seen in the area in that time?
0:16:23 > 0:16:26There's a much greater emphasis on conservation.
0:16:26 > 0:16:29When I came here, there was very little work done
0:16:29 > 0:16:30on woodland regeneration.
0:16:30 > 0:16:33There's a greater emphasis on recreation.
0:16:33 > 0:16:36We never really considered the damage that was being done
0:16:36 > 0:16:38to some of the footpaths.
0:16:38 > 0:16:41We tend to work more with communities now,
0:16:41 > 0:16:45so it's not just about the mountainous area
0:16:45 > 0:16:47that we've got around us.
0:16:47 > 0:16:50If we're going to achieve our conservation objectives,
0:16:50 > 0:16:54our access objectives, we've got to work more with the communities,
0:16:54 > 0:16:56and I think we do that a lot better
0:16:56 > 0:16:58than we probably did when I came here first.
0:16:58 > 0:17:02You're virtually running an estate. How do you make it pay?
0:17:02 > 0:17:03With great difficulty.
0:17:03 > 0:17:06Unfortunately, anyone who thinks these estates
0:17:06 > 0:17:09actually make a profit, they're misguided.
0:17:09 > 0:17:12Our income streams generally come from venison sales,
0:17:12 > 0:17:15because we've got to control the deer.
0:17:15 > 0:17:18We've got some minimal rentals, through farm rentals,
0:17:18 > 0:17:21caravan site etc, and about ten years ago,
0:17:21 > 0:17:23we were faced with a situation where
0:17:23 > 0:17:26we had to look at other opportunities
0:17:26 > 0:17:29and we identified, you know, that we could probably develop
0:17:29 > 0:17:33our outdoors activity side of things a bit more.
0:17:35 > 0:17:38- This is where it starts to look a bit dramatic.- Yes.
0:17:38 > 0:17:41Now, the other land use that we haven't mentioned at all
0:17:41 > 0:17:43is deerstalking.
0:17:43 > 0:17:45- Yeah.- And you're involved in that too. Do you enjoy it?
0:17:45 > 0:17:47I've come from that sort of background.
0:17:47 > 0:17:50After I was a shepherd here, I got a job as a seasonal gillie.
0:17:50 > 0:17:53It's a necessary operation within any estate
0:17:53 > 0:17:57because we've got to control the number of deer.
0:17:57 > 0:17:59You know, if you take away the sort of
0:17:59 > 0:18:02view that people have of deerstalking...
0:18:02 > 0:18:04But, for me, it's something,
0:18:04 > 0:18:07you're out there, you're in a remote environment,
0:18:07 > 0:18:09you know, the stalking,
0:18:09 > 0:18:12it gets you into places that, perhaps, you'd never go.
0:18:12 > 0:18:16There's such an atmosphere, particularly in October,
0:18:16 > 0:18:17when the weather's changing,
0:18:17 > 0:18:20the hills are starting to go that golden-brown,
0:18:20 > 0:18:24you've got early frosts and, you know, the stags roaring.
0:18:24 > 0:18:28To me, it's just the whole atmosphere of stalking,
0:18:28 > 0:18:30it's not about pulling the trigger.
0:18:37 > 0:18:40Could you imagine yourself living in any other part of Scotland?
0:18:40 > 0:18:43I have to say, you know, I've often thought about that,
0:18:43 > 0:18:46and I'm often asked, "Have you been anywhere else
0:18:46 > 0:18:47"or lived anywhere else?",
0:18:47 > 0:18:50and I've said, "Well, I've never had the need to."
0:18:50 > 0:18:53I've been brought up here, I've lived here, I've worked here,
0:18:53 > 0:18:56and there's nowhere quite like it.
0:18:56 > 0:18:58On a good day, as I say to anyone,
0:18:58 > 0:19:01you'll never beat the west coast of Scotland.
0:19:01 > 0:19:03Yeah, we've got our bad days, we've got the midges,
0:19:03 > 0:19:05we've got the rain at times,
0:19:05 > 0:19:09and your whole life revolves around this environment and the seasons.
0:19:15 > 0:19:17Willie, you were keen to bring me up here
0:19:17 > 0:19:20because it's one of your favourite places in Kintail.
0:19:20 > 0:19:21Why is it so special to you?
0:19:21 > 0:19:24I think it's because you've come through
0:19:24 > 0:19:26this really narrow, forbidding glen,
0:19:26 > 0:19:30and it's almost like a doorway opening up in front of you,
0:19:30 > 0:19:34Loch a Bhealaich there, looking down towards Glen Affric,
0:19:34 > 0:19:36and you go from...
0:19:36 > 0:19:38It's almost like you've left civilisation behind.
0:19:38 > 0:19:42It's my perception, I guess, of wild land, you know?
0:19:42 > 0:19:45It's untouched. You know, you look down the glen here
0:19:45 > 0:19:49and there's very little human influence visible.
0:19:49 > 0:19:54It's a very special place, it's got an atmosphere about it.
0:19:54 > 0:19:56WIND WHISTLES
0:19:56 > 0:20:00To me, you know, dropping down into a place like this
0:20:00 > 0:20:03is as near as I'll get to wilderness in Scotland.
0:20:03 > 0:20:10To wander through these glens is, you know... It's home.
0:20:21 > 0:20:23You know, about 20 years ago,
0:20:23 > 0:20:25after a good day in the hills,
0:20:25 > 0:20:28I'd invariably find myself rushing off home
0:20:28 > 0:20:32to deal with one of 1,000 wee jobs that I had to do
0:20:32 > 0:20:36but, nowadays, I try to live life at a slightly more leisurely pace,
0:20:36 > 0:20:38and why not?
0:20:38 > 0:20:41I look forward to coming down and having a night
0:20:41 > 0:20:43in my five-star luxury of a hotel on wheels.
0:20:49 > 0:20:50Over the last few years,
0:20:50 > 0:20:53I've seen a big change, as people like me
0:20:53 > 0:20:55have moved from tents to camper vans.
0:20:55 > 0:20:59Perhaps it's just a sign we're all getting older.
0:20:59 > 0:21:02But, for me, there's no finer way to explore Scotland,
0:21:02 > 0:21:05and it doesn't matter whether you've got a basic vehicle
0:21:05 > 0:21:08with maybe just a rubber mat in the back
0:21:08 > 0:21:11or a hugely expensive conversion.
0:21:11 > 0:21:14They all give us the chance to get closer to our lochs,
0:21:14 > 0:21:16glens and mountains.
0:21:16 > 0:21:19But I'll tell you one thing.
0:21:19 > 0:21:22The choice of camper van is almost endless,
0:21:22 > 0:21:25and I'm still deciding what's best for me.
0:21:25 > 0:21:28I think this is about the tenth camper van I've had
0:21:28 > 0:21:31over a 40-year period, and each time,
0:21:31 > 0:21:33they've got that little bit more luxurious,
0:21:33 > 0:21:35that wee bit more comfortable.
0:21:35 > 0:21:37So, let me give you a conducted tour
0:21:37 > 0:21:40of the latest Cameron camper van.
0:21:40 > 0:21:44A two-burner hob, hot and cold running water,
0:21:44 > 0:21:46you've got a heater in here as well,
0:21:46 > 0:21:48which is actually a necessity in winter,
0:21:48 > 0:21:49because, at the end of the day,
0:21:49 > 0:21:52this is basically just a tin box and it can get very, very cold.
0:21:52 > 0:21:55LED lighting, lots of storage space for cups and saucers
0:21:55 > 0:21:59and pans and bits and pieces. This is, OK, my pride and joy.
0:21:59 > 0:22:03It's a proper oven and a grill,
0:22:03 > 0:22:06and it's just great for making toast in the morning.
0:22:06 > 0:22:09This seat that I'm sitting on folds forward
0:22:09 > 0:22:11into quite a spacious double bed,
0:22:11 > 0:22:14and if that's not enough room for you,
0:22:14 > 0:22:16this pulls down from the top
0:22:16 > 0:22:19and you've got another bed up there as well. So, all in all,
0:22:19 > 0:22:22it's actually quite a comfortable little home from home.
0:22:22 > 0:22:24The world's your oyster.
0:22:34 > 0:22:37Now my journey takes me ever northwards,
0:22:37 > 0:22:41and to another of Scotland's iconic mountain ranges - Torridon.
0:22:41 > 0:22:44The mountains here are all distinctively shaped
0:22:44 > 0:22:47and rise straight up from the sea,
0:22:47 > 0:22:51and the bedrock from which they are formed is the oldest in Europe.
0:22:54 > 0:22:57Today, though, I'm heading to the coast
0:22:57 > 0:23:01to explore another road less travelled.
0:23:01 > 0:23:04I've also come here to meet someone who has a special bond
0:23:04 > 0:23:08with this place, although that might come as a surprise to many people.
0:23:08 > 0:23:10Chris Smith grew up in Edinburgh,
0:23:10 > 0:23:15and spent his working life as a Westminster politician.
0:23:15 > 0:23:17He is now a Lord of the Realm,
0:23:17 > 0:23:20but his relationship with Torridon goes back over half a century,
0:23:20 > 0:23:23and that relationship with wild places
0:23:23 > 0:23:26is as important to him as anything else.
0:23:26 > 0:23:31He's proud of being the first and only MP to climb all the Munros,
0:23:31 > 0:23:36and that passion for remote landscapes started right here.
0:23:37 > 0:23:40That's true, not only of the high mountains,
0:23:40 > 0:23:43but also this rugged and less visited coastline.
0:23:43 > 0:23:46This is a special kind of wilderness, I think.
0:23:46 > 0:23:51It doesn't have the high drama that you get with the big peaks
0:23:51 > 0:23:56but there is an awful lot of drama in the wind and the heather
0:23:56 > 0:24:00and the water, and the breadth of the landscape.
0:24:00 > 0:24:02What are the special attributes of Torridon
0:24:02 > 0:24:04that brings you back, time after time?
0:24:04 > 0:24:09It's the combination of mountain and sea that really does it for me.
0:24:09 > 0:24:11And, yes, the mountains are dramatic
0:24:11 > 0:24:15and, yes, you can look out over ridge succeeding ridge
0:24:15 > 0:24:18and that wonderful vista that you can get,
0:24:18 > 0:24:23but it's the way in which the water and the hillside interact
0:24:23 > 0:24:27that I think makes Torridon really special.
0:24:28 > 0:24:31You lead a busy lifestyle in the capital.
0:24:31 > 0:24:34What's it like coming to a place like this?
0:24:34 > 0:24:36What are your initial feelings?
0:24:36 > 0:24:39Is it one of escapism, or is it one of relief?
0:24:39 > 0:24:42Partly, it's coming home.
0:24:42 > 0:24:45It's always wonderful, no matter what the weather.
0:24:45 > 0:24:48But also, it is such a contrast.
0:24:48 > 0:24:50Where I live in London,
0:24:50 > 0:24:54there's, I think, two trees I can see from my flat.
0:24:54 > 0:24:59Here, the air is cleaner, the vista is wonderful
0:24:59 > 0:25:02and, of course, there is no better antidote
0:25:02 > 0:25:05to Whitehall and Westminster and London
0:25:05 > 0:25:10than being here in the middle of a wild and empty landscape.
0:25:10 > 0:25:11What is your home?
0:25:11 > 0:25:14Is it your flat in London, or is it your house here in Torridon?
0:25:14 > 0:25:16That's a very difficult question.
0:25:16 > 0:25:18I think I would have to say both.
0:25:18 > 0:25:20That's a cop-out, Chris.
0:25:20 > 0:25:23It is a cop-out, but then I've been a politician most of my life.
0:25:23 > 0:25:25THEY LAUGH
0:25:27 > 0:25:30Chris first visited Torridon at the start of his teenage years.
0:25:30 > 0:25:33Later, he spent three summers as warden
0:25:33 > 0:25:37at the isolated Craig Youth Hostel on this coast.
0:25:37 > 0:25:40Today, it's no longer a hostel but a bothy,
0:25:40 > 0:25:43and in the driving rain and strong wind,
0:25:43 > 0:25:45that's where we're heading for now.
0:25:45 > 0:25:49There's no other dwelling within three miles of here.
0:25:49 > 0:25:53When I was the warden here, there was no running water,
0:25:53 > 0:25:55there was no electricity,
0:25:55 > 0:25:58lighting was by candlelight or Tilley lamps,
0:25:58 > 0:26:00and there were one or two occasions
0:26:00 > 0:26:03when I was here completely on my own.
0:26:03 > 0:26:08And being completely on your own, in the middle of the night,
0:26:08 > 0:26:10three miles from anyone else,
0:26:10 > 0:26:12no road in sight,
0:26:12 > 0:26:17is a very strange experience in this very crowded island of ours.
0:26:17 > 0:26:22But it's also very special because the depth of the quiet
0:26:22 > 0:26:27and the darkness, and the sounds and smells of the landscape
0:26:27 > 0:26:30around you is something you don't normally get.
0:26:30 > 0:26:33You and I share this inner background,
0:26:33 > 0:26:36that we were both youth-hostel wardens.
0:26:36 > 0:26:38I was in Aviemore for eight or nine years,
0:26:38 > 0:26:41and I have very distinct memories of a lot of our hostellers
0:26:41 > 0:26:44coming for the nightlife of Aviemore.
0:26:44 > 0:26:47I guess they didn't come to this youth hostel for that?
0:26:47 > 0:26:48The people who came here,
0:26:48 > 0:26:51they would have had to have walked at least three miles
0:26:51 > 0:26:53over quite boggy ground.
0:26:53 > 0:26:56They really, really wanted to make it here.
0:26:56 > 0:26:58They weren't just dropping in on the off-chance.
0:26:58 > 0:27:02And partly because of that, you got a real sense of community
0:27:02 > 0:27:06every night, because people had made a bit of an effort to get here.
0:27:06 > 0:27:08You know, we'd sit round,
0:27:08 > 0:27:10we'd sing songs.
0:27:10 > 0:27:14I'm afraid I broke all the rules about no alcohol
0:27:14 > 0:27:17and so, people who arrived with a bottle of whisky
0:27:17 > 0:27:19were particularly welcome.
0:27:19 > 0:27:21So, why don't we go in and have a look around?
0:27:21 > 0:27:25- You can give me a conducted tour. See if it brings back any memories.- OK.
0:27:25 > 0:27:27It's now a bothy, as opposed to a youth hostel.
0:27:27 > 0:27:30It is, yes, and some of the best features have gone.
0:27:30 > 0:27:33There used to be a wonderful old range
0:27:33 > 0:27:36and I remember I used to try and make bread in the oven,
0:27:36 > 0:27:38which came out a little bit like a brick,
0:27:38 > 0:27:41but it was still just, almost edible.
0:27:42 > 0:27:44Come on in.
0:27:47 > 0:27:49Ah.
0:27:49 > 0:27:53Well, this is what used to be the common room of the youth hostel
0:27:53 > 0:27:55and the old range was there,
0:27:55 > 0:27:58and we had this wonderful old metal hip bath
0:27:58 > 0:28:02that was a sort of quarter-size hip bath,
0:28:02 > 0:28:05that was stuffed full with cushions
0:28:05 > 0:28:08and it was the most comfortable seat.
0:28:08 > 0:28:12- And it was reserved for the warden! - Ah, good.
0:28:12 > 0:28:16And the loo at the back, it was a chemical loo
0:28:16 > 0:28:21and, I have to say, the worst job I have ever done in my life,
0:28:21 > 0:28:23even worse than being a politician,
0:28:23 > 0:28:27was emptying the chemical loo here at Craig.
0:28:30 > 0:28:35Now, this was what used to be my warden's room here.
0:28:37 > 0:28:41It still has the old panelling, which is rather lovely,
0:28:41 > 0:28:44but the best thing about it, of course,
0:28:44 > 0:28:47was looking out of the window here.
0:28:47 > 0:28:51On a good day, you can see the tops of the Cuillins on Skye
0:28:51 > 0:28:54just peeping over the slopes of Applecross.
0:28:54 > 0:28:58- That's not a bad thing to wake up to.- Not bad at all.
0:28:59 > 0:29:01My journey is taking me
0:29:01 > 0:29:04into some fantastic hidden corners of our country
0:29:04 > 0:29:06but it's not over yet.
0:29:06 > 0:29:09From Torridon, I'll be travelling along the shores of Loch Maree
0:29:09 > 0:29:14and on to the remote Melvaig peninsula, north of Gairloch.
0:29:14 > 0:29:16I'll then wind my way up the coast,
0:29:16 > 0:29:18past the deserted Gruinard Island,
0:29:18 > 0:29:21to journey's end at the village of Ullapool.
0:29:28 > 0:29:32Well, this programme may well be about roads less travelled,
0:29:32 > 0:29:35but I've always been quite keen to get on to some water less travelled,
0:29:35 > 0:29:38and the packraft is absolutely ideal for that.
0:29:38 > 0:29:42Wheech it out of the back of the camper van, blow it up and off we go.
0:29:42 > 0:29:44I'm actually on Loch Maree,
0:29:44 > 0:29:47one of the most beautiful lochs in Scotland.
0:29:47 > 0:29:50It's the biggest loch north of the Great Glen
0:29:50 > 0:29:54and it boasts five large wooded islands
0:29:54 > 0:29:57and a couple of dozen smaller islands,
0:29:57 > 0:30:01and I think it's these islands that give Loch Maree its real character.
0:30:01 > 0:30:04It's certainly the islands that gave rise to a song
0:30:04 > 0:30:09recorded in the early '70s by one Fergie MacDonald.
0:30:09 > 0:30:11I think I can remember some of it.
0:30:11 > 0:30:15# Show me Airigh an Eilean Below me Loch Maree
0:30:15 > 0:30:19# And leave me to my solitude and let me wander free
0:30:19 > 0:30:21# To climb the rocky mountains
0:30:21 > 0:30:24# And to view the glen below
0:30:24 > 0:30:27# For a fine ten-pointer or a royal, oh
0:30:27 > 0:30:31# Take me where I faintly see the distant Isle of Lewis
0:30:31 > 0:30:35# Show me all the world There is one place I must choose
0:30:35 > 0:30:38# That represents the beauty of the golden glen so fair
0:30:38 > 0:30:42# The Loch Maree islands from the heights of Ardlair! #
0:30:42 > 0:30:44Hooch! Hey-hey!
0:30:44 > 0:30:46Fantastic being here.
0:30:53 > 0:30:55Well, here we are, Isle Maree,
0:30:55 > 0:30:58one of the smaller islands on Loch Maree,
0:30:58 > 0:31:01and, you know, this is a place I've been eager to visit
0:31:01 > 0:31:03for a long, long time.
0:31:03 > 0:31:06I've wanted to visit this island for a number of reasons
0:31:06 > 0:31:10but, mainly, because of all the islands of Scotland,
0:31:10 > 0:31:13this one is the island with probably more stories and legends
0:31:13 > 0:31:16attached to it than any other.
0:31:16 > 0:31:19It's an island of romance, it's an island of mystery,
0:31:19 > 0:31:22it's an island of legend
0:31:22 > 0:31:24and I'm just dying to explore it.
0:31:38 > 0:31:42Loch Maree is named after Saint Maelrubha,
0:31:42 > 0:31:44who discovered this island round about the time
0:31:44 > 0:31:48he built the monastery in Applecross, in 672.
0:31:48 > 0:31:52This was probably a Pagan site, because it was quite common
0:31:52 > 0:31:54in those days for Christian missionaries
0:31:54 > 0:31:57to set up their church, or their hermitage,
0:31:57 > 0:31:59on the site of Pagan worship
0:31:59 > 0:32:03and, today, you can see that it's largely a graveyard,
0:32:03 > 0:32:06and some of the stones are fairly contemporary,
0:32:06 > 0:32:09others are actually quite ancient.
0:32:09 > 0:32:13But this has always been a place of mystery, a place of legend,
0:32:13 > 0:32:17and it's said that Druids sacrificed bulls here
0:32:17 > 0:32:20right up into the late 18th century,
0:32:20 > 0:32:23much to the consternation of the local church.
0:32:32 > 0:32:35In front of me are two cross slabs,
0:32:35 > 0:32:41which are apparently the gravestones of a Viking prince and princess.
0:32:41 > 0:32:45The Vikings adopted Isle Maree as a ceremonial island,
0:32:45 > 0:32:50and this young man and young woman were betrothed to be married here.
0:32:50 > 0:32:52But not long before the wedding,
0:32:52 > 0:32:55the prince decided he had to go and fight some battles,
0:32:55 > 0:32:58but it took much longer than he expected and, as time went on,
0:32:58 > 0:33:01the princess became grief-stricken,
0:33:01 > 0:33:03because she thought he might have been killed in battle,
0:33:03 > 0:33:06but then word had come to her that he was safe.
0:33:06 > 0:33:10So she then became angry and she decided to play a trick on him.
0:33:10 > 0:33:15She asked her handmaidens to deck out her ceremonial barge in black,
0:33:15 > 0:33:18and she would lie in a casket in the middle of the barge
0:33:18 > 0:33:21and pretend she had died of a broken heart
0:33:21 > 0:33:24because she thought her lover had been killed at war.
0:33:24 > 0:33:28The barge was duly launched into Loch Maree
0:33:28 > 0:33:30and when the prince saw the barge,
0:33:30 > 0:33:34he leapt on board and saw his loved one lying in the casket,
0:33:34 > 0:33:38pale and wan and apparently dead,
0:33:38 > 0:33:40and in grief, he took his dagger, his dirk,
0:33:40 > 0:33:43and plunged it into his heart.
0:33:43 > 0:33:46When the princess realised what was happening,
0:33:46 > 0:33:48she jumped up and grabbed the dirk,
0:33:48 > 0:33:51pulled it out of his heart and plunged it into her own heart.
0:33:51 > 0:33:53They both died.
0:33:53 > 0:33:57They were brought here and laid here on Isle Maree,
0:33:57 > 0:33:59and I reckon that, ever since,
0:33:59 > 0:34:02this young prince and princess have been guarded over,
0:34:02 > 0:34:06they've been protected by hordes and hordes of midges.
0:34:06 > 0:34:08Ohh.
0:34:21 > 0:34:23Of all the islands on Loch Maree,
0:34:23 > 0:34:25this Isle Maree is unusual
0:34:25 > 0:34:28because it's the only island where holly and oak trees grow.
0:34:28 > 0:34:33And I reckon these two trees were planted by the early Pagan people
0:34:33 > 0:34:39because oak, in particular, had quite a significance for the Druids.
0:34:39 > 0:34:42It symbolised strength and wisdom.
0:34:42 > 0:34:45And right up into the 18th century,
0:34:45 > 0:34:49people with mental-health issues were regularly brought to this island
0:34:49 > 0:34:53and towed around the island, behind a boat, at the end of a rope,
0:34:53 > 0:34:56to try and restore their mental health.
0:34:56 > 0:35:00Sounds a pretty drastic action to me.
0:35:04 > 0:35:07Leaving the atmospheric Loch Maree behind,
0:35:07 > 0:35:10I've travelled west to the sea.
0:35:10 > 0:35:13I've come to the Melvaig peninsula,
0:35:13 > 0:35:17an almost forgotten headland, out on a limb, north of Gairloch.
0:35:17 > 0:35:21I'm exploring this coastline with Nevis Hulme.
0:35:21 > 0:35:25He's a geography teacher and deputy head of the local high school.
0:35:26 > 0:35:29Nevis has lived here for most of his working life
0:35:29 > 0:35:31and has taught himself Gaelic
0:35:31 > 0:35:34as a way of recording the place names of the area,
0:35:34 > 0:35:38names that he believes might otherwise be lost to us,
0:35:38 > 0:35:41especially as they don't appear on today's maps.
0:35:41 > 0:35:44The grid square that I live in, in Aultgrishan,
0:35:44 > 0:35:46part of the Melvaig settlement,
0:35:46 > 0:35:48on the Ordnance Survey map,
0:35:48 > 0:35:50there are actually two place names given.
0:35:50 > 0:35:52There are two water courses that are named
0:35:52 > 0:35:54just off that square,
0:35:54 > 0:35:57so let's say there are four place names.
0:35:57 > 0:35:59I have 30 for that one grid square.
0:35:59 > 0:36:03I suppose the great danger now is that not so many people
0:36:03 > 0:36:06live in areas like this as there were in the past,
0:36:06 > 0:36:10so they're not using these place names on a daily basis.
0:36:10 > 0:36:11Is that how we lose them?
0:36:11 > 0:36:13That's how we lose them.
0:36:13 > 0:36:16I started my work about 20 years ago
0:36:16 > 0:36:19and I had six informants
0:36:19 > 0:36:21who had been brought up in the area.
0:36:21 > 0:36:24Unfortunately, the last two of those died last year
0:36:24 > 0:36:26and had I not recorded these,
0:36:26 > 0:36:29I think many of them would have been lost.
0:36:29 > 0:36:31And it strikes me that, in English, we tend only to have one
0:36:31 > 0:36:34or maybe two words for "mountain" -
0:36:34 > 0:36:36"mountain" or "peak" perhaps.
0:36:36 > 0:36:39In Gaelic, there's a whole lot of names that are descriptive
0:36:39 > 0:36:43in "sgurrs" and "carns", and they all mean something slightly different.
0:36:43 > 0:36:46Yes, we are on what, if it weren't called "bruthach",
0:36:46 > 0:36:47we'd probably call "ploc".
0:36:47 > 0:36:49- What does that mean?- A lump.
0:36:49 > 0:36:52As opposed to a sharp pinnacle hill,
0:36:52 > 0:36:57or a more general, rounded hill.
0:36:57 > 0:36:59As you say, there are many, many different words
0:36:59 > 0:37:03and they all describe slightly different sorts of hills.
0:37:03 > 0:37:07How many of these names have their origins in the geology
0:37:07 > 0:37:09- of our landscape?- Many do,
0:37:09 > 0:37:14because many of them reflect the colour of the landscape.
0:37:14 > 0:37:17We have the ruadhs, the deargs, the gorms,
0:37:17 > 0:37:20so, in this area, we're on the Torridonian sandstone,
0:37:20 > 0:37:24and so we have lots of "dearg" and "ruadh" names.
0:37:25 > 0:37:28Just across from us is "An Geodha Ruadh",
0:37:28 > 0:37:31"the reddish-brown inlet",
0:37:31 > 0:37:37just one example of colour coming into the landscape
0:37:37 > 0:37:38through the geology.
0:37:38 > 0:37:42Are there particular place names in a short area like this?
0:37:42 > 0:37:46The whole shoreline here is called "Cladach Allt an Fheidh"
0:37:46 > 0:37:50after the burn that comes down in the middle distance there.
0:37:50 > 0:37:53So that's all... That's the stream of...
0:37:53 > 0:37:54The "burn of the deer".
0:37:54 > 0:37:59And all along there, we have burns coming down with names,
0:37:59 > 0:38:02for example, Allt Creig an Fhucadair,
0:38:02 > 0:38:06which means the "burn of the crag of the fuller",
0:38:06 > 0:38:10and that raises the question,
0:38:10 > 0:38:17why is it named after an occupation involved in cleansing wool?
0:38:17 > 0:38:20And this led me to look around the area
0:38:20 > 0:38:22and I found evidence of quarrying.
0:38:22 > 0:38:26I am not certain whether it's fuller's earth
0:38:26 > 0:38:28that was being quarried,
0:38:28 > 0:38:30but it requires further investigation,
0:38:30 > 0:38:33but this is just one of the things that comes from the place name.
0:38:33 > 0:38:37It would just have been a minor burn running across the moorland
0:38:37 > 0:38:39that you wouldn't have paid any attention to
0:38:39 > 0:38:41had it not been for the place name.
0:38:41 > 0:38:44So, learning and understanding the place names
0:38:44 > 0:38:47gives you a deeper sense of the history of an area
0:38:47 > 0:38:50and, perhaps, what went on before here?
0:38:50 > 0:38:55Very much so, because there are shielings all on this peninsula.
0:38:55 > 0:38:58Many of these have names, and that draws you to a particular place
0:38:58 > 0:39:02and then you find there's evidence of agricultural activity
0:39:02 > 0:39:06or other place names associated with that.
0:39:06 > 0:39:08Are there names that you can't actually work out
0:39:08 > 0:39:10- what the original story was?- Yes.
0:39:10 > 0:39:12In a way, unfortunate,
0:39:12 > 0:39:14but, to me,
0:39:14 > 0:39:18part of the joy of a puzzle is not knowing the answer.
0:39:18 > 0:39:22You've brought me right here to the very end of the peninsula,
0:39:22 > 0:39:23close to the lighthouse.
0:39:23 > 0:39:26Are there quite a lot of place names round this furthest edge
0:39:26 > 0:39:30- of the peninsula? - Yeah, just in this grid square,
0:39:30 > 0:39:32where most of the square
0:39:32 > 0:39:36is taken up by the sea, there are 15 place names.
0:39:36 > 0:39:40What about the history of this particular peninsula?
0:39:40 > 0:39:43You've mentioned to me a couple of place names
0:39:43 > 0:39:45that seem to be associated, a little bit,
0:39:45 > 0:39:47with...almost with clan warfare.
0:39:47 > 0:39:53Just over by the lighthouse is "Uamhag Fhionnla Dhuibh",
0:39:53 > 0:39:55which is "the little cave of Black Finlay",
0:39:55 > 0:39:59and this was Black Finlay of the Arrows,
0:39:59 > 0:40:03and he is supposed to, in the 16th century,
0:40:03 > 0:40:05to have fired on the MacLeods,
0:40:05 > 0:40:08who were in a boat coming to the area,
0:40:08 > 0:40:11seeking the hand of Mackenzie's daughter.
0:40:11 > 0:40:14Black Finlay was seeking his revenge
0:40:14 > 0:40:18for various other conflicts that had gone on prior to that.
0:40:18 > 0:40:21So there are place names that reflect some of that history.
0:40:23 > 0:40:25How important do you think it is
0:40:25 > 0:40:28that we can keep this language of ours going?
0:40:28 > 0:40:30I think all languages are important
0:40:30 > 0:40:32and it's a great shame that, around the world,
0:40:32 > 0:40:33languages are being lost,
0:40:33 > 0:40:38because it is the door into an understanding of a culture,
0:40:38 > 0:40:41an understanding of human nature.
0:40:41 > 0:40:45Different cultures have different languages and different words
0:40:45 > 0:40:50and different understandings of the way the world works,
0:40:50 > 0:40:53the land, all aspects of where they live.
0:40:53 > 0:40:57I think to lose any of these is a loss to humanity.
0:41:02 > 0:41:05I'm entering the final stretches of my journey
0:41:05 > 0:41:07through the West Highlands,
0:41:07 > 0:41:11and I'm delighted that my philosophy of taking the roads less travelled
0:41:11 > 0:41:14has introduced me to a variety of new people and places.
0:41:16 > 0:41:18And I know it's only a tin box on wheels,
0:41:18 > 0:41:21but my camper van is fantastic.
0:41:21 > 0:41:25It's been an ideal companion every mile of the way.
0:41:27 > 0:41:32You know, I just love this coastal road between Gairloch and Dundonnell.
0:41:32 > 0:41:34You get big mountains on one side
0:41:34 > 0:41:38and lovely bays and islands on the other side.
0:41:40 > 0:41:44And one of those islands has quite an interesting story behind it.
0:41:54 > 0:41:57Biological warfare.
0:41:57 > 0:42:00You know, it's a term that makes us shudder today,
0:42:00 > 0:42:01and quite rightly so,
0:42:01 > 0:42:03but in 1941,
0:42:03 > 0:42:08the British Government decided they wanted to test anthrax-filled bombs.
0:42:09 > 0:42:12Military scientists at Porton Down
0:42:12 > 0:42:14decided they needed a remote area,
0:42:14 > 0:42:17because the contamination would be widespread
0:42:17 > 0:42:20and it would last for a long, long time,
0:42:20 > 0:42:22so they decided on this area,
0:42:22 > 0:42:26this quiet stretch of coastline between Poolewe and Ullapool,
0:42:26 > 0:42:28and on this island, Gruinard Island.
0:42:32 > 0:42:35The scientists eventually tested their bombs
0:42:35 > 0:42:39and within three days, all the sheep on the island had died.
0:42:41 > 0:42:44By 1981, the island was still seriously contaminated,
0:42:44 > 0:42:48so much so that a couple of scientists, along with local people,
0:42:48 > 0:42:53rode out and collected 300 pounds of contaminated soil.
0:42:53 > 0:42:58This, they said, would be deposited at strategic places in England.
0:42:58 > 0:43:01They dropped some at Porton Down
0:43:01 > 0:43:04and they left some more at a hotel in Blackpool,
0:43:04 > 0:43:08when the Tories were having their annual conference.
0:43:08 > 0:43:11As you can imagine, this focused political minds somewhat
0:43:11 > 0:43:17and, by 1986, a process started to decontaminate the island.
0:43:17 > 0:43:20By 1990, it was declared clean.
0:43:21 > 0:43:25But it's quite remarkable that it took 48 years of quarantine
0:43:25 > 0:43:29to get this island back to what it was before.
0:43:29 > 0:43:32I find that a really disturbing story -
0:43:32 > 0:43:35that something that was rushed into in wartime
0:43:35 > 0:43:39was then largely ignored for 48 years.
0:43:46 > 0:43:49This is a bittersweet moment for me.
0:43:49 > 0:43:52There's just one more stop on the way before journey's end.
0:43:53 > 0:43:57The Corrieshalloch Gorge is 12 miles south of Ullapool
0:43:57 > 0:43:59and is a well-known tourist site.
0:43:59 > 0:44:03But what the day-trippers don't see is another gorge alongside it.
0:44:03 > 0:44:05That's the one I want to explore,
0:44:05 > 0:44:10for it's here that a local 25-year-old learned the skills
0:44:10 > 0:44:14that developed him into a new breed of traveller.
0:44:14 > 0:44:16Will Copestake grew up in Ullapool.
0:44:16 > 0:44:21He's a keen cyclist, walker and kayaker, and two years ago,
0:44:21 > 0:44:25he completed an ambitious journey on foot and on water around Scotland.
0:44:25 > 0:44:30It took him 12 months and he survived on £3,000.
0:44:30 > 0:44:34That journey, Machair To Munro, resulted in him being named
0:44:34 > 0:44:36Adventurer of the Year.
0:44:36 > 0:44:39So what exactly did he do to earn the title?
0:44:39 > 0:44:42I kayaked all the way round the coast of Scotland,
0:44:42 > 0:44:43which was for four months,
0:44:43 > 0:44:45and then got on a bicycle
0:44:45 > 0:44:48and using the bike to get to the Munro mountains,
0:44:48 > 0:44:51climbed the Munros over eight months through the winter,
0:44:51 > 0:44:53in an effort to see my back garden.
0:44:53 > 0:44:55Was that your first big expedition?
0:44:55 > 0:44:58It was my first long, long expedition.
0:44:58 > 0:45:01I've done expeditions in the past, before that.
0:45:01 > 0:45:04I started when I was just turning 18.
0:45:04 > 0:45:07I went out to New Zealand and came home ready for adventure.
0:45:07 > 0:45:11I also, at university, walked across Iceland with a friend,
0:45:11 > 0:45:14where we stayed in a tent for three months,
0:45:14 > 0:45:18- eating Smash potato and pasta. - How do you finance these expeditions?
0:45:18 > 0:45:21Because you're away for quite a long period of time.
0:45:21 > 0:45:23For me, I basically get a day job.
0:45:23 > 0:45:26At the moment, I'm working in the outdoors, but in the past,
0:45:26 > 0:45:29it would be anything from fish farms to bar work,
0:45:29 > 0:45:33and with that, I'll save up just enough money to keep me going,
0:45:33 > 0:45:35and then live very cheaply.
0:45:35 > 0:45:37So you stay in a tent, you hitchhike
0:45:37 > 0:45:40when you don't walk or kayak or bike.
0:45:40 > 0:45:42And then you just eat cheaply.
0:45:42 > 0:45:46You have the means to an end in terms of pasta, couscous,
0:45:46 > 0:45:49Smash potato, and just pile a load of butter in there,
0:45:49 > 0:45:50with some form of protein.
0:45:50 > 0:45:54You can go a long way for a very, very small amount on that.
0:45:54 > 0:45:57Will, when you think up an expedition,
0:45:57 > 0:45:59do you have any thoughts of a payback,
0:45:59 > 0:46:01what you might get out of it,
0:46:01 > 0:46:04or is it just purely a case of going and enjoying it for its own sake?
0:46:04 > 0:46:06For me, it's about doing it.
0:46:06 > 0:46:09It's not about financial or sponsorship or fame,
0:46:09 > 0:46:12it's about going out and exploring these places,
0:46:12 > 0:46:14to see with your own eyes.
0:46:14 > 0:46:18We're in an age now where a lot of people are doing trips
0:46:18 > 0:46:22to break records, film, make media,
0:46:22 > 0:46:24whereas a lot of adventurers,
0:46:24 > 0:46:26and those that I really respect,
0:46:26 > 0:46:28are those that silently go on
0:46:28 > 0:46:30and maybe will get heard about afterwards.
0:46:30 > 0:46:32But to do an adventure
0:46:32 > 0:46:34should be for the love of the adventure itself,
0:46:34 > 0:46:37and not about any ulterior motive.
0:46:42 > 0:46:45Will, what exactly is this walk we're on?
0:46:45 > 0:46:47Lady Fowler's Walk,
0:46:47 > 0:46:50which is a Victorian walk from the wife of Sir John Fowler,
0:46:50 > 0:46:54who used to live just down the valley here.
0:46:54 > 0:46:56John Fowler made the Forth Rail Bridge,
0:46:56 > 0:46:59was one of the chief engineers on it.
0:46:59 > 0:47:02We came up here as kids and we'd go and explore the canyon
0:47:02 > 0:47:05that is a little further up, jump off the waterfalls
0:47:05 > 0:47:08and just go and enjoy the environment around here.
0:47:08 > 0:47:10For a young adventurer in the making,
0:47:10 > 0:47:13I can't think of anywhere else in Scotland
0:47:13 > 0:47:15as fine as the area around Ullapool.
0:47:15 > 0:47:17I think it's the perfect playground.
0:47:17 > 0:47:20The front of my garden's got the sea, the back mountains,
0:47:20 > 0:47:23there's canyons, there's forest, there's open spaces,
0:47:23 > 0:47:25there's just everything you want in a landscape.
0:47:25 > 0:47:28Wey-hey! There you go.
0:47:28 > 0:47:30OK, fine.
0:47:33 > 0:47:36- So, you're telling me you actually kayaked down this?- Yeah.
0:47:36 > 0:47:40So you come in from the right here, then you come down the side,
0:47:40 > 0:47:42and in the middle of the waterfall,
0:47:42 > 0:47:44they say you put your paddle over the edge of the waterfall,
0:47:44 > 0:47:47and you lift up the front of your boat with the paddle,
0:47:47 > 0:47:50then put your paddle at the side and just fall off the edge.
0:47:50 > 0:47:52It all happens in an instant, it's very quick.
0:47:52 > 0:47:54You make it sound very simple.
0:47:54 > 0:47:56Actually, because it's so shallow here normally,
0:47:56 > 0:47:58it's almost impossible to capsize.
0:47:58 > 0:48:01I don't suppose there's much else you can do than go with the flow?
0:48:01 > 0:48:04You just kind of go that way, yeah. This side's a bit harder,
0:48:04 > 0:48:07in that you have to come in and you stroke a big stroke in
0:48:07 > 0:48:11and pull yourself that way, and you kind of bounce and go off.
0:48:11 > 0:48:14Tell me what you get out of that.
0:48:14 > 0:48:16Ah, it's just a good buzz, it's fun.
0:48:16 > 0:48:18But the thought of coming down, approaching,
0:48:18 > 0:48:20in a little plastic boat,
0:48:20 > 0:48:23knowing that that's coming, would really make me tremble.
0:48:23 > 0:48:27The great thing is, if you crouch down, you can't see the waterfall,
0:48:27 > 0:48:29so you get this very... You don't see it until you're on it,
0:48:29 > 0:48:32- and you go, "Oh, yeah, OK." - Could you do it in a packraft?
0:48:32 > 0:48:34They've just brought out
0:48:34 > 0:48:36a whitewater packraft, funnily enough, yeah.
0:48:36 > 0:48:38Yeah, you could do. You'd fall out of it, probably.
0:48:38 > 0:48:41Very impressive, and a lovely pool for swimming.
0:48:41 > 0:48:44Oh, it's great. Yeah, you can just come in here in the summer.
0:48:44 > 0:48:46Often, because the river's quite dark, as you can see,
0:48:46 > 0:48:49it's sort of peaty water, it can heat up really well,
0:48:49 > 0:48:53because it's quite shallow, so it can often be quite warm in here.
0:48:53 > 0:48:56- OK, let's see if we can get back across here.- No worries. I'll...
0:48:56 > 0:49:00- Oh, careful.- ..skid across. Good. Are you all right?
0:49:00 > 0:49:02Yeah. I want to get on... I'm fine.
0:49:02 > 0:49:04Yeah, yeah, OK.
0:49:04 > 0:49:07'So, yes, I'll admit it, I don't need to be reminded,
0:49:07 > 0:49:10'I'm officially an OAP.'
0:49:10 > 0:49:12- Yay!- Hey, happy days.
0:49:14 > 0:49:15Wonderful.
0:49:15 > 0:49:19We touched briefly on the mountains, the machair trip
0:49:19 > 0:49:22earlier on. How did that actually come around?
0:49:22 > 0:49:25I didn't really feel I knew what my own back yard was like
0:49:25 > 0:49:27and especially when people ask you, you really don't know,
0:49:27 > 0:49:29apart from a couple of patches.
0:49:29 > 0:49:32And so, I figured, by going the old highway of Scotland,
0:49:32 > 0:49:34along the coast, and then going inland
0:49:34 > 0:49:36to the top of all the mountains,
0:49:36 > 0:49:38I could cover as much as I possibly could
0:49:38 > 0:49:40in a relatively short amount of time.
0:49:40 > 0:49:43Most people, if they wanted to know what Scotland was like,
0:49:43 > 0:49:47they'd get a car and drive round it. Why a kayak and then on foot?
0:49:47 > 0:49:49The thing I like about a kayak is that,
0:49:49 > 0:49:51unlike a conventional boat or a yacht,
0:49:51 > 0:49:53you can get very close to the shore
0:49:53 > 0:49:56and you're not really ON the water, you're IN it.
0:49:56 > 0:49:59So you live with the tides, you go with the weather,
0:49:59 > 0:50:01and so you're very natural-feeling
0:50:01 > 0:50:04and you feel like you're part of the environment you're in.
0:50:04 > 0:50:08And the same with the biking and the mountaineering is
0:50:08 > 0:50:09I wanted to live through the seasons
0:50:09 > 0:50:12and feel what it felt like to be outside in Scotland
0:50:12 > 0:50:14for that amount of time.
0:50:14 > 0:50:16What were the highlights of the canoe journey?
0:50:16 > 0:50:20I think, for me, the highlights are very conflicting.
0:50:20 > 0:50:22One side, it's the beautiful sunsets,
0:50:22 > 0:50:24the tranquil evenings,
0:50:24 > 0:50:26where you sit out and you're completely on your own
0:50:26 > 0:50:29and you can enjoy the environment around you
0:50:29 > 0:50:31but also, on the other half of that,
0:50:31 > 0:50:35is the gnarly days, where the weather was bad, the seas were big,
0:50:35 > 0:50:38I was scared and, sometimes, not really having a good time,
0:50:38 > 0:50:42but, in hindsight, those are some of the most important memories for me.
0:50:42 > 0:50:44How wild, how raw did it become?
0:50:44 > 0:50:48I set a limit for myself and, without having a time constraint,
0:50:48 > 0:50:51I could make that limit quite safe.
0:50:51 > 0:50:54In the kayaking, I had a force 6 wind maximum.
0:50:54 > 0:50:57I often would get caught out in that.
0:50:57 > 0:51:01And equally, in the Munros, I said I wouldn't go into the mountains
0:51:01 > 0:51:03if the wind was greater than 60mph.
0:51:03 > 0:51:06Now, the winter of 2013 was a particularly windy one
0:51:06 > 0:51:10and so I pushed that up to about 90mph
0:51:10 > 0:51:13and regularly was above 60mph in the mountains.
0:51:13 > 0:51:15And that just became the norm.
0:51:15 > 0:51:17I found anything higher than 90,
0:51:17 > 0:51:20I would struggle to stand and do anything, really,
0:51:20 > 0:51:23so the environment set the limit,
0:51:23 > 0:51:25rather than my own personal boundaries.
0:51:26 > 0:51:29Right, you're not going to tell me you kayaked down that, are you?
0:51:29 > 0:51:32Absolutely not, no. That one's an abseil to get in.
0:51:32 > 0:51:34I've kayaked from below this, down,
0:51:34 > 0:51:37but definitely not off that waterfall.
0:51:38 > 0:51:40My dad jokes that the biggest adventure
0:51:40 > 0:51:42I could ever go on is to become an accountant
0:51:42 > 0:51:45because it's just so out there, as a thing that I could do.
0:52:04 > 0:52:06Hmm, good.
0:52:08 > 0:52:10I've driven along the road a few miles
0:52:10 > 0:52:14to my journey's end, here in the West Highland town of Ullapool.
0:52:14 > 0:52:16Now, Ullapool, at one time,
0:52:16 > 0:52:19was known as the herring capital of Scotland
0:52:19 > 0:52:22and I thought it would be a bit churlish
0:52:22 > 0:52:25if I came to the town and didn't try the local produce.
0:52:25 > 0:52:28And I know this isn't herring, it's haddock,
0:52:28 > 0:52:30and very nice haddock it is too,
0:52:30 > 0:52:32but I don't really want to stop here.
0:52:32 > 0:52:35What I'd like to do is take a wee walk up Ullapool's own hill
0:52:35 > 0:52:38and look down on the village in what I think is
0:52:38 > 0:52:41quite a spectacular West Highland setting.
0:52:45 > 0:52:47Hmm, it's lovely.
0:53:00 > 0:53:02You don't have to go very far out of Ullapool
0:53:02 > 0:53:05to get some great views.
0:53:05 > 0:53:08This walk starts on the edge of the village and climbs a wee hill
0:53:08 > 0:53:11known quite simply as Ullapool's Hill.
0:53:24 > 0:53:26It was actually the Norsemen, the Vikings,
0:53:26 > 0:53:28who first discovered Ullapool.
0:53:28 > 0:53:32They found this late-Ice-Age raised beach
0:53:32 > 0:53:35about 50 feet above the waters of Loch Broom,
0:53:35 > 0:53:37and they called it Ulla's Steading,
0:53:37 > 0:53:40and they very quickly discovered
0:53:40 > 0:53:42that this was a brilliant trading position.
0:53:42 > 0:53:45And, not only that, but in the waters of lower Loch Broom
0:53:45 > 0:53:49and round the Summer Isles, there was a continuous harvest of fish.
0:53:54 > 0:53:58In 1788, the British Fisheries Society founded
0:53:58 > 0:54:01what we know as the present town of Ullapool.
0:54:03 > 0:54:06Its birth and its later prosperity
0:54:06 > 0:54:09were founded solely on the shoals of herring.
0:54:11 > 0:54:14It's hard to imagine the hustle and the bustle
0:54:14 > 0:54:16and the industry of those times,
0:54:16 > 0:54:19because Ullapool was the principal herring port
0:54:19 > 0:54:21on the west coast of Scotland.
0:54:21 > 0:54:25But a statistical account of the 18th century sums it up rather nicely.
0:54:25 > 0:54:27Let me read this to you.
0:54:29 > 0:54:34"People are instantly afloat with every species of seaworthy craft.
0:54:34 > 0:54:36"They all press forward
0:54:36 > 0:54:40"with the utmost eagerness to the field of slaughter.
0:54:40 > 0:54:43"Sloops, schooners, wherries, boats of all sizes
0:54:43 > 0:54:46"are seen constantly flying on the wings of the winds,
0:54:46 > 0:54:49"from creek to creek and from loch to loch,
0:54:49 > 0:54:52"according to the various reports of men,
0:54:52 > 0:54:54"or the noisy flights of birds,
0:54:54 > 0:54:57"or tumbling and spouting of whales and porpoises,
0:54:57 > 0:54:58"attracting them."
0:54:58 > 0:55:00I think that's rather splendid.
0:55:00 > 0:55:03It gives you a very good impression of what it was like here.
0:55:03 > 0:55:06But, you know, that overfishing had an effect.
0:55:06 > 0:55:09100 years later, the shoals of herring had gone,
0:55:09 > 0:55:13and Ullapool had to rely on a different kind of industry.
0:55:21 > 0:55:24After the herring came the tourists and, today,
0:55:24 > 0:55:26like many other Highland towns,
0:55:26 > 0:55:29Ullapool very much relies on the tourist industry.
0:55:29 > 0:55:32It's the main ferry port to the Western Isles,
0:55:32 > 0:55:35and it's also the gateway to the wonderful, the fantastic
0:55:35 > 0:55:38Northwest Highlands of Scotland.
0:55:39 > 0:55:42It's also something of a cultural centre.
0:55:42 > 0:55:44It has its own annual music festival.
0:55:44 > 0:55:49It has lots of literary and artistic events.
0:55:49 > 0:55:50I just love the place.
0:55:50 > 0:55:53I love wandering through the streets
0:55:53 > 0:55:56and smelling that mixture of diesel oil and fish
0:55:56 > 0:56:00that you associate with West Highland ports like this.
0:56:00 > 0:56:04And, for me, it's been the beginning of so many forays
0:56:04 > 0:56:08into the glorious mountains of the Northwest Highlands.
0:56:19 > 0:56:22Ullapool is the end of this particular journey,
0:56:22 > 0:56:25and it's been a very different kind of journey.
0:56:25 > 0:56:28Using the camper van has allowed me
0:56:28 > 0:56:31to explore the quieter roads of the West Highlands,
0:56:31 > 0:56:33and it's carried everything I need
0:56:33 > 0:56:37to embark on a variety of adventurous activities.
0:56:37 > 0:56:39Whoo-hoo-hoo!
0:56:39 > 0:56:41Cycling on Lismore was wonderful,
0:56:41 > 0:56:45or bikepacking in the Sound of Sleat on the Isle of Skye,
0:56:45 > 0:56:49and using the packraft to paddle around the Arisaig skerries
0:56:49 > 0:56:51was absolutely terrific.
0:56:53 > 0:56:56Or to visit that strange and mysterious island in Loch Maree.
0:56:56 > 0:56:58But, as always,
0:56:58 > 0:57:02it's the Scottish landscape that stays longest in the memory.
0:57:02 > 0:57:06Like the panoramic views from the islands of Luing and Seil,
0:57:06 > 0:57:08or seeing the Buachaille Etive Mor
0:57:08 > 0:57:11through the eyes of climber-turned-mountain-photographer
0:57:11 > 0:57:13Dave Cuthbertson,
0:57:13 > 0:57:15or hearing about life in Kintail
0:57:15 > 0:57:18from someone who lives and works there - Willie Fraser.
0:57:20 > 0:57:23But perhaps most memorable for me
0:57:23 > 0:57:26was having the opportunity to make a wee bit of music
0:57:26 > 0:57:29with the legendary, the one and only, Fergie MacDonald.
0:57:50 > 0:57:53Thank you very much. We'll need to form a band, eh?
0:57:53 > 0:57:55Go on the road full time!
0:57:57 > 0:58:00That was great, but what of the future?
0:58:00 > 0:58:03Well, already, my mind's racing forward
0:58:03 > 0:58:06and I'm envisaging that north coast of Scotland,
0:58:06 > 0:58:08round from the Pentland Firth,
0:58:08 > 0:58:10down through Caithness and the Flow Country,
0:58:10 > 0:58:13down towards Golspie and Dornoch,
0:58:13 > 0:58:16and I'm sure there's lots of rich treasures to explore in that region.
0:58:16 > 0:58:20But for the moment, get out there yourself.
0:58:20 > 0:58:22Enjoy your Scotland.
0:58:22 > 0:58:25I'll see you next time. Bye-bye.