0:00:02 > 0:00:06Welcome back to this year's journey through Scotland.
0:00:07 > 0:00:11I've travelled to many exotic and far-flung corners of the world,
0:00:11 > 0:00:14but let me tell you this right now -
0:00:14 > 0:00:18nothing can beat what can be found right here on our doorstep.
0:00:19 > 0:00:21And here's a second thought.
0:00:21 > 0:00:24It's not simply the obvious that makes our country
0:00:24 > 0:00:26a world-class landscape.
0:00:26 > 0:00:28For me, it's the many hidden places
0:00:28 > 0:00:31I'm still discovering as I again explore
0:00:31 > 0:00:34more of our Roads Less Travelled.
0:00:44 > 0:00:49And the second part of my journey has got a lot to live up to.
0:00:49 > 0:00:52Since leaving Dornoch, at the southern tip of Sutherland,
0:00:52 > 0:00:57I've experienced the grandeur and majesty of the north-east coastline,
0:00:57 > 0:00:59together with those huge expanses
0:00:59 > 0:01:02that make up the Flow Country of Caithness.
0:01:04 > 0:01:07This is a landscape I'll return to again and again,
0:01:07 > 0:01:10but for now it's time to leave the mainland behind
0:01:10 > 0:01:12and travel even further north.
0:01:15 > 0:01:17In this second part of the programme,
0:01:17 > 0:01:22I'm crossing a rather sombre-looking Pentland Firth on my way to Orkney,
0:01:22 > 0:01:25where I'm told the sun always shines.
0:01:27 > 0:01:29And that's what I'm hoping for.
0:01:29 > 0:01:31My journey by bike,
0:01:31 > 0:01:36on foot and with my trusted camper van is a journey of exploration.
0:01:36 > 0:01:38It's one where I'll be meeting people whose lives
0:01:38 > 0:01:41have been shaped by these landscapes.
0:01:41 > 0:01:44Some have chosen to make these Orkney Islands their home,
0:01:44 > 0:01:47others were born and bred here.
0:01:47 > 0:01:49This is where we used to go when we were young bairns.
0:01:49 > 0:01:51My father would take us here for a walk
0:01:51 > 0:01:54and he would point to all the wildlife.
0:01:54 > 0:01:57It sticks in my mind as being a very significant place.
0:01:58 > 0:02:00We have fantastic big skies,
0:02:00 > 0:02:02we have beautiful sunrises,
0:02:02 > 0:02:03we have the northern lights.
0:02:03 > 0:02:07It's got a very, very special feel about it.
0:02:07 > 0:02:08There's always something happening.
0:02:08 > 0:02:10What more do you want?
0:02:11 > 0:02:15'And if there's one word you always associate with Orkney,
0:02:15 > 0:02:16'it's archaeology.'
0:02:16 > 0:02:17Wow.
0:02:17 > 0:02:21'This is a rich treasure-trove that gives a fascinating insight
0:02:21 > 0:02:23'into our past.'
0:02:23 > 0:02:25There's remains going back to the Neolithic,
0:02:25 > 0:02:28so back to 4,000 to 6,000 years ago.
0:02:28 > 0:02:31And there's maybe earlier stuff that we've just not found yet.
0:02:32 > 0:02:34There's literally archaeology everywhere.
0:02:35 > 0:02:39And I'm excited about finishing my trip with a personal first -
0:02:39 > 0:02:42a visit to the most northern tip of these islands.
0:02:42 > 0:02:45I can promise you an amazing journey,
0:02:45 > 0:02:48so why don't you stay with me every step of the way?
0:02:55 > 0:02:58I've landed in South Ronaldsay
0:02:58 > 0:03:01and the sun is trying to come out,
0:03:01 > 0:03:02it's trying very hard.
0:03:02 > 0:03:05South Ronaldsay is the fourth-largest of the 70 islands
0:03:05 > 0:03:09and skerries that make up the Orkney archipelago.
0:03:09 > 0:03:1216 of these islands are inhabited.
0:03:12 > 0:03:14And at this point, I have to remind myself
0:03:14 > 0:03:17that it is Orkney I'm referring to,
0:03:17 > 0:03:18and not the Orkneys.
0:03:18 > 0:03:22I mean, I wouldn't talk about the Irelands, or the New Zealands,
0:03:22 > 0:03:25or the Hawaiis. So Orkney is plural.
0:03:25 > 0:03:28It actually comes from the old Norse word Orkneyjar,
0:03:28 > 0:03:30which means Seal Islands.
0:03:40 > 0:03:42This is St Margaret's Hope.
0:03:42 > 0:03:47The population is only 550, so it's really quite a wee village.
0:03:47 > 0:03:49And yet it's the third largest settlement in Orkney,
0:03:49 > 0:03:51after Kirkwall and Stromness.
0:03:57 > 0:04:00I'm interested in the origin of the place name here -
0:04:00 > 0:04:01"St Margaret's Ope."
0:04:01 > 0:04:03"Ope" is hope.
0:04:03 > 0:04:05H-O-P-E.
0:04:05 > 0:04:07And it simply means a sheltered bay.
0:04:10 > 0:04:13But it's the St Margaret's part that I'm really interested in,
0:04:13 > 0:04:16and there are two schools of thought as to the origin.
0:04:17 > 0:04:22In 1290, a ship set sail from Bergen in Norway, bound for Leith.
0:04:22 > 0:04:25On board was a seven-year-old child called Margaret,
0:04:25 > 0:04:27the anointed Queen of Scots.
0:04:27 > 0:04:30And she was on her way south,
0:04:30 > 0:04:34where she had been betrothed to marriage with the king of England.
0:04:34 > 0:04:37Sadly, on that voyage, she died.
0:04:37 > 0:04:40She died apparently of acute seasickness.
0:04:40 > 0:04:43And the boat came into this bay and landed here.
0:04:45 > 0:04:48Now, the other school of thought says that the St Margaret involved
0:04:48 > 0:04:53was Queen Margaret, the wife of Malcolm III of Scotland.
0:04:55 > 0:04:58Now, my heart goes with the Maid of Norway story,
0:04:58 > 0:05:02but my head tells me that it's more likely that St Margaret
0:05:02 > 0:05:05was Queen Margaret, wife of Malcolm III.
0:05:05 > 0:05:08That's where this village gets its name from.
0:05:10 > 0:05:14I'm tempted to linger here, but there's so much more to explore.
0:05:14 > 0:05:17And in the true spirit of my roads less travelled,
0:05:17 > 0:05:21I'm focusing on five very contrasting places.
0:05:22 > 0:05:24From here on South Ronaldsay,
0:05:24 > 0:05:26I'll be making a short stop on mainland Orkney
0:05:26 > 0:05:30before travelling over to the hilly landscape of Rousay.
0:05:31 > 0:05:34Then there's the flat, open spaces of Sanday,
0:05:34 > 0:05:36before journey's end on the remote,
0:05:36 > 0:05:38rugged island of North Ronaldsay.
0:05:42 > 0:05:44Since arriving in Orkney,
0:05:44 > 0:05:48I've become very aware that this isn't a landscape
0:05:48 > 0:05:50that shouts out at you.
0:05:50 > 0:05:52It's much more subtle than that.
0:05:52 > 0:05:55It kind of whispers its message to you.
0:05:55 > 0:05:59So, because of that, I'm going to go off and do some exploring on my own,
0:05:59 > 0:06:02and just create some time to let those whispers reach me.
0:06:19 > 0:06:21You know, I've only come a couple of miles from St Margaret's
0:06:21 > 0:06:24and I've found this little bay.
0:06:24 > 0:06:26It's so peaceful and so quiet.
0:06:26 > 0:06:28I bet you nobody comes here, other than a few locals.
0:06:30 > 0:06:34Today it's just me. Me and a few waders and of course the seals.
0:06:34 > 0:06:37They're lying there, just hoping the sun will come out now and again.
0:06:37 > 0:06:39It's magic.
0:06:45 > 0:06:48You know, one of the lovely things about taking roads less travelled
0:06:48 > 0:06:51is I'm not slavishly following guidebooks.
0:06:51 > 0:06:53Simply look at the map in the morning and think,
0:06:53 > 0:06:57"Oh, that looks interesting. I think I'll go there."
0:06:57 > 0:06:59And when I looked at this map this morning,
0:06:59 > 0:07:01I found this little place, not very far from St Margaret's,
0:07:01 > 0:07:04and it's called Grimness.
0:07:04 > 0:07:08And I thought, "I've got to go there. Grimness."
0:07:08 > 0:07:09And here I am.
0:07:09 > 0:07:11And it's anything but grim.
0:07:14 > 0:07:17But I am fascinated in the Orkney place names.
0:07:18 > 0:07:22Gaelic was never, ever spoken in Orkney.
0:07:22 > 0:07:25The Pictish people may have used a form of Gaelic,
0:07:25 > 0:07:29but that was wiped out when the Vikings came, speaking Norse.
0:07:29 > 0:07:31And when the Vikings settled here,
0:07:31 > 0:07:35that Norse language derived into a language known as Norn,
0:07:35 > 0:07:39and that lasted until the middle of the 18th century,
0:07:39 > 0:07:41when English became the predominant language.
0:07:49 > 0:07:53Here we are at the summit of Grimness.
0:07:53 > 0:07:56And of course, I do realise that Grimness doesn't necessarily
0:07:56 > 0:07:58have a negative connotation.
0:07:58 > 0:08:00It probably means grim ness -
0:08:00 > 0:08:01ness the headland,
0:08:01 > 0:08:03Grim could well have been someone's name.
0:08:03 > 0:08:06The headland of Mr Grim.
0:08:17 > 0:08:21South Ronaldsay is connected to mainland Orkney by four causeways,
0:08:21 > 0:08:23known as the Churchill Barriers.
0:08:23 > 0:08:26Now, as you might have guessed, these were built
0:08:26 > 0:08:29during the Second World War to block access to Scapa Flow,
0:08:29 > 0:08:32where the British naval fleet was stationed.
0:08:36 > 0:08:40But even prior to the building of the Churchill Barriers,
0:08:40 > 0:08:4360 block ships were sunk in the various channels
0:08:43 > 0:08:47around these southern islands to stop submarine access.
0:08:47 > 0:08:50And you can see the remains of one of them just behind me here.
0:08:55 > 0:08:59While the Churchill barriers were built predominately for defensive reasons,
0:08:59 > 0:09:02the people of Orkney must have been absolutely delighted
0:09:02 > 0:09:04to have them as causeways.
0:09:04 > 0:09:07Can you imagine how long it would take to drive
0:09:07 > 0:09:11from St Margaret's Hope to Kirkwall if you had to catch four ferries?
0:09:11 > 0:09:12It would take all day.
0:09:20 > 0:09:22It would be all too easy to be seduced
0:09:22 > 0:09:25by Orkney's real tourist attractions,
0:09:25 > 0:09:29but I'm determined to stick to my policy of roads less travelled
0:09:29 > 0:09:32and look out some of the lesser-known highlights.
0:09:32 > 0:09:35And that brought me here, to Orkney's fifth causeway,
0:09:35 > 0:09:37if you like, the secret causeway.
0:09:37 > 0:09:41And I'm going to walk along here onto the island of Hunda
0:09:41 > 0:09:43and I'm going to have a wee explore across there,
0:09:43 > 0:09:47unless the wind has other thoughts and blows me off this causeway.
0:09:51 > 0:09:53Hunda island is actually quite small,
0:09:53 > 0:09:56it's probably less than half a square mile.
0:09:56 > 0:09:58The name means Dog Island,
0:09:58 > 0:10:01and it comes from the ancient Norse language,
0:10:01 > 0:10:03the language that was spoken in Scandinavia
0:10:03 > 0:10:06between the ninth and 13th centuries,
0:10:06 > 0:10:09which really just shows the Scandinavian influence
0:10:09 > 0:10:11that was spread right through these islands.
0:10:17 > 0:10:18That was a nice leg stretch,
0:10:18 > 0:10:21and it's good to get out of the vehicle for a wee while.
0:10:21 > 0:10:25It's brought me up to the high point on Hunda island,
0:10:25 > 0:10:29a massive 42 metres above sea level.
0:10:29 > 0:10:30It's not high, but it feels high.
0:10:30 > 0:10:32It's a great view all round.
0:10:32 > 0:10:35I can see the houses of St Margaret's Hope behind me here.
0:10:35 > 0:10:40And in front of me this great stretch of water that's Scapa Flow.
0:10:47 > 0:10:50My various journeys tend to be in the mountains,
0:10:50 > 0:10:54or on wild coastal landscapes like this one.
0:10:54 > 0:10:55And if I have one rule of thumb,
0:10:55 > 0:10:59it's to avoid large centres of population.
0:10:59 > 0:11:01But I'm going to break that rule today,
0:11:01 > 0:11:05because I'm heading for Kirkwall, the capital of Orkney.
0:11:05 > 0:11:07There's a couple of people there that I want to go and visit.
0:11:07 > 0:11:12People who in many ways embody the very character,
0:11:12 > 0:11:15the very soul of these northern islands.
0:11:27 > 0:11:31This is the High Street, Kirkwall, mainland Orkney.
0:11:31 > 0:11:34And the place I'm about to visit now is not only a focal centre for
0:11:34 > 0:11:36the local community,
0:11:36 > 0:11:39but attracts people from every corner of the UK
0:11:39 > 0:11:40and beyond.
0:11:44 > 0:11:46And here's an admission.
0:11:46 > 0:11:50For all of my adult life, I've been a bit of a folkie.
0:11:50 > 0:11:52I just love our traditional music,
0:11:52 > 0:11:54so I'm not going to pass by an opportunity
0:11:54 > 0:11:57to meet two of our finest instrumentalists.
0:11:58 > 0:12:00The Wrigley Sisters are twins,
0:12:00 > 0:12:05but they could equally be ambassadors for Orcadian music.
0:12:05 > 0:12:06They've toured all over the world,
0:12:06 > 0:12:09but now devote their energies to the place they were born.
0:12:11 > 0:12:14Jennifer and Hazel are the driving force behind a music school
0:12:14 > 0:12:17that is a focal point for these islands.
0:12:17 > 0:12:21Music that has been the backbone of life here for centuries.
0:12:22 > 0:12:25We grew up in Deerness in the east mainland of Orkney.
0:12:25 > 0:12:27There was music everywhere.
0:12:27 > 0:12:29I mean, there would be something wrong with you
0:12:29 > 0:12:31if you came from a place like Orkney
0:12:31 > 0:12:35and didn't know a bit about the traditional music.
0:12:36 > 0:12:39Locally to us there were dozens of folk that we would go and
0:12:39 > 0:12:42visit regularly and play tunes with.
0:12:42 > 0:12:45You were immersed in the tradition.
0:12:45 > 0:12:49We were given musical instruments on our eighth birthday.
0:12:49 > 0:12:52Jennifer got a fiddle and I got a guitar.
0:12:52 > 0:12:54I seem to remember attempting the cello
0:12:54 > 0:12:56because the group really needed a cello,
0:12:56 > 0:12:59so I had the guitar and the cello.
0:12:59 > 0:13:03The cello, it never really took off because it got caught in the wind!
0:13:03 > 0:13:05We had to transport it.
0:13:05 > 0:13:07It was really hard work to carry.
0:13:07 > 0:13:09I've got one arm longer than the other!
0:13:14 > 0:13:17The guitar is extremely portable,
0:13:17 > 0:13:22and in theory it can do the job of three musicians all at once.
0:13:22 > 0:13:24For the bass patterns in the left hand
0:13:24 > 0:13:28would be where the guitar comes into its fore, I suppose.
0:13:28 > 0:13:29So you should be able to hear...
0:13:33 > 0:13:36You can hear the bass.
0:13:39 > 0:13:41Then you can add the harmony.
0:13:50 > 0:13:52- Brilliant.- Something like that, maybe.- That's great.
0:13:52 > 0:13:57How much of your music is inspired by Orkney,
0:13:57 > 0:13:59by the landscapes in Orkney?
0:13:59 > 0:14:02I think everybody that lives in a place like Orkney can't help
0:14:02 > 0:14:05being inspired by everything around them.
0:14:05 > 0:14:08It's such an amazing place.
0:14:08 > 0:14:10You know, all the different seasons and...
0:14:10 > 0:14:11And it makes a special kind of person,
0:14:11 > 0:14:13I think, to live here as well.
0:14:13 > 0:14:17People tend to be quite tough but quite soft-spoken
0:14:17 > 0:14:20and quite kind and understated.
0:14:20 > 0:14:24And that's because they know their place against the elements
0:14:24 > 0:14:26and suchlike.
0:14:26 > 0:14:28Everyone has respect for one another
0:14:28 > 0:14:31and for the place that they live in.
0:14:32 > 0:14:34I liken traditional music to being like your dialect.
0:14:34 > 0:14:36When you sit next to someone,
0:14:36 > 0:14:38your father or your grandfather,
0:14:38 > 0:14:41and you learn how to speak when you're peedie.
0:14:41 > 0:14:44They've got a certain mannerism or a rhythm in their voice,
0:14:44 > 0:14:47and when you sit and learn a tune from them,
0:14:47 > 0:14:50you pick that same mannerism up.
0:14:50 > 0:14:53I wonder if you could play me something that was,
0:14:53 > 0:14:55in your mind, typically Orcadian?
0:14:55 > 0:14:58Something I can go away with that will always
0:14:58 > 0:15:01for me say, "That's Orkney".
0:15:01 > 0:15:03In Orkney we have an awful lot of polkas.
0:15:03 > 0:15:05They're all in the key of D, aren't they?
0:15:05 > 0:15:07So which one will we pick?
0:15:07 > 0:15:11There's a really well-known one called Jimmy o' the Bu's.
0:15:11 > 0:15:14You should be able to hear the distinctive kind of
0:15:14 > 0:15:17tapping your feet in twos when you're dancing,
0:15:17 > 0:15:19cos you've got two feet.
0:15:19 > 0:15:21Hopefully!
0:15:21 > 0:15:22So you kind of have this...
0:15:22 > 0:15:25SHE SINGS RHYTHM
0:16:39 > 0:16:42Wonderful. Thank you very much indeed. That was beautiful.
0:16:46 > 0:16:49I could listen to the Wrigley Sisters all day.
0:16:49 > 0:16:51But it's time to move on...
0:16:51 > 0:16:55This time, a short ferry journey of less than 30 minutes,
0:16:55 > 0:16:56to nearby Rousay.
0:16:58 > 0:17:03Until today, I've always thought of Hoy as Orkney's hilly island.
0:17:03 > 0:17:05But Rousay isn't far behind.
0:17:05 > 0:17:08Yet it's not just the high land that attracts me.
0:17:08 > 0:17:13This place has been inhabited for at least 5,000 years,
0:17:13 > 0:17:16and today is still home to over 200 people.
0:17:16 > 0:17:19One of these is Bruce Mainland,
0:17:19 > 0:17:22whose family has lived here for generations.
0:17:22 > 0:17:26He's a man whose DNA is Rousay through and through.
0:17:27 > 0:17:29We had a great upbringing here.
0:17:29 > 0:17:31You know, you spent half your life at the shore,
0:17:31 > 0:17:33jumping around on the rocks and turning over stones
0:17:33 > 0:17:36and finding crabs and things.
0:17:36 > 0:17:38It's just absolutely idyllic.
0:17:39 > 0:17:42Every day was like, well, memory of course enhances it likely,
0:17:42 > 0:17:44but every day was like today.
0:17:44 > 0:17:46You got up in the morning,
0:17:46 > 0:17:48you had lots of friends around you.
0:17:48 > 0:17:51You're almost related to everybody, so lots of cousins and everything,
0:17:51 > 0:17:53and everybody played at the shore
0:17:53 > 0:17:56and wandered through the fields and came out here and just...
0:17:56 > 0:17:58Freedom, that's the word.
0:18:00 > 0:18:02When I was young, which is a while ago now,
0:18:02 > 0:18:04there was only primary education here.
0:18:04 > 0:18:06You could go to the school here until you are 12
0:18:06 > 0:18:08and then there was the famous 11-plus.
0:18:08 > 0:18:11And, you know, you had to sit this really
0:18:11 > 0:18:14life-changing exam, really, when you think about it.
0:18:14 > 0:18:17- It was.- Because if you didn't pass it you stayed in the primary school
0:18:17 > 0:18:20in Rousay here. And if you passed it you had the opportunity to go
0:18:20 > 0:18:21to the grammar school in Kirkwall.
0:18:21 > 0:18:25And I think our parents wanted us to have a better education
0:18:25 > 0:18:26than what they had had.
0:18:27 > 0:18:31So I left to go to Kirkwall School at 12 years old, and then on to...
0:18:31 > 0:18:35Well, I joined the Merchant Navy and went to college after that.
0:18:37 > 0:18:40I certainly didn't want to leave, and
0:18:40 > 0:18:44I think it probably affected me for the rest of my life.
0:18:44 > 0:18:47Are any of your contemporaries from your primary school times
0:18:47 > 0:18:49still actually living on the island?
0:18:49 > 0:18:52There's very few what I would call local Orcadians
0:18:52 > 0:18:53left on the island anyway.
0:18:53 > 0:18:55There's maybe three folk left
0:18:55 > 0:18:58that would be my age, or roughly my age.
0:18:58 > 0:19:02Three or four folk. The island's been heavily depopulated
0:19:02 > 0:19:03as far as Rousay-bred folk.
0:19:03 > 0:19:05Most of them have left.
0:19:05 > 0:19:08What do you feel about the future of the island?
0:19:08 > 0:19:10I think I'm slightly worried about the future
0:19:10 > 0:19:13because the island's changing pretty dramatically,
0:19:13 > 0:19:15this last ten years especially.
0:19:15 > 0:19:17Property prices have changed,
0:19:17 > 0:19:20they're more on a par with what they are on the mainland.
0:19:20 > 0:19:24So it's quite difficult for younger folk to buy property here.
0:19:24 > 0:19:26So that tends to...
0:19:26 > 0:19:27I mean, there's older folk,
0:19:27 > 0:19:31folk my age and older retired folk who are buying the property and...
0:19:31 > 0:19:34And of course, anybody's very welcome because you need folk in
0:19:34 > 0:19:36the community to make a community,
0:19:36 > 0:19:38and everybody contributes towards it,
0:19:38 > 0:19:40but you need younger folk as well
0:19:40 > 0:19:42to keep the community going in the future.
0:19:44 > 0:19:46We have had a few folk come in recently,
0:19:46 > 0:19:48younger folk that have got bairns.
0:19:48 > 0:19:52So I'm optimistic, but we need more young folk to come here.
0:19:53 > 0:19:55How frustrated do you become,
0:19:55 > 0:19:59looking out here and seeing all the natural resources you have -
0:19:59 > 0:20:00the wind, the tides -
0:20:00 > 0:20:04and yet it seems to be not an awful lot has been done about it.
0:20:05 > 0:20:07I think it's probably the biggest frustration at the moment.
0:20:07 > 0:20:10I mean, we're standing here and you see the tide rushing past.
0:20:10 > 0:20:12Yeah, desperately frustrated.
0:20:12 > 0:20:14The wind, you know, this is as calm as we ever get it here,
0:20:14 > 0:20:17in the winter they're producing a lot of energy.
0:20:17 > 0:20:20So I think the peripheral islands,
0:20:20 > 0:20:24Orkney and Shetland and the Western Isles...
0:20:24 > 0:20:26you know, there's not that much opportunity in these places.
0:20:26 > 0:20:29There's fishing and there's agriculture and what have you,
0:20:29 > 0:20:31but the one natural resource that we have here
0:20:31 > 0:20:34is wind and water and tide.
0:20:34 > 0:20:38Renewable energy has a tremendous potential in terms of jobs.
0:20:39 > 0:20:42But the most important thing about renewable energy is that it's energy.
0:20:42 > 0:20:45You know, we can't live without it. We just cannot live without energy.
0:20:45 > 0:20:47We know that coal is going to run out,
0:20:47 > 0:20:50maybe not in our generation, but in the future.
0:20:50 > 0:20:54So to not exploit that is a ridiculous situation.
0:20:55 > 0:20:59But some young people are managing to stay on Rousay.
0:20:59 > 0:21:02And I've met up with two of them in the island's cafe.
0:21:04 > 0:21:06Grant Mainland is one of Bruce's cousins,
0:21:06 > 0:21:10and he and Kirsty Tunbridge have been friends since childhood.
0:21:11 > 0:21:16Both are convinced there are many advantages to island life.
0:21:16 > 0:21:18As a teenager, Kirsty moved to the Orkney mainland,
0:21:18 > 0:21:21but it wasn't long before she was back.
0:21:21 > 0:21:24I moved to Stromness when I was 16 and came back when I was 19.
0:21:24 > 0:21:27I think I just wanted that bit of independence.
0:21:27 > 0:21:30And obviously being out here, we're just, you know, island life.
0:21:30 > 0:21:32I just wanted to experience something else.
0:21:32 > 0:21:35I think I lasted like three years and I was back.
0:21:35 > 0:21:37And do you see yourself staying here permanently?
0:21:37 > 0:21:39I would like to think I would, yeah.
0:21:39 > 0:21:41I would like to buy a house here or build a house here,
0:21:41 > 0:21:43probably eventually.
0:21:43 > 0:21:45But I think that it's good to go away when you're younger,
0:21:45 > 0:21:48to go and experience some other stuff and then you appreciate
0:21:48 > 0:21:50the island more as well then.
0:21:50 > 0:21:52I found when I went away and then came back,
0:21:52 > 0:21:56I appreciate it a lot more now than what I did when I was younger.
0:21:57 > 0:22:01You're both fortunate that you've got regular work.
0:22:01 > 0:22:05I mean, how much work like that is available for people your age?
0:22:05 > 0:22:07It's women's jobs that's more harder...
0:22:07 > 0:22:08There's a lack, yeah.
0:22:08 > 0:22:10There's a lack of women's jobs.
0:22:10 > 0:22:14Because, you know, men can come out and they can do building, farming,
0:22:14 > 0:22:16there's the fish farms.
0:22:16 > 0:22:19But women, it's just kind of either bar work or home care,
0:22:19 > 0:22:23where it's not regular enough to be secure for them.
0:22:23 > 0:22:25Honestly, I would say the way it's going,
0:22:25 > 0:22:30more people are moving away and less people are coming in, I suppose, as well.
0:22:30 > 0:22:33So it's hard to say what's going to happen eventually.
0:22:34 > 0:22:38And it would be a real pity if the population of a place like Rousay
0:22:38 > 0:22:40dropped even further.
0:22:40 > 0:22:42This is a fantastic island,
0:22:42 > 0:22:46and there's no better way to explore it than on two wheels.
0:22:55 > 0:22:57When I was a young lad in Glasgow,
0:22:57 > 0:23:00every year we used to go to Millport, in the Firth of Clyde,
0:23:00 > 0:23:04and we would hire a bike and cycle round the island.
0:23:04 > 0:23:07Everybody did it, it was great fun.
0:23:07 > 0:23:09But it opened up a whole new world to me.
0:23:09 > 0:23:14It made me realise that you could almost feel the island from a bike.
0:23:14 > 0:23:15Once you'd cycled round the island,
0:23:15 > 0:23:18you got the impression that you really knew the place.
0:23:18 > 0:23:20So when I came over here to Rousay,
0:23:20 > 0:23:26I saw on the map a lovely circular route of 13 or 14 miles.
0:23:26 > 0:23:28The only problem is,
0:23:28 > 0:23:31nobody told me that there was a category one hill climb
0:23:31 > 0:23:32near the start of it!
0:23:39 > 0:23:41But the good thing about climbing up the hill on the bike
0:23:41 > 0:23:43is you have to go down again.
0:23:43 > 0:23:45What goes up must go down.
0:23:54 > 0:23:58Rousay was originally known as Rolf's Island.
0:23:58 > 0:24:00And in the middle of the 13th century,
0:24:00 > 0:24:03that was kind of changed to Rolfsey.
0:24:03 > 0:24:06And in the intermediate years it's became known as Rousay.
0:24:07 > 0:24:09But in the middle of the 19th century,
0:24:09 > 0:24:11there were almost 1,000 people living here,
0:24:11 > 0:24:13and there must have been a real buzz about the place.
0:24:13 > 0:24:16They were employed in agriculture and fishing
0:24:16 > 0:24:17and all the associated trades.
0:24:19 > 0:24:21Since then, it's become a bit quieter
0:24:21 > 0:24:25but there's still lots of scattered ruins about the island.
0:24:25 > 0:24:28It gives you a sense that people have lived here
0:24:28 > 0:24:30for a long, long time.
0:24:44 > 0:24:45What a super bike ride!
0:24:45 > 0:24:47I've really been enjoying this.
0:24:47 > 0:24:50But there's something I want to see before I finish this ride.
0:24:50 > 0:24:54And it's the kind of thing that everybody comes to Orkney to see.
0:25:02 > 0:25:04This is the Midhowe Broch,
0:25:04 > 0:25:06and I'm fascinated by brochs.
0:25:06 > 0:25:08I'm fascinated largely because
0:25:08 > 0:25:12nobody can really tell me explicitly what they were for.
0:25:14 > 0:25:18Some people say that they were the 45 homes of rich families.
0:25:18 > 0:25:21Other people say they were defensive structures, part of a community,
0:25:21 > 0:25:23and when the enemy approached,
0:25:23 > 0:25:26everybody roundabout would gather themselves
0:25:26 > 0:25:28and move inside the broch and slam the door shut
0:25:28 > 0:25:31and they were protected.
0:25:31 > 0:25:34Current thinking is that possibly they were both -
0:25:34 > 0:25:37they were fortified homes and they were also defensive structures,
0:25:37 > 0:25:39which would make a lot of sense, I think.
0:25:39 > 0:25:41There are the two walls,
0:25:41 > 0:25:44an inner wall and an outer wall, which support each other,
0:25:44 > 0:25:48and you could move round the building inside the walls.
0:25:49 > 0:25:53This one date back to roundabout the 1st century AD
0:25:53 > 0:25:59and it's one of five brochs that actually ring this island of Rousay.
0:26:06 > 0:26:08What a fantastic structure!
0:26:08 > 0:26:10And it's really got my imagination going,
0:26:10 > 0:26:13but I'm just about to head to another island now
0:26:13 > 0:26:16where my imagination is going to be put into overdrive.
0:26:20 > 0:26:22So far, I've wandered through South Ronaldsay
0:26:22 > 0:26:25and I've walked over the causeway to Hunda.
0:26:25 > 0:26:27I've visited mainland Orkney
0:26:27 > 0:26:31and taken that short ferry journey to Rousay.
0:26:31 > 0:26:34Now it's time to travel even further afield
0:26:34 > 0:26:36and head for my final two islands -
0:26:36 > 0:26:38Sanday and North Ronaldsay.
0:26:42 > 0:26:44I've landed on the island of Sanday
0:26:44 > 0:26:47and already I can see that it's quite different
0:26:47 > 0:26:50from the other islands I've been on.
0:26:50 > 0:26:53Lots of people have said to me, "You must visit Sanday."
0:26:53 > 0:26:56It's the largest the northern Orkney Islands.
0:26:56 > 0:26:58It's got quite a good population.
0:26:58 > 0:26:59As several people said,
0:26:59 > 0:27:01there's lots of nice nooks and crannies,
0:27:01 > 0:27:04well worth exploring, so that's what I'm going to do.
0:27:04 > 0:27:06I'm going to find somewhere to dump the camper van
0:27:06 > 0:27:07and then set off on foot.
0:27:22 > 0:27:25I'm taking a little stroll along a lovely narrow peninsula
0:27:25 > 0:27:27that leads to a place called Tres Ness,
0:27:27 > 0:27:30where I'm told I might well find the remains
0:27:30 > 0:27:32of a Neolithic chambered cairn.
0:27:32 > 0:27:34I'm pretty excited about that.
0:27:40 > 0:27:43Sanday is flat and low lying.
0:27:43 > 0:27:46It almost feels as if I'm in the Netherlands.
0:27:46 > 0:27:50And, to be honest, I'm not sure if this is my kind of place,
0:27:50 > 0:27:53but I'm not going to jump to hasty conclusions.
0:27:56 > 0:27:59What I do know is that this is turning out to be a perfect day,
0:27:59 > 0:28:04and I'm intrigued by the sand dunes towering above me.
0:28:04 > 0:28:07There's beauty here, but there's also drama.
0:28:11 > 0:28:14It's said as you get older that you sometimes repeat yourself,
0:28:14 > 0:28:17often quite endlessly.
0:28:17 > 0:28:19And I don't know how many times I've said that Scotland
0:28:19 > 0:28:22has some of the finest landscapes in the world,
0:28:22 > 0:28:24and here's further proof of that.
0:28:26 > 0:28:28I'm definitely warming to this place.
0:28:38 > 0:28:40Whey-hey-hey!
0:28:40 > 0:28:42Isn't this great?
0:28:42 > 0:28:45On the way across here on the ferry, somebody said to me,
0:28:45 > 0:28:48"If you're going to Sanday, be prepared for the unexpected."
0:28:48 > 0:28:50I think this is exactly what he meant.
0:28:50 > 0:28:54Look at this lovely line of marram grass sand dunes,
0:28:54 > 0:28:57the lovely white strand below here,
0:28:57 > 0:29:00and this translucent, green-blue of the sea.
0:29:00 > 0:29:01It's wonderful.
0:29:01 > 0:29:03Who needs Hawaii Five-0?
0:29:05 > 0:29:09And I'm about to meet someone who is absolutely passionate
0:29:09 > 0:29:12about this place, and makes no apology for it.
0:29:12 > 0:29:15Geologist and oceanographer Emma Neave-Webb
0:29:15 > 0:29:17has spent many years working offshore
0:29:17 > 0:29:20as a wildlife officer and surveyor.
0:29:20 > 0:29:24She's now decided to make her home on Sanday
0:29:24 > 0:29:26and is the island's ranger.
0:29:26 > 0:29:28We have fantastic big skies,
0:29:28 > 0:29:31there's fantastic sunsets.
0:29:31 > 0:29:34We have beautiful sunrises, we have the Northern Lights.
0:29:34 > 0:29:36It's so in-your-face here.
0:29:36 > 0:29:40You can't walk anywhere without seeing something amazing.
0:29:40 > 0:29:42What more do you want?
0:29:42 > 0:29:45In terms of wildlife, what's special about Sanday?
0:29:45 > 0:29:48It's really, really important for birds.
0:29:48 > 0:29:51At the moment, we're right in the middle of migration,
0:29:51 > 0:29:53so every time we're out for a walk,
0:29:53 > 0:29:56you never know what you're going to see.
0:29:56 > 0:30:01In spring this year, we had a red-backed shrike on the peninsula.
0:30:01 > 0:30:03There have been things like sooty shearwaters,
0:30:03 > 0:30:05which are ocean-going birds.
0:30:05 > 0:30:07They undertake massive migrations,
0:30:07 > 0:30:10and we're really fortunate that we can see them
0:30:10 > 0:30:12as they take part in that journey.
0:30:12 > 0:30:15So there's always something to see here.
0:30:15 > 0:30:18It doesn't feel like a job, it's more a way of life.
0:30:18 > 0:30:23So I'm doing things for work that I would be doing as a hobby.
0:30:23 > 0:30:27Now, you're an oceanographer living on an island
0:30:27 > 0:30:29looking out at the sea every day.
0:30:29 > 0:30:32What are your thoughts on the future of our oceans,
0:30:32 > 0:30:35particularly the oceans around these islands?
0:30:35 > 0:30:37I have to admit, I'm not overly optimistic.
0:30:37 > 0:30:42I do think that we have reached the point of no return
0:30:42 > 0:30:45and if we don't do something incredibly quickly,
0:30:45 > 0:30:47then our oceans really aren't going to recover.
0:30:47 > 0:30:49So what are we likely to lose?
0:30:50 > 0:30:53If we lose our oceans, absolutely everything.
0:30:53 > 0:30:57The oceans really are key to the whole ecosystem on our planet
0:30:57 > 0:31:03and we're already seeing problems with plankton levels.
0:31:03 > 0:31:07That impacts up the food web, so fish numbers reducing,
0:31:07 > 0:31:10things are having to move further to feed.
0:31:10 > 0:31:15A lot of the time, it's out of sight, out of mind with the ocean,
0:31:15 > 0:31:18so people don't really realise what's happening out there.
0:31:18 > 0:31:22We also know so little about the oceans that I think
0:31:22 > 0:31:25we don't understand enough of the ecosystem
0:31:25 > 0:31:28to actually be able to look after it properly.
0:31:31 > 0:31:34Emma, you suggested that we meet here today
0:31:34 > 0:31:36in this wonderful peninsula.
0:31:36 > 0:31:38Why is it a special place for you?
0:31:38 > 0:31:43It's really remote, quite a difficult part of Sanday to get to.
0:31:43 > 0:31:46You have to go on a journey to get here.
0:31:46 > 0:31:47There's no quick way,
0:31:47 > 0:31:50so it feels like you're in a really special place, and of course,
0:31:50 > 0:31:52the history of the area as well.
0:31:54 > 0:31:56And what a history it is.
0:31:56 > 0:31:59At the very end of the peninsula is a Neolithic burial site,
0:31:59 > 0:32:01known as a chambered cairn.
0:32:01 > 0:32:04It's an archaeological gem.
0:32:04 > 0:32:09We're right here by a Neolithic chambered cairn.
0:32:09 > 0:32:12Here on Sanday we have several
0:32:12 > 0:32:16and this is one of the better examples that we have.
0:32:16 > 0:32:21We know many of the well-publicised sites on mainland Orkney,
0:32:21 > 0:32:23but it seems to me here on Sanday
0:32:23 > 0:32:25that the sites are not so well publicised.
0:32:25 > 0:32:28Does that make them more interesting for you?
0:32:28 > 0:32:32It does for me because there's the feel to them that nobody else
0:32:32 > 0:32:34has been here.
0:32:34 > 0:32:38This one is an example, it is right out on the edge of the island.
0:32:38 > 0:32:41It's really at risk of being lost to the sea
0:32:41 > 0:32:44in the not too distant future,
0:32:44 > 0:32:46and that makes it all the more special,
0:32:46 > 0:32:50that I am able to come here and see it.
0:32:50 > 0:32:52It's just a really fantastic part of the island.
0:32:55 > 0:32:58And I'm happy to admit that I was totally wrong
0:32:58 > 0:33:01with my first impression of Sanday.
0:33:01 > 0:33:06There's a wild elemental beauty here that touches my very soul.
0:33:06 > 0:33:08OK, I know that's a bit poetic,
0:33:08 > 0:33:12but I do want some time just to soak up the atmosphere here.
0:33:30 > 0:33:35In recent years, I've certainly become something of a committed camper van man.
0:33:35 > 0:33:37But, you know, despite that,
0:33:37 > 0:33:41you can't take the lightweight backpacker out of my psyche completely,
0:33:41 > 0:33:44and every so often I like to leave the camper van
0:33:44 > 0:33:48at the end of the tarmac and take a bit of a stroll with my tent
0:33:48 > 0:33:51and my sleeping bag and bits and pieces,
0:33:51 > 0:33:53and camp for the night.
0:33:53 > 0:33:57And tonight I've chosen, I think it's an idyllic spot, actually,
0:33:57 > 0:34:00on the very north edge of Sanday.
0:34:00 > 0:34:02And although it's a bit windy,
0:34:02 > 0:34:06it's no more than the locals here would call a mere draft.
0:34:06 > 0:34:09So I'm kind of looking forward to getting into my sleeping bag,
0:34:09 > 0:34:10get cooried up,
0:34:10 > 0:34:12listen to the sound of the breeze,
0:34:12 > 0:34:14the sound of the surf,
0:34:14 > 0:34:17and maybe the nice call of a curlew or an oystercatcher
0:34:17 > 0:34:19from the wetlands over there.
0:34:20 > 0:34:22But before I do that,
0:34:22 > 0:34:26the most important thing in backpacking is getting a brew on.
0:34:40 > 0:34:42I can't believe it.
0:34:42 > 0:34:45I've woken up to another glorious morning.
0:34:45 > 0:34:50These huge, clear blue skies and the sun glinting off the ocean.
0:34:50 > 0:34:51It's wonderful.
0:34:52 > 0:34:57Yesterday I began my exploration of Sanday's archaeological riches.
0:34:57 > 0:35:00It was impressive but - and it's a huge but -
0:35:00 > 0:35:03it's just one of hundreds.
0:35:03 > 0:35:06I know the previous county archaeologist used to say that
0:35:06 > 0:35:11Sanday has the best preserved archaeological landscape in Orkney,
0:35:11 > 0:35:13which is saying quite a lot,
0:35:13 > 0:35:16given how fantastic the archaeology is in Orkney.
0:35:16 > 0:35:19Cath Parker heads up Sanday's archaeology group,
0:35:19 > 0:35:22and she's brought me to this site at Poole,
0:35:22 > 0:35:24on the west side of the island.
0:35:25 > 0:35:27To be honest, I might just have walked past this cliff,
0:35:27 > 0:35:29enjoying the view,
0:35:29 > 0:35:31but these are important sites,
0:35:31 > 0:35:35where the action of the sea has exposed layers of history.
0:35:35 > 0:35:39Unassuming sites like this are an archaeologist's treasure trove.
0:35:40 > 0:35:44What we have here is a multi-period occupation site
0:35:44 > 0:35:47that was inhabited from the Neolithic
0:35:47 > 0:35:48through to the Norse periods.
0:35:48 > 0:35:50Not constantly, but on and off.
0:35:52 > 0:35:54There's remains known back to the Neolithic,
0:35:54 > 0:35:57so back to 4,000 to 6,000 years ago,
0:35:57 > 0:36:00and there's maybe earlier stuff that we've just not found yet.
0:36:02 > 0:36:05This is my favourite part of this erosion profile.
0:36:05 > 0:36:07Because, as far as I can see,
0:36:07 > 0:36:10this is the first thing that happened here,
0:36:10 > 0:36:11it's the earliest event.
0:36:11 > 0:36:14- OK.- So, we had...
0:36:14 > 0:36:15This is all natural.
0:36:15 > 0:36:18This is bedrock, this is glacial till.
0:36:18 > 0:36:23This is like an uninhabited island, possibly, who knows?
0:36:23 > 0:36:26And then people have come along and the first thing they've done here
0:36:26 > 0:36:30is start to dump out material, maybe from a hearth,
0:36:30 > 0:36:32it looks like it's been burnt,
0:36:32 > 0:36:36and what we have is a little hill inside this massive profile,
0:36:36 > 0:36:40so you have all these horizontal layers above, and down here
0:36:40 > 0:36:44you have this little hill going up there and down there.
0:36:44 > 0:36:47And I just love that this is the first thing that we know about
0:36:47 > 0:36:49that happens here.
0:36:49 > 0:36:54And then after that, it became this great big settlement.
0:36:54 > 0:36:57So, we've got the original mound here,
0:36:57 > 0:36:59and then it looks like maybe a floor
0:36:59 > 0:37:04- or something above it...- Yes. - ..running right along there.
0:37:04 > 0:37:05That's exactly what it looks to be.
0:37:05 > 0:37:08It looks like a cobbled surface of, presumably,
0:37:08 > 0:37:11a structure which has gone out of use.
0:37:11 > 0:37:13And if you look just about a foot higher up at that end,
0:37:13 > 0:37:17we've got another floor level of a building that's come after that.
0:37:17 > 0:37:19You can start to unpick the sequence
0:37:19 > 0:37:22of buildings that have happened one after the other.
0:37:23 > 0:37:25Originally, when people were settled here,
0:37:25 > 0:37:29I'm assuming this would have stretched right out towards the sea,
0:37:29 > 0:37:33and over the years, this has been eroded away and so exposed to this.
0:37:33 > 0:37:34Yeah, that's right.
0:37:34 > 0:37:38Is there a danger that we'll lose a lot of old structures like this
0:37:38 > 0:37:40because of erosion?
0:37:40 > 0:37:45On Sanday, at last count, we've got 300 actively eroding sites,
0:37:45 > 0:37:47which is pretty substantial,
0:37:47 > 0:37:50and that's clearly beyond what we can do to record
0:37:50 > 0:37:53all the sites before they go.
0:37:53 > 0:37:55It's just impossible to achieve that.
0:37:55 > 0:37:59So, yeah, the archaeology is actively disappearing.
0:38:00 > 0:38:02You don't need to have an archaeologist's eye
0:38:02 > 0:38:05to see Sanday's best known structure.
0:38:05 > 0:38:11The chambered cairn of Quoyness has been excavated and preserved.
0:38:11 > 0:38:13The outside is instantly impressive,
0:38:13 > 0:38:16but inside is no less spectacular,
0:38:16 > 0:38:20and, for me, it was a privilege to have an expert guide.
0:38:20 > 0:38:23- This is incredible.- Mind your head!
0:38:23 > 0:38:26I'll need to hold my breath, I think...like Fat Man's Alley!
0:38:26 > 0:38:28SHE LAUGHS
0:38:30 > 0:38:31Wow.
0:38:33 > 0:38:35Wow, this is amazing.
0:38:35 > 0:38:39So I know this is a chambered cairn, but what exactly was its purpose?
0:38:39 > 0:38:43Chambered cairns are funerary monuments dating to Neolithic times,
0:38:43 > 0:38:45which is 4,000 to 6,000 years ago.
0:38:45 > 0:38:49So it's in monuments like this that people would inter their dead.
0:38:49 > 0:38:50So it's a tomb?
0:38:50 > 0:38:52It is exactly that. It's a tomb.
0:38:52 > 0:38:55I know in ancient Egypt people were taken to the pyramids
0:38:55 > 0:38:58and they were buried with some of their best possessions.
0:38:58 > 0:39:00Was it the same in a place like this?
0:39:00 > 0:39:03It's a very, very different thing from Egypt,
0:39:03 > 0:39:06cos in Egypt everything was about the individual,
0:39:06 > 0:39:07about the Pharaoh,
0:39:07 > 0:39:10whereas in the Neolithic, these tombs were communal.
0:39:10 > 0:39:13You'd get the remains of many people in one tomb and you wouldn't get,
0:39:13 > 0:39:16like we have all these little side chambers,
0:39:16 > 0:39:18you wouldn't get one person in each side chamber,
0:39:18 > 0:39:21you'd get bits of people.
0:39:21 > 0:39:24So exactly what they were doing, we don't quite know.
0:39:24 > 0:39:27There were theories that normal funerary practice
0:39:27 > 0:39:31would be to do something like exposing the body outside
0:39:31 > 0:39:35and then bringing parts in after the body had rotted down.
0:39:35 > 0:39:38It's just so different from what we have today now,
0:39:38 > 0:39:40the burials or cremations.
0:39:40 > 0:39:43It seems so far removed, yet these were our ancestors.
0:39:43 > 0:39:46I know, it's quite amazing, isn't it?
0:39:46 > 0:39:50But I was at presentation a couple of years ago and there was somebody
0:39:50 > 0:39:53who'd been looking at old human bone assemblages
0:39:53 > 0:39:55from chambered cairns
0:39:55 > 0:39:59and they'd found all the little tiny bones that you get,
0:39:59 > 0:40:02like knee bones and finger bones or whatever,
0:40:02 > 0:40:06they were represented in the right proportions in the assemblages,
0:40:06 > 0:40:09whereas you'd think, if the body was exposed first,
0:40:09 > 0:40:11that some of the little bones would be disappearing
0:40:11 > 0:40:13and you'd more just get the big ones.
0:40:13 > 0:40:17So their theory was that a body would be brought in
0:40:17 > 0:40:20and it would be moved about as it decomposed,
0:40:20 > 0:40:24which is absolutely bizarre from our perspective.
0:40:24 > 0:40:27That's not how we deal with dead people.
0:40:27 > 0:40:30We don't keep on handling them as they decompose.
0:40:30 > 0:40:33But it's a fascinating theory anyway.
0:40:34 > 0:40:37I'm guessing you've been in here loads and loads and loads of times.
0:40:37 > 0:40:41- I have.- But the first time you came in to a chambered cairn like this,
0:40:41 > 0:40:42what was your feeling?
0:40:42 > 0:40:44I thought it was absolutely amazing.
0:40:44 > 0:40:47It's atmospheric and slightly chilling in a way.
0:40:47 > 0:40:51You think of the horrendous sights and smells that there must have been
0:40:51 > 0:40:52in here,
0:40:52 > 0:40:56and grieving people, and...
0:40:56 > 0:41:01Yeah, it must have been a not pleasant place to be at one time.
0:41:09 > 0:41:11You know, it's an extraordinary thought that people have been living
0:41:11 > 0:41:15on these northern islands for 6,000 years,
0:41:15 > 0:41:19and yet this island of Sanday is so unspoiled.
0:41:19 > 0:41:22You can see these beautiful beaches.
0:41:22 > 0:41:25But it's not the most northern of the islands I've visited.
0:41:25 > 0:41:28My final destination lies across the Sound.
0:41:28 > 0:41:32Over there you can just see the low-lying shape of North Ronaldsay,
0:41:32 > 0:41:35and that's where I'm heading for next.
0:41:40 > 0:41:43I could get used to ferry hopping from one island to another,
0:41:43 > 0:41:45but it's not easy.
0:41:45 > 0:41:48You can see North Ronaldsay from Sanday,
0:41:48 > 0:41:52but to get there you have to first return to the Orkney mainland,
0:41:52 > 0:41:57then it's a journey of just over two and a half hours from Kirkwall.
0:41:57 > 0:42:01So I've got plenty of time to put my feet up and relax
0:42:01 > 0:42:04before arriving at my final destination.
0:42:04 > 0:42:07But that's about to change.
0:42:07 > 0:42:12I'm now on dry land, but my vehicle is still on board.
0:42:12 > 0:42:14There's no slipway here in North Ronaldsay,
0:42:14 > 0:42:16and when I asked the guy at the pier in Sanday
0:42:16 > 0:42:19how they were going to get my camper van out the ferry,
0:42:19 > 0:42:23he says, "They'll lift it out on old fishing nets."
0:42:23 > 0:42:25So I'm worried, I'm seriously worried.
0:42:25 > 0:42:27This camper van is my pride and joy.
0:42:29 > 0:42:31It's just coming, I think.
0:42:31 > 0:42:33I tell you, this is really nerve-racking. It really is.
0:42:34 > 0:42:38If they drop this my wife will never forgive me and my heart is racing.
0:42:38 > 0:42:40It's, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom.
0:42:42 > 0:42:43Oh, this looks like it.
0:42:43 > 0:42:45Yeah, a bit of tension there.
0:42:45 > 0:42:47Come on, lads, heave away.
0:42:47 > 0:42:49Oh, here we go. Oh, no!
0:42:51 > 0:42:53Everybody says, "Ach, it'll be fine."
0:42:53 > 0:42:56But when it's your baby it's a different thing altogether.
0:42:56 > 0:42:57Oh, don't bump it, guys.
0:42:57 > 0:42:59Watch my bike.
0:42:59 > 0:43:01That's it, swing it round.
0:43:01 > 0:43:04OK, careful, fellows, careful, don't drop it.
0:43:05 > 0:43:06Here we go.
0:43:08 > 0:43:10Oh, thank goodness for that.
0:43:10 > 0:43:12That was really scary.
0:43:14 > 0:43:16Cheers, lads. Thank you very much.
0:43:22 > 0:43:25I've been in many tricky situations before,
0:43:25 > 0:43:27but that was something else!
0:43:27 > 0:43:30I need to calm down, slow my heart rate,
0:43:30 > 0:43:32relax and chill out.
0:43:42 > 0:43:44Home is where my camper stops,
0:43:44 > 0:43:47and how is that for a room with a view?
0:43:51 > 0:43:54Now it's time to start my exploration of North Ronaldsay,
0:43:54 > 0:43:58and, once more, I'm discovering somewhere new.
0:43:58 > 0:44:01This promises to be an interesting experience.
0:44:04 > 0:44:08I've found myself on an island that's bereft of all those things
0:44:08 > 0:44:10that I hold dear in Scotland.
0:44:11 > 0:44:13There are no hills or mountains here.
0:44:13 > 0:44:16There are no vast pinewoods.
0:44:16 > 0:44:18There are no tumultuous rivers or crashing waterfalls,
0:44:18 > 0:44:20no glorious lochs.
0:44:21 > 0:44:26And yet, as I look across this landscape of North Ronaldsay,
0:44:26 > 0:44:27I'm filled with a peculiar emotion,
0:44:27 > 0:44:31and it's an emotion I find very, very difficult to describe.
0:44:32 > 0:44:35But I think the Gaelic has a word for it.
0:44:35 > 0:44:38It's a word called cianalas,
0:44:38 > 0:44:41and it's a word that means, a longing,
0:44:41 > 0:44:44perhaps tinged with a certain amount of sadness.
0:44:46 > 0:44:51And as I look on this landscape I'm reminded of an older world,
0:44:51 > 0:44:53a world that's less materialistic,
0:44:53 > 0:44:55a world that's less complex,
0:44:55 > 0:44:58less combative.
0:44:58 > 0:45:01And I just wish I could take that emotion and put it in a bottle
0:45:01 > 0:45:04and take it home,
0:45:04 > 0:45:07and have a glug at it every time I feel the world
0:45:07 > 0:45:09has become just a little bit darker.
0:45:19 > 0:45:23This is the only A-listed wall I've ever come across.
0:45:23 > 0:45:27It runs right round the island for 12 miles
0:45:27 > 0:45:29and the idea is it'll prevent sheep
0:45:29 > 0:45:31from coming in to the agricultural land
0:45:31 > 0:45:33on that side of the wall,
0:45:33 > 0:45:38so what we have is sheep that live on the coastal side of the wall,
0:45:38 > 0:45:40predominantly eating seaweed as fodder.
0:45:42 > 0:45:47And I'll tell you, the mutton from those sheep is absolutely A1.
0:46:01 > 0:46:03Islanders in North Ronaldsay today
0:46:03 > 0:46:06enjoy a fairly good standard of living.
0:46:06 > 0:46:08The ferry calls twice a week,
0:46:08 > 0:46:10and there are daily flights from Kirkwall.
0:46:10 > 0:46:12But that wasn't always the case.
0:46:12 > 0:46:14It was quite tough not that long ago.
0:46:14 > 0:46:18In the middle of the 19th century there were 500 people living here.
0:46:18 > 0:46:20Today, there are less than 60.
0:46:21 > 0:46:24And for once we can't blame that depopulation
0:46:24 > 0:46:26on the Highland Clearances.
0:46:26 > 0:46:30Until the middle of last century housing was of very poor standard,
0:46:30 > 0:46:32sanitation was almost non-existent
0:46:32 > 0:46:34and there was very little running water.
0:46:34 > 0:46:36The ferry only called once a fortnight.
0:46:36 > 0:46:39So people must have felt they were kind of on the edge.
0:46:39 > 0:46:42They must have felt it was a very remote existence.
0:46:47 > 0:46:49Someone who embraces isolation
0:46:49 > 0:46:53is naturalist and photographer Keith Allardyce.
0:46:54 > 0:46:58Some 30 years ago his passion for our wild places
0:46:58 > 0:47:01took him to many far-flung corners of Scotland,
0:47:01 > 0:47:03including North Ronaldsay.
0:47:04 > 0:47:07He earned a living as a lighthouse keeper,
0:47:07 > 0:47:09which is a job that sounds romantic,
0:47:09 > 0:47:11but what was it really like?
0:47:11 > 0:47:12It was a great way of life.
0:47:12 > 0:47:14I loved every minute of it.
0:47:14 > 0:47:17I spent a year as a travelling keeper
0:47:17 > 0:47:18right round the coast of Scotland,
0:47:18 > 0:47:20sometimes remote islands.
0:47:20 > 0:47:21Just the three of us,
0:47:21 > 0:47:25three keepers on a rock station with a bit of land around you -
0:47:25 > 0:47:28wonderful - seals and birds on your doorstep,
0:47:28 > 0:47:31right round the coast of Scotland.
0:47:31 > 0:47:34In 1998 our lighthouses became fully automated
0:47:34 > 0:47:37and lighthouse keepers were basically no more.
0:47:37 > 0:47:42Are we right in feeling nostalgic about a lost occupation?
0:47:42 > 0:47:43Well, I think so.
0:47:43 > 0:47:45It was a great way of life.
0:47:45 > 0:47:48There are many keepers who say they would do it all over again.
0:47:49 > 0:47:52Because it wasn't just about being stuck on a rock
0:47:52 > 0:47:54and being isolated and lonely.
0:47:54 > 0:47:56It wasn't at all like that.
0:47:56 > 0:47:58Every time you went out to a lighthouse on the rock stations,
0:47:58 > 0:48:00it was a great adventure.
0:48:05 > 0:48:07I've always felt at home in Orkney, funnily enough.
0:48:07 > 0:48:09I mean, I'm from Northumberland,
0:48:09 > 0:48:14and in some way the Northumberland coast
0:48:14 > 0:48:16is a bit similar to Orkney.
0:48:18 > 0:48:21There's a sort of friendliness about the people that I've always found
0:48:21 > 0:48:24very welcoming, and that's why I've come back so often.
0:48:25 > 0:48:28One of the things that has drawn Keith back here again and again
0:48:28 > 0:48:31is the passion he'd developed for beachcombing.
0:48:33 > 0:48:37Years of research have produced two fascinating books of photographs,
0:48:37 > 0:48:41illustrating the finds made by himself and the islanders.
0:48:42 > 0:48:45Keith, explain to me something of the attractions of wandering along
0:48:45 > 0:48:48a beach picking up bits and pieces.
0:48:48 > 0:48:51Well, there's the attraction of going onto a beach,
0:48:51 > 0:48:52perhaps for the first time,
0:48:52 > 0:48:54and never knowing what to expect.
0:48:54 > 0:48:57It's the anticipation of the whole thing.
0:48:57 > 0:48:59And when it comes to beachcombing,
0:48:59 > 0:49:01you might find something,
0:49:01 > 0:49:05you might not, and whatever you find becomes a bit special.
0:49:06 > 0:49:10Whether it is a shell, a piece of stone, even a piece of seaweed,
0:49:10 > 0:49:11a piece of driftwood,
0:49:11 > 0:49:14it doesn't have to be something of value at all.
0:49:15 > 0:49:18You've made beachcombing sound like a very relaxed contemplative
0:49:18 > 0:49:19thing to do, but in actual fact
0:49:19 > 0:49:23you've turned it into a bit of an art form.
0:49:23 > 0:49:26A lot of other people had found things of interest,
0:49:26 > 0:49:29so I thought it would be an ideal combination
0:49:29 > 0:49:31to have as a theme
0:49:31 > 0:49:35and to photograph those people on the piece of shore
0:49:35 > 0:49:38where the object was found, or in their homes.
0:49:38 > 0:49:42So I felt this would make an ideal combination to express
0:49:42 > 0:49:44something of the Orkney culture.
0:49:44 > 0:49:47So, very often there is a fascinating story
0:49:47 > 0:49:51about Orkney behind these objects.
0:49:51 > 0:49:53I believe you've got some bits and pieces with you
0:49:53 > 0:49:55that you've discovered.
0:49:55 > 0:49:58- Something that you can find... - Oh, wow.
0:49:58 > 0:50:00..quite commonly in Orkney -
0:50:00 > 0:50:02whalebone vertebra.
0:50:02 > 0:50:05It's probably from a pilot whale.
0:50:05 > 0:50:08It's a beautiful object, beautifully worn.
0:50:08 > 0:50:12I was given this, it's called a Molucca bean.
0:50:12 > 0:50:14Now they come from the Caribbean.
0:50:14 > 0:50:16- Good grief.- Yes.
0:50:16 > 0:50:18And so they travel all the way up the Gulf stream,
0:50:18 > 0:50:21some get deposited in the Outer Hebrides,
0:50:21 > 0:50:23some on the Orkney shore,
0:50:23 > 0:50:25some up to Shetland and further north.
0:50:25 > 0:50:27- It's beautiful, actually.- It is.
0:50:27 > 0:50:28- It's almost heart-shaped.- Yeah.
0:50:28 > 0:50:30- It's lovely.- Yeah.
0:50:30 > 0:50:34I've also got this thing, which I found on the west coast of Orkney,
0:50:34 > 0:50:36on the Bay of Skaill.
0:50:36 > 0:50:37Oh, that's amazing.
0:50:37 > 0:50:40An extraordinary thing. Just lying like this on the ground,
0:50:40 > 0:50:44kicked it over and there was this lovely engraving.
0:50:44 > 0:50:47That's fantastic. Look how clear this boat is.
0:50:47 > 0:50:49A beautifully done boat. Yes, yes.
0:50:49 > 0:50:53And it looks a bit like a Scandinavian,
0:50:53 > 0:50:56- maybe Faroese design.- It does almost, doesn't it?
0:50:56 > 0:50:58Like a purse hanging down, and a belt and ring on the finger.
0:50:58 > 0:51:00- Yeah.- It's lovely.
0:51:00 > 0:51:01It's an amazing thing.
0:51:01 > 0:51:03Have you an idea where that might have come from?
0:51:03 > 0:51:05No idea. Not a clue.
0:51:05 > 0:51:08That's part of beachcombing - the mystery, you know?
0:51:08 > 0:51:10No idea at all.
0:51:11 > 0:51:14Looking at some of the items people have found can raise far more
0:51:14 > 0:51:17questions than answers.
0:51:17 > 0:51:19How they came to wash up on these Orcadian shores
0:51:19 > 0:51:22is often a complete mystery.
0:51:23 > 0:51:25And walking along North Ronaldsay's main road,
0:51:25 > 0:51:28I was in for another surprise.
0:51:28 > 0:51:32I literally bumped into someone who is spending a year travelling around
0:51:32 > 0:51:35Britain on his bike, spotting rare birds.
0:51:36 > 0:51:39And he's not the only one doing it.
0:51:39 > 0:51:40This is a serious competition,
0:51:40 > 0:51:43and Gary the bird man is on a mission
0:51:43 > 0:51:47to become the European and then the world record-holder.
0:51:47 > 0:51:50It's called green birding,
0:51:50 > 0:51:54and the aim is to try and get a record,
0:51:54 > 0:51:58to get the most number of bird species within a calendar year.
0:51:58 > 0:52:01So you start on January the 1st,
0:52:01 > 0:52:03you go until December 31st.
0:52:03 > 0:52:06In every way you try not to use carbon.
0:52:06 > 0:52:09But obviously the main one is transport,
0:52:09 > 0:52:12and therefore I have the bike and I cycle.
0:52:12 > 0:52:15So what sort of distance have you cycled?
0:52:15 > 0:52:18Well, this year it's just over 5,000 miles.
0:52:19 > 0:52:22And I've got maybe 2,000-3,000 miles to go
0:52:22 > 0:52:25before I can get home at Christmas
0:52:25 > 0:52:30and the 5,000 miles have taken me to
0:52:30 > 0:52:34Cornwall, down along the south coast,
0:52:34 > 0:52:36through London, into East Anglia,
0:52:36 > 0:52:39and then up and down East Anglia, Kent, etc,
0:52:39 > 0:52:41looking for birds,
0:52:41 > 0:52:43up into the North of England,
0:52:43 > 0:52:46across to Mull in Scotland,
0:52:46 > 0:52:50to Aberdeen and finally to this incredible island, North Ronaldsay.
0:52:50 > 0:52:52When did you start this particular journey?
0:52:52 > 0:52:56This particular journey started January 1st, 2015.
0:52:56 > 0:52:59It's been going ever since.
0:52:59 > 0:53:01I bet you must have stayed in some strange places over the year.
0:53:01 > 0:53:03GARY CHUCKLES
0:53:03 > 0:53:07Yes. In 2010, the first year that I ever did this,
0:53:07 > 0:53:09to get the British record,
0:53:09 > 0:53:11I ran out of money while I was on Shetland,
0:53:11 > 0:53:15so from September to December 31st,
0:53:15 > 0:53:18church porches, bus shelters,
0:53:18 > 0:53:20bird hides,
0:53:20 > 0:53:24and the most comfortable night was in some disabled toilets.
0:53:24 > 0:53:26So you're a birding hobo.
0:53:26 > 0:53:27I have been on occasions.
0:53:27 > 0:53:29This year it's a bit more bourgeois.
0:53:29 > 0:53:33When I get to Fair Isle it's going to be little different.
0:53:33 > 0:53:36I'll probably be sleeping in a derelict croft.
0:53:37 > 0:53:39I've got lots of friends who are birders.
0:53:39 > 0:53:42Some are very, very passionate,
0:53:42 > 0:53:44some are quite obsessed.
0:53:44 > 0:53:45- OK.- Which are you?
0:53:45 > 0:53:47GARY LAUGHS
0:53:47 > 0:53:51I suppose, I think I would use the word driven.
0:53:51 > 0:53:53I have an aim, I have a focus,
0:53:53 > 0:53:55I will achieve my aims.
0:53:55 > 0:53:57It will be this year.
0:53:57 > 0:53:59I will become the European record-holder,
0:53:59 > 0:54:02the green birding record-holder for Europe.
0:54:02 > 0:54:04Once you achieve that, what's next?
0:54:04 > 0:54:09My ambition is to try and achieve world record status.
0:54:09 > 0:54:13At the moment there's an American named Dorian Anderson.
0:54:13 > 0:54:14He is the world record-holder,
0:54:14 > 0:54:17with a total of 618 birds in one year.
0:54:17 > 0:54:19I want to beat that.
0:54:19 > 0:54:22People don't think of themselves as eccentric,
0:54:22 > 0:54:25but I imagine other people might think that my lifestyle
0:54:25 > 0:54:27is a bit different.
0:54:27 > 0:54:30And I don't think anyone would argue with that.
0:54:30 > 0:54:31Much as I love my bike,
0:54:31 > 0:54:36I couldn't spend a whole year using it and living a nomadic lifestyle.
0:54:36 > 0:54:40In fact, my own journey for this year is almost over.
0:54:40 > 0:54:43There's just one part of North Ronaldsay I've still got to visit.
0:54:49 > 0:54:51I've wandered up to the north of the island,
0:54:51 > 0:54:54to an area called Dennis Head.
0:54:54 > 0:54:57And the building you can see with all the scaffolding behind me here
0:54:57 > 0:54:58is the Old Beacon,
0:54:58 > 0:55:02which was North Ronaldsay's original lighthouse.
0:55:02 > 0:55:06It was built in 1789 by a man that went by the name of Thomas Smith,
0:55:06 > 0:55:09and his son-in-law and his apprentice
0:55:09 > 0:55:11was called Robert Stevenson.
0:55:12 > 0:55:16Stevenson eventually inherited the lighthouse building business,
0:55:16 > 0:55:19and it wasn't long before the name Stevenson became synonymous
0:55:19 > 0:55:22with some of the most important lighthouses
0:55:22 > 0:55:23that we have in Scotland.
0:55:25 > 0:55:27The family also produced a young man
0:55:27 > 0:55:30by the name of Robert Louis Stevenson,
0:55:30 > 0:55:35who of course went on to become one of our greatest ever novelists.
0:55:35 > 0:55:39Now, more recently, the Old Beacon came to prominence as part of
0:55:39 > 0:55:42the BBC's Restoration Village programme,
0:55:42 > 0:55:45and you can see the restoration work is still in progress.
0:55:45 > 0:55:47I quite like to think that eventually
0:55:47 > 0:55:50it might become some sort of tourist accommodation,
0:55:50 > 0:55:53because I can think of few places in Scotland where you
0:55:53 > 0:55:57could get a better get away from everything type holiday.
0:56:06 > 0:56:08Along this part of the coast
0:56:08 > 0:56:13there's this lovely series of circular dry stone walls,
0:56:13 > 0:56:17and you might be forgiven on this archaeological Orkney
0:56:17 > 0:56:19that these are perhaps old tombs
0:56:19 > 0:56:21or something to do with Vikings.
0:56:21 > 0:56:26The explanation is much more prosaic, I think.
0:56:26 > 0:56:28These were round walls
0:56:28 > 0:56:31and inside them people grew cabbages,
0:56:31 > 0:56:35and that dates away back to the 1500s.
0:56:35 > 0:56:37A place for growing cabbages.
0:56:37 > 0:56:40The idea was the cabbages would be protected in here
0:56:40 > 0:56:43from grazing sheep and, more importantly, from the wind.
0:56:43 > 0:56:48And they were built close to the coast to really cut down on
0:56:48 > 0:56:50the possibility of frost damage.
0:56:53 > 0:56:55Today, they form quite an interesting
0:56:55 > 0:56:57part of the skyline here.
0:56:57 > 0:56:59And they kind of remind us again
0:56:59 > 0:57:03that people have lived on these islands for a long, long time.
0:57:10 > 0:57:13Well, that's it - journey's end,
0:57:13 > 0:57:16at the top of the most northern island in Orkney,
0:57:16 > 0:57:19and in the shadow of the highest land-based lighthouse
0:57:19 > 0:57:24in the UK, and it's absolutely spectacular.
0:57:24 > 0:57:28It's also a great place to reflect on what has been another fantastic
0:57:28 > 0:57:31journey along Scotland's roads less travelled.
0:57:34 > 0:57:35Starting at Dornoch Point,
0:57:35 > 0:57:38just south of the lovely old cathedral town,
0:57:38 > 0:57:42and making my way up through these beautiful villages of Scotland's
0:57:42 > 0:57:47north-east coast, into the very heart of the Flow Country peatlands
0:57:47 > 0:57:51and those wide-open skies and wide-open spaces of Caithness.
0:57:52 > 0:57:54And then across the Pentland Firth
0:57:54 > 0:57:58to Orkney, and what an eye-opener that has been.
0:57:58 > 0:58:01You know, I've only visited six of the Orkney islands,
0:58:01 > 0:58:06so that leaves me plenty of scope to come back and explore even more.
0:58:07 > 0:58:10So I hope you'll maybe think of joining me next year,
0:58:10 > 0:58:14as I explore some more of Scotland's Roads Less Travelled.
0:58:17 > 0:58:21So it only remains for me to sign out by quoting my old grandmother.
0:58:21 > 0:58:24"If I'm spared, I'll see you next time."
0:58:24 > 0:58:25Bye-bye.