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PAUL MURTON:
The far north-west of Scotland
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boasts some of the most spectacular
Lochs in the country.
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00:00:08,920 --> 00:00:12,280
And travellers,
be they holy men or warriors,
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00:00:12,440 --> 00:00:16,320
have sought sanctuary here
since the earliest times.
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But then, in the 20th century,
when Europe was ravaged by war,
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the sea lochs of the west coast
provided a sheltered anchorage
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to convoys of ships
heading to the arctic.
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I'm on a loch-hopping journey
across Scotland,
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where it's been estimated
there are more than 31,000 lochs.
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They come in all shapes and sizes,
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many scoured out by glaciers
during the last Ice Age.
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00:00:45,240 --> 00:00:48,960
The great fresh water lochs
of the Central Highlands...
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..the long fjord-like sea lochs
along our coast...
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..and the innumerable lochans
that stud the open moors,
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or nestle beneath high summits
in dark mountain corries.
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All are both beautiful
and mysterious,
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sustaining life
and firing our imagination.
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Distinctively Scottish,
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I want to explore just
how these lochs
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have shaped a people
and defined a nation.
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This leg of my journey starts
in breathtaking Wester Ross,
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on the trail of fabled archers,
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sunken wrecks,
and every politicians dream,
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the money tree.
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For this grand tour,
I'm travelling to three lochs
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on Scotland's beautiful west coast.
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The first is Loch Gairloch,
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just a 20 mile hop
from the Isle of Skye.
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After a stop-off
at a newly-created kingdom,
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I journey inland to Loch Ewe
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and the wondrous gardens
on its shore,
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before seeking an ancient cure
for madness
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at the mystical waters of Loch Maree.
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Like many of the earliest travellers
who came here,
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I arrive by sea.
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In the Gaelic language,
Gairloch means 'the short loch'.
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But when you're paddling
your own canoe
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against a headwind and the tide,
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it certainly doesn't feel that short.
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Phew! Exhausted!
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Not to be confused with Gare Loch
in Argyll,
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Loch Gairloch is the name
of the loch, the village on its shore
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and the scattered communities
round about.
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I'm paddling to the natural harbour
that sits to the south -
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Badachro.
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Today, there are more pleasure boats
than fishing vessels here,
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but in the days of old,
this was a thriving port
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sending its catch far and wide,
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a business they had
the Vatican to thank.
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Traditionally,
the Roman Catholic Church
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required and expected the devout
to abstain from meat on a Friday.
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Now, fortunately, the clerics
never considered fish to be meat,
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which is why Friday remains the most
popular day of the week
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for a fish dish,
even for non-Catholics
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and an agnostic like me.
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Scottish fish, and in particular cod,
was in high demand,
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and here, in Gairloch, it was caught,
salted and sent all over the world.
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Ian McWhinney's grandfather was
one of those fishermen.
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And today, Ian fishes the same waters
in a traditional wooden boat.
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But much of what Ian catches
these days,
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his Grandfather would have
thrown back.
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What have we got here?
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Now, that's a...
that's a nice lobster.
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Where's this lobster going to end up?
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Probably, it'll be in Spain,
this one.
In Spain.
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I want to see for myself
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how Gairloch's fishing folk
are surviving
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in these more secular times,
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and in the absence of the cod
that once swam in the loch.
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Today, Ian depends on this -
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a traditional Scottish creel,
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designed to make any crustacean feel
right at home.
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It's called a parlour pot. Kitchen.
Ah-ha.
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Anything going here
has something to eat.
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And then, there's this bit, here,
called the parlour.
Yeah.
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A kind of But'n'Ben
of the creel world.
Yeah.
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That's it.
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In these temperate waters,
warmed by the Gulf stream,
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lobsters can be found
at about 40m.
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But to hit the jackpot,
Ian has to go even deeper.
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Is that your langoustine?
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That's a nice langoustine, there.
Great.
It'll bite you.
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Lovely finger and thumb, just here.
Finger and thumb.
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Hold that, and I'll show you
what I'm going to do with these.
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Hello, little langoustine.
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Has he come up from 100ft below me?
150ft, yep.
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Yeah. That was a surprise, wasn't it,
Mr Langoustine?
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It certainly was.
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I'll pop him in here.
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They're langoustines, or prawns,
or scampi -
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they're all exactly the same thing.
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The proper name is
Norwegian Lobsters.
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It's just if you give them a fancy
French name like langoustines,
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you can charge twice as much
for them, yeah?
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Right.
So, on this boat we catch prawns
and sell langoustines, yeah?
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But that's not all he catches.
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And what is that?!
This is a Scorpion fish.
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It's spines, there,
tipped with poison.
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If you stand on them,
your whole leg will swell up
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to twice it's normal size.
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Very painful.
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And definitely not edible.
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The beauty of this
traditional type of fishing
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is that it's selective
and sustainable.
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Anything that's too small
gets thrown back.
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Ah-ha.
He's still alive.
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Each creel has to be hauled up
and baited with fresh fish.
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Between 300 and 400 langoustines
would be a good day's catch for Ian.
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Well, I think we're doing very well.
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Look at him. He's a beauty!
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And he's learned that it pays
to keep one eye on the weather,
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and the other
on the football results.
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For one week in the summer,
the price shot up because Spain won
the World Cup,
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and so everyone was eating
shellfish.
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So, who'd have thought
Spain winning the World Cup
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would benefit a little fisherman,
away on the west coast of Scotland?
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Shellfish fiesta time!
There you go.
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The Germans win it,
they spend nothing on shellfish.
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Oh, well, they eat sausages!
Oh, well, there you go.
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Within 24 hours,
most of our catch will be
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in the markets of Barcelona,
Beijing and beyond...
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..still alive.
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But some are destined
for a dinner table even closer.
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This tiny island, on the edge
of the loch,
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is where Ian and his family live.
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When the tide is low,
it becomes part of Badachro harbour,
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hence the name Dry Island.
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And I am honoured
with a special greeting.
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So, we've got a welcoming committee,
here.
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This is Iona, my oldest daughter.
Hi, Iona.
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And this is Isla, my youngest.
Hello, Isla.
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And these islanders are making
their own bid for independence.
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IONA: This is your passport for it.
A passport? Islonia.
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It's a mixture of mine
and Isla's name.
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And then, it's also got four letters
of our brother's name, Finlay.
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Right, very appropriate. And look!
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We've got a crab
and the Scottish flag.
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The Kingdom of Islonia!
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And who's the King?
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What, your dad? (LAUGHS)
Yeah.
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GIRLS: Yeah.
So, you're princesses,
is that right?
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GIRLS: Yes.
Thank you very much.
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I feel very honoured.
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And what better way to celebrate
a declaration of independence
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than with a royal seafood feast
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prepared by Islonia's
young princesses
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under the watchful gaze
of Queen Jess I.
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Oh, look at that!
Beautifully presented.
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And I don't think there's any way
I'm going to get through that huge
mountain of shellfish all by myself.
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You going to come and join me?
I'm going to try one of them.
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Mmm.
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I couldn't eat another thing.
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Leaving the good citizens of Islonia,
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I get back on the loch.
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I've heard about a small island
that figures large
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in the folklore of Gairloch.
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And I find it just a short distance
off its southern shore.
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Here we are.
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Fraoch Eilean, or Heather Island.
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It looks peaceful enough now,
but back in the 1490s
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it bore witness
to an amazing and deadly display
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of marksmanship.
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Back then,
Gairloch belonged to Clan Mackenzie,
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who were engaged
in a long-running feud
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with the MacLeods
from the nearby Isle of Skye.
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Legend has it
that a MacLeod war galley
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sailed into Gairloch
and anchored here, ready to attack.
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They were spotted
by two brothers named Macrae,
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allies of the Mackenzies, and famed
for their skill with bow and arrow.
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The archers hid behind a rock ledge,
which you can just make out
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on the mainland behind me,
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and rained arrows down on the galley.
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And when one of the MacLeod warriors
climbed the mast
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to see where the firing
was coming from,
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he was brought down
by a single arrow shot,
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fired from a distance of over 500m,
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which is an incredible thought,
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and quite a feat.
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To fully understand
what a spectacular shot that was...
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Looks like an ideal spot
to set up my target.
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..I'm conducting a little experiment.
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To put the legend to the test,
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I've set up a target close
to where the invading MacLeod
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met his fate.
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And now, I'm crossing the loch
to the exact place on the shore
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where the Macrae arrow was fired.
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Here we are,
beside the ledge of the arrows.
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And here is an archer.
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Andrew, pleasure to meet you.
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I've enlisted the help
of Andrew Gray Muir,
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who knows more than most
about archery.
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Andrew, it's very nice to see
that you've dressed for the occasion.
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Well, it's the formal dress
for the Royal Company of Archers.
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The Royal Company of Archers.
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00:10:03,600 --> 00:10:06,120
So, if anyone can hit that island
out there, you should!
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(BOTH LAUGH)
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00:10:07,920 --> 00:10:11,040
It would certainly be another feather
in his cap.
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00:10:11,200 --> 00:10:14,160
That's a good...well, 500m at least.
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00:10:14,320 --> 00:10:16,480
What do you reckon our chances are
of hitting that?
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00:10:16,640 --> 00:10:18,960
I think enormous.
(BOTH LAUGH)
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00:10:19,120 --> 00:10:22,400
Let's put that theory to the test,
then, shall we?
I think we should.
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00:10:22,560 --> 00:10:24,480
Whoa. Fire.
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00:10:26,560 --> 00:10:29,080
(PLOP!)
That was pathetic really, wasn't it?
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(BOTH LAUGH)
It was miles short.
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00:10:30,960 --> 00:10:35,200
The distance
we're attempting is 500m -
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the furthest anyone has shot an arrow
and hit a target.
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Oh!
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00:10:45,040 --> 00:10:47,600
It seems an almost impossible
challenge.
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Look at that! You hit a seagull!
I hope not. (LAUGHS)
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00:10:51,880 --> 00:10:56,840
Andrew's arrow falls 150 metres shy
of the island.
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00:10:57,000 --> 00:10:59,760
It makes that Macrae shot
all the more impressive.
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00:10:59,920 --> 00:11:02,560
What kind of bows
do you think they would have had?
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00:11:02,720 --> 00:11:04,360
They were yew bows.
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00:11:04,520 --> 00:11:07,360
Um, they would have been
much thicker and much longer.
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00:11:07,520 --> 00:11:10,120
They must have been very strong.
Just to pull the bow back?
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00:11:10,280 --> 00:11:11,840
Just to pull it back.
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00:11:12,000 --> 00:11:14,280
Bow design
and materials may have evolved
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00:11:14,440 --> 00:11:17,080
but the basic principle
remains the same.
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00:11:17,240 --> 00:11:20,720
Making this simple weapon
devastatingly effective,
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00:11:20,880 --> 00:11:23,440
but only in the right hands.
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00:11:23,600 --> 00:11:26,880
The thumb should be out of the way
from those three fingers.
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00:11:27,040 --> 00:11:29,760
I've got to let go,
otherwise I'll skin my fingers.
Yeah, yeah.
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00:11:29,920 --> 00:11:31,840
The real skill is in compensating
for wind speed
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and judging trajectory.
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00:11:34,280 --> 00:11:35,760
Oh!
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00:11:35,920 --> 00:11:38,520
As in life,
it's all about aiming high.
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00:11:39,880 --> 00:11:41,360
It's going, it's going.
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00:11:41,520 --> 00:11:43,320
Take that Macleod!
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00:11:43,480 --> 00:11:45,800
150 metres? It's a long way short!
(BOTH LAUGH)
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00:11:45,960 --> 00:11:51,440
Back in the 1500s, this was the shot
of that archer's life.
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00:11:51,600 --> 00:11:54,800
The MacLeods fled, never to return...
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00:11:56,320 --> 00:12:00,200
..leaving the Mackenzies
to reign supreme in Gairloch.
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00:12:00,360 --> 00:12:03,640
It's amazing to think we're standing
on the exact same spot
where it all happened.
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00:12:03,800 --> 00:12:08,200
Where those two archers stood,
looking across at the island,
and seeing that MacLeod climbing up.
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00:12:08,360 --> 00:12:10,120
Yep.
Saying, "Well, we'll take him down."
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00:12:10,280 --> 00:12:12,440
It's just mind-blowingly difficult.
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00:12:12,600 --> 00:12:14,080
Or a fluke! (LAUGHS)
238
00:12:14,240 --> 00:12:16,640
Or a fluke, indeed.
A legendary fluke.
239
00:12:21,680 --> 00:12:24,480
Having run out of arrows,
I leave one sea loch
240
00:12:24,640 --> 00:12:28,040
and travel inland
to the southern shore of another -
241
00:12:28,200 --> 00:12:30,040
Loch Ewe.
242
00:12:30,200 --> 00:12:33,520
My route passes through some very
wild and rugged country.
243
00:12:33,680 --> 00:12:36,680
A reminder, perhaps,
that we're on the same latitude
244
00:12:36,840 --> 00:12:39,920
as frozen Hudson Bay in Canada.
245
00:12:40,080 --> 00:12:43,120
So, the last thing in the world
I would expect to find here
246
00:12:43,280 --> 00:12:44,680
is this,
247
00:12:44,840 --> 00:12:46,480
or this,
248
00:12:46,640 --> 00:12:48,880
or even this.
249
00:12:51,320 --> 00:12:53,840
On the edge of the loch lie 50 acres
250
00:12:54,000 --> 00:12:59,200
of what I can only describe
as a subtropical paradise.
251
00:12:59,360 --> 00:13:03,600
This is Inverewe -
the impossible garden!
252
00:13:05,200 --> 00:13:10,160
You could be forgiven for thinking
that you've stepped into a rainforest
253
00:13:10,320 --> 00:13:12,160
or a savanna.
254
00:13:12,320 --> 00:13:15,720
There's Chilean rhubarb
and rhododendron from the Himalayas.
255
00:13:15,880 --> 00:13:19,000
Exotic species of olearia
from New Zealand
256
00:13:19,160 --> 00:13:21,760
grows beside Tasmanian eucalyptus.
257
00:13:21,920 --> 00:13:25,120
It's an overwhelming feast
for the eyes
258
00:13:25,280 --> 00:13:27,800
and the nose.
259
00:13:27,960 --> 00:13:29,840
Inverewe was the brainchild
260
00:13:30,000 --> 00:13:33,840
of an extraordinary, visionary
but contradictory character,
261
00:13:34,000 --> 00:13:35,880
Osgood Mackenzie.
262
00:13:36,040 --> 00:13:38,440
A direct descendent
of the great Mackenzie chiefs
263
00:13:38,600 --> 00:13:41,280
who once dominated this part
of north-west Scotland,
264
00:13:41,440 --> 00:13:43,920
Osgood lived to a great age.
265
00:13:44,080 --> 00:13:48,600
And when he died in 1922,
he left these fabulous gardens
266
00:13:48,760 --> 00:13:51,320
and a memoir,
A Hundred Years In The Highlands,
267
00:13:51,480 --> 00:13:53,840
as his enduring legacy.
268
00:13:55,200 --> 00:13:58,160
Osgood was an archetypal
Highland gentleman,
269
00:13:58,320 --> 00:14:02,280
but he was actually born in France
in 1842.
270
00:14:02,440 --> 00:14:03,920
When he was just a year old,
271
00:14:04,080 --> 00:14:06,680
the family returned
to their Scottish estates,
272
00:14:06,840 --> 00:14:09,640
which included land around Loch Ewe.
273
00:14:09,800 --> 00:14:12,320
Here, Osgood grew up speaking Gaelic
274
00:14:12,480 --> 00:14:15,640
and learning how to kill
wild animals.
275
00:14:15,800 --> 00:14:17,840
(SHOTS FIRE, BIRDS CAW)
276
00:14:18,000 --> 00:14:20,080
Shooting was a lifelong passion
for Osgood.
277
00:14:20,240 --> 00:14:23,200
He was gifted a gun
for his ninth birthday,
278
00:14:23,360 --> 00:14:27,480
and spent most of the next 70 years
blasting at anything that moved
279
00:14:27,640 --> 00:14:31,120
from golden eagles to pine martens.
280
00:14:31,280 --> 00:14:34,120
It seems his talent
for nurturing plant life
281
00:14:34,280 --> 00:14:38,120
was equalled by his pleasure
in slaughtering wildlife.
282
00:14:38,280 --> 00:14:40,880
In his memoir, Osgood writes,
283
00:14:41,040 --> 00:14:43,400
"What a big pile it would make
284
00:14:43,560 --> 00:14:48,600
"if all the black game I'd shot
between 1855 and 1900 were gathered
285
00:14:48,760 --> 00:14:50,800
"into one big heap.
286
00:14:50,960 --> 00:14:52,960
"Now, alas, there are none.
287
00:14:53,120 --> 00:14:56,440
"And why? Who can tell?"
288
00:14:56,600 --> 00:14:58,080
Really, Osgood?
289
00:14:58,240 --> 00:15:00,240
It doesn't take
a huge leap of imagination
290
00:15:00,400 --> 00:15:03,400
to work out the answer
to that question, now, does it?
291
00:15:05,920 --> 00:15:09,200
Osgood the huntsman
may seem very different
292
00:15:09,360 --> 00:15:11,200
to Osgood the gardener,
293
00:15:11,360 --> 00:15:13,360
but Inverewe became an obsession.
294
00:15:14,520 --> 00:15:17,120
He planted trees to provide shelter,
295
00:15:17,280 --> 00:15:19,600
imported the finest soil
296
00:15:19,760 --> 00:15:23,800
and added a special ingredient,
found here in plentiful supply...
297
00:15:23,960 --> 00:15:25,960
..seaweed.
298
00:15:26,120 --> 00:15:28,240
And it did the trick.
299
00:15:28,400 --> 00:15:32,480
Osgood loved to boast
about how big his crinodendrons were.
300
00:15:32,640 --> 00:15:38,600
By the time of his death in 1922,
he'd created an oasis of peace,
301
00:15:38,760 --> 00:15:41,280
here, in the Scottish Highlands.
302
00:15:42,840 --> 00:15:46,000
With a calm, zen-like feeling,
303
00:15:46,160 --> 00:15:49,760
I head north towards the narrow mouth
of Loch Ewe.
304
00:15:49,920 --> 00:15:53,200
Its natural deep water is sheltered
by the hills
305
00:15:53,360 --> 00:15:55,200
that run down to the shore,
306
00:15:55,360 --> 00:15:58,240
and it provides welcome respite
to shipping
307
00:15:58,400 --> 00:16:01,160
passing across the stormy
Atlantic Ocean.
308
00:16:01,320 --> 00:16:05,360
But there's a darker side
to this picture postcard place,
309
00:16:05,520 --> 00:16:08,520
one of violence, death and heroism.
310
00:16:13,240 --> 00:16:15,280
During the Second World War,
311
00:16:15,440 --> 00:16:18,160
this tranquil sea loch would play
a vital part
312
00:16:18,320 --> 00:16:23,000
in protecting merchant ships
from the menace of German U-boats.
313
00:16:24,440 --> 00:16:28,200
These wartime ruins once housed
enormous guns
314
00:16:28,360 --> 00:16:30,560
to protect the entrance to the loch,
315
00:16:30,720 --> 00:16:34,720
which was also mined and closed by
an anti-submarine boom
316
00:16:34,880 --> 00:16:37,000
stretched from headland to headland.
317
00:16:40,920 --> 00:16:45,480
This amazing film, shot secretly
at the start of the war,
318
00:16:45,640 --> 00:16:49,040
shows the extent
of the Loch Ewe defences.
319
00:16:50,480 --> 00:16:54,440
The Nazis were determined
to stop arms and vital supplies
320
00:16:54,600 --> 00:16:59,120
from reaching the Soviet ports
of Murmansk and Archangel.
321
00:16:59,280 --> 00:17:01,640
Protected by a fleet of war ships,
322
00:17:01,800 --> 00:17:05,480
the Arctic Convoys were crucial
to the Allied war effort.
323
00:17:05,640 --> 00:17:08,600
They left from Liverpool, the Clyde
324
00:17:08,760 --> 00:17:10,840
and here at Loch Ewe.
325
00:17:11,000 --> 00:17:15,480
By 1941, the whole area had become
one vast militarised zone
326
00:17:15,640 --> 00:17:19,000
with roadblocks
and documentation checks.
327
00:17:19,160 --> 00:17:21,880
So that only authorised personnel
could gain access.
328
00:17:25,360 --> 00:17:29,080
These derelict structures
are a tangible reminder
329
00:17:29,240 --> 00:17:32,240
of the importance of Loch Ewe
to the Allied victory.
330
00:17:34,200 --> 00:17:36,240
Making my way around the shore,
331
00:17:36,400 --> 00:17:39,560
I find myself suddenly transported
back in time.
332
00:17:42,480 --> 00:17:44,480
An RAF Spitfire buzzes above,
333
00:17:44,640 --> 00:17:48,040
while a Soviet tanks blasts
into the distance.
334
00:17:48,200 --> 00:17:50,920
Churchill rallies his troops
335
00:17:51,080 --> 00:17:53,760
while the Luftwaffe prepare
for attack.
336
00:17:56,840 --> 00:17:59,640
This bizarre version of the past
337
00:17:59,800 --> 00:18:02,520
is all part of
a World War II festival,
338
00:18:02,680 --> 00:18:06,000
a chance to celebrate victory
and remember the fallen.
339
00:18:07,520 --> 00:18:12,040
For former seaman Geoff Shelton,
this all brings back vivid memories.
340
00:18:12,200 --> 00:18:15,400
Geoff, you were the escort
for the merchant ships.
We were the escort, yes.
341
00:18:15,560 --> 00:18:17,040
How old were you?
18.
342
00:18:17,200 --> 00:18:19,440
Were you ever scared?
I was scared that first night.
343
00:18:19,600 --> 00:18:21,240
A swordfish came in
344
00:18:21,400 --> 00:18:24,840
and instead of landing on the ship,
it landed alongside it.
345
00:18:25,000 --> 00:18:28,520
And it sank immediately,
taking the pilot with him.
346
00:18:28,680 --> 00:18:31,680
And I watched this lad in the dingy.
347
00:18:31,840 --> 00:18:33,640
"Help, help, help!"
348
00:18:33,800 --> 00:18:37,200
And slowly, the hand came down
and the voice got weaker.
349
00:18:37,360 --> 00:18:40,960
We picked him up within 15 minutes
350
00:18:41,120 --> 00:18:42,840
and he was dead.
351
00:18:43,000 --> 00:18:44,800
Frozen to death.
352
00:18:47,000 --> 00:18:50,440
The convoy ships made 78 journeys
353
00:18:50,600 --> 00:18:53,480
at a cost of 3,000 lives.
354
00:18:53,640 --> 00:18:57,320
And the people of Loch Ewe have
never forgotten their sacrifice,
355
00:18:57,480 --> 00:19:01,560
and in particular,
the loss of one of those ships.
356
00:19:01,720 --> 00:19:04,440
It foundered here in Black Bay.
357
00:19:04,600 --> 00:19:07,440
73 years after it went down,
358
00:19:07,600 --> 00:19:11,560
the twisted wreckage of the lifeboats
from the William H Welch
359
00:19:11,720 --> 00:19:13,760
is still strewn on the shoreline.
360
00:19:15,920 --> 00:19:21,640
It was 4 o'clock in the morning
on 26 February 1944.
361
00:19:21,800 --> 00:19:25,320
The American troopship
was battling mountainous seas
362
00:19:25,480 --> 00:19:27,520
and violent winds.
363
00:19:27,680 --> 00:19:30,520
Blinded by squalls
of heavy snow and hail,
364
00:19:30,680 --> 00:19:34,000
the captain was desperately trying
to find the entrance to Loch Ewe,
365
00:19:34,160 --> 00:19:36,120
and shelter from the storm.
366
00:19:37,400 --> 00:19:39,680
There were over 70 men on board
that night
367
00:19:39,840 --> 00:19:43,960
when she struck a rocky skerry
just to the north-west of me, here.
368
00:19:44,120 --> 00:19:48,400
And then, as 50ft waves crashed
over the wheelhouse,
369
00:19:48,560 --> 00:19:51,440
the ship broke in two
and men were thrown
370
00:19:51,600 --> 00:19:55,960
into the tumultuous seas
and then dashed against the cliffs.
371
00:19:56,120 --> 00:19:58,680
62 lives were lost that night.
372
00:20:01,400 --> 00:20:04,160
Many tides have ebbed and flowed
since then.
373
00:20:04,320 --> 00:20:07,240
But remarkably, after 73 years,
374
00:20:07,400 --> 00:20:10,240
the battered wreck
of the William H Welch
375
00:20:10,400 --> 00:20:12,920
still lies beneath these waters.
376
00:20:13,080 --> 00:20:17,240
I've joined divers
John Carpenter and Kenny Munro,
377
00:20:17,400 --> 00:20:20,120
and local boatman Roto Maciver.
378
00:20:20,280 --> 00:20:23,040
You know where the wreck lies.
How do you know where she sank?
379
00:20:23,200 --> 00:20:24,680
ROTO: Just through local knowledge.
380
00:20:24,840 --> 00:20:27,720
We fish lobsters here a lot,
and you get rusty lobsters.
Rusty lobsters?
381
00:20:27,880 --> 00:20:29,400
Aye, they all come out covered in
rust.
382
00:20:29,560 --> 00:20:31,520
They've been under the metal plates.
Really?
383
00:20:31,680 --> 00:20:34,040
From the wreck itself?
Yes, and the crabs. Aye.
384
00:20:34,200 --> 00:20:35,920
So, that's how you knew
the wreck was here?
385
00:20:36,080 --> 00:20:38,160
Yeah, yeah.
'Cause you were lifting rusty
lobsters?
386
00:20:38,320 --> 00:20:40,000
Yeah, a-ha. Oh, yeah.
(BOTH LAUGH)
387
00:20:40,160 --> 00:20:42,200
What kind of depth of water
is she lying in just now?
388
00:20:42,360 --> 00:20:45,040
We're sitting in 12m to 13m
of water, so it's quite shallow.
389
00:20:45,200 --> 00:20:47,880
Normally, they get pretty well
broken up, don't they, Kenny?
Aye.
390
00:20:48,040 --> 00:20:51,280
A wreck at 12m, it would usually
smash to bits within 5-6 years.
A-ha.
391
00:20:51,440 --> 00:20:54,080
So, this is where the bough section
actually sank.
392
00:20:54,240 --> 00:20:56,040
So, we're going to dive on that,
393
00:20:56,200 --> 00:20:58,000
have a look around
and see what we can see.
394
00:20:58,160 --> 00:21:00,560
Because of the length of time
it took the ship to go down,
395
00:21:00,720 --> 00:21:04,160
it's believed that most of the crew
managed to get clear of the wreckage
396
00:21:04,320 --> 00:21:07,280
only to be claimed
by freezing temperatures,
397
00:21:07,440 --> 00:21:09,240
or thrown onto the rocks.
398
00:21:09,400 --> 00:21:13,080
That's why this site is not classed
as a war grave.
399
00:21:13,240 --> 00:21:16,280
This is very much
for the experienced diver.
400
00:21:16,440 --> 00:21:17,640
(GRUNTS)
401
00:21:17,800 --> 00:21:21,240
So, I'm going to be snorkelling
on the surface
402
00:21:21,400 --> 00:21:24,480
while the others plunge
to the depths of the loch.
403
00:21:29,040 --> 00:21:32,240
Searching the seabed for fragments
of wreckage is hampered
404
00:21:32,400 --> 00:21:34,200
by thick seaweed.
405
00:21:37,080 --> 00:21:40,240
But John spots something...
406
00:21:42,200 --> 00:21:45,360
..some twisted metal
hidden under the sand.
407
00:21:49,680 --> 00:21:53,680
And then, a remarkable discovery.
408
00:21:53,840 --> 00:21:57,040
73 years after she met her fate,
409
00:21:57,200 --> 00:22:00,000
this is the William H Welch.
410
00:22:02,400 --> 00:22:06,960
And amazingly, much of the bough
is intact.
411
00:22:10,920 --> 00:22:13,040
So, what was it like inside?
412
00:22:13,200 --> 00:22:15,480
(PANTS) Quite dark and eerie.
I can imagine. (LAUGHS)
413
00:22:15,640 --> 00:22:18,440
It was a wee bit eerie
when you're inside.
414
00:22:18,600 --> 00:22:21,040
Broken piece of the hull.
415
00:22:21,200 --> 00:22:22,800
It was worthwhile getting cold for.
416
00:22:22,960 --> 00:22:24,800
Very worthwhile.
Yeah, 'cause it's freezing.
417
00:22:25,960 --> 00:22:29,680
It's hard to believe
how anyone could have survived this,
418
00:22:29,840 --> 00:22:32,440
but astonishingly, 12 men did.
419
00:22:32,600 --> 00:22:37,040
And they owed their lives
to the locals who ran to the rescue.
420
00:22:37,200 --> 00:22:39,720
One of them was a 12-year-old boy,
421
00:22:39,880 --> 00:22:43,440
who set off across the moorland
in a howling gale.
422
00:22:43,600 --> 00:22:46,000
His name is John Murdo Mackenzie.
423
00:22:46,160 --> 00:22:49,120
What was the scene that they were
confronted with? What did they see?
424
00:22:49,280 --> 00:22:53,280
Just all the wreckage in the sea,
on the...on the shore.
425
00:22:53,440 --> 00:22:56,360
And the oil, lifeboats.
A-ha.
426
00:22:56,520 --> 00:22:59,800
All kinds of things.
Those two lifeboats are still there.
427
00:22:59,960 --> 00:23:03,640
They're still there. There were
three lifeboats, actually, there.
428
00:23:03,800 --> 00:23:05,640
That's all that's left of them now.
429
00:23:05,800 --> 00:23:08,840
Were they used at all?
No, they were never used.
430
00:23:09,000 --> 00:23:12,960
No, they never got that chance to
use them. They were washed off.
431
00:23:13,120 --> 00:23:15,920
And people that lost their lives,
they were lying just at the...
432
00:23:16,080 --> 00:23:17,720
A-ha.
Where the sea had left them.
433
00:23:17,880 --> 00:23:19,720
The dead bodies had been washed in,
here?
434
00:23:19,880 --> 00:23:23,080
Yeah, that's right.
And what assistance did
the local people manage to bring?
435
00:23:23,240 --> 00:23:26,200
Blankets, and everything
they could lay their hands on.
436
00:23:26,360 --> 00:23:32,160
Flasks of tea and candles,
some stuff to light a fire. (LAUGHS)
437
00:23:32,320 --> 00:23:34,120
Really? What, to try
and keep them warm?
438
00:23:34,280 --> 00:23:37,400
Yes. Yes, that was the main thing.
'Cause this was the middle of
winter.
439
00:23:37,560 --> 00:23:40,720
We've got some photographs, here.
Are these some of the survivors?
440
00:23:40,880 --> 00:23:42,960
Yes.
They look so young, don't they?
441
00:23:43,120 --> 00:23:45,640
Yeah.
So, this is Russell Ross?
442
00:23:45,800 --> 00:23:48,880
In 2005, Russell Ross returned
to the spot
443
00:23:49,040 --> 00:23:51,360
where he very nearly died.
444
00:23:51,520 --> 00:23:53,960
Was this the first time
he'd come back?
The first time, yes.
445
00:23:54,120 --> 00:23:56,680
He was all those years,
446
00:23:56,840 --> 00:23:59,240
and he'd never told his wife,
or his family
447
00:23:59,400 --> 00:24:02,720
that he was in a shipwreck in the
Highlands until he came up here.
448
00:24:02,880 --> 00:24:05,120
Really? It left such a scar?
Yeah.
449
00:24:05,280 --> 00:24:09,480
And he said that a load came off
his shoulders.
450
00:24:11,080 --> 00:24:14,040
Before we leave,
John Murdo pays his tribute
451
00:24:14,200 --> 00:24:17,480
to the men this community
have never forgotten.
452
00:24:22,880 --> 00:24:24,600
Leaving Loch Ewe,
453
00:24:24,760 --> 00:24:28,440
I head to one of Scotland's
most intriguing destinations.
454
00:24:32,600 --> 00:24:36,720
This is the mysterious
and sacred Loch Maree.
455
00:24:38,640 --> 00:24:43,760
Its 28 square kilometres
contain more than 60 islands.
456
00:24:43,920 --> 00:24:46,920
It's also home to, possibly,
one of the world's
457
00:24:47,080 --> 00:24:50,840
best-known landmarks -
in name, anyway.
458
00:24:52,680 --> 00:24:55,520
These are the famous Victoria Falls,
459
00:24:55,680 --> 00:24:59,120
which, I have to say,
are just a wee bit disappointing,
460
00:24:59,280 --> 00:25:02,400
for they hardly compare
with the great African falls
461
00:25:02,560 --> 00:25:04,160
of the same name.
462
00:25:04,320 --> 00:25:07,920
But at least Queen Victoria actually
came here and saw them.
463
00:25:08,080 --> 00:25:10,960
And as for the views
of Loch Maree and the islands,
464
00:25:11,120 --> 00:25:12,640
well, they're just breathtaking.
465
00:25:15,360 --> 00:25:18,280
Not everyone came here
to enjoy the scenery.
466
00:25:18,440 --> 00:25:20,760
These are sacred waters,
467
00:25:20,920 --> 00:25:24,640
and many pilgrims travelled here
for Loch Maree's healing powers.
468
00:25:27,360 --> 00:25:30,840
It's named after a seventh-century
Irish monk, Saint Maelrubha,
469
00:25:31,000 --> 00:25:35,320
also known as Saint Maree,
who was remarkably successful
470
00:25:35,480 --> 00:25:38,760
in converting the local people
to Christianity.
471
00:25:40,600 --> 00:25:45,200
Historian Ceri Houlbrook has taken
a special interest
472
00:25:45,360 --> 00:25:47,360
in the life
of the loch's patron saint,
473
00:25:47,520 --> 00:25:49,960
and, in particular,
the little wooded island
474
00:25:50,120 --> 00:25:52,240
known as Eilean Maree.
475
00:25:52,400 --> 00:25:54,400
CERI HOULBROOK:
It's said to be the eye of the loch,
476
00:25:54,560 --> 00:25:57,160
even though it's not technically
at the very centre.
477
00:25:57,320 --> 00:25:59,000
It does feel like it is,
478
00:25:59,160 --> 00:26:01,480
erm, and you can understand
why St Maree chose
479
00:26:01,640 --> 00:26:03,680
to build his hermitage
on that island.
480
00:26:03,840 --> 00:26:06,560
Special place.
It is a special place, definitely.
481
00:26:11,600 --> 00:26:15,200
It's thought that St Maree's success
in converting so many
482
00:26:15,360 --> 00:26:18,840
was due to his tolerance
toward certain pagan rituals,
483
00:26:19,000 --> 00:26:23,560
including animal sacrifice
and other strange customs.
484
00:26:23,720 --> 00:26:26,160
People have been buried here
for centuries and centuries.
485
00:26:26,320 --> 00:26:27,800
Yeah.
486
00:26:27,960 --> 00:26:30,800
On this island,
where he built his chapel
487
00:26:30,960 --> 00:26:35,240
there's a remarkable example
of one such practice.
488
00:26:38,280 --> 00:26:40,120
And this is the famous money tree?
489
00:26:40,280 --> 00:26:42,000
This is the famous money tree.
490
00:26:42,160 --> 00:26:44,960
So, what's the purpose
of leaving money here
491
00:26:45,120 --> 00:26:46,840
and pushing coins into the bark?
492
00:26:47,000 --> 00:26:50,560
Originally, it was seen as a cure
for, er, mental illnesses.
493
00:26:50,720 --> 00:26:52,400
Er, so, what they called insanity.
494
00:26:52,560 --> 00:26:56,120
The patient would be bound with rope
and placed in a rowing boat.
Mm-hm.
495
00:26:56,280 --> 00:26:59,720
And then, they'd be rowed
around the island three times,
496
00:26:59,880 --> 00:27:03,760
erm, dunked
into the loch three times, yes.
497
00:27:03,920 --> 00:27:05,640
That's a brutal treatment.
Yes.
498
00:27:05,800 --> 00:27:08,240
And there was, originally,
a holy well here.
Mm-hm.
499
00:27:08,400 --> 00:27:09,920
At the base of the tree,
500
00:27:10,080 --> 00:27:12,200
the patient would be made
to drink some water from it,
501
00:27:12,360 --> 00:27:14,800
and then leave their offering
to the saint
502
00:27:14,960 --> 00:27:17,800
by placing a coin on the tree,
503
00:27:17,960 --> 00:27:22,160
or, tying a rag, a strip of clothing
to the tree itself.
504
00:27:22,320 --> 00:27:23,920
What's the thought process
behind that?
505
00:27:24,080 --> 00:27:26,280
It was believed
that whatever clothing you wore
506
00:27:26,440 --> 00:27:28,400
contained what illness
you were suffering from.
507
00:27:28,560 --> 00:27:32,000
Oh, I see. So, the patient's illness
would be transferred onto the tree.
508
00:27:32,160 --> 00:27:35,680
Yes. Yeah, so that would leave
the person cured,
509
00:27:35,840 --> 00:27:38,520
and the tree would take
the brunt of the disease.
510
00:27:38,680 --> 00:27:41,840
(LAUGHS) It certainly has taken the
brunt of many diseases, hasn't it?
Yes.
511
00:27:42,000 --> 00:27:45,080
Because this one has withered away
to nothing and it is just sticks now.
512
00:27:45,240 --> 00:27:47,880
Yes, a lot of illness.
513
00:27:48,040 --> 00:27:50,800
One of these coins
belongs to Queen Victoria,
514
00:27:50,960 --> 00:27:53,920
who made the pilgrimage in 1877.
515
00:27:55,280 --> 00:27:57,640
Though I don't imagine
that, here, in the shadow
516
00:27:57,800 --> 00:28:02,720
of the mighty Slioch, she was tied up
and dunked in the sacred waters.
517
00:28:02,880 --> 00:28:06,120
But to take the plunge
in this freezing loch,
518
00:28:06,280 --> 00:28:08,440
you'd have to be mad.
519
00:28:10,200 --> 00:28:12,600
Luckily, I know a cure for that.
520
00:28:12,760 --> 00:28:15,360
Oh, it's lovely! (YELPS)
521
00:28:15,520 --> 00:28:17,640
I can't think of a better way
522
00:28:17,800 --> 00:28:23,440
to end my grand tour from Gairloch
to Slioch than here,
523
00:28:23,600 --> 00:28:25,840
in glorious Loch Maree.
524
00:28:28,920 --> 00:28:32,920
My next adventure takes me
to the wilds of Rannoch
525
00:28:33,080 --> 00:28:37,600
and another chilly swim,
where I discover the power of water.
526
00:28:37,760 --> 00:28:40,760
Captions by Red Bee Media
(c) SBS Australia 2019
43747
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