All language subtitles for Aerial.Britain.Series.1.4of4.Scotland.1080p.HDTV.x264.AAC.MVGroup.org.eng

In the north of britain

Lies a land of epic grandeur
and enduring legend.

A place of soaring peaks
shrouded in mist and snow,

Of rugged glens that have known
war and tragedy,

Eerie lakes that may conceal
monsters and phantom spirits,

Where mysteries of
the ancient past are revealed,

And the unnerving secrets
of more recent times

Still lie buried.

The home of the boy
who never grew up.

The land where braveheart
battled a powerful enemy.

The birthplace
of legends of rock,

Giants of steel,

And a mechanical marvel
like no other.

[train whistle blows]

A country where golfers
can end up in hell,

Or young princes
find romantic bliss.

Where tradition is being
given a new twist,

And the future is being shaped.

A people proud of their
history and culture

And determined to keep
that spirit alive.

This is scotland...

As you have never
seen it before.

♪♪

♪♪

There are many ways to take in
the wonders of scotland.

But retired airline pilot
sant cervantes

Must surely have
one of the most serene.

Instead of the noisy
passenger jets he once flew,

He now takes to the skies
in his single seat glider.

Once freed from the tow plane,

Sant can quietly soar above
the scottish countryside

At altitudes of
up to 13,000 feet.

Today he is taking in the sights
around loch leven,

One of scotland's most popular
nature reserves.

Sant has covered distances
of over 600 miles

In a single flight,

And he recently stayed in the
air for a remarkable 15 hours.

♪♪

He says gliding is
similar to surfing,

But instead of waves,
he's riding updrafts of air.

♪♪

Sant finds freedom here;

But for one famous queen,
loch leven was a prison.

♪♪

On a tiny island in the loch

Stands the remains
of a medieval castle.

In 1567, it played host
to an illustrious prisoner,

Mary queen of scots.

Taken here by scottish noblemen
following an uprising,

Mary spent most of her captivity

In the great and gloomy
glassin tower,

Where she complained
there was not a fit bed

Or "any article proper
for one of her rank."

While there, mary was
forced to abdicate

In favor of
her infant son james.

After being held for 10 months,

She took advantage of
her captors' drunkenness

During a may day party
to escape across the lake.

She later fled to England,
never to return to scotland.

But queen elizabeth I saw mary
as a threat to her power,

And in 1587, she was tried
and executed.

♪♪

Mary's lonely prison on
loch leven is less than 20 miles

North of scotland's
capital city, edinburgh.

♪♪

People have been drawn
to this dramatic landscape

Carved from an ancient
extinct volcano

Since as far back as 8,500 bc.

Situated on the estuary
of the river forth,

Today edinburgh is home
to around half a million people.

Robert louis stevenson,
the author of treasure island ,

Once described his native city

As "a dream in masonry
and living rock."

Edinburgh is built on
seven hills, just like rome.

And like rome it is famed
for its glorious architecture.

It has more buildings
listed for preservation

Than any other city
in the world.

The historic fortress
of edinburgh castle

Towers on a rock over 250 feet
above the metropolis.

There has been a royal castle
on this spot

Since at least the reign
of david I in the 12th century.

Innovation, invention
and creativity

Have always been the watchwords
of edinburgh.

It was the first city in the
world to have a fire brigade.

And it was the birthplace

Of some of the world's
greatest scientists.

[applause]

Every August it plays host
to the edinburgh fringe,

The world's biggest
arts festival.

Musicians, dancers,
actors, and comedians

Come from around the globe

To perform at over 300 venues
across the city.

Along the royal mile,
the ancient cobbled street

That winds its way through
the heart of the city,

Street performers vie for space

With those trying every trick in
the book to promote their shows.

Flying high theatre company
is here

With their play dear lucy ,

Telling the story of
the women left at home

When their loved ones went
to fight in world war I.

Up the street,
corey picket from australia

Is using his circus skills
to entertain the crowds.

His energetic
and eccentric shows

Captivate young and old alike.

[applause]

Not far away,
a towering spire commemorates

Another captivating individual:

The writer sir walter scott.

Born here in edinburgh
almost 250 years ago,

Scott enthralled readers

With his tales of adventure
and romance,

Including the classic novels
rob roy and ivanhoe .

In his lifetime, scott became
a much-loved national icon.

This dark gothic tower
was completed in 1844,

12 years after scott's death.

It contains numerous sculptures

Of characters from
his many books.

At its base, scott himself
is immortalized

In gleaming white marble, his
beloved dog maida by his side.

Those with the stamina
can climb 287 steps

Up a narrow spiral staircase
to the top of the monument

And be rewarded with magnificent
views of the city below.

But nowhere offers better views
of edinburgh

Than the 350 million-year-old
arthur's seat,

A place of myth
and strange tales.

No one is quite sure
how it got its name,

But some ancient chronicles tell

That it was the location
of camelot,

The legendary kingdom
of king arthur

And his noble knights.

In 1836, five boys hunting
for rabbits on the hill

Found a set of 17 tiny coffins

Containing small
clothed wooden figures.

A forgotten ancient ritual?

A sinister work of witchcraft?

The true purpose has remained
a puzzle ever since.

But there is no mystery
as to why people are drawn

To the summit of
this ancient hill.

♪♪

[birds chirping]

Even further from
the bustle of the city,

Deep in a forest in perthshire,

Something a little unusual
is going on.

♪♪

Finlay wilson and his friend,

Former professional dancer
alan lambie,

Are here to practice
forest yoga.

But these boys have chosen
to swap sweatpants

For more patriotic attire.

♪♪

Finlay came up with the idea
in 2017,

And since then,
videos of his kilted yoga

Have made him
an internet sensation.

He believes passionately
in the power of yoga

For physical and
mental wellbeing.

With over ten years' experience
under his belt,

He is now able to achieve
the most difficult positions,

Helped no doubt
by the roomy nature

Of scotland's national dress.

♪♪

Patriotic feelings
run deep in scotland.

Overlooking
the city of stirling,

On the banks of the forth river,
stands an imposing monument

To a scottish national hero,
william wallace,

Better known to millions
of moviegoers as braveheart.

Over 700 years ago,

He united many of scotland's
fractious clans

To resist an invasion
by edward I of England,

A king so tyrannical, he was
known as "malleus scotorum,"

The hammer of the scots.

Wallace's uprising
marked the beginning

Of the first war
of scottish independence

Which would last
for over 30 years.

In 1297, just a stone's throw
from this spot,

Wallace and his men took on

One of the most powerful
english armies

Ever to set foot in scotland.

As the english forces attempted
to cross the forth river,

The rebels stormed forward,

Their spears leveled
at the enemy.

[men yelling, swords clanging]

Thousands of english troops
were slaughtered,

And the river is said
to have run red with blood.

For the scots, their victory
at the battle of stirling bridge

Was one of their most glorious;

For the english,
a humiliating defeat.

In mel gibson's oscar-winning
movie braveheart ,

The battle is one
of the main set pieces.

But in gibson's version there
is no bridge and no river!

But hey, that's hollywood.

In the wake of wallace's defeat
at the battle of falkirk,

Another figure emerged
who would eventually secure

Scottish independence:
Robert the bruce.

For years bruce waged
a relentless guerrilla war

Against the english.

King edward ii was determined to
deal with the troublesome rebel,

And in 1314 he marched north
to stirling castle.

Bruce and edward's armies met

In the shadow
of the great fortress,

At a place called bannockburn.

And here, the scots won
a crushing victory

Over their english oppressors.

It took another 14 years
for the english

To recognize scotland's
full independence.

Bruce had achieved
his lifetime struggle.

He died the following year
in 1329.

For centuries after his death,

The exact whereabouts

Of king robert's
final resting place

Was a mystery.

Then, in 1818, workmen made
an extraordinary discovery

At dunfermline abbey, less than
20 miles from stirling.

Inside a vault,
they found a skeleton

Wrapped in a golden shroud:

The remains of robert the bruce.

The body was re-interred
with fitting pomp and ceremony,

And mounted in stone
on the abbey's tower

Were the four simple words:
King robert the bruce.

♪♪

For over eight centuries, all of
scotland's monarchs were crowned

Here near the village of scone.

Today, the site is dominated

By the grand edifice
of scone palace,

But this is not where
the coronations took place.

A short distance away is a
grassy mound known as moot hill.

It was home to a pedestal
like this one:

A sacred stone said to be
the pillow jacob rested on

When, according to the bible,
he beheld a vision of angels.

This was where the monarch stood
to receive their crown.

The stone that now stands here
is a replica.

In 1296, edward I of England

Took the original
from its resting place

And brought it to
london's westminster abbey,

Where it would remain
for nearly 700 years.

Then, on christmas day 1950,
the stone suddenly vanished.

It would be several months

Before the mystery of
its disappearance was solved.

[peacock squawks]

♪♪

The medieval abbey of arbroath
on scotland's northeast coast

Was once the country's
richest religious house.

Its magnificent red
sandstone ruins

Still echo with
ancient splendor.

On the morning of
the 11th of April, 1951,

The abbey's custodians made
an unusual discovery.

On the site of the high altar,
wrapped inside a scottish flag,

They found a large
rectangular stone:

The stone of scone.

Some scottish students
later confessed

To having stolen the stone
from westminster.

By choosing to leave it here
in arbroath abbey,

They were making a powerful
political statement.

Because in 1320, when the scots
were in the midst

Of their bitter struggle
against english rule,

A group of nobles had come
to this very place

To make a solemn declaration.

They proclaimed that scotland
was an independent country

That cherished freedom
above all else.

"so long as a hundred of us
remain alive,

We shall never surrender.

It is in truth
not for glory, nor riches,

Nor honor that we are fighting,
but for freedom alone,

Which no honest man will
give up but with life itself."

Some 450 years later,

The declaration of arbroath
would inspire

One of the most famous
assertions of freedom,

Human rights and
self-determination ever written:

The american declaration
of independence.

And the stone of scone?

Officially returned to scotland
in 1996,

It is now held
in edinburgh castle.

♪♪

Scotland has its heroes
and legends of the past,

But it also has some
present-day ones.

This is dunblane sports club,
north of stirling,

And this is where andy murray
first wielded a tennis racket.

Murray was only three
when his mother judy

First took him here to play.

By the time he was eight,

He was playing adults
in the district league.

17 years on from that, in 2012,
he won the u.S. Open,

And a year later became
the first british winner

Of the wimbledon men's singles
title in 77 years.

Judy still comes
to the club to play,

And when he's in town,
andy himself often drops by

To give the kids
some helpful pointers.

Who knows, a tennis superstar
of the future

Could be playing here today.

Murray has contributed
to the town in other ways.

In 2013, he bought the nearby
cromlix house hotel

And re-opened it a year later
as a five-star destination.

It was the venue for his wedding
to kim sears in 2015.

It has of course got
a tennis court,

Where staff members
caitlin swart

And brice lacharnay vechere
like nothing better

Than getting in a few games
on their break time.

♪♪

Although andy murray
grew up in dunblane,

He was actually born

In scotland's biggest city,
glasgow.

For many years
it had a reputation

As a rough, tough
and dangerous town,

But has now reinvented itself as
a vigorous and happening place.

Reputed to have been founded by
st. Mungo in the 6th century,

Glasgow grew from being
a small settlement

On the banks of the river clyde

To being one of the engine rooms
of the industrial revolution.

Scotland was once
the shipbuilder to the world,

And the heart of the industry

Was here on the south bank
of the clyde.

In the early 1900s,

One fifth of all ships launched
worldwide were built here.

A giant crane still stands
on queens dock as a symbol

Of the city's proud shipping
and engineering heritage.

The finnieston crane
was erected in 1932.

It was used to load the heaviest
cargo, like locomotives,

For export around the world.

With the decline
of shipbuilding,

Large areas of glasgow's
docklands became derelict,

But now gleaming modern
architecture has taken the place

Of the abandoned wharves
and shipyards.

The scottish event campus
is home

To two visually striking venues.

Originally called
"the clyde auditorium,"

For obvious reasons

This eye-catching building
has become better known

By its nickname,
"the armadillo."

It was envisioned
by its designers

As an interlocking series
of ships' hulls,

To reflect the city's
shipbuilding heritage.

The sse hydro is one of
the busiest venues in the world.

It was officially opened
in 2013,

With a concert by singing legend
and proud son of a scot,

Sir rod stewart.

Like many buildings designed

By world-renowned architect
zaha hadid,

The riverside museum can only be
truly appreciated from above.

Its wave-like design
was inspired

By glasgow's maritime history.

The building is home
to the museum of transport,

Its main hall dominated
by a mighty locomotive

Manufactured in the city

For south african railways
in the 1940s.

Moored here out front
is the glenlee,

A steel-hulled three-masted
tall ship built here in 1896--

Another reminder of this city's
historic legacy.

♪♪

But the shipyards produced
more than just ships.

In 2017, three murals appeared
at locations around glasgow

To celebrate the 75th birthday

Of the city's favorite
living son, sir billy connolly.

These days he's a world famous
comedian and actor,

Well-known for roles in movies
like "the hobbit" and "brave."

A far cry from
his humble beginnings

As an apprentice welder
in a local shipyard,

Where his workmates'
merciless humor

Inspired his love of comedy.

It was the beginning
of a journey

That would make him
an international star,

And what many have called

The biggest scottish export
after whisky.

When connolly himself saw
the murals for the first time,

He could only say that he was
flabbergasted, overjoyed,

And profoundly moved
by the honor.

But these aren't the only
unexpected artworks

To be found in glasgow.

In the east end district
of cranhill,

A series of wire sculptures
stand guard

At the base of
an old water tower.

Created by artist andy scott
in 2001,

The sculptures draw inspiration
from water and the sea,

Representing
mythological figures

Like the greek god poseidon,
and the sirens,

Whose enchanting song lured
sailors to their death

On the rocks.

The water tower itself dominates
the skyline of cranhill,

A housing project originally
built in the 1950s.

During that decade
two brothers were born here

Who would set
the rock world alight.

Malcolm and angus young spent
their early childhood

In cranhill before the family
moved to australia.

There, in 1973, they formed
the now legendary ac/dc.

A year later, they recruited
a new lead singer

Who also happened to have
strong scottish ties.

In fact, he had spent the first
six years of his life

Less than a hundred miles
from cranhill,

In the small town of kirriemuir.

Bon scott helped propel ac/dc
to global stardom,

Before his tragic death in 1980
at the age of just 33.

Diehard fan john crawford
and his friends

Organized for a bronze statue
of scott

To be erected in the town
in 2016.

It was completely funded by fans
from across the world.

John is also a founder
of bonfest,

Which has grown from
humble beginnings in 2010

To a three-day event

Attracting around 15,000 people
to the town every year.

♪♪

Bon scott never grew old,
and in that way,

He resembles a world-famous
fictional character

Who has his origins here
in kirriemuir.

Author j.M. Barrie was born
in this house,

And drew on his childhood
in kirriemuir

To create the world
of neverland,

And his beloved hero, peter pan,
the boy who refused to grow up.

Barrie based the character
on his older brother david,

Who died in
an ice skating accident

The day before
his 14th birthday.

In a garden to the rear
of the house,

A statue of peter pan

Celebrates this symbol
of eternal childhood.

In creating his fantasy world,

J.M. Barrie found folklore
a rich source of inspiration,

Just as it is for scotland's
modern-day artists.

At the eastern entrance
to the clyde and forth canal,

West of edinburgh, are two
mighty steel sculptures

Named in honor of mythical water
spirits known as "kelpies."

These malevolent creatures
were said to inhabit

Scotland's rivers and lochs,

And would appear as horses,
but could also adopt human form.

Standing nearly 100 feet high,

The sculptures were created
as a monument

To the role horses played

In the agricultural
and industrial heritage

Of the country.

Since 2013, the nightly
spectacle of the shifting colors

Of the illuminated kelpies
has captivated all who see it.

Like the mythical creatures
whose name they share,

They appear to take on
a new and entrancing form.

♪♪

A few miles inland
along the canal,

There is a wonder
of modern engineering:

The world's only
rotating boat lift.

The falkirk wheel
uses principles

Set out by the greek
mathematician archimedes

More than 2,000 years ago.

The boat lift links
the forth and clyde canal

With the union canal
almost 80 feet above.

In previous years, boats had
to use a series of 11 locks

That stepped from one canal
to the other,

And a day's work was required
to negotiate the maneuver.

Now the transition can be
achieved in a matter of minutes.

When one boat is lowered
by the apparatus,

The other boat
automatically rises.

And thanks to
the laws of physics,

It's all achieved with
the same amount of energy

Required to boil eight
household kettles.

♪♪

♪♪

A much earlier
engineering marvel

Spans the estuary of
the river forth to the east.

The forth rail bridge
connecting fife and edinburgh

Was completed in 1890.

And since that time
its striking red color

And uncompromising
industrial aesthetic

Have made it a much-loved icon
of scotland.

Over 8,000 feet long,

The bridge was the first major
structure in britain

To be constructed of steel

And took almost
eight years to build.

♪♪

Now a unesco
world heritage site,

The bridge still carries
200 trains per day

Over the firth of forth.

Although two impressive road
bridges have been added since,

The most recent opened by
queen elizabeth in 2017,

It's hard to imagine either ever
supplanting the rail bridge

In the nation's affections.

♪♪

And if you want to toast
your affections,

What better way than
with a wee dram

Of scotland's national drink?

♪♪

Pure water from
crystal-clear streams

Is where the story of
scotch whisky begins.

When malted barley is added,
the magic starts to happen.

Hidden away in a quiet glen
in perthshire

Is a whisky distillery

That claims to be
the oldest in scotland.

Andrew robinson is lining up
the handmade oak casks

That are used to mature
the whiskey

For a minimum of three years.

Andrew only started
working here recently,

But being a whisky lover,
he feels right at home.

Glenturret, which was
established in 1775,

Has its origins with
illicit still operators

Who used this secluded spot

To keep away from the prying
eyes of the tax collectors.

They even took to distilling
their whisky at night

To avoid being found, giving
rise to the term "moonshine."

Nowadays, the fine whiskies
made at places like glenturret

Are one of scotland's
biggest revenue earners.

In 2017, over 1.2 billion
bottles were exported worldwide;

That's nearly 40 bottles
every second.

Traditionally
at scottish weddings,

Couples share whisky
from a "loving cup"

As a sign of trust and fidelity.

One place just north
of the english border

Has seen more than its
fair share of weddings.

Gordon and ami brough,

Like countless other couples
before them,

Came to the little village
of gretna green

To exchange their vows.

The tradition began
in the mid 18th century

When strict new marriage laws
relating to age

And parental consent were
introduced in England.

Those hopelessly in love
began to elope here

Because of scotland's
far more relaxed rules.

All that was then required
was a simple declaration

In front of two witnesses.

But with the father of the bride
often in hot pursuit,

There was no time to waste.

The blacksmith's shop was
the first building reached,

And so it was here

That the star-crossed lovers
tied the knot.

It was said that like
the metals he forged,

The blacksmith joined couples
in the heat of the moment,

But bound them for eternity.

Every year, around 5,000 couples
from all over the world

Still make the journey
to gretna green to marry,

Drawn here by its history
and romantic allure.

♪♪

Young love often blossoms
at university.

The town of st. Andrew's on the
east coast of the fife peninsula

Is home to the third
oldest university

In the english-speaking world.

In 2001, a shy 19-year-old
came here

To study the history of art.

Known to his fellow students
as steve,

He stayed in st. Salvator's
hall of residence.

Also lodging there was
a young woman called kate,

And it wasn't long before
they caught each other's eye.

This would have been
a college romance like any other

Were it not for the fact
that the young man

Was none other than
prince william,

Second in line
to the british throne,

And his beloved
was kate middleton.

Shortly before their wedding
in 2011,

The couple returned
to st. Andrews

To launch the university's
600th anniversary celebrations.

♪♪

Tradition is important here,

And students in their
distinctive undergraduate gowns

Are a common sight
around st. Andrews.

Oliver roberts,
who is studying history,

Is the first person from his
family to attend the college,

While bao-chau pham came here
from austria in 2014

To undertake a degree
in international relations.

In fact, almost half
of the students here

Come to this prestigious
university from overseas.

♪♪

St. Andrew's is, of course, even
better known as the birthplace

Of one of the world's
favorite sports.

Known as the home of golf,

The royal and ancient is
the oldest club in the world.

Golf originated on these links
in the 15th century,

And the very first 18-hole game
was played here in 1764.

Keeping the old course
in tip-top condition

Means a very early start
for the numerous ground staff.

♪♪

Golf wouldn't be golf
without bunkers,

And there are 112 dotted
around this course.

When tiger woods won
the british open here in 2000,

He famously avoided
hitting a single one

During the whole championship.

One of the most notorious

Is the appropriately named
hell bunker on the 14th.

Ending up in this
7-foot-deep trap

Has ended the dreams of many
a pro and amateur alike.

♪♪

To get to the 18th hole here,

You must walk across
the 700-year-old swilcan bridge,

An image familiar to every
golf fan in the world.

This is where, during
the 2005 british open,

Jack nicklaus, one of the
sport's most legendary players,

Waved his last goodbye
to the game

In front of thousands
of cheering spectators.

St. Andrews has played host
to the open championship

On no fewer than 29 occasions,

And for lovers of the game,
walking these storied fairways

Puts them in touch
with that rich history.

♪♪

The bunkers of st. Andrews
may be fearsome,

But just a few miles
from the town

There is a bunker that once
held far greater dread.

Military hardware
and a surface-to-air missile

Is not what you would
expect to see

Outside a scottish
country house.

But this is no ordinary house.

It's actually the entrance point
to an underground complex,

Which for over 40 years
was classified as top secret.

During the dark days
of the cold war,

The threat of
nuclear annihilation

Loomed large over the world.

In the event of a nuclear strike
on britain,

It was from here that scotland
would have been governed.

Originally built in 1951,

The bunker is one hundred feet
below ground

And split over two levels, each
larger than a football field.

It could accommodate
300 personnel,

And as well as
a nuclear command center,

It housed radar interception
equipment, weapons storage,

And a broadcasting studio
staffed by the bbc.

[alarm sounds]

If an attack was imminent,

All other tv and radio channels
would be taken off air,

Leaving just
the emergency channel

To alert people to
the approaching terror.

[rumbling]

Scotland's spectacular
northern coastline

Feels a long way removed
from the threat of war.

Duncansby head lighthouse marks
the most northeasterly point

Of the british mainland,

Almost 880 miles from land's end
in the southwest of England.

Just beyond here are islands
that hold many secrets;

Secrets which are slowly
being unearthed

And rewriting the history books.

The orkneys are made up
of over 70 islands.

Although 20 are inhabited,

Most of the population
of about 22,000

Live on the largest island,
known as the mainland.

The people of the new stone age

Settled here around
6,000 years ago,

And the remnants
of the vibrant culture

That subsequently flourished
on the island

Are scattered all around.

Skara brae on the island's
west coast

Is a 5,000-year-old settlement

That has been called
the scottish pompeii.

This incredible window
into the lives of the ancients

Was only discovered in 1850,

When a severe storm stripped
the earth from the site.

Each house shares
the same basic design:

A single large room fitted
with stone-built cupboards,

Dressers and beds, all laid out
around a square hearth.

Here, the inhabitants would
gather about the fire

During orkney's
long, dark winters.

The broch of gurness is
a later settlement

On the island's northeast coast,
dating from around 500 bc.

At its center is a broch,
or stone tower.

It would probably have
originally reached

A height of around 30 feet

And was most likely inhabited

By the principal family or clan
of the area.

The entire settlement
may have been home

To as many as 40 families.

♪♪

But what has really excited
archaeologists and historians

In recent years can be found
on this narrow strip of land

Separating two lochs
on the island.

The ness of brodgar,
as it's known,

Has been described as
the greatest neolithic treasure

Of western europe.

Excavations reveal
that over 4,000 years ago

The inhabitants held
a great banquet here.

Bones found on the site
show that they slaughtered

Some 600 cattle for the feast.

Gary shafto is among those
seeking to unravel the mystery.

He's one of the volunteers
who, since 2003,

Have been helping archaeologists

Map and excavate
the six-acre site.

They have unearthed
a huge temple complex,

Parts of which were constructed
more than 5,000 years ago.

As well as bones, numerous
tools, painted ceramics,

And elegantly made pottery
have been uncovered.

The sophistication and
complexity of what they've found

Indicate that this remote spot

Was an ancient center
of innovation.

Intriguingly, evidence suggests
that after the great feast

The complex was abandoned

And forgotten for over
4,000 years, until now.

Some cultural artifacts, though,
demand to be seen and heard.

[engine revving]

The aston martin is synonymous
with james bond.

Various models of the car
have been driven by 007

In no fewer than 12 movies.

Bond's association with scotland
runs deep.

The first actor
to play him on film

Was edinburgh-born acting legend
sir sean connery.

In 2012's skyfall , bond races
his silver aston martin

Through the scottish highlands
to his ancestral home,

Here in the spectacular
glencoe valley.

Glencoe is a place
of bleak beauty.

But come the winter snows,
it can be fierce and forbidding.

♪♪

It was on a day such as this

That tragedy struck
this remote spot.

Over 300 years ago,
the valley was home

To the lawless macdonald clan.

They, like other highland clans,

Were seen as a possible threat
to the regime in london.

On the night of
February the 13th, 1692,

While a blizzard howled,

Government troops attacked
the families as they slept.

38 people were killed,
including women and children.

Some who managed to escape
into the mountains

Perished in
the bitter conditions.

Every year,
on the 13th of February,

The clan donald society holds
a wreath-laying ceremony

At this memorial
in the village of glencoe.

Clan members from all around
the world come to remember.

♪♪

On the southern edge
of the highlands

Lies the vast expanse
of loch lomond.

From the early 19th century
onwards,

Paddle steamers were
a familiar sight on this lake,

Catering to the growing number
of visitors to the area.

The maid of the loch
was the last and largest

In a long line
of paddle steamers

To sail these waters.

She was launched in 1953

And during her 28 years
of service

Carried around
three million passengers.

The maid was decommissioned
in 1981

And for years was left to rot.

But in recent times
a restoration project

Has seen her returned
to her former glory.

Now the plan is to relaunch her

As a fully operational
paddle steamer,

Working alongside
her more modern cousins.

Loch lomond is surrounded by
the trossachs national park,

Over 700 square miles of
mountains, lakes and woodland.

The scots have a special name

For a mountain over
3,000 feet high--

A munro--and there are
21 of them here.

♪♪

Winter ascents of these munros
can be a serious undertaking.

The unpredictable weather often
catching out the unprepared.

But that doesn't deter
those who aim to climb

Every munro in scotland,
all 282 of them.

A challenge completed by
more than 6,000 people to date.

♪♪

There are munros,
and then there is ben nevis,

Scotland's highest peak.

Situated in
the northwest highlands,

It's almost 4,500 feet high.

Appropriately enough,
its name translates

As "mountain with its head
in the clouds."

♪♪

Just a few miles from ben nevis
is the starting point

For one of the most spectacular
train journeys in the world.

But this isn't just
any old steam train.

In the harry potter movies,

It played the role
of the hogwarts express,

The train that brings harry
and his fellow students

To the school of wizardry.

[train whistle blows]

It crosses the magnificent
21-arched glenfinnan viaduct,

Which was opened in 1901,
and provides stunning views

Of the surrounding valley
and loch shiel to the south.

♪♪

This is not the only loch
in scotland

To have a connection
with the fantastical.

This is loch ness,

23 miles long and
almost 800 feet deep.

In its murky depths,
some believe,

Lurks an ancient creature
forgotten by time.

Over the years, many people
have claimed to have seen

The loch ness monster,
or nessie,

As it is affectionately known.

Photos have claimed
to show the beast,

But all have been dismissed
by scientists

As either misidentifications
or hoaxes.

In 2016, a team using
sonar technology

Detected the 30-foot-long body

Of a creature lying
on the lake bed.

Sadly, for nessie hunters,
it turned out to be a prop

From a 1970 film
starring christopher lee.

But even the most skeptical
can be sometimes unsettled

By this lake's hidden depths.

Locals donald macpherson
and his partner nicola forbes

Remain unconvinced about
the existence of nessie.

But donald says
there have been times

When he has had
the uneasy feeling

That something much greater
than a fish

Was swimming beneath
his paddleboard.

♪♪

Somewhat more vigorous
sporting activity

Is at the heart of
the highland games,

Held across scotland during
the summer months.

The games are said
to have their origin

In the earliest days
of the clan system,

When chieftains would select
their best warriors

Based on trials of athleticism
and strength.

One of the most spectacular
events is held here

In the grounds of drumtochty
castle in aberdeenshire.

Along with traditional sporting
events like the hammer throw,

The stone put and tug-of-war,

There are also dancing
and music competitions.

The games are seen
as a celebration

Of all things scottish.

But they attract competitors
from all over the world.

Lukasz wenta is from poland and
has been coming to participate

In the highland games
for over 10 years.

He specializes in
the weight events,

Including the iconic caber toss,

Which involves tossing
a large log

Weighing up to 180 pounds,
end over end.

Lukasz says,
"although I'm polish,

I feel at home in scotland."

A home like nowhere else.

A people inspired
by their landscape.

Wild, passionate, proud.

Scotland.

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪