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PAUL MURTON: The beautiful scenery
of the far north-west of Scotland
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was created by some
of the most powerful
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00:00:10,960 --> 00:00:13,760
and destructive forces in nature.
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00:00:13,920 --> 00:00:16,320
The hills and lochs
of this wilderness
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are part of an ancient landscape
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that is said to have been formed
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millions of years ago
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by a truly cosmic impact.
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Lochs are Scotland's gift
to the world
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and are the product of an element
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that we have
in spectacular abundance - water.
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It's been estimated that there are
more than 31,000 lochs in Scotland.
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They come in all shapes and sizes
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from long fjord-like sea lochs,
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great freshwater lochs
of the Central Highlands
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to the innumerable lochans
that stud the open moors.
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In this series I'm on a loch-hopping
journey across Scotland,
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discovering how they shaped
the character of the people
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who live close to their shores.
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For this Grand Tour I'm heading
from loch to rock bottom.
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My journey starts in Sutherland
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and travels along the length
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of Loch Shin to Loch Laxford.
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I then get to grips
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with our rocky past in some
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of Scotland's deepest
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limestone caves,
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before climbing a sugar-loaf mountain
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which is a sweet way to end
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any grand tour.
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This is the village of Lairg
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which lies at the southern end
of Loch Shin,
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and this is the Wee Hoose,
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originally built in 1824
by a local poacher, Jock Broon.
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The island that Jock's house
stands on was given to him
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as a reward by a local laird for
teaching him how to distil whisky.
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Having become a member
of the landed gentry,
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even if only in a small way,
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Jock felt that he needed a house
to consolidate his new social status.
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And that was the biggest
that he could build
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on his diminutive estate.
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Sadly Jock didn't enjoy the pleasures
of landownership for long.
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He died after shooting himself
in the foot while poaching.
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He wasn't the best shot, it seems,
but his Wee Hoose remains his legacy.
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What makes Jock's Wee Hoose seem even
smaller is the country round about.
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This is a place of big skies
and far horizons
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where the human scale is diminished.
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And to make you feel even smaller,
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the size
of an ancient cosmological event
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that happened here shrinks you
to the point of non-existence.
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Aeons ago - geologists reckon
at least 1.2 billion years ago -
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a huge asteroid hurtled
from deep space
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and collided with the Earth
with unimaginable force.
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Now, incredibly,
the impact was right here
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just a few kilometres from Lairg.
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It must have made one hell of a bang.
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Evidence of a huge impact crater
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with a diameter of 40km
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has been discovered from anomalies
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in gravity surveys.
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The crater is the only one
of its kind known in Britain.
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The asteroid collided so long ago
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that during the 1.8 billion years
that have passed,
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the crater was obliterated
by later geological convulsions
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which include a clash
of long-vanished continents.
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The hills around here have played
a hugely important role
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in developing our understanding
of the forces
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that created the landscape,
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and in particular
how mountains were built.
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It took some very clever scientific
detective work to figure out how.
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This is Loch Laxford,
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which has given its name
to a geological feature
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which scientists believe is evidence
for a continental collision.
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In 1883, two Victorian geologists -
Ben Peach and John Horne -
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ventured north in an attempt
to settle a fierce debate
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about how this landscape was formed.
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That is the black rock
in front of us.
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Katherine Goodenough is a rock doctor
with the British geological survey.
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She's taking me on a hike
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following in the footsteps
of Peach and Horne.
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They achieved world renown
by unravelling the secrets
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of how these mountains were created.
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These are some of the oldest rocks
in the UK -
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something like
almost three billion years old.
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00:04:59,160 --> 00:05:03,160
What you can see here is that
we have got these black rocks
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and then cutting through them
you've these pink stripes.
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And these are granites
and they were actually formed
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by partial melting
of the black rock.
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What's the relationship between this
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and the process
known as mountain building?
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00:05:16,240 --> 00:05:18,240
Well, we know this black rock,
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the stretches we can see in it
were formed
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during continental collision.
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When two continents collide
they're like bulldozers,
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they force up mountain ranges
just as you see in the Himalaya.
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And when that happens you have
a mountain range on the surface
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and deep down in the roots
of the mountain you can get melting.
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And so you can see these sheets
of new rock that were formed
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when that melt has crystallised.
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And they kind of squeezed through
the older rock, did they,
to form those layers?
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Squeezed through the older rock,
exactly.
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The area around Loch Laxford
is known today
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as the Laxford Shear Zone,
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where rocks were squeezed
like toothpaste
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deep beneath the Earth.
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This is part of the wreckage
of a continental collision.
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00:06:04,000 --> 00:06:05,440
It is exactly that.
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00:06:05,600 --> 00:06:07,640
And the shear zone
that you're talking about,
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the collision zone
as I'd understand it,
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extends how far?
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This collision zone extends
out to the coast there
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00:06:15,360 --> 00:06:19,320
but we can trace similar structures
out into Greenland.
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Because, of course, once upon a time
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Greenland and Scotland
were connected
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as part of the same continent.
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Peach and Horne's pioneering work put
geologists on a road to discovery.
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00:06:30,120 --> 00:06:33,480
It would eventually lead
to plate tectonic theory -
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an understanding of how
entire continents move and collide
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00:06:37,880 --> 00:06:40,440
over unimaginable periods of time.
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They were the first to come here
and to realise
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that these rocks
that we're looking at
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were incredibly complex
and preserved a whole range
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of different geological events,
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and they called this
the fundamental complex.
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The fundamental complex? (LAUGHS)
The fundamental complex.
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And of course they didn't have
the clever analytical techniques
we have now
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but their observations
were absolutely superb
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00:07:01,880 --> 00:07:04,250
and we still make use
of those observations today.
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The geology of this part
of Sutherland has created a landscape
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of rugged mountains
and beautiful lochs.
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Passing Loch More and Loch Stack,
I return to Loch Shin.
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At 25km long, this is
the biggest body of freshwater
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in Sutherland,
famous for its salmon and trout.
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I enlist the help
of top gillie George Leligdowicz.
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He has promised to help me
catch a fish.
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Not a salmon this time, but a trout
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for which Loch Shin
is rightly famous.
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So, George, do you think this is
a good day for fishing?
It certainly is.
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We've a good wave on the water
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and the other good thing is
we haven't got any midges.
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That's a very important
consideration.
It certainly is.
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Fish have always managed to elude me
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but I'm hoping for success
with George.
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I'm going to be relying
on his knowledge, guile and these.
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An amazing collection of flies
you've got here, George.
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Over 1,000.
Really?
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00:08:04,480 --> 00:08:08,160
Yes. Just to give you an example,
daddy-longlegs.
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There's a vast array
of garish designs
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with weird names like Hairy Mary
or Gold Bead Hare's Ear
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or - my personal favourite -
the Wooly Bugger.
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These don't look like
any insects I've seen...
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Correct.
..flying around here.
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Some flies I would say are tied
to catch the angler
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as well as the fish, yes.
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But today,
as we're fishing for trout,
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we're using a fly that imitates
a more native species.
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That's called
a phantom midge fly there.
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Right, and do they work?
They work very well, actually.
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Ironically, it's Loch Shin's
real midges that get the upper hand
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by biting me before I even get
the chance to cast my midge fly.
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George has chosen a special spot
on the far shore
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where he says I'm almost guaranteed
to hook a trout.
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My best tally with one guest
in a day was 55 trout.
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Good grief.
Yeah.
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We were literally getting a fish
every third or fourth cast.
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Having presented me with a challenge
I can't hope to match,
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George gets back to basics
with some casting tips.
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Can I just show you quickly? Watch.
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You go, flick, flick.
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See that? Flick, flick.
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The more effort you put in...
The worse it is.
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Yeah.
So very, very, very little effort.
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OK? OK, very little effort.
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So for all these years
I have just been trying too hard.
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Maybe if we had a big, big
juicy worm on the end...
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(CHUCKLES)
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But it seems my midge fly
isn't delivering.
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After an hour of fruitless casting
I reckon the only thing
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I'm likely to catch
in this weather is a cold.
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00:10:07,080 --> 00:10:09,200
Leaving the ever-hopeful George
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and Loch Shin's reluctant trout,
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I head north-west
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and back to the coast
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to a pinch point between two lochs.
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This is Kylesku
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at the junction of Loch Cairnbawn
and Loch Gleann Dubh.
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00:10:28,480 --> 00:10:32,360
For centuries travellers
heading north or south had no choice
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but to cross the kyle by boat -
the famous Kylesku ferry.
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And if they missed the last ferry
at night,
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they faced a 100-mile detour.
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The village of Kylesku existed
because of the ferry,
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but it's changed days now.
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The last ferry stopped running
in 1984,
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replaced by this impressive
and elegant bridge.
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Beneath its shadow are the remains
of one of the old ferries.
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This is a rather sad sight.
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After its last run
the ferry was hauled ashore
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00:11:17,640 --> 00:11:19,680
and abandoned to the elements.
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00:11:19,840 --> 00:11:22,320
It looks like the elements
are winning.
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00:11:22,480 --> 00:11:24,680
And up here is the old swing bridge
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00:11:24,840 --> 00:11:28,480
where cars would have been trundled
aboard then carried across the kyle.
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That's the old ramp.
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00:11:32,240 --> 00:11:35,480
It would have been put ashore
to allow cars to drive on board
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and there is even the ghost
of the name -
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The Maid Of Kylesku, I think.
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Yeah, nature's taking over.
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00:11:43,880 --> 00:11:46,520
Even got sea pinks growing
from the old deck.
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Leaving the old wreck,
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00:11:52,040 --> 00:11:55,800
I head over the Kylesku bridge
battling against wind and rain
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in weather that has taken
a decided turn for the worse.
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I'm heading for a memorial
overlooking Loch Cairnbawn -
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00:12:04,080 --> 00:12:07,720
a stone monument that commemorates
the men who trained here
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00:12:07,880 --> 00:12:11,360
during World War II
for a daring and deadly raid
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00:12:11,520 --> 00:12:14,040
on the German battle cruiser Tirpitz,
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00:12:14,200 --> 00:12:17,000
which was hiding
in a Norwegian fjord.
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00:12:17,160 --> 00:12:22,920
The idea was to deploy a new
and untested secret weapon,
the X-Craft.
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00:12:23,080 --> 00:12:27,320
These were mini submarines
crewed by up to four men -
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00:12:27,480 --> 00:12:30,040
the original X-Men of their day -
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00:12:30,200 --> 00:12:34,200
and their mission was to infiltrate
heavily defended enemy harbours
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00:12:34,360 --> 00:12:35,880
and to wreak havoc.
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00:12:39,640 --> 00:12:42,600
Six X-Craft took part in the raid.
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00:12:42,760 --> 00:12:46,320
None survived,
but their mission was a success,
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00:12:46,480 --> 00:12:49,840
the Tirpitz was seriously damaged
and disabled,
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00:12:50,000 --> 00:12:53,760
only to be finished off by the RAF
before she could sail again.
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00:12:55,280 --> 00:12:58,360
The bravery of the men who undertook
this near-suicidal mission
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00:12:58,520 --> 00:13:00,200
was exceptional.
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00:13:00,360 --> 00:13:03,520
The surviving crew members
were awarded the Victoria Cross
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00:13:03,680 --> 00:13:07,240
and this humble memorial commemorates
their connection
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00:13:07,400 --> 00:13:09,240
with this little part of Scotland.
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00:13:09,960 --> 00:13:13,480
The road south from Kylesku
threads its way below the flanks
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00:13:13,640 --> 00:13:16,640
of a complex mountain called Quinag,
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00:13:16,800 --> 00:13:20,720
which in Gaelic apparently translates
as the "milking pail",
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00:13:20,880 --> 00:13:23,640
though why this might be,
I have no idea.
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00:13:25,560 --> 00:13:29,280
The southern summit of Quinag
overlooks one of the most beautiful
235
00:13:29,440 --> 00:13:33,200
and serene lochs in Sutherland -
Loch Assynt.
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00:13:33,360 --> 00:13:35,800
As if the view wasn't lovely enough,
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00:13:35,960 --> 00:13:38,840
this beautiful stretch of water
also comes
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00:13:39,000 --> 00:13:43,200
with a mythological creature
of unsurpassed gorgeousness,
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00:13:43,360 --> 00:13:48,560
whose fate was sealed right here
at Ardvreck Castle.
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00:13:48,560 --> 00:13:51,200
According to local legend,
as they say,
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00:13:51,360 --> 00:13:57,200
this castle was built by Clan MacLeod
with the help of the devil.
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00:13:57,360 --> 00:14:01,320
Naturally there is always a price
to pay for enlisting the services
243
00:14:01,480 --> 00:14:04,800
of Beelzebub -
in this case it was Eimhir,
244
00:14:04,960 --> 00:14:07,600
the MacLeod chief's
beautiful daughter.
245
00:14:07,760 --> 00:14:11,480
The evil one wanted her
to be his bride.
246
00:14:13,400 --> 00:14:17,280
Now unsurprisingly, Eimhir
was unhappy with this arrangement
247
00:14:17,440 --> 00:14:20,720
and in despair she threw herself
from the tallest tower
248
00:14:20,880 --> 00:14:22,480
of Ardvreck Castle.
249
00:14:22,640 --> 00:14:25,840
But, strangely,
her body was never discovered.
250
00:14:26,000 --> 00:14:28,200
Instead it's said
that she plunged
251
00:14:28,360 --> 00:14:32,000
into the deep waters of Loch Assynt
and swam down to a cave
252
00:14:32,160 --> 00:14:34,200
where she transformed herself,
253
00:14:34,360 --> 00:14:38,440
becoming the beautiful and elusive
Mermaid of Assynt.
254
00:14:42,160 --> 00:14:45,400
When the loch's waters rise
above normal levels,
255
00:14:45,560 --> 00:14:50,040
legend says it's because
of Eimhir's tears of grief.
256
00:14:50,200 --> 00:14:52,600
The tragic story of Eimhir
and the devil
257
00:14:52,760 --> 00:14:55,600
also offers
a mythological explanation
258
00:14:55,760 --> 00:14:58,720
for the contorted landscape
of Assynt.
259
00:14:58,880 --> 00:15:00,880
The devil was in a hellish rage
260
00:15:01,040 --> 00:15:03,560
because Eimhir had evaded
his clutches
261
00:15:03,720 --> 00:15:06,560
but he got his revenge
by hurling hot rocks
262
00:15:06,720 --> 00:15:08,360
across the landscape
263
00:15:08,520 --> 00:15:11,840
which isn't that far from the truth
when you think about the asteroid
264
00:15:12,000 --> 00:15:15,600
which impacted Scotland
1.2 billion years ago.
265
00:15:20,000 --> 00:15:22,920
And as for the caves
that Eimhir chose to hide in,
266
00:15:23,080 --> 00:15:25,120
well, there are lots of them,
267
00:15:25,280 --> 00:15:28,920
including one that's partially filled
with a secret loch
268
00:15:29,080 --> 00:15:33,200
deep inside a mountain,
which is where I am heading next.
269
00:15:33,360 --> 00:15:36,720
Alan.
A speleologist if I ever saw one.
270
00:15:36,880 --> 00:15:38,680
Yes, indeed, fully kitted.
271
00:15:38,840 --> 00:15:43,320
Alan Jeffreys and his team of cavers
have spent many years exploring
272
00:15:43,480 --> 00:15:46,960
Assynt's vast underground system
of passages and tunnels
273
00:15:47,120 --> 00:15:50,440
which stretch several kilometres
beneath the mountains.
274
00:15:53,280 --> 00:15:56,560
Alan wants to take me
literally to rock bottom
275
00:15:56,720 --> 00:15:59,600
to explore a fascinating
underground world
276
00:15:59,760 --> 00:16:03,440
and a type of loch
I have never seen before.
277
00:16:03,600 --> 00:16:06,560
The first bit is a bit low
but you can stand up after that.
278
00:16:06,720 --> 00:16:09,800
A bit low? It's very low!
Hence the overalls.
279
00:16:09,960 --> 00:16:12,480
Just think of something
you've lost under the bed.
280
00:16:12,640 --> 00:16:14,520
Right.
281
00:16:14,680 --> 00:16:16,400
Never to be seen again.
282
00:16:16,560 --> 00:16:19,920
The cave system takes us
into the heart of Cnoc nan Uamh,
283
00:16:20,080 --> 00:16:21,440
the Hill of the Caves,
284
00:16:21,600 --> 00:16:24,880
where a fast-flowing torrent
roars through the darkness.
285
00:16:26,120 --> 00:16:28,680
After two hours
of wriggling and squirming,
286
00:16:28,840 --> 00:16:31,160
climbing and wading through water,
287
00:16:31,320 --> 00:16:35,320
we've only managed to travel
about 500 metres.
288
00:16:35,480 --> 00:16:39,040
But it's far enough
to reach an extraordinary sight.
289
00:16:39,200 --> 00:16:41,120
This is amazing.
290
00:16:41,280 --> 00:16:44,640
It's almost surreal being down here.
291
00:16:44,800 --> 00:16:46,880
Take a seat.
Wow.
292
00:16:47,040 --> 00:16:49,760
A ringside seat
in a spectacular location.
293
00:16:49,920 --> 00:16:53,360
It's cathedral-like.
It is a natural cathedral.
You're quite right.
294
00:16:53,520 --> 00:16:57,360
And it's all worn out
by the erosive power of water.
295
00:16:57,520 --> 00:16:59,440
The erosive and acidic power
of water.
296
00:16:59,600 --> 00:17:03,880
Water picks up acid from the soil
297
00:17:04,040 --> 00:17:05,960
and the peat on the surface
and over thousands -
298
00:17:06,120 --> 00:17:09,080
sometimes millions - of years,
it dissolves the limestone.
299
00:17:09,240 --> 00:17:10,760
That's an amazing sight.
300
00:17:10,920 --> 00:17:13,360
A lake in front of us, a black lake.
301
00:17:13,520 --> 00:17:15,160
And how deep is that lake?
302
00:17:15,320 --> 00:17:17,160
It's about eight metres deep
303
00:17:17,320 --> 00:17:21,760
and it has been dived horizontally
for about 145 metres.
304
00:17:22,920 --> 00:17:26,480
There has been no exit yet,
it pinched down to nothing.
305
00:17:26,640 --> 00:17:29,760
I can't think of anything worse
than plunging eight metres
306
00:17:29,920 --> 00:17:32,920
into that black water
and then making my way
307
00:17:33,080 --> 00:17:36,440
through an unknown passage
to goodness knows what end
308
00:17:36,600 --> 00:17:38,520
in a cave under the ground.
309
00:17:38,680 --> 00:17:40,840
Yes, we're all lunatics.
310
00:17:41,000 --> 00:17:46,360
It's a common joke that climbers,
that little worn out phrase,
311
00:17:46,520 --> 00:17:48,160
"Why do you climb mountains?"
312
00:17:48,320 --> 00:17:50,200
"Because they're there."
313
00:17:50,360 --> 00:17:53,880
But for us it is because
it MIGHT be there.
314
00:17:54,040 --> 00:17:56,160
Might be there! (LAUGHS)
We just don't know.
315
00:17:56,320 --> 00:17:59,280
Human beings are curious.
What is round the next corner?
316
00:17:59,440 --> 00:18:01,560
BOTH: It could be this.
Indeed.
317
00:18:01,560 --> 00:18:04,920
In fact, I think being a slightly
superstitious person myself,
318
00:18:05,080 --> 00:18:07,920
I need to make a little offering
to whatever is down here,
319
00:18:08,080 --> 00:18:09,680
particularly in the dark depths.
320
00:18:09,840 --> 00:18:12,400
(LAUGHS) Why not?
You never know,
it might be a mermaid.
321
00:18:12,560 --> 00:18:13,840
Well, that would be a bonus.
322
00:18:18,760 --> 00:18:22,200
Having made my offering to Eimhir,
the Mermaid of Assynt,
323
00:18:22,360 --> 00:18:25,160
it's time to return to the surface,
324
00:18:25,320 --> 00:18:28,040
following the river
that emerges from the cave
325
00:18:28,200 --> 00:18:30,080
and flows eventually into the sea,
326
00:18:30,240 --> 00:18:34,360
and to a village that takes its name
from the loch where it is situated.
327
00:18:35,840 --> 00:18:40,080
This is Lochinver,
on the loch called Loch Inver.
328
00:18:40,240 --> 00:18:43,360
The village is the largest
in this part of Sutherland,
329
00:18:43,520 --> 00:18:46,040
and is an important fishing port.
330
00:18:46,200 --> 00:18:50,640
Fish landed here makes its way
to southern Europe,
331
00:18:50,640 --> 00:18:54,440
Leaving Lochinver I'm hiking
to my final destination,
332
00:18:54,600 --> 00:18:56,320
the mighty Suilven.
333
00:18:56,480 --> 00:19:01,080
But as I reach the start of my climb,
the weather closes in again.
334
00:19:03,320 --> 00:19:07,640
Even the most experienced hill walker
and climber can be caught out
335
00:19:07,800 --> 00:19:10,200
by the unpredictable
Scottish climate,
336
00:19:10,360 --> 00:19:13,320
and it's easy to lose your bearings.
337
00:19:13,480 --> 00:19:18,560
Fatigue and exposure to the elements
can quickly affect your faculties.
338
00:19:18,720 --> 00:19:21,000
Before you know it,
you can find yourself
339
00:19:21,160 --> 00:19:24,280
in a desperate
life-threatening situation.
340
00:19:24,440 --> 00:19:28,960
MAN: Grid reference is
November Charlie 147 25...
341
00:19:29,120 --> 00:19:31,760
Thankfully there are committed
and experienced people
342
00:19:31,920 --> 00:19:35,160
who can be called upon
to come to the rescue.
343
00:19:35,320 --> 00:19:38,320
On a hillside,
Assynt Mountain Rescue team
344
00:19:38,480 --> 00:19:40,560
are on a training exercise.
345
00:19:40,720 --> 00:19:44,400
Many people owe their lives
to their timely interventions.
346
00:19:48,080 --> 00:19:50,080
A key member of the team is Molly,
347
00:19:50,240 --> 00:19:52,320
and I'm about to discover for myself
348
00:19:52,480 --> 00:19:56,320
just how she and dogs like her
have become indispensable saviours
349
00:19:56,480 --> 00:19:58,800
in the most challenging conditions.
350
00:20:01,800 --> 00:20:03,920
My role as a volunteer casualty
351
00:20:04,080 --> 00:20:07,080
begins with a very enthusiastic
greeting.
352
00:20:07,240 --> 00:20:09,280
I've been saved!
353
00:20:09,440 --> 00:20:11,960
Oh, hello. Hello. Hello!
354
00:20:13,400 --> 00:20:15,000
RADIO: Go ahead.
355
00:20:15,160 --> 00:20:19,040
We found a casualty,
I can give you his location,
356
00:20:19,200 --> 00:20:21,040
grid reference, over.
357
00:20:21,200 --> 00:20:23,640
Assynt, go ahead, ready to receive.
358
00:20:23,800 --> 00:20:25,880
I will just get a quick assessment
of your breathing.
359
00:20:26,040 --> 00:20:27,720
How are you feeling
with your breathing?
360
00:20:27,880 --> 00:20:30,560
Any pain in your chest
or anything like that?
No pain in my chest yet.
361
00:20:30,720 --> 00:20:32,400
I'm just worried
if your hands are cold.
362
00:20:32,560 --> 00:20:35,280
I'll tell you what I'll do,
if you're breathing nice and easily,
363
00:20:35,440 --> 00:20:37,160
that all feels nice...
364
00:20:37,320 --> 00:20:42,160
The Assynt Mountain Rescue team
has been saving lives for many years.
365
00:20:42,320 --> 00:20:44,960
It depends on the skills
of volunteers.
366
00:20:45,120 --> 00:20:46,600
So this is the team.
367
00:20:46,760 --> 00:20:49,280
These are our hearty volunteers,
yes.
368
00:20:49,440 --> 00:20:51,560
And, Charlie,
this is your dog, Molly.
369
00:20:51,720 --> 00:20:53,360
This is Molly the collie.
370
00:20:53,520 --> 00:20:56,520
She's a Sarda Scotland
search-and-rescue dog.
371
00:20:56,680 --> 00:20:59,200
How old is Molly?
She's six and a half now.
372
00:21:00,440 --> 00:21:04,440
Molly and her canine chum Assynt
belong to an illustrious group
373
00:21:04,600 --> 00:21:07,440
of Scottish search-and-rescue dogs.
374
00:21:08,880 --> 00:21:13,120
The man who first saw the potential
for dogs to find the lost and injured
375
00:21:13,280 --> 00:21:17,240
in Scottish hills was
the climbing legend Hamish MacInnes.
376
00:21:18,840 --> 00:21:22,600
The techniques he developed are still
used to train dogs like Molly
377
00:21:22,760 --> 00:21:26,840
to find casualties,
should someone like me need help.
378
00:21:27,000 --> 00:21:31,280
So the dog will come in,
she will bark at you
379
00:21:31,440 --> 00:21:36,160
and then she'll come back to me
and take me back in to you.
380
00:21:36,320 --> 00:21:39,080
Just like Lassie?
Just like Lassie.
381
00:21:39,240 --> 00:21:41,520
They're so intelligent, as well.
382
00:21:41,680 --> 00:21:43,600
Usually the handler gets in the way.
383
00:21:43,760 --> 00:21:46,080
It's the dog that actually
is doing the work.
384
00:21:46,240 --> 00:21:48,840
It knows it needs
to go and seek something.
385
00:21:49,000 --> 00:21:52,400
Absolutely.
And it's driven by play, really.
386
00:21:52,560 --> 00:21:55,520
For her, the whole reward
is playing with you.
387
00:21:55,680 --> 00:21:57,440
So this is all just a game.
388
00:21:57,600 --> 00:22:01,280
She loves this, this is what
she absolutely loves to do.
389
00:22:04,800 --> 00:22:07,680
Having been restored
to full mountain vigour
390
00:22:07,840 --> 00:22:09,040
by the playful Molly,
391
00:22:09,200 --> 00:22:13,040
I wait for the clouds to lift
before continuing on my way,
392
00:22:13,200 --> 00:22:15,440
heading for the summit of Suilven.
393
00:22:17,760 --> 00:22:20,960
Suilven isn't a high mountain
by Scottish standards,
394
00:22:21,120 --> 00:22:23,880
being just 731 metres
above sea level,
395
00:22:24,040 --> 00:22:26,440
but it's certainly dramatic.
396
00:22:26,600 --> 00:22:30,960
Viewed end-on, it has the classic
sugar-loaf outline.
397
00:22:33,720 --> 00:22:36,320
The lung-bustingly steep path
I'm taking
398
00:22:36,480 --> 00:22:40,040
leads to a breach
in Suilven's defences.
399
00:22:40,200 --> 00:22:42,480
(CATCHES BREATH)
400
00:22:45,760 --> 00:22:48,240
Geologists love this mountain
401
00:22:48,400 --> 00:22:51,800
and to be fair
they love the whole of Assynt.
402
00:22:51,960 --> 00:22:55,240
But the landscape you can see
below me with its low hills
403
00:22:55,400 --> 00:23:00,360
and lochans is composed of
an ancient rock called gneiss,
404
00:23:00,520 --> 00:23:02,240
spelt with a "G".
405
00:23:02,400 --> 00:23:06,440
And it was formed deep within
the Earth millions of years ago.
406
00:23:06,600 --> 00:23:10,360
In fact the rock is thought
to be part of a lost continent
407
00:23:10,520 --> 00:23:14,800
that's at least
3,000 million years old.
408
00:23:14,960 --> 00:23:16,600
And that makes you think, doesn't it?
409
00:23:20,480 --> 00:23:23,960
The next significant
geological event occurred
410
00:23:24,120 --> 00:23:25,920
about 1,000 million years ago
411
00:23:26,080 --> 00:23:29,600
when rivers and lakes deposited
412
00:23:29,760 --> 00:23:32,680
a thick layer of sand and mud
and buried the old landscape.
413
00:23:32,840 --> 00:23:36,640
The sand and mud then became the rock
that now makes up Suilven.
414
00:23:38,080 --> 00:23:39,480
During the ice ages,
415
00:23:39,640 --> 00:23:43,160
the sandstone was worn away
by the action of glaciers,
416
00:23:43,320 --> 00:23:48,000
except in a few places
where it was tough enough to survive.
417
00:23:48,160 --> 00:23:52,760
Many of the curiously shaped
and dramatic mountains of Assynt
418
00:23:52,920 --> 00:23:55,520
are those nuggets of resistance,
419
00:23:55,680 --> 00:23:59,560
and Suilven is definitely one
of the toughest.
420
00:23:59,720 --> 00:24:02,320
(EXHALES)
421
00:24:05,920 --> 00:24:10,360
It's amazing to think of the aeons
of time that it has taken to form
422
00:24:10,520 --> 00:24:12,400
this extraordinary landscape,
423
00:24:12,560 --> 00:24:17,040
and how insignificant and puny
we are in this immensity.
424
00:24:18,360 --> 00:24:21,320
And yet we all try to leave
our mark on the world -
425
00:24:21,480 --> 00:24:23,440
like here.
426
00:24:23,600 --> 00:24:27,800
Now this is a bizarre sight,
it's almost surreal.
427
00:24:27,960 --> 00:24:32,840
I don't know who was responsible
but someone has built a great wall,
428
00:24:33,000 --> 00:24:37,920
a giant dry-stane dyke on
the final summit slopes of Suilven.
429
00:24:38,080 --> 00:24:41,560
Now apparently it was built
to mark a boundary,
430
00:24:41,720 --> 00:24:43,720
a boundary of ownership.
431
00:24:43,880 --> 00:24:46,920
Now that's a futile gesture, surely.
432
00:24:47,080 --> 00:24:50,440
But it makes me think,
in an age when wall building
433
00:24:50,600 --> 00:24:52,480
has become popular again,
434
00:24:52,640 --> 00:24:55,320
I wonder who picked up the bill
for this one.
435
00:24:59,920 --> 00:25:02,240
For the first time in days,
436
00:25:02,400 --> 00:25:05,720
Suilven's beautiful ridge
is clear of cloud.
437
00:25:05,880 --> 00:25:10,480
The summit dome is
an unexpectedly smooth grassy area -
438
00:25:10,640 --> 00:25:13,000
just the spot for a picnic,
439
00:25:13,160 --> 00:25:15,160
a place to contemplate the view
440
00:25:15,320 --> 00:25:18,520
which takes in the hills and lochs
of Assynt
441
00:25:18,680 --> 00:25:21,000
in a grand sweep that reminds you
442
00:25:21,160 --> 00:25:24,240
of the enormity of geological time.
443
00:25:27,080 --> 00:25:29,760
Join me for my final
loch-hopping tour
444
00:25:29,920 --> 00:25:33,960
when I will be heading up
the Trossachs from lake to loch.
445
00:25:47,960 --> 00:25:51,160
Captions by Red Bee Media
(c) SBS Australia 2019
37383
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