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PAUL MURTON: Many of the lochs of
Scotland's south-west
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are hidden away in the rolling hills
and forests
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00:00:12,480 --> 00:00:16,240
of the ancient lands of Carrick
and Wigtownshire.
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Remote and often overlooked,
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00:00:21,400 --> 00:00:23,880
these shining jewels in the landscape
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have played a surprising role in
Scottish history.
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Scotland's lochs are a product
of an element
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we have in spectacular abundance -
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water.
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With so much of the stuff about,
it's hardly surprising
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that there are tens of thousands
of lochs in Scotland,
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and they come in all shapes
and sizes.
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We've got long fjord-like sea lochs,
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great freshwater lochs
of the Central Highlands,
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and innumerable lochans
that stud the open moors.
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In this series,
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I am setting out on a loch-hopping
journey across Scotland.
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Meeting the people who live
close to their shores,
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and discovering how lochs
have influenced an entire nation.
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For this Grand Tour, I'm heading
from a sea loch famous for farewells,
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to the highest point
in the south of Scotland,
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following the trail of Scotland's
national hero.
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My journey starts at Loch Ryan,
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explores the coast,
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before heading inland to thread
a watery way from loch to loch,
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following Robert the Bruce
to the hidden lochs of Galloway.
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This is Loch Ryan.
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It was here in the spring of 1307
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that forces loyal to the exiled
Robert the Bruce landed from Ireland
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to join the 'king without a kingdom'
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on his campaign to secure
Scottish independence.
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Robert the Bruce landed successfully
a few miles north of here.
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But not so his brothers,
Thomas and Alexander.
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When they sailed into Loch Ryan
with a force of 18 war galleys,
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they were met by an army
loyal to the English.
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And in the carnage that ensued,
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they were captured, imprisoned,
and then executed at Carlisle Castle.
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Meanwhile, their brother Robert
soldiered on,
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heading east through country
he had known since childhood.
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The Bruce launched his invasion of
Scotland's south-west from Ireland.
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Today, the Irish connection continues
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with frequent daily ferry crossings
from the port of Cairnryan
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to Larne on the coast of Ulster.
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But in all its long history,
Loch Ryan was never so busy
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as it was during the
Second World War.
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Huge structures sprung up
on and around the loch.
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Multitudes of boats and submarines
and seaplanes were moored,
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and thousands of military personnel
poured in from around the world.
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War is a serious business,
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but for a group of young boys
growing up on the banks of the loch,
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all this activity
and all these huge machines,
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spelled excitement and adventure.
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Down at the old jetty, where the
flying boats were once hauled ashore,
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I meet up with one of those boys.
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Born in 1932,
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Donnie Nelson has bittersweet
memories of those long war years,
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the RAF and their flying boats.
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Do you know how many flying boats
were here?
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I should imagine there would be
anything between about 20 and 50.
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Oh, really? As many as that?
Oh, aye. Oh, aye.
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What was it like as a boy
growing up here
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with all this activity around you?
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It must have been quite exciting,
I imagine.
It was very exciting.
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The aircrews were very good
at saying,
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"You get out here
and we'll take you flying."
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That must have been
absolutely brilliant.
It was great!
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I can remember
on different occasions
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flying south on a training flight
as far as the Isle of Man
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and then cutting in towards
the north of England over Carlisle,
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then following the railway line
back to Stranraer.
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Really?
Yes!
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During the war,
flying boats were deemed essential,
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and one British model in particular,
the Sunderland,
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became the bane of the German
U-boat fleet.
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This long-range bomber
featured machine-gun turrets,
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bombs, aerial mines,
and depth charges.
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With such a dangerous array of guns
protruding from it,
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the Germans nicknamed it
the 'Flying Porcupine'
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and Donnie remembers it well.
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I can remember being in a Sunderland
and there were 60 or 70 boys in it.
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Climbing all over the plane.
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Everybody having a go
in the second pilot seat.
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Everyone having a shot...
Oh, aye, yeah.
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..at flying it?
Everybody.
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You'd be sick with the aircraft
tossing all over the place.
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(CHUCKLES) It must have been like
a dream come true for a small boy.
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It was great fun.
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But despite the thrill
of these amazing machines,
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Loch Ryan remained a dangerous place,
even after the war,
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as Donnie and his friend Paddy
Breslin found out to their peril.
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We've come high on the hills
above the loch
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to visit a strangely out-of-place
concrete wall
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standing over 70ft high.
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During the war, pilots were guided
by concrete arrows set in the ground
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towards the wall,
which was a practice target.
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This could be the most bombed
structure in Scotland.
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Now, Donnie, this huge wall behind us
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has got quite a fascinating,
significant history?
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The RAF used it.
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There is a record that 617 Squadron
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at one time actually
practiced their bombing.
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Is that the Dam Busters?
The Dam Busters, yes.
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Whoa.
And it was used extensively.
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Quite often if you were in
Stranraer,
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you could hear bombs
exploding up here.
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Not long after the bombers stopped
using the wall for target practice,
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a truly tragic episode happened here.
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Donnie, Paddy, and their gang
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were throwing around
what they thought were spent bombs.
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It's an episode that has never left
Donnie.
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One of the boys picked up
one of these burnt-out husks
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of incendiary bombs.
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There were 600 odd of them
lying there,
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put in a pile
ready to be taken away.
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And he tried flinging it over
the wall, but it bounced back.
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So, we all had a go.
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Picked up one each and one of them
bounced back and burst into flames.
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It turned out there were over 600
of them lying there, as I said,
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and one live one in among them.
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00:07:06,200 --> 00:07:10,280
And it burst into an intense
white flame. We panicked.
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Paddy stepped in in front of me,
and it exploded.
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And the next thing, I picked
myself up a few yards away,
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my head was absolutely ringing
with the sound of the explosion.
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And then I heard Paddy shouting
and I turned round
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and he was lying there, both legs
were broken into bits and pieces.
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And they took Paddy to hospital,
but he died that night.
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That's terrible.
And this is after the war?
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This was after the war.
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So, in a sense he was a casualty of
war after cessation of hostilities.
After it.
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So that stands as a memorial,
that wall, doesn't it?
It does.
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To Paddy.
To Paddy.
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Alright, Donnie,
I've got you a wreath.
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In memory of young Paddy,
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Donnie lays a wreath up against the
wall of the forbidding bomb target,
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a place where he truly left
his childhood behind.
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"For Paddy Breslin. A great pal."
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I head next for Stranraer,
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principal town in the area,
lying at the head of Loch Ryan.
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The first port was developed here
in the mid-18th century,
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a time of almost constant
naval warfare,
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but also a time of discovery
and adventure.
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One traveller who left Loch Ryan,
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sailed into the frozen unknown
of the High Arctic,
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and lived to tell the tale.
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His name was John Ross.
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With sea salt flowing through
his veins,
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he joined the navy
at the tender age of nine
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and sailed all over the world.
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The great goal of his life
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was to be the first to discover
the fabled Northwest Passage -
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the elusive northern route
from the Atlantic to the Pacific.
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Arctic exploration defined his life
and his legacy.
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Hello, Paul. Nice to meet you.
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Museum Curator, Jaime Enstone,
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tells me more about this remarkable
man's life in the High Artic.
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They would have set out from here
on an expedition
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and no-one would have any idea
when they were gonna get back.
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I think they expected sort of
a couple years or whatever.
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But, of course, until you get there
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you don't know what you're
going to find.
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So, it was difficult to know
how long they were going to be away.
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And I think it was very limited
windows of when they could even try.
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Certainly, over winter,
you would have stood no chance.
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It would have just been
landlocked in ice.
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Almost every year,
eager explorers would set off
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looking for a route through
the maze of ice and islands
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off Canada's north coast.
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John Ross's second expedition
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is perhaps his most famous,
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because he went missing
for four and a half years.
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Icebound, the crew only managed
to move seven miles
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between their first
and third winters.
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John Ross eventually returned
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and published an illustrated account
of his adventures.
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But how did he and the crew
survive such hardship?
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So, he kept the crew together
for four years?
Mm-hm.
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They had a camp, and they went out
from camp on various expeditions.
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He was very good to his crew,
actually,
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and they did even make up
classrooms.
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Not many of his crew could read,
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so he was teaching them
to read and write.
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How on earth did they survive?
He was a very adaptable character.
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And he actually...they actually
befriended the Inuits,
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because they took on the diet
of the Inuits.
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They ate seal, blubber,
and things like that
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which contains high vitamin C.
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So they used local knowledge from
the local people in order to survive.
Yep, yep, yep.
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In his own words,
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John Ross reported
that the crew were,
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"Reduced to the last stage of
debility by want of provisions."
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So I'm astonished to find this tin
of beef in the museum collection,
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which went with him.
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It wasn't opened until 40 years
after his Arctic ordeal,
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when he finally gifted it to local
aristocrat, the Earl of Stair.
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In the face of actual starvation,
Ross would not open it.
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00:11:23,250 --> 00:11:24,730
But why?
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00:11:24,890 --> 00:11:26,650
Tinned beef.
Yes.
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00:11:26,810 --> 00:11:29,370
What was wrong with it?
(LAUGHS) I don't know.
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00:11:29,530 --> 00:11:32,010
But clearly it wasn't
very appetising,
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00:11:32,170 --> 00:11:36,170
and he eventually presented it to
Lord Stair on his birthday,
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00:11:36,330 --> 00:11:37,650
as a birthday gift.
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It was opened, and it was tasted,
and it was found to be quite good.
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00:11:42,530 --> 00:11:44,770
Quite good.
I'm hoping they survived.
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Yes, they did.
They lived to tell the tale.
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Well, braver men than me.
Yeah.
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The significance of the tin of beef
must remain a mystery,
207
00:11:54,290 --> 00:11:57,010
but it was at least 57 years old
208
00:11:57,170 --> 00:12:00,650
by the time the young Earl of Stair
dined on it.
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00:12:01,810 --> 00:12:05,330
John Ross must've had
a truly iron will.
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00:12:05,490 --> 00:12:09,970
He continued looking for the
Northwest Passage into his 70s
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00:12:10,130 --> 00:12:12,490
and then retired to Stranraer.
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00:12:15,210 --> 00:12:17,370
It wasn't until the 20th century
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00:12:17,530 --> 00:12:22,370
that a route through the Northwest
Passage was finally achieved.
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00:12:27,210 --> 00:12:30,650
Just to the east of Stranraer
are three lochs -
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00:12:30,810 --> 00:12:35,010
the White Loch, the Black Loch,
and Soulseat Loch.
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00:12:35,170 --> 00:12:39,210
When John Ross was a wee boy,
his father was the minister
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00:12:39,370 --> 00:12:43,010
of a now ruined kirk
overlooking the White Loch here.
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00:12:43,170 --> 00:12:48,090
Now, at that time the god-fearing
Earl of Stair would row his boat
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00:12:48,250 --> 00:12:54,170
every Sunday to attend services,
and the two became firm friends.
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00:12:55,410 --> 00:13:00,850
The Earls of Stair play a huge part
in both Scottish and British history,
221
00:13:01,010 --> 00:13:04,050
although it's the second Earl
I'm interested in,
222
00:13:04,210 --> 00:13:06,490
because he had the ambition
and foresight
223
00:13:06,650 --> 00:13:09,010
to lay out these unique gardens.
224
00:13:10,490 --> 00:13:14,690
He was also one of the most famous
military men of his generation,
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00:13:14,850 --> 00:13:19,570
commanding forces at most of the
major European battles of his time.
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00:13:19,730 --> 00:13:21,610
He became a field marshal
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00:13:21,770 --> 00:13:25,010
and commander-in-chief
of the whole British army.
228
00:13:25,170 --> 00:13:28,530
Making my way to the ruins of
Castle Kennedy,
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00:13:28,690 --> 00:13:30,610
the Earl's first home,
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00:13:30,770 --> 00:13:34,530
which stills forms the centrepiece
of his famous gardens,
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00:13:34,690 --> 00:13:39,250
I meet head gardener,
John MacArthur of that Ilk.
232
00:13:40,930 --> 00:13:43,250
This is the correct way to address
a clan chief,
233
00:13:43,410 --> 00:13:47,570
because John is also
the chief of Clan MacArthur.
234
00:13:47,730 --> 00:13:50,450
Now that's a real feather in his cap.
235
00:13:51,770 --> 00:13:54,330
Now he was a great military man,
the second Earl.
236
00:13:54,490 --> 00:13:57,050
Did he use his military background
in any way to
237
00:13:57,210 --> 00:13:59,370
landscape the castle gardens?
238
00:13:59,530 --> 00:14:00,850
We believe he did.
239
00:14:01,010 --> 00:14:04,010
Some of the embankments,
they look very similar to features
240
00:14:04,170 --> 00:14:06,050
in notable battles.
241
00:14:06,210 --> 00:14:09,570
We have one area called
the Gun Emplacements
242
00:14:09,730 --> 00:14:13,490
where you can imagine there would be
guns positioned to fight battles.
243
00:14:13,650 --> 00:14:18,290
But how did he actually physically go
about landscaping such a huge area?
244
00:14:18,450 --> 00:14:22,530
Well, the story went that he had
his own private army,
245
00:14:22,690 --> 00:14:25,050
and when they weren't
fighting battles,
246
00:14:25,210 --> 00:14:29,770
they were used in the construction
of the embankments.
247
00:14:29,930 --> 00:14:33,050
Quite a handy workforce.
I bet you don't have an army, do you?
248
00:14:33,210 --> 00:14:37,290
Uh, no, we have three full-time
gardeners and a groundsman.
249
00:14:37,450 --> 00:14:39,690
A very small army.
For 76 acres.
250
00:14:40,890 --> 00:14:44,090
The Earl was also a man of his time.
251
00:14:44,250 --> 00:14:46,770
This was an age of reason
and progress,
252
00:14:46,930 --> 00:14:48,890
and the nobility were keen to show
253
00:14:49,050 --> 00:14:53,330
how nature could be tamed
within the grounds of their estates.
254
00:14:53,490 --> 00:14:57,490
The Earl's status introduced him
to the impressively ornate gardens
255
00:14:57,650 --> 00:14:59,650
of the English aristocracy.
256
00:15:00,890 --> 00:15:03,850
And his travels to France
had also planted in him
257
00:15:04,010 --> 00:15:07,970
ideas of symmetry and landscaping
on a grand scale.
258
00:15:09,010 --> 00:15:12,050
He was no doubt influenced
by Versailles,
259
00:15:12,210 --> 00:15:14,730
where he was working in France.
Uh-huh.
260
00:15:14,890 --> 00:15:18,130
And if you look at the landscape
at Versailles,
261
00:15:18,290 --> 00:15:21,690
there are striking similarities
to some of the landscapes here
262
00:15:21,850 --> 00:15:23,090
at Castle Kennedy Gardens.
263
00:15:23,250 --> 00:15:25,930
So he was bringing over
continental ideas to this
264
00:15:26,090 --> 00:15:29,690
corner of south-west Scotland,
back in the 18th century?
265
00:15:29,850 --> 00:15:33,570
That was quite a novel thing to do.
Very much so, yes.
266
00:15:35,010 --> 00:15:39,730
Leaving the gardens, I come to the
small village of Castle Kennedy,
267
00:15:39,890 --> 00:15:44,010
which was built to house workers
on the Stair estate.
268
00:15:44,170 --> 00:15:45,450
And it's not far from here
269
00:15:45,610 --> 00:15:48,890
that I pick up the first traces
of a lost route
270
00:15:49,050 --> 00:15:53,410
that at one time ran all the way
through Galloway and Dumfriesshire.
271
00:15:53,570 --> 00:15:56,730
Now, this private house behind me,
was once upon a time,
272
00:15:56,890 --> 00:15:59,810
Castle Kennedy's very own
railway station.
273
00:15:59,970 --> 00:16:04,090
And from there you could have bought
tickets to Dumfries and beyond.
274
00:16:04,250 --> 00:16:06,530
But sadly, no longer.
275
00:16:07,730 --> 00:16:09,130
(TRAIN WHISTLE)
276
00:16:09,290 --> 00:16:11,850
The Portpatrick to Dumfries railway,
277
00:16:12,010 --> 00:16:14,250
which opened in stages from 1861,
278
00:16:14,410 --> 00:16:16,890
connected towns such as Glenluce,
279
00:16:17,050 --> 00:16:18,970
Newton Stewart, Creetown
280
00:16:19,130 --> 00:16:23,290
and Castle Douglas to Dumfries
and the rest of the rail network.
281
00:16:23,450 --> 00:16:27,650
But the old line became a victim
of the controversial cuts
282
00:16:27,810 --> 00:16:33,170
implemented on the advice of
Dr Beeching in the 1960s.
283
00:16:33,330 --> 00:16:35,450
When Dr Beeching's axe fell,
284
00:16:35,610 --> 00:16:39,010
all the communities along a great
stretch of the Solway Coast
285
00:16:39,170 --> 00:16:42,330
was suddenly cut off
from the rail network.
286
00:16:42,490 --> 00:16:47,050
And with the loss of the trains,
an entire way of life disappeared.
287
00:16:51,530 --> 00:16:54,810
There are clues to the old line
all over Galloway -
288
00:16:54,970 --> 00:16:57,130
stations, sidings, embankments,
289
00:16:57,290 --> 00:17:00,170
and in many places just lovely
pathways to follow,
290
00:17:00,330 --> 00:17:01,970
if you're determined enough
291
00:17:02,130 --> 00:17:05,850
and don't mind straying off
the beaten track.
292
00:17:06,010 --> 00:17:11,490
I've found a stretch of the old line
a few miles east of Castle Kennedy.
293
00:17:13,130 --> 00:17:14,970
Now, clearly, I can't get any further
294
00:17:15,130 --> 00:17:17,770
along this stretch
of the old railway line,
295
00:17:17,930 --> 00:17:21,130
because there's a barrier here
to stop anyone crossing over
296
00:17:21,290 --> 00:17:24,890
the old viaduct,
which spans the water of Luce.
297
00:17:25,050 --> 00:17:28,170
Now it's hard to imagine today
with all this jungle around
298
00:17:28,330 --> 00:17:30,970
what a busy line this was
in its heyday,
299
00:17:31,130 --> 00:17:33,210
with passenger trains
and goods trains
300
00:17:33,370 --> 00:17:35,290
rattling through the countryside.
301
00:17:35,450 --> 00:17:40,130
But, fortunately, we do have an
accurate record of those times.
302
00:17:40,290 --> 00:17:44,330
A film made by a self-confessed
steam enthusiast.
303
00:17:44,490 --> 00:17:46,570
It's absolutely brilliant.
304
00:17:48,210 --> 00:17:54,730
Local hotelier, Dan MacLachlan, shot
this film on a summer's day in 1965
305
00:17:54,890 --> 00:17:57,970
just days before the line
closed forever.
306
00:17:58,130 --> 00:18:00,730
A eulogy to the age of steam
in Galloway
307
00:18:00,890 --> 00:18:03,050
when the pace was slower,
308
00:18:03,210 --> 00:18:06,490
allowing soot-stained firemen
to tend their boilers,
309
00:18:06,650 --> 00:18:09,850
post packages to be exchanged,
or simply to allow the trains
310
00:18:10,010 --> 00:18:13,530
to gather steam to tackle
the Galloway Hills.
311
00:18:13,690 --> 00:18:18,490
The sympathies of filmmaker
Dan Maclachlan are very clear.
312
00:18:18,650 --> 00:18:22,690
He loved steam trains,
and he loved this line,
313
00:18:22,850 --> 00:18:27,010
and I for one am grateful
for his lovely film.
314
00:18:31,210 --> 00:18:34,930
The old line ran inland
through the Galloway Hills
315
00:18:35,090 --> 00:18:39,370
offering connections to the tiny
settlements around Loch Ken,
316
00:18:39,530 --> 00:18:41,930
which is my next destination.
317
00:18:43,560 --> 00:18:46,320
Folklore, fables,
and fishermen's tales
318
00:18:46,480 --> 00:18:49,240
grace many of Scotland's lochs.
319
00:18:49,400 --> 00:18:51,640
Ask any tourist
and they'll tell you,
320
00:18:51,800 --> 00:18:53,040
the Loch Ness Monster
321
00:18:53,200 --> 00:18:56,800
is the most internationally known
thing about Scotland.
322
00:18:58,320 --> 00:19:01,240
But some lochs harbour
real monsters.
323
00:19:01,400 --> 00:19:05,520
I've joined Robin Ade to learn more
about Loch Ken
324
00:19:05,680 --> 00:19:09,560
and the huge predatory pikes
for which it's famous.
325
00:19:09,720 --> 00:19:14,600
And one particular 18th-century pike
for which it's infamous.
326
00:19:14,760 --> 00:19:16,800
Loch Ken is famous for its pikes.
327
00:19:16,960 --> 00:19:21,760
It certainly is, yes,
because of the 72-pounder.
328
00:19:21,920 --> 00:19:23,200
The Kenmuir Pike.
329
00:19:23,360 --> 00:19:24,920
That's the size of a small shark.
330
00:19:25,080 --> 00:19:27,200
It's huge.
It can eat a 10-pound salmon easily.
331
00:19:27,360 --> 00:19:29,960
Good grief.
Who caught the Kenmuir Pike?
332
00:19:30,120 --> 00:19:33,440
John Murray, the gamekeeper
on the Kenmuir Estate caught it.
333
00:19:33,600 --> 00:19:36,080
And the Laird had been complaining
334
00:19:36,240 --> 00:19:38,720
that he wasn't getting
very many fish on his table,
335
00:19:38,880 --> 00:19:41,800
so John went out and came back
with this fish,
336
00:19:41,960 --> 00:19:45,320
and asked if that was big enough.
337
00:19:45,480 --> 00:19:48,280
(CHUCKLES)
It must have been huge fish.
338
00:19:48,440 --> 00:19:51,120
Absolute monster of a thing.
Crocodile-type thing.
339
00:19:53,720 --> 00:19:58,840
Do you know how long it was?
Ah...60 odd inches.
340
00:19:59,000 --> 00:20:01,600
Good grief. That's over five foot.
341
00:20:01,760 --> 00:20:03,400
Yes, about five foot long.
342
00:20:03,560 --> 00:20:07,040
A man-sized pike.
A man-sized pike.
343
00:20:07,200 --> 00:20:11,800
A man's head would fit in the mouth
of a fish like that easily.
Really?
344
00:20:11,960 --> 00:20:14,480
Yes, because it would even
with a good 30-pounder.
345
00:20:14,640 --> 00:20:17,320
That's a frightening thought,
if you were to ever fall in.
346
00:20:17,480 --> 00:20:20,480
You say there's lots of pike here,
347
00:20:20,640 --> 00:20:23,880
and a pike is a veracious
and ruthless predator.
348
00:20:24,040 --> 00:20:26,920
So, there must be an awful lot
for it to predate on?
349
00:20:27,080 --> 00:20:28,720
Oh, a hell of a lot of things.
350
00:20:28,880 --> 00:20:31,640
All the other fish species,
plus the ducks.
Ducks?
351
00:20:31,800 --> 00:20:35,480
They take ducks freely. Oh, yes.
Especially the baby ones.
352
00:20:35,640 --> 00:20:40,120
Oh, dear. Ducklings are a delicacy?
Ah, yes, indeed.
353
00:20:40,280 --> 00:20:43,760
Robin's claim that they eat duck
is well founded.
354
00:20:43,920 --> 00:20:47,360
In fact, there's a story that
John Murray noticed ducklings
355
00:20:47,520 --> 00:20:49,800
just disappearing
from the surface of the loch,
356
00:20:49,960 --> 00:20:54,360
and the quick-thinking ghillie
used one to bait the monster.
357
00:20:57,240 --> 00:21:00,120
A bit of digging has turned up
a literary reference
358
00:21:00,280 --> 00:21:02,400
and an image of its skull,
359
00:21:02,560 --> 00:21:05,680
sent to a gentleman's magazine
in 1798
360
00:21:05,840 --> 00:21:10,040
by none other than John Murray's
boss, Captain John Gordon.
361
00:21:10,200 --> 00:21:15,360
Who writes, "It was the largest pike
perhaps ever taken in Great Britain."
362
00:21:15,520 --> 00:21:19,160
And let me tell you,
72lb would make it
363
00:21:19,320 --> 00:21:23,400
THE largest freshwater fish
ever taken in Great Britain.
364
00:21:28,280 --> 00:21:31,480
But he also sensationally
claims that,
365
00:21:31,640 --> 00:21:36,040
"There are no less than 22 rows
of teeth in the creature's jaw."
366
00:21:36,200 --> 00:21:39,120
And you can clearly see them
in his drawing.
367
00:21:41,560 --> 00:21:47,320
Now, is fact and fable intertwining
down here on the banks of Loch Ken?
368
00:21:47,480 --> 00:21:51,600
Robin and I go for a pint
at the Ken Bridge Hotel.
369
00:21:51,760 --> 00:21:55,800
Painstaking research and good
draughtsmanship have allowed Robin
370
00:21:55,960 --> 00:22:00,240
to produce a life-size image
of John Murray's historic pike,
371
00:22:00,400 --> 00:22:05,360
allowing us to further investigate
the jaw of the species.
372
00:22:05,520 --> 00:22:08,720
It's enormous, isn't it?
It's a colossal thing.
373
00:22:08,880 --> 00:22:13,000
They're more of an alligator
or a crocodile than they are
a fish, these things.
374
00:22:13,160 --> 00:22:17,080
He shows me the skull of a pike
one-third of its size,
375
00:22:17,240 --> 00:22:20,720
and I can confirm that the rows of
teeth do indeed
376
00:22:20,880 --> 00:22:23,040
look vicious and deadly.
377
00:22:23,200 --> 00:22:26,320
So I'm kind of somewhat relieved,
that as usual,
378
00:22:26,480 --> 00:22:29,640
I went fishing and caught nothing.
379
00:22:33,000 --> 00:22:35,800
I'm intrigued by the story of
the monster pike
380
00:22:35,960 --> 00:22:37,680
and John Murray the gamekeeper.
381
00:22:37,840 --> 00:22:42,200
Apparently, Murray was held in great
affection by his employers,
382
00:22:42,360 --> 00:22:47,320
who paid for a headstone
when he died in 1777.
383
00:22:47,480 --> 00:22:52,400
He's buried in a kirkyard
not far from the head of the loch.
384
00:22:52,560 --> 00:22:54,560
Now, here it is.
385
00:22:54,720 --> 00:22:57,520
John Murray's gravestone.
386
00:22:57,680 --> 00:23:01,680
The man who landed the monster pike
of Loch Ken.
387
00:23:01,840 --> 00:23:05,640
And it's an interesting example
of the stonemason's craft.
388
00:23:05,800 --> 00:23:09,760
And John's profession
is symbolised here with the gun,
389
00:23:09,920 --> 00:23:13,640
his folded fishing rod,
a powder cask,
390
00:23:13,800 --> 00:23:15,960
a partridge or a pheasant down there,
391
00:23:16,120 --> 00:23:17,880
and his faithful hound dog,
of course,
392
00:23:18,040 --> 00:23:20,360
and an inscription by his employer.
393
00:23:20,520 --> 00:23:23,040
"In Memory of John Murray."
394
00:23:23,200 --> 00:23:28,400
But intriguingly, around the back
of the gravestone is a poem,
395
00:23:28,560 --> 00:23:32,560
apparently composed
by a local minister.
396
00:23:32,720 --> 00:23:36,720
It's very weathered and almost
illegible, but I can read,
397
00:23:36,880 --> 00:23:41,040
"Ah, John, what changes
since I saw thee last
398
00:23:41,200 --> 00:23:45,040
"Thy fishing and thy shooting days
are past
399
00:23:45,200 --> 00:23:49,360
"Bagpipes and hautboys
thou canst sound no more
400
00:23:49,520 --> 00:23:53,360
"Thy nods, grimaces,
winks and pranks are o'er."
401
00:23:53,520 --> 00:23:57,680
Now, it sounds to me as if
John Murray was quite a character -
402
00:23:57,840 --> 00:24:02,440
perhaps the sort of man
to tell fishermen's tales.
403
00:24:04,360 --> 00:24:08,440
For the last part of my Grand Tour
I'm returning westwards,
404
00:24:08,600 --> 00:24:11,240
following a section
of the Southern Upland Way -
405
00:24:11,400 --> 00:24:14,400
the 212 mile, coast to coast,
406
00:24:14,560 --> 00:24:17,520
long-distance path that crosses
southern Scotland
407
00:24:17,680 --> 00:24:21,200
taking me to the lochs of
the great Galloway Forest
408
00:24:21,360 --> 00:24:25,080
and into the heart of Bruce Country.
409
00:24:25,240 --> 00:24:29,120
Robert the Bruce knew this country
like the back of his hand
410
00:24:29,280 --> 00:24:31,680
and he developed new tactics here.
411
00:24:31,840 --> 00:24:34,280
Using local knowledge
and the lie of the land,
412
00:24:34,440 --> 00:24:37,360
he fought a guerilla war
against the English.
413
00:24:37,520 --> 00:24:41,080
And after he defeated an enemy force
near Clatteringshaws,
414
00:24:41,240 --> 00:24:46,760
he headed for the hills where he
set a trap for King Edward's men.
415
00:24:48,720 --> 00:24:50,760
In the hills above Loch Trool,
416
00:24:50,920 --> 00:24:55,520
the glen enters a narrow defile
known as The Steps of Trool.
417
00:24:55,680 --> 00:24:58,680
And it was here on the steep,
craggy slopes
418
00:24:58,840 --> 00:25:03,040
that Bruce's small army
waited with hope and fear.
419
00:25:03,200 --> 00:25:04,680
Would they pull it off?
420
00:25:04,840 --> 00:25:10,840
According to the epic poem, The Brus,
written by John Barbour in the 1370s,
421
00:25:11,000 --> 00:25:13,840
Bruce's enemies were forced
by the narrowness of the path
422
00:25:14,000 --> 00:25:17,160
through the woods
to move in single file,
423
00:25:17,320 --> 00:25:19,920
and this made them
fatally vulnerable.
424
00:25:23,320 --> 00:25:28,160
The poem describes what happened
when Bruce saw his advantage.
425
00:25:28,320 --> 00:25:32,600
"At once the noble king took
the banner from his standard-bearer
426
00:25:32,760 --> 00:25:36,880
"and cried, 'Upon them!
For they are vanquished all!'"
427
00:25:38,040 --> 00:25:40,000
Bruce's foes were routed,
428
00:25:40,160 --> 00:25:43,440
and although the action was more
of a skirmish than a battle,
429
00:25:43,600 --> 00:25:46,520
it was an important
morale-boosting episode
430
00:25:46,680 --> 00:25:48,720
and turned the tide for Bruce,
431
00:25:48,880 --> 00:25:53,520
paving the way for ultimate victory
at Bannockburn seven years later.
432
00:25:55,880 --> 00:25:59,720
Many accounts of the battle
emphasise Bruce's tactic of
433
00:25:59,880 --> 00:26:02,720
rolling boulders down on the heads of
his enemies.
434
00:26:02,880 --> 00:26:05,160
Now, I have to admit
that until I came here,
435
00:26:05,320 --> 00:26:07,320
I was just a wee bit sceptical
about this story,
436
00:26:07,480 --> 00:26:10,040
until I saw some of the boulders
for myself.
437
00:26:10,200 --> 00:26:13,200
They're lying on the hillside,
and in amongst the trees here.
438
00:26:13,360 --> 00:26:16,160
So perhaps after all,
they could have been used
439
00:26:16,320 --> 00:26:19,000
as ammunition to help defeat
the English.
440
00:26:20,600 --> 00:26:24,160
Bruce's victory is commemorated
today with a massive boulder -
441
00:26:24,320 --> 00:26:28,400
exactly the sort you'd imagine
crushing his enemies.
442
00:26:28,560 --> 00:26:34,520
Erected in 1929 to mark the
600th anniversary of Bruce's death,
443
00:26:34,680 --> 00:26:38,920
the stone honours the symbolic
father of the nation.
444
00:26:40,320 --> 00:26:44,040
Now, the Bruce's Stone also marks
the starting point for a trek
445
00:26:44,200 --> 00:26:48,240
up the highest hill in the Borders,
the mighty Merrick,
446
00:26:48,400 --> 00:26:50,800
which is where I'm heading next.
447
00:26:52,960 --> 00:26:58,240
At 2,766 feet,
Merrick doesn't boast Munro status,
448
00:26:58,400 --> 00:27:03,280
but rises higher than any point
in Scotland south of Ben Lomond.
449
00:27:03,440 --> 00:27:06,240
And to the south,
there isn't anything higher
450
00:27:06,400 --> 00:27:09,280
until you get to the Lake District
in England.
451
00:27:11,320 --> 00:27:15,760
The ordnance survey map for this area
is an entertainment in itself,
452
00:27:15,920 --> 00:27:20,480
purely because of the curious names
of the hills, glens and ridges.
453
00:27:20,640 --> 00:27:26,080
I could traverse the Rig of Gloon,
cross over the Nieve of Spit,
454
00:27:26,240 --> 00:27:31,280
climb the Shalloch of Minnoch,
and descend of the Rig of Jarkness.
455
00:27:31,440 --> 00:27:34,560
What they might mean I have no idea,
456
00:27:34,720 --> 00:27:37,000
but I like the sound of them.
457
00:27:40,160 --> 00:27:41,960
Now here we are at last,
458
00:27:42,120 --> 00:27:44,800
the summit of the mighty Merrick,
459
00:27:44,960 --> 00:27:48,000
and the trig point marking
the highest point
460
00:27:48,160 --> 00:27:50,000
in the whole of Galloway.
461
00:27:50,160 --> 00:27:52,200
In fact,
there's no-one higher than I am
462
00:27:52,360 --> 00:27:54,320
for hundreds of square miles.
463
00:27:54,480 --> 00:27:59,440
And as you'd expect, the view
from here is absolutely superb.
464
00:27:59,600 --> 00:28:01,720
So away to the south-east
on the horizon
465
00:28:01,880 --> 00:28:05,360
I can just make out
the hills of the Lake District.
466
00:28:05,520 --> 00:28:09,400
And away to the west over there
through the mist,
467
00:28:09,560 --> 00:28:12,160
you can actually see Ailsa Craig.
468
00:28:12,320 --> 00:28:13,640
And, of course, in front me
469
00:28:13,800 --> 00:28:15,920
you've got the rolling
green countryside
470
00:28:16,080 --> 00:28:17,760
leading all the way to Loch Ryan
471
00:28:17,920 --> 00:28:22,400
and the start of my Grand Tour
of the Galloway lochs.
472
00:28:22,560 --> 00:28:24,440
Superb.
473
00:28:29,440 --> 00:28:32,000
Following whisky
and shoals of herring,
474
00:28:32,160 --> 00:28:37,120
my next Grand Tour takes me
from Campbeltown to Loch Fyne.
475
00:28:43,760 --> 00:28:46,760
Captions by Red Bee Media
(c) SBS Australia 2019
41232
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