Original subtitles

(wind whistling)

(bright music)

(upbeat music)

- We begin our journey in the Isle of Skye,

exploring the ancient battlegrounds of rival Highland clans

as well as the geological

and historical wonders of the island.

(gentle music)

Crossing over the Sounds, we head to the mainland

to see one of Scotland's most photographed castles,

the Fortress of Eilean Donan.

Island-hopping over Rum and Eigg,

we arrive at Mull, and from there,

we follow the pilgrims' path southward to isolated Iona,

the historical center of Scottish Christianity

established 1,500 years ago.

Then it's back to the mainland

where we'll weave through

some of the Highland's most spectacular lochs and glens,

all steeped in Gaelic myths and heroic legends.

We finish our journey in the town of Fort William

at the foot of Ben Nevis,

the highest peak in the United Kingdom.

(slow bagpipe music)

Some say that the Isle of Skye is conclusive evidence

that as God was creating the world,

he was plainly showing off.

Right off the west coast of Scotland,

Skye is the northernmost island of the Inner Hebrides.

Its name derives from the Norse, meaning cloudy island,

as it is often cloaked in mist.

Skye is composed of a series of peninsulas,

splaying out from its center.

The most visited is the peninsula of Trotternish.

(gentle music)

This is Staffin, off the coast of the peninsula.

It is believed to be the last island in Scotland

where the farmer has his herd of cattle swim

between grazing spots.

Trotternish is considered Skye's greatest geological marvel.

A massive ancient landslide

that spans most of the 30-kilometer-long peninsula

has exposed a series of imposing rock faces

and a wonderland of geological formations.

The craggy summit of Storr

is, without a doubt, the most prominent of these features,

and beneath its cliffs is the spectacular pinnacle

known as the Old Man of Storr.

Like much of Skye,

this rock formation is steeped in magic and myth.

By some accounts,

the island was once overrun by giants,

and one of these beings was buried

with his thumb still poking out of the ground.

Another story tells of a man and his wife

fleeing from these giants.

When they made the mistake

of turning around to look at them,

they were both turned to stone on the spot.

(birds chirping)

Ten kilometers west is Dunvegan Castle.

In times past,

the Isle of Skye was the location of a fierce rivalry

between two clans, the MacLeods and the MacDonalds.

This castle was constructed

during this longstanding feud 800 years ago

and has been the seat of the MacLeod clan ever since.

Situated on Loch Dunvegan, it boasts a wall garden

and a collection of magical memorabilia within.

The most prized of these is the silken Fairy Flag,

which, as the legend goes,

was gifted to the MacLeods

by the mischievous fairies of the island

and can be used three times to save the clan

in moments of extreme danger.

It has already been used twice,

once in a battle against the MacDonalds

and once to ward off plague and starvation.

Further south are the Cuillins,

the most impressive mountain range on Skye.

It is fabled

that the sun threw his fiery spear into the ground,

and where it struck a massive boil swelled

and burst its contents over the land,

forming these mountains.

And the myth is not far off the truth,

as indeed this range was formed by volcanic activity,

creating these black, jagged peaks

which consist of crystallized molten matter

and the surrounding red peaks formed from granite.

The Cuillins are prime territory for intrepid mountaineers.

All of Skye's 12 main peaks,

or munros as Scotland's highest mountains are known,

lie in the Cuillin range.

There are plenty of summits to mount,

or, as the Scots would say, munros to be bagged.

(gentle music)

A few kilometers eastward is the Scottish mainland,

which sits on the other side of the Skye Bridge.

Controversial from the start,

the bridge was at the center

of a national argument about public transport.

When it opened in 1995, the toll,

which was expected to be around a dollar in today's money,

ended up costing over 10 times that amount.

This resulted in organized protests, massive fines,

and a number of arrests.

In the end, the residents prevailed,

and the toll was waived.

In 2008, the whole of Scotland became toll-free

for bridge crossings,

a development which Skye residents take some credit for.

Further to the southeast is Eilean Donan Castle,

one of the most photographed castles in all of Scotland.

(gentle music)

Built originally in the 13th century

to defend against Viking attacks,

it steadily increased in size until 1719.

It was in this year

that Spanish soldiers in support of the Jacobite Revolution

garrisoned themselves in the castle to await supplies.

The British government bombarded the Spanish for three days,

but the formidable five-meter-thick walls

forced them to storm the building on foot.

Once inside, the soldiers used 350 barrels of gunpowder

to destroy the fortress.

Eilean Donan lay in ruins for 200 years

until Lieutenant Colonel John MacRae-Gilstrap

bought the site and structure in 1911

and restored it to its former glory.

(birds chirping)

(calming music)

Along the coast is the narrowest point

between Skye and the mainland,

the Sound of Sleat.

The name comes from old Norse, meaning smooth,

but when the waters of Loch Alsh

are squeezed through a narrow gap of around 200 meters,

the current creates the swelling turbulence we see below,

and smooth is the last thing that comes to mind.

The subsequent riptide is notoriously dangerous,

although brave souls have been known to swim across

during calmer spells.

Some 25 kilometers south along the coast of the mainland

is the picturesque town of Mallaig.

During the 1960s, it was the busiest herring port in Europe.

Despite its size and modest population of around 800,

Mallaig is still the main commercial fishing harbor

on the west coast of Scotland

as well as a popular tourist destination

in the summer months.

From Mallaig, you can catch a ferry eastward

to the Island of Rum,

formed 65 million years ago after a volcanic eruption.

(gentle music)

Although Rum seems an unlikely site for settlement,

it has produced some of the earliest evidence

of human activity anywhere in Scotland,

including tools up to 10,000 years old.

Today, Rum is cared for

by the Scottish National Heritage Foundation,

and most of its 20 residents

are involved with the upkeep of the island in some way,

which involves caring for wildlife

and reintroducing native plants.

Just southeast of Rum is the island of Eigg.

Covering around 30 square kilometers

and with a mere population of 90, Eigg is small,

but along with being stunningly beautiful

and teeming with bird life,

it is also the site of a human experiment

that has served as an inspiration

to people around the globe.

In 1997, the residents of Eigg

collectively bought the island from its longterm owner

and have since developed a unique community

based on equality and sustainability.

The power needs are supplied completely

by solar, wind, and other alternative energy sources.

Dotted with small settlements along its coast

is one of the most heavily Gaelic-speaking areas

in all of Scotland, the Ardnamurchan Peninsula.

(gentle music)

It is also the site of the first intact Viking boat burial

to be uncovered complete with sword, ax, and spear.

The interesting geology here is known as a caldera,

which is created by the collapse of land

following a series of volcanic eruptions,

in this case, 55 million years ago.

And nearby is the fishing port of Tobermory,

capital of the Isle of Mull.

With 3,000 residents,

it is the most populated area in the Hebridean archipelago.

Its brightly painted houses

also makes it one of the prettiest inhabited spots

in the region.

The town is surrounded by the rare white-tailed sea eagle,

while dolphins, whales, and basking sharks

are often spotted in and around the harbor.

Although present-day Tobermory is only 200 years old,

the surrounding area is thriving with romantic history.

Legend has it a gold-laden galleon from the Spanish Armada

lies somewhere on the seabed waiting to be discovered.

(birds cawing)

Deeper into the Isle of Mull is the rugged landscape

that holds ancient and mystical secrets.

A 2010 excavation found remnants

of an 8th century Celtic altar

and the bones of the Hermetic monks that lived nearby.

Caves are full of neolithic artifacts

and ancient stone circles

as well as 6,000-year-old hilltop forts, called duns,

are scattered about the mountainous countryside.

The island was a center of early Scottish Christianity

due to its proximity to the highly religious Isle of Iona.

As a result, medieval graveyards

and the remnants of 5th century chapels

add to the layers of history here.

(gentle music)

And to top it off, like most of these isles,

Mull was overrun by Vikings until the 13th century.

To the south is Loch na Keal's island-filled bay.

Centuries ago, this would have been part

of the route pilgrims took to reach the Isle of Iona.

There are no major settlements along here,

and so the area is a prime habitat

and popular breeding ground

for the white-tailed sea eagle and other wildlife.

Isolated off the coast of Mull,

this is the last place you'd expect to find a farmhouse,

but here it is on the island of Little Colonsay.

(gentle music)

It was once the childhood summer escape

of author Cressida Cowell, who described the island

as the kind of place you'd expect to see a dragon overhead.

(birds cawing)

Nearby is an island that's been an important location

for Christians for 1,400 years, Iona.

St Columba arrived on the island in 563 AD,

and under his influence,

it became one of Europe's centers of learning

during the Dark Ages.

Iona Abbey is built

on the site of Columba's original monastery,

where holy texts were copied, religious poetry composed,

and even a guide to the Holy Land written.

Kings, nobles, holy men, and humble pilgrims

traveled to the monastery, both in life and death,

some to study and pray,

and some to be buried in the sacred soil,

and it still draws pilgrims today.

(waves crashing)

(birds chirping)

From a later period of Scottish history

is this magnificent 13th century stronghold

perched on a headland of the Isle of Mull, Duart Castle.

(bright bagpipe music)

It was given to Lachlan, clan chief of the Macleans,

to his wife as a dowry

and went on to serve as the seat of the Macleans

for more than 300 years.

In 1653, during Oliver Cromwell's reign,

a fleet of six ships attempted to ransack the castle,

resulting in three of these ships

being wrecked on the shores in a storm

and the remaining three turning back.

The castle was eventually destroyed in the next century

and remained so until 1910

when the 26th chief of the clan, Fitzroy Donald Maclean,

bought the site.

It has since been renovated

and been open to visitors since 1995.

(gentle music)

With the landscape bathed in dappled light,

we leave the Isle of Mull.

Here, a stretch of sea known as the Sound of Mull

separates the island from the mainland.

Ferries still carry passengers

to all the islands we've visited so far on this journey.

Crossing the Sound, we pass Lismore Island

and its distinctive white lighthouse.

With a geology of unique Highland limestone,

a fault line runs directly beneath,

resulting in the otherworldly landscape we see here.

And amongst these uneven, jagged, green hills

live the 146 residents of the island,

rearing cattle and sheep

on top of these dense layers of history.

On the way to the mainland is the Ardmucknish Bay,

where we're reminded of perhaps the most ubiquitous element

in the history of these islands, the Vikings.

Arriving in the Scottish isles around 800 AD,

Viking ships, like this reconstruction,

roamed the lochs and seas for 500 years,

asserting their dominance through sheer terror and violence.

(dramatic music)

They destroyed the sophisticated kingdoms

of the Picts and Scots that had dominated previously,

reducing their civilization to rubble.

The Vikings were finally expelled around the 13th century.

(birds cawing) (gentle music)

As the water moves at high tide

from Ardmucknish Bay into Loch Etive,

it races through a narrow channel

and creates this churning white water

known as the Falls of Lora.

But as we move deeper into the loch,

which snakes inland for about 25 kilometers,

the waters become calm and enchanting.

The mountains of Etive Glen surround the loch below.

It is said that the Gaelic goddess Deirdre

fled to this glen with her husband Naoise

and his brothers.

They spent a happy time here hunting and fishing

until misfortune finally befell them,

but some still believe

that you can find their spirits wandering the glen

in the form of swans.

Here in western Scotland,

large valleys, or glens, weave through the landscape,

each with its own local legend.

This is Glen Kinglass, and its story is a modern parable

on the ill effects of progress.

It tells of a long resident hermit living in this glen

who visitors in the 1950s

would travel great distances to see,

but he was eventually pushed off his land

with the construction of the A83 highway.

We continue the journey inland

between the mountains of Glen Etive

until eventually the grass turns brown

and the river becomes a trickle.

These glens were carved out

by slowly moving glacial sheets of ice

that slipped down towards the sea 10,000 years ago.

The last significant glacier of the Ice Age

once sat here at Rannoch Moor.

When it finally melted,

the earth rebounded upwards and continues to do so,

rising about two to three millimeters a year.

And as the surface layer of peat dries out,

roots of old pine trees dating

from the pre-Ice Age Caledonian forests are uncovered.

Today, Rannoch Moor

is one of the last great wildernesses in Europe.

The land here is composed of blanket bog,

peat, rivers and rocky outcrops,

sitting atop a bed of granite.

This makes the land extremely difficult to develop,

and so it remains a sanctuary for wildlife.

Like its neighbors, Glencoe was also carved out

by the movement of giant glaciers.

It is well known as the legendary home

of one of the great Gaelic heroes, Fingal.

He is hailed as the warrior

who finally drove out

the mighty Viking invader, King Erragon.

After the time of Fingal, the glen eventually fell

into the control of the MacDougall clan,

who built up a small empire here.

It was taken from the MacDougalls

after they fought against Robert the Bruce,

the liberator of Scotland in 1308,

and handed to the MacDonalds, who were allied with Robert.

The MacDonalds stayed in the glen for 300 years

before suffering a bloody massacre here in 1691

at the hands of their longtime rivals, the Campbells.

Having thought a peace had been reached,

the MacDonalds offered the Campbells hospitality

and lodging, much to their misfortune.

For that night, the Campbells carried out the massacre,

killing 40 MacDonald men in their sleep

and setting the rest running to the hills

to starve to death.

(gentle music)

The waters of Glencoe run westward

and drain eventually into the majestically lit Loch Leven.

The waters of Leven then squeeze

into the much larger Loch Linnhe.

At 50 kilometers long,

it is one of the biggest lochs in Scotland.

Traveling northward, we arrive

at the second most popular settlement

in the Scottish Highlands after Inverness, Fort William.

The name pays testament to its history,

as indeed the town grew up

around a fort built during the English Civil War

to keep an eye on the local population.

It was then used to quell Jacobite uprisings

in the early 18th century.

(birds chirping)

And named in honor of those very same uprisings

is the Jacobite steam train.

(slow bagpipe music)

The locomotive carries passengers from Fort William daily,

taking two hours to reach the fishing town of Mallaig.

(train chugging)

The route was completed in 1901

in an attempt to open up the remote western coast

and to increase trade with towns like Mallaig.

For the next 80 years, the line was rarely used

and as a result, heavily subsidized by the government.

Having been replaced by diesel engines,

no steam trains were in use on the line until 1984

when British Rail reintroduced the steam locomotive

in an attempt to boost tourism

and bring revenue to the line.

And it worked.

These days, the scenic ride is described by some

as the greatest train journey in the world.

(calming music)

Passengers enjoy spectacular views

of many of the islands we've seen on our trip

as well as Scotland's deepest loch,

Britain's highest mountain,

and scenery from movies like "Highlander" and "Local Hero."

And not only do passengers see locations

from popular movies, they get to ride in them too

because the Jacobite steam train stood in

for the Hogwarts Express in the "Harry Potter" movies.

But perhaps the most impressive site

on the train journey is Ben Nevis.

Looming over Fort William at 1,350 meters,

it's Britain's highest mountain.

The name Ben Nevis is an Anglicization

of the original Gaelic,

which is translated both as the malicious mountain,

or more comfortingly,

as the man with his head in the clouds.

Its first recorded ascent was completed in 1771,

but now the mountain is an extremely popular climb

with over 100,000 ascents a year.

A perfect place to end this journey.

(bright music)

(logos whooshing)