Grand Tours of the Scottish Islands

In this first Grand Tours of the Scottish Islands, Paul Murton sets out to visit some of the myriad of islands that lay off our coastline. Heading to Foula and Fair Isle - the most remote island communities in Britain - Paul makes a nerve-wracking visit to Da Snekk o da Smallie - a pothole in the cliffs of Foula which leads through to the Atlantic shore on the island, and learns about the beautiful knitting patterns which have made Fair Isle world famous.

On this Grand Tour, Paul sets off from Mallaig to visit a group of islands famed for their unusual names: Rum, Muck and Eigg. Paul meets the real Lord Muck, visits the dramatic Kinloch Castle on Rum and joins the Eigg islanders in a very special celebration of the islands community buyout.

In the fifth episode, Paul Murton explores the islands scattered in the Firth of Forth. He discovers that these seemingly peaceful islands have a dramatic history of war; from Medieval English raids on the monastic island retreat of Inchcolm, to the first air raid attack on Britain above Inchgarvie. Paul learns about the strategic importance of Inchkeiths defences during two world wars, before heading to the Bass Rock to learn more about the history of prisoners incarcerated on the unforgiving rock, with 160,000 gannets for company.

In this first episode of the new series, Paul Murton is travelling to the Outer Hebrides and the beautiful islands of Eriskay, Barra and Vatersay. Meeting local people on Eriskay he discovers how this islands remote location helped preserve a unique way of life for centuries and also allowed the locals to hide thousands of bottles of whisky from the excise men who came visiting when a ship laden with a valuable and thirst-quenching cargo ran aground here in 1941. This was one of the less sober chapters in the islands history and was the inspiration for the famous film Whisky Galore. Moving onto Barra, Paul visits the only airport in the world where scheduled flights land on the beach, finds out about the islands tradition of crofting and goes foraging for cockles. Heading across the causeway to Vatersay, Paul joins local fishermen trawling for lobsters and ends his journey at spectacular Barra Head, which has been uninhabited for more than a hundred years.

Paul Murton visits Gigha and Jura, two islands of the Inner Hebrides which are only a few miles apart but could not be more different. He begins at the Achamore Gardens on Gigha, which were created in the 1930s by the malted-drink millionaire James Horlick. He loved Gighas mild climate so much that he bought the island and made it his home. Today Gigha is owned by the community, and many of its residents are incomers attracted by the opportunity to begin a new island life on this small and fertile place. Where Gigha is small, lush and verdant, Jura is rugged and awe-inspiring. Despite being one of Scotlands largest islands, just 200 people live there - alongside more than 5,000 deer.

Paul Murton tours Outer Orkney, beginning at North Ronaldsay, which may be the most northerly of the Orkneys but turns out to be surprisingly easy to get to. Paul then hops across to Papa Stronsay, which is now populated by an order of monks who have chosen to make this isolated island their home, and ends on the island of Stroma in the Pentland Firth, a previously inhabited island that was abandoned in the 1950s. One of the last people to live there joins Paul to recall when it was still a thriving community.

This first grand tour of the new series takes Paul to the largest island in Britain: the long island of Harris and Lewis. Paul tries his hand at weaving Harris Tweed, meets the family behind the world-famous Stornoway black pudding and uncovers the remarkable story of how a mysterious medieval chess set was discovered on the remote beach of Uig on Lewis.

On the west coast of Scotland are a group of islands that are so remote they almost seem to have been forgotten by the rest of the world and are populated by just a few hardy souls. Crossing the Sea of the Hebrides, Paul sets off to explore the Shiants, heads east to the romantic Isle of Ewe, and onto the Summer Isles, before travelling to the mighty cliffs of Handa. This tour sees Paul go diving at Scotlands first scallop ranch, kayak to the Summer Isles and visit the eerie but beautiful island of Gruinard, which was once considered to be so solitary and remote it was chosen to be the testing ground for Britains biological warfare experiments during World War II.

For this grand tour, Pauls journey begins at Loch Hourn on the mainland, takes him over the sea to Skye and then heads to the tiny island of Soay before finishing on Canna. Along the way, Paul visits the house which was the inspiration for Skyfall, home of Britains most famous spy James Bond, embarks on a nerve-wracking caving expedition under the summit of Blaven and discovers the remarkable story of shark fishing off Soay.

In this first programme in the new series, Paul Murton continues his island odyssey, exploring the remote and fascinating places which scatter our coastline, and meeting the people who call these islands home. On this Grand Tour, Paul is exploring a cluster of islands in the Outer Hebrides. Lying just off the North Uist coast is princely Berneray, where his journey begins. From there he heads south to capture the colours of Grimsay, and then weaves through the marram grass of Kirkibost, to end on the deserted whisky island of Pabbay.

Paul explores the eastern outposts of Shetland - Papa Stour, Whalsay and the Out Skerries, encountering along the way newborn lambs, ancient ruins and traditional Shetland sword dancing. Pauls journey reveals a bittersweet story of islands where life seems to continue against the odds, in the face of declining populations and the challenges that come with being so remote. But in all of the three islands Paul explores, he discovers they have their own voice, made proud and distinctive by the determination of the islanders to keep their communities alive.

On this journey Paul crosses the great natural harbour of Scapa Flow to the island of Flotta, before heading round the main island of Orkney to Stronsay, and from there travelling north to the stunning beaches of Sanday. Along the way Paul discovers stories of World War One, a mysterious beast, and Orkney Selkies.