I'm battling my way through the high mountains of northern Scotland.
I've descended fast down a steep scree run.
For the lower slopes are a nightmare of loose boulders.
Just have to slow it right down when you hit these bigger stuff again.
Get my butt out. Oh.
You're right. That was crazy close.
You get hit by one of those just that big, it's going to kill you.
Let alone that side.
That's why, really, the golden rule of rockfall.
You've got to have eyes on it.
You want to see what's coming your way so you can get out of the way.
Okay, let's get off this boulder field and get down to the bottom of the valley here.
Come on. Moving through mountainous terrain takes its toll on your energy levels, and it
has to be replaced.
Now you must start the search for food.
Small lake, and that's really a chance to find some food.
Let's go down to this.
Its whole landscape is just so windswept.
There's very little sustainable food here.
When you find a lake like this, you've got to use it.
It's going to have fish in here.
It's just trying to work out a way of getting the.
Keep moving around.
Look, you see this? A natural choke point between these two lakes can create a funnel
between them that the fish will use.
Using natural formations in the landscape saves energy and time.
Positioning these boulders across the choke point will force the fish through a narrow
entrance. All I have to do then is place a net found on the shore across the gap.
Want to keep this really simple?
Fold this back on itself effectively.
Make like a bag.
Nice big opening here so the fish can swim in.
Just need to tie this size together.
The scraps of cordage I scavenged from the beach will do the job nicely.
Okay, that's a sides sewn up together.
And then a stone at the front like that.
Just use some of this heather just to hold the bag open.
The net's in place now to drive the fish towards it.
All I'm doing is trying to create some mayhem and splash so the fish don't enjoy it.
Want to get away from it and swim that way towards the trap.
And really, this is just a very simple old potion technique catching fish efficiently.
Fish efficiently. No pun intended.
Well. This one.
Let's get him moving.
No.
The reality of fishing without a rod and line.
You've got to improvise.
You've got to be persistent.
I always like the story of the great Scottish warrior Robert Bruce.
And after he's beaten by the English, he sat in his cave.
The story goes, he watched a spider climbing up and down the spider web, endlessly
falling, but getting back up.
And really, that's the heart of survival.
You've just got to keep trying and trying again until you succeed.
On fish.
Look, there's one in here.
Let's just get this bag up.
Let's see that there's another one at the back as well.
Let's get this bag onto shore.
One casserole, two fish.
And really, if you're hungry, a little trout like that is fine to eat raw.
You know, all freshwater fish are edible.
And when you're an environment as pristine as up here, you know you're find.
Really want to take the head off.
And then take the guts out.
And then you can just munch into that.
That's as fresh as you're ever going to get.
Good energy.
Oh, man. That's good. Well, that was worth doing, huh?
Well. Okay.
Moving through this sort of terrain at night carries a high risk of injury.
Lost and alone.
Even a sprained ankle out here could spell disaster.
But as night approaches, you need to divert your focus onto making camp.
And there's one plant that grows in abundance here which guarantees a more
comfortable night. Good old Scottish thistle.
They use all the fluff inside this.
It's a good tinder for a fire.
People have tried to eke out a living here for centuries.
Many have failed, but traces of their lives are still scattered over the landscape.
Hey, look, check this out.
Some wood from something man made.
It's going to make good firewood anyway.
Hang on. Let's from that.
See that poking out? Looks like an upturned boat.
Well, I'm not going to be going anywhere in a hurry in this old boat.
Looks completely trashed, but it might make a good shelter for the night.
Yeah, it's got a good wind break here.
Maybe brace this up a bit.
I'll sleep underneath that.
And then whatever I don't use and just have as firewood.
The thing is, this landscape is so barren, it just gives you nothing.
Yeah, I've hardly seen any trees at all.
Do you find this sort of thing?
You want to use it?
Get some peat. The boat is too far gone to offer me any protection from the rain.
But there's one natural resource that is common all over boggy areas like this that
will help to keep me dry.
Peat. I should just be able to peel this stuff back.
Yeah. This is what crofters, the Scottish people who've lived off the land for
centuries. It's what they would use for fuel and for shelter.
Just take big chunks of it.
Like this. Back for my roofing.
The peat is not waterproof.
In fact, it soaks up water like a sponge.
But it takes so long for the rain to work its way through that it makes an ideal roof
for a temporary shelter.
Well, that's really going to keep it dry and warm under there.
Let's have a feeling looking at that sky, that I'm going to be pretty grateful for this
insulation and this waterproofing.
That to me, looks like a storm coming.
Ready? Feel the rain.