FarNorth Podcast

Relatively few of Scotlands 900 islands are inhabited, and many that were once thriving communities are now abandoned.

Wanting to know what that was, we did some digging, and then spoke to John Manson, an incredible man who, as a boy, was one of the last family to live on the island of Stroma. He and his brother, father, and mother, lived alone in those last years, making the most of the fishing grounds and living among the empty buildings of their community.

His story of endurance and the importance of knowledge passed down generations is inspiring.

There seem to be a lot of private islands in Scotland. Why is that?

Pete and Matt dig into the questions of land ownership, the responsibility of island ownership, and the kind of people who take it on.

They then get the chance to talk to Vanessa Branson about her experience of buying and owning Eileann Shona, which she is now running as a luxury tourist retreat.

We drew heavily on a great article by Patrick Barkham in the Guardian in researching some of the recent history of private and community island ownership.

Ian Rankin is one of the literary stars of Scotland, and someone with a passion for the Far North who has set some of his novels in the Highlands. The action in his latest novel, A Song for the Dark Times, takes place between Edinburgh and the north coast.

In this part of the podcast, we focus on Ian's passion for the Highlands, how to capture the real life of the area rather than its tourist present or mythologised past, electric vehicle ranges and ... where to stop for a comfort break on the A9.

Ian Rankin is one of the literary stars of Scotland, and someone with a passion for the Far North who has set some of his novels in the Highlands. The action in his latest novel, A Song for the Dark Times, takes place between Edinburgh and the north coast.

Ian joins us to talk about the novel and what themes setting the story in the north allows him to explore which he couldn’t get at if the story took place in Edinburgh alone. He also talks about his personal connection to the Highlands.

Pete and Matt, meanwhile, discuss their shared interest in - and ignorance of - crime writing and the distinctive Scottish voice in the genre.

This podcast is part one of our conversation with Ian Rankin. Next week, we focus more on Ian’s passion for the Highlands … and where to stop for a comfort break on the A9.

If you’re walking from Lands End to John O’Groats, there used to come a point where you walked off the map. The walkers trails that had snaked you through the quantocks, pennines and pentlands simply stopped at Inverness. The maps often simply cut off. And the only route North was walking along the hard shoulder of the main roads.

This, realised a hardy and committed group of walkers from the Far North, would not do. They set about establishing a walkers trail from Inverness to John O’Groats through the stunning landscape of Easter Ross, Sutherland, and Caithness.

Jay Wilson, the Chair of the charity working to establish this John O’Groats trail talks about what goes into making a trail along the clifftops, what he gets out of long distance walking, and what brought him from his home town on the Appalachian trail to Inverness, Berriedale, and ultimately, John O’Groats.

Meanwhile, Pete and Matt wonder where one can wander in Scotland. And Matt gets needlessly scatological in his research.

Gail Ross is Member of the Scottish Parliament for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross, in the far north of Scotland.

In the first episode of Series Two, Gail tells us about her life in politics and the challenges, complex issues, and funny situations she found herself facing while representing the people of the region. Spaceports, supporting constituents, independence, and a risqué brush with Prince Charles at the Mey Games are all part of life as an MSP. Gail talks with honesty and directness about her experiences.

But not before Pete manages to answer Matt's straightforward question about how the Scottish Parliament works by talking at length about a long dead Belgian mathematician.

On the hill above Alness on the North shore of the Cromarty firth, a row of apparently ancient towers and arches frames and incredible view out over the water. But what are they doing there, who built them, and why? The answers take Matt on an unexpected wikipedia tour of India and British colonial history, the Scottish aristocracy, and even, possibly due to some mis-clicks, the American war of independence.

It’s incredible what you come across when out for a walk in the Far North. Patrick Baker knows that more than most. He’s the author of two books about discovering the unexpectedly interesting stories behind the places he has explored in Scotland: The Cairngorms, a Secret History and The Unremembered Places.

He talks to us about the joy in finding out more about the things you stumble across, the importance of following your curiosity, and gives us a shortcut to some of the things he’s discovered while exploring in the Far North.

From cutting peat to cutting edge wave power, via nuclear and oil and gas, the Highlands and Islands hold a surprising amount of energy. We should think about it, says Magnus Davidson, as an energy region.

The whisky label view of the highlands is of grouse exploding out of the undergrowth into the sky, but soon they will be joined by biodiesel fuelled rockets being launched from a new spaceport in Sutherland.

In a global climate crisis, when people are focused on harnessing low impact traditional ways of life and using new technologies to generate energy and drive a future economy in a way which doesn’t destroy the planet, the Far North has a lot to offer.

Meanwhile, Matt and Pete are confused by oil rigs and wonder how they work…

You can keep up with Magnus on Twitter, where he posts regular insightful comment on the environment, economy, and society from his expert perspective as a researcher at the Environment Research Institute at the University of the Highlands and Islands.

Venison, says Andy Waugh, is the best meat there is. It’s good for you, it’s good for the land, and it tastes great. But have you ever thought about what it means to source it from the highlands? We hadn’t. But Andy is an old hand, and his family have a history of providing wild sourced game throughout the Highlands and now far beyond, including to the two Mac and Wild restaurants in London.

But what other Scottish foods can you eat to get in touch with the soul of the country? And does Pete’s description of an Arbroath Smokey constitute a hate crime? Possibly.

You can catch up with Mac and Wild on instagram and through their website. You can also check their restaurants in the Falls of Shin, Fitzrovia, and the City of London.

If you can’t get there, why not try a meal kit?

Alistair Heather is a journalist and broadcaster who writes in, and often about, Scots. He grew up speaking Scots in Angus, and had a primary school teacher who was passionate about teaching and preserving the language.

But even for Alistair, it took someone pointing out to him when he lived overseas that he spoke Scots and asking about the grammar of the language to bring the point home that this was a language worth living in. Since moving back to Scotland, he has built a reputation as a respected commentator on the subject, working with Aberdeen University on Scots. He wrote and presented Rebel Tongue, a BBC Documentary about Scots earlier this year.

What advice does he have for someone visiting Scotland who wants to know more about the Scots language?

Ask people about their language, about their words. Get a conversation going about what dreich, scunnered, braw, glaikit, sleekit and sitooterie mean. Buy some books in Scots, either native or in translation. See a play in Scots.

You can read more about the subject in the FarNorth essay on the subject. You can also still catch Rebel Tongue on the BBC. You can keep up with Alistair Heather on Twitter.