Treshnish Isles Scotland

The Scotsman

18/08/2023

Treshnish Isles Scotland
National Trust

Transcript

00:00 The Treshnish Isles, famed for their raw beauty, fascinating history and abundant wildlife.

00:24 They lie just a few miles off the Isle of Mull, surrounded by the Sea of Hebrides off

00:29 the west coast of Scotland.

00:32 Uninhabited for the last 150 years, they're remote and wild.

00:41 The Treshnish Isles are the newest place to come into the care of the National Trust for

00:45 Scotland.

00:47 The conservation charity has been caring for some of Scotland's most special places since

00:52 1931, including nearby Iona, Staffa, Canna, the Bishop's Isles and 40 miles out into the

01:00 Atlantic, St Kilda.

01:13 And I'm here to explore this amazing chain of islands from my favourite vehicle, a stand-up

01:17 paddle board.

01:18 I'm Cal Major, I'm an ocean advocate and adventurer and an ambassador for the National Trust for

01:23 Scotland and I am so excited to share this magical place with you.

01:27 Let's go check it out.

01:31 The Treshnish Isles are known for their distinctive silhouettes in the seascape and for their

01:35 internationally significant nesting seabird populations, including 20% of the UK's storm

01:42 petrels.

01:43 The entire archipelago is a site of special scientific interest and the sea around the

01:49 islands is part of the wider Sea of the Hebrides Marine Protected Area.

01:55 They're also home to a large number of Scotland's breeding Atlantic seals.

02:10 This island is called Fladder, which means flat, and it's renowned for its large numbers

02:14 of shags which nest here.

02:16 I'm actually going to stay quite a way away from the cliffs and from the boulders where

02:19 they nest because I don't want to disturb them.

02:21 If I get too close and they fly away, they can leave their chicks which are then vulnerable.

02:29 The first islands I've come to are Carnarbor Maw and Carnarbor Beg which are right at the

02:42 top of the island chain and are home to the ruins of a medieval castle which is also a

02:47 scheduled monument.

02:48 Unfortunately, the clouds have just come over but it kind of adds to the mystery of it.

02:51 I'm going to go check it out.

03:05 This island is really cool actually.

03:07 The whole island itself is a fortress and the parts where there aren't big sheer rock

03:13 cliffs, the previous inhabitants have built big wall fortifications to stop anyone getting

03:19 in.

03:20 So we're going to go and try and find somewhere where we can get in and go and check out the

03:22 castle remains.

03:26 First mentioned in the 13th century in the Hakon Saga, this castle has seen everything

03:31 from clan wars to Jacobite uprisings.

03:36 The vegetation on each of the islands here in the Treshlish Isles is quite noticeably

03:40 different and on this island in particular, there are lots of nettles which are a sign

03:43 of previous human inhabitation.

03:46 Nettles thrive on nitrogen-rich soil which would have been formed from humans' middens

03:50 and also from human waste.

03:53 It's so cool to see that these stories, this piece of history has been preserved here on

03:58 this tiny island and I know that the National Trust for Scotland's expert archaeologists

04:03 are desperate to get out and explore for themselves.

04:21 As the weather cleared, I headed to the opposite end of the Treshlish Isles, to Vakamor, locally

04:26 referred to as the Dutchman's Cap due to its distinctive outline.

04:35 This island does have some sheer cliffs so I just need to find somewhere to land now.

04:45 Wow, look at this!

04:47 I'm sat right on the top of the Dutchman's Cap, so the very, very top of Vakamor and

04:53 from here I can see all the Treshlish Isles in the different directions and I feel like

04:57 I'm on top of the world.

04:59 It's such an amazing view.

05:00 It's wonderful.

05:11 And finally, for me, the jewel in the Treshlish Isles crown, longer.

05:29 We've saved the best till last.

05:44 This has to be my favourite of all the Treshlish Isles.

05:47 The bird colonies here are astounding and they're so used to human visitors that they've

05:52 become habituated to our presence.

05:56 But it's still really important not to disturb them while they're all here raising their

06:00 chicks.

06:01 So we're keeping a really close eye on their behaviour and making sure that we're not affecting

06:05 it and being extremely careful everywhere on the island where we're placing our feet

06:09 so that we don't accidentally trample on burrows.

06:15 Undoubtedly one of the stars of the show on longer are the puffins.

06:20 Despite their cute appearance, puffins are incredibly hardy seabirds, spending two thirds

06:26 of the year, including the entire winter, out to sea, only coming back to land for a

06:32 few months each breeding and nesting season.

06:36 They can swim up to 60 metres underwater hunting for fish and the distinctive growl you can

06:41 hear from puffins in their burrows is only audible while they're on land.

06:48 During those months on end at sea, they're completely silent.

06:55 Razorbills and gillimoths are members of the same orc family as puffins and over the summer

06:59 months we can see this year's chicks on the water with their parent learning to fend for

07:07 themselves.

07:10 From May to September each year, the Treshliss Isles hosts 50,000 nesting seabirds, many

07:16 of them setting up home on Blunga.

07:18 Shags, kittiwakes, mank's shearwaters, stormpetrels, razorbills, gillimoths, puffins and three different

07:26 types of large gull all nesting amongst each other in this special ocean ecosystem.

07:35 And of course the birds here rely on a healthy ocean to thrive.

07:39 I couldn't resist a quick dip to see the underwater world here for myself.

07:45 That was absolutely beautiful.

08:12 I can see now where the puffins are getting all their food from.

08:15 There's so much life underwater.

08:17 There's kelp, there's beautiful big patches of seaweed and it's really fun to kind of

08:22 swim amongst it and see what I can see.

08:23 Saw a big fish and there's a seal out there too.

08:26 That was lovely.

08:27 I'm going to get back in.

08:28 But I won't because it's actually quite cold.

08:31 There's such an remote chain of small islands, the Treshnish Isles have so much to boast.

08:59 From internationally important seabird colonies to phenomenally beautiful nature and a fascinating

09:04 history that you can really imagine coming to life out here in the Sea of Hebrides.

09:09 Exploring these islands has felt like a huge privilege.

09:11 It's been truly unforgettable.

09:13 There's a real beautiful rugged wildness about them that I think is so hard to find nowadays.

09:20 There's a sense of spaciousness but also of connection, our own connection to the big

09:25 picture through the history and the wildlife that makes these islands so magical.

09:32 These islands are so full of life that it can be easy to forget just how much work goes

09:37 into keeping them this way.

09:39 The National Trust for Scotland cares for these places in such a way that everyone can

09:44 experience their nature, beauty and heritage.

09:48 I'm a proud supporter of the National Trust for Scotland and I am beyond delighted to

09:53 have been asked to be their ambassador.

09:55 It feels like such a privilege to be part of a community of people who care just as

10:00 much as I do about Scotland's wildlife and heritage.

10:06 Developing personal connections to nature through first-hand experiences of its powerful

10:11 impact are a core part of my work in ocean conservation.

10:16 I hope that through my love of the sea I can help the National Trust for Scotland to do

10:20 even more to protect these special places and to inspire more people to support the

10:25 work they do for the love of Scotland.

10:28 You can donate to help the National Trust for Scotland carry out its important work

10:32 to care for its beautiful islands, their habitats and the wildlife that lives there.

10:38 Please visit www.nts.org.uk/islands.

10:45 Thank you.

10:45 [END]

10:47 [END]

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