Landward episode 8 2025
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🛠️
LifestyleTranscript
00:00This time I'm stepping into spring in the glens. Welcome to Lammers.
00:09I've come to Glen Clover in the shadow of the Grampian Mountains.
00:33It's the largest of the Angus glens and combines upland farming with traditional estates.
00:39Later I'll be meeting the landowner trying to balance biodiversity with shooting.
00:43But first, here's what else is coming up.
00:47Arlene discovers how closed pits may provide renewable energy.
00:52It's a huge opportunity. They are expansive and they're beneath Scotland.
00:56This is a feat of engineering.
00:58Rosie finds out about the beavers causing a damn nuisance.
01:02Probably about 30 metres wide. I mean, it's impressive.
01:06Anne Libby's back in Glenlivet on the lookout for grouse.
01:16Despite our reputation for rain, springtime is a critical season for wildfires in Scotland.
01:23And this year fires have ripped across huge swathes of the country.
01:27Anne's in the Highlands now finding out about specialist training to beat the blazes.
01:35This is Dunmaglassie State, just south of Inverness.
01:39And these are some of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service's wildfire tactical advisors.
01:45Today I'm joining the team who have come out to the hills to learn how to control and contain wildfires.
01:55They're being trained in a technique not currently used by Scottish firefighters.
01:59They're fighting fire with fire.
02:03Either use the leaf blower or the shovels to push everything into the already burnt area.
02:07This controlled burning approach is being taught by Iann Hepburn and Callum Kippen, who run the Brightspark training organisation.
02:16Good morning Callum.
02:17Hi, Anne.
02:18Callum's 40 years of game keeping on Highland Estates mean he's experienced in Moorburn, the intentional and controlled burning of vegetation for moorland management.
02:31So Moorburn encourages the young growth within the heather and we take away the fuel load.
02:36And that means he needs to be an expert in starting and stopping moorland fires.
02:42Do we actually put out fires using fire?
02:45Well, I'll watch maybe.
02:47No, you'll be taking part once you've got the kit on.
02:51Training is already underway, burning a section of moorland in the path of a wildfire to stop it going any further.
03:00We get the fire to come against the wind.
03:04See how the flames are coming back towards us and the smoke's going away from us.
03:08And then that way the fire burns much slower and it burns much more of the vegetation.
03:15So there's actually nothing left.
03:17And then if we had a wildfire coming down into here, we've created a fire break.
03:23And then that way when the fire comes down in here, it'll come down against vegetation that's been burnt and it'll put the fire out.
03:32It seems risky to me, but places like this need specialist techniques.
03:38The location we're in now, I would imagine it's quite difficult to get fire appliances here.
03:44You're completely correct.
03:46Bringing sort of a fire tender into this area, it's not going to happen.
03:51Fire prone countries throughout the world use this technique.
03:55Land managers in Scotland have been using it for 150 years and all we're doing is passing on our knowledge to the fire service.
04:03But what we have to remember on a wildfire situation, the conditions are actually quite extreme.
04:10So it takes a lot of practice to be able to do this to a very high level.
04:16Ayan sets light to the heather so we can create a fire break.
04:25In these dry conditions, you can see just how quickly a blaze can take hold.
04:32We then step in and beat the blaze down.
04:35The burnt vegetation that's left becomes a line that any approaching wildfire can't cross.
04:46Excellent. Yeah, that's good.
04:48It's very hard work.
04:53And for firefighters like Neil MacLennan training here today, it must feel pretty counterintuitive.
04:59Absolutely. I mean, I guess people, fire and rescue services, we use water, hoses to fight back, which we still do.
05:06And we use those in a wildfire situation and we will use water as a tool.
05:11This is another tool that we've got.
05:13So we know that part of the reason that we've got the wildfire is the vegetation, obviously, is the fuel for it.
05:19And if we can remove that fuel that would feed the wildfire, if we can get ahead of it and do that,
05:24it can help us suppress and control the wildfire.
05:27I'm trained now, so you can call me if you need a hand.
05:29Well, very effective with shovel.
05:34With training coming to an end, the last flames are put out.
05:38Damaging the moorland might seem an odd way to save it, but Callum is clear,
05:43this technique doesn't destroy the habitat the way a wildfire would.
05:49The wildfire burns into the subsoils, nothing survives.
05:53The habitat's destroyed and everything that lives in it is destroyed as well.
05:58The wildfire is the one thing that we have to avoid.
06:01We have to cut down the amount of time and acreage that gets consumed in a wildfire.
06:09And by using this technique, that will most definitely be the case.
06:20As we move away from fossil fuels, the race is on to produce clean energy.
06:25Arlene's in Midlothian now, finding out how the abandoned remains of our industrial heritage may once again be the source of heat.
06:33For hundreds of years, coal was king. Scotland ran on the stuff.
06:42It powered our industry and heated our homes.
06:46But by 2002, the pit wheel had stopped on our last deep coal mine.
06:52Nowadays, we're looking for cleaner, greener types of energy.
06:56But researchers believe our coal mines possess heat sources we can tap into.
07:03Digging deep into this work is geothermal geologist Dr David Walls.
07:09So this mine closed 1981.
07:11And where better to meet than this former colliery in the Midlothian coal field.
07:16Now, the National Mining Museum at Newton Grange.
07:21So Dave, are you suggesting that we go back to mining for coal?
07:25That's not what we're suggesting.
07:26We're suggesting that we use the infrastructure that's already here.
07:29These big voids that are underground.
07:31Hundreds and hundreds of mine shafts from Ayrshire up through Glasgow into the Lothians up into Fife.
07:36And each of them would have multiple seams coming off them.
07:39So thousands of mines across Scotland.
07:42Right, so what happened to these mines once they were closed?
07:46So when they were open, they would have all the water that would collect in them pumped to the surface.
07:51When they closed, the pumps were switched off because there was no need for them anymore.
07:55And that rainwater that was collecting just was allowed to seep into the mines and that's caused them to flood.
08:01And it's that water, not coal, that David thinks could be a carbon-free source of geothermal heat.
08:09You get all the glamorous places.
08:11This is where mine water is actually coming out of the ground.
08:14That's coming out quite a rate.
08:15It's not being pumped, that's just gravity-fed mine water.
08:19How hot is the water that's coming out here?
08:22I've tested it before and it's about 12 degrees.
08:24OK, it's not that warm.
08:25It's not that warm.
08:26No, it's not that warm.
08:27But critically, it's the same all year round.
08:29So the temperature doesn't change?
08:30The temperature doesn't change because it's coming from such a deep place beneath the surface of the earth.
08:35Some of the mines in Scotland are up to a kilometre deep.
08:38And by that depth, you're talking 40 degrees or so.
08:41Wow.
08:42So getting much closer to the temperatures that are required in people's houses.
08:45How do you capture that and turn it into a heat source?
08:48You could drill into the mine workings exactly where you need it.
08:51And actually, there's a place where we're doing that right now.
08:53I can come and show you.
08:54Lead the way.
08:58Although there's no sign of it now, there used to be a pit here near Roslyn.
09:04David's team are looking deep underground for the old mine workings.
09:09So Dave, just try and explain to me what's going on here.
09:13So this drill rig is essentially drilling down to about 170 metres to access the mine workings,
09:18which are here from the 1930s.
09:20And that basically cuts through the rock and it creates a pillar of rock, which we call core.
09:25And that gets pulled up in three metre sections back to surface.
09:31So what can we tell from the core that's come up?
09:34So, at one side, there's bits of coal, which we were expecting to find.
09:39Other bits have bits of mudstone, some siltstone.
09:42And it just lets us place where we are within the sequence of mines.
09:45And what ideally are you looking for?
09:47So we're looking for evidence of the coal mine being worked,
09:50because then we know we've tapped into somewhere where those voids are connected
09:53and we'll be able to access the mine water.
09:55And that's the water that we can tap into, pump to surface and use for our renewable heating.
09:59Once the data has been collected, what happens then?
10:02It basically informs us if this is a good reservoir for us to use as a mine water geothermal source of heat.
10:08And it basically tells us, can we sustainably produce renewable heat for developments around this place?
10:16So potentially, how possible is it for Scottish coal mines to provide this kind of heat?
10:23Yeah, it's a huge opportunity. They are expansive and they're beneath large swaths of the population across Scotland.
10:30The demand for heat in Scotland makes up about 60% of the overall energy demand.
10:35And currently, less than 10% of that heat demand is from renewable sources.
10:40So mine water geothermal and other sources of geothermal provide like a massive resource in terms of reaching those net zero targets.
10:49So one possible step on the road to net zero may be found right beneath our feet.
10:55But I suppose there's something ironic about the fact that we're reopening Scotland's pits to do it.
11:01Glen Clover is one of five Angus Glens, a series of steep-sided valleys rising to upland moors.
11:19Large parts of it are run by traditional estates for stocking and shooting.
11:26But some conservationists criticise this kind of land management.
11:31They say it lacks both biodiversity and flood resilience in the face of extreme weather.
11:40But here at the Rotel Estate, things are changing.
11:43In fact, the entire landscape is changing dramatically to address these challenges.
11:48So, could this be the model for traditional estates of the future?
11:53The man overseeing these changes is Dee Ward.
11:58How are you? Good to see you. Nice to meet you.
12:00The 8,000 acre estate looks very different from the one he bought 20 years ago.
12:06Mainly it had a lot of heather on it, which it still does have a lot of heather on it, but very few trees.
12:13Traditional shooting estate, grouse shooting and deer stalking, which we still do by the way.
12:19But we try and do it much more in balance with nature.
12:22I think as humans we owe it to ourselves to look after the planet.
12:25I don't think we've been doing that.
12:26And this was my opportunity in my own small way to be able to contribute to that.
12:31Sounds fascinating. Can I have a look around? Absolutely.
12:34Let's do it.
12:36This tributary of the River South Esk meanders through the estate's low pasture.
12:41But you wouldn't have seen these curves when Dee took over.
12:46So this is the rattle burn, which was straightened about 200 years ago.
12:52And about 10 years ago we re-wiggled it, as they say.
12:56The river bends slow the flow, reducing the risk of flooding in extreme weather.
13:02And we're standing on some stones now. How did that come about?
13:06Well, this is from Storm Babette from about 18 months ago.
13:09We had a hell of a flood and it affected a lot of this part of Scotland.
13:15But the burn has still found its own way and it just shows what a dynamic burn does.
13:22I mean, it copes with these massive flood events.
13:25And the trees alongside, were they planted?
13:28Funnily enough, we planted some because we thought we needed to plant some.
13:31But actually most of what you can see is naturally regenerated from seeds
13:36probably coming from further up the river and so on.
13:39It's good for the fish in the river. It's good for the insects.
13:43It's good for the wildlife, like a lot more bird life around.
13:46OK, so let's head a little higher on this then, shall we?
13:51Dee is continuing the flood mitigation work by adding tree cover further up the hill.
13:56We've planted a whole, it's called a contour planting scheme and it basically follows the contours lower down the hill.
14:04The plan is that it'll act as natural flood management so when it rains very hard up here, the water will drain down the hill and the trees will suck up the moisture both through their leaves in summer and in winter, the root structure.
14:17And up at the top, Dee's been busy with another environmental project.
14:23This is some peatland we've restored.
14:26We bring in a digger and we take back the turf and then reprofile the peat underneath, stops it eroding and stops it emitting carbon into the atmosphere.
14:36And then we can see the moss forming in the water as well?
14:39Yeah, so this is sphagnum moss which will naturally start growing in the water.
14:44What that does is sequesters more carbon, but also when it decays that creates more peat.
14:49It's kind of spongy under fruit, isn't it?
14:52Yes, exactly. Well, that's the whole point.
14:54I mean, I think once you've restored the peat, it's just holding water in the ground and the water table is slowly returning to the surface, which is where it should be.
15:03You've got this going on, you're doing the peat restoration, yet the shooting carries on as well.
15:08So how do you balance that?
15:09My view is very much that this wetland helps grouse, helps other ground nesting birds because it creates a haven for insects.
15:17So we make sure that we're only doing the restoration of the peat outside the breeding season for all sorts of ground nesting birds.
15:24And it's relatively small areas, so we tend to avoid those areas from a shooting point of view.
15:33For two decades on the estate, Dee has made gradual changes that are now bringing huge benefits, both in terms of biodiversity and flood resilience.
15:45You're certainly playing the long game, and when you look back on the last 20 years and what you've achieved here, are you proud of what you've done?
15:52Yeah, I am. I mean, that's a good question. I like to think of something being managed holistically, and I'm a great believer that you can have shooting and you can have tourism and you can have nature and you can have sustainable farming all working together holistically.
16:08When you look down there and you see all the trees coming up and so on, and the big thing for me is the wildlife.
16:15When you start hearing the bird noise and seeing different species of birds that you haven't seen before, you think, well, it's really nice to feel you're doing something right.
16:22Now, a quandary for conservationists. What happens when the behaviour of one protected species threatens the future of another struggling for survival?
16:37Rosie's heading west to find out.
16:41The sea trout. It can live in fresh or salt water, feeding at sea and returning up river to spawn, some of them making their way here to this river system in Argyle.
16:54This stream is a migratory route for sea trout, and our population has dramatically declined over the past few decades.
17:03Since the mid-1960s, the number of sea trout caught in Scotland has dropped by 80%.
17:10Their life cycle, taking them from river to sea and back again, makes them vulnerable to a variety of dangers, as Ellen Kettle-White from the Argyle Fisheries Trust knows well.
17:22There are so many factors in the way that we use those habitats in terms of human influence.
17:27If you're talking in the marine, we can say, you know, it can be overfishing and even climate change.
17:34One small change can then affect the numbers of sea trout we're seeing coming back to spawn.
17:39Once they get to freshwater, agriculture, forestry and hydro schemes also make things difficult.
17:46But here in Knapdale, the sea trout now have to deal with this too.
17:51This is a feat of engineering, that.
17:54It is. I mean, it's impressive. Probably about 30 metres wide. And at its deepest point, about a metre and a half deep.
18:01It's a dam built by beavers to create a wetland habitat that suits them just fine.
18:09They were hunted to extinction in the UK in the 16th century and only reintroduced to Argyle in 2009.
18:17Legal beaver reintroduction is seen in many quarters as a conservation success story.
18:23But not if you're a sea trout in Knapdale.
18:26And presumably this is causing some issues for the sea trout.
18:30Adults moving upstream in the autumn need to bypass these dams to get up to the spawning grounds.
18:36And in the spring, it's the young fish that come downstream and need to migrate into the sea.
18:42The dam stops some fish getting past at all.
18:46But as they bunch up looking for a route through, they also become targets.
18:51And that leaves them open to predation from birds, could be otters.
18:56And that's a natural thing, but you want to reduce those pressures as much as you can.
19:00Particularly when sea trout numbers are under pressure anyway.
19:04So Alan's been beavering away himself, making some structural modifications to the dam.
19:11So we've lowered the beaver dam at one corner here and actually sort of dug out a ditch below this to allow fish to bypass the dam around the edge.
19:21So we're just giving a little helping hand here to ensure as many fish get past as possible.
19:26The beavers are protected and so are their dams.
19:30Alan needed to get a license from the Scottish Government Agency Nature Scott to do the work.
19:36Dr Jenny Bryce from the group can explain the options available when beavers become troublesome.
19:42That might involve removing dams or even removing beavers themselves as a last resort.
19:48But generally we would look to have approaches that look to co-exist with the beavers.
19:53Because by removing them, and there are beavers now in the landscape, they will generally want to recolonise.
19:59So we would see those as being more lasting solutions really.
20:03And the beavers bring benefits too, if not for the sea trout.
20:08The dam we saw downstream helped create this spectacular wetland.
20:14You can see what's happening here that there's quite an extensive dam system at the bottom that is holding water back.
20:20And that's creating quite a complex mosaic of wetland habitats that's going to be of benefit to a wide range of other species.
20:26Whether that's insects, amphibians, birds or other mammal species.
20:31There really is kind of much more diversity of habitats.
20:34So we can expect to see much more variety of wildlife establishing in these areas.
20:40All great for the birds and beasties that enjoy habitat like this.
20:44Not so good if you're a sea trout.
20:47Is it inevitable that reintroducing an animal like this will create friction?
20:52It possibly is. They've been absent for more than 400 years now.
20:56And I think we've lost that cultural knowledge of how to live alongside beavers.
20:59And many other European countries are going through a similar process.
21:02I think there's about 26 other countries have also reintroduced beavers because of the benefits that they bring.
21:08So I think inevitably there will be some of these conflicts.
21:12And it's really just looking to focus in on the situations where we might need to have some intervention.
21:18And that kind of intervention may need to continue back at Alan's Dam.
21:24The beavers have already decided they don't like his alterations and have begun shoring it up.
21:30Learning to live together can often be tricky.
21:35Here's hoping the beavers and the trout find a way to get round any obstacles in their path.
21:48Now from Glen Clover in Angus to Glenlivet in Moray where nature filmmaker Libby Penman is looking for wildlife making a big entrance this springtime.
22:00This time she's burning the candle at both ends.
22:03As a wildlife photographer I'm always after those close up shots.
22:12And I've always wanted to film black grouse.
22:15I know there are several pairs here on the Glenlivet estate.
22:19They're extremely rare and sensitive to human disturbance.
22:24So I'm going to tag along with the ranger here, Mark, who's been out monitoring and counting this bird.
22:30And I'm hoping to see some pretty interesting behaviour but from afar.
22:37Mark Johnson has been here for the last four years and knows exactly where to find the grouse.
22:43They're at their most visible just now.
22:45Gathering for courtship displays known as leks.
22:49So we're heading out to see a black grouse at an unusual time of day because when we do the monitoring normally we go before light comes up in the morning.
23:00And that's the time when the birds are most active.
23:03But I know they're also active as it gets towards dusk.
23:06So I'm hoping that we can get out and catch it at this time of night and have some nice light while we're looking at them now.
23:12Black grouse are at risk of extinction in the UK.
23:19So Mark takes a position at a respectful 200 metres from the lake site.
23:25That's to minimise any disturbance of these red-listed birds.
23:29Can you see any?
23:31No.
23:33Unfortunately, it's looking like a no-show from the grouse this evening.
23:38You're always optimistic until the moment when you know hope is gone.
23:42And if they don't appear tonight it might mean an early morning, yeah.
23:45Try again tomorrow morning?
23:47Yeah.
23:54We reconvene next morning.
24:00It's very still.
24:02And a little bit too quiet.
24:04And return to our distance position on the hill at first light.
24:16And wait.
24:20All around us the wildlife is waking up.
24:23It seems appropriate for this time of morning.
24:35Yeah.
24:37Alarm clock.
24:41And the cuckoo alarm seems to work on the black grouse.
24:45There's three of them.
24:47They suck like a battleground.
24:49Like a boxing man.
24:50Yeah.
24:51Oh, there's six birds now.
24:53Really?
24:54Yeah.
24:55Oh, yeah.
24:56And people right up to the right.
24:58There's a lone one just.
24:59Oh, yeah.
25:00Up on the hill still.
25:01Yeah.
25:02We're only seeing the distinctive male birds as they battle out to breed with nearby females.
25:08They'll be here but they're very well camouflaged.
25:12The meals are really going on.
25:13There seemed to be one holding in the middle for a while fighting it out.
25:17It really is a bit of a back and forth dance slash boxing ring sort of display.
25:24Like it's a battleground for sure.
25:27Absolutely, yeah.
25:28Is that the first time you've seen it?
25:29Yeah, I've never seen them like displaying like that.
25:33Their movements are almost like crabs.
25:37Like they're sort of going back and forward like this.
25:39Yeah.
25:41Yeah, it's a really interesting bit of behaviour to be honest.
25:45It's an absolute treat for me to see this incredibly rare bird display.
25:49But we're also treated to what we can hear.
25:52The most beautiful dawn chorus.
25:58It really does amaze me that we were here last night
26:01and it seemed like there was nothing alive here.
26:04And this morning since we arrived I had the first cuckoo of the year.
26:07And then just the waders, the curlews have been just calling all morning.
26:12And the whole place seems full of life this morning.
26:14The birds song, the cuckoo calling, I can hear it right now.
26:17I can hear it right now.
26:18And the lake.
26:19The amount of life this morning has been amazing.
26:22But yeah, we earned it I think after coming out last night.
26:31Next time Libby will be back in Glenlivet searching for waders.
26:35And that brings us to the end of this programme.
26:38If you'd like to watch it again, go to the BBC iPlayer and search for Lambert.
26:42You'll also find plenty of our previous episodes there too.
26:45Now here's what's coming up on the next programme.
26:50The Belgian vet students getting a taste of farming in Scotland.
26:55Oh, it's almost there.
26:57Yeah, you can almost reach it.
26:59Arlene finds out why the mower should stay in the shed this May.
27:03These are faba beans, which we're using as an alternative for our hen's diet.
27:08And I see the crop that's more than just chicken feed.
27:12Compared to a standard feed, you can get a 50% reduction in carbon.
27:16Please join us for that and much, much more if you can.
27:20In the meantime, from all the Lambert teams around the country.
27:23And especially from me here in glorious Glen Clover.
27:26Thank you so much for your company.
27:28Bye for now.
27:34Alright, bye.
27:39Bye.
27:42Bye.
27:44Cheers.
27:46Bye.
27:48Bye.
27:54Bye.
27:55Bye.