LIFE & DEATH ? Fulltime Life in Nature Uist 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Scolpaig Tower & Loch 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Eagles/Lapwings

Added: 2026-05-07

[00:00:00]Let's get [music] out, we can leave this city.

[00:00:03]Let's drive to the open air.

[00:00:07]Yeah, the countryside is so pretty [music and singing] with the wind blowing in your hair.

[00:00:14]We [music] can look back someday.

[00:00:17]>> [singing] >> Baby, don't you understand that we only get one life? I want to make [music] it count. Honey, come on now and take my hand.

[00:00:34]>> [music] [music] >> Warm welcome to Country Van Life UK.

[00:00:48]All right, my lovely ladies, we're just up the road.

[00:00:50]It's in a lovely little gravel park up here. I'm not sure what it's for.

[00:00:54]Doesn't say what it's for. There's nothing down there. Uh we have got a See that little fort? This is just out the window.

[00:01:01]Not too windy.

[00:01:04]Lots of delays, you bear with.

[00:01:08]Yeah, just over there.

[00:01:10]There's a little folly tower in the middle of the loch.

[00:01:13]Uh it's got park Skullag Park.

[00:01:17]I think it's called Skullag Park uh tower in Skullag Park loch.

[00:01:21]Uh it's a folly uh from a a chap called McCloud uh during the famine back in late 1800s.

[00:01:30]Not late 19th century.

[00:01:32]And uh to feed to help uh the locals with money.

[00:01:36]He uh hired them to build that folly uh to help the famine in that time.

[00:01:45]So, we'll have a look at that later.

[00:01:46]Lovely little kind of Georgian tower kind of thing down there. Zoom in a bit to the folly as well.

[00:01:53]Skullag Park folly, there we go.

[00:01:56]And I can always photo in it.

[00:01:58]Uh wild birds nesting there at the moment.

[00:02:01]There's no roof on it.

[00:02:03]Uh wild birds nest there. Apparently, there's corn crake and eagles and all sorts around here.

[00:02:08]You tend to get a lot of eagles on these flatlands like these.

[00:02:11]When you get flatlands like these, guys, Where is my hand? Oh, yeah. When you get flatlands like these planes, you tend to get the eagles cuz they go after the rabbits.

[00:02:22]All right, we're settling here for tonight, anyway. Lovely camp. Nice gravel purpose-built car park. Nice. What a lovely evening.

[00:02:31]What a lovely evening. Got beautiful castle down there on the loch.

[00:02:35]Uh right, a bit of emergency. Uh I've just uh been for a walk down there with this guy down to the loch on my evening walk. And uh check this out with my eyes out the wind.

[00:02:48]And uh I've noticed there's a ewe down.

[00:02:51]And now I saw the crofter down there earlier today, but he didn't see it.

[00:02:55]It's It's not far from the road. He didn't see it, obviously.

[00:03:00]But it's still alive. It raised its head slightly. I thought it was dead. I was looking for some horns. I thought it was an old dead one.

[00:03:06]But it's still alive.

[00:03:08]So, I'm going to break camp and try and find the crofter see if he can rescue that poor beast.

[00:03:15]It's still alive. I'm not sure whether it's lambing or whether it's just dying.

[00:03:18]I don't know.

[00:03:19]But uh I'm going to go up the uh up the mountain try and find the crofter.

[00:03:24]Find who this land belongs to.

[00:03:26]Audio.

[00:03:27]All right, let's get cracking.

[00:03:30]I'm trying to find someone.

[00:03:32]I've just knocked at a few farms. Nobody knew. I've just knocked at another farm there, and they know who the guy is who owns that croft.

[00:03:39]So, uh they're going to phone him uh alert him to come down.

[00:03:43]I says uh I'll be on the car park. Just Just getting to knock him in and I'll show him where it is.

[00:03:48]But yeah, I'll have to okay this.

[00:03:51]Nobody about at all. Trying to find who it is up here.

[00:03:55]It's like asking for a bloody chocolate toothpaste, guys. Get back.

[00:04:00]Oh, look at the sunshine. Sunset over the castle. Oh, it's amazing. Can't take a picture of it. It's too bloody bright.

[00:04:06]Oh, that took about an hour to find someone.

[00:04:09]I've drove here for bloody miles.

[00:04:11]I come to a couple of uh crofts, but they're bloody empty. Nobody about at all.

[00:04:17]I turned around and come back, and I found another one, and uh there was somebody in, so uh and luckily, they know most of these crofters know each other on these aisles, anyway. They all know each other.

[00:04:28]I just thought it was a matter of finding someone so I thought I know who this croft belongs to.

[00:04:32]Uh anyway, those guys in that croft are going to get in touch. I think it was Archie.

[00:04:37]Get in touch with Archie and get him down there see if he can do anything to save this poor this poor ewe that's down.

[00:04:43]Uh it looks like it's dying to me, but uh hopefully not.

[00:04:46]It might be lambing. I don't know. It's that time of year, isn't it?

[00:04:50]But uh we'll see. We'll see when he comes, anyway. If he comes down, All right, catch you later.

[00:04:57]Blimey, things we have to do, eh?

[00:04:59]It's all about helping each other.

[00:05:01]You know, these islanders helped me more than enough, and I'm more than happy to help them in any way I can.

[00:05:07]All right, wait for Archie.

[00:05:18]This is the guy.

[00:05:21]I'm going to have a word with All right.

[00:05:25]You all right, Archie?

[00:05:30]All right, she was sleeping Was you that was up there with the that ewe that had to Hughes bus? Yeah, I went for bloody miles trying to trying to find someone. Right, you can get back.

[00:05:40]Trying to find someone on these aisles is crazy. Right, deal. But I managed I managed to find someone. Right, I don't know what's wrong with it. She was uh Okay, it was still alive earlier. I don't know where she is now. All right, yeah. Perfect. Thanks for that, anyway.

[00:05:51]Cheers, mate.

[00:05:52]He's going to collect it.

[00:06:01]Here he goes. Picking her up.

[00:06:04]He's putting her in the trailer.

[00:06:07]I'm not sure if it was alive.

[00:06:10]It was alive when I saw it.

[00:06:13]There he goes. All right, he's gone.

[00:06:15]He's left the gate open.

[00:06:17]Don't know why.

[00:06:18]Hey, ho.

[00:06:20]They know what they're doing, I suppose.

[00:06:21]Oh, there you go.

[00:06:23]Uh the way he dragged it onto the back of his trailer, uh I don't think he was alive. He was alive when I saw it. His head was moving. He put his head up to look at me.

[00:06:31]I don't know why I showed it on camera cuz that's a bloody place to show on camera.

[00:06:35]Something dying. But uh the way he dragged it into the trailer, I don't think it was alive.

[00:06:42]Bear in mind.

[00:06:45]All right, we're settling for the evening. What a fantastic sunset we've just had here. Absolutely one of the best sunsets I've seen over that castle there in the loch.

[00:06:54]Beautiful.

[00:06:55]All right, we're settling for the evening.

[00:06:58]Lovely.

[00:06:59]Catch you later.

[00:07:01]All right, just to give you some bearings where I am, folks. North Atlantic Ocean.

[00:07:05]So, that's basically the bearings where I am. Of course, I'm on North Harris at the moment on the west coast of North Harris.

[00:07:12]Uh overlooking the North Atlantic Ocean.

[00:07:16]And that's the closest islands we're to across the horizon there.

[00:07:21]Amazing, eh?

[00:07:23]Amazing to think we've got uh the Faroe Islands, Iceland, the Antarctic Circle, Antarctica, Greenland, North America, and South America the next stop across the waters from here.

[00:07:40]Wonderful. Looking at the castle down there.

[00:07:43]Absolutely stunning.

[00:07:45]No, nice. Oh, good morning. Good morning, you lovely people. What a glorious day.

[00:07:51]It's probably the best day of the year for me so far, weather-wise.

[00:07:55]It's still a bit chilly out there, but uh we're at this lovely loch.

[00:08:00]Loch camp here. Absolutely stunning.

[00:08:03]What a vista, eh?

[00:08:05]You've got lochs, you've got the sea, got islands, we've got a castle.

[00:08:10]Uh amazing. I've seen a few raptors fly by over the ridge line. Not sure what they were.

[00:08:17]But uh I'll go for a walk down to the loch today and see the castle.

[00:08:23]Show you the uh tower. Lovely jubbly.

[00:08:25]200 years old, that tower is.

[00:08:28]Built by McDonald.

[00:08:30]But uh and also, we'll get the drone up as well for you. So lovely to have that sun on the van. I've just turned the van round, so my hub window's got the sun.

[00:08:40]Safe to waste here.

[00:08:41]So, the hub window here has got the heat of the sun coming through, warming the van up. So, no heater today.

[00:08:47]Even though it's quite cold out there. I think it's about to It's about to 8 degrees, something like that. So, it's not too bad, but the sun is out, and there's no wind.

[00:08:57]Glorious.

[00:08:58]Had a lovely kip here last night. So quiet. I haven't seen a single car yet again.

[00:09:05]I haven't seen a single car at all morning. Didn't see a car last night.

[00:09:08]Didn't see no one other than the the crofter that I helped out with his uh ewe that was down.

[00:09:14]But uh lovely. Lovely night's sleep.

[00:09:18]Going to chill here uh do a bit of a work on my YouTube. Uh get some videos produced.

[00:09:24]Ready to upload.

[00:09:26]And uh I said I'll get the drone up as well.

[00:09:29]Lovely.

[00:09:30]Oh, we're settling in here for a couple of days. Lovely camp.

[00:09:35]On the Isle of North Uist on the western side. Lovely.

[00:09:41]Oh, Archie's just passed by uh my mate, the crofter here.

[00:09:45]We're getting to know everybody in the area. It's always good to know everybody, get on.

[00:09:49]Uh just had a lovely chat to him about his ewe cuz it's lambing time now, and the weather's gone nice for them, which is ideal cuz the next three three, four weeks, it's their lambing time and the weather's changed dramatically. Nice and mild now. Well, not mild, but all the winds and snows and rains gone. So, it's holiday time from now if it's going to be like this to get all these sheep in.

[00:10:10]And he was saying the biggest problem that he has with his sheep is the bloody seagulls. Now, I thought seagulls went for fish and everything.

[00:10:19]But, he said there's that many now that competing that they're taking the lambs.

[00:10:24]Amazing.

[00:10:25]He said up by his uh up by his uh uh crofted um further up the road here. Uh there was two seagulls sat on the fence outside his uh croft this morning.

[00:10:37]He said they come off the mountain. He says there's a nest up here somewhere over the back up here to my right towards the uh east. He says the nest is up there on the ridge. He says they come down and they pick these little lambs up when they're born.

[00:10:51]And uh I don't know if you can see. Oh.

[00:10:54]Just See the top of that mountain there? Uh on the top of that ridge there, they take the little lambs and they kill them on top of that ridge, then eat them.

[00:11:04]Seagulls eating lambs? Imagine a bird picking up a lamb. My dear, it must have some power. Wow.

[00:11:12]I know they've got some power, but to pick up a sheep like that, a little lamb, a spring lamb.

[00:11:18]And he says he gets loads taken every year.

[00:11:20]He says, "But, they can't do nothing cuz obviously the seagull's protected." I says to him, "Nothing protects your sheep?" He says, "Well, it's something we have to It's the law so we have to put up with."

[00:11:29]Amazing, eh? Seagulls taking sheep.

[00:11:33]Up to that ridge and killing them.

[00:11:35]Crazy. Nature's unbelievable.

[00:11:38]Wow, wouldn't it be nice to see a I know it's not very nice, but to see a seagull in flight. Blimey.

[00:11:46]What a photo that would be. Wouldn't be very nice like, but would be pretty bloody dramatic.

[00:11:52]Wow.

[00:11:53]Scotland.

[00:11:55]The Outer Hebrides. Amazing.

[00:11:58]Yeah, he popped in and he popped in and said hello this morning. Uh me mate Archie.

[00:12:03]Lovely. Catch you later, guys.

[00:12:05]What a lovely day.

[00:12:07]Come on, seagulls. Be nice to get closer to one of those beasts.

[00:12:11]Wow.

[00:12:12]You having a doze in the afternoon, son?

[00:12:17]Uh it's absolutely glorious out there, folks, but uh it's bitterly cold again.

[00:12:24]Blimey, when's the warm weather coming?

[00:12:27]It's been sunny all day, but the wind is bitter. It's got to be about 5° today.

[00:12:33]Still, it's nice to have the sun.

[00:12:36]It's a bit of a breeze.

[00:12:38]At least it's not gale force, I sky.

[00:12:41]We've been for a walk today.

[00:12:43]Yeah.

[00:12:44]I'm going to go for another one later.

[00:12:46]See you soon as I say the word, her ears up.

[00:12:49]Just sitting here in me van.

[00:12:51]I'll put me uh feeder out the door. Get that light right. Put me feeder out the window there.

[00:12:58]So, hopefully we might get some uh rare birds coming along.

[00:13:03]Hello, Sky.

[00:13:05]It's been over an hour. Not one single bird has come in.

[00:13:10]But, uh once one finds it, he'll go and tell all his mates and they'll be on it, I'm sure.

[00:13:17]Just watching these amazing lapwings.

[00:13:20]And they're lovely.

[00:13:22]They're lovely bird song outside the van.

[00:13:28]I love the lapwings. They're lovely birds.

[00:13:31]Out there in the distance, they're courting at the moment.

[00:13:35]All the beautiful nature outside my window and outside my door.

[00:13:40]It's lovely.

[00:13:41]Lovely birds the lapwings are.

[00:13:47]You can hear them singing away to each other and courting.

[00:13:55]It's a beautiful love triangle going on, I think. There's three of them going for one female by the look of it.

[00:14:03]But, they're kind of down at the moment.

[00:14:05]But, you can hear them chatting away.

[00:14:10]Beautiful.

[00:14:12]All out my front door.

[00:14:14]Every day of my life.

[00:14:16]Beautiful nature.

[00:17:50]Oh, good morning. Good morning. I hope you're all having a cracking week and this lovely weather we're having.

[00:17:57]Uh it's probably a bit warmer down where you guys are, but up here, it it's bloody freezing. They promised us about 13° today, 12°.

[00:18:08]Even though it's the brilliant sunshine for a few days now, which is lovely.

[00:18:11]It's going to carry on as well.

[00:18:13]Even though it's brilliant sunshine, though it's bitter.

[00:18:17]It must be 4° out there, 3 4° at least.

[00:18:21]It is cold, but so we're going to get wrapped up. We're going to have a look at this lovely tower. Uh I'll pop the drone up as well.

[00:18:28]Right, my lovelies, we're ready to roll.

[00:18:30]You ready, Sky?

[00:18:32]See you down there.

[00:18:33]Right, let's go and have a look at this lovely tower.

[00:18:36]I've got my mic on cuz it's a bit windy.

[00:18:38]All right.

[00:18:39]Come here.

[00:18:41]You monkey.

[00:18:43]All excited.

[00:18:45]Shut me door. Sky, stop pulling.

[00:18:47]Just show this lovely camp, guys.

[00:18:49]It's a lovely purpose-built car park.

[00:18:53]I'm not quite sure what they were going to do here. Planned or whatever.

[00:18:57]So, I'm not sure what this car park's for.

[00:19:00]Uh cuz it's all private down there.

[00:19:02]Obviously, you've got the tower there.

[00:19:05]I mean, you can go walkies with the dogs like, but uh looks like it's purpose-built for some reason. Not quite sure.

[00:19:12]But, anyway, let's go and have a look at the magnificent tower. What a beautiful place.

[00:19:17]We've got all the mountains all around us where I've seen eagles at distance.

[00:19:23]And loads of skylarks and oystercatchers and curlews.

[00:19:28]Lovely.

[00:19:30]And all the sheep are on the meadows up there up on the glens.

[00:19:34]Uh lambing this time of year. We've seen a few pictures of the lambs. Lovely little creatures.

[00:19:39]Right. Just going to have a look at the wee tower.

[00:19:42]Before we go on the one of our lovely walkabouts.

[00:19:46]There's Christine up there. This lovely camp. It's a nice camp. Oh, the sunshine, but that just a slight breeze and it's bitter, folks.

[00:19:55]Bitter.

[00:19:56]We're nearly in bloody May, for God's sake.

[00:20:00]Right, let's crack on.

[00:20:02]Down the trail.

[00:20:04]Sky looking for mice.

[00:20:07]Right, we're just coming up to the magnificent tower built by the MacLeod for the famine relief to help the locals.

[00:20:18]I'm not sure you can get across to it in might be a bit wet to go across. There is a slight causeway, but I think it's underwater.

[00:20:25]But, we're going to have a look.

[00:20:28]But, cuz it's magnificent view, guys.

[00:20:31]Both of those houses up there are abandoned.

[00:20:34]There's a massive mansion up there which you you've seen in the drone.

[00:20:38]That's all boarded up. Such a shame.

[00:20:41]What a magnificent place.

[00:20:46]Sky's loving it.

[00:20:48]Let's go.

[00:20:50]Wow, crystal clear brand tinge bottom running into the lock.

[00:20:58]Lovely, eh? Sky's having a drink.

[00:21:02]Beautiful. Right.

[00:21:05]We're nearly there. Looks a bit wet to get across. I don't think we'll be able to get across. But, we've got a close view with the drone.

[00:21:11]I see a wee cairn here some kind. This used to be a building.

[00:21:16]Definitely.

[00:21:18]Really old crofter's building. You can see the the entrance there.

[00:21:23]Wow.

[00:21:26]This looks really old, this does.

[00:21:29]A nice little little hut, crofter's hut.

[00:21:33]I should imagine back in the day.

[00:21:36]Sat here with all that beautiful gorse.

[00:21:39]Yellow gorse climbing around us.

[00:21:41]And there's the there's the the tower.

[00:21:45]Wow.

[00:21:47]How incredible, eh? How incredible.

[00:21:49]What a place. See if we can get a bit closer.

[00:21:59]Sky's loving it. Well, we can't get across there. Not without uh paddling up to your knees, I think.

[00:22:07]Uh there's a lot of water with all the rain. Uh it might drop lower in the summer.

[00:22:11]And you could get out to there, but uh look at that place, guys.

[00:22:16]A little bit of a folly.

[00:22:19]Just to help the locals with a bit of money in the famine.

[00:22:24]Uh 200 years ago, Mr. MacLeod built that for for the locals to have a bit of work for a few months.

[00:22:31]It's a pretty impressive shape. I can't get a bit closer, but there's not a lot to it. It's got no roof on it.

[00:22:38]Exactly nothing.

[00:22:40]Is it six walls?

[00:22:42]No roof.

[00:22:44]Two stories.

[00:22:46]And you've got the window buttresses as well.

[00:22:49]Magnificent, eh?

[00:22:53]There's lots of reed beds over there and geese and all sorts flying around.

[00:22:58]What a place. Look at all the geese, guys.

[00:23:02]Nature, eh? Wonderful.

[00:23:05]There's a goose coming over the tower.

[00:23:08]Wow.

[00:23:10]And that abandoned mansion over there.

[00:23:14]Crazy, eh?

[00:23:17]And that's the tower, guys.

[00:23:19]Here on the lock.

[00:23:21]Beautiful. I'll come a bit further out, but that's quite deep there.

[00:23:24]I can't I just can't get across.

[00:23:27]Which is a shame.

[00:23:28]It's got a fortified wall around the base as well.

[00:23:31]Uh this also used to be an Iron Age fort as well.

[00:23:36]Uh going back a couple of thousand years.

[00:23:39]Hard to believe, eh? What a lovely place to have your little house set up.

[00:23:42]A bit breezy, though, I must say.

[00:23:45]There's all kind of birds out there. All kind of birds everywhere.

[00:23:50]Wow.

[00:23:52]That lovely tinge to the water.

[00:23:55]Be nice in the summer to have a swim in here.

[00:23:58]Beautiful.

[00:24:00]Right, we'll get back cuz it's getting a wee bit chilly.

[00:24:07]Oh, I do love the gorse. It don't half remind me of Scotland.

[00:24:12]And here's that wee little another wee little crofter's croft.

[00:24:17]Wow.

[00:24:18]Let's go and have a look, eh?

[00:24:20]Let's go and have a look at this one.

[00:24:22]Right on the side of the lock. How beautiful. What a lovely place to live.

[00:24:28]And the castle the tower in sight as well.

[00:24:34]Magnificent. Cool all the reed marshes out there towards the beach.

[00:24:39]It was quite warm here tonight. The wind.

[00:24:42]Right, let's go and have a look at this little croft.

[00:24:45]Another drystone wall croft again.

[00:24:48]Magnificent, eh?

[00:24:50]Been standing for hundreds of years.

[00:24:53]And will stand for hundreds more.

[00:24:56]Look at all the lichen.

[00:24:58]Look at the lichen, guys.

[00:25:00]Built up over the centuries.

[00:25:03]I Is there anybody in? Is there anybody home?

[00:25:08]Oh, we've got a window there.

[00:25:11]I should imagine it was a turf roof.

[00:25:14]There's another window there.

[00:25:19]Let's go inside. See if anybody's at home.

[00:25:25]Oh.

[00:25:27]Oh, wow.

[00:25:29]What a window view. Look at that view window view, folks. Look how thick the walls are.

[00:25:34]God, nearly 3 m thick.

[00:25:37]Crazy, eh?

[00:25:39]Keep the wind out. And the lintel across the top.

[00:25:43]And that beautiful view. Wow.

[00:25:46]You couldn't buy that, could you?

[00:25:48]And here's a wee little crofter's croft here.

[00:25:52]I don't know whether that used to be the fire grate, but it's all filled in for some reason.

[00:25:58]Is that the fire grate? It's got a lintel above it.

[00:26:02]Another magnificent window there.

[00:26:06]It's not very big at all.

[00:26:08]So, I should imagine it was a small family that lived in here. Oh, that's the fire grate there.

[00:26:13]It's all collapsed.

[00:26:15]I don't know whether it's single floor or what.

[00:26:18]Maybe it had two floors.

[00:26:20]Well, that's the remaining of the fireplace.

[00:26:25]Wow.

[00:26:27]And the castle over the top.

[00:26:32]And the beautiful views all around.

[00:26:36]And there's Christine up on the hill.

[00:26:39]Right, let's get back.

[00:26:41]I'll leave these folks to peace.

[00:26:45]Lovely.

[00:26:46]I wonder how many families of generations have grown up in there.

[00:26:53]Oh, guys.

[00:26:55]We'll get back to Christine. You know, sometimes I sit and wonder in amazement and my imagination just flies away with me at places like this.

[00:27:06]Just thinking about the generations that have gone before, the births, the marriages, the deaths.

[00:27:13]The trauma of hiking and living out of these harsh lands, hiking some sort of living just to survive in these harsh glens here up in the Scottish Highlands.

[00:27:27]The families who have gone through there, the generations and all that's gone on.

[00:27:31]It's I just sit and wonder and try to imagine of all the folk long gone now. All long gone.

[00:27:40]Living in such a magnificent place.

[00:27:43]By golly, I bet they was happy here.

[00:27:46]Even though it was hard work, I bet they were happy.

[00:27:50]How many generations have walked through that front door and little kids push chairs, babes in arms, and even carrying out the dead.

[00:28:01]Wow. Just makes me wonder.

[00:28:03]Hundreds of years ago.

[00:28:05]Right, let's crack on back to Christine.

[00:28:07]That was a lovely walk, wasn't it? Eh?

[00:28:09]That was a lovely walk. Absolutely stunning. What a beautiful location.

[00:28:14]Look at that for a country window view, folks.

[00:28:19]Oh, cracking. Right, so I'm going to warm up a bit cuz I'm bloody freezing.

[00:28:22]That wind is bitter.

[00:28:24]Uh going to have a cup of tea. Have a couple of hot oatcakes with uh loads of butter.

[00:28:30]Tick tick tick.

[00:28:32]Uh and I might move on this afternoon.

[00:28:34]I've been here for a couple of nights now, so I might move on this afternoon.

[00:28:38]I was hoping to see the eagles, but they're so far distance.

[00:28:41]When I do see them, they're like a mile away and I ain't going to get no photography of them uh that far away. But, they're definitely down here.

[00:28:49]>> [snorts] >> Uh perhaps they're more prevalent in the summer time, I don't know, but they're definitely about.

[00:28:56]Both ridges have eagles on. But, anyway.

[00:29:00]We'll have some nosh and uh I might move on.

[00:29:03]Further down north to east.

[00:29:07]Heading towards southeast, but not yet.

[00:29:09]We're on northeast for a a wee while longer. Catch you later.

[00:29:13]What a lovely tower and a lovely camp.

[00:29:16]Cracking.

[00:29:17]Join us on our next adventure with Country Fair Life UK.

[00:29:25]>> [music] [music] [music] [music] >> Ah.