Specials 2012 - 2020

We accompany presenter Paul Murton, as he travels round one of Scotland's best-loved holiday destinations, the Isle of Arran. Known as 'Scotland in miniature', Paul sets off to explore this diverse island that has something for everyone - ruined castles, rugged mountains, stunning wildlife. Arran has always been a popular tourist location - one particularly regal visitor was Prince Rainier of Monaco, as Paul discovers, when he calls on Lady Jean Fforde, at Brodick Castle.

Paul Murton experiences island life. Here, he visits Foula and Fair Isle, and makes a nerve-wracking visit to the Sneck o' da Smallie - a pothole in the cliffs of Foula.

Paul Murton experiences island life. Paul sets off from Mallaig to visit a group of islands famed for their unusual names - Rum, Muck and Eigg - and he meets the real Lord Muck.

Paul Murton explores the islands scattered in the Firth of Forth. He discovers that these seemingly peaceful islands have a dramatic history of war, from Medieval English raids on the monastic island retreat of Inchcolm to the first air raid attack on Britain above Inchgarvie.

Paul visits two islands of the Inner Hebrides - Gigha and Jura - which are only a few miles apart but couldn't be more different. He then travels by puffer to explore a little known string of islands just off the west coast near Oban.

Paul Murton is on Barra, where he witnesses some of the great spectacles of the natural world.

Paul visits two islands of the Inner Hebrides, Gigha and Jura, which are only a few miles apart but couldn't be more different. He begins his journey at the stunning Achamore Gardens on Gigha, which were created in the 1930s by malted drink millionaire Colonel Sir James Horlick. Sir James loved Gigha's mild climate so much that he bought the island and made it his home. Today Gigha is owned by the community, and many of its residents are incomers attracted by the opportunity to begin a new island life on this small and fertile place.

Where Gigha is small, lush and verdant, Paul's next destination, Jura, is rugged and awe-inspiring. Despite being one of Scotland's largest islands, just 200 people live on Jura alongside more than 5,000 deer. Paul continues his exploration of the island by taking a boat trip to experience the infamous Corryvreckan whirlpool at the north of Jura, which nearly claimed the life of author George Orwell, before visiting the remote and beautiful Glen Garrisdale Bay and getting a lesson in how to cut peat.

Paul Murton crosses the sea to Skye on the world's only manually-operated turntable ferry.

The series where Paul visits some of the most beautiful and remote spots in Britain, meeting the people who live there and discovering more about Scotland's best-kept secrets. In this episode, he visits the low-lying islands that face the full might of the Atlantic Ocean.

Paul visits some of the most beautiful and remote spots in Britain. Crossing the Sea of the Hebrides, Paul heads to the Isle of Ewe, and onto the Summer Isles.

Paul Murton visits some of the most beautiful and remote spots in Britain. In this episode, he embarks on a nerve-wracking caving expedition under the summit of Blaven.

Paul Murton visits some of the most beautiful and remote spots in Britain. In this programme he experiences puffin therapy on the Treshnish Islands.

Paul Murton visits Coll, where he meets local crofter Angus Kennedy, who lived and worked away but has returned to work the land of his childhood. Paul also visits Nicolas Maclean Bristol, owner of Breachacha Castle and descendant of the ancient MacLeans of Coll, whose history on the island goes back to the 14th century. The island's population has slumped to just 200 people in recent years, but Nicolas runs a charity on the island which encourages young volunteers to come and work here from all over the world, giving the island distinctly cosmopolitan feel.

Paul Murton explores the Isle of Mull and its satellite islands, to discover why they have become boltholes from the hustle and bustle of the modern world.

Paul Murton turns his back on the sea and discovers the secrets of Scotland's landlocked islands. Heading to the bonnie, bonnie banks of Loch Lomond, he begins his journey by taking a stunning microlight flight across the loch to get a bird's-eye view of one of Scotland's most iconic beauty spots. He then goes island hopping to meet some of the extraordinary people who live there.

This episode takes Paul Murton to the largest island in Britain: the long island of Harris and Lewis, where he tries his hand at weaving Harris tweed, meets the family behind the world-famous Stornoway black pudding and uncovers the remarkable story of how a mysterious medieval chess set was discovered on the remote beach of Uig on Lewis.

Thirty miles from mainland Scotland, there is a chain of low-lying islands that face the full might of the Atlantic Ocean: the Uists and Benbecula. On these islands there seems to be more water than land as a spectacular patchwork of freshwater lochs and pools pockmark the landscape. But it is the unique ecology of these unspoilt islands that makes them so special.

Paul’s journey sees him try his hand at fishing for wild sea trout, uncover the fascinating story of how South Uist became a missile testing base, and discover the secrets of the beautiful but deserted tidal island of Vallay.

Paul Murton visits some of the most beautiful and remote spots in Britain, and meeting the people who live there.

Paul Murton explores the world of island life.

Paul travels to the very north of the British Isles, to The Shetland Isles - islands which are as Scandinavian as they are British. During his northerly adventures, Paul lands on the island of Yell, where he meets with local Brydon Thomason, from Shetland Nature, and gets the amazing opportunity to see wild otters up close.

Paul Murton visits the Isle of Ewe. He meets up with Jane Grant, a local scallop farmer who skippers her own boat from the mainland as there is no public ferry to the island. Jane introduces Paul to the work involved in farming scallops. Although Scotland has some of the best waters in the world for producing scallops, numbers of scallops have declined dramatically over the last 20 years. Jane explains how local farmers are having to look to hatchery technology in order to keep production going. Paul's attempt at diving for scallops doesn't quite go as planned

Paul Murton takes a quick tour around the Scottish Islands.

Paul Murton makes a grand tour of Outer Orkney.

Paul Murton follows in the footsteps of the first tourists to Scotland.

Paul explores a cluster of islands in the Outer Hebrides.

Paul explores the eastern outposts of Shetland.

Paul crosses the great natural harbour of Scapa Flow to the island of Flotta.