Coming up on this weeks show. The atmosphere is brilliant. Youve got the singing, lots of shouting. Thats so good. Thats so tasty. Some people want train sets, i wanted a castle. Scotland is a perennialfavourite when it comes to travel. From its rugged and dramatic highlands to its vibrant cities and festivals. Considering its relatively small size, scotland really does punch above its weight when it comes to tourism. And this week were looking back at some of our favourite travel show adventures there, kicking off with the time i headed to shetland to experience something thats firmly based in the islands� viking past, although a big change is under way. Sitting halfway between the scottish mainland and norway, the Shetland Islands have a unique combination of cultures. And today the sleepy town of lerwick is facing an invasion from a long dormant foe. Shouting the vikings. Cheering and shouting so this is up helly aa. Its one of a number of viking festivals that take place in shetland every year. This one in lerwick is the biggest. Up helly aa is best known for its night time procession. Almost 1,000 people carry flaming torches through the streets, then set fire to a replica viking ship. The day begins with a march through the town led by the jarl squad, a group of around 60 locals kitted out in elaborate viking garb. I mean, this is serious stuff. This is. Yeah, yeah. So who makes these . Almost all of it was done in shetland. There was a Design Committee in the squad. What kind of money are we talking for an individual kit . Between £2,000 and £3,000. Wow. So you need to be really serious about this. This is something you really commit to. Yeah. The Viking Heritage of shetland is something that most shetlanders are incredibly proud of. A lot of the place names in shetland are of scandinavian origin. And youll hear my accent. Its this kind of strange amalgam of scots and old norn. Those are the roots of our language. Within the crowd, there are tourists from across the world. But fundamentally, this is a local tradition. There are rules for who can take part, which is why 2023 is a big yearfor up helly aa, because its the first time in the history of this beardy, testosterone fuelled festival that women can join in. I think its probably fairi to say that the reaction to the announcement was broadly positive, although probably somei people still cherish the format of the festival as it was. Traditionally, women are the hostesses of the all night parties that follow the procession. Claire has some sympathy for those who want to keep it all as it was. My husband has been. In nine jarl squads now. Hes a joiner, hes a craftsman. I think its a shame to forget what pride and delight |lots of people involved in making| these suits and making this event happen, from the hostesses in the halls, you know, they do those things very, very well and they love it as it is. But i also am a woman and i have a daughter whos three, and i would love to see her. Participate on her own terms. Women and girls have been taking part in other viking festivals around shetland for a few years, but the changes to up helly aa wont transform it overnight. Jarl Squad Members are nominated 15 years in advance, so theyll mostly remain male for a while yet. But the changes will have an Immediate Impact on thejunior up helly aa, which takes place right before the adult one. Im on my way to meet one young torchbearer. Hello. Hi, there. Im christa. Come in. You must be joni. Yeah. So can you walk along the Route Withjoni as well . Yes. Oh, thats great. Joni is one of around 30 girls wholl be taking part for the first time. What are you looking forward to most . Probably throwing the torch into the galley. The torch might get a bit heavy to carry. So weve made these tins where we put it in so it, like, lifts some of the weight off of you. Brilliant as the day draws to an end in lerwick, the festivities start to heat up. Im standing here with a lot of proud parents as the members of the Junior Procession Light up their torches and get ready to set off across town. Hopefully, we can catch sight ofjoni. Behind the jarl squad, the other revellers are dressed, not in viking gear, but in fancy dress. And sure enough, we see lots of girls taking part. Including joni. Not long after thejunior procession, its the grown ups� turn. And wake the mighty memories the waves are rolling on. The atmosphere is brilliant. Youve got the singing, lots of shouting. Theyve turned off the Street Lights so youve just got this torchlight around. But you do have to be a bit cautious because if a gust of wind comes by, the embers fly from the torches and land on your clothes. Youve got to be vigilant or youll go home with a few holes. As the Adult Procession passes by, we dont see many women taking part, but any controversy hasnt stopped crowds of people turning out to watch. Did you have any feelings yourself about girls being able to participate . Yeah, well, our boys are involved. If we would have had two girls, i suppose wed have been keen that they could be involved as well. After a circuit, the procession files into a local play park. Three cheers for up helly aa. Hip, hip crowd hooray weve got the torches going in, i can see viking helmets, the galley going up in flame. The embers above just being blown around by this mad wind. This is an incredible experience. And who knows . Maybe theyll make a viking of me yet. And up helly aa takes place on the last tuesday of every january. And if youre thinking of going, just hope and pray that the rain stays vertical and not horizontal. Well, staying with the islands, were travelling south now and heading to 0rkney, a place ive loved exploring over the years and learning more about its fascinating prehistoric past at places like skara brae and the ring of brodgar. With a history stretching back more than 5,000 years, its no surprise that 0rkney is a place of myth and legend, where it seems that everyone has a story to tell. This story takes place on the island of stronsay, one of the north isles in 0rkney and it involves a young lady by the name of ursula. You dont see so many fairies around the west mainland any more, and there is a reason for that. You see, a terrible thing happened long ago. There was a terrible. And she could make her own choices about who she married. And she owned everything around her. Stories have been around as long as language has been around. And these stories are very much part of our cultural identity. Part of what makes 0rcadians 0rcadians. 0rkneys quite a unique place. We have, you know, 5,000 year old villages still standing, you know, stone circles. Just standing on a shore and watching huge breakers rolling in from the atlantic ocean, its really quite hypnotic. Violent but peaceful at the same time. And it was always that ever present risk and danger from the sea as well. That has a Strong Influence on the folktales. 0rkney has a very, very Rich Heritage of folklore about the strange creatures, about the selkie folk who are half seal and half human. Every mound in a field has its little goblins and fairies and brownies. You know, every age that. That humans go through, theres the search for some sort of spiritual meaning, those kind of connections with the land or the sea or the sky. And i think folklore is a way of exploring those things. The 0rkney Storytelling Festival is in its tenth year in its present form. We have wonderful invited storytellers who come from all over the world. Sometimes the stories are very similar. You know, a lot of places have a Creation Myth about how an island was formed or how a mountain came to be. And theres a lot of similarities. Its wonderful if people come and hear a story from africa or a story from norway or a story from north america, a story from 0rkney. And they think, i wonder if there are any stories about the place that i come from. Now, were going to hear from a lot of different people today, friends from near and far. You can decide at the end if this really happened. I the waves were coming up over the harbour. The wind was blowing. And every single time she broke a lump off, a mouse fell out until there was a whole squad of mice. The next day, hare showed up at 0tters place and 0tter had | prepared a beautiful feast for him. Tonight is the last night of the 0rkney Storytelling Festival and its the grand finale. So its the absolute best of the best. Applause she had no money left. She had her hair done, she had a nice, new dress. Audience laughs the next young man had spit on the coals of the fire and the coals flame up. I think stories really unite people. And i think if you have this shared experience and shared cultural heritage, it does make you stronger because. Especially if there are values in the stories that you really identify with and that are really important to you. Say, yes, i belong to the culture that owns these stories. For storytelling and the folklore to survive, it has to have a framework. It has to be an organised thing. And thats one of the reasons that we do what we do. Its one of the reasons why we have the festival. From the highlands and islands, were heading to a city that has an identity very much all of its own. Glasgow is well known for its proud Industrial History and its gritty humour, but its also the most multicultural city in scotland, a fact that came to the fore when we went looking for a new take on a scottish tradition earlier this year. January in scotland can be a dreich affair. The days are short, the weather cold and wet. Maybe thats why back in 1801, a group of friends came up with an event to warm up the winter nights and celebrate the life of our National Bard robert burns. Burns night is a lively evening of poetry, performance and whats probably scotlands most famous meal. So this is what you usually get in a traditional burns supper. Youve got tatties, or mashed potatoes, neeps, aka swede, and taking centre stage, youve got the beloved haggis. Haggis has achieved near mythical status for its often grotesque description as throwaway beef and lamb offal, spices and oats. Its all bundled into a sheeps belly and boiled for hours. Its salty, its meaty and delicious, and its personally one of my favourite things to eat. In my family, burns night often coincides with Chinese New Year, which takes place over 15 days at the beginning of the lunar calendar. Like burns night, its all about friends and family coming together for a massive feast. So my friends and i, we host our own special event and we call it Chinese Burns, where we serve dishes from both cultures at the same time. Im on the hunt for a culinary twist on the burns supper that will be the centrepiece of my next Chinese Burns evening. Hello. How are you doing . Hello. Lovely to meet you, jimmy. How are you . So its Chinese New Year and its burns night happening around the same time. What am i going to make for my party . Nick, youll be making a haggis with eddo, spring rolls with a chilli whisky dip. So, first of all, weve got some eddo, which is a chinese root veg. Right. Similar to potatoes, but a wee bit more nuttier and a wee bit more sweet. A bit more. A bit hairier. A bit hairier as well obviously, the hero of the dish is the haggis. Yes. Im just going to put some carrots in it to add a wee bit of crunch. Right. 0key dokey. So what are you cooking up first . Well, its the slow process ofjust peeling the eddoes first. Do you often try to incorporate scottish traditional ingredients in your chinese cooking . Yeah, yeah. All the time. Whether its the ingredients we use, like the ayrshire pork or Aberdeen Angus steak. With the eddoes peeled, jimmy pops them into a steamer. He then slices the haggis and throws it into a wok. Wok fried haggis. Wok fried haggis theres a first for everything. That sounds brilliant. Oh, look at that and then were just going to mash that up. Look at that, theres your asian tatties. Now weve got all our ingredients that we canjust use and wrap up. Tight against it so you can feel the haggis there. Mine looks like an envelope as opposed to a roll. I dont know whats gone wrong there. It looks like a purse. I leave it to jimmy to fry the rolls and rustle up his chilli whisky dip. Bagpipes play but were still missing one key ingredient. A piper� s the perfect accompaniment to any burns supper, however unconventional it might be. Oh, wow. Look at that. Looks amazing. Lets dig in, shall we . Lets go for it. Piper plays Auld Lang Syne pastry crunche. , � , thats so tasty. I can actually taste the haggis, which is surprising. I thought itd get lost in there, but its actually really nice. Slainte mhath. Giving burns night a whole new twist earlier this year. Well, if youve fallen in love with scotland so much that you fancy moving there, how about snapping up a castle . Youll find over 2,000 of them there. Although, it has to be said, some of them need a whole lot more attention than just a lick of paint and a set of new curtains, as William Lee Adams found out when we sent him on a property hunt. Well leave you with him searching for a typically understated new home. And see you all again next week. This is baltersan castle, a 16th Century Tower home 50 miles southwest of glasgow. Its safe to say its in need of some serious restoration. James bought it in 1992 with great hopes to restore it back to its former glory. But finding the right investor has been hard. Now, the stairwell, very wide for the period. It all speaks of good design and speaks of wealth. You would ascend these stairs, you wouldnt climb, you would ascend. James, what was your vision when you purchased the castle . Oh, i could see it. Thats the problem. Its a burden if you have vision. Because i could see the walls, the painted decoration, the tapestries. Its the old story of a boyhood dream. Some people want train sets, i wanted a castle at the age of five. So this brings us into the kitchen area, the wine cellar, the storage for meat. And this wonderful arch here is a very common feature. And that fire that would have been in there for the cooking was kept on all the time because stone is like a storage heater. Theres a 16th century mill. Theres an 18th century croft house down here. Theres the 16th Century Tower and a 13th century abbey. They should be linked as a linear tourist destination. I can tell this place brings you a lot ofjoy. You light up when you talk about it. But on some level, do you ever regret having purchased it . Ne no, absolutely never. Its magic. Its the sense of place thatjust an ordinary, ruined building doesnt have. Theres a spirit in this place. I dont care if i dont restore it, but it should be restored by somebody the next custodian, not owner. 0n face value, owning a castle could cost less than a Studio Apartment in london. Camerons been in the business of selling grand Country Homes for the past 15 years. Well, if you take the example of the one behind me here,. Theres obviously a lot of work to do. This as a property on the buildings at risk register, its category a listed. So there will be restrictions i in what you can and cant do, materials that youve got to use. So there are limitations and considerations that also have significant cost implications. Do people have any misconceptions when they start their search for a castle . Yes. I yeah. The first thing to highlight is they dont all come with a title. Many people assume that you become lord of the manor, but im afraid its not quite that case. But what happens if your family already has the castle . How do you keep it from becoming a financial drain . Nice to meet you. So nice to meet you. So lovely to meet you. Welcome. Nice to meet you. This is quite the welcome. Hello alis family has lived on these grounds since the 1500s, though his Great Grandfather built this place at the turn of the 20th century, moving the family out of the now ruined castle. The couple met in vietnam and lived in the us before moving back to alis Ancestral Home eight years ago. And what was the state of the place when you first saw it . It was winter when i first arrived and saw the place for the very first time. The blinds were drawn. There were so many dust sheets on tables and furniture. Everything was really dark. Had a bit of a morgue feel to it, to be honest. So this room is particularly personal to me because it is very much based on my idea of victoriana meets east asian. The estate had mostly welcomed Hunting Parties and wanted to move away from that tradition and focus on other types of gatherings, like weddings. Though it needed a major revamp. A lot of people dream of owning a castle and they dont think through the reality. Do you have any advice for potential buyers . If you are thinking about doing anything like this and your first motivation is profitability, it is not going to work. I love my husband and this is me helping to fulfil his dream. And ali, it was significantly easier for him to be motivated to do this project because it is his Ancestral Home. Dinner soon comes around, but before we sit down anne says she has a little surprise. Door creaks what . What is this . This is for you to pick out your outfit for dinner. Ok, this was obviously for me. The fairies in South West Scotland are working tonight. I think you should definitely wear this. Oh, my god, that is so you gong rings part of the experience involves an outrageous dinner party with the guests. Dinner is served. What would your ancestors think about whats going on tonight . I think they liked fun nights, will. You know, my Great Grandfather built this house for entertaining. But im curious, when anne married you and moved here and suggested these changes, how did that sit with you . Actually, it was fine, and i wouldnt have done it without her. So it was good to have that breath of fresh air. 0wning and running a castle as a Tourist Attraction is not for the faint hearted. But if you can make it work, its not a bad life. Music continues some in central and eastern areas started with sunshine but elsewhere fairly cloudy with mist and certainly cloud there shrouding the hills, misty conditions to contend with. Through today, a mixture of some sunny spells, central and eastern areas some sunshine, low pressure to the south west throwing up cloud and showers. Showers spreading into south wales for a time, cloudy in northern ireland, northern england, outbreaks of rain and drizzle, sunshine in the far north west of scotland, sunny spells continuing in east anglia past the midlands, north wales as well, and in the sun not too bad, 12 13c, elsewhere 7 8. Through tonight we will see more persistent rain spreading in from the south and will set up a wet start to sunday morning. Although it will be frost free, temperatures no lower than 5 8c. Mothering sunday . Pretty wet, wetter than today, that rain into the central and southern scotland, northern england, midlands, south east, heavy rain at times, moving further westwards into north wales but for south west wales, south west england, some sunny spells with showers, temperatures lower through tomorrow because of the cloudy skies and the rain, 7 11. Into next week, low pressure moves to the east, monday should be quieter but we still have an easterly airflow bringing quite a bit of cloud on monday towards the eastern coast of scotland, eastern england, may be some spots of rain. Elsewhere largely dry, some bright and sunny spells towards Western Areas of the uk. Temperatures pretty typical for the time of year, eight 11 or 12 celsius. For the rest of the week, southern and eastern areas should remain largely dry, some spells of sunshine, temperatures rising, 14 15c further north and west remaining unsettled, rain at times and temperatures 10 13. Temperatures slightly above the average as we go through the week, goodbye. Live from jerusalem. This is bbc news. The European Union says a maritime aid corridorfrom cyprus to gaza could Begin Operating within hours. The first vessel is being loaded now. But as the humanitarian situation becomes ever more desperate, the United States says it could take up to 60 days for a Temporary Port to be built. And as we see more aid being dropped into gaza, the push to get additional supplies into the area accelerates. Live from london. Im nicky schiller. Thousands of people march in Central London in support of gaza the tenth major protest in the city since the october 7 attacks. An urgent search continues in nigeria to find nearly
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