3 Hours Of Exploring Britain's Secret Islands

A journey to some of Britain's least known islands, exploring the wildlife of these regions, meeting the people that live there, and exploring the history and culture of these areas. Join a voyage to Farne Islands, home to seals and seabirds, early Christian communities and one of the first landing sites for the terrifying Viking raiders. Plus, a voyage to the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides, visiting the 5000-year-old standing stones of Callanish, traditional Scottish blackhouses and cutting peat with a modern crofter. An exploration of Rathlin Island includes a visit to a Neolithic stone tool factory, a unique upside-down lighthouse, and a WWII shipwreck. While a trip through England's South Coast includes diving with blue sharks, exploring the battlements of Drake's Island, learning the origins of Scouts and checking out fossils on the Isle of Wight.
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[@JbScot]

My great granny was a Fair Isle knitter so I'm enjoying this fantastic documentary so much. It's a visual delight 😍 However! As a Scot with Orkney and Shetland roots who lives in Caithness, your Scottish pronunciations are setting my nerves on edge 😂

[@cherylmaden5989]

There's nothing better than talking with someone who has obviously studied and got excited by something in history. You've interested me in something i hadn't given much thought to, but your expertise has made it fascinating ❤😊

[@jwf6289]

Beautifully produced. I enjoyed so very much. From USA, Texan girl.

[@karoltidwellholloway6095]

I am a Texas girl also. Karol Holloway

[@deborahduthie4519]

Watching the 'Kelpies' was the best bit, for me. Excellent educational vid. Those Back injuries X-Rays, look painful...debilitating. Thank you

[@GC-kt4rm]

Thank you for this wonderful show. Why I had been along for the ride!

[@thomasevans5467]

Saint Cuthbert was a bit earlier than the 1670's i cant believe that got past the cutting room floor. Kinda makes me question any other facts thrown up if they cant make it 4min in without a mistake like that. 3:55 for reference

[@somesongs9605]

Only 1000 years out. Stopped watching at this point

[@danwilson1040]

Another one on the ball 🥎 I felt a little guilty for criticising because aside from the initial tiny ( one thousand year) error I really loved this series of films,the style of the presentation,the information,the photography and cinematography all outstanding… I wonder how much those hand knitted jumpers are?several thousand pounds???? They are nice but they ain’t that nice

[@philroberts7238]

@@somesongs9605 It was clearly a slip of the tongue. Admittedly, it should have been picked up in the editing, but he was explicitly referring to the early middle ages. It's a shame you missed a lot of (error-free) content, which most of us enjoyed.

[@kelliv2995]

This is high quality ❤ Going right into my "Save Forever" folder

[@connerd1313]

This is what i NEED by Absolute History

[@pamabernathy8728]

SO excited about this video!!! I binge read novels (well written detective novels & historical novels) based in the British Isles. I feel like I know the Isle of Man, thanks to a wonderful author. And I do some decent Cockney rhyming slang. I am also on a first name, email basis, with a high up executive at Tunnocks, because I have spent a ridiculous amount of money for a few dark chocolate Tunnocks Tea Cakes. I used to be able to order on line. Then, post-pandemic, post Brexit, not available. ONE specialty food chain where we live in Southern California occasionally stocks them, but they QUICKLY sell out. Ordered them because 1 of my detective series featured tea breaks, with Tunnocks. My husband's roots are Scottish (hence my last name, which I have had for well over 40 years -- almost twice as long as my maiden name!). His roots have been traced back to the 1100's. The Leslie Clan was on the losing side of a battle (I am mortified to say that my memory is so poor, that I recall neither the name of the war nor the year!). Anyway, that Abernathy was marched, in chains, from Scotland to London, thrown into a steerage on a ship, & sent to America. Maybe, 1600's? I will add CORRECT info when my dear, long-suffering husband gets home in a few minutes. Anyway, this LONG comment is just from reading the description!! Blessings, all. And have a safe, long weekend, anyone watching from the 🇺🇸. (Tomorrow is a holiday here, & this is treated as, "the last weekend in summer.")

[@cherylmaden5989]

I like a lot of those books too. Sherlock even and lots of historical fiction Ken Follet is amazing old epic monastery/ monument building ❤😊

[@cherylmaden5989]

Even my ex husband likes Follet 😂 but he doesn't live in books like I tend to❤

[@johnlord8337]

As mentioned to many other YT and historical sites, a far more convenient and logical way of moving pyramid stones, stonehenge slabs, and even these Hebridges stones ... is via a wooden timber and rail system, with a wooden platform atop the rail. Using saturated oil (meat fats, fish oils, ...) the wooden rails and the underside of the wooden platform were swabbed and greased. Then using water, one slosked on the water on the rails and platform, and one can easily pull heavy weights along these wood rails with ease of oil-water-oil slippery (non-)friction. In the case of the Hebrides, imported wooden timbers, and rail sections (oaks ?) would be used in this construction from sailing ships to the region. Using the same roller design, one picks up the back logs (rails and rail timbers) and puts them at the front of where you are pulling and pushing. One only needs continued oil and water, and less labor force than is believed, to move these blocks into position. Then with the same rail timbers and rails, one uses the "cribbing method" to lever up the stones atop an ever-growing pile of crossed (#) woodworks. Then one pulls the stones into their dug-in ground slot, and the woodwork cribbing is removed piece by piece, ... and another stone is brought in and levered up into place.

[@peterm4475]

What about non existant islands? Isle of Dogs, Thanet, Ely, Portland and Purbeck come to mind.

[@heitorfontenele2041]

Eu não sei porque vocês não bugam seus documentários ia fazer tanto sucesso

[@51WCDodge]

Jersey has it's own language Jerriais . Based on Norse, from Normandy The land of the Northern people (By the way we own Britain) There not Watch Towers. Each floor mounted an optical range finder, These were linked to the guns in the batteries.

[@disbud596]

If they are so secret, how did you find out about them?

[@ericacook2862]

The Jack-o-lantern was originally a turnip so they are keeping with the origin of the Halloween tradition.

[@simonbroberg969]

6:20 Might have been different if Charlemagne hadn't been doing his "Convert of die" campiegn in Frankia. If he hadn't maybe they would have not bothered with Lindesfarne. They always try to hide that, always say there was no reason for the attack, some of do our research

[@leapintothewild]

😂 And some know how to spell and punctuate, and not leave out entire words.

[@philroberts7238]

Then you'll know, of course, having read their literature of the time, that they considered rape and pillage to be rather fun, which is why they went 'a-viking' - to plunder the richest and weakest sites available. They did tend to settle down a bit later, though.

[@kirsteneasdale5707]

It is a physical impossibility to sail round the UK. I think he means the island of Great Britain. I do wish some English TV presenters would learn how to pronounce place names properly (it is just good manners). It can’t be that difficult to ask a local speaker (I presume they come into contact with them?) before saying a piece to camera.

[@DougMacGregor-d4e]

weeks to sail to the Shetlands ? no.

[@ramthian]

❤

[@cherylmaden5989]

I notic the ship flew a different flag in the Shetlands. Different flag? Different ship? Why?

[@JbScot]

It's the Red Ensign, a UK vessel maritime flag.

[@pamabernathy8728]

My dear husband, from whom I took my last name over 40 years ago, is a "natural" historian. To clarify, I am the most fascinated by natural history. And my dear husband has an incredible knowledge of history & geography. E.g., as soon as I mentioned the post-WW1 German Navy being interned in The Orkneys, he said, "Oh, ya, Scappa Flow (spelling? I didn't ask him). ANYWAY: my husband's ancestor that came to America arrived here in chains, after the Leslie Clan was a loser in the 1640 Battle of Dunbar. & my husband & our 2 adult sons are Leslie Clan. I, sadly, am pure German, both sets of grandparents emigrated to the US from Germany. My dear sister-in-law, who majored (undergraduate) in history, found the record of my maternal grandfather coming through Ellis Island in New York. There is a brick with that information included in the renovation done probably 35 - 40 years ago. Was a gift to my Mother. I don't know anything about my late Daddy's ancestors. His family didn't keep records or talk about it, I guess. Blessings.

[@dekarzero]

Shame that you say sadly you are of German heritage. The German people have a rich and vibrant culture and history.

[@philroberts7238]

Then you may be interested to know that Scapa Flow has lent its name to one of the commonest words of cockney rhyming slang: To 'scarper' means to go, to skedaddle, to run away. Scapa Flow = Go.

[@catsfather]

‘Secret’ islands 😂😂😂😂

[@Angelicwings1]

I think England would have been better without Christianity in my opinion.

[@MixedRaceAndProud1690]

What makes you say that ???

[@adamtorressr789]

Yeah right. Better without Muslims maybe

[@Amanda-yf7vj]

​@@MixedRaceAndProud1690 no kidding!!! If you ain't got God you got the devil and who in their right mind would want that!?

[@svenholmgren5015]

Would have been better if it had stayed Christian. Perhaps without the Church of England and anyone twisting Christianity their own devices.

[@2010djbrooklyn]

Gay pagans

[@HeatherNaturaly]

The one thing I took away from this documentary is, The Scotts aren't real smart or they'd have REPLANTED THE FRIGGIN TREES!! So many desolate islands could easily be restored to beautiful habitats, simply by planting TREES. If they were planted behind the stone walls, they would be able to establish without the winds destroying the young saplings.

[@prepperjonpnw6482]

Or they could grow them in nurseries until they are 4-7 feet tall. Then plant them with posts to keep them upright.

[@SaveEarthPlsBeKind]

Oh my, that's a most insulting comment, how dreadful. Most of Scotland is owned by rich oligarchs many who don't live on the land except for a few weeks a year. Many who desecrate our land use our amazing countryside to kill wildlife, you'll have heard of Grouse shooting, and deer killings, raptors are not spared either. They don't WANT trees on the land they thieved, (much bought for a few £s a long time ago). Many people in Scotland want to take the land back, and FYI, the Scottish government in the past decade have funded the planting of millions of trees on public owned land! Much more than is being reforested in England! Not to mention in the 1980s when the English rich conjured a scheme (scam) where they could avoid tax by draining Scotland's massive peat bogs, and er planting pine trees! Pine trees are acidic they wreck the bogs, this all happened under English rule! The Flow country peat bog in Caithness is a massive carbon sink, it was being restored, (deforested) with er, EU funding now no more funding because the English took us out of the EU by force, when Scotland voted 62% remain, every single constituency voted to remain in the EU in Scotland, but no, we were dragged out! Do not make disrespectful comments about my country when you clearly have absolutely no idea about the history, (btw it was the English who deforested Scotland to build their warships etc!) of Scotland. Scotland was also hugely quarried by the English including the crags at Arthurs seat in Edinburgh, which were taken to build some buildings in er, London, England . Scotland has been pillaged by the country next door and still is, re our massive oil, gas and renewables resources and even our high quality gold, all revenues from which are taken by the English treasury, and a few crumbs sent back with added contempt to boot! There is loads of info with which to educate yourself about Scotland's history, though it has of course been suppressed and the Scottish people were denied that in schools and educational establishments until very very recently. Look up the Highland clearances, though there were clearances in the lowlands, the Highlands are most written about. No need to insult a whole people, but it's nothing new I suppose. Go well, be kind.

[@SaveEarthPlsBeKind]

Scotland doesn't have so many 'stone walls' as is the norm in England. Also 'Scots' only has one 't'! Educate yourself before making FRIGGIN INSULTING COMMENTS ABOUT MY COUNTRY AND MY PEOPLE!! IGNORAMOUS!!

[@catsfather]

The one thing we all took away from your comment is that you are not very smart if you refer to people as ‘Scotts’

[@Bigyam601]

First

[@pamabernathy8728]

Storm petrels are so interesting. And I like their vocalizations. Wow.

[@lenabreijer1311]

The ruins of the priory on Lindsfarn that he is standing in front are much later, post viking era and have nothingto do with st cuthbert.

[@danwilson1040]

3:48 - St.Cuthbert arrives c.1670’s ad. ? 4:55 - St.Cuthbert introduces special sea bird laws c.676 ad. ? ( a thousand years earlier) There’s other dates that are referred to,but the time line does jump backwards and forwards After watching and rewatching several times I find myself completely confused, I’m not being negative because I really enjoyed this series of films but after reading your comment I delved in to examine timeline details etc. and Iam left scratching my head,if you’d not commented I’d have probably not noticed,so I thank you for keeping me on my toes 🙏🏻🥷 Historically speaking 🫡of course

[@philroberts7238]

@@danwilson1040 Just a slip of the tongue. He was talking about the 600s, not the 1600s.

[@seanstump8665]

I don't know if I've ever seen someone double step up stairs before. I thought I was the only one. I'll bet he climbs escalators too.

[@danwilson1040]

And also freezes his arse off in the name of continuity, jest only . I loved this series of films.I’m not knocking them,I wish there were more made like this .

[@mersmithy1269]

Numb nuts alert😁

[@nettejakobs2501]

Please keep the music volumen down to a lower background level, pleeeease. It is often a bit too much. It is a very interesting and educational video 😊 Greetings from Denmark

[@cherylmaden5989]

Ugh..notice..😂

[@cherylmaden5989]

Maybe a similar way that the Egyptians did...or even better with water? Or troughs of water? I dont find it particularly boggling, but then again i dont feel the need for specifics😂❤

[@cherylmaden5989]

Fuuny enough, i actually kind of identify with the woman who lives in the Shetlands. I live in the suburbs of Ft . Lauderdale. But i have family roots going back pretty far in Florida, and while it's not as good as it was, i was very lucky to be raised with a connection to the land and between the family grew up in and my kids I'm so proud to say it's still there and i have probably been to almost every state park in Florida. It's still a pretty cool place❤✨💚✨💙

[@cherylmaden5989]

Thank you so much for doing this and posting it. It's really fascinating. I always find coastal communities from all over, intriguing, coming from one so different ❤😊

[@dee-deelove9310]

The suspenseful music and intense narration gave me anxiety 😂

[@danwilson1040]

Bless ,I’d admire your honesty though 🫡🥷

[@dee-deelove9310]

@@danwilson1040 the film was beautiful though 😁

[@danwilson1040]

@@dee-deelove9310 yes I agree it absolutely was beautiful I thoroughly enjoyed it and feel guilty for my negativity,to notice the tiny details I must have been totally engrossed More films like this please algorithm!?🙏🥷🏾

[@carmencarlton3240]

To me it’s important to learn more of your country before you go to other because it’s important that we learn what make our country’s where we are born so we learn we enjoy it as much as other people who come to visit as tourist, but we’re here for