Darcey Bussell’s Wild Coasts of Scotland Monday 9.00pm More4
Swimming is one of Darcey Bussell’s favourite pastimes, but she’d never braved open waters until she visited Skye last year. “I wasn’t keen at all,” she admits. “We climbed down to a beautiful spot that looked like it was out of a movie. We were suddenly surrounded by greenery and the water was sparkling in the sunshine, but it was icy! Thank goodness I had a thick wetsuit.” The former prima ballerina and Strictly judge was accompanied by an experienced wild swimmer, who immediately dived in. “I thought, ‘I’ve got to do exactly the same…’ and then I didn’t want to get out. I can’t wait to do it again.” She took the plunge while exploring islands off the west coast of Scotland last September for her first travel series.
“We were lucky to get a gap where Covid restrictions weren’t so tough and we could do most of the filming outdoors,” she explains. “I was blown away by how diverse the islands are – from the mountains and farmland of Skye to Uist in the Outer Hebrides, where it’s rare to see trees and the landscape is so barren and raw. Half of the excitement is how the weather constantly changes, and how Darcey Bussell revisits her family’s roots in Scotland’s wild Western Isles dramatically it changes the scenery as the weather patterns come across.” Nor did the wildlife disappoint. Her first sighting was an otter frolicking in Skye’s waters. “We weren’t meant to be filming otters at all. He just popped up and I think he was enjoying watching us!” It wasn’t just the islands that took her breath away.
She also sailed out to the third-largest whirlpool on earth, Corryvreckan – a roaring vortex between the islands of Jura and Scarba that can sometimes be heard ten miles away. “We went on a good day and it was quite unnerving. I can’t even imagine what it must be like on a windy, stormy day – terrifying. You really appreciate the force of the water and you have to have a really strong engine to go round it. If you were a swimmer, it would be bye-bye.” Her stay on the Isle of Bute had a special significance because her Scottish grandfather, whose family owned a weaving mill, spent his childhood summers there. “I’m so glad I had the opportunity to see it for myself. I was very close to my grandfather and he was desperate for me to go. I’d seen so many pictures of him as a young boy there and it brought to life everything he used to talk about. For a kid born and brought up in Glasgow, it was such an adventure.”
Only a short ferry ride from the mainland across the Firth of Clyde, Bute is one of Scotland’s most accessible islands and has long been a popular getaway for Glaswegians. “It was a Victorian resort and when you step off the ferry, you feel like you’re in that era. There were some amazing sights, such as the ruins of St Blane’s Church, a beautiful spot where you can really feel the magic of the place, and see why so many people have made a pilgrimage there over the years. And there’s this extraordinary Victorian house called Mount Stuart, which is totally off the scale – every kind of craftwork and indulgence was on display.”
Naturally, Bussell also found time to brush up on her Scottish dancing. “My grandfather used to take me to ceilidhs, and learning Scottish and Irish dancing was an important part of my education as a professional dancer. It was lovely to do it again and to see how important it is to lots of people on the islands, and how young people are bringing back traditions that have been lost. We’ve turned everything into competitions now and we forget how important dance is to bring people together.” She had a go at step dancing – an ancient Gaelic tradition that’s been revived in recent decades – and sword dancing, which was traditionally a battle dance. “Highland armies used to do it as part of their strength training. The swords are placed on the ground and the feat is to jump between the blades. We used real swords but they weren’t sharpened, so no toes would have been cut off if it had gone wrong!” There’s one family tradition she won’t be keeping up, though. On Islay, she paid a visit to 200-year-old Ardbeg Distillery, which regularly wins awards for its smoky whiskies – but her dram didn’t go down smoothly. “Sadly, I let my Scottish roots down there! I’m glad my grandfather didn’t see that. I don’t think I’m ever going to be a whisky drinker.”
Darcey Bussell’s Wild Coasts of Scotland Monday 9.00pm More4
Swimming is one of Darcey Bussell’s favourite pastimes, but she’d never braved open waters until she visited Skye last year. “I wasn’t keen at all,” she admits. “We climbed down to a beautiful spot that looked like it was out of a movie. We were suddenly surrounded by greenery and the water was sparkling in the sunshine, but it was icy! Thank goodness I had a thick wetsuit.” The former prima ballerina and Strictly judge was accompanied by an experienced wild swimmer, who immediately dived in. “I thought, ‘I’ve got to do exactly the same…’ and then I didn’t want to get out. I can’t wait to do it again.” She took the plunge while exploring islands off the west coast of Scotland last September for her first travel series.
“We were lucky to get a gap where Covid restrictions weren’t so tough and we could do most of the filming outdoors,” she explains. “I was blown away by how diverse the islands are – from the mountains and farmland of Skye to Uist in the Outer Hebrides, where it’s rare to see trees and the landscape is so barren and raw. Half of the excitement is how the weather constantly changes, and how Darcey Bussell revisits her family’s roots in Scotland’s wild Western Isles dramatically it changes the scenery as the weather patterns come across.” Nor did the wildlife disappoint. Her first sighting was an otter frolicking in Skye’s waters. “We weren’t meant to be filming otters at all. He just popped up and I think he was enjoying watching us!” It wasn’t just the islands that took her breath away.
She also sailed out to the third-largest whirlpool on earth, Corryvreckan – a roaring vortex between the islands of Jura and Scarba that can sometimes be heard ten miles away. “We went on a good day and it was quite unnerving. I can’t even imagine what it must be like on a windy, stormy day – terrifying. You really appreciate the force of the water and you have to have a really strong engine to go round it. If you were a swimmer, it would be bye-bye.” Her stay on the Isle of Bute had a special significance because her Scottish grandfather, whose family owned a weaving mill, spent his childhood summers there. “I’m so glad I had the opportunity to see it for myself. I was very close to my grandfather and he was desperate for me to go. I’d seen so many pictures of him as a young boy there and it brought to life everything he used to talk about. For a kid born and brought up in Glasgow, it was such an adventure.”
Only a short ferry ride from the mainland across the Firth of Clyde, Bute is one of Scotland’s most accessible islands and has long been a popular getaway for Glaswegians. “It was a Victorian resort and when you step off the ferry, you feel like you’re in that era. There were some amazing sights, such as the ruins of St Blane’s Church, a beautiful spot where you can really feel the magic of the place, and see why so many people have made a pilgrimage there over the years. And there’s this extraordinary Victorian house called Mount Stuart, which is totally off the scale – every kind of craftwork and indulgence was on display.”
Naturally, Bussell also found time to brush up on her Scottish dancing. “My grandfather used to take me to ceilidhs, and learning Scottish and Irish dancing was an important part of my education as a professional dancer. It was lovely to do it again and to see how important it is to lots of people on the islands, and how young people are bringing back traditions that have been lost. We’ve turned everything into competitions now and we forget how important dance is to bring people together.” She had a go at step dancing – an ancient Gaelic tradition that’s been revived in recent decades – and sword dancing, which was traditionally a battle dance. “Highland armies used to do it as part of their strength training. The swords are placed on the ground and the feat is to jump between the blades. We used real swords but they weren’t sharpened, so no toes would have been cut off if it had gone wrong!” There’s one family tradition she won’t be keeping up, though. On Islay, she paid a visit to 200-year-old Ardbeg Distillery, which regularly wins awards for its smoky whiskies – but her dram didn’t go down smoothly. “Sadly, I let my Scottish roots down there! I’m glad my grandfather didn’t see that. I don’t think I’m ever going to be a whisky drinker.”
CLAIRE WEBB