Grand Tours of Scotland's Lochs

Paul Murton sets out to explore the lochs of Scotland, travelling from the wilds of the west coast to the Grampian Mountains, discovering the secrets of these iconic features of the Scottish landscape.

Genre: Documentary

Cast:Paul Murton , Geoff Shelton , John Carpenter , John 'Gonna' O'Donnell , Roderick Maciver , Natalie Hicks , Aila McWhinney , Jess McWhinney , Murray Wilkie , Ian McWhinney , Amanda Parzeniewski , Andrew Grey Muir , Norman McNab , John Murdo Mackenzie , Alasdair Eckersall , Brian Haslam , David Bleazard , Kenny Munro

1Season 1

S1.E1 ∙ Legends of the West

Mon, Sep 4, 2017

Paul Murton explores the wilds of Loch Etive, from the spectacular tidal race of the Falls of Lora, where kayakers revel in the overfalls and ride a three-metre standing wave, to high-altitude camping on a hill opposite Buchaille Etive More, watching the sunset, and lights up the hundreds of lochans across Rannoch Moor.

2Season 1

S1.E2 ∙ Shelter from the Storm

Mon, Sep 11, 2017

Paul travels from Loch Gairloch to Loch Maree, a grand tour that includes meeting the king and queen of Islonia, matching a medieval feat of archery, diving on a wartime wreck in Loch Ewe and finding himself short-changed at the money tree on an island in Loch Maree.

3Season 1

S1.E3 ∙ Taming the Wild

Mon, Sep 18, 2017

Paul begins his Grand Tour with a chilly swim across Loch Ba high on Rannoch Moor, struggles against the elements while train-spotting and meets some veteran Tunnel Tigers - men who tunnelled deep inside the Grampians, diverting water to hydroelectric schemes.

4Season 1

S1.E4 ∙ Through the Rough Bounds

Mon, Sep 25, 2017

Paul travels into the secret heart of the Rough Bounds of Knoydart by way of Loch nan Umbh, Loch Morar, Loch Nevis and Loch Arkaig. He lifts the lid on the area's secret connection with the celebrated SOE (Special Operations Executive) which Churchill hoped would set Europe ablaze. On the shores of several lochs, agents were trained in the dark arts of sabotage. On Loch Morar, Paul meets a man who claims to have seen the legendary monster Morag (pronounced Voorag), before getting a ferry to Inverie in the heart of the Rough Bounds and searching for Jacobite gold beside Loch Arkaig.

5Season 1

S1.E5 ∙ A Rock and a Hard Place

Mon, Oct 2, 2017

1.2 billion years ago, the far north of Sutherland was struck by a meteorite. The wreckage of this cataclysmic event has been almost completely worn away by time, but the rocks in the landscape still bear some traces, which Paul unpicks as he embarks on a grand tour from Lairg on Loch Shin to Lochinver and, finally, to the summit of Suilven - the sugarloaf mountain.

6Season 1

S1.E6 ∙ An Enchanted Land

Mon, Oct 9, 2017

Paul explores some lochs close to Scotland's densely populated central belt. Starting on the banks of the most famous lake in Scotland - the Lake of Menteith - Paul wanders through an enchanting landscape, visiting Loch Ard, Loch Arklet, Loch Katrine and Loch Achray, before climbing a mountain in miniature, Ben Venue.

1Season 2

S2.E1 ∙ Written in Stone

Mon, Sep 10, 2018

Paul Murton explores Kilmory Bay on Loch Sween, Lilly Loch in Knapdale Forest and Loch Awe. Meets a group of steam enthusiasts restoring a puffer on the Crinan Canal, checks out some Stone Age rock art and tries his hand at driving a herd of Highland cows.

2Season 2

S2.E2 ∙ Take My Breath Away

Mon, Sep 17, 2018

This Grand Tour takes Paul to some breathtaking scenery among the lochs and mountains of Wester Ross. Speaking to locals he discovers that the loch-side communities were only finally connected by road in the 1970s. Before then, boats linked people who lived an almost island existence. Paul borrows a bike and cycles over the infamous Bealach na Ba - one of Britain's highest and steepest mountain passes, before reliving the glory days of the Kishorn oil rig fabrication yard, which in the 1970s built the world's biggest moveable structure. Journey's end is on an island in Loch Carron with a curious connection with Peter Pan.

3Season 2

S2.E3 ∙ Point to Pap

Mon, Sep 24, 2018

Paul travels from the westernmost point of Britain in Ardnamurchan to the Pap of Glencoe. On the way he stops off in Strontian, at Lochs Sunart and Linnhe, and recreates a scene from Monty Python's Holy Grail at Castle Stalker.

4Season 2

S2.E4 ∙ Under Wide Skies

Mon, Oct 1, 2018

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5Season 2

S2.E5 ∙ Hidden Lochs of Galloway

Mon, Oct 8, 2018

Paul discovers the strategic wartime importance of Loch Ryan and meets a man whose memory of those days is tinged with tragedy. In Stranraer, Paul discovers a legacy of Arctic exploration and an old can of bully beef, then meets a clan chief who tends a unique garden surrounded by two lochs. Reliving the days of steam trains, Paul walks the old railway line towards Loch Ken, where a monster lurks beneath the waters. On the banks of Loch Trool, he discovers some rocky evidence of Bruce's victory over the English in 1307, and then climbs the highest mountain south of Ben Lomond - the mighty Merrick.

6Season 2

S2.E6 ∙ Decline and Fall

Mon, Oct 15, 2018

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1Season 4

S4.E1 ∙ Where Myths Are Made

Wed, Feb 17, 2021

Paul explores the lochs of Skye, hears tales of legendary battles, has a lesson in how to throw a spear, discovers a Viking ship canal and stands on the roof of the Cuillins.

2Season 4

S4.E2 ∙ A Fyne Tour

Wed, Feb 24, 2021

Paul Murton learns how to paddle a coracle and investigates Victorians dabbling with virtual reality. A sacred heart and the tale of 'half-hung Archie' leads to the wreckage of a WW2 Superfortress.

3Season 4

S4.E3 ∙ Across the Moors

Wed, Mar 3, 2021

Paul discovers a forgotten WWI German prison camp, remembers the navvies who built Europe's once-biggest dam, and crosses the moors to a kingly feast on an island in a loch.

4Season 4

S4.E4 ∙ The Land of Giants

Wed, Mar 10, 2021

There are tales of kelpies, Rob Roy and cattle rustling as Paul Murton explores the lochs of old Perthshire, before scaling a 'giant' of the central Highlands.

5Season 4

S4.E5 ∙ Beneath the Surface

Wed, Mar 17, 2021

From one of the wildest lochs in the west to Loch Ness, Paul discovers the last outlaw in Scotland, a monster called Lizzie and a record-breaking 'gentle giant'.

6Season 4

S4.E6 ∙ The Forgotten Lands

Wed, Mar 24, 2021

Paul explores the lochs of Morvern. He discovers the devil in a fossil, dabbles in art and then learns how to make Jacobite bank notes, before climbing to a loch that never was.