Scotland’s Sacred Islands

[JimG59]

I have watched this programme before, seen on BBC1 and BBC Scotland. Watching it again, it’s about Ben Fogle travelling over Scotlands Sacred Islands.

He travels over 20 islands on the West coast of Scotland following in the footsteps of Christian pilgrims of the past. It has struck me that Ben is taking on a very personal pilgrimage. Travelling across Scotland’s remotest islands, he discovers that their spiritual legacy still resonates today.

It reminded me of my Camino Frances pilgrimage.

It is well worth watching and I am sure it would be delightful viewing for members for the similarities of our own pilgrimages and the fantastic landscapes the Scottish Islands offer.

It can be found on BBC iPlayer.

 

[SabsP]

Thank you!
Unfortunately not able to view outside the UK.
And I recently stopped my subscription of cabletv so hopefully our national broadcastcompany buys it so it can be streamed.

 

[henrythedog]

Thank you!
Unfortunately not able to view outside the UK.
And I recently stopped my subscription of cabletv so hopefully our national broadcastcompany buys it so it can be streamed.

Try a VPN.

 

[lalaone]

Thanks for the heads up JimG59. For those without BBC, the series appears to be on Ben Fogle's YouTube channel.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

Thanks for the heads up JimG59. For those without BBC, the series appears to be on Ben Fogle's YouTube channel.

Thanks, I checked and see I can view his videos in the US.

 

[MaryLynn]

Thanks, I checked and see I can view his videos in the US.

...and Canada!

 

[LTfit]

Thanks for the heads up JimG59. For those without BBC, the series appears to be on Ben Fogle's YouTube channel.

Thanks! @SabsP this works

 

[Guy Strachan]

I have watched this programme before, seen on BBC1 and BBC Scotland. Watching it again, it’s about Ben Fogle travelling over Scotlands Sacred Islands.

He travels over 20 islands on the West coast of Scotland following in the footsteps of Christian pilgrims of the past. It has struck me that Ben is taking on a very personal pilgrimage. Travelling across Scotland’s remotest islands, he discovers that their spiritual legacy still resonates today.

It reminded me of my Camino Frances pilgrimage.

It is well worth watching and I am sure it would be delightful viewing for members for the similarities of our own pilgrimages and the fantastic landscapes the Scottish Islands offer.

It can be found on BBC iPlayer.

Jim,
Thanks for the "heads up" - looks interesting.
Have bookmarked on iPlayer to watch during the festive break
Buen Camino
Guy

 

[SabsP]

Thanks! @SabsP this works

Check! Feels more legitimate and less fuss than working out that VPN.

 

[dougfitz]

It has struck me that Ben is taking on a very personal pilgrimage. Travelling across Scotland’s remotest islands, he discovers that their spiritual legacy still resonates today.

How wonderfully similar your thoughts are to the blurb from the BBC!

 

[Elle Bieling]

Thanks for the heads up JimG59. For those without BBC, the series appears to be on Ben Fogle's YouTube channel.

Thank you! Works for me on youtube!

 

[man.grangeburn]

I have watched this programme before, seen on BBC1 and BBC Scotland. Watching it again, it’s about Ben Fogle travelling over Scotlands Sacred Islands.

He travels over 20 islands on the West coast of Scotland following in the footsteps of Christian pilgrims of the past. It has struck me that Ben is taking on a very personal pilgrimage. Travelling across Scotland’s remotest islands, he discovers that their spiritual legacy still resonates today.

It reminded me of my Camino Frances pilgrimage.

It is well worth watching and I am sure it would be delightful viewing for members for the similarities of our own pilgrimages and the fantastic landscapes the Scottish Islands offer.

It can be found on BBC iPlayer.

For those unable to view BBCiPlayer the series is on YouTube. This is Episode 1:

 

[henrythedog]

How wonderfully similar your thoughts are to the blurb from the BBC!

Well someone has to write the blurb for the BBC .

For those not familiar with Ben Fogle he’s an English national-treasure-in-waiting. Famous for doing nothing in particular; but equally remarkable for having done nothing wrong, having a good family and loving his dogs. Sadly that’s enough to put him in a minority these days.

 

[dougfitz]

It is well worth watching and I am sure it would be delightful viewing for members for the similarities of our own pilgrimages and the fantastic landscapes the Scottish Islands offer.

I have watched all four episodes, so I thought it was worth watching. But I didn't find much similarity between Ben Fogle's 'pilgrimage' and anything I have done. One could suggest that his search for spiritual meaning in the 'sacredness' of the islands is similar to our journey as pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago - it might be enough similarity to satisfy some viewers that there is worthwhile link.

You can expect to find brilliant scenes - wild landscapes, rural, town and Ben discussing their lives with the people of the islands. I think BBC production values are consistently good, so I was a little disappointed with the editing of some of the transitions between scenes. It was occasionally a little jerky, leaving one feeling the previous scene had not quite finished before being cut to the next. There were also some issues with footage that appeared to have been shot with a GoPro or similar action camera. These are minor quibbles in an otherwise solid set of documentaries.

Experienced pilgrims might find some of the descriptions of the islands being settled by pilgrims a little strange. It's not how I would have described the settlement of the islands by Christians, but it is the approach Ben uses consistently. I didn't get used to it, others might.

This wasn't helped by my feeling that the viewer was expected to accept the basic premise that the islands were sacred places, which then might have been the justification to see settlement being undertaken as an act of Christian pilgrimage to such a sacred place. I felt it was a weak association. Others might be more convinced. (Please note that I am inferring this link, it was never made as explicitly as I have done here.)

I was starting to flag towards the end of the fourth episode, and began to wonder if there was really enough to sustain it to the end. I struggled a bit, but did persevere to the end - Ben was engaging enough, although it might have been more my curiosity about how he was going to bring the series to a conclusion than anything else.