Unlocking the Secrets of Bear Grylls' High Mountain Survival in Scotland | Man Vs. Wild | Discovery

I'm battling my way through the high mountains of northern Scotland. I've descended fast down a steep scree run, but the lower slopes are a nightmare of loose boulders. You just have to slow right down when you hit these bigger stuff again. You're right, that was crazy close. You know, you get hit by one of those, just that big, it's going to kill you, let alone that size. That's why, really, the god rule of rockfall, you've got to have eyes on it. You want to see what's coming your way so you can get out of the way. Be close. OK, let's get off this boulder field and get down to the bottom of the valley. Moving through mountainous terrain takes its toll on your energy levels, and it has to be replaced. Now you must start the search for food. There's a small lake, and that's really your chance to find some food. Come on, let's go down to this. This whole landscape is just so windswept. There's very little sustainable food here. When you find a lake like this, you've got to use it. It's going to have fish in here. It's just trying to work out a way of getting them. Let's keep moving around. You see, there's a natural choke point between these two lakes. You can create a funnel between them that the fish will use. Using natural formations in the landscape saves energy and time. Positioning these boulders across the choke point will force the fish through a narrow entrance. All I have to do, then, is place the net I found on the shore across the gap. I want to keep this really simple. Fold this back on itself, effectively make like a bag. A nice big opening here so the fish can swim in. Just need to tie the sides together. The scraps of cordage I scavenged from the beach will do the job nicely. Okay, that's the sides sewn up together. And then a stone at the front, like that. Just use some of this heather just to hold the bag open. The net's in place. Now to drive the fish towards it. All I'm doing is trying to create loads of mayhem and splash so the fish don't enjoy it. I want to get away from it and swim that way, towards the trap. Really, this is just a very simple, old poaching technique. Catching fish efficiently. Fish efficiently. No pun intended. No, there's one. Just keep him moving. No, the reality of fishing without a rod and line is you've got to improvise and you've got to be persistent. I always like the story of the great Scottish warrior, Robert Bruce. After he was beaten by the English, he sat in his cave. The story goes he watched a spider climbing up and down this spiderweb, endlessly falling but getting back up. And really, that's the heart of survival. You've just got to keep trying and trying again until you succeed. Come on, fish! Look, there's one in here. Let's just get this bag up. You see that? There's another one at the back as well. Let's get this bag onto shore. That's one. That's the result, two fish. And really, if you're hungry, a little trout like that is fine to eat raw. All freshwater fish are edible. And when you're in an environment as pristine as up here, you're fine, really. I'm going to take the head off and then take the guts out. And then you can just munch into that. That's as fresh as you're ever going to get. Good energy. That was worth doing, eh? Huh. Worked well. Moving through this sort of terrain at night carries a high risk of injury. Lost and alone, even a sprained ankle out here could spell disaster. But as night approaches, you need to divert your focus onto making camp. And there's one plant that grows in abundance here, which guarantees a more comfortable night. Good old Scottish thistle. I'm going to use all the fluff inside this. It's good tinder for a fire. People have tried to eke out a living here for centuries. Many have failed, but traces of their lives are still scattered over the landscape. Here, look. Check this out. Some wood from something man-made. It's going to make good firewood anyway. Hang on, let's film that. See that poking out? Looks like an upturned boat. Well, I'm not going to be going anywhere in a hurry. This old boat looks completely trashed. But it might make a good shelter for the night. It's got a good windbreak here. Maybe brace this up a bit. I'll sleep underneath that. And then whatever I don't use, I'll just have as firewood. The thing is, this landscape is so barren. It just gives you nothing. I've hardly seen any trees at all. If you find this sort of thing, you want to use it. I'm going to get some peat. The boat is too far gone to offer me any protection from the rain. But there's one natural resource that is common all over boggy areas like this that will help to keep me dry. Peat. I'll just be able to peel this stuff back. And, you know, this is what crofters, the Scottish people who've lived off the land for centuries, it's what they would use for fuel and for shelter. Just take big chunks of it, like this, back for my roofing. The peat's not waterproof. In fact, it soaks up water like a sponge. But it takes so long for the rain to work its way through that it makes an ideal roof for a temporary shelter. And that's really going to keep it dry and warm under there. I just have a feeling, looking at that sky, that I'm going to be pretty grateful for this insulation and this waterproofing. That, to me, looks like a storm coming. I can already feel the rain.