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Documentary following remarkable journey undertaken by Uist cattle to air in New Year

Angus MacDonald moves his pedigree Highland Cattle across the bay at low tide from North Uist to the uninhabited island of Vallay where the cattle will winter.
Angus MacDonald moves his pedigree Highland Cattle across the bay at low tide from North Uist to the uninhabited island of Vallay where the cattle will winter.

A new documentary following the remarkable twice-a-year journey undertaken by a herd of Highland cattle in North Uist will air early in the New Year.

The BBC Alba documentary, entitled Crodh Gàidhealach an Àird Bhàin, which translates as The Highland Cattle of Ardbhan, follows the everyday story of the 170-strong group made famous after footage of the cattle making the two-mile journey from the deserted Hebridean island of Vallay to the mainland became a viral sensation.

The cows undertake the journey twice a year, departing every November to take on the icy swim to give birth on clean ground, before returning to the mainland in the spring.

The Ardbhan fold was established more than 40 years ago on North Uist by Ena MacDonald, when she bought a single Highland cow.

The business continues to be a family affair as her son Angus, who was 10 at the time of the purchase, has taken on the operation alongside his wife Michelle and children Alexander, Sarah, Fraser and Fraser’s wife Carianne.

Despite a bill of poor health where she suffered a stroke earlier this year, Ena, affectionately known as Granny Island, is still hands-on with the fold she established.

The documentary airs on January 2 at 9pm on BBC Alba.