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Series 1: Ayrshire - Restoring Robert Burns Graffiti

Carpenter Will and horologist Steve are far from home today, exploring Ayrshire on Scotland’s west coast. Their first stop is the Scottish Boat Building School in Irvine, where Tom is waiting with a very unusual vessel. It’s a three-piece canoe designed in the 1930s and small enough to fit in the guard’s van of a train, which meant tourists could bring their own canoes on holiday in the years before owning a car was commonplace. It represents a different kind of freedom for Tom, though. His achondroplasia means a regular-size canoe is too difficult to manoeuvre. If this folding version can be fixed, he will finally have the freedom to take his daughter out exploring the waterways of Britain.\n\nAyrshire is the birthplace of Scotland’s national poet, Robert Burns, and many of the towns and villages in the region can boast strong links to his life and works. So it’s no surprise that when Will is called to Barr Castle in Galston, he comes face-to-face with a very special artefact. It’s a windowpane with a hand inscription by Robert Burns himself. However, it has suffered some damage in the past, so for decades its current custodians have had it hidden away in a cupboard for safekeeping. With the help of ceramics expert Kirsten Ramsay, they hope to once again put it on display. Fixing glass is notoriously difficult, and Kirsten definitely feels the pressure of getting such an important object looking back to its best.\n\nWhile in the area, Steve takes the chance to visit Kays in Mauchline, who have been crafting curling stones for over 170 years. Using a dense granite quarried from a single Scottish island, these dedicated craftspeople hone stones of unparalleled quality for use in the winter Olympics. Steve gets the chance to help with the process, but will it be gold, silver or bronze for his efforts?

Source: BBC 1