TV Presenter, Barra Best, returns with a new three part series that takes viewers on a journey around the coast of Northern Ireland.
Barra, a self-confessed land lover, has to find his sea legs, swap his weather charts for sea charts, and trade his home for a journey on board the yacht, Nebraska.
Taking on new challenges during his odyssey at sea, Barra climbs a sea cliff, jumps off the deep end for a spot of coasteering, and gets the chance to fulfil a lifetime ambition by becoming a Coast Guard.
In addition to exploring Northern Ireland’s coastline from the sea, he also presents viewers with stunning footage captured from land, sea, and air, with mesmerising panoramas of the seascape by helicopter.
During the series Barra stops off at harbours, seaside towns, and landmarks to meet with a range of people for whom the sea is a big part of their lives – those who work, play, and seek refuge around it.
He meets an American camerawoman who covered the Falklands war but now calls the North Coast her home, and gets a guided tour of the sea that connected the ancient kingdom of Dalriada by a seafaring captain.
Speaking about the show, Barra said: “This series really took me out of my comfort zone. Firstly, I’m a self-confessed land lover and it was tough at times on board – especially when we sailed into the North Channel. It was rough.”
“Viewers will see what fear looks like when I’m faced with jumping off a cliff higher than two double decker buses, or climbing a sheer cliff face. But I have to say, I was in very good hands all the time with people who have loads of experience. It was meeting these people, who look to the sea for their livelihood, or for fun, or because they call it home, that opened up a whole new world for me.”
“We are so lucky to live in such a stunning part of the world. I hope viewers enjoy the breath-taking views we captured as much as I did. We meet some fascinating people and visit some intriguing places along the way.”
During the voyage of almost 200 nautical miles around the coast, the series will meet a team of hardy sea swimmers who prefer the water to be cold; Barra catches up with a man who spent 40 years as a lighthouse keeper – tending the largest onshore lighthouse on the island of Ireland; and we hear from a homeowner who lives with the power, and destructive force, of the sea right on her doorstep.
Coast Lives starts on Friday March 2 at 8.30pm on BBC One Northern Ireland.