River Hunters

An investigation into the last pitched battle to have taken place on British soil, the Battle of Culloden in 1746, on the outskirts of Inverness. Rick Edwards and river detectorist Beau Ouimette search for clues as to where Bonnie Prince Charlie, crossed the River Nairn as he fled the battlefield pursued by government forces. The battle was to have an impact for decades to follow on those on the losing side, the Jacobites who wanted to restore the Stuart lineage to the British throne. The Jacobite forces were shot down as they carried out their famous Highland Charge across the moorland, and some of those who survived escaped and crossed the River Nairn in an attempt to return to the relative safety of their homelands.

Rick Edwards and Beau Ouimette head to north Wales to investigate waterways that may contain signs of the medieval Welsh Rebellion. Conwy Castle was constructed by Edward I between 1283-1287 after the Welsh Rebellion of 1282-3. The castle was part of a chain of fortifications known as the `Iron Ring of Castles" and was both a material and symbolic sign of English power and dominance. Edward I selected its site on a high rock perched above the estuary of the River Conwy so that the castle could be supplied by the river in times of siege. Day two finds the pair at Ruthin Castle, a medieval fortress overlooking the River Clwyd.

Rick Edwards and Beau Ouimette look for evidence of Roman life in Scotland, heading to Ardoch Fort in Perthshire, on the east bank of the River Knaik. It spans over eight and a half acres and was built under Agricola around 80AD on the east bank of the River Knaik. The fort occupied a key strategic route through Perthshire and into north-east Scotland from the First to Third centuries.