this is bbc news. we will have the headlines for you at the top of the hour straight after this programme. i'm toby carr, and over the next year, i'm going to kayak in all of the areas of the shipping forecast. now, the shipping forecast, issued by the met office on behalf of the maritime and coastguard agency, at 0015 on tuesday, the 11th ofjanuary. around every corner... ..there�*s something new. gps seems to... ..be switching around

where it says it is. it's kind of funny, i've been charging around this bit of sea a bit like a mad person. i thought it was a brilliant adventure that he was going on. but once i started seeing some of his reports of the faroe islands, i suddenly thought, "this is actually quite scary. "what he's doing is probably quite dangerous." wind gusts the winds gone a bit crazy. the sea is mental. probably be about six—metre—high waves. it looks maybe more than that. there are warnings of gales in viking, north utsira, south utsira, forties... the shipping forecast in the uk is the world's first

storm warning system. ..southeasterly seven to severe gale nine... it covers an area from the south coast of iceland and mid—atlantic in the west, to the danish coast in the east, right down to the north coast of africa. the funny thing about the shipping forecast is that i think so few people understand its actual meaning or relevance, but so many people love it and enjoy listening to it. whilst i was growing up, we had a small boat on the east coast of england. because of that, we'd also grown up listening to the forecast having a real meaning. so i can't remember ever having not listened to the shipping forecast. my clearest memory of

this is listening to it when we were in a gale. we're sitting in the cabin of the boat, sort of all kind of huddled in, in the rain. so i've got two days to go. i'm going through all my stuff. it's a bit daunting, cos i've got to get all of this stuff into a kayak, so i'm just trying to go through what i can take, what i can leave. this is a personal locator beacon, and it is connected to, erm, an international rescue system.

and you do the thing that you hope you'll never have to do, which is push the red button here. so push the button and, like, a whole fleet of helicopters turns up! it's my first day on the portuguese coast, which is rocky and mountainous. and i've got to say, it's just incredible. i'm going to start to make my way back round cape saint vincent, and... ..just to see how wild this place is. i'vejust turned into nordfjordeid. you can see some buildings, which i think is...skogfjorden? i'm planning to stay here for a couple of days. the weather's meant to be getting worse over the next two days, so... hmm. this mist has descended. # what should we do with a drunken sailor? # early in the morning... with a drunken sailor? # # tell his family... with a drunken sailor? # i'm really happy to be arriving in the harbour

in schiermonnikoog. notjust because it's got a cool name, but... ..it�*s been a really long day today, actually. erm, my navigation was ok, although i don't have the map for the second section and got a little bit... ..a little bit lost. he yawns we're nearly... ..nearly, erm, 11 hours on the water today. i grew up with a rare genetic condition, which my brother also had. and when we were kids, we were often told that we wouldn't live longer than 30, and their life expectancy is quite short. so i think that obviously puts in your mind a sense of determination to try and get the most out of things.

when marcus died, it's difficult for me to say exactly how it affected toby, because we didn't talk about what was like to lose someone who had the same illness as you, and are you looking at your own future? you have a sense of freedom. you can get to places that people can't normally get to. so there's a remote aspect to it, i think, which is appealing. there's also a point of perspective, i think, that being on the water and looking back at the land is quite an interesting way to experience it. behind me, you can see the lighthouse on the tip of the cape. it's the most south—westerly point in mainland europe. i've been incredibly lucky on this journey, in each of the places that i've visited, that i've met really interesting people and been able to visit some

very unusual places. and moments like that, where maybe you've made a connection with somebody, are, for me, really special. erm, and so i got a bit tearful leaving, because ijust think... i don't know. could i have imagined, when i set out on this journey, that i'd be leaving a small island with the last lighthouse keeper in spain shouting my name and... ..and waving me goodbye? and, you know, there's something about that that's. .. he sniffles yeah, it's special. erm... so, anyway, i'm getting a little bit... ..a little bit emotional.

this is where he left for his last kayak. and that was on new year's day. it was only eight days before he died. he was very ill at this point. and he came downstairs that morning and said to me, "hey, i usually go for a kayak on new year's day. "so i was thinking i could go out." so we helped him carry the kayak down and set it on the beach. it was difficult watching him, in a way, because... ..ata distance, he didn't look ill. he handled the kayak perfectly. it moved around, swaying

in between the boats, going where he wanted to go. it felt like he was cured, in a way. of course, he wasn't. i was very clear, helping him get in, that if he did capsize or anything happened, then i'd just run in and try and swim, and bring him back. bye! but also, that if he didn't come back, that was also 0k. because pretty soon, he wasn't going to be coming back anyway.

katie: toby said something interesting to me before he died, and that was that, "if you're thinking about doing something, "now is the time to do it." and i found that really inspiring. i also realised that toby hadn't finished hisjourney, and that perhaps, this was something i could do. now, we have the weather reports from coastal stations for 2300. tiree automatic — southwest two, 12 miles, 1,013, rising slowly. stornoway — south by east two, 16 miles, 1,011, rising slowly. the first thing i had to do was kind of learn to ask for help, and then, little by little, deciding on, within each of the shipping forecast areas, which one i'd, you know, which one i'd do in what order. ok, let's see what's in here.

this is toby's garage. this is where he kept all of his kayaking kit. well, there's still two kayaks in there, so that's good. when toby went to iceland, he went in this kayak. and when i decided to do the trip, i just thought, "i've got all the kit, "so haven't even got that excuse." what else have we got? little bag of tricks. so it was a bit of a crazy idea, because i'd never been in a sea kayak, and... but i did think, "if toby's done it, i can do it." which was slightly bad logic, because toby had been practising sea kayaking for seven years. it doesn't fit — oh, now it's in properly.

0k. i didn't want to take his journey and then do a really bad version of it, but i can do it in my own way. toby started here in south—east iceland, and went to faroes, and then across to north utsira, south utsira, fisher, german bight, humber. then he went down to this bit here, the yellow bit — so biscay, fitzroy, trafalgar. and so what i was left with was all of this, round ireland and round scotland, down as far as tyne in north—east england. he basically left me with all the wet and windy bits, which would bejust like him — as a challenge. shannon! it's a lovely, rainy, misty, very scottish—looking day.

so we've just rounded the island — yoo—hoo! and now we're waiting to cross the shipping lane, because we've heard on the vhs that a big boat is coming through, and we don't want to have to sprint it through there. distant ship horn blows can't do it. ach! expecting a bit of swell as we go around the corner, there? i think more a bit of wind. wind — that's why i think it's

best to go anti—clockwise... anti—clockwise, yeah. ..so that we're coming straight into it. into the wind, rather than... oh, yeah. ok, but head up! more into the wind! 0k. i can't turn around, though. ok, that's fine. just relax, relax. 0k. relax — longer strokes. right. relax. that's fine. great. well, it was a little bit hairy out there, and... ..i wasn't feeling very comfortable. and so we just have come round and come back.

due to family commitments and things, i haven't been able to get on the water every weekend and paddle as much as i'd like. but the point�*s the adventure, and trying to finish toby's story. door clatters westerly, | four or five at first in south. fog patches and showers at first. moderate or good, occasionally very poor at first. going to meet this guy called rob. and essentially, it's sort of this network of sea kayakers. and when they heard my story and... yeah, they were just keen to help me to get out. oh, look, there's some people with some kayak brackets on their roof. yeah, that must be rob over there. so, the day after tomorrow, i'll be completing it. wow. now i feel, like, quite sad that it's going to finish.

yeah. it's been brilliant to get to know people. and there's this sort of shared love of the sea. it's so lovely, though, - that you've done it as a... ..sort ofjoint effort. yeah. a team effort. you'd be very surprised, cos i'd never been in a kayak. i'd never been paddling with him. birds cry wow. birds grow louder it's amazing, yeah. it's one of those places you feel, you know, "am i really here?" so definitely the home of the birds here that most humans won't get to, can't get to. it's so lovely to be here. it's amazing.

for me, there's been several different challenges. and one of them is, of course, the kayaking itself. and more than that, maybe the logistics — i live in spain, i've got to fly in to go to these places. i've got to rent a car, or have someone put the kayak on the roof, come back months or weeks later to pick it up. so i'm about to get on the ferry to the shetland islands, from aberdeen to fair isle — the last of the shipping forecast areas. so i'm feeling quite emotional because it's the last bit. this is the last one...of a long, long journey. she sobs quietly it's been five—and—a—half years of a journey.

hello! on phone: mama, where are you? do you know what? i'm on the last ferry, going to the last place that we need to go to with the kayak. showers, perhaps thundery in north. good, occasionally poor in north. and the shetland isles — west or south—west, four to six. showers, perhaps thundery, good, occasionally poor. hello. hello! lovely to see you. thank you for getting up early tonight. no problem, no problem. all done, all good. is all your stuff in a kayak? yeah.

how does it feel to be here? yeah, pretty amazing! a place i never thought i'd come to, i think. they chuckle and so nice for you to come and to do it, and to be able to finish with you guys, as well. yeah. thank you, i think that feels very special. trying not to cry... she chuckles erm... she sniffles it feels really emotional, to be honest. because it's been a long journey. i don't really want it to end, to be honest. yeah. but at the same time, i kind of need to complete it. mm. doesn't feel like we're finishing something. yes, like... to me, it feelsjust like one of the trips we would do with tobe, so... yeah, he's not here. but it'd be better if he was. it's more like bringing up memories, you know, and... yeah, sort of going back in time a little bit. yeah. like, in the beginning, it definitely felt like toby's, and i stepped into his dry suit

for the first time and put his stuff on, and it felt really weird. and, like, kind of like i was pretending. and did you feel like you grew into it, as well? yeah. like... it's sort of gone from something that's definitely toby's project to something that's now mine and toby's project. yeah. 0h! that was brilliant, thank you. and i think in a way, in the paddle today, it's felt like he's been there with us. yeah. music drowns out dialogue they chuckle you manage, you manage.

here is the weather- forecast for the inshore waters of great britain - and northern ireland, valid for the following 24 hours, issued by the met office i at 0500. so there's an emotional connection to the shipping forecast. it's possibly one of the most unemotional pieces of broadcasting — but to me, it connects me to toby and marcus, and this sort of family that i've lost. the whole of this has really helped me to process or deal with grief. i've also developed this love of the feeling of being in a sea kayak, the feeling of being on the water, surrounded by nature, that today it looks like this — but tomorrow, it'll look completely different. the water, the light, the...whatever nature's here. and often, when i come back from the trips, you know,

i want to give him a call and say, "i've done this amazing kayaking thing. "and i saw a seal and... tearfully: "..it was just beautiful." so sometimes it's hard. but it is beautiful mostly. and i'm really glad i've done it. toby: dover, south battle - south-east four or five. - mainly fair, moderate or good, occasionally poor. and that's the end of the shipping bulletin. wherever you are tonight, either on ships large or kayaks small, whatever your voyage, whatever your destination, take care. godspeed.

hello. well, friday brought some storms to southern parts of the uk, even a report of a damaging tornado. but at the same time, some parts of the country were also quite sunny and warm. in kew gardens, the temperatures reached 25 celsius. the days ahead are looking very different — it's turning unsettled, it's turning autumnal. a jet stream will send weather fronts in our direction. i think there's a fair amount of rain on the way, particularly across the southern half of the uk, and this time next week, some parts of the country could be around ten degrees cooler by day. now, in terms of the rainfall this weekend, you can see where most of it will be. this is just the potential for rainfall here, perhaps

50mm or so in some parts of england and wales. so it is a mixed bag this weekend. certainly some sunshine on the way, particularly across northern parts of the uk, but also heavy showers at times. so through the early hours, maybe some showers returning to southern parts of the uk, some cracks of thunder. it's not a cold morning by any means — temperatures of around 11; in london, typically around 12—13 whether you're north or south. so further showers on the way on saturday, particularly across england and wales. later in the day, they could become heavy and move a little bit further north, but at the same time a lot of sunshine in the forecast around the irish sea for northern ireland, for western parts of scotland. 18 degrees in glasgow, but i think quite cloudy and much cooler along that north sea coast. and then notice the showers again here in the north—west through the course of saturday evening. and then on sunday the showers become more widespread and heavier across parts of england and wales. but again, the best of our weather on sunday will be in the north—west of the uk. so once again sunny spells for the western isles and not looking so bad there in belfast with a bit of sunshine too, but not so great for the south with all the cloud

and the rain. now on monday, low pressure is over the uk. that again spells a fair amount of cloud outbreaks of rain and the air will start to come in from the north, so the temperatures will start to drop from northern scotland, only 12 degrees in the south — still relatively warm. we're holding on to the mid, possibly the high teens. so here's the outlook for the week ahead. you can see that big drop in the temperature in the south 11; degrees in london. but look at edinburgh — by tuesday it's only around 11 degrees with showers. that's it. bye— bye.

this is a bbc news special on the rising tensions in the middle east. hezbollah confirms that one of its top commanders was among those killed in an israeli strike on beirut. the latest strikes come after four days of deadly attacks in lebanon, including explosions of communications devices, prompting new condemnation from the un human rights chief. it isa it is a war crime to commit violence intended to spread terror among civilians. we examine what the attacks in lebanon could mean for the region, israel's war in gaza, and what may happen next. i'm helena humphrey, glad you could join me. we begin in lebanon, where there are concerns tonight over escalating violence between the militant group hezbollah and israel —

and what it could mean for the region.