Folk Tales

The realities of island life are beginning to take hold for Banjo and Ro. With no access to the local pub - their lifeline to the outside world - the isolation is starting to bite. Worse still, the money is running out. For Ro, it’s a stark warning that they must scale back. For Banjo, it’s a challenge that demands creativity.

To get paying guests through the door, the pair turn their attention to the first guest bedroom. Ro sees a straightforward job of cleaning, plastering and painting, but for Banjo, no room is complete without its own folklore. Calling on Scottish folklorist Morvern, Banjo draws inspiration from tales of Ulva’s Norse origins. For Ro, it all feels like too much, and the pressure begins to push their relationship to breaking point. Then comes the final straw as Banjo insists on placing a bathtub in the centre of a room that already has an en suite. With work under way, Banjo heads off in search of the perfect statement piece for the hotel, leaving Ro to hold the fort. However, during Banjo’s absence, their long-time companion Grandpa is rushed to the vet after cancerous cells are detected. Ro shields Banjo from the worst of it as they await the results of a biopsy and are forced to confront the possibility that their beloved pet may not have long left.

As summer fades into autumn, the lack of heating becomes a real threat. Banjo and Ro have poured time and money into removing mould from Ulva House, but as temperatures fall and rain sets in, that same mould threatens to undo all their work. The only solution is to restore the house’s long-dormant heating system. But before anything can happen, Ro must somehow source hundreds of litres of oil for the island.