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In 1840, one man transformed
travel in Britain.

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His name was George Bradshaw
and his railway guides

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inspired the Victorians
to take to the tracks.

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Stop by stop
he told them where to travel,

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what to see and where to stay.

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Now 170 years later I'm making
four long journeys across the length

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and breadth of the country to see
what remains of Bradshaw's Britain.

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Using my 19th Century
Bradshaw's guide,

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I'm continuing my rail journey
into the west country.

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Today I will reach England's
south coast for the first time.

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Its climate, its bays,
its beaches have made it

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a magnet for tourists
since Victorian times.

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But its strategic position,
its harbours, its inlets

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have made it vital for Britain's
defence for centuries before that.

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Today I'll be
discovering why Torquay

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was a magnet for Victorian invalids.

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You've got 3,000 miles
of Atlantic Ocean.

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Nice, clean air
coming in off the Atlantic.

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That's good for your lung disorders.

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I'll be fishing for salmon
on the beautiful Dart estuary.

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I tell you,
Nick, these city hands

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have not done work like this
in their lifetime!

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And I'll be finding out about
Britain's first local currency.

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You shop in the supermarket...

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80% of that money leaves
Totnes the next morning.

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This is the currency
that can't leave Totnes.

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I'm almost half way
through my journey

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from Swindon along
the Great Western Railway.

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This line to Somerset,
Devon and Cornwall

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opened the way
for a new tourism industry.

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After exploring the English Riviera,

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I'll head to the end
of the line at Penzance.

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For the next leg of my journey, I'm
travelling from Weston Super-Mare

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south to Torquay before heading
up the Dart estuary to Totnes.

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Today, my first train takes me along
the beautiful south Devon coast.

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It was one of the hardest sections
of the Great Western Railway

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to build, but has resulted
in the most spectacular views

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for the train traveller.

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Bradshaw's guide is ecstatic
about this view.

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"This part of the line is invested
with additional interest from

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"the magnificent scenery which
opens up on each side as we proceed.

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"There is scarcely a mile traversed
which does not unfold some peculiar

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"picturesque charm
or new feature of its own

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"to make the eye dazzled
and drunk with beauty."

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And as the sun rises to my left,

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I know exactly
what the guidebook means.

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The railway's designer,
Isambard Kingdom Brunel,

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wanted to construct
the line further inland,

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but was forced to follow
the line of the beach.

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It meant boring five tunnels
through the cliffs

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and building four miles
of sea wall to protect the tracks.

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It's an extraordinary
engineering achievement,

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but it doesn't always
keep the water at bay.

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The fact that the railway line
was built along the sea means that

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we have those wonderful views,
but it also means

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that the railway line
gets pelted by storms and by spray

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and if water levels go on rising
it can only get worse.

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When the line reached Torquay
in 1848, the Great Western Railway

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began promoting it
as a holiday destination.

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It was an immediate hit
with the Victorian tourists

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and Torquay grew
into a bustling resort.

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One of its main attractions
was the mild climate.

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My Bradshaw's Guide even compared
it to the south of France, saying,

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"Torquay has been described
somewhat characteristically
as the Montpellier of England."

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But do we regard it that way today?

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Hello. Hi. I'm sorry to trouble you.

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Good morning.
Hello. Good morning.

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I see you have a beach hut. We do.

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We do. How many months
of the year are you on the beach?

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It starts in April
and it goes on till now, September.

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April to September is a pretty
good season for England, isn't it?

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Yes, it is. Do you think Torquay
has exceptionally good weather?

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I think it does. Yes, I suppose so.

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We've had quite a wet summer again...

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Unfortunately. ..like most people,
but I think we do as well as anybody.

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It's a lot milder than our
friends in the south-east, isn't it?

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I'm interested to discover
from meteorologist, David Braine,

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whether Torquay really is special.

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Morning, David. Morning, Michael.

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We meet on a lovely, sunny day.

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Beautiful, isn't it? Why does Torquay
have such a wonderful climate?

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It's largely due to
the geography, where it is?

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It faces east, which means most
of the year, it's well sheltered

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and the climate here is,
pretty much, one of the best

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in the south-west because of it.

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Because of the warm weather,
the Great Western Railway

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began to promote this coast
to tourists as The English Riviera.

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On one particular Bank holiday,
20,000 people

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passed through Torquay
station in a single day.

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Thanks to the railways,
it had become a major resort.

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But day trippers apart,
Bradshaw recommended it

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specifically for the sick.

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The Victorians were really
quite obsessed about health

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and Torquay was regarded as a
terrific place for invalids to come.

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Is this place especially good for
people suffering from illnesses?

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I would say, "Yes." There's a lot
going for it, bearing in mind

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in Victorian times there was
a lot of air pollution.

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The big towns and the industrial
areas have a lot of air pollution,

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a lot of particulate matter
in the air and those that suffer
from pulmonary disorders,

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really did suffer because of it,
because of all that smoke
and gas in the atmosphere.

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You come to the seaside and you get
clean air to start with

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and you've also got
a more temperate climate.

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So, if they were suffering
from rheumatism,

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when they came to this area they
wouldn't have those cold winters.

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In the same vein, when you
get elderly, the heat in
the summertime can be a problem.

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So, it was a really popular
location because of that.

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I suppose that led the Victorians
to become more and more

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interested in climate and weather
and to make some recordings.

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For example, it's claimed in here
that the winter temperature

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of 46 degrees Fahrenheit
is five degrees higher than Exeter.

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Is that true?

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I can only look at the records
going back to the First World War

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and I've looked and
the winter temperature is about
a degree or so difference.

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It is slightly warmer here.

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A degree centigrade?
Yes, a degree centigrade.

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Two of his degrees.
That's correct.

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But not five of his degrees.

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Five is a bit much, I would think.

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The next part of my journey takes
me through other Riviera resorts

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on the Paignton
and Dartmouth steam railway.

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Anybody who likes railways

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thinks that the real
thing is a steam train.

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I've been on a few steam trains
and I'm told

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that this line is exceptional.

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I've been told that whatever
I thought before about steam travel,

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I'm going to discover
something new today.

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I'm now going up the front to meet
the guys who do what I think

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many boys dreamed of doing,
certainly when I was young.

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That is to say shovelling the coal

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and driving the engine.

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Have you got a moment
before you set off for a word?

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Yes. Pop out, please. Come aboard.

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Oh, thank you. We're coming up.

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'Driver, Barry Damon,
and fireman, Chris Wilson

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'have an incurable
passion for steam.'

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Well, the first thing you notice
is the enormous heat

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coming out of the furnace here.

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It's roaring red and it's a very
big furnace as well, isn't it?

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Yeah, it is. That fires dying
away at the moment, actually.

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We'll have to do a lot of building
up on that before we leave.

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That's your job?
Really get the temperature up, yeah.

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So how did you get to be a fireman?
It's everybody's dream
and you are quite young.

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Yeah, there's at least four,
if not five generations before me

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that have worked on railways.
So, it was going to happen.

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Were you always
crazy about trains as a kid?

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Yeah, yeah, Thomas The Tank Engine
got out of control, really.

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And you are the driver. Yes.
So you're going to be running
us down the line in a moment

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to Kingswear and what speed
are we going at, maximum?

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Well, the Heritage Line
we're limited to 25 miles an hour.

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A very sedate Victorian speed,
I shall enjoy it very much, indeed.

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That's what the job's about, yes.

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Shovel all the coal in,
got to keep her rolling?

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I'll get shovelling in a minute,
get the temperature up

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and give the driver the steam
and we'll be on our way.
Thank you, I look forward to it.

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The steam train follows
the coast to Kingswear

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at the mouth of the River Dart.

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The train edges along by
the side of this magnificent

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red coloured beach,
Goodrington sands.

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£1 supplement.
Thank you very much, indeed, sir.

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Thank you very much.

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This is a lovely observation car.

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What's the history of this,
do you know?

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This was built originally in 1919,

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well 1915 originally
as an ambulance car.

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People have told me this is
a very special journey. Why is that?

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Devon views at their best,
you can't beat this.

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It's looking absolutely
wonderful at the moment, isn't it?

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Yes, it's usually like this.

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Even when it's damp
there's still Devon sunshine.

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What's the very best part of
the route, what shall I look out for

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Maybe the Torbay area as we go up
towards Churston and then as
we drop down towards Dartmouth,

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we've got the River Dart on the right
e with the views across
to Dartmouth on the other side.

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So it's nothing but highlights?

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Really, yes, the only place you
don't see very much is in the tunnel.

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All right, thank you. OK, sir.

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Bye-bye.

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'That extra pound is a bargain.'

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This observation car
is the best vantage point

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for this breathtaking journey.

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I love the way it when the train
goes round the corner, like this,

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and you get a good view of
the locomotive up the front.

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All that power and steam and smoke,
driving our train forth, thrilling!

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The route is distinguished
by yet more of Brunel's engineering

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accomplishments, like the viaducts
at Broadsands and Hookhills.

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And that whistle means
a tunnel coming, I'm going back.

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You can imagine the excitement
of a Victorian railway traveller.

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Not only did the trains make
it possible for them to do things

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they'd never done before, they also
brought them into the heart of

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countryside and landscape,
the like of which,

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city dwellers in particular,
had never seen.

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These days, most users
of this line are tourists

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making their way
to the historic town of Dartmouth.

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That really was thrilling.

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I mean, any steam train journey
is very exciting

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and many of them
pass through wonderful countryside.

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But at least in my experience,

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that was the most remarkable
for coastal scenery.

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Bradshaw's guide
is often surprisingly up-to-date.

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It tells me there's
no bridge across the Dart

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and that I will
need to take a ferry.

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Well, it is as true
now as it was then.

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Three adults and a child, please.
That's five pounds...

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On the other side, is what's called
Dartmouth railway station,

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although in fact there's never been
a train on this bank of the Dart.

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It's lovely.

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It's very distinctive
railway architecture.

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It's very beautifully preserved.

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This used to be the booking office,
this used to be the waiting room.

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Now it's a snack bar.

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Hello! Hello, sir, nice to meet you.

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Nice to meet you. Do you like
working in this beautiful place?

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Of course,
when I first heard about it

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that it was designed by Brunel,
I was really surprised. Yeah.

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I like it here.
For me as a Slovakian,

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it's, for me, amazing and special
because this culture and how it was

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designed and built is, for me, new,
it was everything, for me, new.

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This is... Traditions.

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..traditionally a railway station,
even though it never had any trains.

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That's right. And I read
in the Tree Park,

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that it's the only one in the world,
something like that, probably.

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Without actually track, it's amazing.
For me, Brunel, means something.

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And so you admire Brunel?

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I admire. Many beautiful bridges,
good structures

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and I think some of his projects
will survive ages

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and will be working for many
generations in the future.

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Thank you so much. Thank you.

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Very nice to talk to you.

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I am gratified for Brunel
that, deservedly,

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his fame has spread to Slovakia.

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In the early 19th century Dartmouth
was hard to access, even by land.

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00:14:59,820 --> 00:15:05,540
When the railways reached here in
1864, it began to thrive as a port.

232
00:15:05,540 --> 00:15:08,260
Bradshaw's Guide on Dartmouth.

233
00:15:08,260 --> 00:15:14,060
"This very ancient sea port
is beautifully situated
at the mouth of the Dart.

234
00:15:14,060 --> 00:15:17,420
"It's harbour, affording
accommodation for as many as

235
00:15:17,420 --> 00:15:21,780
"500 large vessels,
is completely landlocked

236
00:15:21,780 --> 00:15:25,100
"with hills rising 300-400ft."

237
00:15:25,100 --> 00:15:28,300
It wouldn't be long
before the royal navy

238
00:15:28,300 --> 00:15:31,940
discovered the attractions
of Dartmouth.

239
00:15:31,940 --> 00:15:35,420
The railways also transported
hundreds of recruits

240
00:15:35,420 --> 00:15:38,460
to the recently opened
Royal naval college.

241
00:15:38,460 --> 00:15:44,740
It remains the Royal Navy's single
facility for turning out officers.

242
00:15:44,740 --> 00:15:48,620
And my hotel for the night,
recommended by Bradshaw,

243
00:15:48,620 --> 00:15:51,420
is steeped in
Dartmouth's naval past.

244
00:15:51,420 --> 00:15:53,660
Hi, Mr Portillo? Hello.

245
00:15:53,660 --> 00:15:56,140
Hi, I'm Nigel Wade,
genial host and licensee.

246
00:15:56,140 --> 00:15:58,980
Very nice to see you.
Have you got a couple of seconds?

247
00:15:58,980 --> 00:16:01,780
Sure. This hotel just
reeks of naval history.

248
00:16:01,780 --> 00:16:05,060
Well, it's been years since the 1639.

249
00:16:05,060 --> 00:16:08,300
Dartmouth is one of
the great seafaring ports.

250
00:16:08,300 --> 00:16:10,260
You are right in the centre of it.

251
00:16:10,260 --> 00:16:14,740
In the 16th century, Dartmouth was
also notorious for its Privateers.

252
00:16:14,740 --> 00:16:17,300
These government sponsored pirates

253
00:16:17,300 --> 00:16:20,820
hijacked foreign ships
and sold them for profit.

254
00:16:20,820 --> 00:16:26,180
When a boat was captured
it was brought in, tied up outside.

255
00:16:26,180 --> 00:16:28,980
A thing called a
sale by the candle was held,

256
00:16:28,980 --> 00:16:32,380
which meant that in that room
just over there they would have said,

257
00:16:32,380 --> 00:16:34,260
"We're going to light this candle.

258
00:16:34,260 --> 00:16:37,860
"The best offer we get before the
candle goes out will get this ship."

259
00:16:37,860 --> 00:16:40,220
That is how the Privateers
made their money.

260
00:16:40,220 --> 00:16:45,260
You are being a bit tactful because
when you say boat you actually mean
Spanish ships, don't you?

261
00:16:45,260 --> 00:16:47,700
Definitely, yes.
I'm trying to be political here.

262
00:16:47,700 --> 00:16:49,540
I think I'll go and look at my room.

263
00:16:49,540 --> 00:16:52,100
Thank you very much.
I hope you sleep well.

264
00:16:52,100 --> 00:16:54,780
Don't take too much notice
of all the stories

265
00:16:54,780 --> 00:16:57,900
of ghosts and things you hear.
Sleep well. Thank you.

266
00:17:04,060 --> 00:17:06,180
Well, there were no
frights in the night

267
00:17:06,180 --> 00:17:07,780
and on this bright new morning

268
00:17:07,780 --> 00:17:11,620
I'm about to explore the Dart
with the help of my Bradshaw's guide

269
00:17:13,180 --> 00:17:17,380
Bradshaw says, "an excursion
up the River Dart to Totnes

270
00:17:17,380 --> 00:17:21,300
"is one of the areas great
attractions to visitors,"

271
00:17:21,300 --> 00:17:25,980
that "salmon are caught in the Dart
and in Totnes the chief employment

272
00:17:25,980 --> 00:17:28,820
"amongst the inhabitants
is in the fishery."

273
00:17:28,820 --> 00:17:32,620
So its time to get afloat.

274
00:17:39,700 --> 00:17:43,860
Salmon fisherman, Nick Prust,
is going to take me out on his boat.

275
00:17:43,860 --> 00:17:47,220
Do I look the part?
Well, yes, sort of.

276
00:17:47,220 --> 00:17:50,100
This is a townie's view
of what a fisherman looks like.

277
00:17:50,100 --> 00:17:52,900
Lovely weather again today.
It is gorgeous, perfect.

278
00:17:52,900 --> 00:17:54,580
Are the fish biting?

279
00:17:54,580 --> 00:17:56,580
Let's hope so. We'll see.

280
00:17:56,580 --> 00:17:58,380
Not too sunny and not too cloudy.

281
00:17:58,380 --> 00:18:00,020
No. Let's get going. Great.

282
00:18:03,180 --> 00:18:07,180
In Bradshaw's day,
angling became a popular sport

283
00:18:07,180 --> 00:18:10,620
for Victorian tourists,
with the help of the railways.

284
00:18:12,380 --> 00:18:14,060
Anglers arriving by train

285
00:18:14,060 --> 00:18:17,140
could even buy their permit
at the local station.

286
00:18:19,220 --> 00:18:22,940
At the same time, commercial
salmon fishing also took off.

287
00:18:26,340 --> 00:18:30,900
I hope you got it going
out properly, Michael, are you
watching it carefully?

288
00:18:30,900 --> 00:18:35,580
It's going out nicely.
We always look to someone to blame.

289
00:18:35,580 --> 00:18:39,220
But since Bradshaw's time stocks of
salmon in the Dart have declined

290
00:18:39,220 --> 00:18:43,060
and now there are only
a few commercial fishermen

291
00:18:43,060 --> 00:18:44,820
working the river.

292
00:18:46,300 --> 00:18:48,140
I don't see it pulsing with fish.

293
00:18:48,140 --> 00:18:50,580
Nick is restricted to a rowing boat

294
00:18:50,580 --> 00:18:54,140
and does everything by hand
in the traditional way.

295
00:18:57,180 --> 00:19:01,180
I tell you, Nick, these city hands
have not done work like this...

296
00:19:01,180 --> 00:19:03,420
in their lifetime!

297
00:19:03,420 --> 00:19:08,580
I'm always feeling lucky, Michael.
You must always think positive.

298
00:19:09,580 --> 00:19:13,980
'Even after all that effort
there isn't much of a catch.'

299
00:19:13,980 --> 00:19:18,580
Nick, three men,
two boats, one television presenter,
one grey mullet.

300
00:19:18,580 --> 00:19:22,220
It's not a particularly high rate
of productivity, is it?

301
00:19:22,220 --> 00:19:24,500
No, it's not.

302
00:19:26,020 --> 00:19:28,300
But that's life, I'm afraid.

303
00:19:28,300 --> 00:19:29,980
That's fishing.

304
00:19:32,940 --> 00:19:36,300
In Bradshaw's day the River Dart
was plied by pleasure steamers

305
00:19:36,300 --> 00:19:43,820
carrying tourists up to Totnes, and
that continued right up until 1965.

306
00:19:43,820 --> 00:19:48,100
That's the trip Bradshaw recommends,
but as there are no steamers today,

307
00:19:48,100 --> 00:19:51,580
Nick's going to take me
on his motor boat.

308
00:19:53,940 --> 00:19:55,820
Some of this scenery, Michael,

309
00:19:55,820 --> 00:19:59,260
won't have changed
in hundreds of years.

310
00:19:59,260 --> 00:20:03,740
An odd tree may fall down
in the river, but that's about it.

311
00:20:03,740 --> 00:20:07,900
Here's Sharpham House, Michael,
with the old boat house.

312
00:20:07,900 --> 00:20:12,060
Sharpham House stands proudly
high above the river

313
00:20:12,060 --> 00:20:15,380
and is today one of Devon's
new wine producers.

314
00:20:15,380 --> 00:20:20,260
There's the vineyard just showing
here now. What a beautiful sight.

315
00:20:20,260 --> 00:20:22,980
It's a little bit of the
continent arrived in Devon.

316
00:20:22,980 --> 00:20:24,540
Oh, yes, definitely.

317
00:20:29,020 --> 00:20:35,020
This tree on the left
is known as the cormorant tree.

318
00:20:35,020 --> 00:20:38,140
It was tree that was struck
by lightening years ago

319
00:20:38,140 --> 00:20:40,780
and the cormorants
just love to come in on it.

320
00:20:42,420 --> 00:20:44,860
All too quickly
we're at my next stop.

321
00:20:44,860 --> 00:20:48,180
Is this where you're chucking me
out? It is. Thank you very much.

322
00:20:48,180 --> 00:20:51,420
This is my Robinson Crusoe moment.

323
00:20:51,420 --> 00:20:53,180
It's been a pleasure.

324
00:20:53,180 --> 00:20:56,220
Thank you. Cheers. Bye.

325
00:21:00,100 --> 00:21:03,620
Whilst the countryside hasn't
changed since Bradshaw's time,

326
00:21:03,620 --> 00:21:06,340
Totnes certainly has.

327
00:21:06,340 --> 00:21:10,580
In Bradshaw's day,
the coal guzzling locomotives

328
00:21:10,580 --> 00:21:14,980
racing across the land
were early carbon dioxide producers.

329
00:21:17,340 --> 00:21:21,180
Today Totnes is trying
to become more green.

330
00:21:23,060 --> 00:21:24,780
Are you free? Yes, certainly.

331
00:21:24,780 --> 00:21:27,580
'So there's a new
kind of taxi in town.'

332
00:21:27,580 --> 00:21:30,060
What brings you to Totnes?

333
00:21:30,060 --> 00:21:33,820
I'm doing a railway journey
around Britain

334
00:21:33,820 --> 00:21:37,260
and I'm using
a 19th Century guidebook.

335
00:21:37,260 --> 00:21:38,980
It's brought me to Totnes.

336
00:21:38,980 --> 00:21:41,540
LOUD ENGINE SPUTTERS

337
00:21:41,540 --> 00:21:44,900
It doesn't mention rickshaws.

338
00:21:44,900 --> 00:21:49,540
The rickshaws have only been
in Totnes for a couple of years.

339
00:21:49,540 --> 00:21:53,220
But it's all part of the transition
town movement, really.

340
00:21:53,220 --> 00:21:57,780
They're trying to highlight
the use of renewables.

341
00:21:57,780 --> 00:22:00,500
So what does this
sewing machine run on?

342
00:22:00,500 --> 00:22:04,300
It runs on used cooking oil
from the town.

343
00:22:04,300 --> 00:22:08,580
So I'm running on somebody's
old fish and chips?

344
00:22:08,580 --> 00:22:10,260
Yeah.

345
00:22:10,260 --> 00:22:12,300
Very green.

346
00:22:12,300 --> 00:22:14,660
Eat chips and save the world!

347
00:22:15,660 --> 00:22:17,620
What are the economics of this?

348
00:22:17,620 --> 00:22:20,020
What does it cost to run
this machine?

349
00:22:20,020 --> 00:22:22,420
£2.80 a week.

350
00:22:22,420 --> 00:22:24,900
That is amazing!

351
00:22:24,900 --> 00:22:28,340
Has the amount of deafness
in the town gone up?

352
00:22:28,340 --> 00:22:29,780
Hahaha!

353
00:22:32,340 --> 00:22:35,340
The chip fat rickshaws
are part of something called

354
00:22:35,340 --> 00:22:38,940
Transition Town Totnes -
a global campaign

355
00:22:38,940 --> 00:22:42,020
for sustainability
started by Rob Hopkins.

356
00:22:42,020 --> 00:22:45,380
Rob. Hello, Michael.
Welcome to Totnes.

357
00:22:45,380 --> 00:22:47,260
What a lovely spot. Isn't it.

358
00:22:47,260 --> 00:22:50,180
Transition Town Totnes
- what does that mean?

359
00:22:50,180 --> 00:22:54,140
It's an organisation that's been
running here for about three years.

360
00:22:54,140 --> 00:22:56,700
It's really about how,
as communities,

361
00:22:56,700 --> 00:22:59,700
we respond to climate change
and also to peak oil,

362
00:22:59,700 --> 00:23:04,060
nearing the end of the age
of cheap oil and all that
that's made possible.

363
00:23:04,060 --> 00:23:08,980
Transition is a positive,
proactive response which says we can
either look at those two things

364
00:23:08,980 --> 00:23:11,860
as a crisis and a disaster,
or as an opportunity

365
00:23:11,860 --> 00:23:14,460
to be creative and brilliant
and come up with a lot

366
00:23:14,460 --> 00:23:17,300
of solutions that start
here at the grass roots.

367
00:23:17,300 --> 00:23:19,540
So what solutions
have you come up with?

368
00:23:19,540 --> 00:23:21,540
We do lots of stuff
around local food,

369
00:23:21,540 --> 00:23:23,900
linking people up
with local food producers.

370
00:23:23,900 --> 00:23:27,260
We have a garden share scheme,
to match people who want to garden

371
00:23:27,260 --> 00:23:29,580
with people who have gardens
they don't use.

372
00:23:29,580 --> 00:23:31,700
We have a solar buyers scheme

373
00:23:31,700 --> 00:23:34,340
to try and get more
renewables out on the rooves.

374
00:23:34,340 --> 00:23:37,420
One of the things that's been really
extraordinary here is

375
00:23:37,420 --> 00:23:40,540
that what's started here
is now an international movement.

376
00:23:40,540 --> 00:23:44,100
Thousands of towns,
cities and villages around the world

377
00:23:44,100 --> 00:23:45,740
who are adopting the same model.

378
00:23:45,740 --> 00:23:48,260
There's a certain paradox there,
isn't there?

379
00:23:48,260 --> 00:23:51,660
An international movement
of self-sufficient communities?

380
00:23:51,660 --> 00:23:55,060
It's not about self-sufficiency,
Totnes is never going to make

381
00:23:55,060 --> 00:23:58,780
its own laptop computers, but at the
same time it can source a lot of its

382
00:23:58,780 --> 00:24:04,180
building materials, food and so on,
and by doing so make this economy
much stronger and more robust.

383
00:24:04,180 --> 00:24:07,180
Now, you've got your own
single currency, is that right?

384
00:24:07,180 --> 00:24:10,300
We do. I have some in my pocket.
Yeah, this is the Totnes pound

385
00:24:10,300 --> 00:24:12,740
which is a scheme
that we've been running

386
00:24:12,740 --> 00:24:15,660
for a couple of years now
in various experiments.

387
00:24:15,660 --> 00:24:18,100
It's based on the idea that,
at the moment,

388
00:24:18,100 --> 00:24:20,100
you can look at a town like Totnes

389
00:24:20,100 --> 00:24:24,940
as being like a large leaky bucket
out of which all this money
comes in and pours straight out.

390
00:24:24,940 --> 00:24:28,780
You shop in the supermarket,
80% of that money leaves
Totnes the next morning.

391
00:24:28,780 --> 00:24:32,340
This is a currency that can't leave
Totnes, it can't go anywhere else.

392
00:24:32,340 --> 00:24:35,060
'The aim of the Totnes pound
is to encourage people

393
00:24:35,060 --> 00:24:38,060
'to buy local products
and support local businesses.'

394
00:24:38,060 --> 00:24:41,020
You can spend it in
80 shops in the town

395
00:24:41,020 --> 00:24:44,980
and we're very fond of it.
It recently inspired other places.

396
00:24:44,980 --> 00:24:47,740
This is a Brixton pound
which was launched last week.

397
00:24:47,740 --> 00:24:50,820
A slightly different look.
Yeah, but that's the thing.

398
00:24:50,820 --> 00:24:54,540
They're a celebration of the place
and culture from which they emerge.

399
00:24:54,540 --> 00:24:57,020
They also have a five,
a ten and £20 note as well.

400
00:24:57,020 --> 00:24:59,460
You can pay your council
tax with them as well.

401
00:24:59,460 --> 00:25:02,820
Very good, well I better go and
equip myself with some currency.

402
00:25:02,820 --> 00:25:05,140
I think you had
and have fun spending them.

403
00:25:05,140 --> 00:25:07,140
Thank you very much,
good luck to you.

404
00:25:07,140 --> 00:25:09,180
Thanks very much. Thank you.

405
00:25:16,340 --> 00:25:18,580
As it turns out,
I don't have to go far

406
00:25:18,580 --> 00:25:23,180
to find somewhere to change
my Bank of England pounds.

407
00:25:23,180 --> 00:25:26,380
Hello, I've come to buy
some Totnes pounds, please.

408
00:25:26,380 --> 00:25:28,540
Totnes pounds,
how many would you like?

409
00:25:28,540 --> 00:25:34,020
Oh, you do. Right, well,
£20 worth would be fine.

410
00:25:34,020 --> 00:25:35,820
What's the exchange rate?

411
00:25:35,820 --> 00:25:38,700
One for one.
One Totnes pound for £1 sterling.

412
00:25:38,700 --> 00:25:41,860
Ah, that seems very reasonable,
thank you. You're welcome.

413
00:25:41,860 --> 00:25:44,820
20 Totnes pounds for £20 sterling.

414
00:25:44,820 --> 00:25:47,020
Thank you, a pleasure
doing business with you,

415
00:25:47,020 --> 00:25:48,700
I'll put that to the test.
Thank you.

416
00:25:58,140 --> 00:26:01,540
I was looking for a railway book.

417
00:26:01,540 --> 00:26:05,100
There we go, sir, it's recommended.
I've just been on that line.

418
00:26:05,100 --> 00:26:10,900
Very nice.
How much is that in Totnes pounds?

419
00:26:10,900 --> 00:26:14,700
Exactly the same price
as is on the cover, sir. £14.99.

420
00:26:14,700 --> 00:26:17,860
OK. Let me see what I've got here.

421
00:26:17,860 --> 00:26:20,100
I'm afraid I've only got £1 notes.

422
00:26:20,100 --> 00:26:22,380
That's all right,
sir, we're just waiting

423
00:26:22,380 --> 00:26:24,820
for them to introduce
the fivers and tenners.

424
00:26:24,820 --> 00:26:28,180
..four, five, six...

425
00:26:28,180 --> 00:26:31,740
Could I have one Totnes penny
in change, please.

426
00:26:31,740 --> 00:26:34,460
Unfortunately they don't
do those yet, I'm afraid.

427
00:26:34,460 --> 00:26:37,020
Just your regular penny.
Just the regular penny.

428
00:26:37,020 --> 00:26:38,540
All right.

429
00:26:42,100 --> 00:26:45,060
There you go, sir.
Thank you very much indeed.

430
00:26:45,060 --> 00:26:47,940
I know I'm going to get a lot
of satisfaction out of that.

431
00:26:47,940 --> 00:26:49,540
There you go, sir. Thank you.

432
00:26:49,540 --> 00:26:51,220
Thank you. Bye-bye. Bye.

433
00:26:54,100 --> 00:26:56,380
What goes around comes around.

434
00:26:56,380 --> 00:26:58,620
Victorian steam trains and ships

435
00:26:58,620 --> 00:27:02,020
enabled Britons to enjoy
the products of the world.

436
00:27:02,020 --> 00:27:07,060
Now Totnes wants us to step back.
To think and act locally.

437
00:27:07,060 --> 00:27:10,380
I think George Bradshaw would
be pleased that I took the tip

438
00:27:10,380 --> 00:27:13,660
and went to Torquay
for the healthy air

439
00:27:13,660 --> 00:27:17,140
and delighted that I took
a boat trip on the River Dart,

440
00:27:17,140 --> 00:27:19,780
but he wouldn't approve
of the Totnes pound.

441
00:27:19,780 --> 00:27:22,140
The Victorians didn't
believe in localism.

442
00:27:22,140 --> 00:27:26,060
They were at the heart
of a global trading Empire.

443
00:27:26,060 --> 00:27:30,820
If he knew that Britain was
importing rickshaws from India,

444
00:27:30,820 --> 00:27:34,380
he would think the world
was standing on its head.

445
00:27:38,100 --> 00:27:39,940
Tomorrow, I'll be visiting

446
00:27:39,940 --> 00:27:42,820
the largest china clay
mines in the world.

447
00:27:42,820 --> 00:27:47,620
What an extraordinary scene,
like a vast moonscape.

448
00:27:47,620 --> 00:27:54,100
I'll be finding out how the
Victorians shaped British gardens.

449
00:27:54,100 --> 00:27:57,780
What we're celebrating is
the Victorian tradition
of how things were gardened,

450
00:27:57,780 --> 00:28:00,460
the Victorian attitudes to life

451
00:28:00,460 --> 00:28:03,460
and also the people
who worked in these gardens.

452
00:28:03,460 --> 00:28:05,340
That's what we regard as lost.

453
00:28:05,340 --> 00:28:09,980
And I'll be discovering what's
happened to the humble pilchard.

454
00:28:09,980 --> 00:28:14,420
There is a big demand for pilchards
which has been renamed the sardine.

455
00:28:14,420 --> 00:28:18,100
Ah, the sardine and the pilchard
are one and the same, are they?

456
00:28:18,100 --> 00:28:19,660
They are exactly the same.

457
00:28:42,900 --> 00:28:45,580
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458
00:28:45,580 --> 00:28:48,180
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