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In 1840, one man transformed
travel in the British Isles.

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00:00:10,240 --> 00:00:12,080
His name was George Bradshaw,

3
00:00:12,080 --> 00:00:16,160
and his railway guides inspired the
Victorians to take to the tracks.

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00:00:18,400 --> 00:00:20,800
Stop by stop, he told them
where to travel,

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00:00:20,800 --> 00:00:22,640
what to see and where to stay.

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Now, 170 years later, I'm making a
series of journeys across the length

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and breadth of these isles to see
what of Bradshaw's Britain remains.

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00:00:54,760 --> 00:00:55,960
At the halfway point,

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00:00:55,960 --> 00:00:59,840
my Scottish journey has brought me
to the Highlands.

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Here in the rural county of Moray,
small-scale industries

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00:01:03,520 --> 00:01:06,240
based on high-quality
local resources

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were transformed by the railways,

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and are now brand names sought out
by connoisseurs across the globe.

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'Today, I learn how Victorian whisky
trains were raided by robbers.'

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Do you think anyone's
spotted us yet?

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I don't think so.
I'll keep an eye out.

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'I traverse one of Scotland's
most impressive viaducts.'

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Really is a spectacular piece of
architecture and engineering.

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'And I discover that life
isn't always sweet

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'on a shortbread production line.'

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Stop the conveyor belt!
I want to get off!

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Using my 1880s Bradshaw's,
this trip started in Stirling,

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passed through Perthshire, moved on
to the granite city of Aberdeen

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and is now taking me
west to Banffshire,

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thence to the classic lochs
of the Highlands,

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to finish at John O'Groats.

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Today's leg begins in Dufftown,
in north-eastern Scotland,

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indulges my sweet tooth
in Aberlour,

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samples some luxury in Elgin,

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and, via Inverness,
ends in mountainous Aviemore.

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My Bradshaw's has guided me
onto these tracks

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which are carrying me towards
Dufftown, of which my book says that

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"It is situated on the River Spey
at the foot of a range of hills,

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"the principal and centre of which
is Ben Rinnes.

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"A little further south
lies Glenlivet."

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There's the clue. I'm travelling on
the most northerly heritage railway

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in Britain - the Keith and Dufftown,
also known as the Whisky Line.

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'Although its castle, Balvenie,
dates back to the 13th century,

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'Dufftown was founded only in 1817,
when James Duff, 4th Earl of Fife,

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'decided to create a new town,

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'where, following
the Napoleonic wars,

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'local people could find work.'

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'Dufftown attracted a cluster
of distilleries

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'for some of the most famous names
in Scotch whisky.'

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'And I'm meeting senior guide
Jennifer Proctor at one of them,

46
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'Glenfiddich, to find out why.'

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Jennifer, hello.
Hello, nice to meet you.

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Good to see you.
What a stunning place.

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Beautiful setting in the hills.

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Why is it that great whisky
is made here?

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Well, pretty much from what you can
see, the surrounding countryside

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helps supply us with the barley
that we need for the malt.

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It also gives us the water
that we need,

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so the vital ingredients
for making whisky.

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Originally, this area was perfect,
as well,

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because of the transport links,

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so there's a great deal
of railways in the area

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that could transport things that
we didn't have here onto the site,

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but it also meant that we could
take the finished product

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of the whisky off and then
eventually transport it

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all around Scotland.

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And it's not just an historic thing.
You're still making it today.

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Yes, we are.

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In 1886, founder William Grant set
out to fulfil a lifelong ambition

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of creating the best dram
in the valley.

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With the help of his seven sons
and two daughters,

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William built his distillery
in a single year.

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Their hard work was
rewarded on Christmas Day 1887,

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when the first drop of spirit
flowed.

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William named his distillery
Glenfiddich,

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Gaelic for Valley of the Deer.

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What actually is distilling?

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Well, basically what we're trying to
do is refine a beer-like liquid

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into a spirit that we can go on to
put through the maturation process

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and eventually that will
become whisky.

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Malted barley, water and yeast
are the ingredients.

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Scotch malt whisky is produced
from a natural chemical alteration

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of wort, a sugary liquid
which is fermented in vats,

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then distilled in copper stills
and finally matured in wooden casks.

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Would this be recognisable
to a Victorian?

81
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Yeah. I mean, it's certainly
larger in terms of its scale,

82
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but the process hasn't really
changed a great deal over the years.

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The railways, then.
What difference did they make?

84
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Well, essentially, all distilleries
at that time

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pretty much had their own sidings

86
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and there was a lot more train
lines, railway lines put in

87
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specifically for transporting
goods like whisky,

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so really it was fundamental
to the distilleries

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that these lines were put in place.

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Was there any downside
to having the railways?

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There were a few, yeah.

92
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I mean, the most noticeable would
have been the theft they found

93
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that happened from
the trains themselves.

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Distillers, they kind of accounted
for a certain amount of loss,

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but the trains often were very slow,

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and they would take a day or two
to get from somewhere like Dufftown

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down to Glasgow, where the whisky
was actually going to be going to.

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During that time, a lot of the time
would be spent

99
00:05:51,080 --> 00:05:53,520
in very remote sidings,
so they were unprotected.

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00:05:53,520 --> 00:05:55,560
It was very easy for people
to go and siphon off

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00:05:55,560 --> 00:05:57,720
a little bit of whisky
and take it home.

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Oh, I see. So they weren't
taking a whole barrel,

103
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which would be quite challenging.

104
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No, they were just
siphoning it off a cask,

105
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usually only
a very small amount,

106
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enough for themselves,
or maybe them and their friends.

107
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It wasn't huge quantities
people were taking.

108
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I'm intrigued by these Victorian
whisky thefts, and wonder whether

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Ian Macdonald, Glenfiddich's master
cooper, can show me how it was done.

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Ian.

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Hello, Michael. How are you doing?

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Very well. Nice to meet you.

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This is a first for me.

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I don't think I've ever met
a cooper before.

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That's what you are, isn't it?

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Yes. I'm what they term
a Master Cooper.

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I served a five year apprenticeship
to become a craftsman.

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Ian, I'm thinking
about my retirement,

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and I was thinking of turning to a
little whisky theft in my old days,

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and I've been hearing
a bit about it.

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How would I set about it then?

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We'll remove a hoop, we'll bore
a hole and remove a bung

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and hopefully we can extract some
of the good old whisky that way.

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Great. I can't wait.

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Right, well. Right.

126
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OK, so what we'll do is just
use a boring brace.

127
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Would you like to have a shot?

128
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Yep, let me have a shot at that.

129
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Put a wee bit of pressure on
and twist it round at the same time.

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That's it.

131
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American oak is quite a hard oak,
so you do need a really sharp bit.

132
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Do you think anyone's
spotted us yet?

133
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No, I don't think so.
I'll keep an eye out. You're OK.

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I can see the shavings of wood
coming out.

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That's right.

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Whoa, we're through.

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We'll create a vacuum.

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Not too noisy.

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Whoa, there she flows!

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OK, here we go! Tilt her back.

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Oh, that is magnificent!

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You're spilling a bit there, Ian,

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but it doesn't matter as long
as we get our bottle full.

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Are you paying?

145
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OK, up you go.

146
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Right, what do we do now
to cover our crime?

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Oh, no problem.

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We'll just plug the hole.

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Look at that.

150
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So we'll just replace the hoop.

151
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That's it back on. Never know.

152
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It's as good as new, isn't it?

153
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It's just as well you work for
the forces of law and order!

154
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Well, I'll just give you
a wee souvenir.

155
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Thank you.

156
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Tastes all the better
for being purloined.

157
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Good.

158
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Feeling both warm and mischievous,

159
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I'm proceeding by road
to my next destination,

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the Speyside village of Aberlour.

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00:08:30,160 --> 00:08:32,520
Thomas Telford,
the renowned civil engineer,

162
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designed Craigellachie Bridge,

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00:08:34,440 --> 00:08:36,680
spanning the River Spey
about two miles north,

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00:08:38,440 --> 00:08:40,840
but I'm in Aberlour
for a different reason.

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Bradshaw's tells me
that at Craigellachie,

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"the rail system divides into two,
one of which runs along Strathspey,

167
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"the valley which gives its name
to a highland dance,

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"passing in its route
the station of Aberlour."

169
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Well, the station no longer
has any trains.

170
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Nowadays, it's a cafe, feeding

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00:09:02,680 --> 00:09:07,200
hungry Strathspey tourists taking
a short break with shortbread.

172
00:09:10,560 --> 00:09:15,440
In 1898, Joseph Walker, a baker
with a passion for shortbread,

173
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borrowed £50 and opened a shop.

174
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More than a century later,
his shortbread,

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a blend of flour, butter, sugar
and salt, is sold in 80 countries

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and its factory produces 500 million
shortbreads a year.

177
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Joseph's grandson Jim is
a joint managing director.

178
00:09:36,760 --> 00:09:37,960
Hello, Michael. Hello, Jim.

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00:09:37,960 --> 00:09:40,200
Welcome to Walker's, welcome.
Thank you very much.

180
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Come in, come in.

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The changing room
second on your left,

182
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and we'll get togged up
to go into the factory.

183
00:09:47,320 --> 00:09:49,280
Jim, Scotland really is

184
00:09:49,280 --> 00:09:52,000
enormously associated with
shortbread, isn't it?

185
00:09:52,000 --> 00:09:53,360
Why do you think that is?

186
00:09:53,360 --> 00:09:55,080
Well, shortbread is
one of those foods

187
00:09:55,080 --> 00:09:57,520
that is synonymous with
Scotland, Michael.

188
00:09:57,520 --> 00:10:00,560
Scots can readily claim
to have invented shortbread,

189
00:10:00,560 --> 00:10:03,560
and it's really always been
part of Scotland,

190
00:10:03,560 --> 00:10:05,320
it's part of the heritage.

191
00:10:05,320 --> 00:10:07,360
The distances here are huge,
aren't they?

192
00:10:07,360 --> 00:10:12,640
Yes, indeed. It seems a long way.
The ovens are 60 metres long.

193
00:10:12,640 --> 00:10:14,960
And does the heat vary
at different places in the oven?

194
00:10:14,960 --> 00:10:17,600
Yes, indeed. The heat varies
right through the oven,

195
00:10:17,600 --> 00:10:23,000
so we end up at the end with
a nice flash of hotter temperature

196
00:10:23,000 --> 00:10:24,720
to make the shortbread
a nice golden brown,

197
00:10:24,720 --> 00:10:26,520
because that's exactly
how it should be.

198
00:10:26,520 --> 00:10:29,000
I'm going to introduce you
to Pauline. Pauline, hello.

199
00:10:29,000 --> 00:10:30,560
Hello. Pleased to meet you.
You too.

200
00:10:30,560 --> 00:10:33,080
May I have a pair of gloves
and then I can join in your work?

201
00:10:33,080 --> 00:10:35,600
Indeed, yes.

202
00:10:35,600 --> 00:10:37,880
If you take two of the trays.
Two trays.

203
00:10:37,880 --> 00:10:40,680
And then place three thistles
in each of the compartments.

204
00:10:41,840 --> 00:10:42,800
Two, three.

205
00:10:44,280 --> 00:10:45,280
Two, three.

206
00:10:46,640 --> 00:10:48,480
One, two, three.

207
00:10:48,480 --> 00:10:50,600
This is like waltzing, isn't it?
One, two, three.

208
00:10:52,120 --> 00:10:54,160
We got an empty one there, whoa!

209
00:10:54,160 --> 00:10:55,800
Sometimes its easier
to do two at a time.

210
00:10:55,800 --> 00:10:59,440
Oh, is it? Right. What, left hand,
right hand? Exactly.

211
00:10:59,440 --> 00:11:01,880
OK. Let's try
the double-handed approach.

212
00:11:01,880 --> 00:11:04,120
One, two... Do it simultaneously.
..three.

213
00:11:05,480 --> 00:11:06,520
One, two...

214
00:11:08,000 --> 00:11:09,400
..three.

215
00:11:09,400 --> 00:11:11,440
They go past pretty fast,
don't they, Pauline?

216
00:11:11,440 --> 00:11:13,240
They do, really.

217
00:11:13,240 --> 00:11:14,280
You'll be a natural.

218
00:11:14,280 --> 00:11:16,960
This is a merciless process!

219
00:11:16,960 --> 00:11:19,120
Stop the conveyor belt!
I want to get off!

220
00:11:20,880 --> 00:11:24,200
Shortbread has been attributed
to Mary, Queen of Scots,

221
00:11:24,200 --> 00:11:25,640
who, in the mid-16th century,

222
00:11:25,640 --> 00:11:28,480
was said to be very fond of
Petticoat Tails,

223
00:11:28,480 --> 00:11:30,720
a thin, crisp, buttery shortbread

224
00:11:30,720 --> 00:11:32,920
originally flavoured
with caraway seeds.

225
00:11:34,680 --> 00:11:38,040
My next task is to feed
21st century shortbread

226
00:11:38,040 --> 00:11:39,280
into its wrapping machine.

227
00:11:41,080 --> 00:11:42,960
The two-handed technique.

228
00:11:42,960 --> 00:11:46,160
They're coming pretty fast
and furious just at the moment.

229
00:11:46,160 --> 00:11:47,600
Get in there! Get in there!

230
00:11:47,600 --> 00:11:50,400
You've really got to keep your wits
about you, haven't you? You do.

231
00:11:50,400 --> 00:11:51,480
They're coming...

232
00:11:51,480 --> 00:11:53,400
You've got to be one step
ahead the whole time.

233
00:11:53,400 --> 00:11:56,920
I'm going to have to leave a gap
there. I missed a few there.

234
00:11:56,920 --> 00:11:59,760
It's like that nightmare in The
Sorcerer's Apprentice, isn't it,

235
00:11:59,760 --> 00:12:03,640
where you unleash forces
that you cannot control

236
00:12:05,440 --> 00:12:09,120
and they descend relentlessly
upon you.

237
00:12:09,120 --> 00:12:11,760
The demands of mechanisation
cannot be assuaged.

238
00:12:12,840 --> 00:12:14,800
Is there anyone to take over?

239
00:12:14,800 --> 00:12:16,960
Phew, what a relief.
Thank you very much.

240
00:12:19,280 --> 00:12:20,480
Hello.

241
00:12:20,480 --> 00:12:23,120
Now this looks to me
like the ultimate raw deal.

242
00:12:26,360 --> 00:12:27,440
Oh!

243
00:12:27,440 --> 00:12:28,800
Got to be pretty nimble.

244
00:12:30,640 --> 00:12:31,880
Ah!

245
00:12:32,880 --> 00:12:34,560
Thank you very much.

246
00:12:34,560 --> 00:12:36,120
Oh, no!

247
00:12:36,120 --> 00:12:39,800
This is definitely the worst ordeal
I've been set today.

248
00:12:39,800 --> 00:12:40,760
This is...

249
00:12:44,360 --> 00:12:46,080
Help! Somebody, help!

250
00:12:50,000 --> 00:12:51,720
Well, Jim, I really enjoyed that,

251
00:12:51,720 --> 00:12:53,440
and I've done a lot
of factory visits,

252
00:12:53,440 --> 00:12:55,040
and I'm not trying to butter you up,

253
00:12:55,040 --> 00:12:56,880
but this one really took
the biscuit.

254
00:12:56,880 --> 00:13:00,480
Well, that's what we're all about,
Michael. Thank you.

255
00:13:00,480 --> 00:13:03,320
'I've had a busy time
learning about two of Scotland's

256
00:13:03,320 --> 00:13:05,720
'finest Victorian products,

257
00:13:05,720 --> 00:13:08,000
'and I'm hoping that
at my final stop of the day

258
00:13:08,000 --> 00:13:09,320
'I can sample them both.'

259
00:13:10,720 --> 00:13:11,880
Ah, good evening.

260
00:13:11,880 --> 00:13:13,080
Hi, there.

261
00:13:13,080 --> 00:13:15,680
I see your pub's called
The Mash Tun. What does that mean?

262
00:13:15,680 --> 00:13:18,280
That's correct. Well, a Mash Tun
is a large receptacle used

263
00:13:18,280 --> 00:13:19,720
in the whisky-making industry.

264
00:13:21,040 --> 00:13:23,680
It's somewhere that they used
to mix up all the ingredients,

265
00:13:23,680 --> 00:13:25,960
hence a good name for a pub.

266
00:13:25,960 --> 00:13:28,240
And I see that you stand
just behind the railway station.

267
00:13:28,240 --> 00:13:30,160
Any connection with the railways?

268
00:13:30,160 --> 00:13:33,720
Yeah. This used to be the station
refreshment rooms, initially,

269
00:13:33,720 --> 00:13:38,480
and then, obviously, once the
railway station closed down in '65,

270
00:13:38,480 --> 00:13:40,720
it was then renamed The Mash Tun.

271
00:13:40,720 --> 00:13:44,600
After the day that I've had,
could I have a glass

272
00:13:44,600 --> 00:13:46,920
of your local malt whisky
and a stick of shortbread, please.

273
00:13:46,920 --> 00:13:48,000
Certainly.

274
00:13:49,040 --> 00:13:50,040
Thank you.

275
00:13:50,040 --> 00:13:51,600
There we are.

276
00:13:51,600 --> 00:13:54,280
Now, do not try this at home.

277
00:13:56,360 --> 00:13:57,360
Ah!

278
00:13:58,560 --> 00:14:01,800
A rush of sugar, butter and alcohol.

279
00:14:12,400 --> 00:14:14,640
'Refreshed and ready
for the day ahead,

280
00:14:14,640 --> 00:14:18,120
'I'm continuing my journey by train
from my nearest station, Keith.'

281
00:14:21,160 --> 00:14:24,640
'This small area of Scotland is
known as the golden triangle,

282
00:14:24,640 --> 00:14:28,280
'because of the pure local water
which allows companies to flourish

283
00:14:28,280 --> 00:14:30,280
'despite their remote location.

284
00:14:31,520 --> 00:14:35,560
'Today, I'll visit another industry
that also benefited greatly

285
00:14:35,560 --> 00:14:37,440
'from the arrival of the railways.'

286
00:14:39,920 --> 00:14:44,120
My first destination today is Elgin,
which my Bradshaw's tells me is

287
00:14:44,120 --> 00:14:47,560
"a borough five miles from the sea
on the River Lossie.

288
00:14:47,560 --> 00:14:51,800
"It contains five chapels, a prison,
a library, assembly rooms,

289
00:14:51,800 --> 00:14:55,560
"literary and horticultural
societies, breweries,

290
00:14:55,560 --> 00:14:58,280
"gas and water works,
woollen factory,

291
00:14:58,280 --> 00:15:00,760
"grammar school and free school."

292
00:15:00,760 --> 00:15:04,800
Now, amongst those, I know that
the woollen factory still exists,

293
00:15:04,800 --> 00:15:07,040
so no material change there.

294
00:15:10,320 --> 00:15:14,760
'Elgin was a favourite hunting
ground of early Scottish monarchs.

295
00:15:14,760 --> 00:15:16,200
'With its ancient cathedral

296
00:15:16,200 --> 00:15:18,240
'and lying either side
of the River Lossie,

297
00:15:18,240 --> 00:15:21,160
'it grew steadily
throughout the medieval period,

298
00:15:22,560 --> 00:15:25,560
'until by the 17th century
it boasted fine buildings

299
00:15:25,560 --> 00:15:27,760
'that reflected the prosperity
of its merchants.

300
00:15:30,200 --> 00:15:34,280
'When the railways arrived in the
1850s, business in the town boomed,

301
00:15:34,280 --> 00:15:38,320
'and firms like cloth manufacturers
Johnstons of Elgin blossomed.

302
00:15:39,800 --> 00:15:41,480
'James Sugden is a director.'

303
00:15:45,520 --> 00:15:47,520
James, hello. Good morning.

304
00:15:47,520 --> 00:15:48,880
Michael, good to see you.

305
00:15:48,880 --> 00:15:51,880
You're lost in your archives,
I can see, which is not surprising

306
00:15:51,880 --> 00:15:55,600
because your company goes
all the way back to 1797.

307
00:15:55,600 --> 00:15:59,920
Why was it that the woollen industry
took off in this particular place,

308
00:15:59,920 --> 00:16:01,480
quite a remote place?

309
00:16:01,480 --> 00:16:04,720
We had a local supply of fibre
from our sheep,

310
00:16:04,720 --> 00:16:08,040
and we had, also, that very
important ingredient - water.

311
00:16:08,040 --> 00:16:10,000
Soft, Scottish water.

312
00:16:10,000 --> 00:16:13,960
During the 19th century, what were
the developments in the business?

313
00:16:13,960 --> 00:16:16,720
James Johnston made tweed
for the local market.

314
00:16:16,720 --> 00:16:21,440
As time went on, he moved into finer
fibres, and with the advent of

315
00:16:21,440 --> 00:16:24,880
Queen Victoria, we moved into design
fabrics, particularly tartans,

316
00:16:24,880 --> 00:16:27,240
and then the local estate tweeds.

317
00:16:27,240 --> 00:16:30,920
Because Queen Victoria actually
rescues the tartan

318
00:16:30,920 --> 00:16:33,360
from being a, kind of, banned thing

319
00:16:33,360 --> 00:16:36,200
to being a fashion item
in a short period of time.

320
00:16:36,200 --> 00:16:37,920
Yes, she made it very fashionable,

321
00:16:37,920 --> 00:16:41,880
and we produced a lot of tartan
and still do, but the other thing

322
00:16:41,880 --> 00:16:44,560
that her advent
to this district brought

323
00:16:44,560 --> 00:16:46,520
was this estate tweed business,

324
00:16:46,520 --> 00:16:50,280
making bespoke design fabrics
for the upper class.

325
00:16:50,280 --> 00:16:52,880
This is what
the servants wore indoors,

326
00:16:52,880 --> 00:16:54,920
but I suppose what they wore
on the moors, as well?

327
00:16:54,920 --> 00:16:57,320
The ghillies, the keepers,
the stalkers,

328
00:16:57,320 --> 00:16:59,040
they wanted camouflage,

329
00:16:59,040 --> 00:17:01,640
but then they also wanted
fabrics that were distinctive

330
00:17:01,640 --> 00:17:04,240
and so, often, the wives of
the laird would insist on

331
00:17:04,240 --> 00:17:06,440
little quirky over-checks
and colourings

332
00:17:06,440 --> 00:17:08,880
that were perhaps
not just camouflage,

333
00:17:08,880 --> 00:17:12,320
but were their own
idiosyncratic designs.

334
00:17:12,320 --> 00:17:13,800
When did you get your railway here?

335
00:17:13,800 --> 00:17:17,440
1852, and that's when our export
business really took off.

336
00:17:17,440 --> 00:17:22,800
I think in the next 40 years,
our turnover went up by eight times

337
00:17:22,800 --> 00:17:24,960
and it was all based
on the export business,

338
00:17:24,960 --> 00:17:27,600
but export in those days could have
been considered London.

339
00:17:27,600 --> 00:17:31,200
And does that impact of the railways
show up in your archives?

340
00:17:31,200 --> 00:17:35,480
This was 1859, and here's a customer
in London still in existence,

341
00:17:35,480 --> 00:17:37,520
A Gagniere & Company,
who are cloth merchants,

342
00:17:37,520 --> 00:17:41,120
and there's a lovely entry here
which says "by rail all the way",

343
00:17:41,120 --> 00:17:45,080
so that cloth came off the mill
here, was taken to Elgin station

344
00:17:45,080 --> 00:17:48,160
and went all the way to London,
probably within a couple of days.

345
00:17:48,160 --> 00:17:50,120
1859.

346
00:17:50,120 --> 00:17:52,400
1859. Great.

347
00:17:52,400 --> 00:17:56,000
James Johnston seized
the opportunities afforded

348
00:17:56,000 --> 00:17:59,080
by the railway,
and also expanded his business

349
00:17:59,080 --> 00:18:03,800
by negotiating a supply of a fine
thread first made popular in Europe

350
00:18:03,800 --> 00:18:07,520
some years earlier,
by Napoleon Bonaparte.

351
00:18:07,520 --> 00:18:09,040
What's this book showing us?

352
00:18:09,040 --> 00:18:13,600
This ledger here shows us the first
purchase of cashmere fibre...

353
00:18:13,600 --> 00:18:14,840
Ah!

354
00:18:14,840 --> 00:18:17,760
..which was really James Johnston's
first venture

355
00:18:17,760 --> 00:18:20,600
into exotic soft handling fibres,

356
00:18:20,600 --> 00:18:25,360
and this was in 1850 from a company
called A Buxton in London.

357
00:18:26,560 --> 00:18:30,240
And cashmere, this is a goat?

358
00:18:30,240 --> 00:18:33,920
It's a goat, largely bred
in Mongolia,

359
00:18:33,920 --> 00:18:37,080
and it's the soft underfleece
of the animal,

360
00:18:37,080 --> 00:18:42,760
so when the fleece comes off
the animal, 50%, 60% is coarse hair

361
00:18:42,760 --> 00:18:45,520
and the down is what we extract

362
00:18:45,520 --> 00:18:48,040
to make, obviously, what people
know as cashmere today.

363
00:18:48,040 --> 00:18:49,040
This is cashmere?

364
00:18:49,040 --> 00:18:52,520
That's pure cashmere from Mongolia,
this is our raw material today.

365
00:18:52,520 --> 00:18:55,160
Most of our raw material
comes from that area.

366
00:18:55,160 --> 00:18:56,720
Hmm, it is very, very soft.

367
00:18:56,720 --> 00:18:58,920
And is that the finest thing
you do now?

368
00:18:58,920 --> 00:19:01,840
No, we do have one other fibre
called Vicuna,

369
00:19:01,840 --> 00:19:03,360
which I'll show you a sample of.

370
00:19:05,800 --> 00:19:07,280
That's lovely soft stuff.

371
00:19:07,280 --> 00:19:09,480
Is that more expensive
than the cashmere?

372
00:19:09,480 --> 00:19:11,800
Yes, it's ten times
the price of cashmere.

373
00:19:11,800 --> 00:19:13,120
Ten times.

374
00:19:13,120 --> 00:19:15,760
And cashmere's ten times
the price of wool.

375
00:19:15,760 --> 00:19:17,160
Lovely.

376
00:19:17,160 --> 00:19:19,200
Your company clearly has
an amazing history,

377
00:19:19,200 --> 00:19:20,720
but also, I think,
a present and future,

378
00:19:20,720 --> 00:19:23,360
and I'm going to go and look at
your factory. Thank you so much.

379
00:19:23,360 --> 00:19:25,400
Thank you for coming, Michael.
Bye.

380
00:19:27,760 --> 00:19:29,320
'As with many companies,

381
00:19:29,320 --> 00:19:33,360
'its success relies on the stability
and loyalty of its workforce.'

382
00:19:35,760 --> 00:19:37,360
'Generations of the same families

383
00:19:37,360 --> 00:19:39,200
'have trodden the floors
of this factory.

384
00:19:40,640 --> 00:19:42,240
'They've taken raw fibre

385
00:19:42,240 --> 00:19:44,440
'through every stage
of the production process

386
00:19:44,440 --> 00:19:49,880
'from design to weaving, to dyeing,
to hand-crafted finishing.

387
00:19:55,160 --> 00:19:58,120
'Yarn Manager Mike Matheson
is from such a family.'

388
00:20:01,440 --> 00:20:03,400
Hello. Hello.

389
00:20:03,400 --> 00:20:05,800
You have the most wonderful colours
here. Yes.

390
00:20:05,800 --> 00:20:09,280
Beautiful dyes. Have you been
in the business very long?

391
00:20:09,280 --> 00:20:12,360
Yes, I've worked here since
I left school, since I was 16,

392
00:20:12,360 --> 00:20:14,920
served my apprenticeship here,

393
00:20:14,920 --> 00:20:17,760
for 36 years
I've been with Johnstons.

394
00:20:17,760 --> 00:20:21,600
Congratulations. Were you
an Elgin man, born and bred?

395
00:20:21,600 --> 00:20:23,920
Yes, born and bred just up
the road near Elgin.

396
00:20:26,760 --> 00:20:29,400
My family are all Elginners,
come from Elgin.

397
00:20:29,400 --> 00:20:31,120
Any of them
in the business before you?

398
00:20:32,880 --> 00:20:36,440
Erm, yes, my great-auntie was here
in the '50s, and then my mother,

399
00:20:36,440 --> 00:20:39,640
she started here in the '60s
and I started here mid '70s.

400
00:20:39,640 --> 00:20:42,240
Will it go on through your family,
do you think?

401
00:20:42,240 --> 00:20:45,000
Yes, my daughter,
my younger daughter, she's 24

402
00:20:45,000 --> 00:20:47,120
and she works in the dye house,

403
00:20:47,120 --> 00:20:49,280
so we're following on
a sort of a family tradition,

404
00:20:49,280 --> 00:20:51,520
of one of us being in Johnstons.

405
00:20:51,520 --> 00:20:53,400
Well, let's hope it goes on
for a long time yet.

406
00:20:53,400 --> 00:20:55,000
Thank you. Bye, now. Bye.

407
00:20:56,400 --> 00:20:59,800
I wonder whether, even in
a state-of-the-art textile house,

408
00:20:59,800 --> 00:21:02,320
fine knitwear requires
a human touch,

409
00:21:02,320 --> 00:21:04,880
in its design and its finishing.

410
00:21:04,880 --> 00:21:07,520
Marketing assistant
Kirsty Cunningham should know.

411
00:21:09,640 --> 00:21:11,000
During the 19th century,

412
00:21:11,000 --> 00:21:14,480
the company was having to adapt
to new tastes and demands.

413
00:21:14,480 --> 00:21:15,920
Is it the same today?

414
00:21:15,920 --> 00:21:20,280
Absolutely. We're very fortunate
to have a big team of designers

415
00:21:20,280 --> 00:21:23,640
based here in Elgin, woven designers,
and we also have

416
00:21:23,640 --> 00:21:26,560
a set of designers in our
knitwear factory in Hawick

417
00:21:26,560 --> 00:21:30,120
and both teams work really hard
to keep up with

418
00:21:30,120 --> 00:21:33,360
the fashions of today, but at the
same time they're very fortunate,

419
00:21:33,360 --> 00:21:35,360
especially the designers
here in Elgin,

420
00:21:35,360 --> 00:21:38,440
as they have fantastic resources
like our archive room

421
00:21:38,440 --> 00:21:40,920
where they can look through
manuscripts

422
00:21:40,920 --> 00:21:44,800
or swatches of fabric
that date back to the 1800s.

423
00:21:44,800 --> 00:21:47,280
And when you are exporting,
do you think that it's helpful

424
00:21:47,280 --> 00:21:51,200
not only that you're Scottish, but
that it's a rural Scottish industry?

425
00:21:51,200 --> 00:21:53,440
Yeah, I think definitely.

426
00:21:53,440 --> 00:21:56,040
I think buyers today look for
authenticity of product

427
00:21:56,040 --> 00:21:59,400
and I think we're very lucky in that
our product is 100% made in Scotland

428
00:21:59,400 --> 00:22:02,240
and it has been for 215 years.

429
00:22:02,240 --> 00:22:05,080
So, in spite of all
these fantastic machines

430
00:22:05,080 --> 00:22:07,760
we have in the factory
nowadays, Michael,

431
00:22:07,760 --> 00:22:10,880
one thing that is very special
to Johnstons of Elgin

432
00:22:10,880 --> 00:22:14,840
is the teasel head.
The teasel? Yes.

433
00:22:14,840 --> 00:22:18,440
Now, we use these teasels to raise
the pile of the cashmere

434
00:22:18,440 --> 00:22:20,920
during the finishing process.

435
00:22:20,920 --> 00:22:23,560
Now, if you look, you'll see
there's very small little hooks

436
00:22:23,560 --> 00:22:25,360
on the end of the teasel. Yeah.

437
00:22:25,360 --> 00:22:27,840
And it's those hooks that lift up
the pile of the fabric,

438
00:22:27,840 --> 00:22:30,560
and create that lovely
rippled effect,

439
00:22:30,560 --> 00:22:32,520
so if you look at this piece
of cashmere here,

440
00:22:32,520 --> 00:22:34,960
you'll notice there's almost
a ripple... Yes.

441
00:22:34,960 --> 00:22:37,600
..and a shine,
and that comes from the teasel.

442
00:22:37,600 --> 00:22:39,240
And you've found nothing better?

443
00:22:39,240 --> 00:22:41,040
Nothing that will replace the teasel.

444
00:22:41,040 --> 00:22:42,440
And where do you get these things?

445
00:22:42,440 --> 00:22:44,280
We buy these from Spain.

446
00:22:44,280 --> 00:22:46,040
So in the land of
the Scottish thistle

447
00:22:46,040 --> 00:22:48,760
you need the help of
the Spanish teasel? Indeed.

448
00:22:54,360 --> 00:22:56,880
'Cutting it fine,
I'm bound now for Inverness

449
00:22:56,880 --> 00:22:58,680
'where I'll change trains.

450
00:23:07,920 --> 00:23:11,120
'I'm now directed south
to the winter resort of Aviemore

451
00:23:11,120 --> 00:23:14,040
'along one of the most picturesque
lines in Scotland.'

452
00:23:18,040 --> 00:23:20,040
Hi, I'm Michael,
pleased to meet you.

453
00:23:24,080 --> 00:23:27,920
This main line from Inverness down
to Edinburgh hadn't been built

454
00:23:27,920 --> 00:23:29,560
when my Bradshaw's was published,

455
00:23:29,560 --> 00:23:32,400
and my guidebook gives me
a clue as to why.

456
00:23:32,400 --> 00:23:34,280
It says of Inverness-shire that

457
00:23:34,280 --> 00:23:38,160
"The surface is, in general,
extremely rugged and uneven,

458
00:23:38,160 --> 00:23:42,560
"consisting of vast ranges of
mountains separated from each other

459
00:23:42,560 --> 00:23:45,200
"by narrow and deep valleys."

460
00:23:45,200 --> 00:23:47,880
So no wonder the railway
was constructed so late,

461
00:23:47,880 --> 00:23:51,920
and there's no better place
to get an idea of the challenge

462
00:23:51,920 --> 00:23:55,880
presented to the railway engineer
by this terrain

463
00:23:55,880 --> 00:23:57,200
than in the driver's cab.

464
00:24:01,880 --> 00:24:05,640
I'm riding the famous Inverness
to Aviemore direct line.

465
00:24:05,640 --> 00:24:10,320
It was opened in the 1890s to cut
journey times south from Inverness.

466
00:24:10,320 --> 00:24:13,240
And with two major rivers to cross

467
00:24:13,240 --> 00:24:16,680
and a mountain pass of 1,315 feet
to conquer,

468
00:24:16,680 --> 00:24:19,240
building it was no mean feat.

469
00:24:20,560 --> 00:24:23,520
Gordon, I can hear the train
wearying

470
00:24:23,520 --> 00:24:25,920
as it goes up this steep gradient.

471
00:24:25,920 --> 00:24:28,080
Do you ever think about
what it must have been like

472
00:24:28,080 --> 00:24:30,320
for the engineers
planning and building this line?

473
00:24:30,320 --> 00:24:33,280
I couldn't imagine the work
that must have gone into this.

474
00:24:33,280 --> 00:24:35,040
It's a beautiful line, I must say.

475
00:24:35,040 --> 00:24:37,080
At the moment, luckily,
we're not seeing snow,

476
00:24:37,080 --> 00:24:38,800
we're seeing some beautiful heather.

477
00:24:38,800 --> 00:24:40,520
We're just at
the right time of year now

478
00:24:40,520 --> 00:24:42,480
to be seeing the heather coming out.

479
00:24:42,480 --> 00:24:45,560
In winter, sometimes,
its like a toboggan run,

480
00:24:45,560 --> 00:24:49,200
just made for the train, because
the snow is cleared for the train,

481
00:24:49,200 --> 00:24:53,840
but on either side there's maybe
three, four or five feet of snow.

482
00:24:53,840 --> 00:24:58,120
This line really is
a railway connoisseur's delight,

483
00:24:58,120 --> 00:25:00,200
because just outside of Inverness,

484
00:25:00,200 --> 00:25:03,720
standing to the east of the famous
Culloden battlefield,

485
00:25:03,720 --> 00:25:09,720
the longest masonry viaduct
in Scotland, measuring 544 metres,

486
00:25:09,720 --> 00:25:11,320
spans the River Nairn.

487
00:25:14,120 --> 00:25:16,360
This is a moment I've really been
looking forward to.

488
00:25:16,360 --> 00:25:20,400
The line is descending quite steeply
towards the Culloden Viaduct,

489
00:25:20,400 --> 00:25:24,160
and very often you don't get
a good view of a viaduct when you're

490
00:25:24,160 --> 00:25:27,280
actually on it, but fortunately,
as we approach it now, I can see it

491
00:25:27,280 --> 00:25:29,280
curving round to the right.

492
00:25:29,280 --> 00:25:31,360
I'm getting a very,
very good view of it,

493
00:25:31,360 --> 00:25:36,720
and it really is a spectacular piece
of architecture and engineering.

494
00:25:45,080 --> 00:25:50,600
Built over five years, using local
quarry stone and completed in 1898,

495
00:25:50,600 --> 00:25:52,040
like the rest of the line,

496
00:25:52,040 --> 00:25:55,400
the Culloden viaduct was engineered
by Sir John Fowler

497
00:25:55,400 --> 00:25:56,600
and Murdoch Paterson.

498
00:25:59,400 --> 00:26:03,120
I'm now headed to Aviemore
to meet Anne Mary Paterson,

499
00:26:03,120 --> 00:26:06,400
who's written a biography
of her great-grand-uncle.

500
00:26:08,120 --> 00:26:09,200
Hello, Anne Mary.

501
00:26:10,680 --> 00:26:11,680
Oh, hello.

502
00:26:11,680 --> 00:26:13,320
Hello, good to see you.

503
00:26:13,320 --> 00:26:17,080
So, here you are admiring your
great-grand-uncle's railway line.

504
00:26:17,080 --> 00:26:18,200
That's right, yes.

505
00:26:18,200 --> 00:26:22,000
I came over that viaduct just now,
and it's a great structure.

506
00:26:22,000 --> 00:26:23,480
What did he think of it?

507
00:26:23,480 --> 00:26:27,720
He thought it was his masterpiece,
but by the time

508
00:26:27,720 --> 00:26:33,640
it was nearing completion,
he was ill,

509
00:26:33,640 --> 00:26:37,400
because he was long past
retiring age, in his early 70s,

510
00:26:38,560 --> 00:26:41,360
and he had been out
in all weathers and so on

511
00:26:41,360 --> 00:26:43,400
without proper protective clothing.

512
00:26:43,400 --> 00:26:46,240
Did he get to see the viaduct
completed?

513
00:26:46,240 --> 00:26:48,240
No, he didn't see it completed.

514
00:26:48,240 --> 00:26:50,840
He was staying in the
station master's house at Culloden

515
00:26:50,840 --> 00:26:55,120
and he realised that he was never
going to go on a train across it,

516
00:26:55,120 --> 00:26:59,400
so he asked the railwaymen if they
would push him across on a bogie

517
00:26:59,400 --> 00:27:01,960
and he could look and see if
everything was all right

518
00:27:01,960 --> 00:27:05,280
and give them orders
about what should be done.

519
00:27:05,280 --> 00:27:07,880
So they pushed him across
and back again

520
00:27:07,880 --> 00:27:11,400
and then he went to the house
and he just died shortly after.

521
00:27:11,400 --> 00:27:14,120
You must be very proud
of your ancestor.

522
00:27:14,120 --> 00:27:15,400
Yes, I am.

523
00:27:15,400 --> 00:27:20,520
That was why I decided that
I was going to write about him.

524
00:27:20,520 --> 00:27:24,160
Thank you, Anne Mary, very much.
Bye-bye. Bye-bye.

525
00:27:30,880 --> 00:27:35,560
Small towns in northern Scotland
are home to major industries

526
00:27:35,560 --> 00:27:39,240
that grew rapidly
once the railways reached them.

527
00:27:39,240 --> 00:27:42,120
The worldwide fame
that they've since acquired

528
00:27:42,120 --> 00:27:43,320
hasn't gone to their head.

529
00:27:46,320 --> 00:27:47,960
They remain proudly Scottish,

530
00:27:47,960 --> 00:27:51,200
commercially independent, rooted
in their historic communities

531
00:27:51,200 --> 00:27:53,920
and reliant on the skills
of local people.

532
00:27:55,680 --> 00:27:59,120
'On the next leg of this journey,
I ride a picturesque railway.'

533
00:28:00,200 --> 00:28:03,520
I have no words,
I'm out of superlatives.

534
00:28:03,520 --> 00:28:06,440
'I visit Scotland's
smallest station.'

535
00:28:06,440 --> 00:28:10,080
Nearly everyone has joined the queue
to get off at the single door

536
00:28:10,080 --> 00:28:13,480
that opens on the incredibly
short platform at Beauly.

537
00:28:13,480 --> 00:28:15,800
'And I go on a spa break,
Victorian-style.'

538
00:28:17,000 --> 00:28:20,840
After you've been hosed down
with warm, salty water,

539
00:28:20,840 --> 00:28:23,120
your doctor will probably
have prescribed you

540
00:28:23,120 --> 00:28:25,160
a glass of sulphurous water.

541
00:28:25,160 --> 00:28:26,960
And would I be cured?

542
00:28:26,960 --> 00:28:27,960
You might well be.

543
00:28:46,600 --> 00:28:49,480
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