1
00:00:06,000 --> 00:00:10,640
In 1840, one man transformed
travel in the British Isles.

2
00:00:10,640 --> 00:00:12,640
His name was George Bradshaw,

3
00:00:12,640 --> 00:00:16,640
and his railway guides inspired the
Victorians to take to the tracks.

4
00:00:18,600 --> 00:00:21,280
Stop by stop, he told them
where to travel,

5
00:00:21,280 --> 00:00:23,280
what to see and where to stay.

6
00:00:25,600 --> 00:00:29,520
Now, 170 years later,
I'm making a series of journeys

7
00:00:29,520 --> 00:00:32,200
across the length and breadth
of these isles

8
00:00:32,200 --> 00:00:35,160
to see what of Bradshaw's
Britain remains.

9
00:00:57,400 --> 00:01:00,160
I'm on the last leg of
my Scottish journey,

10
00:01:00,160 --> 00:01:03,520
travelling on the well-named
Far North Line.

11
00:01:03,520 --> 00:01:08,760
By 1874, the Victorians had built
tracks to very top of Scotland,

12
00:01:08,760 --> 00:01:10,760
and I'm going to ride them
to the end.

13
00:01:12,040 --> 00:01:15,240
'On today's stretch,
I'll learn how one man's vision

14
00:01:15,240 --> 00:01:17,800
'helped to bring train travel
to the Highlands...'

15
00:01:17,800 --> 00:01:20,360
He really saw the social
value of railways

16
00:01:20,360 --> 00:01:23,200
and in opening up
the county of Sutherland.

17
00:01:23,200 --> 00:01:27,160
'..discover how farming has changed
since Bradshaw's day...'

18
00:01:27,160 --> 00:01:30,320
We have about a tonne
in the grain tank there.

19
00:01:30,320 --> 00:01:34,640
That would hopefully produce
about 400 litres of neat whisky.

20
00:01:34,640 --> 00:01:35,880
Wow!

21
00:01:35,880 --> 00:01:40,440
'..and re-live the drama of
Scotland's Victorian gold rush.'

22
00:01:40,440 --> 00:01:44,040
Gold! We've found gold!

23
00:01:46,720 --> 00:01:48,240
So far on this journey,

24
00:01:48,240 --> 00:01:52,000
I've uncovered the Victorian
heritage of eastern Scotland,

25
00:01:52,000 --> 00:01:55,080
and been dazzled by
the beauty of the Highlands.

26
00:01:55,080 --> 00:01:58,720
Now, I'm following the coastline
northwards on the home straight.

27
00:02:00,360 --> 00:02:01,880
Starting in Invergordon,

28
00:02:01,880 --> 00:02:04,600
I'll pass through
the county of Sutherland

29
00:02:04,600 --> 00:02:06,480
to the end of the line at Wick,

30
00:02:06,480 --> 00:02:08,920
finishing my journey
in John O'Groats.

31
00:02:13,200 --> 00:02:17,840
'I've swapped my usual 1860s
Bradshaw's for a later edition,

32
00:02:17,840 --> 00:02:22,080
'which shows me how the railways
opened up this windswept coast.'

33
00:02:23,400 --> 00:02:25,640
I'm going to leave the train
at Invergordon

34
00:02:25,640 --> 00:02:29,000
in order to reach Cromarty,
where, my Bradshaw's tells me,

35
00:02:29,000 --> 00:02:32,440
"Hugh Miller, a native,
made his discoveries

36
00:02:32,440 --> 00:02:35,280
"in the granite
and red sandstone cliffs."

37
00:02:35,280 --> 00:02:36,920
I don't know that name,

38
00:02:36,920 --> 00:02:40,400
but he must have been a prominent
Victorian to feature in my guidebook

39
00:02:40,400 --> 00:02:43,200
so I'm intrigued to hear
Hugh Miller's tale.

40
00:02:49,920 --> 00:02:52,240
'On the trail of
this forgotten figure,

41
00:02:52,240 --> 00:02:54,800
'I'm taking the ferry
across the Cromarty Firth.'

42
00:02:56,440 --> 00:03:00,080
'This sheltered bay is an important
centre for North Sea oil,

43
00:03:00,080 --> 00:03:03,560
'which we now know was formed
hundreds of millions of years ago.'

44
00:03:05,120 --> 00:03:07,960
'It was 19th-century scientists
who first recognised

45
00:03:07,960 --> 00:03:10,240
'how great is the age of the Earth,

46
00:03:10,240 --> 00:03:12,760
'and here, in the harbour town
of Cromarty,

47
00:03:12,760 --> 00:03:17,240
'self-taught geologist Hugh Miller
played an important role.'

48
00:03:19,360 --> 00:03:22,280
'He was born in 1802
in this humble cottage,

49
00:03:22,280 --> 00:03:25,040
'which now has a museum attached.

50
00:03:25,040 --> 00:03:28,120
'It's where I'm meeting
Dr Alix Powers-Jones

51
00:03:28,120 --> 00:03:30,120
'from the National Trust
for Scotland.'

52
00:03:30,120 --> 00:03:33,840
Alix. Michael, welcome.
Do come in. Thank you.

53
00:03:34,920 --> 00:03:38,800
Bradshaw's tells me that Hugh
Miller was a native of Cromarty

54
00:03:38,800 --> 00:03:41,080
and that he made his discoveries

55
00:03:41,080 --> 00:03:44,800
in the granite and
the red sandstone cliffs.

56
00:03:44,800 --> 00:03:46,760
What were the discoveries?

57
00:03:46,760 --> 00:03:50,840
He found fossils.
He found fossil fish.

58
00:03:50,840 --> 00:03:55,120
On the shore, there were
nodes of limestone

59
00:03:55,120 --> 00:03:57,120
that had weathered out of the cliff.

60
00:03:57,120 --> 00:04:00,480
They don't look very exciting,
but if you take the top off...

61
00:04:03,040 --> 00:04:06,760
Ah! Fossils, and this is
a fossil fish...

62
00:04:06,760 --> 00:04:08,880
Lovely.

63
00:04:08,880 --> 00:04:12,600
'The 19th century witnessed
a new fashion for fossil hunting,

64
00:04:12,600 --> 00:04:15,640
'and the work of enthusiastic
amateurs like Miller

65
00:04:15,640 --> 00:04:18,680
'helped people to understand
that the Earth was older

66
00:04:18,680 --> 00:04:20,920
'than they'd been taught to believe.

67
00:04:20,920 --> 00:04:23,680
'He began collecting in childhood,

68
00:04:23,680 --> 00:04:26,840
'then trained as a stonemason
and, later, banker,

69
00:04:26,840 --> 00:04:29,880
'but he continued to pursue
his passion.

70
00:04:29,880 --> 00:04:32,280
'Over his lifetime,
he collected and catalogued

71
00:04:32,280 --> 00:04:35,120
'an astonishing 6,000 specimens.'

72
00:04:35,120 --> 00:04:39,000
So, he was pushing at the edges
of scientific knowledge.

73
00:04:39,000 --> 00:04:41,640
I mean, this was a very interesting
period, wasn't it?

74
00:04:41,640 --> 00:04:45,520
I suppose we're running up to
Darwin's theory of evolution?

75
00:04:45,520 --> 00:04:51,160
Yes. In fact, Darwin and Hugh Miller
were in communication with
one another.

76
00:04:51,160 --> 00:04:55,440
Darwin wrote to Hugh Miller,
congratulating him on his work.

77
00:04:57,280 --> 00:05:01,120
'Fossil evidence was vital
to Darwin's groundbreaking work -

78
00:05:01,120 --> 00:05:05,400
'On The Origin Of Species,
published in 1859.

79
00:05:05,400 --> 00:05:08,880
'In his letter to Miller,
he praises not just his research,

80
00:05:08,880 --> 00:05:13,120
'but also his writings,
for Miller was a talented author.'

81
00:05:13,120 --> 00:05:17,840
He wrote a book called
First Impressions Of England
And Her People,

82
00:05:17,840 --> 00:05:20,000
and he travelled by railway.

83
00:05:20,000 --> 00:05:22,280
I'm delighted to hear that.

84
00:05:22,280 --> 00:05:24,920
He was not a great fan...

85
00:05:24,920 --> 00:05:28,160
"One soon wearies of the monotony
of railway travelling,

86
00:05:28,160 --> 00:05:31,400
"of hurrying through a country
stage after stage

87
00:05:31,400 --> 00:05:33,640
"without incident or advantage,

88
00:05:33,640 --> 00:05:38,560
"and I felt quite glad when the train
stopped at Wolverhampton."

89
00:05:38,560 --> 00:05:42,680
Oh, dear. I think... I think I could
be going off Hugh Miller!
SHE LAUGHS

90
00:05:42,680 --> 00:05:45,440
'Alongside his scientific research
and travel writing,

91
00:05:45,440 --> 00:05:49,920
'Miller was also a prolific
journalist and social commentator.

92
00:05:49,920 --> 00:05:53,120
'And while, these days, his name has
been largely forgotten,

93
00:05:53,120 --> 00:05:56,160
'in his day, he was a huge
celebrity.'

94
00:05:56,160 --> 00:05:59,000
He was quite a showman, I think.

95
00:05:59,000 --> 00:06:03,480
He'd got a great swash of red hair
and mutton-chop whiskers,

96
00:06:03,480 --> 00:06:07,360
and he wore a shepherd's plaid,
a tartan, tossed over his shoulder.

97
00:06:07,360 --> 00:06:09,800
He was known as Old Red.

98
00:06:09,800 --> 00:06:11,160
On the day of his funeral,

99
00:06:11,160 --> 00:06:15,080
the whole of Edinburgh,
where he died, ground to a halt.

100
00:06:15,080 --> 00:06:18,120
Thousands of people
attended his funeral.

101
00:06:18,120 --> 00:06:20,920
And then, just after he died,
three years,

102
00:06:20,920 --> 00:06:24,320
a column was erected in Cromarty,
like a Nelson's Column.

103
00:06:24,320 --> 00:06:26,240
A Hugh Miller column.

104
00:06:26,240 --> 00:06:27,720
By the people.

105
00:06:27,720 --> 00:06:31,240
No wonder, then, that decades later

106
00:06:31,240 --> 00:06:33,840
he still gets a mention in
my Bradshaw's guide.

107
00:06:35,200 --> 00:06:37,760
'It's good to know that,
in Cromarty at least,

108
00:06:37,760 --> 00:06:40,240
'Miller's memory is being
kept alive.

109
00:06:41,520 --> 00:06:43,720
'I'm now rejoining
the Far North Line

110
00:06:43,720 --> 00:06:45,880
'to continue my Highland adventure.

111
00:06:47,200 --> 00:06:49,760
'For most of the route,
the railway hugs the coast,

112
00:06:49,760 --> 00:06:53,640
'but it was also built to serve
the rural hinterland.'

113
00:06:53,640 --> 00:06:56,920
My next stop is Tain,
which my Bradshaw's tells me is...

114
00:06:56,920 --> 00:06:59,960
"a royal burgh of
considerable antiquity.

115
00:06:59,960 --> 00:07:02,280
"Weekly grain markets are held here,

116
00:07:02,280 --> 00:07:06,160
"and there is a rich agricultural
district around the town,

117
00:07:06,160 --> 00:07:10,600
"Easter Ross being famous for
its large and early crop."

118
00:07:12,400 --> 00:07:15,800
'This region's farmers enjoy
an unusual microclimate,

119
00:07:15,800 --> 00:07:17,840
'thanks to high ground to the west,

120
00:07:17,840 --> 00:07:21,520
'which protects them from the worst
of the Scottish weather.

121
00:07:21,520 --> 00:07:26,600
'The arrival of the railway boosted
their competitive advantage
even further.

122
00:07:26,600 --> 00:07:29,400
'But, surprisingly, the Victorian
railway builders

123
00:07:29,400 --> 00:07:34,400
'were just as reliant on agriculture
as the farmers were on the trains.

124
00:07:34,400 --> 00:07:37,640
'I've come to Rhynie Farm to
meet Donald Ross.'

125
00:07:37,640 --> 00:07:39,600
Hello! Hello, Michael.

126
00:07:39,600 --> 00:07:43,480
'Donald's family have farmed
the land here for five generations,

127
00:07:43,480 --> 00:07:46,480
'but they also have a link with
tracks that I've travelled

128
00:07:46,480 --> 00:07:48,320
'on my Scottish railway adventure.'

129
00:07:48,320 --> 00:07:50,640
Tell me about your
great-great-grandfather.

130
00:07:50,640 --> 00:07:55,240
He was a contractor on
the Inverness to Aviemore line.

131
00:07:55,240 --> 00:07:59,480
He built the bridge over
the River Findhorn at Tomatin.

132
00:07:59,480 --> 00:08:02,080
I went on that line
very, very recently.

133
00:08:02,080 --> 00:08:04,520
The Findhorn Viaduct is spectacular.

134
00:08:04,520 --> 00:08:07,640
This gentleman here is
my great-great-grandfather.

135
00:08:07,640 --> 00:08:10,240
That is the most wonderful
photograph!

136
00:08:10,240 --> 00:08:14,320
"Opening of the Aviemore line,
October 29th 1898."

137
00:08:14,320 --> 00:08:16,960
And you have in pride of place
in your hallway here,

138
00:08:16,960 --> 00:08:19,200
so it must mean something
to your family?

139
00:08:19,200 --> 00:08:21,440
It's been there
since the photo was taken,

140
00:08:21,440 --> 00:08:23,240
so, I mean, we are very proud
of him, yes.

141
00:08:25,880 --> 00:08:29,120
'Building the Victorian railways
was a massive task,

142
00:08:29,120 --> 00:08:34,160
'requiring vast numbers of men
and huge quantities of materials.

143
00:08:34,160 --> 00:08:36,640
'And Donald's
great-great-grandfather

144
00:08:36,640 --> 00:08:39,840
'came up with an ingenious way
to improve efficiency.'

145
00:08:41,720 --> 00:08:43,760
What took him into farming?

146
00:08:43,760 --> 00:08:45,760
He needed to feed his animals.

147
00:08:45,760 --> 00:08:47,200
Um...

148
00:08:47,200 --> 00:08:51,480
Because he didn't have any lorries or
anything to work, he had horses.

149
00:08:51,480 --> 00:08:53,920
His horses were
very important to him,

150
00:08:53,920 --> 00:08:56,040
as they carted all the spoil away

151
00:08:56,040 --> 00:08:58,800
and to the embankments on
the railway line.

152
00:08:58,800 --> 00:09:02,680
And they needed to eat hay
and they needed to eat oats,

153
00:09:02,680 --> 00:09:05,520
so the farm was a form of
vertical integration,

154
00:09:05,520 --> 00:09:08,880
as opposed to...supply
the animals with feed.

155
00:09:08,880 --> 00:09:11,960
And do you know
when he bought the farm?

156
00:09:11,960 --> 00:09:14,680
The farm was bought in 1886.

157
00:09:14,680 --> 00:09:18,480
Indeed we have an entry
in this diary here...

158
00:09:18,480 --> 00:09:20,960
14th April,

159
00:09:20,960 --> 00:09:24,160
"Bought property,
jointly with Balaldie.

160
00:09:24,160 --> 00:09:27,080
"£12,500."

161
00:09:27,080 --> 00:09:28,040
Amazing.

162
00:09:31,920 --> 00:09:35,640
'In Victorian times,
farming was changing fast,

163
00:09:35,640 --> 00:09:38,200
'as new machinery was invented.

164
00:09:38,200 --> 00:09:41,760
'Forward-thinking farmers like
Donald's great-great-grandfather

165
00:09:41,760 --> 00:09:43,760
'embraced this new technology.'

166
00:09:46,920 --> 00:09:48,840
This is a fine old piece
of machinery!

167
00:09:48,840 --> 00:09:51,200
What kind of date is this, Donald?

168
00:09:51,200 --> 00:09:56,320
Michael, this is
an 1894...Kemp Reaper.

169
00:09:56,320 --> 00:09:57,680
How was it powered?

170
00:09:57,680 --> 00:10:02,560
It's pulled by two horses either side
of the main bar up the middle.

171
00:10:02,560 --> 00:10:05,200
There's a knife which goes
back and forth,

172
00:10:05,200 --> 00:10:10,280
and the barley, or the crop,
falls onto the louvres at the back,

173
00:10:10,280 --> 00:10:12,280
and when there's sufficient in it,

174
00:10:12,280 --> 00:10:16,600
the man...picked up his rake...

175
00:10:16,600 --> 00:10:19,240
while he was sitting in that seat,
and would shove it back.

176
00:10:20,320 --> 00:10:22,320
'Mechanised reapers like this

177
00:10:22,320 --> 00:10:25,880
'dramatically reduced the manpower
needed to harvest crops,

178
00:10:25,880 --> 00:10:28,680
'which could then be taken
to a threshing machine

179
00:10:28,680 --> 00:10:31,840
'to separate the grain
from the stalks.

180
00:10:31,840 --> 00:10:33,880
'But a later invention

181
00:10:33,880 --> 00:10:36,280
'was to streamline the process
even further.'

182
00:10:38,560 --> 00:10:41,360
And so, a combine harvester
is exactly that,

183
00:10:41,360 --> 00:10:44,600
it's bringing two jobs together,
that before were entirely separate?

184
00:10:44,600 --> 00:10:46,120
That's correct, Michael.

185
00:10:46,120 --> 00:10:48,920
It brings together the cutting
as well as the thrashing.

186
00:10:48,920 --> 00:10:51,640
Now, if you come over here,
this is what we use now.

187
00:10:51,640 --> 00:10:53,760
Ah! Splendid vehicle...

188
00:10:53,760 --> 00:10:58,280
Yeah, it's 18 years old,
but it serves our purposes very well,

189
00:10:58,280 --> 00:11:00,720
and it's up there with most
of the big boys

190
00:11:00,720 --> 00:11:03,120
in the modern technology stakes.

191
00:11:03,120 --> 00:11:06,800
'Invented in the United States
in the 19th century,

192
00:11:06,800 --> 00:11:10,120
'the combine harvester
didn't become widespread in Britain

193
00:11:10,120 --> 00:11:12,240
'until the 1950s.

194
00:11:12,240 --> 00:11:14,480
'Thanks to machinery like this,

195
00:11:14,480 --> 00:11:18,760
'the work done by 30 men in Donald's
great-great-grandfather's time

196
00:11:18,760 --> 00:11:20,960
'is now done by just three.'

197
00:11:20,960 --> 00:11:24,040
So, I can see the teeth there going
back and forwards at high speed.

198
00:11:24,040 --> 00:11:27,320
They're chopping down the barley?
They're cutting the barley.

199
00:11:27,320 --> 00:11:30,800
Apart from anything else,
you get a wonderful view
of your crop from here.

200
00:11:30,800 --> 00:11:33,600
You must be able to tell a lot
just from driving over it like this?

201
00:11:33,600 --> 00:11:35,680
You can. I mean, you can see...

202
00:11:35,680 --> 00:11:38,520
I mean, when it's ripe,
the heads are down...

203
00:11:38,520 --> 00:11:41,480
'This barley is destined
for the whisky trade.

204
00:11:41,480 --> 00:11:44,600
'As the vital ingredient in
Scotland's world-famous tipple,

205
00:11:44,600 --> 00:11:46,840
'it has to be top quality.'

206
00:11:46,840 --> 00:11:49,840
Have you any idea how many
bottles of whisky

207
00:11:49,840 --> 00:11:51,760
we've harvested
in the last few minutes?

208
00:11:51,760 --> 00:11:53,480
Well, if I look behind me,

209
00:11:53,480 --> 00:11:57,160
we have about a tonne
in the grain tank there,

210
00:11:57,160 --> 00:11:59,720
and I would be saying
that would hopefully produce

211
00:11:59,720 --> 00:12:02,600
about 400 litres of neat whisky.

212
00:12:02,600 --> 00:12:04,000
Wow!

213
00:12:04,000 --> 00:12:07,720
So, in effect, we probably have
1,000 bottles of whisky behind us.

214
00:12:07,720 --> 00:12:10,520
MICHAEL LAUGHS
That's quite a thought.
Let's keep going!

215
00:12:10,520 --> 00:12:12,560
Aye, well, that would be
a good night, wouldn't it?

216
00:12:16,640 --> 00:12:20,280
'I'm sure George Bradshaw would be
astonished by the technology

217
00:12:20,280 --> 00:12:23,760
'that allows one man to
harvest so much.

218
00:12:23,760 --> 00:12:25,560
'I'm now rejoining the railway,

219
00:12:25,560 --> 00:12:27,880
'to make one more trip
before nightfall.'

220
00:12:32,480 --> 00:12:36,720
Last stop of the day, Rogart,
which, my Bradshaw's tells me, is...

221
00:12:36,720 --> 00:12:38,840
"in the midst of a hilly district

222
00:12:38,840 --> 00:12:42,640
"abounding in traces
of Danish camps."

223
00:12:42,640 --> 00:12:45,480
Well, I fear there are
no Danes left to welcome me,

224
00:12:45,480 --> 00:12:48,120
but I do intend to encamp here
for the night.

225
00:12:54,360 --> 00:12:57,680
'Tonight's stopover is something
out of the ordinary,

226
00:12:57,680 --> 00:13:01,360
'and it's kicking off with
a traditional Scottish welcome...'

227
00:13:01,360 --> 00:13:03,960
BAGPIPES PLAY

228
00:13:06,000 --> 00:13:08,840
Hello! Hello, Michael.
Welcome to Rogart.

229
00:13:10,880 --> 00:13:12,720
Who's the young piper?

230
00:13:12,720 --> 00:13:14,120
My son, Fraser.

231
00:13:15,840 --> 00:13:17,040
Good lad.

232
00:13:18,600 --> 00:13:21,520
Kate Roach offers
weary railway travellers

233
00:13:21,520 --> 00:13:25,960
the chance to sleep by the tracks
in a converted railway carriage.

234
00:13:25,960 --> 00:13:28,280
Thank you. If you'd like to go in...

235
00:13:28,280 --> 00:13:32,000
Ah! We have a shower in
the vestibule end... Yes.

236
00:13:32,000 --> 00:13:34,640
..and then your bedroom's
through here...

237
00:13:34,640 --> 00:13:37,360
Oh, that is very homely!

238
00:13:37,360 --> 00:13:41,080
..and then we have a sitting room...
Oh, that's great!

239
00:13:41,080 --> 00:13:44,320
An old first-class compartment
in a corridor train

240
00:13:44,320 --> 00:13:47,120
with a wonderful library
of railway books...

241
00:13:47,120 --> 00:13:51,480
'I'm sure my Bradshaw's guide and I
will feel perfectly at home here.'

242
00:13:56,160 --> 00:13:58,240
HE SIGHS CONTENTEDLY

243
00:13:58,240 --> 00:14:00,000
Perfect.

244
00:14:00,000 --> 00:14:02,080
After a day on the tracks,

245
00:14:02,080 --> 00:14:03,840
I've become a railway sleeper.

246
00:14:15,480 --> 00:14:19,720
'A new day beckons, and there's just
time to rustle up some breakfast

247
00:14:19,720 --> 00:14:21,320
'before I hit the tracks.'

248
00:14:24,400 --> 00:14:27,040
Superb! My compliments to the chef.

249
00:14:30,080 --> 00:14:34,760
'I'm now venturing into ever more
sparsely-populated territory.

250
00:14:34,760 --> 00:14:37,000
'Many of the stations
on this line are so remote

251
00:14:37,000 --> 00:14:39,040
'that there are no scheduled stops.'

252
00:14:48,400 --> 00:14:53,240
Um...Dunrobin Castle. I think it's
a request stop. Could you ask
the driver to stop, please?

253
00:14:53,240 --> 00:14:56,040
It is. I'll tell the driver for you.
Thank you very much. Thank you.

254
00:14:57,600 --> 00:15:00,800
'It might seem surprising that
such an isolated region

255
00:15:00,800 --> 00:15:02,880
'has a railway at all.

256
00:15:02,880 --> 00:15:05,960
'But it's all thanks to
the energy and determination

257
00:15:05,960 --> 00:15:09,480
'of one very eminent
Victorian railway fan.'

258
00:15:09,480 --> 00:15:12,960
My Bradshaw's tells me that
the part of the line to Helmsdale

259
00:15:12,960 --> 00:15:15,920
is called The Duke
of Sutherland's Line,

260
00:15:15,920 --> 00:15:18,000
having been made at his cost,

261
00:15:18,000 --> 00:15:21,160
which tells you quite a lot
about the mid-19th century.

262
00:15:21,160 --> 00:15:23,280
I shall be getting off
at Dunrobin Castle,

263
00:15:23,280 --> 00:15:25,720
"where the station is a private one,

264
00:15:25,720 --> 00:15:28,760
"for the use of Dunrobin Castle,
the Duke's seat.

265
00:15:28,760 --> 00:15:31,040
"A magnificent pile of buildings,

266
00:15:31,040 --> 00:15:35,080
"enlarged within last 20 years
at great expense,

267
00:15:35,080 --> 00:15:38,120
"and finely placed
for land and sea views."

268
00:15:41,440 --> 00:15:43,640
'Perched above the Moray Firth,

269
00:15:43,640 --> 00:15:48,040
'Dunrobin Castle certainly lives up
to my guidebook's description.

270
00:15:48,040 --> 00:15:51,960
'It was rebuilt in the style
of a French chateau in the 1840s,

271
00:15:51,960 --> 00:15:56,480
'complete with fairy-tale spires
and elegant gardens.

272
00:15:56,480 --> 00:15:59,120
'But I'm here to explore
its unique station,

273
00:15:59,120 --> 00:16:02,360
'which helped to shape the history
of the Far North Line.

274
00:16:03,560 --> 00:16:05,560
'Still privately owned
by the estate,

275
00:16:05,560 --> 00:16:10,480
'today it's looked after by rail
enthusiast Daniel Brittain-Catlin.'

276
00:16:11,840 --> 00:16:14,480
Michael, welcome to
Dunrobin Castle station.

277
00:16:14,480 --> 00:16:16,440
Thank you very much indeed.

278
00:16:16,440 --> 00:16:18,640
Apparently, according to
my Bradshaw's,

279
00:16:18,640 --> 00:16:20,800
the Duke of Sutherland
paid for this line.

280
00:16:20,800 --> 00:16:23,600
He really saw the social value
of railways,

281
00:16:23,600 --> 00:16:26,280
and in opening up
the county of Sutherland.

282
00:16:26,280 --> 00:16:30,320
And, of course, he was able to build
this line comparatively easily

283
00:16:30,320 --> 00:16:33,760
because, being a duke, he was
a member of the House of Lords,

284
00:16:33,760 --> 00:16:36,440
he was able to promote
his own Act of Parliament,

285
00:16:36,440 --> 00:16:40,120
which was modestly called the
Duke of Sutherland's Railway Act...

286
00:16:40,120 --> 00:16:43,280
He put that through the House of
Lords, paid for it himself,

287
00:16:43,280 --> 00:16:45,160
and he created his own railway line,

288
00:16:45,160 --> 00:16:47,600
ending up as part of
the national network.

289
00:16:49,360 --> 00:16:53,480
'The railway-mad duke built
14½ miles of track

290
00:16:53,480 --> 00:16:57,320
'to link Dunrobin with the coal mine
that he owned at Brora

291
00:16:57,320 --> 00:17:00,200
'and the fishing village
of Helmsdale.

292
00:17:00,200 --> 00:17:03,680
'Owning the line was just
the start of his passion...'

293
00:17:03,680 --> 00:17:07,040
What kind of rolling stock
was he running on his railway line?

294
00:17:07,040 --> 00:17:11,320
He ran trains for the public
when it opened,

295
00:17:11,320 --> 00:17:14,200
but he had his own engine,
and two carriages,

296
00:17:14,200 --> 00:17:16,480
and they were pretty plush.

297
00:17:16,480 --> 00:17:21,080
One contained a sleeping car,
and one was a day coach.

298
00:17:21,080 --> 00:17:23,560
'The duke had the right to
run his private train

299
00:17:23,560 --> 00:17:26,000
'between Inverness and Wick.

300
00:17:26,000 --> 00:17:29,280
'In 1872, it carried Queen Victoria

301
00:17:29,280 --> 00:17:31,480
'when she visited
the Sutherland estate.

302
00:17:33,280 --> 00:17:35,760
They came up on train,
they left from Inverness,

303
00:17:35,760 --> 00:17:39,720
and from Inverness onwards, they
were on the Sutherlands' own train.

304
00:17:39,720 --> 00:17:42,440
The duchess and Queen Victoria
were in the carriage,

305
00:17:42,440 --> 00:17:46,120
but she did slightly wonder
where the duke was.

306
00:17:46,120 --> 00:17:49,360
But once they reached what was
then called Bonar Bridge station,

307
00:17:49,360 --> 00:17:51,160
is now called Ardgay station,

308
00:17:51,160 --> 00:17:54,160
a slightly sort of dirty man
in overalls appeared,

309
00:17:54,160 --> 00:17:57,160
shook hands rather too
enthusiastically with the Queen

310
00:17:57,160 --> 00:17:59,200
and, of course,
it turned out to be the duke

311
00:17:59,200 --> 00:18:02,000
who'd been driving
his own railway engine

312
00:18:02,000 --> 00:18:04,920
fired with his own coal from
his own coal mine.

313
00:18:04,920 --> 00:18:07,400
How absolutely magnificent!

314
00:18:07,400 --> 00:18:09,640
What did the Queen think
of that, do we know?

315
00:18:09,640 --> 00:18:13,000
Well, it could be that this is
one of the very rare occasions

316
00:18:13,000 --> 00:18:15,200
that Queen Victoria WAS amused.
MICHAEL CHUCKLES

317
00:18:16,760 --> 00:18:20,160
'The Queen spent ten days
enjoying a lavish reception

318
00:18:20,160 --> 00:18:22,840
'amid the splendour of
Dunrobin Castle,

319
00:18:22,840 --> 00:18:26,120
'and the bed she slept in
still takes pride of place

320
00:18:26,120 --> 00:18:28,520
'in the opulent
green and gold room.

321
00:18:30,160 --> 00:18:35,160
'The station, however, is altogether
on a more domestic scale.'

322
00:18:35,160 --> 00:18:38,480
This building doesn't seem to have
any Victorian feel to it...

323
00:18:38,480 --> 00:18:40,920
It's 1902,

324
00:18:40,920 --> 00:18:43,560
so JUST the first year
of Edward VII.

325
00:18:43,560 --> 00:18:45,240
It's the second building.

326
00:18:45,240 --> 00:18:49,720
The first was a kind of Wild West
ranch-style building, amazingly.

327
00:18:49,720 --> 00:18:54,960
This one is in a classic piece of
ENGLISH Arts and Crafts
architecture,

328
00:18:54,960 --> 00:18:56,960
plonked in the middle of Sutherland.

329
00:18:56,960 --> 00:18:58,760
'By the late 20th century,

330
00:18:58,760 --> 00:19:02,480
'this remarkable building was
suffering after years of neglect,

331
00:19:02,480 --> 00:19:05,840
'but since then, it's been
lovingly restored.

332
00:19:05,840 --> 00:19:09,640
'Until recently, there was just
one room which remained unloved,

333
00:19:09,640 --> 00:19:12,600
'but it turns out that
I've timed my visit perfectly

334
00:19:12,600 --> 00:19:15,280
'for the unveiling
of this special project.'

335
00:19:15,280 --> 00:19:18,920
Michael, this is very much our
pride and joy at Dunrobin. It's...

336
00:19:18,920 --> 00:19:22,000
Hello, everybody. You've got
quite a queue of admirers!

337
00:19:22,000 --> 00:19:25,440
It's our newly-restored
Edwardian cloakroom.

338
00:19:25,440 --> 00:19:29,120
The last piece of restoration,
and it's only just been completed,

339
00:19:29,120 --> 00:19:31,360
so I hope you will do us the honour

340
00:19:31,360 --> 00:19:33,760
of doing an official opening
of this loo.

341
00:19:33,760 --> 00:19:35,800
I'm very, very, very touched.

342
00:19:35,800 --> 00:19:37,760
Here we are. Oh, thank you
very much indeed.

343
00:19:39,440 --> 00:19:41,120
Well, ladies and gentlemen,

344
00:19:41,120 --> 00:19:44,320
I'm sure this ought to be
done by a celebrity,

345
00:19:44,320 --> 00:19:46,120
but I'm here in LIEU...

346
00:19:46,120 --> 00:19:48,000
LAUGHTER

347
00:19:49,160 --> 00:19:52,280
I'd like to congratulate
those involved in this,

348
00:19:52,280 --> 00:19:56,800
carpenter, tiler,
and everybody else, and, um...

349
00:19:56,800 --> 00:20:01,160
Well, good luck to everyone
who may...sail in it, you know...

350
00:20:01,160 --> 00:20:02,600
LAUGHTER

351
00:20:05,200 --> 00:20:07,880
CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

352
00:20:07,880 --> 00:20:10,520
And I hope you'll...be the first
to try it!

353
00:20:10,520 --> 00:20:12,400
LAUGHTER

354
00:20:12,400 --> 00:20:14,640
'Impressive as the facilities are,

355
00:20:14,640 --> 00:20:17,520
'it's time for me to bid
goodbye to the station

356
00:20:17,520 --> 00:20:21,200
'and continue my journey along
the Duke of Sutherland's Line.'

357
00:20:22,920 --> 00:20:27,600
'As I travel north, I'm passing
alongside the beautiful Moray Firth.

358
00:20:27,600 --> 00:20:30,840
'This stretch of water is
an important haven for wildlife,

359
00:20:30,840 --> 00:20:33,600
'including grey seals
and their pups,

360
00:20:33,600 --> 00:20:37,720
'and there's no better way to enjoy
it than from my railway carriage.'

361
00:20:40,080 --> 00:20:42,200
This seascape is dreamy.

362
00:20:42,200 --> 00:20:46,080
I'm passing by golden beaches,
entirely deserted.

363
00:20:46,080 --> 00:20:49,320
I have this scenery
completely to myself.

364
00:20:50,960 --> 00:20:54,320
'Stunning as the coastline is,
to reach my next stop,

365
00:20:54,320 --> 00:20:58,200
'I must soon leave the sea behind
and turn inland.'

366
00:20:59,360 --> 00:21:03,680
Bradshaw's tells me that this line
passes over a moory district

367
00:21:03,680 --> 00:21:08,720
by 12 or 13 stations, including
Kildonan, where I'll get off,

368
00:21:08,720 --> 00:21:11,160
where the duke has his
reclamation farms

369
00:21:11,160 --> 00:21:15,120
of 80 to 100 acres for
small farmers.

370
00:21:15,120 --> 00:21:17,960
But I understand that,
in the 1860s,

371
00:21:17,960 --> 00:21:20,600
the land brought forth
something even more valuable

372
00:21:20,600 --> 00:21:23,000
than oats or barley.

373
00:21:23,000 --> 00:21:26,960
ANNOUNCEMENT:
'We are now approaching Kildonan.
This is a request stop.'

374
00:21:26,960 --> 00:21:30,840
'150 years ago, this remote part
of the Sutherland estate

375
00:21:30,840 --> 00:21:35,440
'was the setting for Scotland's
very own gold rush.

376
00:21:35,440 --> 00:21:38,640
'I'm meeting modern-day prospector
Lorna Smith

377
00:21:38,640 --> 00:21:40,680
'to hear the extraordinary tale.'

378
00:21:40,680 --> 00:21:43,880
Hello! Hello! Michael.
Pleased to meet you.

379
00:21:43,880 --> 00:21:45,200
Panning for gold?

380
00:21:45,200 --> 00:21:48,400
Yes, aye, one or two little specks
just from the surface gravel.

381
00:21:49,840 --> 00:21:54,320
'The second half of the 19th century
witnessed a gold-hunting craze,

382
00:21:54,320 --> 00:21:58,040
'as, dazzled by the discoveries
made in 1840s California,

383
00:21:58,040 --> 00:22:03,640
'prospectors scoured the globe
for new places to get rich quick.

384
00:22:03,640 --> 00:22:06,920
'Before long, they turned
their gaze on Scotland.'

385
00:22:06,920 --> 00:22:10,000
It was a chap called Robert
Gilchrist who started the gold rush.

386
00:22:10,000 --> 00:22:13,840
He was a local man, and he was
interested in the gold.

387
00:22:13,840 --> 00:22:16,480
He went to Australia to
try his hand there.

388
00:22:16,480 --> 00:22:21,280
He met a few experienced miners
out there, and learnt quite a lot.

389
00:22:21,280 --> 00:22:24,000
He was beginning to feel homesick
after a few years,

390
00:22:24,000 --> 00:22:25,720
so he thought he would
just come home

391
00:22:25,720 --> 00:22:29,960
and try hand in Strath of Kildonan,
because he recognised similarities

392
00:22:29,960 --> 00:22:32,840
between the rock structures
and gravels in Australia

393
00:22:32,840 --> 00:22:34,320
to what he had left at home.

394
00:22:35,880 --> 00:22:39,600
'In 1868, Gilchrist struck it lucky,

395
00:22:39,600 --> 00:22:42,680
'and the news of his success
soon spread.

396
00:22:42,680 --> 00:22:47,160
'At that time, the Duke of
Sutherland's railway was
yet to be built,

397
00:22:47,160 --> 00:22:50,920
'so prospectors faced a 30-mile walk
from the nearest station.

398
00:22:50,920 --> 00:22:54,240
'But that did nothing to deter
the hopeful hordes.'

399
00:22:54,240 --> 00:22:58,040
The potato blight had ruined
the food for the winters.

400
00:22:58,040 --> 00:23:00,320
People were beginning to be hungry.

401
00:23:00,320 --> 00:23:04,920
Once they heard about how Robert
was doing on the river,

402
00:23:04,920 --> 00:23:07,640
they reckoned they would like
to come and have a try too.

403
00:23:07,640 --> 00:23:09,400
And how many people did come?

404
00:23:09,400 --> 00:23:12,320
500 people came at the height
of the gold rush.

405
00:23:12,320 --> 00:23:13,760
Extraordinary.

406
00:23:13,760 --> 00:23:16,360
'The Duke of Sutherland
issued licences,

407
00:23:16,360 --> 00:23:18,040
'at a cost of a pound a month,

408
00:23:18,040 --> 00:23:22,240
'while the crown took 10% of
all the prospectors found.

409
00:23:22,240 --> 00:23:25,000
'Although much of the gold
probably went undeclared,

410
00:23:25,000 --> 00:23:26,840
'it's thought the official haul

411
00:23:26,840 --> 00:23:31,240
'totalled around £850,000
in today's money.

412
00:23:31,240 --> 00:23:35,200
'But the heady days of the gold rush
were not to last long.'

413
00:23:35,200 --> 00:23:40,840
The duke decided that there was too
much disruption to the salmon parr,

414
00:23:40,840 --> 00:23:45,680
whose gills were being clogged by
the suspended gravel in the stream.

415
00:23:45,680 --> 00:23:48,920
He was worried it was going to have
an effect on the salmon fishing.

416
00:23:48,920 --> 00:23:53,120
The winter was setting in, and they
had rough wooden shelters on here.

417
00:23:53,120 --> 00:23:56,200
When you're talking about maybe
15 or 16 degrees of frost

418
00:23:56,200 --> 00:23:59,560
in the middle of the winter,
it's not good. It's not good.

419
00:23:59,560 --> 00:24:02,520
And so, that brought
the gold rush to an end?

420
00:24:02,520 --> 00:24:06,360
The duke decided that for
everybody's safety and comfort

421
00:24:06,360 --> 00:24:09,200
that he should really end
the gold rush.

422
00:24:09,200 --> 00:24:12,040
He did that by not issuing
any more licences

423
00:24:12,040 --> 00:24:15,160
and not renewing licences after
they had been issued.

424
00:24:15,160 --> 00:24:19,560
'By the end of 1869,
the Kildonan gold rush was over.

425
00:24:19,560 --> 00:24:22,800
'These days, anyone can come and
search for gold on the estate,

426
00:24:22,800 --> 00:24:26,080
'but the only method allowed
is hand-panning.

427
00:24:26,080 --> 00:24:30,720
'It works on the principle that gold
is the heaviest mineral
in the river.'

428
00:24:30,720 --> 00:24:33,880
And that's just a case of
swirling it round,

429
00:24:33,880 --> 00:24:37,360
so the heavy pieces get a chance to
sink right down to the bottom

430
00:24:37,360 --> 00:24:39,840
and the lighter gravels
and stones are on the top.

431
00:24:39,840 --> 00:24:42,480
And then, gradually, wash off
the lighter stuff? Yep.

432
00:24:42,480 --> 00:24:44,360
'It takes patience and hard work,

433
00:24:44,360 --> 00:24:48,000
'but retrieving even a tiny amount
is quite a thrill.'

434
00:24:48,000 --> 00:24:51,360
This just a little sample from
the side of the burn,

435
00:24:51,360 --> 00:24:53,440
but you can see that there's
gold there.

436
00:24:53,440 --> 00:24:55,080
I never thought I'd see this.

437
00:24:55,080 --> 00:24:58,480
All the times I've seen in movies,
people doing this,

438
00:24:58,480 --> 00:25:01,280
and, of course, in the movies they
never do find gold, poor things,

439
00:25:01,280 --> 00:25:03,600
but there it is.
There it is, that's right.

440
00:25:03,600 --> 00:25:07,080
HE SHOUTS:
Gold! We've found gold!

441
00:25:07,080 --> 00:25:10,000
Gold!
SHE CHUCKLES

442
00:25:10,000 --> 00:25:11,480
Is that not what you do? No.

443
00:25:11,480 --> 00:25:14,280
THEY LAUGH

444
00:25:14,280 --> 00:25:17,480
'Sadly, I don't have time
to seek my fortune,

445
00:25:17,480 --> 00:25:21,920
'as I'm rejoining the Far North Line
to complete my Scottish odyssey.

446
00:25:21,920 --> 00:25:26,040
'Finished in 1874,
this final section opened up

447
00:25:26,040 --> 00:25:28,840
'some of the wildest reaches
of northern Scotland,

448
00:25:28,840 --> 00:25:32,440
'previously accessible only
to wealthy travellers.'

449
00:25:32,440 --> 00:25:36,480
I'm now on the very last segment
of my journey, taking me into Wick,

450
00:25:36,480 --> 00:25:38,600
which my Bradshaw's describes as...

451
00:25:38,600 --> 00:25:42,400
"The present ultima Thule
of railway enterprise,

452
00:25:42,400 --> 00:25:44,360
"the furthest extremity,"

453
00:25:44,360 --> 00:25:48,120
and, as in Victorian days,
this is the end of the line.

454
00:25:49,560 --> 00:25:52,800
'In Bradshaw's day,
Wick was a busy herring port,

455
00:25:52,800 --> 00:25:55,560
'and the new railway line helped
to transport the fish

456
00:25:55,560 --> 00:25:57,720
'to markets further south.

457
00:25:57,720 --> 00:26:00,720
'It also attracted crowds of
Victorian tourists,

458
00:26:00,720 --> 00:26:03,320
'disembarking to make
the short coach trip

459
00:26:03,320 --> 00:26:06,800
'to that most symbolic of coastal
villages, John O'Groats.'

460
00:26:09,040 --> 00:26:11,480
Bradshaw's says of John O'Groats,

461
00:26:11,480 --> 00:26:15,920
"This famous locality lies at the
south side of the Pentland Firth,

462
00:26:15,920 --> 00:26:18,560
"and gives one of the finest
sights in the north.

463
00:26:18,560 --> 00:26:23,240
"The view, on a favourable day..."
Thank goodness, today IS favourable,

464
00:26:23,240 --> 00:26:26,080
"..of land and water,
is very interesting.

465
00:26:26,080 --> 00:26:29,800
"Orkney is seen to great advantage."

466
00:26:29,800 --> 00:26:32,720
Since, a few years ago,
I stood at Land's End,

467
00:26:32,720 --> 00:26:37,920
it's been my ambition to come to
this other most far-flung part
of our kingdom.

468
00:26:41,560 --> 00:26:46,200
'Every year, tourists come to marvel
at the wild beauty of the setting,

469
00:26:46,200 --> 00:26:49,080
'amid the stunning cliffs
of Duncansby Head,

470
00:26:49,080 --> 00:26:51,880
'and thousands of so-called
"end-to-enders"

471
00:26:51,880 --> 00:26:53,720
'undertake the long journey

472
00:26:53,720 --> 00:26:56,600
'between Britain's most distant
inhabited spots.'

473
00:27:03,680 --> 00:27:05,480
I just couldn't resist.

474
00:27:08,520 --> 00:27:12,400
'As my lengthy trek up Scotland's
east coast draws to an end,

475
00:27:12,400 --> 00:27:15,480
'it strikes me that the railways
helped this nation

476
00:27:15,480 --> 00:27:19,040
'to share its blessings
with the rest of the world.'

477
00:27:19,040 --> 00:27:21,560
Victorian tracks have brought me

478
00:27:21,560 --> 00:27:24,600
to the uppermost edge of
mainland Britain.

479
00:27:24,600 --> 00:27:26,400
From my seat on the train,

480
00:27:26,400 --> 00:27:30,080
I've gawped in admiration
at Scotland's grandeur.

481
00:27:30,080 --> 00:27:33,320
The railways in the Highlands
brought not industrial revolution

482
00:27:33,320 --> 00:27:35,160
so much as continuity,

483
00:27:35,160 --> 00:27:40,360
enabling communities to survive
and traditional skills to flourish.

484
00:27:40,360 --> 00:27:43,080
My Bradshaw's guide has
now enabled me

485
00:27:43,080 --> 00:27:47,560
to appreciate Britain, this great
country, from toe to tip.

486
00:27:50,920 --> 00:27:54,320
'On my next journey, I'll be
travelling from London to Devon,

487
00:27:54,320 --> 00:27:57,520
'along master engineer
Isambard Kingdom Brunel's

488
00:27:57,520 --> 00:27:58,960
'Great Western Railway...'

489
00:28:00,160 --> 00:28:03,640
This is exciting. Is this genuinely
a section of Brunel's pipe?

490
00:28:03,640 --> 00:28:05,880
'..I'll visit a Victorian
tourist hotspot...'

491
00:28:07,240 --> 00:28:11,720
This is the grandaddy of all castles
and cathedrals and skyscrapers.

492
00:28:11,720 --> 00:28:13,640
This is the beginning of
architecture.

493
00:28:13,640 --> 00:28:17,600
'..explore a church that moves
in mysterious ways...'

494
00:28:17,600 --> 00:28:21,480
That's extraordinary, Rod. It really
is moving from side to side.

495
00:28:21,480 --> 00:28:24,560
'..and work up a sweat turning
a grand old loco.'

496
00:28:24,560 --> 00:28:28,000
HE GROANS
She's moving!
I can't believe it, she's moving.

497
00:28:49,080 --> 00:28:55,000
Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd