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For Victorian Britons, George
Bradshaw was a household name.

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At a time when railways were new,
Bradshaw's guidebook inspired them

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to take to the tracks.

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I'm using a Bradshaw's guide
to understand

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how trains transformed Britain -
its landscape, its industries,

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society and leisure time.

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As I crisscross the country
150 years later,

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it helps me to discover
the Britain of today.

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I'm continuing my journey across
southern Scotland,

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now moving away from the Central
Belt towards hillier country.

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At the time of my Bradshaw's guide,

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Queen Victoria had bought
Balmoral Castle

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and highland dress had
become highly fashionable.

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But being sentimental
about tartans and kilts

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was no disguise for the fact
that the English and the Scots

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had fought bitter battles
over many centuries.

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This week, I've been making my way
across Scotland from west to east.

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My journey began
at the Firth of Clyde

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and continued through the
Scottish lowlands to Glasgow.

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Now I'm heading north
to Stirling and Perth -

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gateways to the Highlands.

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I'll then travel east to Fife

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and the famous university town
of St Andrews.

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Finally, I'll turn south
to Scotland's capital.

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On today's leg, I begin in
Scotland's ancient stronghold

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before travelling north to
the head of the Earn Valley.

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Then on to the city
with royal connections.

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And my journey will end
in the beautiful Highlands.

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'I visit the scene of
a bloody battle.'

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And eventually the English
are forced back to a position

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where they are in complete chaos.

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'Enjoy a lesson in the skills
of an ancient craft.'

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It doesn't sound like
it sounded with you.

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You need more porridge.
More porridge!

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'And treat my traveller's
taste buds.'

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Mm, I'm slipping into ecstasy.

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Very, very fruity.

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I shall be leaving the train
at Stirling to visit the rivulet

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called Bannockburn which, according
to Bradshaw's, "runs through a glen.

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"The inhabitants carry on a
considerable trade in tartan

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"and woollen cloth in general.

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"Here the celebrated battle was
fought between Robert The Bruce,

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"King of Scotland and
Edward of England, in 1314."

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And doesn't a spider's web
come in to it somewhere

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or have I got my stories tangled?

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Stirling dates back to the 12th
century and its striking monuments

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and battlefields are testament
to its strategic place in history.

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In 1297, William Wallace
defeated the English

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at the battle of Stirling Bridge.

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And in 1314, another Scottish hero
fought to remove the English

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from Caledonian soil.

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I'm meeting historian
Fiona Watson at Bannockburn.

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So here is Robert the Bruce who
actually defeated the English.

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He certainly did, right here,

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and he's looking that way -
towards England, actually.

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We're quite a long way from England,
what were the English doing here?

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Well, it's a long story but in
essence, the English King Edward I

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was doing what medieval kings did,
expanding.

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He saw an opportunity when the
Scottish King Alexander III died.

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But he basically invaded in 1296
and took Scotland for his own.

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Stirling Castle was occupied by the
English and besieged by the Scots.

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At stake was not just a castle,

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but Scotland's independence
from England.

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Edward II comes in person?

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He does, which is very unusual,
by this period,

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for kings to actually fight
their battles.

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So we have the Scottish king, we have
the English king head-to-head.

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Crown to crown. Absolutely.
And how does the battle go, then?

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Very badly for the English,
it must be said. Bruce has a plan.

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He's trained his men, his spearmen,

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normally the Scottish spearmen
are static, defensive,

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but he's trained them to be
offensive, to move in formation

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and then get down
when they're charged.

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Edward doesn't have a plan,
he just thinks he's going to turn up,

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bigger, greater, mightier army
and the English will win.

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At the start of the battle, nobleman
Sir Henry de Bohun challenged Bruce

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to single combat and was swiftly
dispatched by the king's axe.

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There's divisions among his
commanders, cos he's set them up

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inadvertently between fighting
each other.

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So Bruce just has to
exert the discipline

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and the genius of his
own military abilities.

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He moves forward
against the English,

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they're hemmed in by the terrain,
they can't fan out

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and eventually the English
are forced back to a position

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where they are in complete chaos.

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SHOUTING

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Their situation wasn't helped by
the boggy battlefield conditions

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on the flood plain
of the River Forth.

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The King is led off the field

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because the English nobles realise
that he is about to be captured

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and that would be a really,
really terrible thing. Checkmate.

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Absolutely. And the minute the
king's standard is seen departing,

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of course, that means
it's every man for himself

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and the English start to flee.

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Only one sizeable group of English
foot soldiers managed to escape.

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No-one knows for sure how many
English infantrymen were killed

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but it was certainly thousands.

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Now I remember a story about
Robert the Bruce and a spider,

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something about trying
and trying again.

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So is there any truth
in this at all?

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Well, the wonderful story, it's a
wonderful story about the spider

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and it really does capture Robert the
Bruce at the beginning of his reign,

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where many Scots - as well as,
of course, the English -

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were against him,

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because he had killed a man to become
King, it was a dreadful story.

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And he went into exile,
and we can imagine him in a cave

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somewhere off the west coast of
Scotland, thinking it's all over.

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His brothers, many of them
had been killed,

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his wife, his daughter
had all been captured.

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Yeah, why would you go on?
And the spider teaches him that.

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But unfortunately, the original story
was actually about his friend

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and commander James Douglas,

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but I think everyone realised
how much that encapsulates

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those dreadful days at the beginning
of his reign, so I like it.

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Victorians would have enjoyed that
romantic legend as they came here

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hunting souvenirs.

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Fiona, Bradshaw's says,

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"Upon the top of an eminence

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"is a large limestone
on which the Scottish King

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"planted his standard.
So highly is this stone valued

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"that fragments of it are frequently
cut off and set in rings

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"and worn as a memorial

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"of one of the proudest days
in the annals of Scotland."

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Was that stone here? Yes, this
was the site of the Borestone,

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the stone referred to there,

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it's like a millstone
with a wee hole in it,

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and that's supposedly where
Robert Bruce planted his standard

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and this would have been
the Scottish camp.

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What happened to it?

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Well, Burns came, Robert Burns
came here in the 18th century,

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and he wrote his great poem
Scots Wha Hae.

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But in the 19th century,
when the railways arrive,

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bringing lots and lots more tourists,

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it seems to have been the thing where
they really did take bits of it away

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and they only have a tiny bit left
in the visitors' centre.

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So mixed blessing, the railways,
I think for Bannockburn.

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To celebrate the 700th anniversary
of the battle,

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there's a new addition
to the Borestone.

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And it's an offering
of which I'm sure

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Robert Burns would have approved.

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"Here lies our land: every airt

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"Beneath swift clouds,
glad glints of sun,

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"Belonging to none but itself.

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"We are mere transients, who sing

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"Its westlin' winds and fernie braes,

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"'Come all ye', the country says,

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"'You win me, who take me
most to heart.'"

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That was beautiful.

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I feel my Scottish blood surging
from my heart. Absolutely.

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And I wonder what today's visitors
make of the history?

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What do you know about the battle?

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Basically that we won!

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THEY LAUGH

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Do you think you get a feeling about
the battle and Scottish history?

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Well, you do have a feeling about
the battle in Scottish history.

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I mean, after all, Bruce finished
the job that Wallace started.

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At this ancient battlefield, I am
conscious of centuries of struggle

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between the Scots and the English.

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Fortunately, nowadays, their
relationship is settled

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in the ballot box rather
than by the sword.

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'I've headed back
to Stirling station,

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'to travel north towards Perthshire

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'and the hills that so captivated
Bradshaw's tourists.'

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My next stop will be Crieff,

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a village where I've had
a strong family connection

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and which I know well.

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A late edition of Bradshaw's tells
me that, "There are mineral springs,

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"pronounced by high authority, to
possess strong purgative qualities."

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I don't think I do wish
to be purged particularly,

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but the Victorians believed that
hydropathic therapy was good

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for any number of ailments.
So I'm willing to take the plunge.

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This part of Scotland has
many memories for me.

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I've often visited
Crieff to see relatives

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and the town's Hydro hotel was a
favourite place for family holidays.

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TRAIN ANNOUNCER: This service
will shortly be calling at Perth.

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I must alight at the ancient city of
Perth, gateway to the Highlands.

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In Victorian times, Perth station
was a hub for holidaymakers

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arriving to enjoy the great outdoors
or to take the waters at Crieff.

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But the Crieff Junction Railway that
opened in 1856 is now just a memory,

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having fallen victim to the
Beeching closures in the 1960s.

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'And we find that wherever there
is little passenger traffic

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'then there's very
little freight either.'

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And, of course, this is ominous
from the point of view of the future

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of those lines.

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Amongst the crowds in the
heyday of Crieff Junction

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would have been the spa tourists
heading for the Hydro,

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which opened its doors in 1868.

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Its success derived simply from
pure water and mountain air.

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I'm meeting the fifth generation
of the Meikle family to run it.

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It is the most stunning countryside
that you have here.

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What a place to build a hotel.
What is a hydro?

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Hydropathic, Greek word for water.

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So originating with its first
water supply, 150 years ago,

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so people came from the cities

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having drunk water that wasn't
so clear and so good for them

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and drunk water here
and felt better miraculously.

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And so even in those days,
it was a family hotel.

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Yes, for leisure, yes.
100 bedrooms, quite small then,

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and within ten years realised that
this can be a lot, lot bigger.

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So it grew, doubled in size within
30 years of first being built.

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And it was your family
that started all of this.

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My great-great grand uncle, a doctor
from Aberdeen chose Crieff,

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its climate, its scenery,
the views, the location,

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the ease of which you can
get to Crieff by train

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from Glasgow and Edinburgh.

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And, of course, finally and
perhaps most importantly today,

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the water supply.

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Meikle used the pure water
for the Hydro's swimming pool,

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douches and steam baths,

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treatments made popular by, amongst
others, Captain Richard Claridge.

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Claridge had been cured
of rheumatism at an Austrian spa

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and wrote a best-seller
to promote the cold water cure.

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And the hydrotherapy, did it
consist of drinking the waters

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or bathing in the waters?

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Bathing, yes. Our swimming pool's
built in 1900.

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No. There was no heating, there was
no way of cleaning the water,

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so, of course, you were diving
into this manky, murky, muddy pool.

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There was talk of salmon being
in the swimming pool at the time.

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Talk of the swimming pool attendants
carrying fishing rods,

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but what's your choice?
In order to feel better,

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having done your burpees
and your lunges

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up in the upstairs public rooms,
to go downstairs

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and have a very, very cold swim.

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They cleaned the pool
by emptying it out twice a week,

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and filling it back up
with cold, murky water.

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And here we are, you know,
near the top of a hill

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and yet people were able
to take the waters.

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How did you get water up here?
Well, it used to be from the burns

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and now, today,
for the past 50 or 60 years,

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we've drilled down an artesian well,
drilled 150 metres down,

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but then it was just
from the streams.

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In the mid-19th century,

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people escaping the poor sanitation
of Britain's larger towns

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were attracted to spas.

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00:14:01,640 --> 00:14:05,360
They'd been fashionable amongst
the quality since Georgian times

236
00:14:05,360 --> 00:14:07,280
and with the coming of the railways,

237
00:14:07,280 --> 00:14:10,560
resorts opened their doors
to the middle classes.

238
00:14:13,520 --> 00:14:17,520
For me, it's nice to be immersed
again at the Crieff Hydro.

239
00:14:19,920 --> 00:14:22,760
I'm swimming over Victorian tiles

240
00:14:22,760 --> 00:14:26,000
but the warmth and the cleanliness
are 21st century.

241
00:14:32,240 --> 00:14:36,200
I've headed back to Perth,
on the banks of the noble River Tay.

242
00:14:36,200 --> 00:14:39,280
The city's been a royal burgh
since the 13th century

243
00:14:39,280 --> 00:14:42,520
and was a royal residence
throughout the Middle Ages.

244
00:14:42,520 --> 00:14:44,840
The ancient capital of Scotland,

245
00:14:44,840 --> 00:14:48,560
it was also one of its
richest trading burghs.

246
00:14:48,560 --> 00:14:52,160
"Perth", says Bradshaw's, "is
the handsomest town of its size

247
00:14:52,160 --> 00:14:57,200
"in Scotland. Its situation on
the Tay is very, very beautiful.

248
00:14:57,200 --> 00:15:00,640
"Some muslin, cotton and silk goods
are manufactured here."

249
00:15:00,640 --> 00:15:03,120
So I'm hoping that they
may be able to kit me out

250
00:15:03,120 --> 00:15:05,480
before I put a toe in the Highlands.

251
00:15:08,680 --> 00:15:13,040
Kilts and sporrans may seem like
a cliche on a Scottish tour today,

252
00:15:13,040 --> 00:15:18,080
but in Victorian times, tartan
evening wear was much in fashion.

253
00:15:18,080 --> 00:15:21,400
I'm meeting Greg Whyte
of Morrison Sporrans.

254
00:15:22,880 --> 00:15:25,920
Well, this is our stockroom,
if you like.

255
00:15:25,920 --> 00:15:28,120
It's a selection of
what we make as a standard.

256
00:15:28,120 --> 00:15:29,440
A selection? Yeah.

257
00:15:29,440 --> 00:15:32,680
It's an incredible range of
different sorts of sporran.

258
00:15:32,680 --> 00:15:34,720
A lot of it is current dress.

259
00:15:34,720 --> 00:15:39,200
We, as a company, have been running
since 15... Well, for 15 years.

260
00:15:39,200 --> 00:15:43,080
But we took over Nicoll Brothers, who
had a history going back to 1840,

261
00:15:43,080 --> 00:15:46,000
which would have taken them right
through the Victorian period,

262
00:15:46,000 --> 00:15:48,640
one of their largest customers
being the military.

263
00:15:48,640 --> 00:15:52,560
We still make a lot of
military sporrans now.

264
00:15:52,560 --> 00:15:55,280
The one on the left, Scots Guards.

265
00:15:55,280 --> 00:15:58,320
One in the middle, Royal Regiment
of Scotland, current issue.

266
00:15:58,320 --> 00:16:04,680
And this rather flamboyant over here
is the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards.

267
00:16:06,880 --> 00:16:10,680
"Sporran" is a Gaelic word
meaning purse or pouch.

268
00:16:10,680 --> 00:16:14,520
Perhaps the most ornate were worn
by the kilted Scottish regiments,

269
00:16:14,520 --> 00:16:18,520
who developed their own
individual style.

270
00:16:18,520 --> 00:16:20,880
The whole product is made
from horse tail hair.

271
00:16:20,880 --> 00:16:27,120
It's also stitched in
seven different layers.

272
00:16:27,120 --> 00:16:30,880
Which is three layers in here
and then another three or four

273
00:16:30,880 --> 00:16:33,240
up under the cantle itself.

274
00:16:33,240 --> 00:16:36,520
So it has to have a lot of hair in it
and it's a fair weight.

275
00:16:36,520 --> 00:16:39,320
It's quite a heavy item.

276
00:16:39,320 --> 00:16:42,400
And this is what it's
ostensibly all about,

277
00:16:42,400 --> 00:16:44,200
you can put whatever
you like in there.

278
00:16:44,200 --> 00:16:46,400
That's the theory,
yes, that's the idea.

279
00:16:46,400 --> 00:16:48,880
I mean the military will
not carry very much in it.

280
00:16:48,880 --> 00:16:51,560
But we do make them
to accommodate beer cans,

281
00:16:51,560 --> 00:16:55,800
we make them to accommodate wallets,
mobile phones, all sorts of things.

282
00:16:55,800 --> 00:16:58,960
It looks like you can use almost
anything to make a sporran.

283
00:16:58,960 --> 00:17:02,400
Yes, roadkill particularly.
These are literally roadkill,

284
00:17:02,400 --> 00:17:05,400
they're not killed to make sporrans.

285
00:17:06,640 --> 00:17:09,400
Normally sporrans are made
from cowskin,

286
00:17:09,400 --> 00:17:13,080
although some also make
use of old fur coats.

287
00:17:14,520 --> 00:17:17,360
I mean we quite often
make them for weddings.

288
00:17:17,360 --> 00:17:21,320
Granny's coat might get turned
into a dozen sporrans for a wedding.

289
00:17:23,600 --> 00:17:26,640
The craftsmanship and skills
involved in making these beautiful

290
00:17:26,640 --> 00:17:30,520
and practical pieces have been
handed down the generations.

291
00:17:34,080 --> 00:17:37,480
Many of the patterns
and tools used are unchanged

292
00:17:37,480 --> 00:17:39,440
since the mid-19th century.

293
00:17:42,040 --> 00:17:45,560
OK, first job in the stage
would be to cut the leather.

294
00:17:45,560 --> 00:17:48,520
So if you just want to grab one
sheet of leather there.

295
00:17:48,520 --> 00:17:51,520
And just pop it up on the machine.

296
00:17:51,520 --> 00:17:54,000
So if you just place your knife
onto the leather.

297
00:17:54,000 --> 00:17:56,160
You just want to keep it
clear of any blemishes.

298
00:17:56,160 --> 00:17:57,600
That's good, no wastage.

299
00:17:57,600 --> 00:18:00,640
If you just want to pull
the beam press across.

300
00:18:00,640 --> 00:18:03,440
Now at this point everybody
has to keep their hands well clear.

301
00:18:03,440 --> 00:18:07,080
Right. So grasp the handles,
press both triggers.

302
00:18:08,240 --> 00:18:10,720
My goodness! Yep.

303
00:18:10,720 --> 00:18:12,280
Swing the machine back.

304
00:18:12,280 --> 00:18:14,200
Lift it up and then pop
the leather out. Whoa!

305
00:18:14,200 --> 00:18:15,960
Just push it out from the back.

306
00:18:15,960 --> 00:18:19,520
And that effectively is
the back of your sporran.

307
00:18:19,520 --> 00:18:22,640
Early sporrans were simple
Rob Roy pouches,

308
00:18:22,640 --> 00:18:25,760
usually gathered at the top
with a basic drawstring.

309
00:18:25,760 --> 00:18:29,040
As highland dress grew in
popularity as evening wear,

310
00:18:29,040 --> 00:18:32,640
sporrans became more
elaborately embellished.

311
00:18:32,640 --> 00:18:34,000
OK, so what we're doing now is

312
00:18:34,000 --> 00:18:36,600
I'm going to show you how to do
the front of the sporran.

313
00:18:36,600 --> 00:18:40,240
We're basically turning the gusset,
or the edge of it, over

314
00:18:40,240 --> 00:18:43,680
and to keep it in place,
we have to hammer it.

315
00:18:43,680 --> 00:18:46,240
I'll give you a couple of strokes
and then you can try it.

316
00:18:50,040 --> 00:18:52,320
OK. OK. So tugging at
the leather here?

317
00:18:52,320 --> 00:18:56,320
Tugging at the leather, pulling
it in, give it a good bash.

318
00:18:56,320 --> 00:18:58,000
Avoid the knuckles.

319
00:18:59,440 --> 00:19:02,200
It doesn't sound like
it sounded with you.

320
00:19:02,200 --> 00:19:04,960
You need more porridge.
More porridge!

321
00:19:08,440 --> 00:19:10,240
And what does this achieve?

322
00:19:10,240 --> 00:19:12,960
It basically breaks the leather
and it keeps it in place,

323
00:19:12,960 --> 00:19:16,040
so it won't spring back.

324
00:19:16,040 --> 00:19:18,640
I don't think you'll have any
trouble out of that any more.

325
00:19:18,640 --> 00:19:21,080
Well, let's say it's dead, OK? Yeah!

326
00:19:21,080 --> 00:19:24,320
Basically that's what you've done,
you've formed the front now, OK?

327
00:19:24,320 --> 00:19:25,640
Oh, isn't that nice?

328
00:19:26,600 --> 00:19:30,240
This handmade quality
makes them very collectable.

329
00:19:30,240 --> 00:19:34,000
A 19th century silver engraved
sporran with oak finials

330
00:19:34,000 --> 00:19:37,640
recently sold at auction
for over £2,000.

331
00:19:39,320 --> 00:19:42,160
Right, so there we have the
finished product. Beautiful.

332
00:19:42,160 --> 00:19:43,880
One you can try on. Oh, thank you.

333
00:19:43,880 --> 00:19:46,240
The only thing is not like that,
you better get a kilt on.

334
00:19:46,240 --> 00:19:48,960
All right, I'll do that.
Let me have a look at it.

335
00:19:48,960 --> 00:19:51,840
Oh! "Made in Scotland
by Michael Portillo."

336
00:19:51,840 --> 00:19:54,320
That's a big fib. "For Great British
Railway Journeys."

337
00:19:54,320 --> 00:19:56,600
And a lovely picture
of a locomotive.

338
00:19:56,600 --> 00:20:00,360
I better go and get my kit on.
You better.

339
00:20:00,360 --> 00:20:03,920
So, Greg, only one thing needed to
pass myself off as a Scotsman.

340
00:20:03,920 --> 00:20:06,360
Indeed and here it is.

341
00:20:06,360 --> 00:20:09,560
Right, that is you fit
for the Highlands.

342
00:20:09,560 --> 00:20:11,800
That's where I'm headed! Very good.

343
00:20:14,040 --> 00:20:17,800
Now properly attired,
I'm heading back to Perth station

344
00:20:17,800 --> 00:20:20,040
to catch the Highland Main Line.

345
00:20:21,400 --> 00:20:27,000
In Victorian times, grand trains
ran from London to Inverness

346
00:20:27,000 --> 00:20:31,360
and Aberdeen, passing through
these platforms here at Perth,

347
00:20:31,360 --> 00:20:34,320
and I can imagine them
teeming with people

348
00:20:34,320 --> 00:20:36,400
headed to and from the Highlands,

349
00:20:36,400 --> 00:20:40,440
responding to the fashion
established by Queen Victoria.

350
00:20:40,440 --> 00:20:43,280
But now the main services
to Aberdeen from London

351
00:20:43,280 --> 00:20:46,640
go across the Forth and Tay rivers

352
00:20:46,640 --> 00:20:51,040
and these platforms have been
turned into something ghostly.

353
00:21:14,320 --> 00:21:17,640
I'll soon be arriving at the most
northerly point of my journey -

354
00:21:17,640 --> 00:21:19,760
Pitlochry, which Bradshaw's tells me

355
00:21:19,760 --> 00:21:22,080
"is important as
affording facilities

356
00:21:22,080 --> 00:21:26,040
"to the tourist for visiting
the beautiful pass of Killiecrankie.

357
00:21:26,040 --> 00:21:29,280
"A deep ravine, clothed
with the richest verdure,

358
00:21:29,280 --> 00:21:31,720
"through which the
Garry water flows."

359
00:21:31,720 --> 00:21:35,240
It's at Pitlochry that there begins
what Bradshaw calls

360
00:21:35,240 --> 00:21:37,440
"the romantic scenery for which

361
00:21:37,440 --> 00:21:40,320
"the Scottish mountains
are justly celebrated."

362
00:21:44,920 --> 00:21:47,920
TRAIN ANNOUNCER: We'll shortly be
arriving into Pitlochry.

363
00:21:52,480 --> 00:21:54,080
Bye-bye.

364
00:21:59,160 --> 00:22:04,920
In 1842, the 23-year-old Queen
Victoria holidayed in the Highlands.

365
00:22:04,920 --> 00:22:08,560
She viewed the scenery through eyes
coloured by the romantic writing

366
00:22:08,560 --> 00:22:12,200
of one of her favourite novelists,
Sir Walter Scott.

367
00:22:12,200 --> 00:22:15,000
And her visit made
a lasting impression.

368
00:22:16,040 --> 00:22:19,680
I'm meeting Pitlochry resident
and former Blue Badge guide

369
00:22:19,680 --> 00:22:24,360
Sally Spavern to discover more
about this special relationship.

370
00:22:24,360 --> 00:22:26,800
Sally, how lovely to see you.
Good evening, Michael.

371
00:22:26,800 --> 00:22:30,040
A very historic station
with royal connections.

372
00:22:30,040 --> 00:22:31,960
Yes, absolutely.

373
00:22:31,960 --> 00:22:35,880
Queen Victoria came to this area
of Scotland, Highland Perthshire,

374
00:22:35,880 --> 00:22:40,280
about six times.
First on her honeymoon in 1842,

375
00:22:40,280 --> 00:22:43,960
but she came on this particular line
just six days after it opened

376
00:22:43,960 --> 00:22:46,880
in 1863 on 9th September.

377
00:22:46,880 --> 00:22:49,600
She was on her way to visit
the Duke of Atholl,

378
00:22:49,600 --> 00:22:52,640
the sixth Duke who was very,
very ill at the time,

379
00:22:52,640 --> 00:22:56,080
but after he died, her and the
sixth Duchess remained great friends

380
00:22:56,080 --> 00:22:59,520
and she made two further visits
to here.

381
00:22:59,520 --> 00:23:03,000
In 1848, the Queen and Prince Albert

382
00:23:03,000 --> 00:23:06,480
acquired the lease of
Balmoral Castle.

383
00:23:06,480 --> 00:23:09,480
She became the first monarch
since Charles I

384
00:23:09,480 --> 00:23:11,320
to make a home in Scotland,

385
00:23:11,320 --> 00:23:15,240
for which she retained
a lifelong emotional attachment.

386
00:23:15,240 --> 00:23:18,960
And I assume that she loved it here.
She absolutely loved it

387
00:23:18,960 --> 00:23:22,120
and she recorded all of her visits
here in her journal.

388
00:23:22,120 --> 00:23:23,640
On her two final visits,

389
00:23:23,640 --> 00:23:26,400
she was able to visit much more
of the countryside

390
00:23:26,400 --> 00:23:31,280
and toured around and visited quite
a number of places with John Brown.

391
00:23:32,520 --> 00:23:33,720
In her diary,

392
00:23:33,720 --> 00:23:38,280
the Queen described Pitlochry as one
of the finest resorts in Europe.

393
00:23:38,280 --> 00:23:41,160
And this is why she fell in love
with the Highlands.

394
00:23:55,160 --> 00:23:57,720
Following the infamous
Highland Clearances

395
00:23:57,720 --> 00:23:59,680
during the 18th and 19th centuries,

396
00:23:59,680 --> 00:24:03,200
when landowners evicted tenants
to make room for sheep,

397
00:24:03,200 --> 00:24:07,680
this area became one of the most
sparsely populated in Europe.

398
00:24:07,680 --> 00:24:10,640
But these rugged hills
hid a thriving trade

399
00:24:10,640 --> 00:24:12,440
in unlawful whisky making.

400
00:24:14,440 --> 00:24:17,440
The drink's popularity had led
the Government to impose a tax

401
00:24:17,440 --> 00:24:20,880
on the distillers which left
the industry unprofitable

402
00:24:20,880 --> 00:24:23,200
and drove it underground.

403
00:24:24,680 --> 00:24:31,040
By the 1820s, despite 14,000 illicit
stills being confiscated every year,

404
00:24:31,040 --> 00:24:33,800
more than half the whisky
consumed in Scotland

405
00:24:33,800 --> 00:24:36,480
was being enjoyed
without payment of duty.

406
00:24:38,400 --> 00:24:42,240
I've come to visit one of those
original, but now completely legal,

407
00:24:42,240 --> 00:24:43,720
whisky stills.

408
00:24:44,720 --> 00:24:50,440
Andrew Symington from Edradour
distillery knows its history.

409
00:24:50,440 --> 00:24:53,080
Michael, hi. How lovely to see you.
Nice to meet you.

410
00:24:53,080 --> 00:24:55,680
Looks like you've got a little
welcome in store for me as well.

411
00:24:55,680 --> 00:24:58,840
I have indeed, yes.
This distillery, tell me about it.

412
00:24:58,840 --> 00:25:01,600
Well, legally it's
the smallest in Scotland

413
00:25:01,600 --> 00:25:04,920
because of the size of the stills,
which you can see behind you there.

414
00:25:04,920 --> 00:25:08,600
We have our own springs
which we tap in together

415
00:25:08,600 --> 00:25:11,240
and that's where we get our
spring water from.

416
00:25:11,240 --> 00:25:14,600
It's this spring water
coupled with malted barley

417
00:25:14,600 --> 00:25:17,880
that helps to make
this spirit famous.

418
00:25:17,880 --> 00:25:21,000
And tell me about your whiskies,
what are the characteristics?

419
00:25:21,000 --> 00:25:24,280
The characteristics of our two
signature ones are sherry cask,

420
00:25:24,280 --> 00:25:27,360
Spanish Oloroso sherry cask so it
gives it a very nice dark colour,

421
00:25:27,360 --> 00:25:29,600
a very rich flavour, fruity flavour,
dried fruits,

422
00:25:29,600 --> 00:25:33,440
a bit like liquid Christmas cake.
Sounds good!

423
00:25:33,440 --> 00:25:36,400
After the Excise Act of 1823,

424
00:25:36,400 --> 00:25:39,680
it became profitable again
to make whisky legally,

425
00:25:39,680 --> 00:25:42,640
although the industry was
still tightly regulated.

426
00:25:42,640 --> 00:25:46,000
Whenever the butts were opened
or the whisky was being bottled,

427
00:25:46,000 --> 00:25:48,400
an excise man had to be present.

428
00:25:49,760 --> 00:25:52,080
The casks are filled
in a special building,

429
00:25:52,080 --> 00:25:53,960
sometimes known as the spirit store

430
00:25:53,960 --> 00:25:56,120
but here called a
duty free warehouse.

431
00:25:56,120 --> 00:25:57,960
The door is fastened by two locks,

432
00:25:57,960 --> 00:26:00,080
one controlled by the
excise department,

433
00:26:00,080 --> 00:26:02,480
the other by the
distillery management.

434
00:26:03,800 --> 00:26:05,440
Let's have a little go at that.

435
00:26:05,440 --> 00:26:08,120
This is our signature
ten-year-old malt.

436
00:26:08,120 --> 00:26:11,240
It's 40% alcohol by volume
so it's not too strong.

437
00:26:13,880 --> 00:26:17,000
Mm, I'm slipping into ecstasy.

438
00:26:17,000 --> 00:26:19,120
I find it quite palatable.

439
00:26:21,400 --> 00:26:24,880
I'm reassured that traditional
production on a small scale

440
00:26:24,880 --> 00:26:26,880
survives in the industry today.

441
00:26:31,000 --> 00:26:32,880
Since you were licensed
in the year

442
00:26:32,880 --> 00:26:34,760
that Queen Victoria
came to the throne,

443
00:26:34,760 --> 00:26:38,160
I thought I might venture off
and appreciate a view that she had

444
00:26:38,160 --> 00:26:40,840
when she travelled to these parts.
Excellent.

445
00:26:42,600 --> 00:26:44,160
One for the track.

446
00:26:49,640 --> 00:26:53,160
As I walk through the stunning
scenery of Highland Perthshire,

447
00:26:53,160 --> 00:26:56,040
I can see why this countryside
made such an impression

448
00:26:56,040 --> 00:26:58,040
on Queen Victoria.

449
00:27:04,280 --> 00:27:07,720
This famous vantage point
known as the Queen's View,

450
00:27:07,720 --> 00:27:11,800
looks out over one of the most
iconic panoramas in Scotland.

451
00:27:13,120 --> 00:27:16,760
Queen Victoria thought that the view
had been named after her.

452
00:27:16,760 --> 00:27:20,720
In fact, it was after
Robert the Bruce's wife Isabella.

453
00:27:25,880 --> 00:27:29,200
The bitter enmity between
Scotland and England,

454
00:27:29,200 --> 00:27:32,000
fought out at battles
like Bannockburn,

455
00:27:32,000 --> 00:27:36,000
reached a curious outcome when
a King of Scotland, James VI,

456
00:27:36,000 --> 00:27:39,280
ascended the throne of England too.

457
00:27:39,280 --> 00:27:41,280
Many frictions followed,

458
00:27:41,280 --> 00:27:46,240
but in the 19th century,
royalty made sporrans fashionable

459
00:27:46,240 --> 00:27:49,520
and Queen Victoria could
take the train north

460
00:27:49,520 --> 00:27:52,400
and gaze out upon a United Kingdom.

461
00:28:00,560 --> 00:28:04,000
Next time, I pay homage
at the birthplace of golf.

462
00:28:05,280 --> 00:28:06,600
Great shot, Michael.

463
00:28:06,600 --> 00:28:10,120
Discover how a penniless Scot
gave away a fortune.

464
00:28:10,120 --> 00:28:13,560
He wrote The Gospel Of Wealth
and in that he said,

465
00:28:13,560 --> 00:28:16,440
"He who dies thus rich
dies disgraced."

466
00:28:16,440 --> 00:28:19,160
And tread the boards
at the Edinburgh Fringe.

467
00:28:19,160 --> 00:28:21,920
I demand to know where
you deposited the handbag

468
00:28:21,920 --> 00:28:23,520
that contained that infant.

469
00:28:23,520 --> 00:28:26,960
IN HIGH-PITCHED VOICE:
I left it in the cloakroom

470
00:28:26,960 --> 00:28:30,360
of one of the larger railway
stations in London.

471
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