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Britain's railways were once
the envy of the world.

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You could get a train from almost
anywhere...

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..to almost anywhere else.

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They were the network that supported
an industrial superpower.

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There we go.

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Oh! I've never seen anything
like that.

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But today...

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..4,000 stations and 8,000 miles
of track lie silent.

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This station feels truly lost.

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So I'm setting off to discover
more of Britain's lost railways.

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Wow! This is something else.

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They tell a story...

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Look at this!

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..of how we once lived...

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Oh, I love that!

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..and how we once worked.

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This is one heck of a piece of
engineering.

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And they help reveal
how our world has changed today.

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Ye-e-es!

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Welcome to Aberdeen, the great
port city of north-east Scotland.

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Since the 1970s,

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this place has become known as
the oil capital of Europe.

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Long before North Sea oil
was discovered,

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Aberdeen was the gateway
to the Scottish Highlands.

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And I'm here in search of a lost
railway that was key to that.

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It was called the Deeside Line

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and from 1853, it was built along
the valley of the River Dee,

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into what is now
the Cairngorms National Park.

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As far as the Highland village
of Ballater.

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It was built with very modest
ambitions -

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to help the rural communities
and people of Deeside

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to sell their wares
up and down the valley -

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but it ended up
playing a much bigger role.

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The Deeside Line promoted the
wonders of the Scottish Highlands

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to the world, helped a great deal
by its most famous passenger -

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the original global super-brand,
Queen Victoria.

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By 1850, the railways had reached
north as far as Aberdeen.

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But few people ever dreamt
of travelling further

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into the wild Scottish Highlands.

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This branch line, though,
would change all that

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because it happened
to lead to Balmoral Castle -

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the new home of the Highlands'
biggest fans,

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Victoria and her dear Prince Albert.

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Problem was, Aberdeen's temporary
station of the time

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was just a wooden platform -
hardly fit for a queen.

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John. Hello. How do you do?

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Near the mouth of the River Dee,
I'm meeting John Tyler

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of the local Railway Heritage Trust

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to find the spots where
the new owners of Balmoral

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were once forced to change trains.

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Here is the main railway line
that exists today,

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coming up from the south.
Here we go -

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we've got a train coming across.
We've got a train coming across.

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That's probably coming up from
Edinburgh.

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Into Aberdeen? Into Aberdeen, in
what they call the joint station.

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But in 1853, all that existed
behind these modern office blocks

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was a simple construction
called Ferryhill.

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There's not much here to see,
really, is there? Er...

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Well, we're definitely right up
near the railway tracks here,

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but, well, it's a car park.

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We're almost certain that
the Ferryhill temporary station
was here.

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And you can see that as the
curvature of the houses goes round,

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that's where the Deeside Line
branched off from the main line.

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So, for all intents and purposes,
though, John,

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this is the spot where
the Deeside Line begins. Yes.

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That must have been a huge PR coup
for the railway company,

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having the Queen travel
on their line.

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It's almost by royal appointment.
Yes, it was by royal appointment,

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because each of the railway
companies competed with each other

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to have the most luxurious railway
carriages for royalty.

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What we've got is a situation which
is brand-new transport technology

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being tested out by royalty.

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Queen Victoria was a railway pioneer
and for decades she made

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the convoluted journey by rail
from Windsor.

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She insisted on very regal
progression,

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never exceeding 40mph,

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so the long journey to Balmoral
would take around 18 hours.

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But why did she go to such lengths

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to come to this wild and remote
part of the world?

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Along the old railway line
on the outskirts of Aberdeen,

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I'm meeting author and historian
Stuart Wilson.

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Thinking about the Highlands itself,

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do we know what the attraction was
for Victoria and Albert?

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She came here because
the weather was so good.

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She'd had a miserable holiday in
1847 on the west coast of Scotland,

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where it rained every day.

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So her doctor said,
"You should try Deeside."

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And Queen Victoria came twice a year
and everything was here.

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Deer stalking, salmon fishing.

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And she had lovely little cottages
that she went to,

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and she picnicked nearly every day,
in fact. She loved it up here.

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It was her glorious place
that she could relax

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and nobody bothered her at all.

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This was the royal holiday, then,
was it?

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They'd come up for rural pursuits.

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Absolutely so. And they didn't just
come up for two weeks.

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They came up for months, in fact.

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This is Cults Station here, is it?
Yeah, this is Cults Station.

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The clock was, as you see,
doesn't go and it's painted on.

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But that was exactly
where the clock was.

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Should I be looking out for many
old stations

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along Royal Deeside Line?
Absolutely so.

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Most of them are still there.

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What can I expect out in the wilds
of the Highlands?

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Well, you'll start to see
the river,

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you'll start to see the mountains

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and you'll really feel in
a different world altogether.

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I can't wait! That sounds like
the world I want to be in.

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Leaving Cults,

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It does feel like the real Deeside
countryside has begun.

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This railway wasn't built
for royalty - far from it.

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It was built to serve communities
and industries of the valley,

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many of which are still
going strong

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over 50 years after the railway
closed in 1966.

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Come on, girls!

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Come on!

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Come on!

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Having quit her local council job to
live her dream,

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Grace Noble has run Aberdeenshire
Highland Beef since 2012.

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Come on, girls!

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Oh, look at this. This is lovely!

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How old are these little calves?

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They're just a couple of weeks old,
just wee newborn teddy bears.

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Yeah. Little fluff-balls,
little teddy bears, yeah. Yes.

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The rise of the railways around
Aberdeen

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changed the nature
of the cattle business.

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Within a decade of the Deeside
Line opening,

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almost 14,000 head of cattle were
being sent southwards each year -

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the majority all the way to London.

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There's so much connection
to royalty around here.

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That's right. Is there a royal
connection to the Highland cattle?

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Yeah, there certainly is.

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Queen Victoria started off her own
herd at Balmoral

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and the Queen today,
at Balmoral Castle,

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she's got a beautiful herd
of Highland cattle,

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and she sells hers for big money,

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her breeding livestock,
all over the world.

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And I actually source yearling
calves from her, the ones that,

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you know, aren't good enough
to sell as breeding livestock.

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So we have royal cattle
around us here,

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or along that lineage?
Yeah, on that lineage. Yes.

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Just like the royal cows, a handful
of Grace's herd

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make regular appearances
at local shows.

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This morning, the cow getting
all the attention is Duchess.

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Last year, she came first
in the local agricultural show

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and she's competing again
this weekend.

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Just gently sand the horns.

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It just takes all the rough edges
off and makes them nice and smooth.

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This is definitely a first for me.

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I have never taken sandpaper
to a cow's horn before. Yeah.

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Good girl. Come on, work with me.
Come on, Duchess.

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So, we've got a wee handy tip
here, Rob.

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As you can see, the horns
here are quite dull now. Mm.

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But if you'd like to put some
oil on them... Yeah?

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..that'll really transform
the horns.

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So... This is making my day even
more strange. Yeah, it is, isn't it?

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I've never sanded a cow's horn
before

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and now I'm going to oil it up. Aha.

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Oil in the hand. That's it.
Right, come here.

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Yeah. Just spread it on.
Look at that - straightaway.

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Yeah. So... That's gor... Look at
those colours - come right out.

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Yeah, it almost matches the colour
of her coat, you know.

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Oh, my word! That's beautiful!

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Even Prince Albert took a punt

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and entered a Highland Scot bull in
the 1846 Smithfield cattle show.

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The prince missed out on first
prize,

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but organisers were wise enough
to give him a commendation.

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Believe it or not, there is a wee
Highland heifer in there

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waiting to get out.

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There is a set of eyes, there is
a character under there, Duchess,

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and you can see her.

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She's beautiful! I know.

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She's got her chin out like that.

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"Go on, get under there."
Outstretched.

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But I'm sorry to report that
three days after my visit,

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Duchess only came second
in her big comp.

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Looks like my cow-grooming
skills need improving.

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Coming up...

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..I visit an old rail-side industry
that's Deeside through and through.

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I love it. I love it.

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And I try a highland tradition...

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Get over!

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..that's still by royal appointment.

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15 miles from Aberdeen,
I'm following a railway line

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that changed this region forever.

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The Deeside Line, as it was known,

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ran for 43 miles between
Aberdeen and Ballater.

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It closed in 1966 and most
of it has now become

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the Deeside Way footpath.

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But look hard enough

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and there are plenty of
railway remnants to discover.

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I just stepped off the Deeside Way

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because I've been given permission
to come and have a look

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around what was the station
at Crathes.

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And here it is.

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Bit of work to get here,
but it is well worth it.

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So I'm stood right here
where the track was.

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00:11:06,860 --> 00:11:08,820
You can see the platform wall there.

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00:11:10,100 --> 00:11:11,460
Let's go and have a closer look.

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Nature's doing a great job
of reclaiming this place.

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00:11:20,300 --> 00:11:23,380
But you can still make out
some distinctive features.

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00:11:24,860 --> 00:11:29,060
This station opened in 1863 and it
was a replacement

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00:11:29,060 --> 00:11:31,460
for what was a private station

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00:11:31,460 --> 00:11:34,620
a little further west
at Crathes Castle.

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You can see this has just been left.
It's completely abandoned.

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00:11:40,540 --> 00:11:43,780
It's a far cry from the days
when tourists came here

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00:11:43,780 --> 00:11:47,580
from as far as London to catch
a glimpse of Queen Victoria

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00:11:47,580 --> 00:11:49,220
on her way to Balmoral.

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00:11:50,380 --> 00:11:54,060
You can imagine this whole platform
bustling with people,

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00:11:54,060 --> 00:11:58,980
getting on and off long trains
laid on for summer excursions.

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00:11:58,980 --> 00:12:02,540
And scenes like this continued
to be part of Deeside life

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00:12:02,540 --> 00:12:04,820
long after Queen Victoria's reign.

213
00:12:07,740 --> 00:12:13,060
Royal after royal were coming
to Balmoral and travelling by train.

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00:12:13,060 --> 00:12:17,580
It was about the best bit of
marketing a rural railway ever had.

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00:12:17,580 --> 00:12:23,380
But...the line was just no way
near as busy or as successful

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00:12:23,380 --> 00:12:25,740
as anyone involved had hoped.

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00:12:28,420 --> 00:12:33,260
In 1914, competition from local
buses saw passenger numbers

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00:12:33,260 --> 00:12:35,620
on the line start to dwindle.

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00:12:35,620 --> 00:12:40,660
By the Second World War, 14 stations
along the route had been closed.

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But in 1958 came a glimmer of hope.

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00:12:46,420 --> 00:12:50,500
Deeside became the centre of a new
development in rail travel -

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00:12:50,500 --> 00:12:53,460
a battery-powered train
nicknamed Sputnik.

223
00:12:54,780 --> 00:12:57,300
And, amazingly, it's still here.

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Keith. Hi, Robert.

225
00:12:58,980 --> 00:13:00,180
Great to meet you.

226
00:13:00,180 --> 00:13:02,740
Scottish rail historian Keith Jones

227
00:13:02,740 --> 00:13:05,580
can tell me what Sputnik
was all about.

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00:13:05,580 --> 00:13:07,180
Why was it called Sputnik?

229
00:13:07,180 --> 00:13:11,780
Well, it was introduced just a few
months after the Soviet Union

230
00:13:11,780 --> 00:13:14,260
first sent Sputnik 1 up into space.

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00:13:15,380 --> 00:13:20,100
And some local wag, probably
after a few rounds in the bar,

232
00:13:20,100 --> 00:13:24,140
called it the Sputnik because it was
so modern and so up to date.

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00:13:24,140 --> 00:13:25,860
Well, that's it, cos it was

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00:13:25,860 --> 00:13:29,140
this really pioneering electric
transportation.

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00:13:29,140 --> 00:13:33,340
It was unique on British railways
as being the one and only

236
00:13:33,340 --> 00:13:35,500
battery unit that ever ran.

237
00:13:35,500 --> 00:13:36,900
So, why bring it to Deeside?

238
00:13:36,900 --> 00:13:38,820
The length of the line was
just about right.

239
00:13:38,820 --> 00:13:42,860
It was 43 miles, roughly
the limit of the battery power.

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00:13:42,860 --> 00:13:45,900
Also, the Hydro-Electric Board

241
00:13:45,900 --> 00:13:49,900
actually gave it subsidised
electricity.

242
00:13:49,900 --> 00:13:52,100
So it was very, very cheap,

243
00:13:52,100 --> 00:13:56,180
very, very cheap to run,
which all seemed at the time

244
00:13:56,180 --> 00:14:01,060
to make this the ideal line to run
this experimental train on.

245
00:14:01,060 --> 00:14:03,260
I guess, with the hope
that it would be successful

246
00:14:03,260 --> 00:14:05,700
and it could potentially be
rolled out across other railways.

247
00:14:05,700 --> 00:14:06,780
That was the idea.

248
00:14:06,780 --> 00:14:09,900
But, sadly, this ground-breaking
technology

249
00:14:09,900 --> 00:14:12,900
never made it beyond
this one railway line.

250
00:14:12,900 --> 00:14:17,860
Sputnik's 17½ tons of batteries
were prone to catching fire.

251
00:14:17,860 --> 00:14:22,540
I've got a photograph here,
showing the battery car at Ballater

252
00:14:22,540 --> 00:14:28,180
with a number of wires
all feeding into the equipment here.

253
00:14:28,180 --> 00:14:30,420
So, that would all get plugged in.

254
00:14:30,420 --> 00:14:32,620
That would all get plugged in
at Ballater

255
00:14:32,620 --> 00:14:34,820
and then at Aberdeen as well.

256
00:14:34,820 --> 00:14:38,420
It's almost like your mobile phone,
isn't it? Big charge overnight

257
00:14:38,420 --> 00:14:40,620
and then hopefully you're ready to
go through the day

258
00:14:40,620 --> 00:14:42,460
with maybe a couple of little
top-ups. Yes.

259
00:14:42,460 --> 00:14:45,780
You could see that this might be the
predecessor of the electric car.

260
00:14:45,780 --> 00:14:47,940
It's brilliant. That's brilliant!

261
00:14:47,940 --> 00:14:50,140
This was pioneering, then? Yes.

262
00:14:50,140 --> 00:14:53,700
There's a company that just started
experimenting

263
00:14:53,700 --> 00:14:56,620
with battery-powered trains
in Britain now.

264
00:14:56,620 --> 00:14:59,180
This was 60 years ahead of its time.

265
00:14:59,180 --> 00:15:00,700
That's a nice thought, isn't it?

266
00:15:01,820 --> 00:15:05,660
It's wonderful that this short-lived
piece of railway history

267
00:15:05,660 --> 00:15:07,660
has been kept here on Deeside.

268
00:15:11,220 --> 00:15:14,020
And just a mile further
along the old line,

269
00:15:14,020 --> 00:15:16,860
my route has brought me to the banks
of the river itself.

270
00:15:19,740 --> 00:15:22,620
One of the features of the railway
as I approach Banchory

271
00:15:22,620 --> 00:15:25,700
is this enormous granite retaining
wall

272
00:15:25,700 --> 00:15:30,140
that was built by the railway
company to prevent any erosion

273
00:15:30,140 --> 00:15:33,740
from the fast-flowing River Dee,
right alongside here.

274
00:15:35,020 --> 00:15:38,060
Now, Banchory is the largest town
along my route

275
00:15:38,060 --> 00:15:40,260
and one of the few places in Deeside

276
00:15:40,260 --> 00:15:43,820
that existed as
a well-established town

277
00:15:43,820 --> 00:15:46,100
prior to the arrival
of the railways.

278
00:15:48,660 --> 00:15:51,020
For centuries, Banchory has been

279
00:15:51,020 --> 00:15:53,780
a centre for a great
Deeside industry -

280
00:15:53,780 --> 00:15:55,620
timber.

281
00:15:55,620 --> 00:15:57,660
And right alongside the railway,

282
00:15:57,660 --> 00:16:00,340
there's been a sawmill here
since 1854,

283
00:16:00,340 --> 00:16:02,460
the year after the line opened.

284
00:16:03,980 --> 00:16:05,980
This is right at the start of
the process here.

285
00:16:05,980 --> 00:16:08,580
This is the beginning of it.
This is where it all begins.

286
00:16:08,580 --> 00:16:10,780
What can we see here, then, Jim?
What's happening?

287
00:16:10,780 --> 00:16:15,860
The timber is coming in from
the forests, coming in on vehicles.

288
00:16:15,860 --> 00:16:20,460
Jim Cordiner's family have run
the mill since the 1950s.

289
00:16:20,460 --> 00:16:25,180
So, the first thing we need to do
is to debark the logs.

290
00:16:25,180 --> 00:16:29,580
After that, the logs pass through
there and they're sorted to size.

291
00:16:29,580 --> 00:16:33,100
After sorting, it then goes
into the sawmill for processing.

292
00:16:33,100 --> 00:16:35,540
This is... This is lovely,
seeing all this, Jimmy.

293
00:16:35,540 --> 00:16:37,140
So mechanical, isn't it?

294
00:16:37,140 --> 00:16:39,780
Lots to go wrong here,
Rob, but, er...

295
00:16:41,420 --> 00:16:46,980
For centuries, the river was used
to float logs to mills downstream.

296
00:16:46,980 --> 00:16:51,620
But, when it arrived, the Deeside
Line transformed this industry.

297
00:16:51,620 --> 00:16:54,540
Suddenly there was a whole
wide world out there

298
00:16:54,540 --> 00:16:56,460
that we could trade with.

299
00:16:56,460 --> 00:17:01,180
The timber traditionally
had gone out by horse and cart.

300
00:17:01,180 --> 00:17:03,580
All done by hand - no forklifts.

301
00:17:03,580 --> 00:17:07,660
All heavy, hard work, and blood,
sweat and tears.

302
00:17:07,660 --> 00:17:10,860
In your days, then, at the mill,
do you remember the railway

303
00:17:10,860 --> 00:17:13,540
and how important that was
for your operation? Yeah.

304
00:17:13,540 --> 00:17:14,860
Oh, great memories.

305
00:17:14,860 --> 00:17:18,820
It was quite something to see steam
locomotives coming thundering past,

306
00:17:18,820 --> 00:17:21,940
you know. The railway provided
a very important link for us

307
00:17:21,940 --> 00:17:24,660
to sell our produce to our
customers.

308
00:17:24,660 --> 00:17:26,540
And we didn't realise at the time

309
00:17:26,540 --> 00:17:28,300
but we were actually very
eco-friendly,

310
00:17:28,300 --> 00:17:29,740
putting everything out by rail.

311
00:17:32,260 --> 00:17:35,860
But I can't leave without seeing
how things are done today.

312
00:17:35,860 --> 00:17:37,060
Look at this!

313
00:17:39,460 --> 00:17:42,300
These are the modern operations
of a sawmill in here, is it, Jim?

314
00:17:42,300 --> 00:17:45,060
Well, this is the latest technology,
Rob.

315
00:17:45,060 --> 00:17:48,580
The timber is mechanically sorted
to size

316
00:17:48,580 --> 00:17:50,980
and then it's cross-cut to length,

317
00:17:50,980 --> 00:17:53,820
put into a pack and banded up

318
00:17:53,820 --> 00:17:56,420
and then out to the yard
for storage.

319
00:17:59,100 --> 00:18:04,020
Far from dying out, this industry
has had a new lease of life.

320
00:18:04,020 --> 00:18:06,220
As people turn their back
on plastics,

321
00:18:06,220 --> 00:18:12,020
timber is experiencing a renaissance
thanks to sustainable forestry.

322
00:18:12,020 --> 00:18:14,420
It's noisy, though, in here,
isn't it? It's is noisy,

323
00:18:14,420 --> 00:18:16,300
but I'm afraid that's just part
of the package.

324
00:18:16,300 --> 00:18:17,660
No, I can put up with that. Yeah.

325
00:18:20,500 --> 00:18:22,180
I think you want a job here.

326
00:18:22,180 --> 00:18:24,500
I love it. I love it.

327
00:18:27,580 --> 00:18:29,260
Leaving Banchory behind,

328
00:18:29,260 --> 00:18:31,580
the Deeside Line made a rare loop

329
00:18:31,580 --> 00:18:33,060
away from the river,

330
00:18:33,060 --> 00:18:34,700
avoiding a twisting section

331
00:18:34,700 --> 00:18:36,380
of the Dee,

332
00:18:36,380 --> 00:18:38,940
before returning to
its riverside ways

333
00:18:38,940 --> 00:18:40,940
at the village of Aboyne.

334
00:18:42,180 --> 00:18:45,580
For seven years, this spot was as
far up the valley

335
00:18:45,580 --> 00:18:47,380
as the Deeside Line reached.

336
00:18:47,380 --> 00:18:49,900
You don't have to be a railway
expert to recognise

337
00:18:49,900 --> 00:18:52,500
a good old Victorian
railway station.

338
00:18:54,020 --> 00:18:57,500
And this is undoubtably
the old station here at Aboyne.

339
00:18:59,020 --> 00:19:02,500
This old photo here proves
that exactly.

340
00:19:02,500 --> 00:19:05,380
Used slightly differently, though,
now, these days.

341
00:19:05,380 --> 00:19:08,140
What've we got here?
A cafe, hairdresser's.

342
00:19:08,140 --> 00:19:10,900
Whilst the rest of the railway
was being built,

343
00:19:10,900 --> 00:19:13,300
this was where Queen Victoria
swapped train

344
00:19:13,300 --> 00:19:15,100
for horse-drawn carriage

345
00:19:15,100 --> 00:19:18,460
to finish her journey to Balmoral,
15 miles away.

346
00:19:20,340 --> 00:19:23,900
But the Deeside Line didn't
just bring royalty to Aboyne.

347
00:19:25,260 --> 00:19:28,020
It helped establish
an annual tradition

348
00:19:28,020 --> 00:19:29,900
here on the village green -

349
00:19:29,900 --> 00:19:32,780
the Aboyne Highland Games.

350
00:19:32,780 --> 00:19:35,380
Hi, Morag. Hi, Rob.
Nice to meet you. You too.

351
00:19:35,380 --> 00:19:38,340
Do you want to pop in
under the shelter? I will,
actually, if you don't mind.

352
00:19:38,340 --> 00:19:43,060
Morag has been the Aboyne Games'
secretary for the last 13 years.

353
00:19:43,060 --> 00:19:45,580
It's all very quiet out here
on the green here today. Yes.

354
00:19:45,580 --> 00:19:48,660
But come Games day... Yeah.
You wouldn't recognise this field.

355
00:19:48,660 --> 00:19:51,300
Yeah. You really wouldn't.

356
00:19:51,300 --> 00:19:53,500
Paint a picture.
What would be happening out here?

357
00:19:53,500 --> 00:19:55,500
What would we be seeing?
At 11 o'clock,

358
00:19:55,500 --> 00:19:58,340
we've got the Massed Pipe Bands
parade round the arena.

359
00:19:59,780 --> 00:20:03,220
We've got the heavy events -
hammer throwing, shot put.

360
00:20:03,220 --> 00:20:06,540
Light events - so you've got
running, jumping, pole vault.

361
00:20:06,540 --> 00:20:08,740
We've got 96 events on the day.
So...

362
00:20:08,740 --> 00:20:10,420
Whatever you're into. Yeah.

363
00:20:10,420 --> 00:20:12,780
And it's continually running,
all day long.

364
00:20:12,780 --> 00:20:16,100
The Games started here in Aboyne
in 1867.

365
00:20:17,140 --> 00:20:19,700
There are similar events
all around the Highlands

366
00:20:19,700 --> 00:20:23,420
but from the beginning, visitors
came here in their droves.

367
00:20:23,420 --> 00:20:26,380
Do you think the railways were aware
of the commercial possibilities

368
00:20:26,380 --> 00:20:28,580
of shipping people in
for the Highland Games?

369
00:20:28,580 --> 00:20:31,300
Yes, the railways put on special
trains to bring in extra crowds.

370
00:20:31,300 --> 00:20:33,940
Absolutely. So they... I mean,
it's beneficial to them as well.

371
00:20:33,940 --> 00:20:36,340
Yeah. Packing these trains out.
Oh, yeah. Yeah.

372
00:20:36,340 --> 00:20:38,260
And everyone piling off at
Aboyne Station.

373
00:20:38,260 --> 00:20:41,140
Yeah, I can imagine it was
pandemonium down there.
I bet it was!

374
00:20:42,540 --> 00:20:45,460
No trains and no games today.

375
00:20:45,460 --> 00:20:49,700
But I'm getting to meet
a local star, James Dawkins.

376
00:20:49,700 --> 00:20:52,860
He competes all the local
and Highland Games,

377
00:20:52,860 --> 00:20:54,060
all the heavy events.

378
00:20:54,060 --> 00:20:56,900
So he does, like, the caber,
the hammer, the shot put. Yeah.

379
00:20:56,900 --> 00:20:58,580
And he's an Aboyne lad.

380
00:20:58,580 --> 00:21:00,900
Hi, Rob. How you going?
Not too bad. Yourself?

381
00:21:02,460 --> 00:21:03,620
Two years ago,

382
00:21:03,620 --> 00:21:08,020
James was part of Aboyne's
150th anniversary celebrations.

383
00:21:08,020 --> 00:21:11,300
They were marked in style,
with the attendance

384
00:21:11,300 --> 00:21:14,820
of Queen Victoria's
great-great-granddaughter.

385
00:21:14,820 --> 00:21:16,380
Me and another local lad,

386
00:21:16,380 --> 00:21:19,660
we carried the new challenge caber
across to the Queen.

387
00:21:21,580 --> 00:21:25,740
She christened it with a dram
of a special 150-year whisky.

388
00:21:27,420 --> 00:21:31,060
And it's a classic Highland caber
that James has brought along today.

389
00:21:32,300 --> 00:21:36,860
Around 18 feet and 50 kilos,
it weighs, 110lb.

390
00:21:36,860 --> 00:21:39,060
So, what are you trying to achieve
with the caber?

391
00:21:39,060 --> 00:21:41,140
Is it about how far you can toss it?

392
00:21:41,140 --> 00:21:43,780
No, with the caber, you pick up,
you run, stop,

393
00:21:43,780 --> 00:21:46,300
you toss it and you want the caber
to go end over end

394
00:21:46,300 --> 00:21:48,460
and land directly in front of you.

395
00:21:48,460 --> 00:21:50,140
You work on a 12 o'clock.

396
00:21:50,140 --> 00:21:53,020
So, like a clock face
directly in front of you.

397
00:21:53,020 --> 00:21:55,340
So, if you land at 12,
perfect score.

398
00:21:55,340 --> 00:21:58,580
Well, that doesn't sound
so difficult.

399
00:21:58,580 --> 00:22:02,420
Stand back a little bit. Yeah,
I'm going to stand back a fair bit.

400
00:22:02,420 --> 00:22:04,660
18 feet, I think is how far
I'm going to stand back.

401
00:22:06,140 --> 00:22:07,140
Whoa!

402
00:22:11,180 --> 00:22:13,060
Go on! Go on, James!

403
00:22:17,060 --> 00:22:22,060
Not bad. That was slightly
11 o'clock more than 12, but...

404
00:22:22,060 --> 00:22:24,540
And then he brings it back
as though it's - I don't know -

405
00:22:24,540 --> 00:22:25,820
a big pencil or something.

406
00:22:25,820 --> 00:22:27,380
I think he's pretty strong.

407
00:22:35,780 --> 00:22:37,420
This is 50 kilos.

408
00:22:37,420 --> 00:22:41,420
With so much timber in the area
and so many streams

409
00:22:41,420 --> 00:22:44,220
that might have needed bridging,
you can just about see

410
00:22:44,220 --> 00:22:47,900
where the tradition of caber tossing
might have come from.

411
00:22:47,900 --> 00:22:50,740
Either way, it's a tradition
I'm now embracing.

412
00:22:50,740 --> 00:22:51,980
Let go, let go!

413
00:22:56,020 --> 00:22:57,420
Balance.

414
00:22:58,580 --> 00:22:59,780
Get over!

415
00:23:02,220 --> 00:23:04,060
Let go!

416
00:23:04,060 --> 00:23:05,740
ROB CHUCKLES

417
00:23:05,740 --> 00:23:07,460
It's really hard!

418
00:23:07,460 --> 00:23:08,860
Come on!

419
00:23:08,860 --> 00:23:11,580
ROB GRUNTS AND PANTS

420
00:23:13,820 --> 00:23:16,060
I nearly damaged my own caber there!

421
00:23:19,780 --> 00:23:20,980
Coming up...

422
00:23:20,980 --> 00:23:24,300
I'm popping in on the
Royal Family's Highlands neighbours.

423
00:23:24,300 --> 00:23:26,220
There's definitely
some hunting been going on.

424
00:23:26,220 --> 00:23:27,740
There's been a fair bit of hunting.

425
00:23:27,740 --> 00:23:30,500
And I see how the railway mixed
great beauty...

426
00:23:30,500 --> 00:23:31,740
Stunning!

427
00:23:31,740 --> 00:23:33,780
..with a spot of demolition.

428
00:23:33,780 --> 00:23:36,300
That was cut off, was it,
for the railway? Literally.

429
00:23:48,270 --> 00:23:53,150
I've now crossed the boundary
into the Cairngorms National Park.

430
00:23:53,150 --> 00:23:56,990
And from here on in,
it's Highlands proper.

431
00:23:56,990 --> 00:23:59,670
30 miles upstream from Aberdeen,

432
00:23:59,670 --> 00:24:02,550
my journey along
the old Deeside Railway

433
00:24:02,550 --> 00:24:06,510
is about to get dramatic,
as I make my way west from Aboyne.

434
00:24:07,790 --> 00:24:11,510
When Victoria and Albert bought
Balmoral, they weren't just buying

435
00:24:11,510 --> 00:24:14,270
a very grand Highland home -

436
00:24:14,270 --> 00:24:17,710
they were buying an entire estate.

437
00:24:17,710 --> 00:24:19,870
And thanks to her
great-great-grandmother,

438
00:24:19,870 --> 00:24:22,150
the present Queen currently owns

439
00:24:22,150 --> 00:24:25,270
50,000 acres of land
further up the valley.

440
00:24:26,510 --> 00:24:28,110
And she's not alone.

441
00:24:28,110 --> 00:24:31,950
Balmoral itself lies to the south
of the river,

442
00:24:31,950 --> 00:24:36,750
but around the valley and the old
railway are six other estates,

443
00:24:36,750 --> 00:24:39,470
one of which I'm visiting today.

444
00:24:41,710 --> 00:24:43,510
These lands became a Highland
playground

445
00:24:43,510 --> 00:24:48,270
for the rich and the famous, wanting
to curry favour with Queen Victoria.

446
00:24:48,270 --> 00:24:53,830
One of them was Manchester banker
and MP Sir William Cunliffe Brooks.

447
00:24:54,950 --> 00:24:58,630
From 1865 onwards, he completely
transformed

448
00:24:58,630 --> 00:25:01,790
the sprawling estate of Glen Tanar.

449
00:25:01,790 --> 00:25:03,390
Rob, nice to meet you.
How you doing?

450
00:25:03,390 --> 00:25:05,430
Welcome to Glen Tanar.
Thank you very much.

451
00:25:05,430 --> 00:25:09,430
Ranger Mike Martin has worked
on the estate for 20 years.

452
00:25:10,710 --> 00:25:13,110
In you go.
Thanks very much, Mike.

453
00:25:13,110 --> 00:25:15,190
HE CHUCKLES

454
00:25:15,190 --> 00:25:17,390
Mike, where have you brought me
here?

455
00:25:17,390 --> 00:25:19,790
This is not what I was expecting
from the...

456
00:25:19,790 --> 00:25:22,070
It looks almost quaint and dainty
from the outside.

457
00:25:25,430 --> 00:25:27,950
All over and around his new estate,

458
00:25:27,950 --> 00:25:32,190
Cunliffe Brooks built roads,
bridges and new buildings,

459
00:25:32,190 --> 00:25:36,350
including this one - a true
Victorian Highland ballroom.

460
00:25:37,430 --> 00:25:39,710
I don't know what to make
of this ceiling. Er...

461
00:25:39,710 --> 00:25:44,070
There's definitely some hunting
been going on, hasn't there?
There's been a fair bit of hunting.

462
00:25:44,070 --> 00:25:47,270
So, this was a purpose-built
entertainment room.

463
00:25:47,270 --> 00:25:50,670
So it was quite an important place
for especially Victorians

464
00:25:50,670 --> 00:25:52,630
to while away the evenings.

465
00:25:52,630 --> 00:25:56,430
Hunting and shooting were
Cunliffe Brooks' favourite pastimes.

466
00:25:56,430 --> 00:26:00,190
There are some 700 stag heads
on this ceiling.

467
00:26:00,190 --> 00:26:04,910
Seven of them were allegedly
shot by him in just one day.

468
00:26:04,910 --> 00:26:08,310
Some of the things that
you have to do as a Victorian is,

469
00:26:08,310 --> 00:26:12,630
apart from having the money,
is having somewhere to shoot,

470
00:26:12,630 --> 00:26:14,390
having somewhere to live

471
00:26:14,390 --> 00:26:17,470
and be as close to the queen
as you can possibly get.

472
00:26:17,470 --> 00:26:20,510
And, of course, Queen Victoria
was next door in Balmoral.

473
00:26:20,510 --> 00:26:24,470
So, this is the upper echelons
of British society.

474
00:26:24,470 --> 00:26:26,470
Cunliffe Brooks -
he was from Manchester.

475
00:26:26,470 --> 00:26:28,790
Yes, he's coming from Manchester

476
00:26:28,790 --> 00:26:31,790
at the height of
the Industrial Revolution.

477
00:26:31,790 --> 00:26:33,990
I think he's coming here
and he's gone,

478
00:26:33,990 --> 00:26:36,190
"This is what I'm looking for.

479
00:26:36,190 --> 00:26:39,190
"And I will build my little bit
of paradise."

480
00:26:39,190 --> 00:26:42,750
In the 1860s, the Deeside Railway,
was through as well. Yeah.

481
00:26:42,750 --> 00:26:45,470
Do you think that might have been
an influence for him coming out?

482
00:26:45,470 --> 00:26:47,230
Oh, I think absolutely. And, so,

483
00:26:47,230 --> 00:26:50,510
part of his building programme
was actually building access

484
00:26:50,510 --> 00:26:54,590
towards Aboyne, so that you could
then come up on the train... Yep.

485
00:26:54,590 --> 00:26:57,390
..and you could be greeted at Aboyne
in your horses and carriages,

486
00:26:57,390 --> 00:26:59,710
and transported to Glen Tanar.

487
00:26:59,710 --> 00:27:01,430
And that's access for him

488
00:27:01,430 --> 00:27:05,230
but I imagine also for his guests
who he might invite

489
00:27:05,230 --> 00:27:08,550
to come up and share in this
and show off a little bit. Yes.

490
00:27:08,550 --> 00:27:10,430
Oh, he wasn't a shy man.

491
00:27:10,430 --> 00:27:12,390
He really did like to show off.

492
00:27:12,390 --> 00:27:14,430
And that would have been
really important,

493
00:27:14,430 --> 00:27:18,230
that people did have that
sort of ease of access.

494
00:27:18,230 --> 00:27:20,950
So, yeah, the railway would've been
vitally important to him.

495
00:27:22,790 --> 00:27:26,990
The railway brought many a tycoon,
politician and celebrity

496
00:27:26,990 --> 00:27:29,070
to this Highland haven.

497
00:27:29,070 --> 00:27:32,830
It even hosted a famous
royal mistress.

498
00:27:32,830 --> 00:27:36,150
The actress Lillie Langtry
stayed here whilst her lover,

499
00:27:36,150 --> 00:27:38,990
Queen Victoria's son
and the future Edward VII,

500
00:27:38,990 --> 00:27:42,230
stayed up the valley at Balmoral.

501
00:27:42,230 --> 00:27:45,390
Lillie is said to have tobogganed
down the stairs here

502
00:27:45,390 --> 00:27:46,910
on silver trays -

503
00:27:46,910 --> 00:27:50,750
much to the annoyance of her host,
Cunliffe Brooks.

504
00:27:50,750 --> 00:27:52,430
If walls could talk, eh?

505
00:27:52,430 --> 00:27:54,470
I hate to think, sometimes.

506
00:27:54,470 --> 00:27:58,790
But it's not just royal lovers who
have visited Glen Tanar.

507
00:27:58,790 --> 00:28:00,830
I don't know if you can recognise

508
00:28:00,830 --> 00:28:01,990
this signature here.

509
00:28:01,990 --> 00:28:03,190
Oh, that's an Elizabeth.

510
00:28:03,190 --> 00:28:05,190
I do recognise that signature -

511
00:28:05,190 --> 00:28:07,910
is that...? That's Queen Elizabeth
II. That is our current Queen.

512
00:28:07,910 --> 00:28:10,670
Yes, it's our current Queen.
And this was when? This is...

513
00:28:10,670 --> 00:28:13,710
So, 1943. Yeah. And so this is

514
00:28:13,710 --> 00:28:15,110
the current owner's mother's

515
00:28:15,110 --> 00:28:16,670
15th birthday.

516
00:28:16,670 --> 00:28:18,470
And this is the signature

517
00:28:18,470 --> 00:28:20,310
of the Queen Mother

518
00:28:20,310 --> 00:28:22,190
and Princess Margaret.

519
00:28:22,190 --> 00:28:24,350
It's quite exciting, that.
It's lovely.

520
00:28:24,350 --> 00:28:25,550
Yes, it's really nice.

521
00:28:27,470 --> 00:28:31,230
69 years earlier, another mother
and daughter duo

522
00:28:31,230 --> 00:28:32,830
visited Glen Tana -

523
00:28:32,830 --> 00:28:35,870
Queen Victoria
and her ninth child, Beatrice,

524
00:28:35,870 --> 00:28:37,790
came to walk the estate,

525
00:28:37,790 --> 00:28:41,190
stopping off for tea
in one of the many woods.

526
00:28:42,550 --> 00:28:45,270
So, we're on the trial of Queen
Victoria here, a little bit, Mike?

527
00:28:45,270 --> 00:28:47,190
She just loved Glen Tanar,

528
00:28:47,190 --> 00:28:50,390
but she really did find it
quite a place to be.

529
00:28:51,590 --> 00:28:54,270
It's interesting to me because she
had her own estate, right?

530
00:28:54,270 --> 00:28:57,830
It is, yes. But she liked to come
out and explore

531
00:28:57,830 --> 00:28:59,390
wider than that? Much wider.

532
00:29:03,310 --> 00:29:05,830
And if you look across there,

533
00:29:05,830 --> 00:29:10,350
you'll see this is
the stone and seats.

534
00:29:10,350 --> 00:29:13,390
And if you look at the top stone
there... Oh, hello, yeah.

535
00:29:13,390 --> 00:29:16,550
Hidden away in there, you've got,
oh, 1874.

536
00:29:16,550 --> 00:29:20,790
And then there's the V, Victoria,
and the crown on top there.

537
00:29:21,870 --> 00:29:25,350
Whether she actually sat here
we don't know.

538
00:29:25,350 --> 00:29:29,510
But it would certainly commemorate
Queen Victoria's visit.

539
00:29:31,390 --> 00:29:32,910
One thing's for sure -

540
00:29:32,910 --> 00:29:36,830
she loved the Deeside landscape and
all it contained.

541
00:29:36,830 --> 00:29:40,430
HE SIGHS HAPPILY
That's better.

542
00:29:40,430 --> 00:29:42,990
It's lovely. Oh, take that in!

543
00:29:44,350 --> 00:29:47,870
But she also shared her subjects'
love of hunting.

544
00:29:49,670 --> 00:29:52,470
It was very, very important to them.

545
00:29:52,470 --> 00:29:54,750
They were full-on. Yeah.

546
00:29:54,750 --> 00:29:57,910
Pretty much everything was getting
shot at.

547
00:29:57,910 --> 00:30:00,270
What are we talking? Deer, I'm sure.

548
00:30:00,270 --> 00:30:02,470
Yes, there would be lots of deer.

549
00:30:02,470 --> 00:30:05,470
Some extraordinary numbers
of rabbits.

550
00:30:05,470 --> 00:30:12,270
The 1874 game book has
10,500 rabbits shot.

551
00:30:12,270 --> 00:30:14,910
That's a huge number. Huge number.

552
00:30:14,910 --> 00:30:19,510
So, what we find in what they call
a disposal book was huge lists.

553
00:30:20,630 --> 00:30:25,830
And down left-hand side are names,
lots of people -

554
00:30:25,830 --> 00:30:30,830
including a Mr Mitchell,
who was the Aboyne Station boss man.

555
00:30:32,030 --> 00:30:35,590
So, he was the head man and they
would the rabbits down to him

556
00:30:35,590 --> 00:30:37,990
to hand out to the drivers,
the guards

557
00:30:37,990 --> 00:30:40,670
and the people who worked
for the railway. Really?

558
00:30:40,670 --> 00:30:44,470
So that was really nice to find
that little link between, you know,

559
00:30:44,470 --> 00:30:48,630
shooting, but actually providing
food for the local population.

560
00:30:55,910 --> 00:30:58,870
Back on my route, the old
railway line has brought me

561
00:30:58,870 --> 00:31:00,670
down alongside the river.

562
00:31:10,510 --> 00:31:12,750
This is such beautiful spot.

563
00:31:15,110 --> 00:31:16,110
Stunning!

564
00:31:18,630 --> 00:31:23,390
Here at Cambus o'May, the
station opened in 1876

565
00:31:23,390 --> 00:31:27,670
as a second intermediate stop
between Aboyne and Ballater.

566
00:31:28,750 --> 00:31:32,990
Now, at first, it was just a halt
with a simple platform here,

567
00:31:32,990 --> 00:31:36,470
but this quaint little
station building was added

568
00:31:36,470 --> 00:31:38,110
just a little later on.

569
00:31:41,150 --> 00:31:45,710
Cambus o'May had a front-row seat
overlooking the Dee.

570
00:31:45,710 --> 00:31:51,030
In 1896, this pretty setting is said
to have been the scene of a picnic

571
00:31:51,030 --> 00:31:53,950
laid on for the Russian royal
family.

572
00:31:53,950 --> 00:31:55,790
An ageing Queen Victoria

573
00:31:55,790 --> 00:31:59,990
hosted Tsar Nicholas II at Balmoral
for an entire month.

574
00:31:59,990 --> 00:32:02,030
His wife, Tsarina Alexandra,

575
00:32:02,030 --> 00:32:05,110
just happened to be
her favourite grandchild.

576
00:32:07,470 --> 00:32:09,750
But 500 metres upstream,

577
00:32:09,750 --> 00:32:14,150
my next stop-off is the delightfully
named Cut-a-way Cottage.

578
00:32:14,150 --> 00:32:16,870
Hello. Hello there. How you doing?
I'm good, thank you.

579
00:32:16,870 --> 00:32:18,310
Am I in your garden? Sorry.

580
00:32:18,310 --> 00:32:20,510
You are indeed,
but it's not a problem.

581
00:32:20,510 --> 00:32:23,150
This is the Deeside Way.
Feel free to ramble on.

582
00:32:23,150 --> 00:32:24,830
Excellent. Nice to meet you.

583
00:32:24,830 --> 00:32:27,150
Hello, I'm Rob. Rob. Geoff.

584
00:32:27,150 --> 00:32:30,310
Geoff's cottage once housed
the ferryman,

585
00:32:30,310 --> 00:32:32,910
whose job was to transport folk
across the Dee

586
00:32:32,910 --> 00:32:37,390
before Cambus o'May's
wonderful footbridge was built.

587
00:32:37,390 --> 00:32:40,710
So, this would have been here when
the railway went in? Yes, indeed.

588
00:32:40,710 --> 00:32:44,110
So, you're not physically standing
on the railway line at the moment

589
00:32:44,110 --> 00:32:47,070
as the Deeside Way just swings
around the back of the house.

590
00:32:47,070 --> 00:32:49,270
Just looking over towards that
woodpile over there,

591
00:32:49,270 --> 00:32:53,510
the railway line actually runs that
side of the cottage. Did it? OK.

592
00:32:53,510 --> 00:32:57,030
The cottage gets its name,
Cut-a-way Cottage, from the fact

593
00:32:57,030 --> 00:33:00,070
that the corner of the house,
or the gable end,

594
00:33:00,070 --> 00:33:03,790
has been removed to allow the
passage of the rather wide

595
00:33:03,790 --> 00:33:06,790
Victorian carriages
and the steam train at the time.

596
00:33:06,790 --> 00:33:10,550
It would have had a thatched roof
and, of course, the steam engine

597
00:33:10,550 --> 00:33:12,790
would have created a fire hazard.

598
00:33:12,790 --> 00:33:15,310
So it was then converted into
a stated roof.

599
00:33:15,310 --> 00:33:18,350
Yeah, thatched roof would not
have gone down well at all. Exactly.

600
00:33:18,350 --> 00:33:21,310
Did you want to take a look?
I don't want to disturb you.

601
00:33:21,310 --> 00:33:23,150
Can I...? No, please.
Yeah, come on, then.

602
00:33:23,150 --> 00:33:25,390
Help yourself.
Just follow me through this gate.

603
00:33:29,110 --> 00:33:30,390
Just come this way, Rob.

604
00:33:30,390 --> 00:33:33,110
What are we actually...seeing here?

605
00:33:33,110 --> 00:33:36,030
So, this is the corner of
Cut-a-way Cottage...

606
00:33:36,030 --> 00:33:37,870
Right. ..just here.

607
00:33:37,870 --> 00:33:40,350
Ah! Now I see it. It's not until you
stand here that you see -

608
00:33:40,350 --> 00:33:43,270
there's a chunk here that looks
like it has been cut off

609
00:33:43,270 --> 00:33:45,430
and that was cut off, was it,
for the railway?

610
00:33:45,430 --> 00:33:46,870
Literally. It's quirky.

611
00:33:46,870 --> 00:33:49,230
It came along this side
of the house

612
00:33:49,230 --> 00:33:50,870
and because the house is in the way,

613
00:33:50,870 --> 00:33:52,830
we'll have that corner off,
thanks very much.

614
00:33:52,830 --> 00:33:54,710
I've never seen anything like that.

615
00:33:54,710 --> 00:33:56,670
Listen, Geoff, I don't want to keep
you any longer

616
00:33:56,670 --> 00:33:58,150
and I hope I haven't disturbed you.

617
00:33:58,150 --> 00:34:00,030
Really nice to meet you, Geoff.
You, too, Rob.

618
00:34:00,030 --> 00:34:01,670
Thanks for the little tour.
After you.

619
00:34:07,830 --> 00:34:09,310
Coming up...

620
00:34:09,310 --> 00:34:12,230
I see the station that's welcomed
every monarch

621
00:34:12,230 --> 00:34:13,830
since Queen Victoria...

622
00:34:13,830 --> 00:34:15,790
I've arrived - I'm here in Ballater.

623
00:34:15,790 --> 00:34:17,790
..try a sausage made for
a royal baby...

624
00:34:17,790 --> 00:34:19,270
Oh, yeah, there's a little kick.

625
00:34:19,270 --> 00:34:22,430
..and there's the famous home
at the end of the railway.

626
00:34:22,430 --> 00:34:24,590
Here we are, then - Balmoral Castle.

627
00:34:32,080 --> 00:34:35,880
By the early 1860s,
the Highland valley of Deeside

628
00:34:35,880 --> 00:34:39,160
was becoming one of the most
talked-about spots in the country.

629
00:34:39,160 --> 00:34:42,160
This was no longer just Deeside.

630
00:34:42,160 --> 00:34:44,720
It had become Royal Deeside.

631
00:34:44,720 --> 00:34:47,920
Queen Victoria was a confirmed fan.

632
00:34:47,920 --> 00:34:51,440
And the Deeside Railway hadn't
even been finished yet.

633
00:34:53,880 --> 00:34:56,960
Over more than a decade,
the railway crept its way

634
00:34:56,960 --> 00:35:00,000
up the valley from Aberdeen,
village by village.

635
00:35:00,000 --> 00:35:04,240
In 1866, the Highland village of
Ballater was reached,

636
00:35:04,240 --> 00:35:08,680
making the end of the line less than
ten miles from Balmoral.

637
00:35:08,680 --> 00:35:10,560
How you doing?

638
00:35:10,560 --> 00:35:16,160
And in Ballater itself, the station
got very used to welcoming royalty.

639
00:35:16,160 --> 00:35:18,040
Nice to see you, Rob.
Very nice to meet you.

640
00:35:18,040 --> 00:35:20,680
A long way from Aberdeen, is it?
It's been a little way, yeah,

641
00:35:20,680 --> 00:35:23,480
but I've arrived - I'm here in
Ballater. Good.

642
00:35:23,480 --> 00:35:24,800
Here to welcome me

643
00:35:24,800 --> 00:35:28,760
is chair of the local history
society - Alistair Cassie.

644
00:35:28,760 --> 00:35:32,720
It was a very long platform because
of the length of the royal train,

645
00:35:32,720 --> 00:35:35,560
bearing in mind it had two engines
to pull the carriages,

646
00:35:35,560 --> 00:35:40,800
a lot of carriages, and possibly
staff quarters and possibly pets -

647
00:35:40,800 --> 00:35:43,560
dogs and what have you -
all on one train.

648
00:35:43,560 --> 00:35:45,320
Was there quite a lot of
organisation

649
00:35:45,320 --> 00:35:48,640
for the Deeside Railway, then, to
have a royal train come through?

650
00:35:48,640 --> 00:35:52,560
Well, there was a lot of work went
on and all the gates,

651
00:35:52,560 --> 00:35:54,280
farm gates, were all locked

652
00:35:54,280 --> 00:35:57,560
and police were on duty at all the
road crossings, just for safety.

653
00:35:57,560 --> 00:36:00,320
The pomp and ceremony continued

654
00:36:00,320 --> 00:36:02,720
outside the front of the station,

655
00:36:02,720 --> 00:36:04,360
from where every monarch

656
00:36:04,360 --> 00:36:06,240
since Queen Victoria has set off

657
00:36:06,240 --> 00:36:09,040
for the final few miles to Balmoral.

658
00:36:09,040 --> 00:36:10,880
It's quite a big square, actually,
isn't it?

659
00:36:10,880 --> 00:36:12,720
A big square. Beautiful building.

660
00:36:12,720 --> 00:36:15,800
The area had to be fairly big,
because horse and carriage

661
00:36:15,800 --> 00:36:17,760
took quite a big circle to turn.

662
00:36:17,760 --> 00:36:21,280
So, it's always been a huge event.
A huge event.

663
00:36:21,280 --> 00:36:24,480
It's a big event then.
It was a big event

664
00:36:24,480 --> 00:36:26,880
when I remember
the Queen coming here.

665
00:36:26,880 --> 00:36:29,640
Well, I was taken down by
the schoolteacher

666
00:36:29,640 --> 00:36:31,840
with our little Union Jacks and
we'd line up

667
00:36:31,840 --> 00:36:34,280
and watch the queen coming in
and wave the flag.

668
00:36:35,840 --> 00:36:38,600
Not many places in the UK
get that sort of treatment.

669
00:36:46,720 --> 00:36:49,320
The railway closed
over 50 years ago,

670
00:36:49,320 --> 00:36:53,280
and these days the royals simply
touch down at Aberdeen Airport

671
00:36:53,280 --> 00:36:55,720
and breeze through here by car.

672
00:36:55,720 --> 00:36:59,000
But this remains the closest big
community to Balmoral

673
00:36:59,000 --> 00:37:01,440
and there's evidence of that
all around.

674
00:37:01,440 --> 00:37:06,080
Look up here. By royal appointment
to Her Majesty the Queen,

675
00:37:06,080 --> 00:37:08,920
and just to the right of it,
to the Prince of Wales.

676
00:37:08,920 --> 00:37:12,200
Loads of royal warrants
have been issued here,

677
00:37:12,200 --> 00:37:13,880
showing that many local traders

678
00:37:13,880 --> 00:37:16,400
have been supplying
the Royals for years.

679
00:37:19,160 --> 00:37:21,960
Look - the Chinese takeaway's
even got one.

680
00:37:23,560 --> 00:37:26,400
Nah - its for the bakery next door.

681
00:37:29,080 --> 00:37:30,680
And if the baker's has a warrant,

682
00:37:30,680 --> 00:37:33,440
then it's only fair that the butcher
has one too.

683
00:37:36,760 --> 00:37:38,640
Oh. Hello. Is it John? Yes.

684
00:37:38,640 --> 00:37:41,160
Hi. How you doing? Hello, John.
Good to meet you. You too.

685
00:37:41,160 --> 00:37:43,120
HM Sheridan has been recognised

686
00:37:43,120 --> 00:37:46,040
for serving the Royal Household
since 1987.

687
00:37:46,040 --> 00:37:48,880
When the royal household
are here in the summertime,

688
00:37:48,880 --> 00:37:52,120
we supply Balmoral with their meat,
their game and their poultry.

689
00:37:52,120 --> 00:37:54,080
Prince of Wales himself's been in.

690
00:37:54,080 --> 00:37:55,800
We've had the Queen at the door.

691
00:37:55,800 --> 00:37:57,800
We've had the Duke of Edinburgh.

692
00:37:57,800 --> 00:38:00,440
And we've also had Camilla in.
Wow! So, yeah, we're privileged.

693
00:38:00,440 --> 00:38:03,200
Well, you're obviously doing
something right. Yeah, hopefully.

694
00:38:04,480 --> 00:38:08,360
Is there anything special that
you'll do for royals? Well, we
specialise in a lot of sausages.

695
00:38:08,360 --> 00:38:10,080
They do like their barbecues in
the summer,

696
00:38:10,080 --> 00:38:11,400
so we do make a lot of sausages.

697
00:38:11,400 --> 00:38:13,720
They ask the recipe, we make them
for them.

698
00:38:13,720 --> 00:38:15,560
But I'm not going to tell you
what they make,

699
00:38:15,560 --> 00:38:18,440
cos it's a secret for the royals
themselves. So, it's...

700
00:38:18,440 --> 00:38:20,920
You make secret special
recipes for the royals?

701
00:38:20,920 --> 00:38:23,360
Yes, we do, aye. And you can't
tell me what's in those?

702
00:38:23,360 --> 00:38:26,880
I'm not telling you what they are.
It wouldn't be a secret any more.
Yeah, fair enough.

703
00:38:26,880 --> 00:38:28,160
But John's less reticent

704
00:38:28,160 --> 00:38:31,440
when it comes to a new market
he's cornered -

705
00:38:31,440 --> 00:38:33,880
marking the arrival
of royal babies.

706
00:38:35,200 --> 00:38:38,040
We've actually created one -
the Dumbarton sausage -

707
00:38:38,040 --> 00:38:40,200
for Prince Archie. Of course.

708
00:38:40,200 --> 00:38:42,440
Yeah. Brand-new royal arrival.

709
00:38:42,440 --> 00:38:45,440
There's a wee sample for you.
I'll try it, John. Right.

710
00:38:45,440 --> 00:38:48,200
You have a guess. Yeah, I'll have a
go. See what you think's in it.

711
00:38:48,200 --> 00:38:50,400
Already the colour's telling me
something. Yeah.

712
00:38:50,400 --> 00:38:52,520
This is fun. I could do this
all day.

713
00:38:54,720 --> 00:38:57,240
Oh, yeah, there's a little kick.
There's a little...

714
00:38:57,240 --> 00:39:00,080
It's got some chillies and some
ginger and some barbecue sauce.

715
00:39:00,080 --> 00:39:03,000
Obviously, we used the American
theme of the New York sausage.

716
00:39:03,000 --> 00:39:05,400
So, that's what? The American theme,
that's having the...

717
00:39:05,400 --> 00:39:07,280
Chilli and barbecue, yes.
A wee bit of ginger,

718
00:39:07,280 --> 00:39:08,800
just to give it
a wee bit of extra kick.

719
00:39:08,800 --> 00:39:10,440
Is that Prince Harry? Yes.

720
00:39:10,440 --> 00:39:12,760
Is that a little reference
to his old...? Yes.

721
00:39:12,760 --> 00:39:14,800
Just a wee bit of fun there
as well, yeah.

722
00:39:14,800 --> 00:39:17,800
And it makes a better flavour of
sausage. It's absolutely delicious!

723
00:39:17,800 --> 00:39:19,800
And when they're here in the
summertime,

724
00:39:19,800 --> 00:39:22,600
we will be sending
some up to them to try.

725
00:39:22,600 --> 00:39:24,120
So, with a bit of luck,

726
00:39:24,120 --> 00:39:27,520
John's royal warrant will be safe
for a while yet.

727
00:39:31,640 --> 00:39:35,720
Ballater, meanwhile, can count
itself lucky -

728
00:39:35,720 --> 00:39:39,640
because if events 150 years ago
had played out differently,

729
00:39:39,640 --> 00:39:43,560
the royal connections here might
have been greatly reduced.

730
00:39:45,440 --> 00:39:47,880
Now, Ballater Station, the end of
the line,

731
00:39:47,880 --> 00:39:50,960
is a couple of hundred yards back
in that direction.

732
00:39:50,960 --> 00:39:54,880
Now, it's not obvious, but this wall
is the wall of a bridge

733
00:39:54,880 --> 00:39:59,640
that runs over what is a
clearly cut path down here

734
00:39:59,640 --> 00:40:03,480
that was once meant to be the
continuation of the Deeside Railway

735
00:40:03,480 --> 00:40:05,880
further west out of Ballater.

736
00:40:09,440 --> 00:40:10,920
Work to extend the line

737
00:40:10,920 --> 00:40:13,480
began within two years
of the railway's arrival.

738
00:40:15,320 --> 00:40:17,400
This flat track is exactly

739
00:40:17,400 --> 00:40:20,360
where the railway extension
was being built.

740
00:40:20,360 --> 00:40:23,320
Just look at the amount of work
that went into it.

741
00:40:23,320 --> 00:40:27,640
This enormous retaining wall,
built entirely out of granite.

742
00:40:30,240 --> 00:40:34,800
The plan was to build the railway
into the upper reaches of Deeside -

743
00:40:34,800 --> 00:40:36,480
an area rich in timber,

744
00:40:36,480 --> 00:40:40,520
just waiting to be cut down and
transported by rail -

745
00:40:40,520 --> 00:40:42,840
but a mile out of Ballater,

746
00:40:42,840 --> 00:40:46,320
this small bridge is as far
as construction ever got.

747
00:40:48,160 --> 00:40:50,760
Just on the other side of this river

748
00:40:50,760 --> 00:40:54,080
is the beginning
of the Balmoral Estate.

749
00:40:55,200 --> 00:40:59,240
Queen Victoria was well aware of the
plans to use the railway to help

750
00:40:59,240 --> 00:41:02,720
with the removal of thousands
more trees from the valley -

751
00:41:02,720 --> 00:41:05,840
an idea she thought
would ruin the place forever.

752
00:41:05,840 --> 00:41:08,040
So she acted quickly.

753
00:41:08,040 --> 00:41:11,480
Not only did she buy up the forested
land herself,

754
00:41:11,480 --> 00:41:16,280
she also had enough strong words
with enough influential people

755
00:41:16,280 --> 00:41:20,040
to ensure that railway construction
was stopped

756
00:41:20,040 --> 00:41:24,240
and that any plans for the extension
were halted forever.

757
00:41:30,960 --> 00:41:35,320
So the uppermost parts of Deeside
never got their railway...

758
00:41:37,240 --> 00:41:40,200
..and Queen Victoria's actions
in saving the forest

759
00:41:40,200 --> 00:41:44,360
have been heralded as the Highlands'
first act of conservation.

760
00:41:51,960 --> 00:41:55,720
Here we are, then, just beneath
here - Balmoral Castle...

761
00:41:57,520 --> 00:41:59,200
..with the Upper Deeside Valley

762
00:41:59,200 --> 00:42:01,760
stretching out
into the distance beyond.

763
00:42:03,160 --> 00:42:05,520
It's not bad spot, really, is it?

764
00:42:06,600 --> 00:42:09,840
Between Queen Victoria and the
Deeside Railway,

765
00:42:09,840 --> 00:42:12,680
they completely transformed
this place.

766
00:42:12,680 --> 00:42:16,600
Within just a few years of the line
arriving to Ballater,

767
00:42:16,600 --> 00:42:19,800
10,000 people a year
made their way up to visit.

768
00:42:21,240 --> 00:42:24,440
In the space of just one queen's
reign,

769
00:42:24,440 --> 00:42:27,600
the wild and distant
Highlands of Scotland

770
00:42:27,600 --> 00:42:30,520
had made it onto everyone's
bucket list.

771
00:42:31,760 --> 00:42:33,200
And you can see why.

772
00:42:37,400 --> 00:42:39,160
Next time...

773
00:42:39,160 --> 00:42:40,640
Just have a look at this.

774
00:42:40,640 --> 00:42:43,960
..I'm amongst the rich and royals
of unspoilt Norfolk.

775
00:42:43,960 --> 00:42:46,160
We don't have a motorway up here.
We don't want one.

776
00:42:46,160 --> 00:42:49,120
..following a railway that
threatened to change everything.

777
00:42:49,120 --> 00:42:51,680
We've got some mighty
massive buildings here!

778
00:42:51,680 --> 00:42:54,280
It put Norfolk on the front line
of the war...

779
00:42:54,280 --> 00:42:56,160
That is absolutely enormous!

780
00:42:56,160 --> 00:42:58,360
..and created a holiday hotspot.

781
00:42:58,360 --> 00:43:01,720
We're reaching the top. Here we go!
Woo-hoo!

782
00:43:05,040 --> 00:43:08,080
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