0:00:02 > 0:00:05For many, the 1950s were the golden age of British motoring.
0:00:05 > 0:00:11Back then, driving was leisurely, liberating and fun.
0:00:11 > 0:00:14TYRES SCREECH, HORN BEEPS
0:00:14 > 0:00:17Yes, things have changed a bit since then.
0:00:20 > 0:00:25But perhaps it's still possible to recapture some of that old magic.
0:00:25 > 0:00:27Oh, yes!
0:00:27 > 0:00:32I'm setting off on six of the best drives from the 1950s,
0:00:32 > 0:00:36as recommended by the guidebooks of the era.
0:00:36 > 0:00:40And I'll be driving them in some of the decade's most iconic vehicles.
0:00:40 > 0:00:43GEARS CRUNCH
0:00:43 > 0:00:45Oh, gone into reverse.
0:00:45 > 0:00:51'I want to find out if these routes still thrill and inspire...'
0:00:51 > 0:00:53This is a spectacular road.
0:00:53 > 0:00:58'..and how, in 50 years, Britain itself has changed.'
0:00:58 > 0:01:00Oh, for God's sake.
0:01:00 > 0:01:03They wouldn't have thought to come here without a sat nav.
0:01:03 > 0:01:05I'm sure they wouldn't.
0:01:05 > 0:01:08People don't value each other as much as they did then.
0:01:08 > 0:01:10It was a different type of life.
0:01:10 > 0:01:12HORN BLASTS
0:01:18 > 0:01:20# Hey nonny ding dong
0:01:20 > 0:01:22# Ah lang-a-lang-a-lang
0:01:22 > 0:01:25# Boom ba lo Ba-boom-ba-boom dah
0:01:25 > 0:01:27# Oh, life could be a dream
0:01:27 > 0:01:32# If I could take you up in paradise up above
0:01:32 > 0:01:33# If you would tell me... #
0:01:33 > 0:01:37'A tour through the Highlands of Scotland yields an experience
0:01:37 > 0:01:40'to be matched nowhere else in Western Europe.
0:01:40 > 0:01:44'No district has a greater variety of interest
0:01:44 > 0:01:48'nor a happier combination of beauty and accessibility
0:01:48 > 0:01:50'than the area known as the Trossachs.'
0:01:50 > 0:01:53# ..Life could be a dream sweetheart... #
0:01:53 > 0:01:56Scotland is, of course, my homeland,
0:01:56 > 0:01:58and in celebration of my return,
0:01:58 > 0:02:02the producers have allowed me a rather splendid vehicle.
0:02:02 > 0:02:06It's a 1952 Bentley Mark VI,
0:02:06 > 0:02:11and an absolutely beautiful piece of British engineering it is.
0:02:12 > 0:02:16In it, I'll be exploring a route that was positively
0:02:16 > 0:02:19raved about in my 1950s guidebooks.
0:02:19 > 0:02:24I'll take the road from Callander to Inversnaid,
0:02:24 > 0:02:26a journey that promises fine views
0:02:26 > 0:02:29of several lochs and mountains,
0:02:29 > 0:02:32including one of Scotland's most revered driving roads,
0:02:32 > 0:02:36and culminates at the largest lake in Britain.
0:02:40 > 0:02:44But before I begin, I can't resist a quick detour.
0:02:44 > 0:02:47Greenock, on the Firth of Clyde, is my home town
0:02:47 > 0:02:50and my big sister Moira still lives there.
0:02:50 > 0:02:53Well, with a car like this,
0:02:53 > 0:02:57you can't blame me for wanting to show off a bit, can you?
0:02:57 > 0:02:59DOORBELL
0:03:02 > 0:03:06- Hello!- Moira!- Lovely to see you.
0:03:06 > 0:03:07Welcome to Britain's Best Drives.
0:03:07 > 0:03:09HE LAUGHS
0:03:09 > 0:03:10How are you doing?
0:03:10 > 0:03:12- Not too bad.- Good.
0:03:14 > 0:03:16- There you are.- Thank you,
0:03:16 > 0:03:18Oh, my goodness! This is beautiful.
0:03:18 > 0:03:20Palatial, Moira.
0:03:20 > 0:03:23Ooh, leather.
0:03:27 > 0:03:31Do you enjoy being chauffeured in a Bentley, Moira?
0:03:31 > 0:03:34- Yes, it's very nice. - It's a bit hot, of course.
0:03:34 > 0:03:35It's very warm.
0:03:35 > 0:03:38See this shop, is that still working?
0:03:38 > 0:03:41- Yes, it is.- It's all a bit dilapidated, isn't it?
0:03:41 > 0:03:44'Hmmm. Our little tour of the old neighbourhood
0:03:44 > 0:03:47'soon reveals that, just like Moira and myself,
0:03:47 > 0:03:50'Greenock has changed a bit since the '50s.'
0:03:52 > 0:03:54That's all been demolished, I see.
0:03:54 > 0:03:56Yes, they're all being knocked down.
0:03:56 > 0:04:01'I wanted to show you a stupendous vista of the town.'
0:04:01 > 0:04:03When was that built?
0:04:03 > 0:04:04Don't know. There's the...
0:04:04 > 0:04:06'Oh, well... Never mind.
0:04:06 > 0:04:11'But Moira has managed to salvage a rather unlikely relic from the past.
0:04:11 > 0:04:15'The shed we both used to play in as kids.
0:04:15 > 0:04:18'She's even given it a fresh coat of paint.'
0:04:18 > 0:04:23So this shed is made from timber from the shipyard, I think.
0:04:23 > 0:04:26What time do you... what date do you think it was?
0:04:26 > 0:04:27Ooh, it's...
0:04:27 > 0:04:30It's over 80 years old.
0:04:30 > 0:04:34Over 80 years old and still standing. Clyde built!
0:04:34 > 0:04:36You've done a very good job, Moira.
0:04:36 > 0:04:39- Is it painted all the way round?- No.
0:04:39 > 0:04:43- Just the two sides that I can see from the house.- I see!
0:04:43 > 0:04:45I ran out of paint, so I thought,
0:04:45 > 0:04:48"I'm not spending any more money because it's..."
0:04:48 > 0:04:50- Is the door original as well?- Yes.
0:04:50 > 0:04:53- Just this, Jimmy put this on.- Yeah.
0:04:53 > 0:04:57I bet this won't be in the show, but there you are, there's a brown shed.
0:04:57 > 0:04:59- 90 years old.- It used to be green.
0:04:59 > 0:05:03This is your house, but we weren't brought up as children here.
0:05:03 > 0:05:05We were brought up in Dunlop Street.
0:05:05 > 0:05:09Used to play in the hut. We did. It was a sort of a den, wasn't it?
0:05:09 > 0:05:15- It was your den.- We used to play, um, shops and things.- Uh-huh.
0:05:15 > 0:05:17Who was the shopkeeper, me or you? I can't remember.
0:05:17 > 0:05:20- Oh, you were the customer, weren't you?- I was the customer.
0:05:20 > 0:05:23- I was always buying. - You were always buying.
0:05:23 > 0:05:26- I'm still always buying. - Still always shopping.
0:05:26 > 0:05:27- Still shopping.- Absolutely.
0:05:27 > 0:05:30We played at Maisie's and Jeannie's, and you were the dog.
0:05:30 > 0:05:33Oh, I used to be your dog, wasn't I?
0:05:33 > 0:05:36- You took me round on a lead. - Uh-huh.- Not when I was a teenager!
0:05:36 > 0:05:40- Oh, no, no, no, no, no. - No, when I was a wee thing.
0:05:40 > 0:05:43Seven or eight, or something!
0:05:43 > 0:05:47Time to set off, I think, before Moira rakes up
0:05:47 > 0:05:50any more embarrassing memories.
0:05:50 > 0:05:54My start point will be a town that, although I've never been there,
0:05:54 > 0:05:57played a significant part in my life.
0:05:57 > 0:06:00Callander doubled as the town of Tannochbrae
0:06:00 > 0:06:03in the original Dr Finlay TV series,
0:06:03 > 0:06:07a show that marked my professional debut.
0:06:07 > 0:06:10Nobody likes a teacher, do they? I mean, he's not popular.
0:06:10 > 0:06:12When Lord Muircross finds he's a schoolteacher,
0:06:12 > 0:06:17I wouldn't be surprised if his ears were hotter than a Scottish supper.
0:06:17 > 0:06:22'Arden House was the exterior of Dr Finlay's Casebook.'
0:06:22 > 0:06:24Unfortunately, I never got there,
0:06:24 > 0:06:29because the part I played in Dr Finlay was all in the studio,
0:06:29 > 0:06:32so I never got any location work.
0:06:32 > 0:06:36'I was playing Mr McKeeley, the stone-mason,
0:06:36 > 0:06:42'with a bad back and because it was my first job, I was very nervous,'
0:06:42 > 0:06:43of course.
0:06:45 > 0:06:49I remember the Daily Telegraph, I think it was, was doing a piece,
0:06:49 > 0:06:53it was the first of a new series, and the Daily Telegraph was doing
0:06:53 > 0:06:57a diary piece which said, "The cast now come back after lunch
0:06:57 > 0:06:59"to do the first run-through.
0:06:59 > 0:07:01"They all look calm and relaxed
0:07:01 > 0:07:04"apart from Richard Wilson, who looks pale and drawn...
0:07:04 > 0:07:06"It's because it's his first job."
0:07:10 > 0:07:11I'm meeting a man at Arden House
0:07:11 > 0:07:15who you might say was Callander's real Dr Finlay.
0:07:15 > 0:07:19Dr Ian Williams was the town's GP,
0:07:19 > 0:07:22and when he arrived here more than 40 years ago,
0:07:22 > 0:07:26he soon realised what a tight-knit, rural community this was.
0:07:26 > 0:07:29I went in to speak to somebody, a patient.
0:07:29 > 0:07:32- Yeah.- So I lifted the receiver and a voice said,
0:07:32 > 0:07:37"Morning, Dr Williams. How are you? Are you settling in?"
0:07:37 > 0:07:40Because, of course, they had a switchboard with...
0:07:40 > 0:07:42- The plug was me, you see.- Yes, yes.
0:07:42 > 0:07:45I said, "I want to speak to Mrs X," say, one of the bakers."
0:07:45 > 0:07:49She said, "Oh, hang on a minute, it's, er, Tuesday morning.
0:07:49 > 0:07:53"Oh, no. Tuesday morning, she'll be having coffee with Mrs Y
0:07:53 > 0:07:54"at the greengrocer's."
0:07:54 > 0:07:58- Yes.- She said, "Put the phone down, Doc, I'll get back to you."
0:07:58 > 0:08:02So I put the phone down and within about a couple of minutes, ring-ring.
0:08:02 > 0:08:06Lift the phone, "It's all right, Doctor. She wasn't at Mrs Y's.
0:08:06 > 0:08:10"She was actually with a Mrs Z
0:08:10 > 0:08:16- "at the grocer's, and here she is." - Right, great service.
0:08:16 > 0:08:19Now that was one call, the charge of one call
0:08:19 > 0:08:23to go ring round three places to find out where somebody was.
0:08:23 > 0:08:25But that was the community.
0:08:25 > 0:08:27- Yes.- And that's how it was.
0:08:27 > 0:08:29Now, being a GP in those days,
0:08:29 > 0:08:34you had to work, because you were on call, and you did go on call.
0:08:34 > 0:08:36Well, I did that all my working life.
0:08:36 > 0:08:39Yes. How far would you have to go?
0:08:39 > 0:08:42- Where was your furthest patient from yourself?- Here?
0:08:42 > 0:08:46Well, we went up, um, 23 miles, I think, to Stronachlachar,
0:08:46 > 0:08:48at the top of Loch Katrine.
0:08:48 > 0:08:51Or we went 23-24 miles up to the head of Balquhidder Glen.
0:08:51 > 0:08:55- So, if you like, the furthermost patients live 50 miles apart.- Yes.
0:08:55 > 0:08:57The first night I went to Balquhidder Glen,
0:08:57 > 0:09:01I always remember it was a brawsome moonlit nicht, sort of thing.
0:09:01 > 0:09:06Hard, hard, icy snow on the ground. I don't know if you know that road,
0:09:06 > 0:09:09but it's very narrow and there were drops in places, and it was slidey,
0:09:09 > 0:09:13and it took me an hour-and-a-half to do the 23 miles.
0:09:13 > 0:09:15And I have to say, I can't remember clearly,
0:09:15 > 0:09:20but I think it probably wasn't a totally necessary visit.
0:09:24 > 0:09:27Time for me to follow in Dr Williams' tyre tracks
0:09:27 > 0:09:32and take the roads that he drove so often when out on his house calls.
0:09:32 > 0:09:37The first part of my drive is from Callander along the A821
0:09:37 > 0:09:42to Loch Katrine, and pretty special it is, too.
0:09:50 > 0:09:53'The Trossachs have everything in miniature.
0:09:53 > 0:09:57'Towering mountains, peaceful valley scenes, lochs,
0:09:57 > 0:10:03'historic places, set against a background of legend and romance.'
0:10:03 > 0:10:07And what a delightful way to experience it.
0:10:07 > 0:10:12The scenery is, well, by any standards, absolutely spectacular.
0:10:14 > 0:10:18'The road follows the line of the chase
0:10:18 > 0:10:21'described in The Lady Of The Lake by Sir Walter Scott,
0:10:21 > 0:10:24'who put the Trossachs on the tourist map.'
0:10:24 > 0:10:29All my '50s guides mention Sir Walter Scott, and quite right, too,
0:10:29 > 0:10:32for without his famous poem,
0:10:32 > 0:10:35this whole region may have lain undiscovered.
0:10:35 > 0:10:38I'm heading to Loch Katrine
0:10:38 > 0:10:41to take an excursion heartily recommended in my books.
0:10:44 > 0:10:48The Sir Walter Scott steamer has been ferrying sightseers
0:10:48 > 0:10:52around these beautiful waters for well over 100 years.
0:10:52 > 0:10:55And on it, I've arranged to meet tour guide Hugh O'Neill
0:10:55 > 0:10:59to find out how its namesake could very well be called
0:10:59 > 0:11:01the father of Scottish tourism.
0:11:01 > 0:11:07- Hugh, here we are on Loch Katrine, on the Sir Walter Scott boat.- Yes.
0:11:07 > 0:11:11And Sir Walter Scott wrote his famous poem
0:11:11 > 0:11:14The Lady Of The Lake based on this lake.
0:11:14 > 0:11:19Yes, indeed. He came here, um, I think about 1809.
0:11:19 > 0:11:22Up till then, this was relatively unknown.
0:11:22 > 0:11:25He came here for a holiday with his wife and his daughter,
0:11:25 > 0:11:26and over the winter,
0:11:26 > 0:11:28he wrote this very, very long poem,
0:11:28 > 0:11:31and it was an overnight sensation in London,
0:11:31 > 0:11:35and all the better-off people in London cancelled
0:11:35 > 0:11:40their summer holidays in Wales and made their way up here to Scotland.
0:11:40 > 0:11:44An amazing thing when you consider there were no trains
0:11:44 > 0:11:48or cheap airlines to get you up here. So you get yourself up here.
0:11:48 > 0:11:52Yes, so it must have been a more more literate society
0:11:52 > 0:11:55to get a hold of a long poem, especially.
0:11:55 > 0:11:59Yes, I think it must have been, although no television in those days,
0:11:59 > 0:12:02- perhaps that was part of it. - Yes, yes, of course.
0:12:02 > 0:12:06So, just tell me very briefly, what's the story of the poem?
0:12:06 > 0:12:11It's all about a hunting party which sets out from Stirling Castle,
0:12:11 > 0:12:14led by James Fitz-james,
0:12:14 > 0:12:19who turned out to be King James V of Scotland in disguise.
0:12:19 > 0:12:24They chase a stag, and he gets well ahead of the rest of the party
0:12:24 > 0:12:28and he arrives, eventually, at Loch Katrine.
0:12:28 > 0:12:32He's looking down on the loch and he sees a beautiful young girl
0:12:32 > 0:12:35rowing a boat out from Ellen's Isle,
0:12:35 > 0:12:38but I think the important part of the story
0:12:38 > 0:12:41is the descriptive passages at the start.
0:12:41 > 0:12:46The long descriptions of the scenery that the huntsmen were going through,
0:12:46 > 0:12:50- and that's what caught everyone's imagination.- Yeah.
0:12:50 > 0:12:53And that's what people rushed up here to see.
0:12:57 > 0:13:00One burnish'd sheet of living gold
0:13:00 > 0:13:03Loch Katrine lay beneath him roll'd
0:13:03 > 0:13:07In all her length far winding lay
0:13:07 > 0:13:10With promontory, creek, and bay
0:13:10 > 0:13:14And islands that, empurpled bright
0:13:14 > 0:13:18Floated amid the livelier light
0:13:18 > 0:13:21And mountains that like giants stand
0:13:21 > 0:13:25To sentinel enchanted land.
0:13:30 > 0:13:34So many people flocked to the region that the Duke of Montrose
0:13:34 > 0:13:37built a special road across the mountains to carry them all,
0:13:37 > 0:13:41and naturally, the canny man charged them all for using it.
0:13:41 > 0:13:44But it's no longer a toll road, and the Duke's Pass
0:13:44 > 0:13:48has become one of the most famous driving experiences in Scotland,
0:13:48 > 0:13:54described in my 1959 guide as a must for any tour of the Trossachs.
0:13:54 > 0:13:58And for bikers, it's become a rite of passage.
0:13:58 > 0:14:01To get the low-down on the road before I attempt it myself,
0:14:01 > 0:14:05I'm meeting Jimmy Tannoch and Anne McKinley who used to ride the pass
0:14:05 > 0:14:09on two wheels back in the 1950s.
0:14:12 > 0:14:18- This road was a biker's paradise. - Biker's dream, yeah.
0:14:18 > 0:14:20I think it actually...
0:14:20 > 0:14:25The Duke's Pass was a test for motorcyclists and push-cyclists.
0:14:25 > 0:14:29If you bought a bike, you could test it out on the Duke's Pass.
0:14:29 > 0:14:33If you've got up without too many gear changes, it was a good honour.
0:14:33 > 0:14:36- Is it a scary drive?- Er, yeah.
0:14:36 > 0:14:38It was always scary.
0:14:38 > 0:14:40Especially when it was wet.
0:14:40 > 0:14:44- But that'd be part of the enjoyment? It would give you a buzz?- Yes.
0:14:44 > 0:14:48- So, Annie, were you in a side car or a pillion?- Pillion.
0:14:48 > 0:14:52- And did you get the same kick out of it as the driver?- Yes. Yes.
0:14:52 > 0:14:57I came over part of the Duke's Pass one day and my footrest
0:14:57 > 0:15:02- was catching on the road and there was wee sparks coming off it.- Ooh!
0:15:02 > 0:15:05Did anyone ever die at the Duke's Pass?
0:15:05 > 0:15:07Ooh, I couldnae say that.
0:15:07 > 0:15:11- There was certainly plenty of accidents.- Yes, it's always the way.
0:15:11 > 0:15:14In them days, the bikes were different, Richard.
0:15:14 > 0:15:16You had very narrow tyres and big long machines,
0:15:16 > 0:15:21and the corners were that tight, you know, you could slip quite easily.
0:15:21 > 0:15:24- Yes.- And if you went a weekend without coming off your bike,
0:15:24 > 0:15:25- it was a good weekend.- Really?
0:15:25 > 0:15:29So, I'm about to take my Bentley over the Duke's Pass.
0:15:29 > 0:15:31What tips would you give me?
0:15:31 > 0:15:34The tip I'll give, Richard, is keep well to the left.
0:15:34 > 0:15:35- Yes.- Drive cautiously.
0:15:35 > 0:15:40- Oh, as always.- And be aware. Don't sightsee, don't look at the scenery.
0:15:40 > 0:15:41Watch the road.
0:15:41 > 0:15:46In fact, even better, get somebody else to drive you.
0:15:46 > 0:15:49- And you can see the scenery. - What a good idea.
0:15:49 > 0:15:52Let's do the whole series again.
0:15:52 > 0:15:56- Richard Wilson Driven The Best Drives.- Richard Wilson...
0:15:56 > 0:15:59- It makes so much sense, doesn't it? - Indeed.- It would.
0:16:01 > 0:16:05And to make it just that little bit more terrifying,
0:16:05 > 0:16:09I'll be in convoy with a bevy of vintage British bikes.
0:16:09 > 0:16:14Well, what a collection! And this is an AJS, I remember an AJS.
0:16:14 > 0:16:18- They don't make them any more.- No, they don't.- BSA.- British Small Arms.
0:16:18 > 0:16:20British Small Arms. That's what it was, wasn't it?
0:16:20 > 0:16:25- What's this one?- A Matchless. 1955. - Matchless. And this, we've got a...
0:16:25 > 0:16:29A 1961... HORN PEEPS
0:16:29 > 0:16:31A 1961 BSE.
0:16:31 > 0:16:32HORN BEEPS
0:16:32 > 0:16:38- Sorry.- Please, come on, get a grip! And this is the Triumph.
0:16:38 > 0:16:40Yep. Tiger Cub.
0:16:40 > 0:16:44- And a side car. Very good...an Escort.- An Escort.
0:16:44 > 0:16:47- I hope you keep well clear of me. - Oh, you're all right!
0:16:47 > 0:16:50Wait till you see me driving!
0:16:52 > 0:16:54Duke's Pass.
0:17:04 > 0:17:07'Tourists will be drawn to the Pass of the Trossachs,
0:17:07 > 0:17:11'a well-made road full of sharp twists and turns
0:17:11 > 0:17:13'but of moderate gradients.
0:17:13 > 0:17:16'Careful driving IS imperative.'
0:17:16 > 0:17:1992 corners in 7.5 miles.
0:17:19 > 0:17:22Doesn't entirely fill me with joy, I have to say.
0:17:30 > 0:17:33'It twists and turns, and rises and falls,
0:17:33 > 0:17:35'the character of the bristly country
0:17:35 > 0:17:38'appears in some fresh guise at every mile.'
0:17:41 > 0:17:46It does require... quite a lot of concentration.
0:17:48 > 0:17:51The car responds very well.
0:17:51 > 0:17:54The Bentley is in third gear
0:17:54 > 0:17:59and is quite happy chugging up some of these severe inclines.
0:18:01 > 0:18:04'It is in this pass, in the space of about a mile,
0:18:04 > 0:18:08'that the surpassing beauties of the Trossachs are encompassed.'
0:18:09 > 0:18:13It's a lovely road. It's absolutely...
0:18:13 > 0:18:15I mean, I think that the Duke's Pass in itself
0:18:15 > 0:18:18is one of the best drives in Britain.
0:18:18 > 0:18:21'Beautiful loch and mountain scenery.
0:18:21 > 0:18:25'Altogether a delightful run through the famous Trossachs,
0:18:25 > 0:18:28'and later, by a long and attractive descent to Aberfoyle.'
0:18:35 > 0:18:41As Jimmy and Anne advised, I kept my eyes glued firmly to the road,
0:18:41 > 0:18:45but the stunning vistas were frankly unavoidable.
0:18:45 > 0:18:49I've seen so many spectacular views on my drives around Britain
0:18:49 > 0:18:53and they've never failed to make my heart skip a beat.
0:18:53 > 0:18:56I'm hoping my next passenger might be able to explain why.
0:19:01 > 0:19:04- Hello, hi.- Hello.- Richard, come in. - Thank you.
0:19:04 > 0:19:07Get in and we'll set off. How are you?
0:19:07 > 0:19:09Not bad, thanks, not bad.
0:19:09 > 0:19:13You're from... Oops! You're from Glasgow University.
0:19:13 > 0:19:16That's right. Department of Psychology.
0:19:16 > 0:19:18- Department of Psychology.- Uh-huh.
0:19:18 > 0:19:23Together, we'll be driving from Aberfoyle, alongside Loch Ard,
0:19:23 > 0:19:27past Loch Chon, and as far as Stronachlachar,
0:19:27 > 0:19:29on the banks of Loch Katrine.
0:19:29 > 0:19:33A perfect road on which to pick Dr David's brains.
0:19:33 > 0:19:39In fact, the views on this drive just get better and better.
0:19:48 > 0:19:53- Like most people, I really enjoy looking at a good view.- Mm-hm.
0:19:53 > 0:19:57What is it that is so, shall we say, life-enhancing
0:19:57 > 0:19:59about coming across a view?
0:19:59 > 0:20:04Well, some of the data actually suggests that
0:20:04 > 0:20:08it sets up a particular pattern of brain activity
0:20:08 > 0:20:13that we find rewarding, that we actually get a sort of a high,
0:20:13 > 0:20:16- if you like. It's satisfying. - It's a chemical thing?
0:20:16 > 0:20:20That's one theory, but my own particular favourite
0:20:20 > 0:20:23at the moment is that part of it
0:20:23 > 0:20:26is to do with relaxing the eyes. That if you think about
0:20:26 > 0:20:30working in an office, looking at a computer screen, looking at a TV,
0:20:30 > 0:20:34it's nearly all reading, they're all close things,
0:20:34 > 0:20:38so we don't often get a chance to see look at things in the distance.
0:20:40 > 0:20:44'Loch Ard, on its own merits for natural beauty,
0:20:44 > 0:20:46'is a paradise for the motorist.
0:20:46 > 0:20:49'The run across its north bank, on a road that is mainly
0:20:49 > 0:20:52'just at the water's edge, is an experience
0:20:52 > 0:20:55'that provides a store of colourful memories.'
0:20:55 > 0:21:00Another one of the reasons why we might like looking at scenic views
0:21:00 > 0:21:04is a preference that we have, that that's maybe quite primeval,
0:21:04 > 0:21:08for being in high places and being able to see all around us,
0:21:08 > 0:21:11so that we are able to detect if there are
0:21:11 > 0:21:14any enemies in the environment or any threats to us.
0:21:14 > 0:21:17We did a survey of the undergraduates at Glasgow,
0:21:17 > 0:21:19and we just asked them,
0:21:19 > 0:21:23- "What's the most beautiful visual experience you've ever had?"- Yeah.
0:21:23 > 0:21:28And so many of them said it was a sunset or a mountain scene,
0:21:28 > 0:21:29or sunlight glinting on water.
0:21:29 > 0:21:33- Nearly all of them said it was a natural thing...- Yes.
0:21:33 > 0:21:35..rather than something...
0:21:35 > 0:21:38- Rather than a beautiful woman or a beautiful man or...- Exactly.
0:21:38 > 0:21:42We also asked, "What's the most ugly visual experience you've ever had?"
0:21:42 > 0:21:46- and all of them were to do with people or man-made objects.- Yes.
0:21:46 > 0:21:49None of the responses were to do with natural scenes.
0:21:51 > 0:21:52Oh, that's amazing.
0:21:52 > 0:21:54- That's amazing.- It is amazing.
0:21:54 > 0:21:55That's a view.
0:22:00 > 0:22:04What's interesting, of course, is, we've got part of the view
0:22:04 > 0:22:08now in sunlight and part is still in shadow,
0:22:08 > 0:22:12- which creates a very interesting image, doesn't it?- Hmm.
0:22:12 > 0:22:16But the science does suggest that people like looking at images
0:22:16 > 0:22:18where there's an element of mystery.
0:22:18 > 0:22:21- Yes.- Yeah, that's right.
0:22:21 > 0:22:24And we've got all the sounds of the loch around us.
0:22:25 > 0:22:30- The lapping of the water... - And that comes into it?- I think so,
0:22:30 > 0:22:35because we're part of the landscape. If we're just looking at photographs
0:22:35 > 0:22:38or images on a computer screen, then we don't get the full effect
0:22:38 > 0:22:43of being in a real environment, which this is.
0:22:43 > 0:22:46- And this is a changing environment, as well.- Completely.
0:22:46 > 0:22:49- What makes it so fascinating. - Constantly changing,
0:22:49 > 0:22:53- constantly providing us with interesting things to look at.- Yes.
0:22:53 > 0:22:58It's also interesting when the light, when these...
0:22:58 > 0:23:01sort of sections of sunshine,
0:23:01 > 0:23:06you see detail that you didn't see when it was in darkness.
0:23:06 > 0:23:10I think some of the science would suggest that when that happens,
0:23:10 > 0:23:13if you like, when the sunlight reveals the detail,
0:23:13 > 0:23:18that's exactly when we get this little buzz, a frisson.
0:23:18 > 0:23:21This drive, for me, has been all about landscape
0:23:21 > 0:23:25and the final leg of my route from Stronachlachar,
0:23:25 > 0:23:27past Loch Arklet to Inversnaid
0:23:27 > 0:23:29doesn't disappoint.
0:23:30 > 0:23:36# They asked me how I knew
0:23:36 > 0:23:41# My true love was true
0:23:41 > 0:23:44# Oh...oh-oh-oh... #
0:23:44 > 0:23:50The area is utterly unspoilt, all the more extraordinary
0:23:50 > 0:23:55when you think that the Trossachs only became a National Park in 2002.
0:23:55 > 0:24:01My 1950s guidebooks are as accurate today as they were 50 years ago.
0:24:04 > 0:24:08'Highways or byways are quiet by southern standards.
0:24:08 > 0:24:11'One can drive from Aberfoyle to Inversnaid
0:24:11 > 0:24:13'on a sunny Saturday afternoon in August
0:24:13 > 0:24:17'without meeting more than two or three cars.'
0:24:22 > 0:24:26Oh, this is nice. You see the road ahead now
0:24:26 > 0:24:31is stretching ahead of us and the loch on the side.
0:24:33 > 0:24:39The lochs here, of course, are particularly pretty.
0:24:40 > 0:24:44But the ever-changing Scottish weather means the final few miles
0:24:44 > 0:24:48of my journey are not quite as glorious as they might have been.
0:24:52 > 0:24:57It's interesting to see the mist coming off the hills.
0:24:57 > 0:24:58Very dramatic.
0:24:58 > 0:25:02The interesting thing about Scotland, of course,
0:25:02 > 0:25:05is, if the weather was good all the time,
0:25:05 > 0:25:07say like Spain or Italy,
0:25:07 > 0:25:11I suppose the Highlands would become a tourist paradise.
0:25:11 > 0:25:15As it is, they are still fairly unspoilt.
0:25:15 > 0:25:20And you can drive around some of the Highland roads with little traffic.
0:25:20 > 0:25:24So it's a double-edged sword, isn't it?
0:25:24 > 0:25:29Oh, Inversnaid Hotel - that's encouraging.
0:25:31 > 0:25:33Oh, it's lovely,.
0:25:33 > 0:25:40Now, this, one has to say, would be gorgeous in the sunshine!
0:25:41 > 0:25:45I suppose it's quite a common sight in Britain,
0:25:45 > 0:25:46given the weather we get.
0:25:46 > 0:25:49Very often, when you're driving along,
0:25:49 > 0:25:52you see cars parked up, with people in them,
0:25:52 > 0:25:56chewing on a sandwich very often, looking at the view,
0:25:56 > 0:25:58because the weather won't let them out.
0:25:58 > 0:26:02Even sitting here in the rain is...
0:26:02 > 0:26:06It's very peaceful
0:26:06 > 0:26:07and very calming.
0:26:19 > 0:26:23So, this is it. Loch Lomond is not only the conclusion
0:26:23 > 0:26:26of my Scottish route, but also the final stop
0:26:26 > 0:26:30in my tour of Britain's best drives from the 1950s,
0:26:30 > 0:26:33a tour that has taken me from the beaches of Cornwall
0:26:33 > 0:26:37to the moors of Yorkshire and through the mountains of Snowdonia.
0:26:37 > 0:26:41And one has to say that, 50 years on, these routes
0:26:41 > 0:26:44are still utterly inspirational.
0:26:44 > 0:26:47But for me, this journey has been a lot more
0:26:47 > 0:26:50than just a simple Sunday drive.
0:26:50 > 0:26:54I suppose the thing about having driven all over Britain
0:26:54 > 0:26:58is that it puts you in touch with your country again. You know,
0:26:58 > 0:27:03it's an extraordinary experience to visit so many parts of it
0:27:03 > 0:27:06and to meet all sorts of people from all walks of life.
0:27:06 > 0:27:09So that's been a great privilege in a way.
0:27:09 > 0:27:14I think it might be a good idea that some politicians try this some time.
0:27:14 > 0:27:19Following the guidebooks and talking to the people,
0:27:19 > 0:27:23many of the people thought there was a better lifestyle
0:27:23 > 0:27:25in the '50s than it is now.
0:27:25 > 0:27:30Maybe we don't value each other as much as they did then.
0:27:30 > 0:27:33There was much more a sense of community in the '50s,
0:27:33 > 0:27:34without a doubt.
0:27:34 > 0:27:39Speaking personally, would I go back to the '50s? Prefer the '50s?
0:27:39 > 0:27:41I'd say no.
0:27:41 > 0:27:45I'd say there are too many advances have been made, socially,
0:27:45 > 0:27:47since the '50s.
0:27:53 > 0:27:56It's been a journey through the past and present,
0:27:56 > 0:27:58of people as well as places,
0:27:58 > 0:28:01and I have to say I feel I know my own country
0:28:01 > 0:28:04much better than I once did.
0:28:04 > 0:28:09And, well, gosh - isn't Britain a beautiful place?
0:28:48 > 0:28:53Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:28:53 > 0:28:56E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk