0:00:03 > 0:00:09For the last 200 years, tourists and travellers have been attracted to Scotland
0:00:09 > 0:00:11by the magnificence of its wild scenery,
0:00:11 > 0:00:18a land where deer roam free, eagles soar and salmon fill the rivers.
0:00:18 > 0:00:24But not all visitors to Scotland wanted to commune with nature.
0:00:24 > 0:00:26Many sought to conquer it.
0:00:26 > 0:00:31Victorian men came here to prove themselves, challenging nature,
0:00:31 > 0:00:37savage in tooth and claw, to become masters of all they surveyed.
0:00:41 > 0:00:45In Victorian times, many holidaymakers followed routes
0:00:45 > 0:00:53suggested by the most influential guidebook of all, Black's Picturesque Guide To Scotland.
0:00:53 > 0:00:58In this series, I'm taking my own well-thumbed copy of this fascinating book.
0:00:58 > 0:01:01It's been in my family for generations, and was always kept
0:01:01 > 0:01:05in the glove compartment of my father's car when we went on holiday.
0:01:05 > 0:01:09Now it's inspired me to make six journeys of my own.
0:01:09 > 0:01:13Letting its pages guide me, I want to retrace the steps of the early tourists.
0:01:13 > 0:01:15'Woo!
0:01:15 > 0:01:17'Oh!'
0:01:17 > 0:01:22To find out how Scotland became a jewel in the crown of tourist destinations.
0:01:22 > 0:01:28On this journey, I'm in search of the sporting life, finding out how a high-minded appreciation
0:01:28 > 0:01:33for the landscape went hand in hand with a lust for killing.
0:01:44 > 0:01:49My route begins in the heart of Scotland, in Dunkeld, then travels north
0:01:49 > 0:01:54through Perthshire, before climbing the mountains to Royal Deeside.
0:01:54 > 0:02:00From Balmoral, my journey continues to Glenmore, through one of my favourite parts of Scotland,
0:02:00 > 0:02:03the famous mountain pass of the Lairig Ghru.
0:02:03 > 0:02:09In the spirit of Victorian sportsmanship and manliness, I've accepted the challenge
0:02:09 > 0:02:16to follow this route as far as I can, using a conveyance of the period.
0:02:16 > 0:02:19Now, this is probably a foolhardy enterprise, but I couldn't resist
0:02:19 > 0:02:24the opportunity to try out an authentic Rudge lever tricycle from the 1870s,
0:02:24 > 0:02:29and what better way to explore Scotland's sporting heritage
0:02:29 > 0:02:32than on such a fabulous machine?
0:02:32 > 0:02:37Well, to be honest, I can think of one or two.
0:02:40 > 0:02:46The first stop on my muscle-stretching, buttock-bruising journey is Dunkeld,
0:02:46 > 0:02:49on the banks of the River Tay.
0:02:49 > 0:02:51Black's is fulsome in its praises.
0:02:51 > 0:02:57"There are few places of which the first sight is so striking as Dunkeld.
0:02:57 > 0:03:03"Its finely-wooded mountains, its noble river, its magnificent bridge
0:03:03 > 0:03:08"and its ancient cathedral combine to form a picture of rare beauty."
0:03:11 > 0:03:15Although the charms of Dunkeld weren't entirely lost on early visitors,
0:03:15 > 0:03:19the town didn't really take off as a tourist destination
0:03:19 > 0:03:26until the arrival of a very special couple of holidaymakers, Prince Albert and Queen Victoria.
0:03:29 > 0:03:35'In the summer of 1842, Victoria was just 23 years old,
0:03:35 > 0:03:38'recently married and very much in love with her new husband.
0:03:38 > 0:03:41'The couple embarked on a tour of Scotland,
0:03:41 > 0:03:45'which they described as "the northern portion of their kingdom".
0:03:48 > 0:03:53'When they arrived in Dunkeld, they were treated to a spectacular Highland welcome,
0:03:53 > 0:03:56'which had a great impact on the young monarch.'
0:03:56 > 0:04:02The Queen was very impressed, and both she and Albert were "highly amused", which no doubt encouraged
0:04:02 > 0:04:06their subsequent love affair with Scotland and all things Scottish.
0:04:06 > 0:04:12'Victoria and Albert's expedition north would play a hugely-important part
0:04:12 > 0:04:17'in promoting Scotland as THE fashionable tourist destination of the era.
0:04:18 > 0:04:25'Historian Eric Zuelow has studied Victoria and her obsession with all things tartan.'
0:04:25 > 0:04:27The thing I'm interested in is Queen Victoria.
0:04:27 > 0:04:33- She was a very young woman when she came to Scotland for that first time in 1842.- She was, she was just 23.
0:04:33 > 0:04:36So when the Queen got to Dunkeld, what did she see?
0:04:36 > 0:04:38She got a real Highland spectacle.
0:04:38 > 0:04:43She rolls through this triumphal arch, she sees 900 Highlanders,
0:04:43 > 0:04:48all decked out in their Highland finery, all of their tartanry, the full outfit.
0:04:48 > 0:04:52They were dancing reels and, most important to her, dancing the sword dance.
0:04:52 > 0:04:58And she hears bagpipes, which of course is one of those things she wants to see.
0:04:58 > 0:05:02And it's set, you know, in this fabulous scenery, right.
0:05:02 > 0:05:07In the hills. When you travel, that's what you want, you want to find something different.
0:05:07 > 0:05:13- The exotic, in other words. - The exotic, and Scotland was exotic, because it had this...
0:05:13 > 0:05:15this Highland culture.
0:05:15 > 0:05:19'Victoria and Albert were the celebrity couple of the day,
0:05:19 > 0:05:23'and their every move was reported by the press.
0:05:23 > 0:05:28'Thanks to the publicity that surrounded their northern tour, Scotland was seen in a new light.'
0:05:28 > 0:05:31We've got here a copy of The Illustrated London News,
0:05:31 > 0:05:38and it's using all the latest Victorian technology of line drawings and etchings
0:05:38 > 0:05:42to show the public the sights that the Queen was presented with.
0:05:42 > 0:05:47It is. We have the piper, we have the sword dance, we have the landscape.
0:05:47 > 0:05:50Very romantically portrayed as well, isn't it?
0:05:50 > 0:05:52Very romantically portrayed,
0:05:52 > 0:05:58and you don't just get these great expanses of Scottish hills or lakes
0:05:58 > 0:06:04or big houses or cathedrals, you get little tiny people in the foreground,
0:06:04 > 0:06:06fishing or gazing or hunting.
0:06:06 > 0:06:09- Dwarfed by the magnificence of the landscape.- That's right.
0:06:09 > 0:06:14But also showing that you can be part of that landscape, you can be there and participate.
0:06:14 > 0:06:20And Scotland simply takes off as a really wonderful vacation destination.
0:06:20 > 0:06:24Queen Victoria's trip to Scotland was an enormous success
0:06:24 > 0:06:28and gave the Highlands the royal seal of approval,
0:06:28 > 0:06:34transforming the country into the place of choice for discerning tourists and sporting gentlemen.
0:06:35 > 0:06:43Thanks to the royal endorsement, lots of adventurous types were soon venturing north to explore
0:06:43 > 0:06:50the Queen's favourite holiday destination, and in 1881, a very intrepid tourist indeed,
0:06:50 > 0:06:54by the name of Commander Reade, travelled all over Scotland,
0:06:54 > 0:06:582,462 miles to be precise, on his tricycle.
0:07:00 > 0:07:03'He wrote about his amazing adventures
0:07:03 > 0:07:08'in a beautifully-illustrated book called Nauticus In Scotland,
0:07:08 > 0:07:13'an original ripping yarn, full of the thrills and spills of the open road,
0:07:13 > 0:07:15'and full of useful cycling advice.'
0:07:15 > 0:07:19- UPPER-CLASS ENGLISH ACCENT: - '"On the road, go easy for the first mile or so,
0:07:19 > 0:07:22'"until the muscles are fairly in tune."'
0:07:22 > 0:07:24Uphill, come on, get up, up, up!
0:07:24 > 0:07:31'"This allows the independent wheelman to select his pace, and thus take in the beauties of nature
0:07:31 > 0:07:34'"according to his own individual taste."'
0:07:34 > 0:07:36Thoroughly sound advice.
0:07:42 > 0:07:49Of course, when a sporting gentleman sees a river meandering through the countryside,
0:07:49 > 0:07:52his fancy turns naturally to thoughts of fishing,
0:07:52 > 0:07:56and of all the rivers in Scotland to get a man fumbling for his flies,
0:07:56 > 0:07:59the River Tay excites the most.
0:08:02 > 0:08:06NEWSREEL: 'In some of the finest scenery in the world,
0:08:06 > 0:08:10'the thoughts of climbing, walking and fishing take first place.'
0:08:10 > 0:08:14'Where the Scottish rivers tumble into falls, you can see the salmon leap.'
0:08:14 > 0:08:20Scottish rivers are amongst the best in the world for salmon fishing, and I've come to meet
0:08:20 > 0:08:23angling instructor Jock Monteith,
0:08:23 > 0:08:27who's going to initiate me in the dark art of fly-fishing.
0:08:27 > 0:08:30The best conditions for catching salmon are when they're there
0:08:30 > 0:08:33and in the right frame of mind to take a fly.
0:08:33 > 0:08:36- It doesn't matter if it's raining or not?- No. They're already wet.
0:08:36 > 0:08:41They are wet! I think I'll be joining them in the wetness stakes at the end of the day!
0:08:41 > 0:08:48'With hundreds of rivers and more than 35,000 freshwater lochs,
0:08:48 > 0:08:53'it's little wonder that fishing has been popular in Scotland
0:08:53 > 0:08:54'since the 1700s.
0:08:54 > 0:08:59'For anglers, the Tay is a river of superlatives,
0:08:59 > 0:09:03'and it occupies a very special place in the history of the sport.'
0:09:03 > 0:09:05That's it!
0:09:05 > 0:09:08The Tay's been a very famous fishing river for many years.
0:09:08 > 0:09:11What do you think makes this river so world-renowned?
0:09:11 > 0:09:14Such a large catchment off the hills here,
0:09:14 > 0:09:16it drains about 2,500 square miles of Scotland.
0:09:16 > 0:09:19- That's huge.- Huge. So there's always enough water coming down
0:09:19 > 0:09:22- for fish to move, even in the height of summer.- Right.
0:09:22 > 0:09:26Also, the fact that the British rod-caught record salmon was
0:09:26 > 0:09:28landed on the Tay in 1922 by Georgina Valentine.
0:09:28 > 0:09:31The famous Georgina Valentine?
0:09:31 > 0:09:32About 64 lbs, I believe.
0:09:32 > 0:09:35- That's what you call a whopper, isn't it?- No' half!
0:09:35 > 0:09:36But she wasn't a very big woman.
0:09:36 > 0:09:39No, but she must have had a very good osteopath!
0:09:39 > 0:09:40PAUL LAUGHS
0:09:40 > 0:09:46It's a very pleasant pastime, standing here in the Tay,
0:09:46 > 0:09:47casting hopefully.
0:09:47 > 0:09:52- And you're casting well there, Paul. - Thanks very much.
0:09:52 > 0:09:54The last time that I went fishing with a fly, Jock,
0:09:54 > 0:10:00I was about eight years of age, and I only managed to hook my pants.
0:10:00 > 0:10:03Who landed you? THEY LAUGH
0:10:03 > 0:10:06I think I landed myself, actually. I was that surprised.
0:10:08 > 0:10:12'Of course, I didn't catch a salmon. I didn't even get a nibble.
0:10:12 > 0:10:18'Leaving the river and the art of fly-fishing to more appreciative souls,
0:10:18 > 0:10:22'I mount my tricycle to continue my journey.'
0:10:22 > 0:10:25I've no idea how he could cycle 2,500 miles.
0:10:25 > 0:10:30I'm exhausted doing...200 yards.
0:10:33 > 0:10:36Heading north towards the Spittal of Glenshee,
0:10:36 > 0:10:40I pass through a stretch of country much admired by Queen Victoria
0:10:40 > 0:10:43for its rugged grandeur and high passes.
0:10:43 > 0:10:49Although I doubt SHE ever attempted this journey on a tricycle.
0:10:49 > 0:10:51HE PANTS
0:10:52 > 0:10:56Tackling these hills is incredibly hard work.
0:10:56 > 0:11:02And with no gears, it's almost impossible to make any headway at all,
0:11:02 > 0:11:07which is why, when the going gets tough...
0:11:07 > 0:11:11well, frankly, it's time to get off.
0:11:11 > 0:11:14'I take heart form the words of Commander Reade.
0:11:14 > 0:11:17'When he cycled across Scotland in Victorian times,
0:11:17 > 0:11:22'he saw absolutely no point in working up a sweat.
0:11:22 > 0:11:26'"Directly you begin to feel distressed, either in mounting a hill
0:11:26 > 0:11:30'"or on heavy ground, at once get off and push."
0:11:30 > 0:11:34'How unlike today's self-punishing age.
0:11:34 > 0:11:38'"From the top of the pass, tired limbs are rewarded
0:11:38 > 0:11:42'"with a glorious descent into Royal Deeside..."'
0:11:42 > 0:11:43Woo!
0:11:43 > 0:11:49'..and the destination made famous by Scotland's royal love affair.
0:11:54 > 0:11:59'The romantic novels of Sir Walter Scott may have raised Scotland's profile
0:11:59 > 0:12:03'in the 19th century, but it was the real-life royal romance
0:12:03 > 0:12:06'that was played out here in Balmoral
0:12:06 > 0:12:10'that consolidated the country's reputation as a place to visit.
0:12:13 > 0:12:18'After falling in love with Scotland, the young Queen Victoria
0:12:18 > 0:12:22'and her husband Albert decided to establish a family home in the Highlands.
0:12:22 > 0:12:27'In 1848, they bought the Balmoral Estate,
0:12:27 > 0:12:30'which occupied a special place in both their hearts.
0:12:30 > 0:12:31'Victoria wrote in her diary,
0:12:31 > 0:12:35- UPPER-CLASS FEMALE ACCENT: - '"All seemed to breathe freedom and peace
0:12:35 > 0:12:41'"and to make one forget the world and its turmoils."'
0:12:41 > 0:12:43Victoria loved it here. In fact, they both did.
0:12:43 > 0:12:47Scotland gave them the time and the space to be a family,
0:12:47 > 0:12:50and the opportunity to reinvent themselves.
0:12:50 > 0:12:55Albert had modelled Balmoral on his romantic idea of a Highland castle,
0:12:55 > 0:12:59and it was here that the royal couple
0:12:59 > 0:13:02acted out their own fantasy version of Highland life.
0:13:02 > 0:13:04She wore tartan, and he learnt Gaelic.
0:13:04 > 0:13:06They ate bannock, oatcakes and haggis.
0:13:06 > 0:13:11'And the vast Balmoral Estate provided Albert with the opportunity
0:13:11 > 0:13:14'to indulge one of his greatest passions -
0:13:14 > 0:13:15'hunting.
0:13:15 > 0:13:18'Although he is reported to have been a rather poor shot.
0:13:18 > 0:13:22'But there can be no doubting the Prince's enthusiasm for the sport,
0:13:22 > 0:13:26'and the Queen, too, often accompanied her much-adored husband,
0:13:26 > 0:13:31'gamely crawling through the heather as Albert stalked his prey.
0:13:31 > 0:13:36'Of all the places associated with Victoria and Albert,
0:13:36 > 0:13:41'Balmoral represents the consummation of the love they had for each other,
0:13:41 > 0:13:43'and for Scotland. In many ways,
0:13:43 > 0:13:46'it's a symbol of the triangular relationship
0:13:46 > 0:13:50'between Victoria, the Prince and the landscape of the Highlands.'
0:13:50 > 0:13:53You can see evidence of this symbolism in the fabric
0:13:53 > 0:13:55of the castle itself.
0:13:55 > 0:13:56Up there is a frieze
0:13:56 > 0:13:59depicting scenes from romantic legend,
0:13:59 > 0:14:06while over here is the foundation stone, laid by Queen Victoria herself in 1853,
0:14:06 > 0:14:12with the initials V for Victoria and A for Albert.
0:14:12 > 0:14:16Like lovers, entwined forever in stone.
0:14:19 > 0:14:23'Sadly, just five years after the completion of Balmoral Castle,
0:14:23 > 0:14:28'Albert was struck down by typhoid and died.
0:14:28 > 0:14:32'Victoria was alone.'
0:14:32 > 0:14:37After Albert's tragic and untimely death at the age of just 42,
0:14:37 > 0:14:40Victoria went into lifelong mourning.
0:14:40 > 0:14:42Walking around the estate today,
0:14:42 > 0:14:45you can clearly see how she turned the whole place
0:14:45 > 0:14:48into a kind of memorial to her lost husband.
0:14:48 > 0:14:53Up on the hill are cairns and stone pillars that mark the places
0:14:53 > 0:14:56where the family picnicked and shared other happier times.
0:14:58 > 0:15:01'Inspired by Victoria and Albert's love of Scotland,
0:15:01 > 0:15:05'the Highlands became THE place to visit,
0:15:05 > 0:15:09'and Royal Deeside became hugely popular with Victorian gentlemen
0:15:09 > 0:15:13'enamoured with the latest sporting fashion - hunting.'
0:15:14 > 0:15:16There was blackcock,
0:15:16 > 0:15:18woodcock, grouse, capercaillie.
0:15:18 > 0:15:21There was red deer and roe deer.
0:15:21 > 0:15:22In fact, in the 19th century,
0:15:22 > 0:15:26there seemed to be an inexhaustible supply of targets
0:15:26 > 0:15:30for aristocrats and southern sporting gentlemen to choose from.
0:15:34 > 0:15:35'By the end of the 19th century,
0:15:35 > 0:15:39'hunting had become a sophisticated leisure-time pursuit.
0:15:39 > 0:15:44'All across the Highlands, sporting estates were developed.
0:15:44 > 0:15:47'These vast deer forests centred on the shooting lodge,
0:15:47 > 0:15:49'offering owners and their guests
0:15:49 > 0:15:53'every modern convenience of the Victorian age.
0:15:57 > 0:15:58'I've come to Mar Lodge.
0:15:58 > 0:16:02'Built in 1895 for Queen Victoria's granddaughter,
0:16:02 > 0:16:07'it represents the high noon of Highland sporting life.
0:16:09 > 0:16:12'In the ballroom, there's an astonishing visual reminder
0:16:12 > 0:16:16'of the insatiable Victorian appetite for killing things.'
0:16:18 > 0:16:23This has to be one of the most bizarre
0:16:23 > 0:16:29and grisly spectacles I have ever seen.
0:16:29 > 0:16:34There must be thousands of stag skulls up there.
0:16:34 > 0:16:40'I must admit, the thrill of killing has always remained
0:16:40 > 0:16:41'a bit of a mystery to me.'
0:16:44 > 0:16:47'But to try and understand the elusive charms of shooting,
0:16:47 > 0:16:49'I've come to meet Stuart Cumming,
0:16:49 > 0:16:52'the head stalker, who's going to put me through my paces.'
0:16:52 > 0:16:56I'm not going to be shooting anything today, heaven forbid,
0:16:56 > 0:17:00but I'll have my camera. Do you usually get people stalking with cameras?
0:17:00 > 0:17:04Not often, but we're beginning to get a wee bit more of that nowadays.
0:17:04 > 0:17:08It's quite a pricey thing to do, to go stalking.
0:17:08 > 0:17:10It can be pricey depending on
0:17:10 > 0:17:13what deer forest you're stalking on, you know,
0:17:13 > 0:17:16- £300 to £340.- For the day?
0:17:16 > 0:17:18- For the day, plus the VAT, aye. - Plus the VAT.
0:17:18 > 0:17:20And do you get to keep the stag?
0:17:20 > 0:17:23- No, the stag is the property of the estate.- Right!
0:17:23 > 0:17:26It's quite an expensive day out then, isn't it?
0:17:26 > 0:17:30It is, but people enjoy it, and they get a trophy, probably, at the end of the day.
0:17:30 > 0:17:32What do you mean, the trophy?
0:17:32 > 0:17:35- Well, the antlers, the stag antlers.- Oh, really?
0:17:35 > 0:17:38- So that tradition still continues? - Oh, yes.- Right.
0:17:38 > 0:17:40We'll just take off in this direction here...
0:17:40 > 0:17:45'For the Victorian sporting gentleman, the whole ritual of deer stalking
0:17:45 > 0:17:48'was bound up with ideas of masculinity, a test of willpower,
0:17:48 > 0:17:56'strength and physical fitness, to overcome fear, subdue nature and kill the noble stag,
0:17:56 > 0:17:58'the monarch of the glen.
0:17:58 > 0:18:03'What better demonstration of heroic manliness
0:18:03 > 0:18:07'than the antlered head of a stag on the dining-room wall?
0:18:07 > 0:18:11'And let's face it, it's a brilliant excuse for grown men
0:18:11 > 0:18:14'to spend the day rolling around in the heather.'
0:18:25 > 0:18:26(All right.)
0:18:26 > 0:18:28(Oh, I see him.
0:18:28 > 0:18:31(What kind of distance are we away from him?)
0:18:31 > 0:18:33(Um, about 110 yards, maybe, say.)
0:18:33 > 0:18:37(And if we were stalking for real with a gun, what kind of distance
0:18:37 > 0:18:40(would be the optimum distance to guarantee a kill?)
0:18:40 > 0:18:45(Well, certainly 110, 150 yards,
0:18:45 > 0:18:48(but obviously you've got to be that wee bit more careful,
0:18:48 > 0:18:52(cos move a bit closer, and they spot you very quickly.)
0:18:52 > 0:18:54(Do you think he can see us?)
0:18:54 > 0:18:56(Looking around, they're always very wary.)
0:18:56 > 0:18:59- (Can sense there's something not quite right.)- (Aye.)
0:18:59 > 0:19:02(He's in my sights now.)
0:19:02 > 0:19:05CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS
0:19:05 > 0:19:07(If that was a gun, I would have got him.)
0:19:07 > 0:19:09(You would've got him, aye.)
0:19:11 > 0:19:13(I've got my shot.)
0:19:13 > 0:19:15(Aye, well done.)
0:19:18 > 0:19:21'I may not have a set of antlers for my wall,
0:19:21 > 0:19:25'but I've had a spectacular day in the hills.
0:19:28 > 0:19:32'From Mar Lodge, I want to get to Glenmore, just north of Aviemore,
0:19:32 > 0:19:35'but standing between me and my ultimate destination
0:19:35 > 0:19:36'are the Cairngorms.
0:19:36 > 0:19:40'The conventional way would be for me to follow the road
0:19:40 > 0:19:46'around the mountains, but I'm keen to try a harder, more direct route.'
0:19:46 > 0:19:52This is pretty much as far as I can go because the road ahead
0:19:52 > 0:19:56is definitely not suitable for ancient old tricycles.
0:19:56 > 0:20:00Now this glen marks the beginning of the Lairig Ghru,
0:20:00 > 0:20:04which is an ancient old pass through the heart of the Cairngorms.
0:20:04 > 0:20:09So if I want to get to Speyside, I'm afraid it's "goodbye, tricycle".
0:20:10 > 0:20:12And "hello, bicycle".
0:20:26 > 0:20:30'The Lairig Ghru is an impressive ice-scoured cleft.
0:20:30 > 0:20:33'It was formed thousands of years ago by long-vanished glaciers
0:20:33 > 0:20:37'that once covered the mountains of Scotland.
0:20:37 > 0:20:40'Although it forms a natural pass, the top of the Lairig Ghru
0:20:40 > 0:20:45'is too high and snowbound to have ever developed as a road link.
0:20:45 > 0:20:48'Joining me on my jaunt through the Cairngorms
0:20:48 > 0:20:52'is Scottish mountain-biking champion, Lee Craigie.'
0:20:52 > 0:20:58What kind of track are we on today, do you think? Is it difficult?
0:20:58 > 0:21:02The Lairig Ghru is rooty, it's rocky, it's steep up, steep down,
0:21:02 > 0:21:04so if something goes wrong on a trail out here,
0:21:04 > 0:21:07then it's got different repercussions to a trail centre.
0:21:07 > 0:21:10- Cos you're a long way from civilisation.- That's right.
0:21:10 > 0:21:12- And rescue. - You'll need to carry me out.
0:21:12 > 0:21:14I was hoping you would carry me out!
0:21:14 > 0:21:18What do you think our chances are, to get to the top of the Lairig Ghru?
0:21:18 > 0:21:21- If we keep hanging around chatting, very slim!- Right.
0:21:21 > 0:21:23OK, let's see how far we can get.
0:21:30 > 0:21:33Well, this is definitely easier than the old tricycle.
0:21:36 > 0:21:40'It's the way mountain bikes open up the remote and inaccessible parts
0:21:40 > 0:21:44'of the Highlands that makes the sport so appealing to me.
0:21:44 > 0:21:47'But the term "cycling" has to be used loosely here.
0:21:47 > 0:21:53'There's almost as much carrying of your bike as there is of riding it on routes like this.'
0:21:53 > 0:21:58Right, I'm gaining on you, Lee. You might call yourself the champion, but I'm right behind ya.
0:21:58 > 0:21:59Urgh!
0:21:59 > 0:22:02'The modern mountain bike may be much more sophisticated
0:22:02 > 0:22:03'than my old tricycle,
0:22:03 > 0:22:07'but in trying to keep up with the Scottish mountain-bike champion
0:22:07 > 0:22:09'on this rather challenging terrain,
0:22:09 > 0:22:11'I manage to get my first puncture of the trip.'
0:22:11 > 0:22:13Now Lee, it's a bit sad,
0:22:13 > 0:22:17because my tyre has lost all its puff, a bit like me.
0:22:17 > 0:22:21Look at the size of that, a huge hole.
0:22:21 > 0:22:24- I always used to hate mending punctures when I was a kid.- Yeah.
0:22:24 > 0:22:28I used to always try and get my dad to do it, and he never did.
0:22:28 > 0:22:30He said, "You gotta do it yourself."
0:22:30 > 0:22:32Well, then why am I doing this for you?
0:22:32 > 0:22:35Well, I'm sure you're more expert at this particular type of wheel.
0:22:35 > 0:22:39- That's my excuse. - OK. You've got to save your energy for the cross-drains.
0:22:39 > 0:22:44I do, cos I'm absolutely knackered. It is quite tough going, isn't it?
0:22:44 > 0:22:49- I'm right to feel tired.- It's not easy terrain. You're absolutely right.- It's to be expected.
0:22:49 > 0:22:50But it's a fantastic location.
0:22:50 > 0:22:53I think that's what punctures are for.
0:22:53 > 0:22:56Sometimes on a mountain bike, cos you cover ground so fast...
0:22:56 > 0:22:58Well, YOU might.
0:22:58 > 0:23:01- ..you can keep your head down, can't you?- Uh-huh.
0:23:01 > 0:23:02And you forget to look up
0:23:02 > 0:23:03and it's such a shame.
0:23:03 > 0:23:06What's the point in passing through all of this
0:23:06 > 0:23:08unless you stop to look up?
0:23:10 > 0:23:15'The landscape of the Cairngorm National Park is truly breathtaking,
0:23:15 > 0:23:18'but few early visitors to Scotland
0:23:18 > 0:23:21'would have ventured into this relatively unknown region.
0:23:24 > 0:23:27'The Lairig Ghru has always fascinated me.
0:23:27 > 0:23:31'I first came here when I was 18, and I've attempted to walk the route
0:23:31 > 0:23:34'several times, but have never managed to complete it.
0:23:34 > 0:23:38'I'm determined this time, with the aid of pedal power, to make it.'
0:23:38 > 0:23:40- Oh! - HE SPLUTTERS
0:23:42 > 0:23:43HE LAUGHS
0:23:43 > 0:23:44'Hmm, perhaps not.'
0:23:47 > 0:23:50Well, here we are, Lee, I think we're only about, what,
0:23:50 > 0:23:53- a third of the way through? - Yeah, we're not very far.
0:23:53 > 0:23:57And the path is just getting interesting now, isn't it?
0:23:57 > 0:24:02Aye. But I think it's fair to say that you'd expected to be a bit further on by now.
0:24:02 > 0:24:07- Yeah, I think if we were going to try and to Aviemore, we would need to be quite a lot further on.- Right.
0:24:07 > 0:24:10I mean do you think it's realistic?
0:24:10 > 0:24:15I think we need to go away and maybe do a little bit more training and come back, Paul.
0:24:15 > 0:24:17Do you feel that you're being held back in any way?
0:24:17 > 0:24:20- Oh, I couldn't possibly say!- Right.
0:24:20 > 0:24:24Well, thank you very much for your advice, Lee.
0:24:24 > 0:24:29But I'm made of sterner stuff and I'm going to bash on.
0:24:29 > 0:24:31So I'll see you later. Farewell!
0:24:31 > 0:24:33More than likely never to be seen again.
0:24:33 > 0:24:37It's nothing to me, a mere bagatelle.
0:24:40 > 0:24:45You know, on second thoughts, it does seem a hell of a long way.
0:24:45 > 0:24:47HE GRUNTS
0:24:47 > 0:24:50I'm going to head back this way.
0:24:54 > 0:24:56Wait for me, Lee!
0:24:56 > 0:24:58I'm coming back.
0:24:58 > 0:25:04'With buttocks hideously battered and bruised, I've once more been defeated by the Lairig Ghru.'
0:25:04 > 0:25:06HE GRUNTS
0:25:08 > 0:25:11You've got gravity to take you back down.
0:25:11 > 0:25:16- Lovely thought. - HE GRUNTS
0:25:19 > 0:25:21Ah, that's gravity!
0:25:21 > 0:25:25'Mountain biking may be a great way to get out into the wilderness,
0:25:25 > 0:25:29'but after another puncture and several more miles on foot,
0:25:29 > 0:25:34'rather than in the saddle, I think perhaps some places in Scotland
0:25:34 > 0:25:36'are just not meant to be conquered by bike.
0:25:40 > 0:25:42'So it's back on the tarmac road for me
0:25:42 > 0:25:45'if I'm to make the final leg of my journey
0:25:45 > 0:25:47'and a bed for the night.
0:25:50 > 0:25:53'Reflecting on my journey from Royal Deeside,
0:25:53 > 0:26:01'it strikes me that for a long time, Scotland's sporting pursuits were very much the preserve of the rich.
0:26:01 > 0:26:07'But as society began to change, a wider range of visitors came into the countryside,
0:26:07 > 0:26:11'and they weren't the sort to afford plush hotels or shooting lodges.
0:26:11 > 0:26:14'What they wanted was a cheap-and-cheerful alternative,
0:26:14 > 0:26:17'like the youth hostel where I'm ending my trip.'
0:26:17 > 0:26:21Right. Oh, wait a minute! Actually, that's one of the things about
0:26:21 > 0:26:26staying in youth hostels, is that there are lots of polite notices
0:26:26 > 0:26:29asking you to comply with various regulations.
0:26:29 > 0:26:31Foot locker.
0:26:31 > 0:26:34'Ah, the joys of the SYHA.
0:26:34 > 0:26:40'In 1931, the Scottish Youth Hostel Association was founded
0:26:40 > 0:26:45'to meet the needs of young folk seeking the great outdoors.
0:26:45 > 0:26:49'Its aim was to promote moral and physical fitness, by encouraging
0:26:49 > 0:26:54'a healthy life, through vigorous exercise and fresh air.'
0:26:57 > 0:27:02Well, these somewhat Spartan surroundings at the youth hostel here in Glenmore
0:27:02 > 0:27:05are a far cry from the luxury of Mar Lodge.
0:27:05 > 0:27:10Although there's something appropriate about the transformation of a place
0:27:10 > 0:27:12that was once a shooting lodge for the nobility
0:27:12 > 0:27:16into a place where ordinary men and women could get a bunk for the night.
0:27:28 > 0:27:35'The movement was hugely successful and soon the hills were alive, if not with the sound of music,
0:27:35 > 0:27:40'but at least thronged with ruddy-faced youths engaged in country pursuits.
0:27:42 > 0:27:48'And they could be sure that, at the end of the day, there would be cheap accommodation on offer,
0:27:48 > 0:27:52'ranging from basic wooden huts to converted castles.'
0:27:52 > 0:27:57It also seems quite sporting that ordinary people could now enjoy
0:27:57 > 0:28:00the wide-open spaces that had previously been the preserve
0:28:00 > 0:28:04of a tiny social elite, and interesting to reflect on the fact
0:28:04 > 0:28:08that the great outdoors itself is such a social leveller.
0:28:08 > 0:28:14But the only disadvantage of staying in a place like this is that, well, there's no bar.
0:28:14 > 0:28:21And I'm exhausted and I simply can't cycle all the way to the pub, so I'm afraid it's an early night for me.
0:28:24 > 0:28:28'My next grand tour takes me in search of the real Scotland,
0:28:28 > 0:28:32'joining one of the most famous rail journeys in the world,
0:28:32 > 0:28:35'before going over the sea to Skye.'
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