0:00:02 > 0:00:06Scotland may not be renowned for its blue skies and warm weather -
0:00:06 > 0:00:12but there was a time when holiday makers flocked to Scottish beaches in search of sunshine.
0:00:14 > 0:00:16Long before the era of cheap flights
0:00:16 > 0:00:18and package holidays to the Costa del Sunburn,
0:00:18 > 0:00:22most Scots spent their summers at the Scottish seaside.
0:00:22 > 0:00:27Here, simple pleasures like paddling were the order of the day,
0:00:27 > 0:00:29and all along the east coast,
0:00:29 > 0:00:31hugely popular resorts developed
0:00:31 > 0:00:35where each boasted the finest sands or the hottest weather.
0:00:35 > 0:00:37At least, that's what they claimed.
0:00:40 > 0:00:42In this series,
0:00:42 > 0:00:47I'm retracing the routes taken by some of the early tourists to Scotland.
0:00:47 > 0:00:52From as early as 1820, publishers began producing tourist guide books
0:00:52 > 0:00:56and Black's Picturesque Guide was one of the first.
0:00:58 > 0:01:03A copy of this wonderful Victorian volume has been in my family for generations.
0:01:03 > 0:01:07It was always kept in my father's car when we went on holiday.
0:01:07 > 0:01:14Now, I'm letting its pages guide me again on my six Grand Tours of Scotland.
0:01:14 > 0:01:17On the road, I'll also be dipping into the notes and jottings
0:01:17 > 0:01:22of some early travellers to hear about their experiences.
0:01:22 > 0:01:26This time, I'm looking for the sunniest place in Scotland.
0:01:26 > 0:01:32And if the guide books are to be believed, it's to be found here on the east coast.
0:01:46 > 0:01:52The last journey of my Grand Tour of Scotland takes me from the shores
0:01:52 > 0:01:57of the Firth of Tay zigzagging along the east coast to Aberdeen.
0:02:01 > 0:02:05To capture the holiday spirit, and to chase the sun,
0:02:05 > 0:02:09I've chosen a conveyance to put me in the mood - a Morris Minor.
0:02:09 > 0:02:12A car that sums up the style of an era -
0:02:12 > 0:02:16when modern holiday tastes overtook the more sedate pleasures
0:02:16 > 0:02:20suggested by Black's old guide book.
0:02:21 > 0:02:22Back in Victorian times,
0:02:22 > 0:02:29the very last thing a tourist would have expected from a visit to Scotland was sunshine.
0:02:29 > 0:02:32Rugged scenery, ruined castles, yes.
0:02:32 > 0:02:34Challenging weather, well, definitely.
0:02:34 > 0:02:37A dip in the briny for the good of your health?
0:02:37 > 0:02:41Well, possibly - but only if you were suitably attired.
0:02:41 > 0:02:44But no-one in Black's day would have ever considered
0:02:44 > 0:02:48exposing their naked flesh to the sun.
0:02:49 > 0:02:52So to find out how these more modest pleasure-seekers
0:02:52 > 0:02:54spent their time at the seaside,
0:02:54 > 0:02:57I've come here to Carnoustie.
0:02:59 > 0:03:03Today, this town is most famous for its golf course -
0:03:03 > 0:03:07but back in Black's day, the beach front was its main attraction
0:03:07 > 0:03:12and my guide book describes it as an up-and-coming resort.
0:03:12 > 0:03:16"Carnoustie is a rising watering place of about a thousand
0:03:16 > 0:03:19"inhabitants situated on the shore".
0:03:19 > 0:03:22This is where people came for a break
0:03:22 > 0:03:27from the harsh routine of work in the factories and jute mills of Dundee.
0:03:27 > 0:03:29A place to recharge the batteries.
0:03:29 > 0:03:32And why not?
0:03:32 > 0:03:39To find out what Carnoustie's star attractions were, I'm meeting local historian Fiona Scharlau.
0:03:42 > 0:03:45Fiona, what kind of activities were available to holiday-makers
0:03:45 > 0:03:47coming to Carnoustie in the old days?
0:03:47 > 0:03:49Oh, there was a great deal.
0:03:49 > 0:03:54If you, on any given day of July and August, looked out on the beach behind us,
0:03:54 > 0:03:57you would see the place absolutely black with visitors
0:03:57 > 0:04:01just sitting on the beach just enjoying the sand,
0:04:01 > 0:04:07having picnics, using the bathing machines to modestly change into their swimsuits to go swimming.
0:04:07 > 0:04:10Just traditional summer seaside activities.
0:04:10 > 0:04:15In particular, they would enjoy the open-air, al fresco Pierrot shows as well.
0:04:15 > 0:04:20- A Pierrot show. What's that? - Pierrot is an entertainer. The style they adopted
0:04:20 > 0:04:24was to dress up in the traditional Italian Commedia dell'Arte Pierrot outfit.
0:04:24 > 0:04:28The big, white clown outfits and the big ruffs.
0:04:28 > 0:04:33In effect, they were bringing the music hall out of the music hall and on to beach fronts,
0:04:33 > 0:04:39in very makeshift stages and there'd be two or three shows a day
0:04:39 > 0:04:43and it would be full of comic sketches, sing-along songs
0:04:43 > 0:04:46and turns from the good singers that they would have along with them.
0:04:46 > 0:04:49So there's something here for everybody in the family, really.
0:04:49 > 0:04:53They were incredibly popular. People would flock to see them
0:04:53 > 0:04:58and the newspapers would follow their exploits for the rest of the year.
0:04:58 > 0:05:00They were stars in the borough.
0:05:01 > 0:05:06- Pierrots are a thing of the past and what happened to that tradition? - Yes, they are.
0:05:06 > 0:05:11- Why did it disappear? - I think it's just tastes change. Tastes change all the time.
0:05:11 > 0:05:13The music hall that they came from, Vaudeville,
0:05:13 > 0:05:18the tradition that they came from started to become less popular in the 1920s
0:05:18 > 0:05:24and many of the Vaudeville acts and musical hall acts were struggling to really make a living.
0:05:24 > 0:05:27People preferred to go to dances, apparently,
0:05:27 > 0:05:33and the cinema, by this time, was really beginning to take hold.
0:05:33 > 0:05:35It's just that tastes changed.
0:05:38 > 0:05:42And one of the biggest changes was happening on the beach itself.
0:05:42 > 0:05:47Victorian values and ideas about modesty was seen as out-dated.
0:05:47 > 0:05:51And in the 1920s and '30s, a new morality emerged.
0:05:51 > 0:05:56Beaches like this one in Carnoustie saw Scottish holiday-makers
0:05:56 > 0:05:59doing something that would have been inconceivable in Black's day.
0:05:59 > 0:06:04People in scanty swimming costumes, sunbathing! Imagine!
0:06:08 > 0:06:13Scottish resorts competed with each other to convince holiday-makers
0:06:13 > 0:06:18that their beaches were the best, their sea, the warmest and their sun, the sunniest.
0:06:18 > 0:06:22Posters were produced and catchphrases coined.
0:06:22 > 0:06:25"Carnoustie for health and happiness!",
0:06:25 > 0:06:28"Girvan - the Atlantic resort",
0:06:28 > 0:06:30"Arbroath for sunshine",
0:06:30 > 0:06:36and even Campbelltown, the, um, peninsular resort?
0:06:36 > 0:06:42To find out how this craze for selling Scotland's seaside towns came about,
0:06:42 > 0:06:44I'm giving a lift to Professor John Gold...
0:06:44 > 0:06:48Hello. Good to see you.
0:06:48 > 0:06:50'..who's an expert on tourism.'
0:06:50 > 0:06:54John, there's a history for this kind of sloganising, is there not?
0:06:54 > 0:06:57There is. Towns were growing.
0:06:57 > 0:07:00It wasn't clear who was going to do better than anywhere else
0:07:00 > 0:07:06so they tried to attract people with slogans.
0:07:06 > 0:07:10The railways started to develop their lines and their networks more in Scotland.
0:07:10 > 0:07:14You had very fine posters.
0:07:14 > 0:07:16They've got fabulous posters. I've seen them.
0:07:16 > 0:07:21They hired good artists to design them. They were high-quality colour.
0:07:21 > 0:07:25So it was a splash of colour, a splash of something exotic
0:07:25 > 0:07:31and you could hop on a train and go somewhere exotic like Carnoustie or Arbroath
0:07:31 > 0:07:34or Montrose and they all came up with a catchphrase.
0:07:34 > 0:07:37Broughty Ferry called itself, "The Brighton of Scotland"
0:07:37 > 0:07:40and Nairn called itself, "The Brighton of the North".
0:07:40 > 0:07:45- The same claim.- That's right. Well, you couldn't copyright these slogans
0:07:45 > 0:07:49so once one place had them, anywhere could have them.
0:07:49 > 0:07:52If you called yourself, "The Biarritz of the North",
0:07:52 > 0:07:54someone else might call themselves the same thing.
0:07:54 > 0:07:58A soon as they saw it, they could call themselves that immediately.
0:07:58 > 0:08:00- Or, "The Biarritz of the wee bit further North."- Yes.
0:08:00 > 0:08:06It was making sure you weren't at a serious disadvantage with your competitors.
0:08:06 > 0:08:10So if the competitors were doing it, you felt you had to do it.
0:08:14 > 0:08:20Do you think sunshine ever featured as a significant selling point for a holiday in Scotland?
0:08:20 > 0:08:24Absolutely, it did. It doesn't have to be that accurate.
0:08:24 > 0:08:27You're trying to sell an image to people.
0:08:32 > 0:08:36These campaigns certainly seemed to work and the railways
0:08:36 > 0:08:41carried huge numbers of holiday-makers in search of the sun.
0:08:41 > 0:08:44The next stop on my Grand Tour is Brechin,
0:08:44 > 0:08:48where I'm going to hop aboard the Sunshine Express.
0:08:50 > 0:08:54This is Brechin station. Originally closed in the 1960s,
0:08:54 > 0:08:58it was reopened by a group of railway enthusiasts
0:08:58 > 0:09:02who run trains on four miles of track they proudly call
0:09:02 > 0:09:04the "Caledonian Railway".
0:09:06 > 0:09:08- Good morning. - Oh, good morning, sir.
0:09:08 > 0:09:13- Could I have a single to Duns, please? - Yes, that will be one shilling.
0:09:13 > 0:09:15Thank you.
0:09:15 > 0:09:17HISSING STEAM
0:09:17 > 0:09:21Just the hiss of steam and a waft of coal smoke in the air
0:09:21 > 0:09:24is enough to put anyone in the holiday mood.
0:09:24 > 0:09:29I'm about to do something I only ever dreamed of doing as a child.
0:09:29 > 0:09:33And that's to ride on the footplate there and back again.
0:09:46 > 0:09:52This is how tens of thousands of people would have started their holidays.
0:09:52 > 0:09:56Travelling from the towns and cities down to the coast.
0:09:56 > 0:09:59And it's a real thrill to be riding up front.
0:10:01 > 0:10:03TRAIN WHISTLE BLOWS
0:10:12 > 0:10:13These four miles of track
0:10:13 > 0:10:19are all that remain of a rail network that once connected the whole of the east coast.
0:10:20 > 0:10:24Today, this is the end of the line.
0:10:24 > 0:10:26Bridge of Dun.
0:10:29 > 0:10:33The great claim to fame of this little station in the middle of nowhere,
0:10:33 > 0:10:35is its Royal connections.
0:10:35 > 0:10:39Back in the days when this line was connected to the national rail network,
0:10:39 > 0:10:45the Royal train carrying Queen Victoria would spend the night here.
0:10:47 > 0:10:52Apparently, the Royal personage didn't feel safe sleeping aboard a moving train -
0:10:52 > 0:10:57so to break the journey, the train would pull into a siding just beyond the platform
0:10:57 > 0:11:03so she could get some shut-eye before continuing on her Royal way to Balmoral.
0:11:03 > 0:11:09To screen the Queen from prying eyes, a line of trees were planted
0:11:09 > 0:11:11and they're still here!
0:11:11 > 0:11:14A living link to the golden age of Victorian travel.
0:11:20 > 0:11:24Originally, the line I've been travelling on would have gone
0:11:24 > 0:11:28all the way to the sea and if you were lucky, perhaps even the sun.
0:11:30 > 0:11:34I'm going to have to get back in the car to head for the coast
0:11:34 > 0:11:36and my next destination -
0:11:36 > 0:11:37Montrose.
0:11:37 > 0:11:40And if you believe what you read,
0:11:40 > 0:11:45this is the real sunshine capital of the east coast.
0:11:45 > 0:11:50This attractive brochure from the 1950s suggests several things to me.
0:11:50 > 0:11:54On the front cover, we've got two lovely ladies basking in glorious sunshine
0:11:54 > 0:11:59as they relax in their swimming costumes on the beach.
0:11:59 > 0:12:01They look really sophisticated.
0:12:01 > 0:12:06Inside, it claims that science has proved beyond all doubt
0:12:06 > 0:12:10that Montrose deserves the sunshine crown.
0:12:10 > 0:12:13Can this still be true, I wonder?
0:12:13 > 0:12:16Or in fact, was it ever true?
0:12:16 > 0:12:21To find out, I'm meeting up with meteorologist Ben Brock on the beach.
0:12:21 > 0:12:23Ben, what's the temperature today?
0:12:23 > 0:12:30- The temperature right now is just 14.5 degrees. - Is that all? That's disappointing.
0:12:30 > 0:12:35And yet, Montrose boasts that it has the sunniest and the warmest weather in Scotland.
0:12:35 > 0:12:39It's a little bit unclear where the sunniest part of Scotland is.
0:12:39 > 0:12:41Scotland is not a particularly sunny part of the world -
0:12:41 > 0:12:46so saying somewhere is sunny for Scotland is not, on a global scale, particularly sunny.
0:12:46 > 0:12:52- During the summer months, Montrose could probably expect 5.5 hours of sunshine per day.- Right.
0:12:52 > 0:12:58This eastern strip of Scotland from Montrose south to Lothian is the sunniest part of Scotland.
0:12:58 > 0:13:02It's legitimate to say they belong to the sunniest strip in Scotland?
0:13:02 > 0:13:08That's right. Compared to most of the rest of Scotland, it's relatively sunny.
0:13:08 > 0:13:12I've got a suspicion that the weather in Scotland has got worse,
0:13:12 > 0:13:18cos it seems a lot worse than I remember as a kid when I was running around swimming in the sea.
0:13:18 > 0:13:21Actually, it's the opposite. According to all the statistics,
0:13:21 > 0:13:25all the weather stations that have been monitoring the weather,
0:13:25 > 0:13:29tell us the weather is better. It's warmer and it's getting sunnier.
0:13:29 > 0:13:31But I wouldn't have believed them? Why not?
0:13:31 > 0:13:33Nobody believes it!
0:13:33 > 0:13:37I think that's because of this effect of the happy memories from childhood.
0:13:37 > 0:13:41You tend to remember those happy, sunny days at the beach, those carefree days.
0:13:41 > 0:13:44You tend to remember less the rainy days
0:13:44 > 0:13:46and in the last ten years,
0:13:46 > 0:13:52the east coast of Scotland has got on average 40 hours more of sunshine per year.
0:13:52 > 0:13:54No. I don't believe that! I've not noticed it.
0:13:54 > 0:13:57I think I must have been on holiday when that happened!
0:13:59 > 0:14:0540 hours a year might only amount to an average of about six minutes extra sunshine a day.
0:14:05 > 0:14:07But every little helps.
0:14:08 > 0:14:11As I head north I begin to feel a bit peckish -
0:14:11 > 0:14:16and what better way to enjoy the sunshine than a picnic.
0:14:16 > 0:14:18Ah! The smell of a real bakery.
0:14:18 > 0:14:21'So I'm stopping off to pick up an east coast delicacy.'
0:14:21 > 0:14:24- Can I have a bridie, please? - Yes, you could.
0:14:24 > 0:14:28Cos they are really quite unique. Very special, I think.
0:14:28 > 0:14:33- Yeah.- Look at that. It's absolutely magnificent, isn't it?
0:14:33 > 0:14:34- That's a real work of art.- Yeah.
0:14:34 > 0:14:38- I'll take that with me for a wee picnic.- Quite right. You enjoy it.
0:14:38 > 0:14:42- Thanks very much.- You're welcome. - Cheers, now.- Cheerio. Bye.- Bye-bye.
0:14:43 > 0:14:46With my lunch safely stashed on the back seat,
0:14:46 > 0:14:52I begin the long climb towards the Cairn O'Mount and its spectacular views.
0:14:54 > 0:14:58Time to put my jalopy through its paces.
0:14:58 > 0:15:02You've got to change gear... This is what hill-climbing is all about.
0:15:04 > 0:15:05Oh, dear.
0:15:07 > 0:15:09Oh, dear.
0:15:09 > 0:15:11And we seem to have stopped.
0:15:11 > 0:15:16This is the place to experience the delights of the open road -
0:15:16 > 0:15:20back when cars were less reliable and roads had more character.
0:15:20 > 0:15:23Drivers enjoyed the challenge of a difficult hill-climb,
0:15:23 > 0:15:27involving hairpin bends and lots of gear changes.
0:15:29 > 0:15:35This is a real challenge, this road. For an old car like this and for an old driver like me.
0:15:43 > 0:15:48According to Motoring In Scotland, a guide published in 1957,
0:15:48 > 0:15:51"Motorists who enjoy sporting hills will find Cairn O'Mount
0:15:51 > 0:15:53"a grand test for both car and driver,
0:15:53 > 0:15:56"while the air and the view obtainable on the summit
0:15:56 > 0:16:02"of this lofty moorland are invigorating and inspiring".
0:16:05 > 0:16:07This is a perfect place to have picnic
0:16:07 > 0:16:11and the views from here go on for ever. Down on the coast is Montrose.
0:16:11 > 0:16:14On the horizon, you can just make out the coast of Fife.
0:16:14 > 0:16:17But I'll be heading north and east to Stonehaven,
0:16:17 > 0:16:21where I have a rendezvous with the sun, I hope.
0:16:21 > 0:16:23But not before I've eaten my bridie.
0:16:25 > 0:16:26Mm!
0:16:26 > 0:16:28Excellent!
0:16:28 > 0:16:35By the 1930s, seaside tourism was booming and everybody wanted in on the act.
0:16:35 > 0:16:40I'm heading for a town that very successfully reinvented itself
0:16:40 > 0:16:45as tourist Mecca, Stonehaven, which incidentally claims
0:16:45 > 0:16:50to be the sunniest place on the east coast! Surprise, surprise.
0:16:51 > 0:16:55Now in Black's day, this was an unremarkable fishing village,
0:16:55 > 0:16:58and my guide book is actually rather unflattering.
0:16:58 > 0:17:00"About the town itself,
0:17:00 > 0:17:04"there is very little to say. It is situated on a fine bay,
0:17:04 > 0:17:08"though the curing of herrings is not always attractive to visitors".
0:17:10 > 0:17:16The smell of kippers might have offended Victorian sensibilities,
0:17:16 > 0:17:19but by the 1930s a phenomenon of the modern age
0:17:19 > 0:17:22had transformed Stonehaven's fortunes and reputation.
0:17:24 > 0:17:27A heated, outdoor swimming pool.
0:17:27 > 0:17:31And it's still here in all its Art Deco glory.
0:17:31 > 0:17:35A survivor from a bygone age, Stonehaven pool continues to attract
0:17:35 > 0:17:40an enthusiastic following eight decades after it was built.
0:17:45 > 0:17:52Outdoor swimming was part of the health and fitness craze that swept Europe during the '20s and '30s.
0:17:52 > 0:17:58The design of these "lidos" as they were often called, reflected the Art Deco fashion of the times.
0:18:02 > 0:18:07Throughout the 1930s, Stonehaven's heated pool attracted
0:18:07 > 0:18:11tens of thousands of bathers and sun-seekers during the holidays.
0:18:12 > 0:18:16I've come to meet Kenny Mackay who learned to swim here as a boy
0:18:16 > 0:18:21and who, now in his 80s, is still a regular visitor to the pool.
0:18:21 > 0:18:24Kenny, when did you first come to the pool?
0:18:24 > 0:18:28I first came when it opened in 1934.
0:18:28 > 0:18:33My granny lived up here, so she took me to the opening of the pool.
0:18:33 > 0:18:36- 1934!- Yes.- And you've been coming here ever since?
0:18:36 > 0:18:39Yes. I've never missed a year. 78 years.
0:18:39 > 0:18:43I come up every year. In fact, for five years, I worked as a lifeguard here.
0:18:43 > 0:18:46So it's been a lifelong relationship, really.
0:18:46 > 0:18:53It has. I won my first Scottish medal in swimming and 10 metre diving in the '40s.
0:18:53 > 0:18:58I've been all round the world winning championships - Canada, America, Japan, Australia.
0:18:58 > 0:19:01Six world championships and 10 world records.
0:19:01 > 0:19:03That's amazing.
0:19:03 > 0:19:07And I won my last Scottish medal in 2008.
0:19:07 > 0:19:10And it all started really because of this pool.
0:19:10 > 0:19:14- Yes. I've done 4,000 miles swimming.- What, in that pool?- Yes.
0:19:14 > 0:19:17Well, Kenny, I think you're a fantastic advertisement
0:19:17 > 0:19:19for the health benefits of swimming.
0:19:19 > 0:19:25Can you paint a picture of what this pool would have been like during its heyday?
0:19:25 > 0:19:28This was the social hub for Stonehaven.
0:19:28 > 0:19:29You had about 2,000 people.
0:19:29 > 0:19:34People used to come for the whole day. They brought picnics.
0:19:34 > 0:19:38Each week they had diving, swimming, competitions, knobbly knees...
0:19:38 > 0:19:42glamorous grannies, Miss Stonehaven which I had to judge.
0:19:42 > 0:19:44- You had to do that?- Yes, yes.
0:19:44 > 0:19:47That was more popular than the knobbly knees contest.
0:19:47 > 0:19:52Well, I judged the Miss Stonehaven but I didn't do the knobbly knees!
0:19:55 > 0:20:00You had midnight bathing here which was always packed from 10 o'clock to 12 o'clock
0:20:00 > 0:20:05and each time I used to do a 15-minute diving display.
0:20:05 > 0:20:08That's a man of grace and poise. Look at that.
0:20:08 > 0:20:12- Yes, but that's the simple dives. - That's the simple dive?!
0:20:12 > 0:20:16I used to start with a double front summersault from the one-metre board
0:20:16 > 0:20:20and I finished up with a handstand dive off the top.
0:20:20 > 0:20:27The finale at the midnight bathing was I stood up on the six-metre board.
0:20:27 > 0:20:34I got my friends to pour petrol on the pool, set it alight, and I dived into it.
0:20:34 > 0:20:38- That must have been quite a spectacular sight! - It was hair raising.
0:20:38 > 0:20:41- Or singeing, should I say! - Yes, singeing. I was gonna say!
0:20:41 > 0:20:45The hard thing wasn't diving. It was getting out the water from the flames,
0:20:45 > 0:20:49cos sometimes they were a bit over enthusiastic and put too much petrol in.
0:20:49 > 0:20:52But it was quite spectacular.
0:20:52 > 0:20:54- But you're still swimming though. - Oh, yes.
0:20:54 > 0:20:59- Would you be up for taking a dip today? Or is it a bit chilly? - Oh, yes.- You would?- Oh, yes.
0:20:59 > 0:21:05- Would you be prepared to race me then?- Well, how much of start would you like?
0:21:14 > 0:21:16Kenny may be an octogenarian,
0:21:16 > 0:21:22but he effortlessly demonstrates the kind of athleticism that made him a champion.
0:21:25 > 0:21:28I'm rubbish. Oh!
0:21:28 > 0:21:30That was hopeless!
0:21:31 > 0:21:36Losing is no disgrace. This pool is his second home after all -
0:21:36 > 0:21:39but before he has a chance to suggest a diving competition,
0:21:39 > 0:21:46I'm going to dry off and continue my journey north to my final destination.
0:21:46 > 0:21:50Aberdeen - oil capital of Scotland.
0:21:50 > 0:21:54I don't know for sure where the sunniest place is in Scotland,
0:21:54 > 0:22:00but after the Second World War, Aberdeen was undoubtedly the most popular holiday destination
0:22:00 > 0:22:05and like all successful resorts, it had its very own catchphrase -
0:22:05 > 0:22:10"The silver city with the golden sands".
0:22:10 > 0:22:12In order to boost its appeal,
0:22:12 > 0:22:17Aberdeen claimed in this official guide, that it had the best weather.
0:22:17 > 0:22:23Now, listen to this, "The city enjoys a very good climate and an excellent sunshine record.
0:22:23 > 0:22:28"And on a number of occasions, has been recorded as the hottest place in Britain."
0:22:28 > 0:22:32Now, I think I've heard that somewhere else before...
0:22:32 > 0:22:35- NEWSREEL:- 'The clear skies, the brilliant blues
0:22:35 > 0:22:39'and greens of the sea. The sands, the wandering white clouds.
0:22:39 > 0:22:43'Brilliance and colour. The games and the laughter of children
0:22:43 > 0:22:46'and always behind it - the traffic of the deep waters.'
0:22:50 > 0:22:53But it was Aberdeen's night life that made it so popular.
0:22:53 > 0:22:57At one time, the Silver Sand City could boast 15 cinemas
0:22:57 > 0:23:03and nine dance halls and this is the most famous of them all - the Beach Ballroom.
0:23:04 > 0:23:11- NEWSREEL:- 'The music goes around and around and everybody comes together again for pleasure.'
0:23:11 > 0:23:16This is where some of the greatest musical entertainers performed.
0:23:16 > 0:23:22The sound of big bands added a real sense of glamour to a holiday night out.
0:23:22 > 0:23:26And on the dance floor, which boasted the biggest bounce in the country,
0:23:26 > 0:23:30hundreds of young men and women strutted their stuff.
0:23:30 > 0:23:32To find more about this golden age,
0:23:32 > 0:23:36I'm donning bow tie and tails for a lesson
0:23:36 > 0:23:39with champion of the dance floor, May Walker.
0:23:39 > 0:23:43OK, so what you want to learn is a little bit of basics in the waltz.
0:23:43 > 0:23:48- The waltz. Right.- So that you can go and enjoy yourself at dances. The waltz is a very simple dance.
0:23:48 > 0:23:52Left, right, left. Right, left, right, so on and so forth.
0:23:52 > 0:23:54- Sounds simple. - Sounds simple and, um...
0:23:54 > 0:23:57I've got to remember which is left and which is right.
0:23:57 > 0:24:04- Well, I'll poke you side to side. - 'OK, it's time to come clean. I've been dreading this moment.
0:24:04 > 0:24:09'Dancing has never been my forte and May could have a job on her hands.'
0:24:09 > 0:24:12- Is there anything you can do for flat feet?- Yes. Amputation!
0:24:12 > 0:24:16- Right, OK. It's a bit drastic. They're not THAT flat. - No, no, no, no!
0:24:16 > 0:24:18Dancing left, right, close.
0:24:18 > 0:24:22And right, left, close. Then I want you to turn a little.
0:24:22 > 0:24:26'But if anyone can turn me into Fred Astaire, it's May.
0:24:26 > 0:24:28'Now was that left, right or right, left?'
0:24:28 > 0:24:32- OK, so, position. Positions. - Positions.
0:24:32 > 0:24:34'Oh, well. Here goes.'
0:24:34 > 0:24:35- To the left.- Left, OK.
0:24:35 > 0:24:40And one, two, three. Forward, two, three. Right, left, close.
0:24:40 > 0:24:45- Right, left and close. - Right, close and right, left. Close.
0:24:45 > 0:24:49- Left, right, close. - Right, left, closed.
0:24:49 > 0:24:54- We're back to where we started. - You're back to where you started, and that wasn't too bad.
0:24:54 > 0:24:58- Want to try it again? - Yeah, OK. I think so.- OK, head up.
0:24:58 > 0:25:03- Right to the side and close. Left, to me.- Oh, no!- Oh, no!
0:25:03 > 0:25:06Left to the side and close. Right to the side and close.
0:25:06 > 0:25:09- Left, ouch! - Argh! Ooh! I've done it again!
0:25:09 > 0:25:11He's done it again!
0:25:11 > 0:25:13Right to the side and close.
0:25:13 > 0:25:18There's something quite captivating about the elegance of ballroom dancing,
0:25:18 > 0:25:24and May was one of the leading lights when they packed them in here at the Beach Ballroom.
0:25:24 > 0:25:27Tell me what it was like back in the day?
0:25:27 > 0:25:32- Hundreds of people came here.- Mm. - Three, four hundred a night. You know, whatever.
0:25:32 > 0:25:36Usually, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursdays, so on and so forth and it's...
0:25:36 > 0:25:40It's a great way to round off a day, if you've had a day on the beach.
0:25:40 > 0:25:42- Day promenading, day swimming. - That's right.
0:25:42 > 0:25:44Then to come in the evening to a place like this.
0:25:44 > 0:25:48Is this where people would meet one another? Guys and girls?
0:25:48 > 0:25:51Well, this is where you meet to start your romance.
0:25:51 > 0:25:56Hundreds of people came here. People danced round and round and round.
0:25:56 > 0:26:01- NEWSREEL:- 'The young couple, they seem to be enjoying their honeymoon in Aberdeen.'
0:26:01 > 0:26:05- The emphasis was on romance and glamour when you came... - That's right.
0:26:09 > 0:26:14- NEWSREEL:- 'And the sailor's found a friend. It's always possible to find a friend in Aberdeen.'
0:26:14 > 0:26:17Everyone came here. If you were on holidays,
0:26:17 > 0:26:20then your evening entertainment was down to the Beach Ballroom.
0:26:33 > 0:26:36What better way to end a day of basking in the sun -
0:26:36 > 0:26:39and if you didn't get the perfect tan on the beach,
0:26:39 > 0:26:43then you might find the perfect partner on the dance floor.
0:26:43 > 0:26:46And right. And left.
0:26:46 > 0:26:49Ah! The romance of it all!
0:27:01 > 0:27:04- Thank you very much, May.- Thank you. - That was splendid!
0:27:04 > 0:27:09I could have danced all night but I've come to the end of the road.
0:27:11 > 0:27:15I've been touring for over six weeks now, travelling the country
0:27:15 > 0:27:19and exploring Scotland's heritage as a tourist destination.
0:27:25 > 0:27:29In the time I've been on the road, Black's has been my constant companion.
0:27:29 > 0:27:34It might be old-fashioned, out-of-date and frankly, falling to pieces,
0:27:34 > 0:27:35but its message is clear.
0:27:35 > 0:27:39Urging me to get out and about and explore more of Scotland
0:27:39 > 0:27:42which is something I couldn't recommend more strongly.
0:27:43 > 0:27:48My journey has taken me from the border with England
0:27:48 > 0:27:51to the whisky islands of the west.
0:27:51 > 0:27:55From the charms of the central Highlands
0:27:55 > 0:27:58to the wilds of the far north.
0:27:58 > 0:28:01I've experienced the highs...
0:28:01 > 0:28:04and the lows...
0:28:04 > 0:28:06of holidaying in Scotland.
0:28:06 > 0:28:11This old guide book has made me appreciate what a fantastic country this is
0:28:11 > 0:28:14and I, for one, want to make the most of it.
0:28:40 > 0:28:43Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:28:43 > 0:28:46E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk