0:00:02 > 0:00:06Some people come to Scotland to explore the past.
0:00:07 > 0:00:10Some come to witness the spectacular landscapes.
0:00:10 > 0:00:15But increasingly, many come here to enjoy the splendours of nature.
0:00:20 > 0:00:23For me, there's nowhere else like this in the whole of the UK,
0:00:23 > 0:00:27and if you want to experience the wild side of life,
0:00:27 > 0:00:29then this is where you have to be!
0:00:33 > 0:00:37But getting to Scotland's spectacular locations
0:00:37 > 0:00:41has always been something of a challenge for the average tourist.
0:00:41 > 0:00:47In Victorian times, Black's Picturesque Guide To Scotland came to the rescue,
0:00:47 > 0:00:51suggesting a multitude of different routes across the country.
0:00:53 > 0:00:59For the more intrepid tourists, Black's included a variety of long-distance walks
0:00:59 > 0:01:02that led adventurous Victorians into the wilderness.
0:01:04 > 0:01:07Using Black's as my inspiration and guide,
0:01:07 > 0:01:12I'm, travelling off the beaten track, crossing the country from coast to coast,
0:01:12 > 0:01:15and retracing the steps of these first nature lovers.
0:01:28 > 0:01:32My Grand Tour across Scotland begins on a remote peninsula
0:01:32 > 0:01:35overlooking the Dornoch Firth,
0:01:35 > 0:01:37heads towards historic Cromarty,
0:01:37 > 0:01:42and then takes the high road into a Caledonian pine forest,
0:01:42 > 0:01:44on an ancient route to the west coast.
0:01:46 > 0:01:51I'm starting my journey at a place that's very familiar to me.
0:01:52 > 0:01:55Tarbat Ness Lighthouse, overlooking the Dornoch Firth.
0:01:58 > 0:02:04These treacherous rocks claimed numerous lives before Tarbat Ness lighthouse
0:02:04 > 0:02:05was built in 1830.
0:02:07 > 0:02:11At 40 metres, it's one of the tallest in Scotland.
0:02:14 > 0:02:19Seeing this old lighthouse brings back all kinds of memories.
0:02:19 > 0:02:25When I was 17, Tarbat Ness was, for a brief period, the place I called home.
0:02:28 > 0:02:33Back in 1978 I had a job with the Northern Lighthouse Board,
0:02:33 > 0:02:38and Tarbat Ness was one of the lighthouses I was stationed at.
0:02:43 > 0:02:50When I worked here in the 1970s, the principal lighthouse keeper lived in this house here,
0:02:50 > 0:02:52and his assistant lived in this one.
0:02:52 > 0:02:59Now it was my dubious pleasure to be accommodated over there in the bothy.
0:02:59 > 0:03:03Now, I have to say that tending the light here wasn't perhaps
0:03:03 > 0:03:06the most glamorous or interesting of lifestyles,
0:03:06 > 0:03:09but occasionally the monotony was broken by a visiting tourist,
0:03:09 > 0:03:13who was curious to find out what we did here and how we lived.
0:03:13 > 0:03:16And it was usually left up to me to show them around.
0:03:23 > 0:03:25This brings back memories.
0:03:26 > 0:03:31Of course, all the tourists wanted to go to the top of the tower.
0:03:31 > 0:03:34But as we climbed the steps, they little realised
0:03:34 > 0:03:38that their dirty boots were making more work for me.
0:03:38 > 0:03:41There are 219 steps in this lighthouse.
0:03:41 > 0:03:44Now, that's a number that's seared into my memory,
0:03:44 > 0:03:50because when I worked here it was my job to clean them all, by hand,
0:03:50 > 0:03:53with cotton waste soaked in paraffin.
0:03:53 > 0:03:58And because the fire regulations were such that you weren't allowed to take the paraffin with you,
0:03:58 > 0:04:04I had to soak it in the basement and climb 219 steps,
0:04:04 > 0:04:09clean 5 steps, descend 214 steps,
0:04:09 > 0:04:13and repeat the process over and over again
0:04:13 > 0:04:18until the principal keeper was satisfied with my handiwork.
0:04:18 > 0:04:20Oh, happy days(!)
0:04:23 > 0:04:27'Being a lighthouse keeper wouldn't be for everyone,
0:04:27 > 0:04:30'and not just because of all the stairs.
0:04:30 > 0:04:34'There was a long tradition of discipline and rigorous timekeeping
0:04:34 > 0:04:37'that, as a teenager, I found pretty hard going.'
0:04:40 > 0:04:45Now, this is completely different from when I worked here.
0:04:45 > 0:04:48Back in my day, a paraffin lamp stood there,
0:04:48 > 0:04:52and it was my job to maintain the pressure inside.
0:04:52 > 0:04:58It was also my job to wind up the clockwork mechanism that kept the whole thing turning.
0:04:58 > 0:05:01And when tourists came up here and saw all of that,
0:05:01 > 0:05:06they were absolutely amazed - it seemed so primitive and old-fashioned.
0:05:06 > 0:05:13And of course it was, and I was part of a tradition that was at least a century old.
0:05:13 > 0:05:15Now, that makes me feel pretty ancient!
0:05:20 > 0:05:25Today, modern lighthouses are fully automated,
0:05:25 > 0:05:29meaning there's no longer any need for keepers to be stationed here.
0:05:29 > 0:05:33But one thing that hasn't changed are the stunning views
0:05:33 > 0:05:38over the Dornoch Firth to the North, and the Cromarty Firth to the south,
0:05:38 > 0:05:41which is where my route takes me next.
0:05:45 > 0:05:46These are The Soutars,
0:05:46 > 0:05:51two massive headlands that guard the entrance to the Cromarty Firth.
0:05:51 > 0:05:54Black's describes this arm of the sea as
0:05:54 > 0:05:59"a first-rate harbour or refuge, being completely sheltered."
0:05:59 > 0:06:02But many of today's visitors come to catch sight of something
0:06:02 > 0:06:07that's not even hinted at in my old Victorian guidebook.
0:06:07 > 0:06:13From May to September, small boats take tourists across the waters of the Cromarty Firth
0:06:13 > 0:06:18in search of the much loved but elusive Tursiops truncatus,
0:06:18 > 0:06:21better known as the bottlenose dolphin.
0:06:21 > 0:06:23Oh, missed it!
0:06:25 > 0:06:28We're very lucky to have a resident population
0:06:28 > 0:06:30of these bottlenose dolphins up here,
0:06:30 > 0:06:34and it's lovely to be able to see them 12 months of the year.
0:06:34 > 0:06:38Photographer and naturalist Charlie Phillips works for
0:06:38 > 0:06:41the world's leading dolphin conservation society.
0:06:41 > 0:06:46Charlie has been studying these amazing animals since the 1980s.
0:06:51 > 0:06:54His remarkable pictures brilliantly demonstrate
0:06:54 > 0:06:56just why they're such crowd pleasers.
0:07:00 > 0:07:02How many dolphins live in this area?
0:07:02 > 0:07:07The entire population, just below 200, maybe about 195, 196.
0:07:07 > 0:07:10- 200!- Yeah, but that's spread out all the way down the east coast of Scotland.
0:07:10 > 0:07:12That's a large number.
0:07:12 > 0:07:16It's not really, not when you're talking about a population of big predators.
0:07:16 > 0:07:19How long have the dolphins been in this area?
0:07:19 > 0:07:24We can look back historical records to about the late 1800s.
0:07:24 > 0:07:30This being part of the North Sea, there probably have always been citations of some sort going about,
0:07:30 > 0:07:35but we're not quite sure exactly when these dolphins turned up in the first place.
0:07:35 > 0:07:40- It's extraordinary to think that these animals, these wild animals, are just off our coast.- Yeah.
0:07:40 > 0:07:43A lot of people have never seen them before. I didn't realise that.
0:07:43 > 0:07:48Yeah, we don't... You know, you really don't need to go very far around the coast of Scotland
0:07:48 > 0:07:52before you'll see something that makes your jaw drop, believe me.
0:07:52 > 0:07:53I've been doing this a long time now,
0:07:53 > 0:07:58and every time I see these beautiful, big animals, my heart beats a little bit faster.
0:08:09 > 0:08:12You can come up to the Highlands on holiday
0:08:12 > 0:08:16and be confronted with bottlenose dolphins maybe ten feet from you.
0:08:16 > 0:08:21That's something that's going to remain in your brain for a long, long time.
0:08:21 > 0:08:26I love them because they are big, intelligent predators that have a complicated life.
0:08:26 > 0:08:30So they've got quite a tough job just living day-to-day, and I admire them for what they do.
0:08:30 > 0:08:32Well, I hope we see some more today.
0:08:34 > 0:08:40'And I'm also hoping Charlie can give me some tips on how he manages to take such amazing pictures.'
0:08:45 > 0:08:46I keep missing it.
0:08:46 > 0:08:49There's one thing spotting a dolphin,
0:08:49 > 0:08:52and there's another matter entirely capturing it on film.
0:08:52 > 0:08:54Yeah, getting them on camera can be tricky.
0:08:59 > 0:09:03Sometimes it's luck. There are certain animals that you can almost predict what they're going to do,
0:09:03 > 0:09:08but every now and again they do stuff that you've just never seen before.
0:09:11 > 0:09:14'These northern dolphins are a hardy bunch.
0:09:14 > 0:09:19'The cold waters mean they need more blubber than their southern cousins in warmer seas.
0:09:22 > 0:09:26'An adult male can grow to a staggering four metres long.'
0:09:30 > 0:09:31I keep missing it!
0:09:31 > 0:09:35'But this doesn't make it any easier for me to get my picture.
0:09:36 > 0:09:38'I'm beginning to think they're teasing me.'
0:09:41 > 0:09:44Saying farewell to Charlie and the dolphins,
0:09:44 > 0:09:46I head back to dry land to continue my journey.
0:09:47 > 0:09:51My next port of call is Cromarty.
0:09:51 > 0:09:55In Black's time, this was a bustling port,
0:09:55 > 0:09:59and today much of its historic architecture has been preserved.
0:09:59 > 0:10:05The herring boats which once made this a boom town are long gone,
0:10:05 > 0:10:10but according to my copy of Black's, Cromarty's chief claim to fame
0:10:10 > 0:10:14is as the birthplace of a Victorian celebrity.
0:10:14 > 0:10:22My guide says, "An Obelisk has been erected near the town to the memory of Hugh Miller,
0:10:22 > 0:10:26"the author of Old Red Sandstone and other well-known works."
0:10:28 > 0:10:30Now, I have to confess my ignorance, here.
0:10:30 > 0:10:33I've never actually heard of Hugh Miller before,
0:10:33 > 0:10:37or of his celebrated book, Old Red Sandstone.
0:10:37 > 0:10:40So I think it would be perverse of me in the extreme
0:10:40 > 0:10:43to turn down the opportunity for a little enlightenment.
0:10:44 > 0:10:50Hugh Miller was a stonemason and self-taught geologist.
0:10:50 > 0:10:55His famous book, The Old Red Sandstone, published in 1841,
0:10:55 > 0:10:59documented his discovery of fossils in sedimentary rocks,
0:10:59 > 0:11:06proving that now extinct species had inhabited the earth many millions of years ago.
0:11:06 > 0:11:09Miller's work was enormously influential,
0:11:09 > 0:11:12and his importance is recognised by scientists and scholars today.
0:11:14 > 0:11:16'But to most people, he's largely forgotten,'
0:11:16 > 0:11:20'so to find out more about him, I've come to the cottage where he was born.'
0:11:20 > 0:11:24- Alix.- Hello, welcome to Hugh Miller's birthplace cottage. - Thanks very much.- Come in.
0:11:24 > 0:11:26'It's now a museum dedicated to his life and work,'
0:11:26 > 0:11:30'and Alix Powers-Jones is the curator.'
0:11:30 > 0:11:35- A lovely wee room! - It is, but watch your head. It's very low ceilings.
0:11:35 > 0:11:41Alix, I know next to nothing about Hugh Miller. But why should I, who was he?
0:11:41 > 0:11:45Hugh Miller was an amazing man, a remarkable man,
0:11:45 > 0:11:49because he was a writer, a geologist, a stonemason,
0:11:49 > 0:11:52a campaigner, a social commentator.
0:11:52 > 0:11:55He observed everything around him,
0:11:55 > 0:11:58and he wrote about everything around him.
0:11:58 > 0:12:02He'd got a big wash of red hair and mutton chop whiskers,
0:12:02 > 0:12:07and he strode through Edinburgh with a shepherd's plaid, a tartan,
0:12:07 > 0:12:10tossed over his shoulder, and he would stride through Edinburgh.
0:12:10 > 0:12:14- Was this for sartorial effect? - I think so, yes, he just sort of...
0:12:14 > 0:12:17This was his persona that he created.
0:12:17 > 0:12:20He had a real character.
0:12:20 > 0:12:22And was born right here in this cottage?
0:12:22 > 0:12:25He was, he was born upstairs,
0:12:25 > 0:12:28one of four generations of Miller, in a tiny little room.
0:12:28 > 0:12:33As a child, Hugh Miller listened to his mother's stories in this cottage,
0:12:33 > 0:12:37and developed a love of folklore that fired his imagination.
0:12:38 > 0:12:43Venturing out into the landscape where these tales were set,
0:12:43 > 0:12:48the young Hugh became fascinated with the plant life and geology that he found there.
0:12:49 > 0:12:57He wrote, "Life itself is a school, and nature always a fresh study."
0:12:57 > 0:13:01But at the height of his fame, Miller's life ended tragically.
0:13:01 > 0:13:03Alix, what happened to Hugh Miller?
0:13:03 > 0:13:06Well, it was very sad. He shot himself.
0:13:06 > 0:13:09He suffered from very severe headaches.
0:13:09 > 0:13:12Modern doctors today, reading what he wrote,
0:13:12 > 0:13:14think that he had a brain tumour.
0:13:14 > 0:13:18But he was in very extreme pain, he didn't know what was happening.
0:13:18 > 0:13:22- Uh-huh.- And in extreme circumstances people do extreme things.
0:13:23 > 0:13:27Was he celebrated in death as he had been in life?
0:13:27 > 0:13:33He was. His funeral in Edinburgh brought the city to a standstill.
0:13:33 > 0:13:37People acknowledged the impact that he had made upon their lives,
0:13:37 > 0:13:43and this place, the thatched cottage, became a museum in 1890.
0:13:43 > 0:13:46So only about 40 years after he died.
0:13:46 > 0:13:49So even then, a generation later, his importance had been recognised.
0:13:49 > 0:13:55Absolutely, people wanted to know, they wanted to come and see where he'd lived, where he'd been born.
0:13:55 > 0:13:58Some of the first tourists to come to Cromarty would have come here
0:13:58 > 0:14:02- to have a look at the birthplace of Hugh Miller. - They would, yes, absolutely.
0:14:02 > 0:14:05- And they're still coming, I presume. - And they are still coming.
0:14:10 > 0:14:13Hugh Miller wanted people to see the world anew,
0:14:13 > 0:14:16to see the world through fresh eyes.
0:14:16 > 0:14:22And his passion for the environment teaches us how everything is connected.
0:14:22 > 0:14:26And anyone who enjoys tramping through the countryside today
0:14:26 > 0:14:31isn't just following in Miller's footsteps, but also sharing his vision.
0:14:37 > 0:14:42Inspired by Hugh Miller's passion for exploring wild places,
0:14:42 > 0:14:46I'm leaving the east coast behind and heading inland
0:14:46 > 0:14:48towards the Highlands.
0:14:48 > 0:14:50Glen Affric is often described
0:14:50 > 0:14:54as "the most beautiful glen in Scotland."
0:15:02 > 0:15:06And on a day like today, who can disagree?
0:15:08 > 0:15:12Ahead of me lies 30 miles of ancient woodland,
0:15:12 > 0:15:16spectacular glens, lochs, rivers and hills.
0:15:17 > 0:15:22the landscape here was the inspiration for many Victorian artists,
0:15:22 > 0:15:25most famously Edwin Landseer,
0:15:25 > 0:15:31who used this setting for his best-known painting, Monarch of the Glen.
0:15:31 > 0:15:36And to get me over the mountains, I've chosen a traditional mode of transport.
0:15:36 > 0:15:38PONY NEIGHS
0:15:42 > 0:15:44Good boy, Come on.
0:15:44 > 0:15:49'Meet Rogie, my companion for this part of my journey.
0:15:51 > 0:15:56'Rogie knows this path well, although I have to say he has a mind of his own,
0:15:56 > 0:16:00'preferring the heather verge to the stony track.
0:16:00 > 0:16:04'The trees we are riding among are the largest surviving remnant
0:16:04 > 0:16:07'of the once-mighty Caledonian pine forest
0:16:07 > 0:16:12'that stretched across Scotland after the last Ice Age.
0:16:12 > 0:16:16'And Black's paints a dramatic picture.
0:16:16 > 0:16:20'"Here, you can get a sense of its primeval grandeur.
0:16:20 > 0:16:25'"Gigantic birch trees and towering, pyramidal firs cast their sombre shadows
0:16:25 > 0:16:28'"over the restless stream, which brawls below."'
0:16:42 > 0:16:44Come on, Rogie!
0:16:44 > 0:16:50'In Victorian times, the horse was indispensable to visitors travelling to the remote Highlands.
0:16:50 > 0:16:54'Black's even offers advice on the average cost of rental.
0:16:54 > 0:16:58'A horse like Rogie would set you back six or seven shillings for the day.'
0:17:00 > 0:17:05When you realise that the average weekly wage for a manual labourer back then
0:17:05 > 0:17:10was just six shillings, you get an idea of how wealthy you had to be
0:17:10 > 0:17:13to be able to afford the privilege of horsepower.
0:17:13 > 0:17:19And for those that could afford it, riding high gave them an added sense of superiority,
0:17:19 > 0:17:25as they could enjoy the pleasure of looking down on mere pedestrians.
0:17:25 > 0:17:27Walk on boy, come on.
0:17:34 > 0:17:39Trying to keep Rogie on the straight and narrow, I continue up the glen.
0:17:39 > 0:17:41PONY NEIGHS
0:17:41 > 0:17:46The scenery gradually changes, and trees give way to more open country.
0:17:48 > 0:17:51- Hi, Sasha.- Hi there. - Good to see you.
0:17:51 > 0:17:56'In this wild and remote location, I meet up with trekking guide, Sasha Pocock,
0:17:56 > 0:17:59'to ride the glen together, as Highlanders have done for centuries.'
0:17:59 > 0:18:02It's a fantastic way of seeing the countryside Sasha!
0:18:02 > 0:18:06Oh, the best way of seeing the countryside.
0:18:06 > 0:18:11- And what sort of animals are we actually riding today? - These are both Highland ponies.
0:18:11 > 0:18:13And these would have been the horses that Victorian tourists
0:18:13 > 0:18:16- would have hired for their six shillings a day?- Exactly.
0:18:16 > 0:18:19What would they have been used for in the old days, then?
0:18:19 > 0:18:22They'd have been used for a variety of things.
0:18:22 > 0:18:25- They'd have been used as local transport...- Uh-huh?
0:18:25 > 0:18:28..to get people to and from, if they went down to the local town,
0:18:28 > 0:18:31- you know, maybe once or twice a year. - Right.- They'd have pulled a cart.
0:18:31 > 0:18:34They'd have also used them for a lot of their own farm work,
0:18:34 > 0:18:40- ploughing, dragging firewood... - Right.- ..taking the peats in for burning on the fire.
0:18:40 > 0:18:43- So the all-round horse? - All-round, very, very much, yeah.
0:18:46 > 0:18:49'Native to the Highlands, these creatures needed to be hardy.
0:18:51 > 0:18:55'They have thick coats to protect them from the harsh weather,
0:18:55 > 0:18:59'and a natural sure-footedness to carry them over bog and scree.
0:18:59 > 0:19:05'They were first put to work on crofts, working the land or carrying heavy loads.
0:19:05 > 0:19:11'They had other uses, too - sometimes they smuggled whisky, or went to war.
0:19:11 > 0:19:17'King Robert The Bruce is said to have faced the English astride a Highland pony.
0:19:18 > 0:19:23'Later, these hardy beasts carried the gentry into the hills to hunt,
0:19:23 > 0:19:26'and bring back the deer they'd bagged.
0:19:29 > 0:19:33'One of their most endearing qualities is their good nature,
0:19:33 > 0:19:36'and, you know, I think Rogie and I may have finally come to an understanding.'
0:19:38 > 0:19:41- It's about control. Who's in charge.- Yep.
0:19:41 > 0:19:45- I'm in charge, Rogie.- You're in charge.- Don't you forget it. - You're the boss.
0:19:45 > 0:19:47PONY NEIGHS
0:19:47 > 0:19:53'But it's a real treat to ride a creature so well-suited to the wilds of Scotland.
0:19:53 > 0:19:59'It's also a pleasure that's enjoyed by increasing numbers of folk who go pony trekking.'
0:19:59 > 0:20:04- Now, you run a trekking business? - Yes.- What kind of people are interested in that?
0:20:04 > 0:20:09You get mainly people who don't get to experience this sort of wilderness,
0:20:09 > 0:20:15so it's people from the cities and towns who really want to escape into the wilderness for a few days.
0:20:15 > 0:20:19- This really is wilderness, isn't it? - Yes, oh, there's nothing.
0:20:19 > 0:20:23- No mobile phones. - No reception, no.
0:20:23 > 0:20:26- It's like... heaven! - It is heaven.
0:20:33 > 0:20:38'Thanks to Sasha and my faithful steed, Rogie, I've made real progress up Glen Affric.
0:20:38 > 0:20:42'But now it's time to say farewell and continue my journey on foot.'
0:20:42 > 0:20:44- Thanks. Cheers!- Thank you very much!
0:20:49 > 0:20:52The track I'm following is an ancient right of way.
0:20:52 > 0:20:57For centuries it was used as a drove road, and as a coffin road,
0:20:57 > 0:21:03so-called because mourners and pallbearers used it to carry their dead
0:21:03 > 0:21:06to distant burial grounds.
0:21:06 > 0:21:11But in the past, the people who lived in the glen were forced off the land
0:21:11 > 0:21:14to make way for sheep, and then later, for deer.
0:21:14 > 0:21:20The fact is, people have not always been made to feel welcome in these parts.
0:21:20 > 0:21:25In Victorian times, simple pleasures like tramping the hills
0:21:25 > 0:21:28fraught with all kinds of difficulties.
0:21:28 > 0:21:32I don't just mean boggy ground or having to ford a stream.
0:21:32 > 0:21:36Now, back then, access to a wilderness area like this
0:21:36 > 0:21:39was something of an issue for all but the very wealthy.
0:21:44 > 0:21:47- Mr Simpson, Sir, I doff my cap. - Hello, Paul.
0:21:47 > 0:21:53'Historian Eric Simpson has walked these hills since he was a young man.
0:21:53 > 0:22:00'He's climbed all the Munros, and now in his 80s, he's tackling some for a second time.
0:22:00 > 0:22:02'Eric has fully exercised his right to roam,
0:22:02 > 0:22:08'but there was a time when the rich tried to keep the riffraff off this land.'
0:22:10 > 0:22:16Now, Eric, back in Victorian times, this was just one vast estate was it not?
0:22:16 > 0:22:20Indeed, yeah. A lot of the Scottish landowners needed extra money, and they were quite willing,
0:22:20 > 0:22:25either had to sell their estates or to lease them to wealthy businessmen
0:22:25 > 0:22:27and industrialists from the south.
0:22:27 > 0:22:32They'd taken over this area because they had the shooting rights.
0:22:32 > 0:22:34- Uh-huh.- And they didn't want the deer
0:22:34 > 0:22:38scared off their piece of land onto their neighbour's.
0:22:38 > 0:22:43And there was one particular incomer called Walter Winans,
0:22:43 > 0:22:50he was a very rich American, and he leased a large part of the Highlands, this area included,
0:22:50 > 0:22:57and he tried to prevent other people from coming in to what he considered his territory.
0:22:57 > 0:23:01He employed a large number of gillies and keepers
0:23:01 > 0:23:05- to act as sentries in different places.- Right.
0:23:05 > 0:23:08- Some of them even were in sentry boxes.- You're joking?- No, no.
0:23:08 > 0:23:14And anyone who strayed from the right of way,
0:23:14 > 0:23:18then his strong-arm men could take action.
0:23:18 > 0:23:21Was that quite a common thing in those days,
0:23:21 > 0:23:25that landowners of his ilk, were they very protective of their property?
0:23:25 > 0:23:29Yes, yes. Fortunately you had people who tried to
0:23:29 > 0:23:31open up access to the hills,
0:23:31 > 0:23:36that they looked at the existing rights of way
0:23:36 > 0:23:38and saw how the rights were being eroded,
0:23:38 > 0:23:44and they took legal action to prevent landowners from blocking them.
0:23:44 > 0:23:47'Campaigners undertook a series of court battles,
0:23:47 > 0:23:51'challenging the legal right of landowners to refuse access.
0:23:51 > 0:23:55'In 1847 they scored a significant victory.'
0:23:55 > 0:24:01Glen Tilt, the Duke of Atholl resisted a party of students from Edinburgh University,
0:24:01 > 0:24:07botany students, led by their Professor, picking up flowers and plants - oh, dear(!)
0:24:07 > 0:24:10- Pretty innocent thing to do! - How terrible(!)
0:24:10 > 0:24:17And the Duke of Atholl was there with his gillies to prevent them, and this led to a legal case
0:24:17 > 0:24:23which asserted the right of botanists and people like us to go through Glen Tilt.
0:24:23 > 0:24:27So now we do have the right to walk along this track?
0:24:27 > 0:24:31Yes, they've... Early walkers, like us today,
0:24:31 > 0:24:33- regard it as part of our heritage. - Exactly.
0:24:33 > 0:24:36And it's a landscape that we want to see,
0:24:36 > 0:24:39and want to encourage people to come into and enjoy.
0:24:39 > 0:24:43Everyone should have this experience because it is just so glorious.
0:24:43 > 0:24:50'As more and more people exercised their newly-won rights to explore the remote wilderness,
0:24:50 > 0:24:54'many also sought a bed to rest their weary bones for the night.
0:24:54 > 0:24:56'And even here, miles from anywhere,
0:24:56 > 0:25:02'we are greeted by the welcome sight of the Glen Affric Youth Hostel.'
0:25:02 > 0:25:04We're in the middle of nowhere,
0:25:04 > 0:25:07there are no proper roads anywhere around,
0:25:07 > 0:25:12and that place claims to be the most remote Youth Hostel in the whole of the UK.
0:25:12 > 0:25:14I hope it's not haunted!
0:25:23 > 0:25:26'The next morning, refreshed and rejuvenated,
0:25:26 > 0:25:30'I'm ready to continue my journey westward to the coast.
0:25:32 > 0:25:37'The right to roam encouraged more people to head out into the hills,
0:25:37 > 0:25:39'and it began a new craze,
0:25:39 > 0:25:43'which was seen as not only good for the body,
0:25:43 > 0:25:45'but also good for the soul.'
0:25:45 > 0:25:50Throughout the 19th century, there was a growing, church-inspired movement
0:25:50 > 0:25:56to get the young up and off their knees and out tramping the hills.
0:26:00 > 0:26:05'Rambling was all the rage, and the Scottish Ramblers Alliance was formed.
0:26:06 > 0:26:11'But walking in the countryside was no mere country pursuit -
0:26:11 > 0:26:15'it was to be educative, social and highly moral.
0:26:16 > 0:26:18'Mixed walking was frowned upon.
0:26:19 > 0:26:23'Falling in step with a member of the opposite sex
0:26:23 > 0:26:27'might lead innocent ramblers to stray from the path of righteousness!
0:26:28 > 0:26:33'But it was in the early 20th century that walking really took off,
0:26:33 > 0:26:38'and everyone, regardless of class or gender,
0:26:38 > 0:26:42'could enjoy the benefits of a right good yomp.'
0:26:42 > 0:26:45To boost morale and help focus the mind,
0:26:45 > 0:26:52clubs encouraged wholesome, merry singing to keep good Christian souls in step,
0:26:52 > 0:26:57and this is one of them entitled The Foot Traveller's Song.
0:26:57 > 0:27:00- HE RECITES:- On foot I gaily make my way. Hurrah!
0:27:00 > 0:27:04Where mountains bare And meadows gay. Hurrah!
0:27:04 > 0:27:08But he who is not of my mind Another travelling mate may find
0:27:08 > 0:27:13For he may not go with me. Hurrah!
0:27:13 > 0:27:15Tra-la, la-la, la-la!
0:27:15 > 0:27:18I don't think that's quite the right tune, but you get the idea.
0:27:21 > 0:27:25'My spirits raised by the jolly traveller's song,
0:27:25 > 0:27:28I'm making the final push to journey's end,
0:27:28 > 0:27:30heading for the shores of Loch Duich
0:27:30 > 0:27:33and an icon of Scottish tourism.
0:27:36 > 0:27:39'This is Eilean Donan castle.
0:27:39 > 0:27:44'It's an image that's adorned millions of shortbread tins the world over.
0:27:44 > 0:27:47'There's been a castle here since the 13th century,
0:27:47 > 0:27:54'but it was completely destroyed following the failed Jacobite rising of 1715.
0:27:54 > 0:27:57'What stands here today was actually built in the 1930s.
0:27:57 > 0:27:59'But nonetheless, many people see it
0:27:59 > 0:28:03'as the quintessential Scottish castle,
0:28:03 > 0:28:06'and it does have star quality.
0:28:06 > 0:28:10'Eilean Donan has been the setting for several Hollywood movies,
0:28:10 > 0:28:17'which has made it into one of the most recognised and visited tourist attractions in Scotland.'
0:28:17 > 0:28:22I have to say that despite its celebrity status and Hollywood associations,
0:28:22 > 0:28:26I feel too tired to visit Eilean Donan today.
0:28:26 > 0:28:29I think maybe I've been in the wilds a bit too long,
0:28:29 > 0:28:33and to be honest, I don't think I could face those crowds.
0:28:33 > 0:28:36And anyway, after my journey from coast to coast,
0:28:36 > 0:28:42I've only got the energy to sit here, admire the view,
0:28:42 > 0:28:45and maybe wash my socks!
0:28:51 > 0:28:55Join me on my next Grand Tour of Scotland,
0:28:55 > 0:28:57when I'll be looking for a bed for the night.
0:29:04 > 0:29:08Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd