0:00:04 > 0:00:09In 1840, one man transformed travel in Britain.
0:00:11 > 0:00:14His name was George Bradshaw and his railway guides
0:00:14 > 0:00:17inspired the Victorians to take to the tracks.
0:00:17 > 0:00:19Stop by stop he told them where to travel,
0:00:19 > 0:00:22what to see and where to stay.
0:00:22 > 0:00:28Now 170 years later I'm making four long journeys across the length
0:00:28 > 0:00:34and breadth of the country to see what remains of Bradshaw's Britain.
0:00:54 > 0:00:57Using my 19th century Bradshaw's guide,
0:00:57 > 0:01:01I'm continuing my rail journey into the West Country.
0:01:01 > 0:01:05Today I will reach England's south coast for the first time.
0:01:05 > 0:01:09Its climate, its bays, its beaches have made it
0:01:09 > 0:01:12a magnet for tourists since Victorian times.
0:01:12 > 0:01:16But its strategic position, its harbours, its inlets
0:01:16 > 0:01:21have made it vital for Britain's defence for centuries before that.
0:01:23 > 0:01:27Today I'll be discovering why Torquay
0:01:27 > 0:01:29was a magnet for Victorian invalids.
0:01:29 > 0:01:32You've got 3,000 miles of Atlantic Ocean.
0:01:32 > 0:01:34Nice, clean air coming in off the Atlantic.
0:01:34 > 0:01:36That's good for your lung disorders.
0:01:36 > 0:01:40I'll be fishing for salmon on the beautiful Dart estuary.
0:01:40 > 0:01:42I tell you, Nick, these city hands
0:01:42 > 0:01:45have not done work like this in their lifetime!
0:01:47 > 0:01:51And I'll be finding out about Britain's first local currency.
0:01:51 > 0:01:53You shop in the supermarket...
0:01:53 > 0:01:5580% of that money leaves Totnes the next morning.
0:01:55 > 0:01:58This is the currency that can't leave Totnes.
0:02:01 > 0:02:04I'm almost half way through my journey
0:02:04 > 0:02:07from Swindon along the Great Western Railway.
0:02:07 > 0:02:09This line to Somerset, Devon and Cornwall
0:02:09 > 0:02:12opened the way for a new tourism industry.
0:02:12 > 0:02:15After exploring the English Riviera,
0:02:15 > 0:02:19I'll head to the end of the line at Penzance.
0:02:21 > 0:02:25For the next leg of my journey, I'm travelling from Weston Super-Mare
0:02:25 > 0:02:30south to Torquay before heading up the Dart estuary to Totnes.
0:02:35 > 0:02:40Today, my first train takes me along the beautiful south Devon coast.
0:02:40 > 0:02:44It was one of the hardest sections of the Great Western Railway
0:02:44 > 0:02:47to build, but has resulted in the most spectacular views
0:02:47 > 0:02:48for the train traveller.
0:02:48 > 0:02:51Bradshaw's guide is ecstatic about this view.
0:02:51 > 0:02:55"This part of the line is invested with additional interest from
0:02:55 > 0:02:59"the magnificent scenery which opens up on each side as we proceed.
0:02:59 > 0:03:03"There is scarcely a mile traversed which does not unfold some peculiar
0:03:03 > 0:03:07"picturesque charm or new feature of its own
0:03:07 > 0:03:11"to make the eye dazzled and drunk with beauty."
0:03:11 > 0:03:14And as the sun rises to my left,
0:03:14 > 0:03:17I know exactly what the guidebook means.
0:03:21 > 0:03:24The railway's designer, Isambard Kingdom Brunel,
0:03:24 > 0:03:27wanted to construct the line further inland,
0:03:27 > 0:03:30but was forced to follow the line of the beach.
0:03:30 > 0:03:33It meant boring five tunnels through the cliffs
0:03:33 > 0:03:36and building four miles of sea wall to protect the tracks.
0:03:36 > 0:03:39It's an extraordinary engineering achievement,
0:03:39 > 0:03:43but it doesn't always keep the water at bay.
0:03:50 > 0:03:55The fact that the railway line was built along the sea means that
0:03:55 > 0:03:58we have those wonderful views, but it also means
0:03:58 > 0:04:02that the railway line gets pelted by storms and by spray
0:04:02 > 0:04:07and if water levels go on rising it can only get worse.
0:04:09 > 0:04:13When the line reached Torquay in 1848, the Great Western Railway
0:04:13 > 0:04:16began promoting it as a holiday destination.
0:04:16 > 0:04:20It was an immediate hit with the Victorian tourists
0:04:20 > 0:04:22and Torquay grew into a bustling resort.
0:04:24 > 0:04:28One of its main attractions was the mild climate.
0:04:28 > 0:04:31My Bradshaw's Guide even compared it to the south of France, saying,
0:04:31 > 0:04:37"Torquay has been described somewhat characteristically as the Montpellier of England."
0:04:37 > 0:04:38But do we regard it that way today?
0:04:38 > 0:04:42- Hello.- Hi.- I'm sorry to trouble you.
0:04:42 > 0:04:43- Good morning. - Hello.- Good morning.
0:04:43 > 0:04:46- I see you have a beach hut.- We do.
0:04:46 > 0:04:48- We do.- How many months of the year are you on the beach?
0:04:48 > 0:04:54It starts in April and it goes on till now, September.
0:04:54 > 0:04:58April to September is a pretty good season for England, isn't it?
0:04:58 > 0:05:02- Yes, it is.- Do you think Torquay has exceptionally good weather?
0:05:02 > 0:05:05- I think it does.- Yes, I suppose so.
0:05:05 > 0:05:07We've had quite a wet summer again...
0:05:07 > 0:05:13- Unfortunately.- ..like most people, but I think we do as well as anybody.
0:05:13 > 0:05:18It's a lot milder than our friends in the south-east, isn't it?
0:05:21 > 0:05:25I'm interested to discover from meteorologist, David Braine,
0:05:25 > 0:05:27whether Torquay really is special.
0:05:29 > 0:05:31- Morning, David.- Morning, Michael.
0:05:31 > 0:05:33We meet on a lovely, sunny day.
0:05:33 > 0:05:37- Beautiful, isn't it?- Why does Torquay have such a wonderful climate?
0:05:37 > 0:05:39It's largely due to the geography, where it is?
0:05:39 > 0:05:43It faces east, which means most of the year, it's well sheltered
0:05:43 > 0:05:46and the climate here is, pretty much, one of the best
0:05:46 > 0:05:49in the south-west because of it.
0:05:50 > 0:05:53Because of the warm weather, the Great Western Railway
0:05:53 > 0:05:58began to promote this coast to tourists as The English Riviera.
0:06:00 > 0:06:04On one particular Bank holiday, 20,000 people
0:06:04 > 0:06:07passed through Torquay station in a single day.
0:06:08 > 0:06:11Thanks to the railways, it had become a major resort.
0:06:11 > 0:06:16But day trippers apart, Bradshaw recommended it
0:06:16 > 0:06:18specifically for the sick.
0:06:20 > 0:06:24The Victorians were really quite obsessed about health
0:06:24 > 0:06:28and Torquay was regarded as a terrific place for invalids to come.
0:06:28 > 0:06:33Is this place especially good for people suffering from illnesses?
0:06:33 > 0:06:36I would say, "Yes." There's a lot going for it, bearing in mind
0:06:36 > 0:06:39in Victorian times there was a lot of air pollution.
0:06:39 > 0:06:42The big towns and the industrial areas have a lot of air pollution,
0:06:42 > 0:06:47a lot of particulate matter in the air and those that suffer from pulmonary disorders,
0:06:47 > 0:06:52really did suffer because of it, because of all that smoke and gas in the atmosphere.
0:06:52 > 0:06:55You come to the seaside and you get clean air to start with
0:06:55 > 0:06:57and you've also got a more temperate climate.
0:06:57 > 0:07:00So, if they were suffering from rheumatism,
0:07:00 > 0:07:03when they came to this area they wouldn't have those cold winters.
0:07:03 > 0:07:07In the same vein, when you get elderly, the heat in the summertime can be a problem.
0:07:07 > 0:07:10So, it was a really popular location because of that.
0:07:10 > 0:07:12I suppose that led the Victorians to become more and more
0:07:12 > 0:07:16interested in climate and weather and to make some recordings.
0:07:16 > 0:07:20For example, it's claimed in here that the winter temperature
0:07:20 > 0:07:24of 46 degrees Fahrenheit is five degrees higher than Exeter.
0:07:24 > 0:07:25Is that true?
0:07:25 > 0:07:28I can only look at the records going back to the First World War
0:07:28 > 0:07:32and I've looked and the winter temperature is about a degree or so difference.
0:07:32 > 0:07:34It is slightly warmer here.
0:07:34 > 0:07:36- A degree centigrade? - Yes, a degree centigrade.
0:07:36 > 0:07:38- Two of his degrees. - That's correct.
0:07:38 > 0:07:40But not five of his degrees.
0:07:40 > 0:07:42Five is a bit much, I would think.
0:07:48 > 0:07:52The next part of my journey takes me through other Riviera resorts
0:07:52 > 0:07:56on the Paignton and Dartmouth steam railway.
0:07:56 > 0:07:58Anybody who likes railways
0:07:58 > 0:08:01thinks that the real thing is a steam train.
0:08:01 > 0:08:05I've been on a few steam trains and I'm told
0:08:05 > 0:08:08that this line is exceptional.
0:08:08 > 0:08:11I've been told that whatever I thought before about steam travel,
0:08:11 > 0:08:14I'm going to discover something new today.
0:08:14 > 0:08:18I'm now going up the front to meet the guys who do what I think
0:08:18 > 0:08:22many boys dreamed of doing, certainly when I was young.
0:08:22 > 0:08:24That is to say shovelling the coal
0:08:24 > 0:08:26and driving the engine.
0:08:26 > 0:08:29Have you got a moment before you set off for a word?
0:08:29 > 0:08:32- Yes.- Pop out, please.- Come aboard.
0:08:32 > 0:08:35Oh, thank you. We're coming up.
0:08:35 > 0:08:38'Driver, Barry Damon, and fireman, Chris Wilson
0:08:38 > 0:08:40'have an incurable passion for steam.'
0:08:40 > 0:08:43Well, the first thing you notice is the enormous heat
0:08:43 > 0:08:45coming out of the furnace here.
0:08:45 > 0:08:49It's roaring red and it's a very big furnace as well, isn't it?
0:08:49 > 0:08:52Yeah, it is. That fires dying away at the moment, actually.
0:08:52 > 0:08:55We'll have to do a lot of building up on that before we leave.
0:08:55 > 0:08:58- That's your job? - Really get the temperature up, yeah.
0:08:58 > 0:09:02So how did you get to be a fireman? It's everybody's dream and you are quite young.
0:09:02 > 0:09:07Yeah, there's at least four, if not five generations before me
0:09:07 > 0:09:10that have worked on railways. So, it was going to happen.
0:09:10 > 0:09:12Were you always crazy about trains as a kid?
0:09:12 > 0:09:17Yeah, yeah, Thomas The Tank Engine got out of control, really.
0:09:17 > 0:09:21- And you are the driver.- Yes. - So you're going to be running us down the line in a moment
0:09:21 > 0:09:25to Kingswear and what speed are we going at, maximum?
0:09:25 > 0:09:28Well, the Heritage Line we're limited to 25 miles an hour.
0:09:28 > 0:09:32A very sedate Victorian speed, I shall enjoy it very much, indeed.
0:09:32 > 0:09:34That's what the job's about, yes.
0:09:34 > 0:09:37Shovel all the coal in, got to keep her rolling?
0:09:37 > 0:09:40I'll get shovelling in a minute, get the temperature up
0:09:40 > 0:09:44- and give the driver the steam and we'll be on our way. - Thank you, I look forward to it.
0:09:53 > 0:09:55The steam train follows the coast to Kingswear
0:09:55 > 0:09:57at the mouth of the River Dart.
0:09:59 > 0:10:03The train edges along by the side of this magnificent
0:10:03 > 0:10:06red coloured beach, Goodrington sands.
0:10:10 > 0:10:13- £1 supplement. - Thank you very much, indeed, sir.
0:10:13 > 0:10:15Thank you very much.
0:10:15 > 0:10:16This is a lovely observation car.
0:10:16 > 0:10:18What's the history of this, do you know?
0:10:18 > 0:10:21This was built originally in 1919,
0:10:21 > 0:10:24well 1915 originally as an ambulance car.
0:10:24 > 0:10:27People have told me this is a very special journey. Why is that?
0:10:27 > 0:10:30Devon views at their best, you can't beat this.
0:10:30 > 0:10:33It's looking absolutely wonderful at the moment, isn't it?
0:10:33 > 0:10:34Yes, it's usually like this.
0:10:34 > 0:10:37Even when it's damp there's still Devon sunshine.
0:10:37 > 0:10:40What's the very best part of the route, what shall I look out for?
0:10:40 > 0:10:45Maybe the Torbay area as we go up towards Churston and then as we drop down towards Dartmouth,
0:10:45 > 0:10:49we've got the River Dart on the right e with the views across to Dartmouth on the other side.
0:10:49 > 0:10:51So it's nothing but highlights?
0:10:51 > 0:10:54Really, yes, the only place you don't see very much is in the tunnel.
0:10:54 > 0:10:56- All right, thank you.- OK, sir.
0:10:56 > 0:10:58Bye-bye.
0:10:58 > 0:11:00'That extra pound is a bargain.'
0:11:00 > 0:11:04This observation car is the best vantage point
0:11:04 > 0:11:07for this breathtaking journey.
0:11:08 > 0:11:11I love the way it when the train goes round the corner, like this,
0:11:11 > 0:11:14and you get a good view of the locomotive up the front.
0:11:14 > 0:11:20All that power and steam and smoke, driving our train forth, thrilling!
0:11:31 > 0:11:36The route is distinguished by yet more of Brunel's engineering
0:11:36 > 0:11:41accomplishments, like the viaducts at Broadsands and Hookhills.
0:11:45 > 0:11:49And that whistle means a tunnel coming, I'm going back.
0:11:59 > 0:12:03You can imagine the excitement of a Victorian railway traveller.
0:12:03 > 0:12:07Not only did the trains make it possible for them to do things
0:12:07 > 0:12:12they'd never done before, they also brought them into the heart of
0:12:12 > 0:12:15countryside and landscape, the like of which,
0:12:15 > 0:12:19city dwellers in particular, had never seen.
0:12:36 > 0:12:40These days, most users of this line are tourists
0:12:40 > 0:12:43making their way to the historic town of Dartmouth.
0:12:43 > 0:12:45That really was thrilling.
0:12:45 > 0:12:49I mean, any steam train journey is very exciting
0:12:49 > 0:12:53and many of them pass through wonderful countryside.
0:12:53 > 0:12:56But at least in my experience,
0:12:56 > 0:13:00that was the most remarkable for coastal scenery.
0:13:02 > 0:13:05Bradshaw's guide is often surprisingly up-to-date.
0:13:05 > 0:13:08It tells me there's no bridge across the Dart
0:13:08 > 0:13:10and that I will need to take a ferry.
0:13:10 > 0:13:13Well, it is as true now as it was then.
0:13:13 > 0:13:16- Three adults and a child, please. - That's five pounds...
0:13:19 > 0:13:24On the other side, is what's called Dartmouth railway station,
0:13:24 > 0:13:28although in fact there's never been a train on this bank of the Dart.
0:13:31 > 0:13:33It's lovely.
0:13:33 > 0:13:35It's very distinctive railway architecture.
0:13:35 > 0:13:38It's very beautifully preserved.
0:13:38 > 0:13:42This used to be the booking office, this used to be the waiting room.
0:13:42 > 0:13:45Now it's a snack bar.
0:13:45 > 0:13:47- Hello!- Hello, sir, nice to meet you.
0:13:47 > 0:13:50Nice to meet you. Do you like working in this beautiful place?
0:13:50 > 0:13:53Of course, when I first heard about it
0:13:53 > 0:13:58- that it was designed by Brunel, I was really surprised.- Yeah.
0:13:58 > 0:14:01I like it here. For me as a Slovakian,
0:14:01 > 0:14:07it's, for me, amazing and special because this culture and how it was
0:14:07 > 0:14:12designed and built is, for me, new, it was everything, for me, new.
0:14:12 > 0:14:14- This is...- Traditions.
0:14:14 > 0:14:18..traditionally a railway station, even though it never had any trains.
0:14:18 > 0:14:20That's right. And I read in the Tree Park,
0:14:20 > 0:14:24that it's the only one in the world, something like that, probably.
0:14:24 > 0:14:29Without actually track, it's amazing. For me, Brunel, means something.
0:14:31 > 0:14:33And so you admire Brunel?
0:14:33 > 0:14:37I admire. Many beautiful bridges, good structures
0:14:37 > 0:14:40and I think some of his projects will survive ages
0:14:40 > 0:14:44and will be working for many generations in the future.
0:14:44 > 0:14:46- Thank you so much.- Thank you.
0:14:46 > 0:14:48Very nice to talk to you.
0:14:48 > 0:14:51I am gratified for Brunel that, deservedly,
0:14:51 > 0:14:53his fame has spread to Slovakia.
0:14:54 > 0:15:00In the early 19th century Dartmouth was hard to access, even by land.
0:15:00 > 0:15:06When the railways reached here in 1864, it began to thrive as a port.
0:15:06 > 0:15:08Bradshaw's Guide on Dartmouth.
0:15:08 > 0:15:14"This very ancient sea port is beautifully situated at the mouth of the Dart.
0:15:14 > 0:15:17"It's harbour, affording accommodation for as many as
0:15:17 > 0:15:22"500 large vessels, is completely landlocked
0:15:22 > 0:15:25"with hills rising 300-400ft."
0:15:25 > 0:15:28It wouldn't be long before the royal navy
0:15:28 > 0:15:32discovered the attractions of Dartmouth.
0:15:32 > 0:15:35The railways also transported hundreds of recruits
0:15:35 > 0:15:39to the recently opened Royal Naval College.
0:15:39 > 0:15:45It remains the Royal Navy's single facility for turning out officers.
0:15:45 > 0:15:49And my hotel for the night, recommended by Bradshaw,
0:15:49 > 0:15:52is steeped in Dartmouth's naval past.
0:15:52 > 0:15:54- Hi, Mr Portillo?- Hello.
0:15:54 > 0:15:56Hi, I'm Nigel Wade, genial host and licensee.
0:15:56 > 0:15:59- Very nice to see you. - Have you got a couple of seconds?
0:15:59 > 0:16:02Sure. This hotel just reeks of naval history.
0:16:02 > 0:16:05Well, it's been years since the 1639.
0:16:05 > 0:16:08Dartmouth is one of the great seafaring ports.
0:16:08 > 0:16:10You are right in the centre of it.
0:16:10 > 0:16:15In the 16th century, Dartmouth was also notorious for its Privateers.
0:16:15 > 0:16:17These government sponsored pirates
0:16:17 > 0:16:21hijacked foreign ships and sold them for profit.
0:16:21 > 0:16:26When a boat was captured it was brought in, tied up outside.
0:16:26 > 0:16:29A thing called a sale by the candle was held,
0:16:29 > 0:16:33which meant that in that room just over there they would have said,
0:16:33 > 0:16:34"We're going to light this candle.
0:16:34 > 0:16:38"The best offer we get before the candle goes out will get this ship."
0:16:38 > 0:16:40That is how the Privateers made their money.
0:16:40 > 0:16:45You are being a bit tactful because when you say boat you actually mean Spanish ships, don't you?
0:16:45 > 0:16:48Definitely, yes. I'm trying to be political here.
0:16:48 > 0:16:50I think I'll go and look at my room.
0:16:50 > 0:16:52- Thank you very much. - I hope you sleep well.
0:16:52 > 0:16:55Don't take too much notice of all the stories
0:16:55 > 0:16:58- of ghosts and things you hear. Sleep well.- Thank you.
0:17:04 > 0:17:06Well, there were no frights in the night
0:17:06 > 0:17:08and on this bright new morning
0:17:08 > 0:17:12I'm about to explore the Dart with the help of my Bradshaw's guide.
0:17:13 > 0:17:18Bradshaw says, "an excursion up the River Dart to Totnes
0:17:18 > 0:17:21"is one of the areas great attractions to visitors,"
0:17:21 > 0:17:26that "salmon are caught in the Dart and in Totnes the chief employment
0:17:26 > 0:17:29"amongst the inhabitants is in the fishery."
0:17:29 > 0:17:33So its time to get afloat.
0:17:40 > 0:17:44Salmon fisherman, Nick Prust, is going to take me out on his boat.
0:17:44 > 0:17:47- Do I look the part? - Well, yes, sort of.
0:17:47 > 0:17:50This is a townie's view of what a fisherman looks like.
0:17:50 > 0:17:53- Lovely weather again today. - It is gorgeous, perfect.
0:17:53 > 0:17:55Are the fish biting?
0:17:55 > 0:17:57Let's hope so. We'll see.
0:17:57 > 0:17:59Not too sunny and not too cloudy.
0:17:59 > 0:18:00- No. Let's get going.- Great.
0:18:03 > 0:18:07In Bradshaw's day, angling became a popular sport
0:18:07 > 0:18:11for Victorian tourists, with the help of the railways.
0:18:13 > 0:18:14Anglers arriving by train
0:18:14 > 0:18:17could even buy their permit at the local station.
0:18:19 > 0:18:23At the same time, commercial salmon fishing also took off.
0:18:26 > 0:18:31I hope you got it going out properly, Michael, are you watching it carefully?
0:18:31 > 0:18:36- It's going out nicely. - We always look to someone to blame.
0:18:36 > 0:18:39But since Bradshaw's time stocks of salmon in the Dart have declined
0:18:39 > 0:18:43and now there are only a few commercial fishermen
0:18:43 > 0:18:45working the river.
0:18:46 > 0:18:48I don't see it pulsing with fish.
0:18:48 > 0:18:51Nick is restricted to a rowing boat
0:18:51 > 0:18:54and does everything by hand in the traditional way.
0:18:57 > 0:19:01I tell you, Nick, these city hands have not done work like this...
0:19:01 > 0:19:04in their lifetime!
0:19:04 > 0:19:09I'm always feeling lucky, Michael. You must always think positive.
0:19:10 > 0:19:14'Even after all that effort there isn't much of a catch.'
0:19:14 > 0:19:19Nick, three men, two boats, one television presenter, one grey mullet.
0:19:19 > 0:19:22It's not a particularly high rate of productivity, is it?
0:19:22 > 0:19:25No, it's not.
0:19:26 > 0:19:28But that's life, I'm afraid.
0:19:28 > 0:19:30That's fishing.
0:19:33 > 0:19:36In Bradshaw's day the River Dart was plied by pleasure steamers
0:19:36 > 0:19:44carrying tourists up to Totnes, and that continued right up until 1965.
0:19:44 > 0:19:48That's the trip Bradshaw recommends, but as there are no steamers today,
0:19:48 > 0:19:52Nick's going to take me on his motor boat.
0:19:54 > 0:19:56Some of this scenery, Michael,
0:19:56 > 0:19:59won't have changed in hundreds of years.
0:19:59 > 0:20:04An odd tree may fall down in the river, but that's about it.
0:20:04 > 0:20:08Here's Sharpham House, Michael, with the old boat house.
0:20:08 > 0:20:12Sharpham House stands proudly high above the river
0:20:12 > 0:20:16and is today one of Devon's new wine producers.
0:20:16 > 0:20:20- There's the vineyard just showing here now.- What a beautiful sight.
0:20:20 > 0:20:23It's a little bit of the continent arrived in Devon.
0:20:23 > 0:20:25Oh, yes, definitely.
0:20:29 > 0:20:35This tree on the left is known as the cormorant tree.
0:20:35 > 0:20:38It was tree that was struck by lightening years ago
0:20:38 > 0:20:41and the cormorants just love to come in on it.
0:20:43 > 0:20:45All too quickly we're at my next stop.
0:20:45 > 0:20:48- Is this where you're chucking me out?- It is.- Thank you very much.
0:20:48 > 0:20:52This is my Robinson Crusoe moment.
0:20:52 > 0:20:53It's been a pleasure.
0:20:53 > 0:20:56- Thank you.- Cheers.- Bye.
0:21:00 > 0:21:04Whilst the countryside hasn't changed since Bradshaw's time,
0:21:04 > 0:21:06Totnes certainly has.
0:21:06 > 0:21:11In Bradshaw's day, the coal guzzling locomotives
0:21:11 > 0:21:15racing across the land were early carbon dioxide producers.
0:21:17 > 0:21:21Today Totnes is trying to become more green.
0:21:23 > 0:21:25- Are you free?- Yes, certainly.
0:21:25 > 0:21:28'So there's a new kind of taxi in town.'
0:21:28 > 0:21:30What brings you to Totnes?
0:21:30 > 0:21:34I'm doing a railway journey around Britain
0:21:34 > 0:21:37and I'm using a 19th Century guidebook.
0:21:37 > 0:21:39It's brought me to Totnes.
0:21:39 > 0:21:42LOUD ENGINE SPUTTERS
0:21:42 > 0:21:45It doesn't mention rickshaws.
0:21:45 > 0:21:50The rickshaws have only been in Totnes for a couple of years.
0:21:50 > 0:21:53But it's all part of the transition town movement, really.
0:21:53 > 0:21:58They're trying to highlight the use of renewables.
0:21:58 > 0:22:01So what does this sewing machine run on?
0:22:01 > 0:22:04It runs on used cooking oil from the town.
0:22:04 > 0:22:09So I'm running on somebody's old fish and chips?
0:22:09 > 0:22:10Yeah.
0:22:10 > 0:22:12Very green.
0:22:12 > 0:22:15Eat chips and save the world!
0:22:16 > 0:22:18What are the economics of this?
0:22:18 > 0:22:20What does it cost to run this machine?
0:22:20 > 0:22:23£2.80 a week.
0:22:23 > 0:22:25That is amazing!
0:22:25 > 0:22:28Has the amount of deafness in the town gone up?
0:22:28 > 0:22:30Hahaha!
0:22:32 > 0:22:35The chip fat rickshaws are part of something called
0:22:35 > 0:22:39Transition Town Totnes - a global campaign
0:22:39 > 0:22:42for sustainability started by Rob Hopkins.
0:22:42 > 0:22:46- Rob.- Hello, Michael. Welcome to Totnes.
0:22:46 > 0:22:47- What a lovely spot.- Isn't it.
0:22:47 > 0:22:50Transition Town Totnes - what does that mean?
0:22:50 > 0:22:54It's an organisation that's been running here for about three years.
0:22:54 > 0:22:57It's really about how, as communities,
0:22:57 > 0:23:00we respond to climate change and also to peak oil,
0:23:00 > 0:23:04nearing the end of the age of cheap oil and all that that's made possible.
0:23:04 > 0:23:09Transition is a positive, proactive response which says we can either look at those two things
0:23:09 > 0:23:12as a crisis and a disaster, or as an opportunity
0:23:12 > 0:23:15to be creative and brilliant and come up with a lot
0:23:15 > 0:23:17of solutions that start here at the grass roots.
0:23:17 > 0:23:20So what solutions have you come up with?
0:23:20 > 0:23:22We do lots of stuff around local food,
0:23:22 > 0:23:24linking people up with local food producers.
0:23:24 > 0:23:27We have a garden share scheme, to match people who want to garden
0:23:27 > 0:23:30with people who have gardens they don't use.
0:23:30 > 0:23:32We have a solar buyers scheme
0:23:32 > 0:23:34to try and get more renewables out on the rooves.
0:23:34 > 0:23:38One of the things that's been really extraordinary here is
0:23:38 > 0:23:41that what's started here is now an international movement.
0:23:41 > 0:23:44Thousands of towns, cities and villages around the world
0:23:44 > 0:23:46who are adopting the same model.
0:23:46 > 0:23:48There's a certain paradox there, isn't there?
0:23:48 > 0:23:52An international movement of self-sufficient communities?
0:23:52 > 0:23:55It's not about self-sufficiency, Totnes is never going to make
0:23:55 > 0:23:59its own laptop computers, but at the same time it can source a lot of its
0:23:59 > 0:24:04building materials, food and so on, and by doing so make this economy much stronger and more robust.
0:24:04 > 0:24:07Now, you've got your own single currency, is that right?
0:24:07 > 0:24:10We do. I have some in my pocket. Yeah, this is the Totnes pound
0:24:10 > 0:24:13which is a scheme that we've been running
0:24:13 > 0:24:16for a couple of years now in various experiments.
0:24:16 > 0:24:18It's based on the idea that, at the moment,
0:24:18 > 0:24:20you can look at a town like Totnes
0:24:20 > 0:24:25as being like a large leaky bucket out of which all this money comes in and pours straight out.
0:24:25 > 0:24:29You shop in the supermarket, 80% of that money leaves Totnes the next morning.
0:24:29 > 0:24:32This is a currency that can't leave Totnes, it can't go anywhere else.
0:24:32 > 0:24:35'The aim of the Totnes pound is to encourage people
0:24:35 > 0:24:38'to buy local products and support local businesses.'
0:24:38 > 0:24:41You can spend it in 80 shops in the town
0:24:41 > 0:24:45and we're very fond of it. It recently inspired other places.
0:24:45 > 0:24:48This is a Brixton pound which was launched last week.
0:24:48 > 0:24:51- A slightly different look. - Yeah, but that's the thing.
0:24:51 > 0:24:55They're a celebration of the place and culture from which they emerge.
0:24:55 > 0:24:57They also have a five, a ten and £20 note as well.
0:24:57 > 0:25:00You can pay your council tax with them as well.
0:25:00 > 0:25:03Very good, well I better go and equip myself with some currency.
0:25:03 > 0:25:05I think you had and have fun spending them.
0:25:05 > 0:25:07Thank you very much, good luck to you.
0:25:07 > 0:25:09- Thanks very much.- Thank you.
0:25:16 > 0:25:19As it turns out, I don't have to go far
0:25:19 > 0:25:23to find somewhere to change my Bank of England pounds.
0:25:23 > 0:25:27Hello, I've come to buy some Totnes pounds, please.
0:25:27 > 0:25:29Totnes pounds, how many would you like?
0:25:29 > 0:25:34Oh, you do. Right, well, £20 worth would be fine.
0:25:34 > 0:25:36What's the exchange rate?
0:25:36 > 0:25:39One for one. One Totnes pound for £1 sterling.
0:25:39 > 0:25:42- Ah, that seems very reasonable, thank you.- You're welcome.
0:25:42 > 0:25:4520 Totnes pounds for £20 sterling.
0:25:45 > 0:25:47Thank you, a pleasure doing business with you,
0:25:47 > 0:25:49I'll put that to the test. Thank you.
0:25:58 > 0:26:02I was looking for a railway book.
0:26:02 > 0:26:05- There we go, sir, it's recommended. - I've just been on that line.
0:26:05 > 0:26:11Very nice. How much is that in Totnes pounds?
0:26:11 > 0:26:15Exactly the same price as is on the cover, sir. £14.99.
0:26:15 > 0:26:18OK. Let me see what I've got here.
0:26:18 > 0:26:20I'm afraid I've only got £1 notes.
0:26:20 > 0:26:23That's all right, sir, we're just waiting
0:26:23 > 0:26:25for them to introduce the fivers and tenners.
0:26:25 > 0:26:28..four, five, six...
0:26:28 > 0:26:32Could I have one Totnes penny in change, please.
0:26:32 > 0:26:35Unfortunately they don't do those yet, I'm afraid.
0:26:35 > 0:26:37- Just your regular penny. - Just the regular penny.
0:26:37 > 0:26:39All right.
0:26:42 > 0:26:45- There you go, sir. - Thank you very much indeed.
0:26:45 > 0:26:48I know I'm going to get a lot of satisfaction out of that.
0:26:48 > 0:26:50- There you go, sir.- Thank you.
0:26:50 > 0:26:51- Thank you.- Bye-bye.- Bye.
0:26:54 > 0:26:57What goes around comes around.
0:26:57 > 0:26:59Victorian steam trains and ships
0:26:59 > 0:27:02enabled Britons to enjoy the products of the world.
0:27:02 > 0:27:07Now Totnes wants us to step back. To think and act locally.
0:27:07 > 0:27:11I think George Bradshaw would be pleased that I took the tip
0:27:11 > 0:27:14and went to Torquay for the healthy air
0:27:14 > 0:27:17and delighted that I took a boat trip on the River Dart,
0:27:17 > 0:27:20but he wouldn't approve of the Totnes pound.
0:27:20 > 0:27:22The Victorians didn't believe in localism.
0:27:22 > 0:27:26They were at the heart of a global trading Empire.
0:27:26 > 0:27:31If he knew that Britain was importing rickshaws from India,
0:27:31 > 0:27:35he would think the world was standing on its head.
0:27:38 > 0:27:40Tomorrow, I'll be visiting
0:27:40 > 0:27:43the largest china clay mines in the world.
0:27:43 > 0:27:48What an extraordinary scene, like a vast moonscape.
0:27:48 > 0:27:54I'll be finding out how the Victorians shaped British gardens.
0:27:54 > 0:27:58What we're celebrating is the Victorian tradition of how things were gardened,
0:27:58 > 0:28:01the Victorian attitudes to life
0:28:01 > 0:28:04and also the people who worked in these gardens.
0:28:04 > 0:28:05That's what we regard as lost.
0:28:05 > 0:28:10And I'll be discovering what's happened to the humble pilchard.
0:28:10 > 0:28:15There is a big demand for pilchards which has been renamed the sardine.
0:28:15 > 0:28:18Ah, the sardine and the pilchard are one and the same, are they?
0:28:18 > 0:28:20They are exactly the same.
0:28:43 > 0:28:48Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd