0:00:05 > 0:00:09In 1840, one man transformed travel in Britain.
0:00:09 > 0:00:11His name was George Bradshaw
0:00:11 > 0:00:17and his railway guides inspired the Victorians to take to the tracks.
0:00:18 > 0:00:21Stop by stop, he told them where to travel,
0:00:21 > 0:00:24what to see and where to stay.
0:00:24 > 0:00:30Now, 170 years later, I'm making a series of journeys across the length
0:00:30 > 0:00:34and breadth of the country to see what of Bradshaw's Britain remains.
0:00:58 > 0:01:01My Bradshaw's is now steering me through Cumbria.
0:01:01 > 0:01:04You might expect me to be headed for the Lake District,
0:01:04 > 0:01:07but first, my journey takes me along the sea,
0:01:07 > 0:01:10on the railway which, as Bradshaw says,
0:01:10 > 0:01:14"Skirts the best part of the Cumberland coast."
0:01:14 > 0:01:17Actually, it all looks pretty good to me.
0:01:20 > 0:01:22On today's part of my journey,
0:01:22 > 0:01:25I'll be taking a train from coast to mountain-top.
0:01:25 > 0:01:31A little smut hits the eye to remind you of the joys of steam travel.
0:01:31 > 0:01:36Gaining rare access to an industry that divides opinion worldwide -
0:01:36 > 0:01:38nuclear power.
0:01:38 > 0:01:39And it is absolutely massive.
0:01:39 > 0:01:42The golf ball itself is probably about 60m high.
0:01:42 > 0:01:48And attending the revelation of an extremely rare Cumberland luck.
0:01:48 > 0:01:52This is, I must say, a rather emotional moment, isn't it?
0:01:55 > 0:01:58This journey began on the Scottish border and is taking me
0:01:58 > 0:02:01across the spectacular scenery of England at its narrowest point,
0:02:01 > 0:02:05coast to coast, finishing up on the picturesque Isle of Man.
0:02:06 > 0:02:07Today's run starts in
0:02:07 > 0:02:10Cockermouth, near the Cumbrian coast,
0:02:10 > 0:02:11and then I'll travel south
0:02:11 > 0:02:13to the nuclear facility at Sellafield,
0:02:13 > 0:02:17ending the day in marvellous countryside at Ravenglass.
0:02:20 > 0:02:24I'm now headed for Cockermouth, which Bradshaw's informs me
0:02:24 > 0:02:28is situated at the junction of the Cocker and the Derwent,
0:02:28 > 0:02:32and he reminds me that the poet William Wordsworth is a native
0:02:32 > 0:02:35and apparently is commemorated at St Mary's Church
0:02:35 > 0:02:37with a memorial window.
0:02:37 > 0:02:40Cockermouth stands on the north-western edge
0:02:40 > 0:02:41of the Lake District.
0:02:41 > 0:02:44A railway to carry coal from the West Cumberland pits
0:02:44 > 0:02:47for shipment by sea was opened between the town
0:02:47 > 0:02:51and the coast at Workington as early as 1847.
0:02:52 > 0:02:55Once a passenger railway arrived in 1865,
0:02:55 > 0:02:59the town flourished, as Victorian tourists flocked to the lakes
0:02:59 > 0:03:02where the poet Wordsworth once lived.
0:03:02 > 0:03:05As a Romantic writer, much stimulated by nature,
0:03:05 > 0:03:09Wordsworth absorbed the landscapes surrounding the town
0:03:09 > 0:03:11profoundly into his verses.
0:03:13 > 0:03:17Sadly, Cockermouth station was closed in 1966,
0:03:17 > 0:03:22so I've alighted at Workington, the closest point on the railway.
0:03:29 > 0:03:33Reminiscing on his childhood, Wordsworth wrote,
0:03:33 > 0:03:36"What joy was mine! How often in the course
0:03:36 > 0:03:39"Of those glad respites, though a soft west wind
0:03:39 > 0:03:41"Ruffled the waters to the angler's wish,
0:03:41 > 0:03:44"For a whole day together, have I lain
0:03:44 > 0:03:49"Down by thy side, O, Derwent! Murmuring stream."
0:03:49 > 0:03:52If Bradshaw could enthuse about engineering,
0:03:52 > 0:03:56why shouldn't the poet wax lyrical about water?
0:03:59 > 0:04:03The isolated yet awe-inspiring landscape and the water
0:04:03 > 0:04:06and mineral wealth contained within it, had proved attractive to
0:04:06 > 0:04:11Victorian and modern-day visitors, artists and industries alike.
0:04:11 > 0:04:13Water is key to Cockermouth,
0:04:13 > 0:04:16being situated at the confluence of two rivers.
0:04:18 > 0:04:22I've come here to visit a brewery, established at this spot in 1828,
0:04:22 > 0:04:25precisely because of the purity of the waters
0:04:25 > 0:04:27that Wordsworth eulogised.
0:04:27 > 0:04:30In the 19th century,
0:04:30 > 0:04:34British beer and brewing set the gold standard around the world.
0:04:34 > 0:04:37In fact, Bass Ale from Burton-on-Trent is credited
0:04:37 > 0:04:39as the world's first global brand,
0:04:39 > 0:04:42as it was exported to so many countries.
0:04:42 > 0:04:47Head brewer Jeremy Pettman is meeting me in the pump room.
0:04:48 > 0:04:51There you have the brewery well - 80 feet deep.
0:04:51 > 0:04:54I understand that the quality of water
0:04:54 > 0:04:56is very important in the making of beer.
0:04:56 > 0:05:00That's right, Michael. The water quality's absolutely paramount.
0:05:00 > 0:05:03The water comes off the fells, it permeates down through
0:05:03 > 0:05:06the rock strata to the east of the town itself.
0:05:06 > 0:05:09It forms an artesian well source at the bottom of the brewery here.
0:05:09 > 0:05:13We think that the water's been used since Norman times
0:05:13 > 0:05:17and actually supplied the castle next door to the brewery.
0:05:17 > 0:05:20By the 1870s, science and potent new technologies
0:05:20 > 0:05:23had revolutionised the brewing industry.
0:05:23 > 0:05:28It had metamorphosed from a cottage industry to a highly scientific
0:05:28 > 0:05:33process utilising advances such as steam power and cooling systems.
0:05:33 > 0:05:36Even microscopes, which were first introduced by brewers
0:05:36 > 0:05:37trying to perfect beer yeast.
0:05:40 > 0:05:43Staggeringly, after cotton spinning, brewing was one of the most
0:05:43 > 0:05:47important industries in Britain in terms of sheer numbers employed
0:05:47 > 0:05:48and the cash that it generated.
0:05:48 > 0:05:52As I came in, I noticed your buildings are historic.
0:05:52 > 0:05:55Do you pride yourselves really on brewing beer as it
0:05:55 > 0:05:57used to be done in the 19th century?
0:05:57 > 0:05:59This is a traditional brewery.
0:05:59 > 0:06:02Whilst we've done a lot of improvement work over the years,
0:06:02 > 0:06:05we've tended to maintain that traditionality.
0:06:05 > 0:06:07We're a heritage industry, this is heritage brewing
0:06:07 > 0:06:10and we're very proud of it.
0:06:10 > 0:06:13The weather systems that cause an above average rainfall
0:06:13 > 0:06:16in this area, and hence plentiful pure water,
0:06:16 > 0:06:18can also be unpredictable and violent,
0:06:18 > 0:06:22as Cockermouth found to its cost in recent history.
0:06:24 > 0:06:28We all remember the terrible floods that afflicted Cockermouth in 2009.
0:06:28 > 0:06:31What happened here?
0:06:31 > 0:06:34Where you're stood at the moment, the well was completely covered.
0:06:34 > 0:06:36You'd probably be somewhere waist deep,
0:06:36 > 0:06:39maybe just above waist deep in water.
0:06:39 > 0:06:42That obviously covered the well, it made it unusable.
0:06:42 > 0:06:45The water actually came up in very quick fashion,
0:06:45 > 0:06:48probably two, two and a half hours, and by one o'clock,
0:06:48 > 0:06:50we had to pull the plug on the brewery itself
0:06:50 > 0:06:55and literally just walk away and leave the water to its own devices.
0:06:55 > 0:06:59Thankfully, after nine weeks of hard work over Christmas
0:06:59 > 0:07:02and the New Year, the brewery resumed production.
0:07:02 > 0:07:05I think it's time to sample some beer,
0:07:05 > 0:07:10and see whether I can taste this Cumbria water, so loved by the poet.
0:07:10 > 0:07:13We are exactly, as Bradshaw described it,
0:07:13 > 0:07:16at the junction of the Cocker and the Derwent.
0:07:18 > 0:07:22- All the best.- Your very, very good health.- Cheers.- Cheers.
0:07:24 > 0:07:27The only thing that worries me is rain is coming on
0:07:27 > 0:07:30and lovely though your water is, I don't want to get any in my beer.
0:07:30 > 0:07:31Not a problem.
0:07:31 > 0:07:34There's a saying around here that every drop of rain that falls
0:07:34 > 0:07:37is another pint of Cockermouth ale.
0:07:37 > 0:07:38Good saying.
0:07:41 > 0:07:45Despite its powerful potential for destruction, the abundant water in
0:07:45 > 0:07:49this beautiful landscape has clearly inspired both writers and brewers.
0:07:49 > 0:07:53I've travelled to Whitehaven railway station,
0:07:53 > 0:07:56nestled on the Cumbrian coast, to catch the train to a place
0:07:56 > 0:08:01where the local water is used for something much more controversial.
0:08:01 > 0:08:05An industry that both fuels our modern world,
0:08:05 > 0:08:08but also furious debate.
0:08:08 > 0:08:12Sellafield was once just a country railway station that
0:08:12 > 0:08:15Victorian tourists used to access the delights
0:08:15 > 0:08:16of local seaside resorts.
0:08:16 > 0:08:22But its nature changed in the 1950s when it became home to Calder Hall,
0:08:22 > 0:08:25the world's first commercial nuclear power station.
0:08:29 > 0:08:32Power is at the heart of any modern society.
0:08:32 > 0:08:36During the Industrial Revolution that so enthralled Bradshaw,
0:08:36 > 0:08:40the steam engine moved man forward for the first time
0:08:40 > 0:08:43from pure dependence on muscle and sweat.
0:08:43 > 0:08:46I'm on my way now to see a new source of energy
0:08:46 > 0:08:50developed during the 20th century whose impact was every bit
0:08:50 > 0:08:54as revolutionary as the steam engine had been in its day.
0:08:58 > 0:09:01In Bradshaw's day, the energy for homes,
0:09:01 > 0:09:03industry and railways came from the burning of coal,
0:09:03 > 0:09:08which provided a staggering 95% of Britain's energy needs.
0:09:10 > 0:09:14But today, oil and natural gas are the nation's major fuel sources,
0:09:14 > 0:09:19with nuclear power providing a sixth of our electricity.
0:09:19 > 0:09:22It's hoped that these reactors will eventually make it possible
0:09:22 > 0:09:26to produce power 20 times more cheaply than conventional methods,
0:09:26 > 0:09:28and will, incredibly, make more fuel than it uses.
0:09:31 > 0:09:36Nuclear power stations generate electricity from energy produced
0:09:36 > 0:09:40by the fission, or splitting, of uranium atoms.
0:09:44 > 0:09:47But its enormous potential comes with a problem.
0:09:47 > 0:09:51Nuclear power generation produces spent fuel, containing
0:09:51 > 0:09:55dangerous radioactive waste, which has to be dealt with safely
0:09:55 > 0:09:58and stored for many hundreds, if not thousands, of years.
0:10:01 > 0:10:05Sellafield now specialises in reprocessing spent nuclear fuel
0:10:05 > 0:10:09and decommissioning facilities, and both local water
0:10:09 > 0:10:13and the railways play a vital role in this controversial work.
0:10:17 > 0:10:21I'm meeting Chris Halliwell, as this nuclear plant
0:10:21 > 0:10:25is painstakingly disassembled or decommissioned.
0:10:25 > 0:10:26As I understand it then,
0:10:26 > 0:10:30we are now alongside a prototype nuclear reactor,
0:10:30 > 0:10:33and you have decommissioned it, taken it out of service.
0:10:33 > 0:10:36- How important is that?- It's a significant achievement, Michael.
0:10:36 > 0:10:39It's the first power-generating nuclear reactor in the UK
0:10:39 > 0:10:41to be fully decommissioned.
0:10:41 > 0:10:43What does decommissioning mean?
0:10:43 > 0:10:46We've effectively shut down the station.
0:10:46 > 0:10:49We've removed all of the fuel elements that were inside.
0:10:49 > 0:10:52That machine there is controlling a robotic arm
0:10:52 > 0:10:54that you can see on the other screen here.
0:10:54 > 0:10:56That disappears down into the reactor,
0:10:56 > 0:10:59very deep, and that's what we've used to cut up and remove
0:10:59 > 0:11:01all of the various components inside the reactor core.
0:11:04 > 0:11:08The spent nuclear fuel is stored in large cooling ponds.
0:11:08 > 0:11:12They're fed with water siphoned from Wast Water,
0:11:12 > 0:11:14the Lake District's deepest lake,
0:11:14 > 0:11:18which Wordsworth described as "long, stern and desolate."
0:11:18 > 0:11:22These waters have now been harnessed to a modern use.
0:11:24 > 0:11:26How long has that little job taken you?
0:11:26 > 0:11:29It's taken the best part of 20 years to complete the reactor
0:11:29 > 0:11:33to where we are now and we finished about May 2011.
0:11:36 > 0:11:40Many of the 441 nuclear power stations in the world today will
0:11:40 > 0:11:45come to the end of their operational lives in the next few decades.
0:11:45 > 0:11:50Being able safely to recover and store radioactive waste
0:11:50 > 0:11:53is fundamental to the future of nuclear generation.
0:11:54 > 0:11:58Do we have to content ourselves with watching this on television,
0:11:58 > 0:12:00- or can we get down there? - Absolutely not, Michael.
0:12:00 > 0:12:02Perfectly clean and safe to go downstairs.
0:12:02 > 0:12:04If you want to follow me, we can have a look.
0:12:08 > 0:12:13I've been given incredibly rare access to the inside of the reactor
0:12:13 > 0:12:15that Chris and his team are decommissioning.
0:12:19 > 0:12:21Here we are, Michael. We're inside
0:12:21 > 0:12:24the golf ball, the famous iconic structure at Sellafield,
0:12:24 > 0:12:27and most people are familiar with it from the outside,
0:12:27 > 0:12:29but very few have had the opportunity
0:12:29 > 0:12:30to see it from this angle.
0:12:30 > 0:12:32It is absolutely massive.
0:12:32 > 0:12:35What kind of dimensions are we dealing with here?
0:12:35 > 0:12:38The golf ball itself is probably about 60m high and we're now
0:12:38 > 0:12:41sat on top of the reactor itself
0:12:41 > 0:12:44and that extends maybe 25m down below us.
0:12:44 > 0:12:48This was a prototype, so how does this compare in size
0:12:48 > 0:12:51to the production models that were built?
0:12:51 > 0:12:53It's an exact one-fifth scale replica
0:12:53 > 0:12:56of a full-size advanced gas reactor.
0:12:56 > 0:13:00Nuclear materials travel across the length and breadth of Britain
0:13:00 > 0:13:04hundreds of times each year, with spent nuclear fuel being carried
0:13:04 > 0:13:07by train to Sellafield for reprocessing.
0:13:07 > 0:13:11Brian Howell, from the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority,
0:13:11 > 0:13:14is meeting me at Sellafield's dedicated railway sidings.
0:13:14 > 0:13:19This is clearly a very special train. What exactly does it carry?
0:13:19 > 0:13:22These trains carry specially designed flasks that contain
0:13:22 > 0:13:25a potential range of nuclear materials
0:13:25 > 0:13:27brought to Sellafield to be reprocessed.
0:13:27 > 0:13:31You're taking spent nuclear fuel from power stations,
0:13:31 > 0:13:33whether in the UK or abroad.
0:13:33 > 0:13:35The stuff's brought here, reprocessed,
0:13:35 > 0:13:38and the stuff that's useful is then sent back to the UK or to
0:13:38 > 0:13:41- the customer abroad wherever it is, and all by rail.- Yeah.
0:13:41 > 0:13:46In the UK, railway is the preferred route of transport.
0:13:46 > 0:13:49A tried, tested, safe route.
0:13:49 > 0:13:50How do you know they're safe,
0:13:50 > 0:13:54because they could be involved in a rail accident, couldn't they?
0:13:54 > 0:13:57Since 1992, we've travelled over ten million miles transporting
0:13:57 > 0:13:59nuclear materials without an accident.
0:13:59 > 0:14:04However, a number of years ago, they did do, obviously,
0:14:04 > 0:14:06a thorough series of safety tests.
0:14:06 > 0:14:09That included crashing a locomotive with two carriages
0:14:09 > 0:14:11into one of these flasks.
0:14:11 > 0:14:15After the crash, the locomotive was virtually written off.
0:14:15 > 0:14:18However, the flask only had a couple of scratches
0:14:18 > 0:14:22and a minor dent in it, so that gives us the confidence
0:14:22 > 0:14:26that this is an extremely safe way of transporting these materials.
0:14:26 > 0:14:29Transporting nuclear fuel by train has led to special engineering
0:14:29 > 0:14:34within these wagons to protect their radioactive cargo.
0:14:35 > 0:14:39If I could see inside those boxes, what would I find?
0:14:39 > 0:14:41Inside the box is, in essence,
0:14:41 > 0:14:45another highly engineered box which we call a flask,
0:14:45 > 0:14:48that is designed to be very secure for impacts
0:14:48 > 0:14:51and those kind of reasons, and then within special compartments
0:14:51 > 0:14:55within that flask, the fuel is actually protected and loaded.
0:14:57 > 0:15:02The fuel flasks can weigh anything from 50 to 150 tonnes
0:15:02 > 0:15:06once fully laden and sit on specially engineered
0:15:06 > 0:15:07low-loader wagons.
0:15:07 > 0:15:10They arrive at the site many times a month by rail,
0:15:10 > 0:15:13from the docks at Barrow-in-Furness or from rail-connected
0:15:13 > 0:15:16power stations elsewhere in the UK.
0:15:17 > 0:15:21With many nuclear facilities, they'll be in fairly isolated
0:15:21 > 0:15:24or remote parts of the UK, where perhaps the road network
0:15:24 > 0:15:28isn't everything you'd want it to be to transport nuclear materials.
0:15:28 > 0:15:30Rail is a tried and tested route
0:15:30 > 0:15:34and we think it's the best route for the kind of job that we have to do.
0:15:36 > 0:15:39Despite the controversies that surround the use of nuclear power,
0:15:39 > 0:15:43I can't help thinking that Bradshaw would have been impressed
0:15:43 > 0:15:47that the Victorian technology of metal wheel on metal rail
0:15:47 > 0:15:52coexists with processes that rely on human mastery of the atom.
0:15:54 > 0:15:59After an absorbing day, I'm heading off to find a hotel for the night.
0:16:00 > 0:16:05As ever, I've sought Bradshaw's advice for where to stay.
0:16:05 > 0:16:08"Along the coast from Whitehaven, on or near the railway,
0:16:08 > 0:16:12"is Muncaster Hall, the seat of Lord Muncaster."
0:16:14 > 0:16:16What a place to stay.
0:16:20 > 0:16:23This location is spectacular.
0:16:23 > 0:16:27In fact, John Ruskin, Victorian poet, artist and critic,
0:16:27 > 0:16:30described Muncaster as "the gateway to Paradise."
0:16:30 > 0:16:36But Bradshaw's sparked interest in Muncaster not only for the view.
0:16:36 > 0:16:41Inside the house, it says, is Henry VI's cup,
0:16:41 > 0:16:45who took refuge after the Battle of Hexham in 1464.
0:16:45 > 0:16:51Extraordinarily, that cup still exists over 500 years later.
0:16:51 > 0:16:55The ancestral family are the Penningtons who, incredibly,
0:16:55 > 0:16:58have resided in the castle since 1208.
0:16:58 > 0:17:02Peter Frost-Pennington and his father-in-law Patrick
0:17:02 > 0:17:05have kindly agreed to show me the cup.
0:17:05 > 0:17:08This is, I must say, a rather emotional moment, isn't it?
0:17:08 > 0:17:12Yes, people aren't usually allowed to see it. You're very privileged.
0:17:12 > 0:17:13I am very privileged indeed.
0:17:13 > 0:17:18It's very dirty because we never dare wash it.
0:17:18 > 0:17:21It must never leave the place.
0:17:26 > 0:17:29And here it is. The Luck of Muncaster.
0:17:30 > 0:17:36I feel that I am present at a very special, unique ceremony.
0:17:36 > 0:17:40This glass drinking bowl is a rare example of a Cumberland luck -
0:17:40 > 0:17:44an object ensuring good fortune for those who possess it.
0:17:44 > 0:17:45According to my Bradshaw's,
0:17:45 > 0:17:48it was given by Henry VI after the Battle of Hexham.
0:17:48 > 0:17:50What was the story?
0:17:50 > 0:17:52He was running away with his two friends
0:17:52 > 0:17:56and he was found at the tower outside that window
0:17:56 > 0:17:59having tried to get shelter in the next-door valley,
0:17:59 > 0:18:01but he was denied it.
0:18:01 > 0:18:02He was found by the two shepherds
0:18:02 > 0:18:04and brought here for two or three weeks.
0:18:04 > 0:18:07When he left, he left his drinking bowl behind saying...
0:18:07 > 0:18:10as long as it shall remain whole and unbroken,
0:18:10 > 0:18:13the Penningtons would always be living and thriving at Muncaster.
0:18:14 > 0:18:19What an awesome object, and how moving that it's survived so long.
0:18:20 > 0:18:23The evident care that the Penningtons have over centuries
0:18:23 > 0:18:26lavished on the bowl is now matched by the hospitality
0:18:26 > 0:18:31lavished on their guest as I'm invited to join the family's supper.
0:18:43 > 0:18:45Having wined and dined in elegant style.
0:18:45 > 0:18:48I'm starting a new day at Ravenglass,
0:18:48 > 0:18:52the only coastal village in the Lake District National Park.
0:18:55 > 0:18:58The nearest station to Muncaster Castle is Ravenglass.
0:18:58 > 0:19:01My Bradshaw's says, "12 miles distant
0:19:01 > 0:19:05"is Wastwaster, and the Fells, the principle of which is Scafell,
0:19:05 > 0:19:10"3,160 feet high." Luckily, there's a railway
0:19:10 > 0:19:13that takes me most of the way.
0:19:13 > 0:19:15Big mountain, small train.
0:19:17 > 0:19:20'The Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway
0:19:20 > 0:19:24'proved popular when it opened in 1875,
0:19:24 > 0:19:28'between the sea and Scafell, the highest of the Cumbrian peaks.
0:19:28 > 0:19:31'The Victorians used it to enjoy the spectacle
0:19:31 > 0:19:32'and majesty of the mountains.
0:19:32 > 0:19:36'But, like many railways, it started life with an industrial purpose.
0:19:36 > 0:19:41'Peter van Zeller is today's train driver.'
0:19:41 > 0:19:44- Hello, Peter.- Hello!
0:19:44 > 0:19:47Great to see you. I'm really looking forward to this ride.
0:19:47 > 0:19:49What's the history of the railway?
0:19:49 > 0:19:52The railway was built to carry iron ore, for steel making.
0:19:52 > 0:19:55They thought it was really suitable for the first steel-making processes.
0:19:58 > 0:20:00'Once the iron ore had been ferried from the mines
0:20:00 > 0:20:03'on the mountain at Boot to the coast at Ravenglass,
0:20:03 > 0:20:08'passengers hopped aboard the empty wagons for the return ascent.
0:20:09 > 0:20:13'The railway closed in 1913, after quarrying stopped,
0:20:13 > 0:20:16'but a group of rail enthusiasts
0:20:16 > 0:20:19'from a miniature railway engineering company
0:20:19 > 0:20:22'saved and restored the line during the First World War.'
0:20:22 > 0:20:24In the Bradshaw's of the 1920s,
0:20:24 > 0:20:28you'll find this ran every day, Christmas Day included.
0:20:28 > 0:20:31It carried the mails, it carried everybody's goods,
0:20:31 > 0:20:35because the passengers weren't enough to keep the thing solvent.
0:20:35 > 0:20:39What about your locomotive? What kind of vintage is that?
0:20:39 > 0:20:41This one was built in 1923.
0:20:41 > 0:20:44It looks like a miniature of a full-size engine,
0:20:44 > 0:20:47but it was designed to do a real job.
0:20:47 > 0:20:51It would pull 20 tonnes of stone through the winter,
0:20:51 > 0:20:53or turn up and pull the 150 passengers
0:20:53 > 0:20:56who might come off the main line railway,
0:20:56 > 0:20:59with equal ease.
0:20:59 > 0:21:02And it's still doing it 90 years later.
0:21:10 > 0:21:14'The railway's dual purpose of ferrying quarried granite
0:21:14 > 0:21:16'down from the mountains in winter
0:21:16 > 0:21:18'and carrying tourists up in the summer
0:21:18 > 0:21:21'kept the line operating until the 1950s.
0:21:23 > 0:21:27'Victorian tourists could absorb a breath of fresh air
0:21:27 > 0:21:31'in open wagons over seven miles, through two magnificent valleys,
0:21:31 > 0:21:34'to the foot of England's highest mountains.
0:21:34 > 0:21:36'Today, it's a heritage railway,
0:21:36 > 0:21:39'affectionately known in the Cumbrian dialect
0:21:39 > 0:21:42'as 'la'al ratty', or 'little railway'.
0:21:42 > 0:21:45'I've been looking forward to my trip up to these daunting slopes.'
0:21:47 > 0:21:50Travelling with a steam engine in an open-top carriage
0:21:50 > 0:21:52is a very special experience.
0:21:54 > 0:21:57Of course, you have the constant odour of the smoke in your nose.
0:21:57 > 0:22:00It feels at times as if it's raining,
0:22:00 > 0:22:03because the vapour from the stack is falling on my face,
0:22:03 > 0:22:06and every now and again, a little smut hits the eye,
0:22:06 > 0:22:09to remind you of the joys of steam travel.
0:22:11 > 0:22:14'I'm told that beyond the last stop,
0:22:14 > 0:22:17'the Victorians would also visit Wastwater,
0:22:17 > 0:22:21'described as, "a rather fierce and deep stretch of water
0:22:21 > 0:22:22'"that has claimed many lives."
0:22:22 > 0:22:25'I think for today, the train journey will suffice.'
0:22:32 > 0:22:38- That was wonderful. I really enjoyed it.- Good. Splendid.
0:22:38 > 0:22:41Thank you very much indeed.
0:22:41 > 0:22:44This seems like a model railway. It feels like a toy.
0:22:44 > 0:22:48But I'm rather moved by the idea that once, it had a timetable,
0:22:48 > 0:22:52that people relied on it, and that it carried their post.
0:22:53 > 0:22:57'I've alighted from this beautiful little steam service at Irton
0:22:57 > 0:23:01'to visit a Victorian mansion with extensive landscaped gardens,
0:23:01 > 0:23:04'known as Gatehouse.
0:23:04 > 0:23:07'Bradshaw describes the countryside
0:23:07 > 0:23:10'in Westmoreland, which is now part of Cumbria,
0:23:10 > 0:23:13'as, "a region of lofty mountains, naked hills,
0:23:13 > 0:23:15'"and bleak, barren moors."
0:23:15 > 0:23:17'So I'm intrigued to know
0:23:17 > 0:23:22'how a garden could be conjured from such forbidding landscape.
0:23:22 > 0:23:25'Local designer Chris Jones is my guide.'
0:23:25 > 0:23:27- Hello, Chris.- Hello.
0:23:27 > 0:23:29Good to see you.
0:23:29 > 0:23:32What a wonderful estate. What's the history of it?
0:23:32 > 0:23:36Like so many of these Northern estates and mansions,
0:23:36 > 0:23:42it was basically Northern merchant wealth in Victorian times,
0:23:42 > 0:23:45where they wanted to escape the cities,
0:23:45 > 0:23:47and establish country seats for themselves,
0:23:47 > 0:23:49become country squires, if you like.
0:23:49 > 0:23:56'Gatehouse was built in 1896 as a country retreat for the Rea family,
0:23:56 > 0:24:00'wealthy Liverpudlian coal and shipping merchants.
0:24:00 > 0:24:02'Like many rich Victorian industrialists,
0:24:02 > 0:24:06'they wanted both to escape the grime and squalor of the city,
0:24:06 > 0:24:07'and to make their mark
0:24:07 > 0:24:11'by constructing a thing of beauty and grace
0:24:11 > 0:24:13'that would make them the envy of their peers.'
0:24:13 > 0:24:15What did they have to do here?
0:24:15 > 0:24:18They bought the local farm. All of this was a meadow.
0:24:18 > 0:24:21First of all, they flooded the meadow,
0:24:21 > 0:24:24and created this tarn, or lake.
0:24:24 > 0:24:26They landscaped the whole area.
0:24:26 > 0:24:29All of this planting here was put in by them.
0:24:29 > 0:24:33They have cascades, they have formal gardens.
0:24:33 > 0:24:35They had orchards, and so on.
0:24:35 > 0:24:42'Railways, and steam-powered liners, reaching all corners of the globe
0:24:42 > 0:24:44'allowed for exploration and discovery,
0:24:44 > 0:24:48'opening up the world for well-heeled travellers.
0:24:48 > 0:24:51'Back in Britain, the upper classes were keen to recreate
0:24:51 > 0:24:54'the unfamiliar and wonderful flora they'd seen.
0:24:54 > 0:24:57'So, the Victorian era became the golden age
0:24:57 > 0:25:02'for exotic plant collecting, and for radical garden design.'
0:25:02 > 0:25:05It was actually designed, at least in part,
0:25:05 > 0:25:11by Thomas Mawson, the leading landscape architect of his day.
0:25:11 > 0:25:15He came up with the expression 'landscape architecture',
0:25:15 > 0:25:20because, prior to that, it would be the architect themselves
0:25:20 > 0:25:23who established the gardens.
0:25:23 > 0:25:25Thomas Mawson objected to that,
0:25:25 > 0:25:28saying they didn't have the sensitivity to create a garden.
0:25:32 > 0:25:36'Thomas Mawson reshaped the landscape. Then, in 1914,
0:25:36 > 0:25:38'he created a Japanese garden
0:25:38 > 0:25:41'for Lord Rea's sons, James and Russell.
0:25:43 > 0:25:49'All things Eastern became extremely fashionable during this period,
0:25:49 > 0:25:52'as Japan was opened up to the West during the 19th century.
0:25:52 > 0:25:56'To have a Japanese garden on your estate was considered
0:25:56 > 0:25:59'the height of sophistication.'
0:25:59 > 0:26:05So, Michael, can you imagine a nice summer's evening,
0:26:05 > 0:26:11the Reas and their guests coming on a woodland promenade,
0:26:11 > 0:26:14after their dinner, in their finery,
0:26:14 > 0:26:17and being presented with THIS, all of a sudden?
0:26:17 > 0:26:19A unique Japanese garden.
0:26:19 > 0:26:24The guests must have been very impressed.
0:26:24 > 0:26:27These Reas have done something novel, really original,
0:26:27 > 0:26:29- and opulent too. - I think that's right.
0:26:29 > 0:26:32A lot of these gardens were inspired
0:26:32 > 0:26:35by the 1910 Japan-Britain exhibition,
0:26:35 > 0:26:37so you've only got a few gap years there,
0:26:37 > 0:26:40so there weren't that many around at the time.
0:26:43 > 0:26:46Here we are on a typical Japanese bridge.
0:26:46 > 0:26:50What are the characteristics, otherwise, of Japanese gardens?
0:26:50 > 0:26:53They were more interested in texture, form.
0:26:53 > 0:26:56It could be the rustle of the bamboo, any of those qualities.
0:26:56 > 0:27:00It's a different sensibility to British gardening.
0:27:00 > 0:27:03The Japanese gardens themselves are meticulously cared for.
0:27:03 > 0:27:08Meticulously groomed, and they're pieces of art.
0:27:08 > 0:27:13'Chris has been working on the garden for the last 12 years
0:27:13 > 0:27:15'and has high hopes that, one day,
0:27:15 > 0:27:18'he and a dedicated band of volunteers
0:27:18 > 0:27:21'will achieve a tranquil perfection
0:27:21 > 0:27:23'that would not feel out of place in Japan.'
0:27:34 > 0:27:37As the Industrial Revolution advanced,
0:27:37 > 0:27:40poets and artists were gripped by Romanticism.
0:27:40 > 0:27:44A love of lakes, and cascades, and chasms.
0:27:44 > 0:27:49As Victorians saw their landscape changed by factories and cities,
0:27:49 > 0:27:54they too longed for nature in the raw,
0:27:54 > 0:27:57and crowded onto trains to take to the hills.
0:28:00 > 0:28:03'On the next step of my journey,
0:28:03 > 0:28:07'I'll be exploding the myths behind Cumbrian Slate.'
0:28:07 > 0:28:09HOOTER WAILS
0:28:09 > 0:28:11BANG
0:28:11 > 0:28:13That was a much bigger bang than I'd expected.
0:28:13 > 0:28:16'Submerging myself in a top-secret world.'
0:28:16 > 0:28:19Not much room here, I can tell you.
0:28:19 > 0:28:22'And discovering why Victorians loved 'the Hanging Town'.'
0:28:22 > 0:28:27- And this is a short drop rope. - Meaning they'd be strangled.
0:28:27 > 0:28:30- They danced on the end of the rope. - Indeed.
0:28:51 > 0:28:53Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:28:53 > 0:28:57E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk