0:00:05 > 0:00:10In 1840, one man transformed travel in the British Isles.
0:00:10 > 0:00:12His name was George Bradshaw,
0:00:12 > 0:00:16and 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 > 0:00:23what to see and where to stay.
0:00:25 > 0:00:29Now, 170 years later, I'm making a series of journeys
0:00:29 > 0:00:32across the length and breadth of these isles
0:00:32 > 0:00:34to see what of Bradshaw's Britain remains.
0:00:57 > 0:00:59I'm on the last leg of my Scottish journey,
0:00:59 > 0:01:03travelling on the well-named Far North Line.
0:01:03 > 0:01:08By 1874, the Victorians had built tracks to very top of Scotland,
0:01:08 > 0:01:10and I'm going to ride them to the end.
0:01:11 > 0:01:14'On today's stretch, I'll learn how one man's vision
0:01:14 > 0:01:17'helped to bring train travel to the Highlands...'
0:01:17 > 0:01:20He really saw the social value of railways
0:01:20 > 0:01:22and in opening up the county of Sutherland.
0:01:22 > 0:01:26'..discover how farming has changed since Bradshaw's day...'
0:01:26 > 0:01:30We have about a tonne in the grain tank there.
0:01:30 > 0:01:34That would hopefully produce about 400 litres of neat whisky.
0:01:34 > 0:01:35Wow!
0:01:35 > 0:01:40'..and re-live the drama of Scotland's Victorian gold rush.'
0:01:40 > 0:01:43Gold! We've found gold!
0:01:46 > 0:01:48So far on this journey,
0:01:48 > 0:01:51I've uncovered the Victorian heritage of eastern Scotland,
0:01:51 > 0:01:54and been dazzled by the beauty of the Highlands.
0:01:54 > 0:01:58Now, I'm following the coastline northwards on the home straight.
0:02:00 > 0:02:01Starting in Invergordon,
0:02:01 > 0:02:04I'll pass through the county of Sutherland
0:02:04 > 0:02:06to the end of the line at Wick,
0:02:06 > 0:02:08finishing my journey in John O'Groats.
0:02:13 > 0:02:17'I've swapped my usual 1860s Bradshaw's for a later edition,
0:02:17 > 0:02:21'which shows me how the railways opened up this windswept coast.'
0:02:23 > 0:02:25I'm going to leave the train at Invergordon
0:02:25 > 0:02:28in order to reach Cromarty, where, my Bradshaw's tells me,
0:02:28 > 0:02:32"Hugh Miller, a native, made his discoveries
0:02:32 > 0:02:35"in the granite and red sandstone cliffs."
0:02:35 > 0:02:36I don't know that name,
0:02:36 > 0:02:40but he must have been a prominent Victorian to feature in my guidebook
0:02:40 > 0:02:43so I'm intrigued to hear Hugh Miller's tale.
0:02:49 > 0:02:51'On the trail of this forgotten figure,
0:02:51 > 0:02:54'I'm taking the ferry across the Cromarty Firth.'
0:02:56 > 0:02:59'This sheltered bay is an important centre for North Sea oil,
0:02:59 > 0:03:03'which we now know was formed hundreds of millions of years ago.'
0:03:04 > 0:03:07'It was 19th-century scientists who first recognised
0:03:07 > 0:03:09'how great is the age of the Earth,
0:03:09 > 0:03:12'and here, in the harbour town of Cromarty,
0:03:12 > 0:03:16'self-taught geologist Hugh Miller played an important role.'
0:03:19 > 0:03:22'He was born in 1802 in this humble cottage,
0:03:22 > 0:03:24'which now has a museum attached.
0:03:24 > 0:03:27'It's where I'm meeting Dr Alix Powers-Jones
0:03:27 > 0:03:29'from the National Trust for Scotland.'
0:03:29 > 0:03:33- Alix.- Michael, welcome. Do come in.- Thank you.
0:03:34 > 0:03:38Bradshaw's tells me that Hugh Miller was a native of Cromarty
0:03:38 > 0:03:40and that he made his discoveries
0:03:40 > 0:03:44in the granite and the red sandstone cliffs.
0:03:44 > 0:03:46What were the discoveries?
0:03:46 > 0:03:50He found fossils. He found fossil fish.
0:03:50 > 0:03:54On the shore, there were nodes of limestone
0:03:54 > 0:03:56that had weathered out of the cliff.
0:03:56 > 0:04:00They don't look very exciting, but if you take the top off...
0:04:02 > 0:04:06- Ah!- Fossils, and this is a fossil fish...
0:04:06 > 0:04:08Lovely.
0:04:08 > 0:04:12'The 19th century witnessed a new fashion for fossil hunting,
0:04:12 > 0:04:15'and the work of enthusiastic amateurs like Miller
0:04:15 > 0:04:18'helped people to understand that the Earth was older
0:04:18 > 0:04:20'than they'd been taught to believe.
0:04:20 > 0:04:23'He began collecting in childhood,
0:04:23 > 0:04:26'then trained as a stonemason and, later, banker,
0:04:26 > 0:04:29'but he continued to pursue his passion.
0:04:29 > 0:04:32'Over his lifetime, he collected and catalogued
0:04:32 > 0:04:34'an astonishing 6,000 specimens.'
0:04:34 > 0:04:38So, he was pushing at the edges of scientific knowledge.
0:04:38 > 0:04:41I mean, this was a very interesting period, wasn't it?
0:04:41 > 0:04:45I suppose we're running up to Darwin's theory of evolution?
0:04:45 > 0:04:50Yes. In fact, Darwin and Hugh Miller were in communication with one another.
0:04:50 > 0:04:55Darwin wrote to Hugh Miller, congratulating him on his work.
0:04:56 > 0:05:00'Fossil evidence was vital to Darwin's groundbreaking work -
0:05:00 > 0:05:05'On The Origin Of Species, published in 1859.
0:05:05 > 0:05:08'In his letter to Miller, he praises not just his research,
0:05:08 > 0:05:12'but also his writings, for Miller was a talented author.'
0:05:12 > 0:05:17He wrote a book called First Impressions Of England And Her People,
0:05:17 > 0:05:19and he travelled by railway.
0:05:19 > 0:05:22I'm delighted to hear that.
0:05:22 > 0:05:24He was not a great fan...
0:05:24 > 0:05:27"One soon wearies of the monotony of railway travelling,
0:05:27 > 0:05:31"of hurrying through a country stage after stage
0:05:31 > 0:05:33"without incident or advantage,
0:05:33 > 0:05:38"and I felt quite glad when the train stopped at Wolverhampton."
0:05:38 > 0:05:42- Oh, dear. I think... I think I could be going off Hugh Miller! - SHE LAUGHS
0:05:42 > 0:05:45'Alongside his scientific research and travel writing,
0:05:45 > 0:05:49'Miller was also a prolific journalist and social commentator.
0:05:49 > 0:05:52'And while, these days, his name has been largely forgotten,
0:05:52 > 0:05:56'in his day, he was a huge celebrity.'
0:05:56 > 0:05:58He was quite a showman, I think.
0:05:58 > 0:06:03He'd got a great swash of red hair and mutton-chop whiskers,
0:06:03 > 0:06:07and he wore a shepherd's plaid, a tartan, tossed over his shoulder.
0:06:07 > 0:06:09He was known as Old Red.
0:06:09 > 0:06:10On the day of his funeral,
0:06:10 > 0:06:14the whole of Edinburgh, where he died, ground to a halt.
0:06:14 > 0:06:17Thousands of people attended his funeral.
0:06:17 > 0:06:20And then, just after he died, three years,
0:06:20 > 0:06:24a column was erected in Cromarty, like a Nelson's Column.
0:06:24 > 0:06:25A Hugh Miller column.
0:06:25 > 0:06:27By the people.
0:06:27 > 0:06:30No wonder, then, that decades later
0:06:30 > 0:06:33he still gets a mention in my Bradshaw's guide.
0:06:35 > 0:06:37'It's good to know that, in Cromarty at least,
0:06:37 > 0:06:40'Miller's memory is being kept alive.
0:06:41 > 0:06:43'I'm now rejoining the Far North Line
0:06:43 > 0:06:45'to continue my Highland adventure.
0:06:46 > 0:06:49'For most of the route, the railway hugs the coast,
0:06:49 > 0:06:53'but it was also built to serve the rural hinterland.'
0:06:53 > 0:06:56My next stop is Tain, which my Bradshaw's tells me is...
0:06:56 > 0:06:59"a royal burgh of considerable antiquity.
0:06:59 > 0:07:02"Weekly grain markets are held here,
0:07:02 > 0:07:05"and there is a rich agricultural district around the town,
0:07:05 > 0:07:10"Easter Ross being famous for its large and early crop."
0:07:12 > 0:07:15'This region's farmers enjoy an unusual microclimate,
0:07:15 > 0:07:17'thanks to high ground to the west,
0:07:17 > 0:07:21'which protects them from the worst of the Scottish weather.
0:07:21 > 0:07:26'The arrival of the railway boosted their competitive advantage even further.
0:07:26 > 0:07:29'But, surprisingly, the Victorian railway builders
0:07:29 > 0:07:34'were just as reliant on agriculture as the farmers were on the trains.
0:07:34 > 0:07:37'I've come to Rhynie Farm to meet Donald Ross.'
0:07:37 > 0:07:39- Hello!- Hello, Michael.
0:07:39 > 0:07:43'Donald's family have farmed the land here for five generations,
0:07:43 > 0:07:46'but they also have a link with tracks that I've travelled
0:07:46 > 0:07:48'on my Scottish railway adventure.'
0:07:48 > 0:07:50Tell me about your great-great-grandfather.
0:07:50 > 0:07:55He was a contractor on the Inverness to Aviemore line.
0:07:55 > 0:07:59He built the bridge over the River Findhorn at Tomatin.
0:07:59 > 0:08:01I went on that line very, very recently.
0:08:01 > 0:08:04The Findhorn Viaduct is spectacular.
0:08:04 > 0:08:07This gentleman here is my great-great-grandfather.
0:08:07 > 0:08:09That is the most wonderful photograph!
0:08:09 > 0:08:13"Opening of the Aviemore line, October 29th 1898."
0:08:13 > 0:08:16And you have in pride of place in your hallway here,
0:08:16 > 0:08:18so it must mean something to your family?
0:08:18 > 0:08:21It's been there since the photo was taken,
0:08:21 > 0:08:23so, I mean, we are very proud of him, yes.
0:08:25 > 0:08:28'Building the Victorian railways was a massive task,
0:08:28 > 0:08:33'requiring vast numbers of men and huge quantities of materials.
0:08:33 > 0:08:36'And Donald's great-great-grandfather
0:08:36 > 0:08:39'came up with an ingenious way to improve efficiency.'
0:08:41 > 0:08:43What took him into farming?
0:08:43 > 0:08:45He needed to feed his animals.
0:08:45 > 0:08:47Um...
0:08:47 > 0:08:51Because he didn't have any lorries or anything to work, he had horses.
0:08:51 > 0:08:53His horses were very important to him,
0:08:53 > 0:08:55as they carted all the spoil away
0:08:55 > 0:08:58and to the embankments on the railway line.
0:08:58 > 0:09:02And they needed to eat hay and they needed to eat oats,
0:09:02 > 0:09:05so the farm was a form of vertical integration,
0:09:05 > 0:09:08as opposed to...supply the animals with feed.
0:09:08 > 0:09:11And do you know when he bought the farm?
0:09:11 > 0:09:14The farm was bought in 1886.
0:09:14 > 0:09:18Indeed we have an entry in this diary here...
0:09:18 > 0:09:2014th April,
0:09:20 > 0:09:24"Bought property, jointly with Balaldie.
0:09:24 > 0:09:26"£12,500."
0:09:26 > 0:09:27Amazing.
0:09:31 > 0:09:35'In Victorian times, farming was changing fast,
0:09:35 > 0:09:38'as new machinery was invented.
0:09:38 > 0:09:41'Forward-thinking farmers like Donald's great-great-grandfather
0:09:41 > 0:09:43'embraced this new technology.'
0:09:46 > 0:09:48This is a fine old piece of machinery!
0:09:48 > 0:09:51What kind of date is this, Donald?
0:09:51 > 0:09:56Michael, this is an 1894...Kemp Reaper.
0:09:56 > 0:09:57How was it powered?
0:09:57 > 0:10:02It's pulled by two horses either side of the main bar up the middle.
0:10:02 > 0:10:04There's a knife which goes back and forth,
0:10:04 > 0:10:10and the barley, or the crop, falls onto the louvres at the back,
0:10:10 > 0:10:12and when there's sufficient in it,
0:10:12 > 0:10:16the man...picked up his rake...
0:10:16 > 0:10:19while he was sitting in that seat, and would shove it back.
0:10:20 > 0:10:22'Mechanised reapers like this
0:10:22 > 0:10:25'dramatically reduced the manpower needed to harvest crops,
0:10:25 > 0:10:28'which could then be taken to a threshing machine
0:10:28 > 0:10:31'to separate the grain from the stalks.
0:10:31 > 0:10:33'But a later invention
0:10:33 > 0:10:36'was to streamline the process even further.'
0:10:38 > 0:10:41And so, a combine harvester is exactly that,
0:10:41 > 0:10:44it's bringing two jobs together, that before were entirely separate?
0:10:44 > 0:10:45That's correct, Michael.
0:10:45 > 0:10:48It brings together the cutting as well as the thrashing.
0:10:48 > 0:10:51Now, if you come over here, this is what we use now.
0:10:51 > 0:10:53Ah! Splendid vehicle...
0:10:53 > 0:10:58Yeah, it's 18 years old, but it serves our purposes very well,
0:10:58 > 0:11:00and it's up there with most of the big boys
0:11:00 > 0:11:02in the modern technology stakes.
0:11:02 > 0:11:06'Invented in the United States in the 19th century,
0:11:06 > 0:11:09'the combine harvester didn't become widespread in Britain
0:11:09 > 0:11:11'until the 1950s.
0:11:11 > 0:11:14'Thanks to machinery like this,
0:11:14 > 0:11:18'the work done by 30 men in Donald's great-great-grandfather's time
0:11:18 > 0:11:20'is now done by just three.'
0:11:20 > 0:11:23So, I can see the teeth there going back and forwards at high speed.
0:11:23 > 0:11:26- They're chopping down the barley? - They're cutting the barley.
0:11:26 > 0:11:30Apart from anything else, you get a wonderful view of your crop from here.
0:11:30 > 0:11:33You must be able to tell a lot just from driving over it like this?
0:11:33 > 0:11:35You can. I mean, you can see...
0:11:35 > 0:11:38I mean, when it's ripe, the heads are down...
0:11:38 > 0:11:41'This barley is destined for the whisky trade.
0:11:41 > 0:11:44'As the vital ingredient in Scotland's world-famous tipple,
0:11:44 > 0:11:46'it has to be top quality.'
0:11:46 > 0:11:49Have you any idea how many bottles of whisky
0:11:49 > 0:11:51we've harvested in the last few minutes?
0:11:51 > 0:11:53Well, if I look behind me,
0:11:53 > 0:11:56we have about a tonne in the grain tank there,
0:11:56 > 0:11:59and I would be saying that would hopefully produce
0:11:59 > 0:12:02about 400 litres of neat whisky.
0:12:02 > 0:12:03Wow!
0:12:03 > 0:12:07So, in effect, we probably have 1,000 bottles of whisky behind us.
0:12:07 > 0:12:10- MICHAEL LAUGHS - That's quite a thought. Let's keep going!
0:12:10 > 0:12:12Aye, well, that would be a good night, wouldn't it?
0:12:16 > 0:12:20'I'm sure George Bradshaw would be astonished by the technology
0:12:20 > 0:12:23'that allows one man to harvest so much.
0:12:23 > 0:12:25'I'm now rejoining the railway,
0:12:25 > 0:12:27'to make one more trip before nightfall.'
0:12:32 > 0:12:36Last stop of the day, Rogart, which, my Bradshaw's tells me, is...
0:12:36 > 0:12:38"in the midst of a hilly district
0:12:38 > 0:12:42"abounding in traces of Danish camps."
0:12:42 > 0:12:45Well, I fear there are no Danes left to welcome me,
0:12:45 > 0:12:47but I do intend to encamp here for the night.
0:12:54 > 0:12:57'Tonight's stopover is something out of the ordinary,
0:12:57 > 0:13:01'and it's kicking off with a traditional Scottish welcome...'
0:13:01 > 0:13:03BAGPIPES PLAY
0:13:05 > 0:13:08- Hello!- Hello, Michael. Welcome to Rogart.
0:13:10 > 0:13:12Who's the young piper?
0:13:12 > 0:13:13My son, Fraser.
0:13:15 > 0:13:16Good lad.
0:13:18 > 0:13:21Kate Roach offers weary railway travellers
0:13:21 > 0:13:25the chance to sleep by the tracks in a converted railway carriage.
0:13:25 > 0:13:27- Thank you.- If you'd like to go in...
0:13:27 > 0:13:31- Ah!- We have a shower in the vestibule end...- Yes.
0:13:31 > 0:13:34..and then your bedroom's through here...
0:13:34 > 0:13:37Oh, that is very homely!
0:13:37 > 0:13:40- ..and then we have a sitting room... - Oh, that's great!
0:13:40 > 0:13:44An old first-class compartment in a corridor train
0:13:44 > 0:13:46with a wonderful library of railway books...
0:13:46 > 0:13:51'I'm sure my Bradshaw's guide and I will feel perfectly at home here.'
0:13:56 > 0:13:58HE SIGHS CONTENTEDLY
0:13:58 > 0:13:59Perfect.
0:13:59 > 0:14:01After a day on the tracks,
0:14:01 > 0:14:03I've become a railway sleeper.
0:14:15 > 0:14:19'A new day beckons, and there's just time to rustle up some breakfast
0:14:19 > 0:14:21'before I hit the tracks.'
0:14:24 > 0:14:26Superb! My compliments to the chef.
0:14:29 > 0:14:34'I'm now venturing into ever more sparsely-populated territory.
0:14:34 > 0:14:36'Many of the stations on this line are so remote
0:14:36 > 0:14:38'that there are no scheduled stops.'
0:14:48 > 0:14:52Um...Dunrobin Castle. I think it's a request stop. Could you ask the driver to stop, please?
0:14:52 > 0:14:55- It is. I'll tell the driver for you. - Thank you very much.- Thank you.
0:14:57 > 0:15:00'It might seem surprising that such an isolated region
0:15:00 > 0:15:02'has a railway at all.
0:15:02 > 0:15:05'But it's all thanks to the energy and determination
0:15:05 > 0:15:09'of one very eminent Victorian railway fan.'
0:15:09 > 0:15:12My Bradshaw's tells me that the part of the line to Helmsdale
0:15:12 > 0:15:15is called The Duke of Sutherland's Line,
0:15:15 > 0:15:17having been made at his cost,
0:15:17 > 0:15:20which tells you quite a lot about the mid-19th century.
0:15:20 > 0:15:23I shall be getting off at Dunrobin Castle,
0:15:23 > 0:15:25"where the station is a private one,
0:15:25 > 0:15:28"for the use of Dunrobin Castle, the Duke's seat.
0:15:28 > 0:15:30"A magnificent pile of buildings,
0:15:30 > 0:15:34"enlarged within last 20 years at great expense,
0:15:34 > 0:15:37"and finely placed for land and sea views."
0:15:41 > 0:15:43'Perched above the Moray Firth,
0:15:43 > 0:15:47'Dunrobin Castle certainly lives up to my guidebook's description.
0:15:47 > 0:15:51'It was rebuilt in the style of a French chateau in the 1840s,
0:15:51 > 0:15:56'complete with fairy-tale spires and elegant gardens.
0:15:56 > 0:15:58'But I'm here to explore its unique station,
0:15:58 > 0:16:02'which helped to shape the history of the Far North Line.
0:16:03 > 0:16:05'Still privately owned by the estate,
0:16:05 > 0:16:10'today it's looked after by rail enthusiast Daniel Brittain-Catlin.'
0:16:11 > 0:16:14Michael, welcome to Dunrobin Castle station.
0:16:14 > 0:16:16Thank you very much indeed.
0:16:16 > 0:16:18Apparently, according to my Bradshaw's,
0:16:18 > 0:16:20the Duke of Sutherland paid for this line.
0:16:20 > 0:16:23He really saw the social value of railways,
0:16:23 > 0:16:26and in opening up the county of Sutherland.
0:16:26 > 0:16:30And, of course, he was able to build this line comparatively easily
0:16:30 > 0:16:33because, being a duke, he was a member of the House of Lords,
0:16:33 > 0:16:36he was able to promote his own Act of Parliament,
0:16:36 > 0:16:39which was modestly called the Duke of Sutherland's Railway Act...
0:16:39 > 0:16:43He put that through the House of Lords, paid for it himself,
0:16:43 > 0:16:44and he created his own railway line,
0:16:44 > 0:16:47ending up as part of the national network.
0:16:49 > 0:16:53'The railway-mad duke built 14½ miles of track
0:16:53 > 0:16:57'to link Dunrobin with the coal mine that he owned at Brora
0:16:57 > 0:16:59'and the fishing village of Helmsdale.
0:16:59 > 0:17:03'Owning the line was just the start of his passion...'
0:17:03 > 0:17:06What kind of rolling stock was he running on his railway line?
0:17:06 > 0:17:11He ran trains for the public when it opened,
0:17:11 > 0:17:13but he had his own engine, and two carriages,
0:17:13 > 0:17:16and they were pretty plush.
0:17:16 > 0:17:20One contained a sleeping car, and one was a day coach.
0:17:20 > 0:17:23'The duke had the right to run his private train
0:17:23 > 0:17:25'between Inverness and Wick.
0:17:25 > 0:17:28'In 1872, it carried Queen Victoria
0:17:28 > 0:17:31'when she visited the Sutherland estate.
0:17:32 > 0:17:35They came up on train, they left from Inverness,
0:17:35 > 0:17:39and from Inverness onwards, they were on the Sutherlands' own train.
0:17:39 > 0:17:42The duchess and Queen Victoria were in the carriage,
0:17:42 > 0:17:45but she did slightly wonder where the duke was.
0:17:45 > 0:17:49But once they reached what was then called Bonar Bridge station,
0:17:49 > 0:17:50is now called Ardgay station,
0:17:50 > 0:17:53a slightly sort of dirty man in overalls appeared,
0:17:53 > 0:17:56shook hands rather too enthusiastically with the Queen
0:17:56 > 0:17:58and, of course, it turned out to be the duke
0:17:58 > 0:18:01who'd been driving his own railway engine
0:18:01 > 0:18:04fired with his own coal from his own coal mine.
0:18:04 > 0:18:07How absolutely magnificent!
0:18:07 > 0:18:09What did the Queen think of that, do we know?
0:18:09 > 0:18:12Well, it could be that this is one of the very rare occasions
0:18:12 > 0:18:15- that Queen Victoria WAS amused. - MICHAEL CHUCKLES
0:18:16 > 0:18:19'The Queen spent ten days enjoying a lavish reception
0:18:19 > 0:18:22'amid the splendour of Dunrobin Castle,
0:18:22 > 0:18:25'and the bed she slept in still takes pride of place
0:18:25 > 0:18:28'in the opulent green and gold room.
0:18:29 > 0:18:34'The station, however, is altogether on a more domestic scale.'
0:18:34 > 0:18:38This building doesn't seem to have any Victorian feel to it...
0:18:38 > 0:18:40It's 1902,
0:18:40 > 0:18:43so JUST the first year of Edward VII.
0:18:43 > 0:18:44It's the second building.
0:18:44 > 0:18:49The first was a kind of Wild West ranch-style building, amazingly.
0:18:49 > 0:18:54This one is in a classic piece of ENGLISH Arts and Crafts architecture,
0:18:54 > 0:18:56plonked in the middle of Sutherland.
0:18:56 > 0:18:58'By the late 20th century,
0:18:58 > 0:19:02'this remarkable building was suffering after years of neglect,
0:19:02 > 0:19:05'but since then, it's been lovingly restored.
0:19:05 > 0:19:09'Until recently, there was just one room which remained unloved,
0:19:09 > 0:19:12'but it turns out that I've timed my visit perfectly
0:19:12 > 0:19:14'for the unveiling of this special project.'
0:19:14 > 0:19:18Michael, this is very much our pride and joy at Dunrobin. It's...
0:19:18 > 0:19:21- Hello, everybody.- You've got quite a queue of admirers!
0:19:21 > 0:19:25It's our newly-restored Edwardian cloakroom.
0:19:25 > 0:19:28The last piece of restoration, and it's only just been completed,
0:19:28 > 0:19:31so I hope you will do us the honour
0:19:31 > 0:19:33of doing an official opening of this loo.
0:19:33 > 0:19:35I'm very, very, very touched.
0:19:35 > 0:19:37- Here we are.- Oh, thank you very much indeed.
0:19:39 > 0:19:40Well, ladies and gentlemen,
0:19:40 > 0:19:44I'm sure this ought to be done by a celebrity,
0:19:44 > 0:19:45but I'm here in LIEU...
0:19:45 > 0:19:47LAUGHTER
0:19:48 > 0:19:51I'd like to congratulate those involved in this,
0:19:51 > 0:19:56carpenter, tiler, and everybody else, and, um...
0:19:56 > 0:20:00Well, good luck to everyone who may...sail in it, you know...
0:20:00 > 0:20:02LAUGHTER
0:20:04 > 0:20:07CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:20:07 > 0:20:10And I hope you'll...be the first to try it!
0:20:10 > 0:20:12LAUGHTER
0:20:12 > 0:20:14'Impressive as the facilities are,
0:20:14 > 0:20:17'it's time for me to bid goodbye to the station
0:20:17 > 0:20:21'and continue my journey along the Duke of Sutherland's Line.'
0:20:22 > 0:20:27'As I travel north, I'm passing alongside the beautiful Moray Firth.
0:20:27 > 0:20:30'This stretch of water is an important haven for wildlife,
0:20:30 > 0:20:33'including grey seals and their pups,
0:20:33 > 0:20:37'and there's no better way to enjoy it than from my railway carriage.'
0:20:39 > 0:20:41This seascape is dreamy.
0:20:41 > 0:20:45I'm passing by golden beaches, entirely deserted.
0:20:45 > 0:20:49I have this scenery completely to myself.
0:20:50 > 0:20:54'Stunning as the coastline is, to reach my next stop,
0:20:54 > 0:20:58'I must soon leave the sea behind and turn inland.'
0:20:59 > 0:21:03Bradshaw's tells me that this line passes over a moory district
0:21:03 > 0:21:08by 12 or 13 stations, including Kildonan, where I'll get off,
0:21:08 > 0:21:10where the duke has his reclamation farms
0:21:10 > 0:21:14of 80 to 100 acres for small farmers.
0:21:14 > 0:21:17But I understand that, in the 1860s,
0:21:17 > 0:21:20the land brought forth something even more valuable
0:21:20 > 0:21:22than oats or barley.
0:21:22 > 0:21:26ANNOUNCEMENT: 'We are now approaching Kildonan. This is a request stop.'
0:21:26 > 0:21:30'150 years ago, this remote part of the Sutherland estate
0:21:30 > 0:21:35'was the setting for Scotland's very own gold rush.
0:21:35 > 0:21:38'I'm meeting modern-day prospector Lorna Smith
0:21:38 > 0:21:40'to hear the extraordinary tale.'
0:21:40 > 0:21:43- Hello!- Hello! Michael. - Pleased to meet you.
0:21:43 > 0:21:44Panning for gold?
0:21:44 > 0:21:48Yes, aye, one or two little specks just from the surface gravel.
0:21:49 > 0:21:54'The second half of the 19th century witnessed a gold-hunting craze,
0:21:54 > 0:21:57'as, dazzled by the discoveries made in 1840s California,
0:21:57 > 0:22:03'prospectors scoured the globe for new places to get rich quick.
0:22:03 > 0:22:06'Before long, they turned their gaze on Scotland.'
0:22:06 > 0:22:09It was a chap called Robert Gilchrist who started the gold rush.
0:22:09 > 0:22:13He was a local man, and he was interested in the gold.
0:22:13 > 0:22:16He went to Australia to try his hand there.
0:22:16 > 0:22:21He met a few experienced miners out there, and learnt quite a lot.
0:22:21 > 0:22:23He was beginning to feel homesick after a few years,
0:22:23 > 0:22:25so he thought he would just come home
0:22:25 > 0:22:29and try hand in Strath of Kildonan, because he recognised similarities
0:22:29 > 0:22:32between the rock structures and gravels in Australia
0:22:32 > 0:22:34to what he had left at home.
0:22:35 > 0:22:39'In 1868, Gilchrist struck it lucky,
0:22:39 > 0:22:42'and the news of his success soon spread.
0:22:42 > 0:22:46'At that time, the Duke of Sutherland's railway was yet to be built,
0:22:46 > 0:22:50'so prospectors faced a 30-mile walk from the nearest station.
0:22:50 > 0:22:53'But that did nothing to deter the hopeful hordes.'
0:22:53 > 0:22:57The potato blight had ruined the food for the winters.
0:22:57 > 0:23:00People were beginning to be hungry.
0:23:00 > 0:23:04Once they heard about how Robert was doing on the river,
0:23:04 > 0:23:07they reckoned they would like to come and have a try too.
0:23:07 > 0:23:09And how many people did come?
0:23:09 > 0:23:12500 people came at the height of the gold rush.
0:23:12 > 0:23:13Extraordinary.
0:23:13 > 0:23:16'The Duke of Sutherland issued licences,
0:23:16 > 0:23:17'at a cost of a pound a month,
0:23:17 > 0:23:22'while the crown took 10% of all the prospectors found.
0:23:22 > 0:23:24'Although much of the gold probably went undeclared,
0:23:24 > 0:23:26'it's thought the official haul
0:23:26 > 0:23:31'totalled around £850,000 in today's money.
0:23:31 > 0:23:34'But the heady days of the gold rush were not to last long.'
0:23:34 > 0:23:40The duke decided that there was too much disruption to the salmon parr,
0:23:40 > 0:23:45whose gills were being clogged by the suspended gravel in the stream.
0:23:45 > 0:23:48He was worried it was going to have an effect on the salmon fishing.
0:23:48 > 0:23:52The winter was setting in, and they had rough wooden shelters on here.
0:23:52 > 0:23:55When you're talking about maybe 15 or 16 degrees of frost
0:23:55 > 0:23:59in the middle of the winter, it's not good. It's not good.
0:23:59 > 0:24:02And so, that brought the gold rush to an end?
0:24:02 > 0:24:06The duke decided that for everybody's safety and comfort
0:24:06 > 0:24:08that he should really end the gold rush.
0:24:08 > 0:24:11He did that by not issuing any more licences
0:24:11 > 0:24:14and not renewing licences after they had been issued.
0:24:14 > 0:24:19'By the end of 1869, the Kildonan gold rush was over.
0:24:19 > 0:24:22'These days, anyone can come and search for gold on the estate,
0:24:22 > 0:24:25'but the only method allowed is hand-panning.
0:24:25 > 0:24:30'It works on the principle that gold is the heaviest mineral in the river.'
0:24:30 > 0:24:33And that's just a case of swirling it round,
0:24:33 > 0:24:36so the heavy pieces get a chance to sink right down to the bottom
0:24:36 > 0:24:39and the lighter gravels and stones are on the top.
0:24:39 > 0:24:42- And then, gradually, wash off the lighter stuff?- Yep.
0:24:42 > 0:24:44'It takes patience and hard work,
0:24:44 > 0:24:47'but retrieving even a tiny amount is quite a thrill.'
0:24:47 > 0:24:51This just a little sample from the side of the burn,
0:24:51 > 0:24:53but you can see that there's gold there.
0:24:53 > 0:24:54I never thought I'd see this.
0:24:54 > 0:24:58All the times I've seen in movies, people doing this,
0:24:58 > 0:25:01and, of course, in the movies they never do find gold, poor things,
0:25:01 > 0:25:03- but there it is. - There it is, that's right.
0:25:03 > 0:25:06- HE SHOUTS: - Gold! We've found gold!
0:25:06 > 0:25:09- Gold! - SHE CHUCKLES
0:25:09 > 0:25:11- Is that not what you do?- No.
0:25:11 > 0:25:14THEY LAUGH
0:25:14 > 0:25:17'Sadly, I don't have time to seek my fortune,
0:25:17 > 0:25:21'as I'm rejoining the Far North Line to complete my Scottish odyssey.
0:25:21 > 0:25:25'Finished in 1874, this final section opened up
0:25:25 > 0:25:28'some of the wildest reaches of northern Scotland,
0:25:28 > 0:25:32'previously accessible only to wealthy travellers.'
0:25:32 > 0:25:36I'm now on the very last segment of my journey, taking me into Wick,
0:25:36 > 0:25:38which my Bradshaw's describes as...
0:25:38 > 0:25:42"The present ultima Thule of railway enterprise,
0:25:42 > 0:25:44"the furthest extremity,"
0:25:44 > 0:25:47and, as in Victorian days, this is the end of the line.
0:25:49 > 0:25:52'In Bradshaw's day, Wick was a busy herring port,
0:25:52 > 0:25:55'and the new railway line helped to transport the fish
0:25:55 > 0:25:57'to markets further south.
0:25:57 > 0:26:00'It also attracted crowds of Victorian tourists,
0:26:00 > 0:26:03'disembarking to make the short coach trip
0:26:03 > 0:26:06'to that most symbolic of coastal villages, John O'Groats.'
0:26:08 > 0:26:11Bradshaw's says of John O'Groats,
0:26:11 > 0:26:15"This famous locality lies at the south side of the Pentland Firth,
0:26:15 > 0:26:18"and gives one of the finest sights in the north.
0:26:18 > 0:26:22"The view, on a favourable day..." Thank goodness, today IS favourable,
0:26:22 > 0:26:25"..of land and water, is very interesting.
0:26:25 > 0:26:29"Orkney is seen to great advantage."
0:26:29 > 0:26:32Since, a few years ago, I stood at Land's End,
0:26:32 > 0:26:37it's been my ambition to come to this other most far-flung part of our kingdom.
0:26:41 > 0:26:45'Every year, tourists come to marvel at the wild beauty of the setting,
0:26:45 > 0:26:48'amid the stunning cliffs of Duncansby Head,
0:26:48 > 0:26:51'and thousands of so-called "end-to-enders"
0:26:51 > 0:26:53'undertake the long journey
0:26:53 > 0:26:56'between Britain's most distant inhabited spots.'
0:27:03 > 0:27:05I just couldn't resist.
0:27:08 > 0:27:12'As my lengthy trek up Scotland's east coast draws to an end,
0:27:12 > 0:27:15'it strikes me that the railways helped this nation
0:27:15 > 0:27:18'to share its blessings with the rest of the world.'
0:27:18 > 0:27:21Victorian tracks have brought me
0:27:21 > 0:27:24to the uppermost edge of mainland Britain.
0:27:24 > 0:27:26From my seat on the train,
0:27:26 > 0:27:29I've gawped in admiration at Scotland's grandeur.
0:27:29 > 0:27:33The railways in the Highlands brought not industrial revolution
0:27:33 > 0:27:34so much as continuity,
0:27:34 > 0:27:40enabling communities to survive and traditional skills to flourish.
0:27:40 > 0:27:42My Bradshaw's guide has now enabled me
0:27:42 > 0:27:47to appreciate Britain, this great country, from toe to tip.
0:27:50 > 0:27:54'On my next journey, I'll be travelling from London to Devon,
0:27:54 > 0:27:57'along master engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel's
0:27:57 > 0:27:58'Great Western Railway...'
0:27:59 > 0:28:03This is exciting. Is this genuinely a section of Brunel's pipe?
0:28:03 > 0:28:05'..I'll visit a Victorian tourist hotspot...'
0:28:06 > 0:28:11This is the grandaddy of all castles and cathedrals and skyscrapers.
0:28:11 > 0:28:13This is the beginning of architecture.
0:28:13 > 0:28:17'..explore a church that moves in mysterious ways...'
0:28:17 > 0:28:21That's extraordinary, Rod. It really is moving from side to side.
0:28:21 > 0:28:24'..and work up a sweat turning a grand old loco.'
0:28:24 > 0:28:27- HE GROANS - She's moving! I can't believe it, she's moving.
0:28:48 > 0:28:54Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd