0:00:16 > 0:00:20Britain is a country that owes a great deal to its rail empire.
0:00:22 > 0:00:27For 100 years, the railways dominated the development of this country.
0:00:27 > 0:00:30The network that supported a global superpower.
0:00:33 > 0:00:38But today, our island is home to 10,000 miles of disused lines,
0:00:38 > 0:00:43a silent network of embankments, platforms and viaducts.
0:00:46 > 0:00:52For me and many others, they've become a perfect platform for exploring the country on foot.
0:01:09 > 0:01:10Today I'm in the bosom of Scotland
0:01:10 > 0:01:13in an area that's known as the Gateway to the Highlands,
0:01:13 > 0:01:15and you can see why.
0:01:15 > 0:01:18Down there lie the lowlands of Glasgow and Edinburgh,
0:01:18 > 0:01:21whereas up here, in the north, it's a world of mountains and lochs
0:01:21 > 0:01:25and that's the world I'm heading into today for my railway walk.
0:01:29 > 0:01:32That is Callander, a town that grew so rapidly during the Victorian age
0:01:32 > 0:01:37that they built this mighty cairn to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of the Queen Empress,
0:01:37 > 0:01:40but the story of the walk goes further back than that.
0:01:40 > 0:01:43From here the railway headed north into the turbulent world
0:01:43 > 0:01:46of Highlands, Scottish clans and Rob Roy.
0:01:46 > 0:01:49Today I'm going to explore the story of how the railway line helped bring
0:01:49 > 0:01:54civilisation to an area so famous for its history of wild violence.
0:01:59 > 0:02:00On a day like today,
0:02:00 > 0:02:04how could anyone not be passionate about the Scottish Highlands?
0:02:06 > 0:02:09But until 1800, few people chose to venture
0:02:09 > 0:02:12to these remote parts without good reason.
0:02:12 > 0:02:15Today, I'm going to be walking through an area that turned itself
0:02:15 > 0:02:19from feared to fashionable in the space of 60 years.
0:02:32 > 0:02:36The first railway arrived in Callander from Dunblane in 1858.
0:02:38 > 0:02:41It was the plan of the Callander & Oban Railway company
0:02:41 > 0:02:43to build a route through the Highlands,
0:02:43 > 0:02:46winding north, then west through Glen Ogle and Glen Dochart
0:02:46 > 0:02:49to reach the coastline at Oban.
0:02:51 > 0:02:54Further lines followed, including a branch line
0:02:54 > 0:02:59serving the villagers of Killin and taking tourists to Loch Tay.
0:02:59 > 0:03:02Today, the old lines have become a popular walking route and part of
0:03:02 > 0:03:07a massive cycle path running from Glasgow all the way to Inverness.
0:03:11 > 0:03:15It was in the 1800s that Callander really started to gain attention.
0:03:15 > 0:03:20William Wordsworth, Queen Victoria, Walter Scott and, of course, the railway all came to town.
0:03:22 > 0:03:27Now it's known as the Eastern Entrance to the new Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park.
0:03:30 > 0:03:34The wide streets of the 1770s were certainly well thought out,
0:03:34 > 0:03:37with Callander soon bustling with visitors
0:03:37 > 0:03:41all demanding food, hotels and carriages to take them on
0:03:41 > 0:03:43from the impressively large station.
0:03:44 > 0:03:49But I wonder how many of those visitors ever intended to walk as far as me!
0:03:50 > 0:03:54This will easily be my longest railway walk,
0:03:54 > 0:03:55but before I set off,
0:03:55 > 0:03:59let's take a bird's eye view of the route I'll be following.
0:04:01 > 0:04:05Just like the steam trains, most of my walk is a long, steady climb
0:04:05 > 0:04:07up into the southern Highlands.
0:04:09 > 0:04:12The railway followed the river upstream from Callander,
0:04:12 > 0:04:15aiming for the valley of Loch Lubnaig.
0:04:16 > 0:04:20I'll be hugging the western shore of the loch,
0:04:20 > 0:04:23but from the air the drama of the peaks ahead is clear.
0:04:26 > 0:04:30North of the loch, the first village on my route is Strathyre,
0:04:30 > 0:04:32a holiday spot for Wordsworth,
0:04:32 > 0:04:36and 60 years later, the first station north of Callander.
0:04:36 > 0:04:40Long before that, this was the home turf of the Clan MacGregor
0:04:40 > 0:04:43and their most famous son, Rob Roy.
0:04:46 > 0:04:48As the railway approached Loch Earn,
0:04:48 > 0:04:52the line split with some trains forking right towards the water.
0:04:52 > 0:04:56The Callander & Oban Railway swept left though, climbing noticeably as
0:04:56 > 0:05:00it rounded the corner and headed straight up Glen Ogle.
0:05:02 > 0:05:08Three quarters of the way up, I'll reach the signature feature of this railway, the Glen Ogle Viaduct.
0:05:12 > 0:05:16Over Glenoglehead and you enter Glen Dochart.
0:05:17 > 0:05:23From here it's all downhill as I pick up the old Killin Branch line.
0:05:23 > 0:05:27This is where Victorian tourists would have once passed through Killin Village
0:05:27 > 0:05:32on the train to reach the pleasure steamer on the shores of Loch Tay.
0:05:37 > 0:05:38This is the site of the old station.
0:05:38 > 0:05:42As you can see, it's now a lovely car park.
0:05:44 > 0:05:49'Back in Callander, I'm meeting a gentleman at the hotel next door to the old station.
0:05:49 > 0:05:51'He's a true local lad...
0:05:51 > 0:05:54'..that's if you overlook his Italian origins.
0:05:54 > 0:05:59'But today he and his many cousins in the area have become a modern day Scottish clan.'
0:06:03 > 0:06:05Brian Luti, a good Scottish name there.
0:06:05 > 0:06:07There are quite a few Italian-Scots, aren't there,
0:06:07 > 0:06:10or Scot-Italians whichever way you put it?
0:06:10 > 0:06:13Yeah, a lot of people came over in the early 1900s.
0:06:13 > 0:06:14Italy was very poor.
0:06:14 > 0:06:17Would you describe yourself as a modern-day clan?
0:06:17 > 0:06:20Absolutely in every way, very Scottish.
0:06:20 > 0:06:25In fact we're known in the community as the Callander mafia.
0:06:25 > 0:06:28- In a nice way.- What was this town like as a railway town?
0:06:28 > 0:06:30Well, it was totally different.
0:06:30 > 0:06:33I've always been mad on locomotives and trains and steam
0:06:33 > 0:06:36and we used to sit on the fence and watch the trains go by.
0:06:36 > 0:06:38As a child, when we had the restaurant,
0:06:38 > 0:06:41I used to come to the station every morning with a wheelbarrow to pick up
0:06:41 > 0:06:46the fish that came from Aberdeen on the night train, which was also the mail train.
0:06:46 > 0:06:49We would pick up the fish and take it back to the restaurant.
0:06:49 > 0:06:51So it brought all the fresh food and vegetables and things.
0:06:51 > 0:06:54That's all gone now. It comes by lorry and van.
0:06:54 > 0:06:56- It's all cars and lorries and nothing else.- Absolutely.
0:06:56 > 0:07:01There's a lot of traffic, there's a lot of buses and cars. Was it ever busier than this?
0:07:01 > 0:07:03In people terms, yes.
0:07:03 > 0:07:07I mean, in the last year the biggest event we had with the train,
0:07:07 > 0:07:11and I had a restaurant at the time, was the Coates of Paisley, the cotton people.
0:07:11 > 0:07:17They brought all their employees, 6,000 of them, to Callander in one day on a charter train,
0:07:17 > 0:07:21and if you look up here, it was just like a swarm of people coming, you know.
0:07:21 > 0:07:24They just came up the main street... just covered the street.
0:07:24 > 0:07:28- They must have flooded the place. - Absolutely. But that was the great old days.
0:07:28 > 0:07:30They didn't come by car.
0:07:30 > 0:07:31They came by train.
0:07:31 > 0:07:33Why this as a meeting spot for you and I?
0:07:33 > 0:07:36Well, it's built by the MacNabs, the clan MacNab.
0:07:36 > 0:07:40- And who were the clan MacNab? - They were like a local mob.- Yes.
0:07:40 > 0:07:43- I think they were the mafia. - They were the mafia of the day!
0:07:43 > 0:07:44Yeah, absolutely!
0:07:44 > 0:07:48There were loads of clans, there were the MacNabs, MacNeishs.
0:07:48 > 0:07:51There were the MacGregors of the famous Rob Roy ilk.
0:07:51 > 0:07:56This hotel was called the Dreadnought because dreadnought was their clan battle cry. Dreadnought.
0:07:56 > 0:07:59- Dreadnought, dreadnought... - Absolutely. A rough bunch!
0:07:59 > 0:08:03But there's still something to remind us of it at the front of the hotel.
0:08:03 > 0:08:04Let's have a look.
0:08:09 > 0:08:12- The head...- Oh... Who's he?
0:08:12 > 0:08:14He's the chief of the clan, MacNeish.
0:08:14 > 0:08:19So they killed him and they thought it would be a nice idea to pop his head up there as a symbol?
0:08:19 > 0:08:22Yeah, they did their things differently in those days.
0:08:22 > 0:08:25- That's nice, isn't it? - A bit macabre, I think.
0:08:25 > 0:08:28Thank you very much, I might have nightmares about that!
0:08:28 > 0:08:30On your way, you want to follow the railway line,
0:08:30 > 0:08:33that's an old Ordnance Survey map taken in the '50s
0:08:33 > 0:08:35which has the train on it, the line on it
0:08:35 > 0:08:38- and hopefully it'll help you on your way.- Thank you very much. 1957!
0:08:38 > 0:08:40Oh, it's older than me.
0:08:40 > 0:08:42Not older than me.
0:08:42 > 0:08:45- Thank you, that's really nice. - Bye-bye. Have a good walk!
0:08:45 > 0:08:48Lovely to meet you. Thank you for the map, I appreciate it.
0:08:51 > 0:08:57And so my very long trek into the Highlands gets underway.
0:08:57 > 0:09:00A railway signal rather reassuringly marks the point
0:09:00 > 0:09:02where I join the old track-bed.
0:09:02 > 0:09:07But apart from that, the walk takes you straight into the Scottish countryside.
0:09:11 > 0:09:15A few miles to the west of here is Loch Katrine, which was one of Walter Scott's favourite areas.
0:09:15 > 0:09:21In fact, there's still a steamer on the loch called the Lady Of The Lake named after his most famous poem.
0:09:21 > 0:09:25He was one of the first poets and writers to really romanticise about this area,
0:09:25 > 0:09:29but even he said this is where beauty lies in the lap of terror,
0:09:29 > 0:09:31making a reference to its turbulent past.
0:09:31 > 0:09:33We are in the Highlands after all.
0:09:38 > 0:09:42For Scott and his friend, William Wordsworth, the remote aspect
0:09:42 > 0:09:47and the unruly reputation of these parts were of great appeal.
0:09:47 > 0:09:51Their literary work, inspired by and even set in the Trossachs,
0:09:51 > 0:09:53was like a 19th century PR campaign
0:09:53 > 0:09:58drawing a new and rather upmarket crowd to Scotland's mountains.
0:10:04 > 0:10:07This section of the river is called the Falls Of Lenny.
0:10:07 > 0:10:12Now, the river meanders all the way through the valley,
0:10:12 > 0:10:13whereas once upon a time,
0:10:13 > 0:10:16the railway line would have cut straight through it.
0:10:18 > 0:10:22Actually, this is the remaining support of a bridge
0:10:22 > 0:10:25that would have taken the trains straight across from here.
0:10:42 > 0:10:48You emerge from the woodland into an open patch of flower-filled meadow.
0:10:48 > 0:10:50It feels like you've crossed the divide
0:10:50 > 0:10:52between lowlands and highlands.
0:10:59 > 0:11:02This is the southern tip of my first Loch...
0:11:02 > 0:11:05Loch Lubnaig.
0:11:05 > 0:11:09At 5km long, it's certainly not the biggest I'll encounter,
0:11:09 > 0:11:13but tightly packed between the peaks of Ben Ledi and Ben Vorlich,
0:11:13 > 0:11:16it lives up to its Gaelic name, meaning "crooked".
0:11:24 > 0:11:26And towards the northern end of the Loch,
0:11:26 > 0:11:30the path forces you off the railway line for a short distance.
0:11:32 > 0:11:36No idle diversion either... ..there's very good reason.
0:11:41 > 0:11:44You wouldn't want to mess with these beasties
0:11:44 > 0:11:46but they're perfectly entitled to be here.
0:11:46 > 0:11:48This is, in fact, the old railway line here
0:11:48 > 0:11:52and when the railway closed, a lot of the farmers and local landowners
0:11:52 > 0:11:55were given the opportunity of buying their land back,
0:11:55 > 0:11:57which, of course, many of them did.
0:11:57 > 0:12:00Hence the lovely Highland cattle.
0:12:00 > 0:12:04Let's face it, old railway beds aren't just good for cycle paths,
0:12:04 > 0:12:06they're good for tractors too.
0:12:18 > 0:12:24The valley bottom around the head of Loch Lubnaig provides a small area of good farmland...
0:12:26 > 0:12:30..but otherwise it's a classic V-shaped glacial valley
0:12:30 > 0:12:34that brought railway passengers straight into the first Highland village.
0:12:38 > 0:12:43Strathyre is where Wordsworth chose to stay with his sister, Dorothy.
0:12:43 > 0:12:48He came to escape the hustle and bustle of the Lake District.
0:12:48 > 0:12:51You can only imagine what he'd have made of the railway here.
0:12:53 > 0:12:57As in Callander, the old railway station of Strathyre is no more.
0:12:57 > 0:13:00In its place, this lovely housing estate,
0:13:00 > 0:13:05but in its day, Strathyre did win the best-kept station moniker, don't you know.
0:13:12 > 0:13:16Beautiful maybe, well kept too,
0:13:16 > 0:13:19but long before both Wordsworth and the railway,
0:13:19 > 0:13:21this part of my walk, the Balquhidder valley,
0:13:21 > 0:13:24was the firm territory of the clan MacGregor.
0:13:26 > 0:13:32In 1603, King James VI made it a crime to carry the name MacGregor,
0:13:32 > 0:13:38but this period did produce the clan's most famous son, outlaw and folk hero, Rob Roy.
0:13:41 > 0:13:45Balquhidder is also the point where one railway became two.
0:13:45 > 0:13:50In 1905, The Callander & Oban was joined by a line running west from here
0:13:50 > 0:13:53down the valley of Loch Earn,
0:13:53 > 0:13:57and today, walkers and cyclists are encouraged to follow the new line for a short distance
0:13:57 > 0:14:02allowing me the bonus of an extra viaduct.
0:14:03 > 0:14:08This must be Lochearnhead and there's a first tiny little glimpse of the loch just there.
0:14:13 > 0:14:16Now I might temporarily have moved onto a different railway track
0:14:16 > 0:14:19but I'm still on the catchily named National Cycle Route 7.
0:14:19 > 0:14:22Of course, lots of railway lines have been turned into cycle paths,
0:14:22 > 0:14:24but this one is pretty dramatic.
0:14:24 > 0:14:28If you wanted to, you could follow it all the way from Glasgow to Inverness.
0:14:28 > 0:14:29If you wanted to!
0:14:32 > 0:14:36'And this is where I'm meeting someone who just might consider such a thing.
0:14:36 > 0:14:40'As well as being a cycling nut, Douglas Stewart is also an access officer
0:14:40 > 0:14:43'for the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park.'
0:14:44 > 0:14:48Have you done Glasgow-Inverness, Inverness-Glasgow?
0:14:48 > 0:14:50No, I haven't, no. Unfortunately not.
0:14:50 > 0:14:51Good. I think they must be crazy.
0:14:51 > 0:14:55Yes, this is the section I use most often. I really enjoy it.
0:14:55 > 0:14:58There aren't many people that can say Beeching did them some good!
0:14:58 > 0:15:01No, that's right, controversial to the last!
0:15:01 > 0:15:03It is pretty spectacular, isn't it?
0:15:03 > 0:15:04As far as cycle routes go,
0:15:04 > 0:15:07there aren't very many with views like this.
0:15:07 > 0:15:10No, absolutely not. I think one of the great things about this route
0:15:10 > 0:15:14is the number of viaducts on it. At this time of year, it's wonderful.
0:15:14 > 0:15:18This is a real meeting of the ancient and the modern right at this point, isn't it?
0:15:18 > 0:15:22I think as far as I understand, this was the only missing bridge in this
0:15:22 > 0:15:25entire section between Callander and Killin.
0:15:25 > 0:15:30This was put in for the millennium, and this was the final piece
0:15:30 > 0:15:34in the jigsaw that meant that this section of the route could be up and running
0:15:34 > 0:15:36and it's wonderful, I love it.
0:15:37 > 0:15:44It lay unused for something like 35 years, and now we've got the benefit.
0:15:48 > 0:15:50Douglas has agreed to push his bike for a short time
0:15:50 > 0:15:53while he accompanies me up Glen Ogle.
0:15:53 > 0:15:57From this point on there's a good seven miles of constant ascent,
0:15:57 > 0:16:00and to get back onto the Callander & Oban line,
0:16:00 > 0:16:02there's the steepest section of the lot.
0:16:04 > 0:16:06It's really fast. It's a bit of a trudge on the uphill.
0:16:06 > 0:16:08That's for sure.
0:16:11 > 0:16:14You also get a great view of two munros up here.
0:16:14 > 0:16:17- Next time you're up you can climb them.- The equivalent of the Fells.
0:16:17 > 0:16:24That's it, yeah. The one on the left is Ben Vorlich and the one on the right is Stuc A Chroin.
0:16:24 > 0:16:26You can do them both in a day.
0:16:26 > 0:16:28A long day, but they're really good fun.
0:16:28 > 0:16:32To see them today with no cloud on the top is really pretty special.
0:16:32 > 0:16:35- One for next time... - That's it.- Two for next time.
0:16:35 > 0:16:37Two for next time, yeah, absolutely.
0:16:37 > 0:16:42This is obviously back onto the old C&O line here.
0:16:42 > 0:16:44'As you step back on to the Callander & Oban,
0:16:44 > 0:16:47'you're rewarded with great views over Loch Earn
0:16:47 > 0:16:51'and far below the lower railway line that ran along the length of the loch.'
0:16:58 > 0:17:00There seems to have been a mishap here.
0:17:00 > 0:17:06Yes, Jules, this is the site of the famous landslide which occurred in 1965.
0:17:06 > 0:17:12The line was scheduled for closure by Dr Beeching in October 1965,
0:17:12 > 0:17:17and literally a few weeks before that date this landslide occurred
0:17:17 > 0:17:20and they conveniently used it as an excuse to shut the line early.
0:17:20 > 0:17:23Presumably that must have happened a lot on the lines,
0:17:23 > 0:17:27they must have been able to deal with it. It was just decided not to.
0:17:27 > 0:17:32Yeah, I think, they just took the opportunity to shut the line early and save a bit more money.
0:17:33 > 0:17:37The steep and unstable sides of Glen Ogle were a constant problem
0:17:37 > 0:17:39for the managers of the railway.
0:17:39 > 0:17:41So too were harsh winters,
0:17:41 > 0:17:45when trains occasionally got stuck in snowdrifts.
0:17:45 > 0:17:51Passengers were known to escape on foot using the line of telegraph poles to guide them to safety.
0:17:51 > 0:17:54Today, it's the road on the opposite wall of the valley
0:17:54 > 0:17:56that deals with similar conditions.
0:17:57 > 0:18:00Ah-ha... So here's our proper first view.
0:18:00 > 0:18:01This is it, the Glen Ogle viaduct.
0:18:01 > 0:18:04What an iconic scene.
0:18:04 > 0:18:06A nice sunny day as well.
0:18:06 > 0:18:09'And so from an entirely unplanned landmark,
0:18:09 > 0:18:13'you reach the railway's most famous intended landmark,
0:18:13 > 0:18:16'the glorious Glen Ogle viaduct.'
0:18:26 > 0:18:30This is obviously a very different structure from the other viaduct.
0:18:30 > 0:18:32Yeah, it's interesting you mention that.
0:18:32 > 0:18:35This is constructed using natural stone mortar,
0:18:35 > 0:18:40compared to the Kendon viaduct which was constructed much later than this one
0:18:40 > 0:18:43and it's made of concrete.
0:18:43 > 0:18:46Yeah, quite different, really just the change in technology, if you like,
0:18:46 > 0:18:50between the two different construction periods.
0:18:50 > 0:18:54It would have been a particular highlight, I think, on the journey from Callander north.
0:18:54 > 0:18:58- The passengers would...- Without question, opening out like this.
0:18:58 > 0:19:03That's it, they would get the views, the open countryside and I think it would have been a fantastic
0:19:03 > 0:19:09part of the journey and a big part of what the railway company were selling to the public.
0:19:14 > 0:19:18As you reach the top of the valley, the gradual gradient becomes clear.
0:19:18 > 0:19:22Both the road and the railway head for the same point.
0:19:22 > 0:19:25A 1:50 gradient may not sound much,
0:19:25 > 0:19:27but many trains required two locomotives
0:19:27 > 0:19:30to see them over the top of the pass.
0:19:30 > 0:19:32There's a little stile to cross here.
0:19:32 > 0:19:36Then we can get a really nice view down the Glen and see the ground we've covered.
0:19:36 > 0:19:39- Pretty good looking. - Yeah, it's fantastic, isn't it?
0:19:39 > 0:19:42That's us just about the top of the Glen.
0:19:44 > 0:19:47We're 700 feet above Callander, where you started.
0:19:47 > 0:19:51and you hardly notice it and that shows you just how effective
0:19:51 > 0:19:54the rail system was in dealing with the gradients.
0:19:54 > 0:19:58We get a really nice view from here of Ben Vorlich which we couldn't see earlier.
0:19:58 > 0:20:01- Yeah.- You can the summit of Ben Vorlich there.
0:20:01 > 0:20:05Doug, thank you so much for showing me everything, pointing everything out along the way.
0:20:05 > 0:20:07I might nick your bike!
0:20:10 > 0:20:16In 1870, the Callander & Oban Railway ended right here at Glenoglehead.
0:20:16 > 0:20:20There simply wasn't the money to complete the line to the coast.
0:20:20 > 0:20:24But over the next ten years the railway was extended in stages,
0:20:24 > 0:20:27starting with the route west along Glen Dochart.
0:20:28 > 0:20:32And in 1886, after much local campaigning,
0:20:32 > 0:20:34the area acquired a new station.
0:20:36 > 0:20:39These ruins in the modern area of forest
0:20:39 > 0:20:42are all that remain of Killin Junction.
0:20:42 > 0:20:45It was built exclusively as an exchange point
0:20:45 > 0:20:48for passengers and goods arriving on a new branch line.
0:20:48 > 0:20:53Up until now, I've been walking along the old Callander & Oban railway line,
0:20:53 > 0:20:57but the directors of C&O didn't fancy extending the line to Loch Tay,
0:20:57 > 0:21:01so that was left to the locals to build and manage their own, which they did.
0:21:01 > 0:21:03It was known as the Killin branch.
0:21:09 > 0:21:11My final stretch of railway walk
0:21:11 > 0:21:15follows one of the most remarkable lines to feel the weight of the Beeching Axe.
0:21:17 > 0:21:22'For four miles, a small engine would have rattled down the slope to Killin.
0:21:22 > 0:21:28'In 1886, it changed lives in this Highland village overnight.
0:21:28 > 0:21:30'And the Victorians duly flocked,
0:21:30 > 0:21:34'packing into specially chartered rail trips.
0:21:34 > 0:21:38'The shores of Loch Tay could now be reached from London.
0:21:39 > 0:21:44'But how many of those visitors would have stopped to thank the local people of Killin?
0:21:44 > 0:21:47'For they were the folk who had gathered together,
0:21:47 > 0:21:50'planned and paid for this unique addition to the rail network.
0:21:54 > 0:21:57'And for centuries, one family has been at the heart of Killin life,
0:21:57 > 0:21:58'the Clan MacNab.'
0:21:58 > 0:22:00- Hello, James.- Hello.
0:22:00 > 0:22:02- Lovely to meet you. How are you?- Very well.
0:22:02 > 0:22:05'So I'm rather honoured to have persuaded the 23rd chief to meet me
0:22:05 > 0:22:07'as I arrive in his hometown.'
0:22:10 > 0:22:14Try and explain to me a little bit about the territorial nature
0:22:14 > 0:22:16as life as part of a clan?
0:22:16 > 0:22:20Hundreds of years of ups and downs...
0:22:20 > 0:22:24I don't think you could ever call the MacNabs a powerful clan.
0:22:24 > 0:22:27They were a relatively small clan.
0:22:27 > 0:22:33They had a great propensity for fighting on the losing side.
0:22:33 > 0:22:38We eventually became...
0:22:40 > 0:22:43..rather subservient to the Braidalbin Campbells.
0:22:43 > 0:22:48In fact, they became the dominant people in this area.
0:22:48 > 0:22:50So they were your rivals?
0:22:50 > 0:22:54We were rivals sometimes,
0:22:54 > 0:22:57but we married quite a lot of them.
0:22:57 > 0:22:59- Inter-relations?- Inter-relations.
0:22:59 > 0:23:02What's it's like to be in this area now these days
0:23:02 > 0:23:05and the railway, of course, has long since gone?
0:23:08 > 0:23:14Well, as a councillor of the time, there was, I don't know what it was called,
0:23:14 > 0:23:22a Board of Enquiry to discover why they were essential for the community.
0:23:22 > 0:23:24As Mr Beeching said,
0:23:24 > 0:23:28what lines were uneconomical?
0:23:28 > 0:23:33So I had to give evidence at the Board of Enquiry and the main thing
0:23:33 > 0:23:38we were worried about was getting over Glen Ogle.
0:23:38 > 0:23:44It used to get terribly blocked with snow and the only feasible way,
0:23:44 > 0:23:48in those days, very often was to go by train.
0:23:48 > 0:23:49What about you, personally,
0:23:49 > 0:23:53what impact did the dissolution of the railway have on you?
0:23:53 > 0:23:56As I owned the land on either side of it,
0:23:56 > 0:24:01under the titles of the railway,
0:24:01 > 0:24:07it was the adjacent landowners who had first call on the thing.
0:24:07 > 0:24:09So I bought it.
0:24:09 > 0:24:12- So you bought the railway? - I bought the railway.
0:24:12 > 0:24:15What's left of the MacNabs now here?
0:24:15 > 0:24:20Well, this island behind us here, Garbhinish,
0:24:20 > 0:24:25and that island which I'm going to take you onto, Inchbuie,
0:24:25 > 0:24:30and that is what is left of the MacNab lands in MacNab hands.
0:24:30 > 0:24:34MacNab lands in MacNab hands, that's not easy to say.
0:24:34 > 0:24:35Let's go and have a look.
0:24:36 > 0:24:39'Having controlled lands throughout Glen Dochart,
0:24:39 > 0:24:44'the Clan MacNab can now lay claim to just two small islands.
0:24:44 > 0:24:48'They sit surrounded by the stunning Falls of Dochart.
0:24:48 > 0:24:51'A sad but very proud marker to a grand history
0:24:51 > 0:24:53'stretching back to 950.
0:24:55 > 0:25:02'And you have to presume that the island of Inchbuie, at least, will forever remain in Clan hands.'
0:25:05 > 0:25:11Here we are, this is the burial enclosure,
0:25:11 > 0:25:14and you see...
0:25:14 > 0:25:20what is supposed to be a niche's head, the gory head of a savage.
0:25:20 > 0:25:23- The crest of...- Which is the crest that you have on your ring?- Yeah.
0:25:23 > 0:25:31Here we are, this is the enclosure which has a gate into it and two windows.
0:25:31 > 0:25:32Yeah.
0:25:32 > 0:25:37You can see 15 chiefs are buried in here...
0:25:37 > 0:25:39- But all MacNabs?- All MacNabs.
0:25:39 > 0:25:47This is my great uncle's grave and a great aunt who I succeeded.
0:25:47 > 0:25:51My father's ashes are below there.
0:25:51 > 0:25:53Where will you be buried?
0:25:53 > 0:25:58I hope, you have to pick a place where there aren't too many rocks,
0:25:58 > 0:26:01and I hope it'll be there.
0:26:01 > 0:26:02That will be your spot?
0:26:02 > 0:26:06- I have probed, I think it's all right.- You think it's all right!
0:26:07 > 0:26:12If you look this way, there's the viaduct and the railway.
0:26:12 > 0:26:14Back to the railway!
0:26:14 > 0:26:17The railway's behind those trees there.
0:26:17 > 0:26:20It is a beautiful little island, James, it really is.
0:26:20 > 0:26:22It is.
0:26:22 > 0:26:26I hope it's many years before you have your final rest here,
0:26:26 > 0:26:30- but it is a lovely place to end up. - Thank you very much.
0:26:39 > 0:26:41Two adjacent rivers stand between me
0:26:41 > 0:26:44and my final destination of Loch Tay.
0:26:47 > 0:26:51The Dochart is crossed by the grand stone viaduct
0:26:51 > 0:26:55that overlooks the resting place of so many MacNabs.
0:26:57 > 0:26:59Then there's the River Lochay...
0:27:01 > 0:27:04..where I step off the railway for the final time.
0:27:09 > 0:27:16The bank of the river leads you to the most complete view down the entire length of Loch Tay.
0:27:27 > 0:27:30Well, it's taken quite a lot of effort to get here,
0:27:30 > 0:27:33but there it is finally, Loch Tay,
0:27:33 > 0:27:35stretching out in front of me.
0:27:39 > 0:27:43This is the view the Victorians would have flocked to see,
0:27:43 > 0:27:45packed into railway carriages.
0:27:47 > 0:27:50They would have disembarked from the train over there,
0:27:50 > 0:27:53only yards from a pier that no longer exists,
0:27:53 > 0:27:55and then they would have stepped on board
0:27:55 > 0:27:57a steamer that no longer exists.
0:28:00 > 0:28:04For visitors back then the gateway to the Highlands was no longer a place to fear.
0:28:04 > 0:28:08Scott and Wordsworth had piqued their interest,
0:28:08 > 0:28:11and then the railway finally convinced them
0:28:11 > 0:28:14that this was no longer a place of tribal clan violence.
0:28:14 > 0:28:17When you look up into the mountains today,
0:28:17 > 0:28:22you can still feel and imagine those scenes,
0:28:22 > 0:28:24and even Dr Beeching can't change that.
0:28:51 > 0:28:54Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:28:54 > 0:28:57E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk