0:00:02 > 0:00:06Britain was once a difficult country to cross.
0:00:06 > 0:00:11Roads were few and paths obscure.
0:00:11 > 0:00:18And yet our ancestors travelled, for work and for pleasure.
0:00:18 > 0:00:21For faith and for fortune.
0:00:21 > 0:00:24But the routes that they followed are lost.
0:00:26 > 0:00:30I'm going to rediscover them and the people who took them.
0:00:30 > 0:00:33What they saw and why they travelled.
0:00:33 > 0:00:37Who they met and where they went.
0:00:37 > 0:00:40I'm following the forgotten routes that made this country great.
0:00:48 > 0:00:50And this week I'm in Scotland.
0:00:52 > 0:00:55I'm here to explore a route
0:00:55 > 0:00:59that provided one of this country's greatest exports.
0:00:59 > 0:01:02Your fillet steak. Enjoy your dinner.
0:01:02 > 0:01:06Thank you. Mm, beef.
0:01:06 > 0:01:08- What's the best beef?- Scotch beef.
0:01:08 > 0:01:11But the journey that this meat has made
0:01:11 > 0:01:14to that world renowned status
0:01:14 > 0:01:18is not only the history of Scotland,
0:01:18 > 0:01:22but also the history of the way that the rest of the world
0:01:22 > 0:01:24perceives Scotland.
0:01:24 > 0:01:27And it's a journey that is well worth taking.
0:01:29 > 0:01:32So, come with me and join one of the teams
0:01:32 > 0:01:33that drove vast herds of cattle
0:01:33 > 0:01:39from the islands and highlands of Scotland, down to the lowland towns.
0:01:39 > 0:01:43Many were bound, ultimately, for the greatest market of them all,
0:01:43 > 0:01:45in Smithfield, in London,
0:01:45 > 0:01:47so that meat could be put on the plate
0:01:47 > 0:01:50of the great British beef eater.
0:01:51 > 0:01:55Droving has left us with quite a cultural legacy,
0:01:55 > 0:01:59as well as a network of lost drovers roads that snaked across Britain.
0:02:02 > 0:02:04I'm going to follow one of these ancient routes
0:02:04 > 0:02:06from the North West of Skye,
0:02:06 > 0:02:10through a maze of trackways that criss-cross the Highlands
0:02:10 > 0:02:13and down into what was once Scotland's greatest cattle market,
0:02:13 > 0:02:15at Falkirk.
0:02:15 > 0:02:19Together, with four beautiful Highland cattle,
0:02:19 > 0:02:24I'm going back to the 1800s, when droving was at its height...
0:02:25 > 0:02:30..when drovers swam their cows across vast stretches of water...
0:02:31 > 0:02:34That's a first for me. Herding cows by boat.
0:02:34 > 0:02:38..braved precarious mountain passes
0:02:38 > 0:02:42and lead their herds straight through the heart of the town.
0:02:42 > 0:02:44By the end of the journey, I want to discover
0:02:44 > 0:02:48how the Highland drover became the original cowboy
0:02:48 > 0:02:50of the American Wild West.
0:02:55 > 0:02:58Scotland has almost 800 islands.
0:03:00 > 0:03:04Skye is amongst the biggest and it's topped
0:03:04 > 0:03:08by one of the most forbidding mountain ranges in Britain,
0:03:08 > 0:03:10the Cuillin.
0:03:10 > 0:03:14Nonetheless, by 1800,
0:03:14 > 0:03:19people had been herding, raising and living off their cattle
0:03:19 > 0:03:21in this place for 3,000 years.
0:03:23 > 0:03:26And every year, they faced the same dilemma.
0:03:27 > 0:03:33It's the beginning of October and the weather is coming in.
0:03:33 > 0:03:39If I'd lived here on the extremities of the British Isles 200 years ago,
0:03:39 > 0:03:42this is the time when I'd be trying to bring my cattle
0:03:42 > 0:03:45down from the hills.
0:03:45 > 0:03:46Come on.
0:03:48 > 0:03:51And that's easier said than done.
0:03:51 > 0:03:52This way.
0:03:52 > 0:03:56But, there will be no pasture on the high tops in winter.
0:03:56 > 0:03:58Stay there.
0:03:58 > 0:04:03In the Stone Age, the ancestors of the people who lived here
0:04:03 > 0:04:06would have actually worshipped these beasts.
0:04:06 > 0:04:09Now, these cows are precious,
0:04:09 > 0:04:14a four-legged currency and difficult to deal with.
0:04:20 > 0:04:23What happens is I have to gather them together
0:04:23 > 0:04:27because there won't be enough feed during the winter
0:04:27 > 0:04:32to keep them down around the farm.
0:04:32 > 0:04:34Some of them are going to have to go to market
0:04:34 > 0:04:38and that's about 200 miles in that direction.
0:04:39 > 0:04:46And so begins one of the great annual migrations in Britain.
0:04:47 > 0:04:49Come on here, come on.
0:04:49 > 0:04:52And there are no lorries and no trains.
0:04:52 > 0:04:55They'll have to transport themselves by walking.
0:04:57 > 0:05:02As will Ruari Ormiston, the owner of these thoroughbred highlanders.
0:05:02 > 0:05:05And like his novice assistant,
0:05:05 > 0:05:07Ruari knows how to get his cattle to do what he wants.
0:05:07 > 0:05:10It's called cattle nuts.
0:05:10 > 0:05:13That's the way to do it.
0:05:13 > 0:05:16You don't need to run about, they'll come to you.
0:05:16 > 0:05:19OK, I think I've got a bit to learn, Ruari, haven't I?
0:05:19 > 0:05:22It's called bribery.
0:05:22 > 0:05:25This is my father, Cameron.
0:05:25 > 0:05:27- Cameron, hi.- How are you? - Pleased to meet you.- Good.
0:05:27 > 0:05:30- Are you coming with us? - I am hoping to.
0:05:30 > 0:05:33I hope you don't mind me asking, how old are you?
0:05:36 > 0:05:38- I'm not very sure myself. - Are you not?
0:05:38 > 0:05:40Of course he is.
0:05:40 > 0:05:45I happen to know that Cameron is 82 and pretty determined with it.
0:05:45 > 0:05:46Come on.
0:05:49 > 0:05:53And we're off, hoping to retrace the still-just-visible signs
0:05:53 > 0:05:59of the old drovers roads for 240 miles across dirt tracks,
0:05:59 > 0:06:01mountain paths and even public roads.
0:06:03 > 0:06:06We've got just four cows with us.
0:06:06 > 0:06:11Horny, Frosty, Claire and the matriarch of our group, Cydonia.
0:06:11 > 0:06:13Come on, come on.
0:06:13 > 0:06:17The first thing that I learn, is that this is no giddy stampede.
0:06:18 > 0:06:24The drover covered about 15 miles a day, a leisurely stroll,
0:06:24 > 0:06:27enough to permit the cattle to graze on the way,
0:06:27 > 0:06:30because they needed to be fattened for market,
0:06:30 > 0:06:32not worn down by the journey.
0:06:34 > 0:06:37Back in 1800, this drove from Skye to Falkirk
0:06:37 > 0:06:39would have taken us two to three weeks.
0:06:39 > 0:06:43These weren't the fittest of cows that went, either.
0:06:43 > 0:06:46Unlike today's young beef, in 1800,
0:06:46 > 0:06:49it was the oldest and the weakest that were sent.
0:06:49 > 0:06:52Not excluding myself.
0:06:56 > 0:07:00It's a painstaking business.
0:07:00 > 0:07:02Who'd have thought it, eh?
0:07:02 > 0:07:04You just think you're going to go for a walk
0:07:04 > 0:07:07and just somehow the cows will walk with you.
0:07:07 > 0:07:10But in fact the cows have their own agenda.
0:07:11 > 0:07:14Munch, munch, munch, "OK, I'll walk another few steps."
0:07:14 > 0:07:17Munch, munch, munch. "All right, OK, if you like, OK, no,
0:07:17 > 0:07:19"I'm going in the other direction."
0:07:19 > 0:07:22Just goes on. It's continuous. All day long.
0:07:22 > 0:07:24It's wearing me out, honestly!
0:07:27 > 0:07:29Well, no, not really.
0:07:29 > 0:07:31Crossing the breadth of Skye,
0:07:31 > 0:07:34we at last reach the point where the drove road from the West
0:07:34 > 0:07:36converges with the one from the East.
0:07:38 > 0:07:42We're driving our own beasts, but back in 1800,
0:07:42 > 0:07:46droving tended to be carried out by specialist, tough, businessman.
0:07:46 > 0:07:48The small farmers on Skye
0:07:48 > 0:07:51would be expected to give a proportion of their livestock
0:07:51 > 0:07:54up to the laird as rent for their land,
0:07:54 > 0:07:56and so it was often the laird himself
0:07:56 > 0:08:00who'd hire a man to get the lot down south.
0:08:00 > 0:08:03By the time he reached this bridge,
0:08:03 > 0:08:07the drover might have accumulated anything up to 100 cattle
0:08:07 > 0:08:10from various different sources.
0:08:10 > 0:08:13'It would have been like Hyde Park Corner around here.'
0:08:13 > 0:08:15Come on!
0:08:15 > 0:08:19It's the walking coat rack I haven't quite got used to yet,
0:08:19 > 0:08:21it's the idea that...!
0:08:21 > 0:08:23- COWS BELLOW - Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!
0:08:23 > 0:08:27Woah! Come on! Come on! Come on!
0:08:27 > 0:08:28- Hey!- Come on!
0:08:28 > 0:08:32And I haven't got my cow call quite worked out yet.
0:08:32 > 0:08:34You know what I mean?
0:08:34 > 0:08:36You need a, "Yodel-oh-ho-ee"!
0:08:36 > 0:08:38Or a, "Yippee! Whoop! Hey!"
0:08:38 > 0:08:40COWS BELLOW
0:08:48 > 0:08:51We're in Sligachan now -
0:08:51 > 0:08:54where there was, er, a tryst,
0:08:54 > 0:08:57or a special market, established in 1794
0:08:57 > 0:09:01by MacLeod of MacLeod.
0:09:01 > 0:09:02But it's also a stance -
0:09:02 > 0:09:06it's a place where people stayed for the night.
0:09:07 > 0:09:11A stance was a sheltered area of grazing land
0:09:11 > 0:09:15that was recognised as a place where drovers could break camp
0:09:15 > 0:09:17and graze their cattle.
0:09:17 > 0:09:19In the 19th century,
0:09:19 > 0:09:21before the arrival of modern breeding techniques,
0:09:21 > 0:09:25cattle were at least 40% smaller than they are today.
0:09:25 > 0:09:29Not much bigger than sheep, in fact.
0:09:31 > 0:09:35I'll catch up with the girls a little later.
0:09:35 > 0:09:37I've realised I'm not really prepared
0:09:37 > 0:09:40for this dreich Highland weather,
0:09:40 > 0:09:42so I've made a bit of a detour
0:09:42 > 0:09:45to Portree - the main town on Skye -
0:09:45 > 0:09:48to find...something suitable.
0:09:49 > 0:09:52Back in 1800, they didn't believe in fussing around
0:09:52 > 0:09:54with anything too tailored.
0:09:54 > 0:09:56I've been given...
0:09:56 > 0:09:58this.
0:09:58 > 0:10:01It's a feileadh mor, or "great kilt".
0:10:01 > 0:10:05And effectively, a man...on a drove
0:10:05 > 0:10:09would have taken with him little more
0:10:09 > 0:10:12than six to nine yards
0:10:12 > 0:10:15of woolly cloth.
0:10:15 > 0:10:19The oil in the cloth would have formed
0:10:19 > 0:10:23a sort of wet suit. In fact, when he woke up in the morning,
0:10:23 > 0:10:27he was enjoined to rub it in the dew until it was nice and damp
0:10:27 > 0:10:31then hold it over the fire, and he got a bit of warmth in him,
0:10:31 > 0:10:35and then basically start wrapping himself in it.
0:10:35 > 0:10:37Ha!
0:10:37 > 0:10:41It's the sort of grand-daddy
0:10:41 > 0:10:44of those...skirts, highly-coloured skirts,
0:10:44 > 0:10:47that we see accountants wearing in Brisbane
0:10:47 > 0:10:49on Burns Night.
0:10:49 > 0:10:53But of course, many of those Australians -
0:10:53 > 0:10:55and Americans, too, for that matter -
0:10:55 > 0:10:59have a genuine claim to wearing the tartan,
0:10:59 > 0:11:03so rooted in the history of these cattle lands.
0:11:03 > 0:11:07200 years ago, the population here was five times what it is today.
0:11:07 > 0:11:10That was until tens of thousands of crofters
0:11:10 > 0:11:13were forced off the land by the lairds,
0:11:13 > 0:11:14who wanted to replace them -
0:11:14 > 0:11:17and their cows - with lucrative sheep farming.
0:11:17 > 0:11:20SHEEP BLEAT
0:11:20 > 0:11:23These were the infamous Highland clearances.
0:11:23 > 0:11:26Many crofters and drovers chose to emigrate
0:11:26 > 0:11:27rather than starve,
0:11:27 > 0:11:30taking their cattle-ranching skills with them
0:11:30 > 0:11:32to the four corners of the globe.
0:11:32 > 0:11:34SEAGULLS SCREECH
0:11:34 > 0:11:37'For us, today,
0:11:37 > 0:11:39'the journey is not so great...'
0:11:39 > 0:11:40Come on! Walk this way, please!
0:11:40 > 0:11:44'..but it does have its own problems.'
0:11:44 > 0:11:47We've come to one of our first major obstacles,
0:11:47 > 0:11:51and that's a stretch of water to get ourselves across to the mainland.
0:11:51 > 0:11:53I've been sent ahead, in fact, to try and stop them
0:11:53 > 0:11:56jumping into the ocean on either side.
0:11:56 > 0:11:59To get to the mainland, drovers brought their cattle
0:11:59 > 0:12:04to Kyle Rhea, where the passage across the sea is at is narrowest.
0:12:04 > 0:12:07But this ferry service
0:12:07 > 0:12:10has only been operating since 1934.
0:12:10 > 0:12:12Come on!
0:12:12 > 0:12:16'Cattle can get spooked by the sound of their own hooves
0:12:16 > 0:12:20'on hollow surfaces, such as wood or metal,
0:12:20 > 0:12:24'which is one of the reasons I think they're reluctant to get on board.'
0:12:24 > 0:12:25Here we go, Griff, try that!
0:12:25 > 0:12:28'Yes, cattle nuts - generally the answer to all our prayers
0:12:28 > 0:12:30'but not in Cydonia's case.
0:12:30 > 0:12:34'She just doesn't want to get on board.'
0:12:34 > 0:12:36Where's she gone?
0:12:36 > 0:12:39- You get up there... - Oop, she's gone right behind there.
0:12:39 > 0:12:42Come on! Come on! Stop her going that way!
0:12:42 > 0:12:46'This has become more like Pamplona than the Inner Hebrides.
0:12:46 > 0:12:50'We're talking about 1,200lb of angry beef...
0:12:50 > 0:12:53'with horns attached.
0:12:53 > 0:12:57'But with a little sweet-talking, we overcome her reservations.'
0:12:57 > 0:12:58COW BELLOWS
0:12:58 > 0:13:00FERRY HORN BLASTS
0:13:00 > 0:13:04Back in 1800, the only way the drovers could get their cattle
0:13:04 > 0:13:07over this fast-moving channel was to force them to swim.
0:13:11 > 0:13:156,000 cows were coaxed across Kyle Rhea every autumn.
0:13:15 > 0:13:20But because of the strong current, not all of them survived.
0:13:20 > 0:13:23I've come to find out how it was done, from Huw, the skipper.
0:13:23 > 0:13:27Well, they'd have taken a calf across...
0:13:27 > 0:13:31initially, in maybe a small rowing boat or something like that.
0:13:31 > 0:13:34And they would have tethered it the other side,
0:13:34 > 0:13:37to where the cattle were, and they'd have led Mum in,
0:13:37 > 0:13:40and they'd have probably prodded the calf a bit, to make it...
0:13:40 > 0:13:43- Bleat.- ..bleat, move.- Yeah.
0:13:43 > 0:13:46And Mum would have heard it, and of course,
0:13:46 > 0:13:50that bond is very strong, so she'd have swum across.
0:13:50 > 0:13:53This is no joke, to get them across here -
0:13:53 > 0:13:55no joke.
0:13:55 > 0:13:58Cattle swimming may be no joke,
0:13:58 > 0:14:02but there's one place in Skye where it still goes on.
0:14:02 > 0:14:06Little Staffin Island lies just off the north coast,
0:14:06 > 0:14:09and somehow, local farmer Ian MacDonald
0:14:09 > 0:14:11swims his entire herd of cattle
0:14:11 > 0:14:16over to the island to graze on the pasture every October.
0:14:16 > 0:14:18The cattle are stampeded down the beach.
0:14:18 > 0:14:21There's a big shelf just off the shore, and suddenly,
0:14:21 > 0:14:23they're all in deep water.
0:14:23 > 0:14:27MEN SHOUT AND WHISTLE, DOG BARKS
0:14:31 > 0:14:35They may all look as if they're swimming for their lives,
0:14:35 > 0:14:38but they're keeping their heads above water,
0:14:38 > 0:14:41and swimming for their lunch.
0:14:41 > 0:14:45Ian has been driving his cattle back and forth to Staffin Island
0:14:45 > 0:14:47for 62 of his 80 years.
0:14:47 > 0:14:49His only concession to age
0:14:49 > 0:14:52is that he now conducts proceedings from a boat,
0:14:52 > 0:14:57when he actually used to swim alongside the cows, in the sea.
0:15:03 > 0:15:05Today, we're lucky, it's quite calm...
0:15:05 > 0:15:07Oh, yes, I was very lucky, yes.
0:15:07 > 0:15:10- But it can be pretty, er... - Oh, yes, yes!
0:15:10 > 0:15:12Aye, it can be...
0:15:12 > 0:15:14I've seen me... We had bullocks in,
0:15:14 > 0:15:17and I've seen them coming ashore way out there.
0:15:17 > 0:15:20- They come up on their own, and, oh...!- What, they just swim away?
0:15:20 > 0:15:23- Yes.- Or get carried away by the current?
0:15:23 > 0:15:25COW MOOS
0:15:26 > 0:15:28In 1800,
0:15:28 > 0:15:31even when cattle were transported in boats -
0:15:31 > 0:15:34as they often were from the Outer Hebrides -
0:15:34 > 0:15:38they were usually thrown off about a half a mile from the shore
0:15:38 > 0:15:41just to give them a good wash.
0:15:41 > 0:15:44But our ladies step on dry land -
0:15:44 > 0:15:47safe and happy.
0:15:52 > 0:15:56We're on the mainland, and now we're following
0:15:56 > 0:15:58the northernmost of two drovers' routes,
0:15:58 > 0:16:01down through Glen Shiell to Cluanie,
0:16:01 > 0:16:04where we hope to make use of a short cut.
0:16:04 > 0:16:08We're imagining our journey as taking place
0:16:08 > 0:16:10on the cusp of the industrial age.
0:16:10 > 0:16:13Before the coming of chemical fertilisers
0:16:13 > 0:16:16and improved agriculture, land was scarce
0:16:16 > 0:16:18and yielded little.
0:16:18 > 0:16:20Geography determined what was farmed.
0:16:20 > 0:16:23All the hills and mountains to the west of Britain
0:16:23 > 0:16:25were cattle country then.
0:16:27 > 0:16:29Well done!
0:16:29 > 0:16:31'Cattle were one of the few forms of food
0:16:31 > 0:16:34'that delivered themselves to market.
0:16:34 > 0:16:38'But as demand for beef in Scotland and England increased,
0:16:38 > 0:16:42'any advancements of the burgeoning industrial age
0:16:42 > 0:16:44'that could be adapted to speed the progress of the drover
0:16:44 > 0:16:47'were grasped with vigour.'
0:16:47 > 0:16:50We're actually on a trackway
0:16:50 > 0:16:53that was built at huge expense
0:16:53 > 0:16:55on top of this boggy ground,
0:16:55 > 0:16:57in order to provide a short cut for drovers.
0:16:57 > 0:17:02And it cut about three days off the journey.
0:17:02 > 0:17:05And it was all part of a giant scheme
0:17:05 > 0:17:09designed to bring improvement to the Highlands -
0:17:09 > 0:17:14which was surveyed and organised by Thomas Telford.
0:17:17 > 0:17:22Telford was one of Scotland's greatest engineers.
0:17:22 > 0:17:25He understood the significance of the drover
0:17:25 > 0:17:29to the Highland economy, and he determined to speed their passage
0:17:29 > 0:17:32- 'where he could.' - Come on, girlies. >
0:17:32 > 0:17:36I like it when they, erm, they sort of hunker down
0:17:36 > 0:17:39- into the wind! - THEY BOTH CHUCKLE
0:17:39 > 0:17:42They just sort of let their shoulders drop a little.
0:17:42 > 0:17:45I think we should be joining them, the way it is today.
0:17:46 > 0:17:49Before this road was built, drovers travelling along Glen Shiell
0:17:49 > 0:17:53were forced to take a wrong road, through the centre of the country.
0:17:53 > 0:17:56But Thomas Telford saw an opportunity to forge a short cut
0:17:56 > 0:17:59through Glen Loyne, which would connect the drover
0:17:59 > 0:18:02to a more direct route to Falkirk.
0:18:03 > 0:18:06I just can't help noticing that our wonderful road
0:18:06 > 0:18:10is coming to a direct halt ahead of us.
0:18:10 > 0:18:11THUNDER AND RAIN
0:18:11 > 0:18:13It looks a bit wet, doesn't it?
0:18:13 > 0:18:16I can see it, look, it actually goes on,
0:18:16 > 0:18:18on the other side of the loch, over there.
0:18:18 > 0:18:23Either it's rained a lot more than any of us have thought,
0:18:23 > 0:18:27or something has happened to change the landscape around here.
0:18:27 > 0:18:29Thankfully, there's somebody to ask.
0:18:29 > 0:18:34Professor Ronan Paxton can often be found knocking about in his region.
0:18:34 > 0:18:38He's an expert on the history of Scotland's great engineering achievements
0:18:38 > 0:18:41and for him, Telford's forgotten road is nirvana.
0:18:41 > 0:18:45Even if it's disintegrating by the minute.
0:18:45 > 0:18:50The last time the road would be used was before the Loch Loyne
0:18:50 > 0:18:53- was flooded by the hydro-electric people in the 1950s.- Right.
0:18:53 > 0:18:57Until that time, this road would be in regular use.
0:18:57 > 0:19:02So in other words, a project to improve the Highlands
0:19:02 > 0:19:05finally wiped out an earlier project to improve the Highlands.
0:19:05 > 0:19:07- You could say that.- I just have.
0:19:07 > 0:19:11The old map shows that by the 1930s,
0:19:11 > 0:19:15Telford's drover's road had become the A87.
0:19:15 > 0:19:20In other words, the main road for motor traffic from Glasgow to the Isle of Skye.
0:19:20 > 0:19:23Back in those days, Loch Loyne was two small
0:19:23 > 0:19:26and separate lochs connected by a river,
0:19:26 > 0:19:31and this was the bridge that carried that road over that river.
0:19:33 > 0:19:37The bridge and the road are still down there somewhere,
0:19:37 > 0:19:40submerged by billions of gallons of water
0:19:40 > 0:19:45and making the odd appearance when summer droughts drain the loch.
0:19:47 > 0:19:51Thomas Telford's pioneering drover's road of the 19th century,
0:19:51 > 0:19:54termed "a road for motor cars of the 20th century",
0:19:54 > 0:19:56is now a disused track
0:19:56 > 0:20:00and stands as an epitaph to an economy built on beef.
0:20:04 > 0:20:10But the weather is fit for neither man, nor beast, nor professor.
0:20:10 > 0:20:14Roland invites me to shelter in the back of his car.
0:20:14 > 0:20:15So, Roland,
0:20:15 > 0:20:19Tell me a little bit about Thomas Telford.
0:20:19 > 0:20:23It has been said and I wouldn't disagree with the fact
0:20:23 > 0:20:28that Telford's improvements have advanced civilisation in Scotland by 100 years.
0:20:28 > 0:20:31How many miles of roads did he build in the Highlands in the end?
0:20:31 > 0:20:35Well, 1,100 miles of roads and about the same number of bridges too,
0:20:35 > 0:20:39which... is a very remarkable achievement.
0:20:39 > 0:20:46Why was this drove route seen as being of such importance?
0:20:46 > 0:20:49Well, because of the actual patronage of the route.
0:20:49 > 0:20:54It was taking something like 20,000 to 30,000 beasts a year.
0:20:55 > 0:20:59It's certainly difficult to imagine such vast numbers of cattle
0:20:59 > 0:21:03passing through this deserted glen today.
0:21:03 > 0:21:04COWS MOO
0:21:04 > 0:21:06We have to turn back.
0:21:06 > 0:21:10We've got to find a way to reconnect with the road
0:21:10 > 0:21:12on the other side of the loch.
0:21:12 > 0:21:17But I'm noticing the girls don't seem to love these hard surfaces.
0:21:17 > 0:21:21Is this road too solid for them though?
0:21:21 > 0:21:23I think it probably was.
0:21:23 > 0:21:27Their feet would wear out quite quickly on a surface like his.
0:21:27 > 0:21:31That's why we keep seeing them going to the other side and walking on the grass.
0:21:32 > 0:21:35Telford's road speeded the passage of the drover,
0:21:35 > 0:21:39but wore down the hooves of the cattle that walked them.
0:21:42 > 0:21:46Luckily, there was a solution available.
0:21:48 > 0:21:50After mobile farrier Robin Pape
0:21:50 > 0:21:54has finished an emergency replacement of various horse's shoe,
0:21:54 > 0:21:59I grab the opportunity to ask Robin how they dealt with cattle.
0:21:59 > 0:22:06- What I understand is they used to take a horseshoe...- Yes.
0:22:06 > 0:22:12..on top, cut it in half, which then gave you two halves, like that.
0:22:12 > 0:22:15And then they used to draw down the area of the toe
0:22:15 > 0:22:17and fold it up like a clip.
0:22:17 > 0:22:21Now, given the horse's foot as we have seen, as we appreciate,
0:22:21 > 0:22:23is one unit. It's a single unit.
0:22:23 > 0:22:27The cow's foot operates on two halves. It's a cloven-footed animal.
0:22:27 > 0:22:31So the way that I understand with these here
0:22:31 > 0:22:37I understand that these would need a little bit of adjustment,
0:22:37 > 0:22:40- but it would go on fairly similar to that.- Right.
0:22:40 > 0:22:43- And that would be it. - OK, but a fiddly job.
0:22:43 > 0:22:44Quite a fiddly job,
0:22:44 > 0:22:47but I suppose like anything else, you get used to it,
0:22:47 > 0:22:49and if you were brought up doing it,
0:22:49 > 0:22:51it was an accepted part of your yearly work.
0:22:51 > 0:22:54Yes, but Cydonia isn't used to it.
0:22:54 > 0:22:57And who can blame her?
0:22:57 > 0:23:00In order to be shod, cattle had to be thrown on to their back
0:23:00 > 0:23:03with their head held down and the legs trussed up with a rope.
0:23:03 > 0:23:08Imagine doing that with 20 to 30,000 beasts.
0:23:12 > 0:23:17We've found the perfect stance near the shores of Loch Arkaig.
0:23:17 > 0:23:20The horses have been hobbled to stop them wandering off.
0:23:20 > 0:23:23The cattle are settling down
0:23:23 > 0:23:26after suffering homesickness during the first couple of days.
0:23:26 > 0:23:29And under Cameron's guidance, it's my turn to cook.
0:23:29 > 0:23:32Yes, porridge again.
0:23:32 > 0:23:36Oats happen to be one of the few crops that can be grown
0:23:36 > 0:23:40in these regions during the short, wet summers.
0:23:40 > 0:23:43- Right.- Aye.- And no milk?
0:23:43 > 0:23:46Well, if you can catch her to milk her, you'll be lucky.
0:23:46 > 0:23:48THEY LAUGH
0:23:48 > 0:23:52The thing about it is you're only having the porridge
0:23:52 > 0:23:55when you stop at night and first thing in the morning.
0:23:55 > 0:23:57And you've got a fire to do it.
0:23:57 > 0:24:01You can go most of the day with nothing else.
0:24:01 > 0:24:04- Right.- Except a good, decent dram.
0:24:04 > 0:24:07A bit of whiskey for now and again. Is that for the cold?
0:24:07 > 0:24:10- The water will like that. - The water will like that.
0:24:10 > 0:24:14When the locals needed extra protein,
0:24:14 > 0:24:16they would actually cut their live cattle
0:24:16 > 0:24:18and add the blood to their porridge.
0:24:18 > 0:24:20- Needs some salt. - Yes, definitely.
0:24:20 > 0:24:24And this meal was the origin of black pudding,
0:24:24 > 0:24:26another great and famous Scottish delicacy.
0:24:28 > 0:24:30I've made a detour.
0:24:30 > 0:24:33Having tasted the drover's life for a few days now,
0:24:33 > 0:24:37I'm curious to understand why Scotch beef developed the reputation it did.
0:24:37 > 0:24:42Butcher George McCrae is going to tell me.
0:24:42 > 0:24:44So, we've got the fillet of beef here.
0:24:44 > 0:24:47By far the most expensive cut, one of the most tender cuts
0:24:47 > 0:24:49but not necessarily the most tasty.
0:24:49 > 0:24:54Ground onto the sirloin. That's the most populous steak.
0:24:54 > 0:24:56Then on the far end down to the best part of the rump,
0:24:56 > 0:24:59that's my favourite.
0:24:59 > 0:25:01I would of thought in a funny sort of way
0:25:01 > 0:25:04that if you're dealing with a tough old beast
0:25:04 > 0:25:07that can survive on the hillside, doesn't that result in tough meat?
0:25:07 > 0:25:09The opposite.
0:25:09 > 0:25:11It's a very, as you say, tough old beast,
0:25:11 > 0:25:15but it can fantastically adapt to the area.
0:25:17 > 0:25:20'The taste all comes from what you put into an animal.'
0:25:20 > 0:25:24And up here in the Highlands, it's fresh air, clean water,
0:25:24 > 0:25:28no pollution. Everything is as good as you can get.
0:25:28 > 0:25:31The grass quality up in the Highlands in summertime
0:25:31 > 0:25:34is fantastic, the best grass in the world.
0:25:34 > 0:25:37The water quality is outstanding.
0:25:37 > 0:25:40The amount of it that comes down is quite a lot as well.
0:25:40 > 0:25:41So ironically,
0:25:41 > 0:25:46what gave Scottish beef its reputation is the very landscape
0:25:46 > 0:25:52that was regarded as too poor and untenable to use for anything else.
0:25:54 > 0:25:56We've now travelled over 100 miles
0:25:56 > 0:25:59and we're about to arrive at Achnacarry,
0:25:59 > 0:26:04the ancestral home of one of the most important clans in Scotland.
0:26:04 > 0:26:09One of the things that I've been wondering as we've been wondering
0:26:09 > 0:26:13is what happens when we cross private land.
0:26:13 > 0:26:15We've been up on the moorlands so far.
0:26:15 > 0:26:20Well, just ahead of us is Castle Achnacarry,
0:26:20 > 0:26:23ancient seat of the Clan Cameron.
0:26:23 > 0:26:26And I suppose, they'll tell me.
0:26:27 > 0:26:31Half of Scotland is still owned by just 500 families.
0:26:31 > 0:26:34And the Camerons of Achnacarry are one of them.
0:26:34 > 0:26:37They've been around since the 14th century.
0:26:37 > 0:26:40They fought at the Battle of Culloden and their vast estate
0:26:40 > 0:26:43once included Ben Nevis, Britain's highest mountain.
0:26:45 > 0:26:47The Clan Cameron is big in these parts.
0:26:47 > 0:26:49HE RINGS DOORBELL
0:26:49 > 0:26:51I want to find out more about the Laird's involvement
0:26:51 > 0:26:54in the cattle rearing business.
0:26:54 > 0:26:56- Hello.- Hi. - Very nice to met you.
0:26:56 > 0:26:59Donald Cameron is an Edinburgh lawyer,
0:26:59 > 0:27:03but up here in the Highlands, he's known as the Younger of Locheil.
0:27:03 > 0:27:07As clan chief in waiting, I asked Donald to explain to me
0:27:07 > 0:27:09what exactly a clan is.
0:27:09 > 0:27:12It comes from the Gaelic for children.
0:27:12 > 0:27:16And that's very fundamental to understanding what it is,
0:27:16 > 0:27:21because it's basically a family and the system in Scotland,
0:27:21 > 0:27:27the clan system was one where the chief was at the apex of this family.
0:27:27 > 0:27:30Everyone in the clan took his name,
0:27:30 > 0:27:34Cameron, for example and owed him allegiance
0:27:34 > 0:27:37and in return for their allegiance, he would protect them.
0:27:37 > 0:27:38- Thank you.- There we are.
0:27:38 > 0:27:42And if you came from Skye and you weren't a Cameron,
0:27:42 > 0:27:44when you came here, you thought,
0:27:44 > 0:27:51is it a wise idea to cross these lands with my cattle,
0:27:51 > 0:27:54when the cattle thieving is a sort of gentlemen's occupation?
0:27:54 > 0:27:56Rife. Absolutely.
0:27:56 > 0:27:59And people would think nothing of just lifting,
0:27:59 > 0:28:01lifting as they say, lifting...
0:28:01 > 0:28:04- A toll, perhaps? - A toll, of whoever it was.
0:28:04 > 0:28:09Cattle thieving had been the drover's greatest fear,
0:28:09 > 0:28:12but after their defeat at the Battle of Culloden in 1745,
0:28:12 > 0:28:18the Scottish clans had the right to bear arms removed for ever.
0:28:19 > 0:28:23And in fact the only civilians permitted to continue to carry guns
0:28:23 > 0:28:27to protect themselves and their cattle, were the drovers.
0:28:27 > 0:28:30Perhaps that was the reason that cattle lifting
0:28:30 > 0:28:35had gradually died out by the time we were coming through in 1800,
0:28:35 > 0:28:40though I was interested to find out how deadly a drover might be.
0:28:40 > 0:28:43Brian Ritchie from Vintage Arms Scotland,
0:28:43 > 0:28:45has brought an 18th century government-issue musket
0:28:45 > 0:28:49for Donald and I to have a go with.
0:28:49 > 0:28:53It's a far more accurate weapon than the pistols the drovers used,
0:28:53 > 0:28:55but how effective was it?
0:28:55 > 0:28:57Because this is a military weapon,
0:28:57 > 0:29:00the ammunition would have been issued to the soldiers
0:29:00 > 0:29:02in the form of a cartridge.
0:29:02 > 0:29:05Strangely enough, cartridge paper with a ball in one end.
0:29:05 > 0:29:08- Is that the origin of the idea of a cartridge?- Yes.
0:29:08 > 0:29:10- Is it?- Yes.- Gosh, OK.
0:29:10 > 0:29:12- In here, we have black gunpowder. - DISTANT DRUMROLL
0:29:12 > 0:29:15That would just get poured down the barrel like that
0:29:15 > 0:29:17and then we simply push the ball under.
0:29:17 > 0:29:22Very fine powder, in the pad, like that.
0:29:23 > 0:29:29Then close the lid and if you watch it, chaps, if you put your ears on
0:29:29 > 0:29:32and we're clear to fire.
0:29:33 > 0:29:36The hammer comes to full cock.
0:29:36 > 0:29:38And...
0:29:38 > 0:29:39Off we go.
0:29:39 > 0:29:41GUNFIRE
0:29:41 > 0:29:46Donald's stalking experience means that he's an ace shot.
0:29:46 > 0:29:50But I'm not sure how many stags he'd bag with this gun.
0:29:50 > 0:29:52- 108.- Me next.
0:29:52 > 0:29:55DRUM ROLL CONTINUES
0:29:59 > 0:30:06I'm immediately failing the basic strength. Good.
0:30:06 > 0:30:09- Now.- And then just shove it in.
0:30:09 > 0:30:12Good tap. Seat it well. That's it, sir.
0:30:12 > 0:30:16Put some priming powder into the pan.
0:30:16 > 0:30:19The expression, the flash in the pan, is where
0:30:19 > 0:30:22he powder charge in the pan goes off
0:30:22 > 0:30:24and for some reason doesn't go through to the barrel,
0:30:24 > 0:30:27- so you get a flash in the pan, but nothing else.- Right.
0:30:27 > 0:30:31Back to full cock. Well in the shoulder.
0:30:31 > 0:30:35- Weight on your front foot. - I'm frightened that the rustlers
0:30:35 > 0:30:37might've got over the hill by now, but let's have a go.
0:30:41 > 0:30:43Good shot, sir.
0:30:43 > 0:30:46- High left.- Oh yes!
0:30:46 > 0:30:51High left is almost off the board.
0:30:51 > 0:30:53I think I'm going to need a little bit more practice
0:30:53 > 0:30:56if anyone wants to take Cydonia off me.
0:30:59 > 0:31:03We haven't been able to cover all of this journey on foot.
0:31:03 > 0:31:07Moving cattle across country is today subject to strict regulations,
0:31:07 > 0:31:11to prevent the spread of diseases, like foot and mouth.
0:31:11 > 0:31:12All aboard.
0:31:12 > 0:31:15And so Cydonia and the girls have had to travel sections
0:31:15 > 0:31:19of the drovers' route in their trailer.
0:31:19 > 0:31:21We've got to cross the Great Glen.
0:31:23 > 0:31:27This is an enormous geological fault
0:31:27 > 0:31:29that cuts Scotland in half.
0:31:29 > 0:31:32It runs from Inverness in the north
0:31:32 > 0:31:33for more than 70 miles
0:31:33 > 0:31:36to Fort William in the South.
0:31:36 > 0:31:38And 80% of it is deep water loughs.
0:31:40 > 0:31:41Once we're on the other side,
0:31:41 > 0:31:45we need to cross the highest and most challenging mountain ranges
0:31:45 > 0:31:47we'll encounter in our entire journey.
0:31:57 > 0:32:00We're back on the trail with Ben Nevis behind us
0:32:00 > 0:32:03and we've still got around 70 miles to go.
0:32:03 > 0:32:05Although the sun is shining at the moment,
0:32:05 > 0:32:08we're going to be descending into Glencoe,
0:32:08 > 0:32:11which has a notorious reputation
0:32:11 > 0:32:13for bad weather amongst other things.
0:32:13 > 0:32:18First though, we've got to climb down the side of a mountain by a route with an ancient name,
0:32:18 > 0:32:21which was revived in the 20th century.
0:32:23 > 0:32:27That's the Devil's Staircase down there,
0:32:27 > 0:32:30called by workers on the dam
0:32:30 > 0:32:32for the hydroelectric scheme up there.
0:32:32 > 0:32:36And they used to come up this path in order to get to the pub
0:32:36 > 0:32:39and on the way back in the darkness, apparently,
0:32:39 > 0:32:41the Devil claimed a few of them.
0:32:50 > 0:32:54The hairpin bends that give the Devil's staircase its name,
0:32:54 > 0:32:58make it easier to travel up and down this treacherous mountainside.
0:32:58 > 0:33:01It's a modern hikers' track now.
0:33:01 > 0:33:04But our cattle are finding this a bit of a struggle.
0:33:04 > 0:33:08Back in 1800, if they'd slipped and broken a leg, that would have been the end of them.
0:33:09 > 0:33:14And each disaster like that threatened to make the whole venture a loss-making enterprise.
0:33:16 > 0:33:19The poor dears have got very sore feet
0:33:19 > 0:33:22on these very hard stones on the hikers trail,
0:33:22 > 0:33:24so we've had to take great loops
0:33:24 > 0:33:27finding the old route down through the grass.
0:33:27 > 0:33:30I think we're just about getting down.
0:33:30 > 0:33:33Onward my darlings! Onward!
0:33:33 > 0:33:35Let us go to pastures new.
0:33:37 > 0:33:41The much wider loops of the drovers' route that that weave their way
0:33:41 > 0:33:45in and out of the tighter zigzags of the modern pathway
0:33:45 > 0:33:47can be seen as a much deeper green
0:33:47 > 0:33:50and that's because the grass is still nourished
0:33:50 > 0:33:54by centuries of cow dung from deep below the surface.
0:34:01 > 0:34:05Cattle droving was a hard life, but it had its rewards.
0:34:05 > 0:34:07It was down to the skill of the drover
0:34:07 > 0:34:10to transport as many cattle as he reasonably could,
0:34:10 > 0:34:13as quickly and as cheaply as possible.
0:34:13 > 0:34:15If he got it right and didn't lose too many
0:34:15 > 0:34:18on the way, the drover could earn between three pounds
0:34:18 > 0:34:20and four pounds a week.
0:34:20 > 0:34:22Which was around four times
0:34:22 > 0:34:26the average wage of an agricultural labourer at the time.
0:34:31 > 0:34:36We're in Glencoe and the weather has turned.
0:34:36 > 0:34:39Luckily though, three miles down the valley is an inn.
0:34:39 > 0:34:43This was the northernmost of a series of drovers' stops
0:34:43 > 0:34:48that ran at about 15-mile intervals all the way to Falkirk.
0:34:51 > 0:34:53Well, there we are. That's a welcome sight.
0:34:53 > 0:34:55That's the Kings House.
0:34:55 > 0:34:58For about 150 years was known
0:34:58 > 0:35:02as the most miserable and wretched place in the Highlands.
0:35:02 > 0:35:04Come on, Zeno. Come on.
0:35:04 > 0:35:05No, no! Come on.
0:35:05 > 0:35:09Oh... Round this way, then. Come on. Come on.
0:35:09 > 0:35:13- GRIFF SIGHS - 'I think Zeno's heard about this place too.
0:35:13 > 0:35:16'It got its name because it was maintained as a barracks.'
0:35:16 > 0:35:18In the 18th century,
0:35:18 > 0:35:23they had to pay a man £9 a year just to keep the place open.
0:35:23 > 0:35:26Dorothy Wordsworth was an early middle-class tourist.
0:35:26 > 0:35:31She came here in 1803 and found it dirty, cold and miserable.
0:35:31 > 0:35:33But for drovers like us,
0:35:33 > 0:35:37The Kings House represents the ultimate in luxury.
0:35:38 > 0:35:41'We find it rather better than Dorothy did.'
0:35:41 > 0:35:44You would always stop different places...
0:35:44 > 0:35:48'I want to know how he thinks our drove is going.'
0:35:48 > 0:35:51- They seem perfectly happy to follow. - Oh, yes.
0:35:51 > 0:35:54But the lead cow...
0:35:54 > 0:35:56she's the boss.
0:35:56 > 0:35:59And they know to follow her.
0:35:59 > 0:36:02Plus the fact of the ponies or the horses,
0:36:02 > 0:36:05as we called them in the old days. They were Highland horses.
0:36:05 > 0:36:07And...
0:36:07 > 0:36:12you know, they sort of build up a friendship amongst them.
0:36:12 > 0:36:15You can see even how the cows look at the horses
0:36:15 > 0:36:17- and how they look at one another. - I could see that.- Aye.
0:36:17 > 0:36:20They were looking all the time to see what the others were doing
0:36:20 > 0:36:23and thinking, "Can I stay here long enough? I've got to catch up."
0:36:23 > 0:36:26There's pure Highlanders, they've got it up here, you know.
0:36:26 > 0:36:28- THEY LAUGH - Well, cheers.
0:36:28 > 0:36:31Good health. Slainte mhath.
0:36:31 > 0:36:34- Slaint mhath. - SPEAKS IN GAELIC
0:36:34 > 0:36:35What does that mean?
0:36:35 > 0:36:38Good health for every day you see and every day you don't.
0:36:38 > 0:36:40- OK. - HE LAUGHS
0:36:41 > 0:36:43And so, to bed.
0:36:43 > 0:36:47Back in 1800, this would have been the first time in weeks
0:36:47 > 0:36:50that the drover hadn't spent the night in the heather.
0:36:50 > 0:36:54But his Phillimore wouldn't have been far away.
0:36:57 > 0:37:01In the southern Highlands, the mountain ranges run east to west,
0:37:01 > 0:37:05with precious few gaps between the peaks.
0:37:05 > 0:37:09One of the few passages through the mountains is Glen Ogle.
0:37:11 > 0:37:14The early drovers were the pathfinders through here.
0:37:14 > 0:37:19Their same route was used by military roads in the 18th century,
0:37:19 > 0:37:22railways in the 19th century, and modern A roads
0:37:22 > 0:37:26and the National Grid's electricity pylons in the 20th century.
0:37:31 > 0:37:36All through the 1700s and 1800s,
0:37:36 > 0:37:40the trade in droving grew enormously.
0:37:40 > 0:37:46It happened because a sort of peace had come to the Highlands.
0:37:46 > 0:37:50The Risings were over and it meant that the trade in cattle
0:37:50 > 0:37:53could become a principal export commodity.
0:37:53 > 0:37:57And then along came the steam engine.
0:37:57 > 0:37:59And everything changed.
0:38:03 > 0:38:06The landscape of the Highlands proved just as difficult
0:38:06 > 0:38:09for the railways to conquer as it had centuries before
0:38:09 > 0:38:10for the early drovers.
0:38:10 > 0:38:14Costly solutions like the Horseshoe Viaduct in Glenfinnan
0:38:14 > 0:38:19were built to avoid boggy ground, and a series of arches in Glen Ogle
0:38:19 > 0:38:22was the only way to deal with the near vertical valley walls.
0:38:22 > 0:38:24But once construction was completed
0:38:24 > 0:38:26and the connections made through to the south,
0:38:26 > 0:38:31the steam train completely took over the mass transportation of cattle.
0:38:37 > 0:38:41The train hasn't run through Glen Ogle for almost 50 years.
0:38:41 > 0:38:46But the route of the line has been converted for walkers and time travelling drovers like us,
0:38:46 > 0:38:48who've reclaimed it.
0:38:48 > 0:38:50But what with all these horns,
0:38:50 > 0:38:55I just hope we don't meet any lonely hikers coming the other way today.
0:38:55 > 0:39:00The horns are pretty vicious looking things.
0:39:00 > 0:39:03- Can they do damage with those horns? - Oh, yes, definitely.
0:39:03 > 0:39:07My own father was injured about 35 years ago by a cow.
0:39:07 > 0:39:10They're worst when they're calving, and they would try and kill you
0:39:10 > 0:39:13if you started to interfere with the calf too much.
0:39:13 > 0:39:17- Look in the eye of Cydonia and suddenly she's going... - HE GRUNTS
0:39:17 > 0:39:20Like that. You know that she means business if she wanted to.
0:39:20 > 0:39:23- Well, when she gives you the eye... - Yeah.
0:39:23 > 0:39:27..it means that she's not happy about something and it's time to respect her.
0:39:27 > 0:39:30Look at the hole in my jacket from the other day.
0:39:30 > 0:39:33She had enough of me pushing her around,
0:39:33 > 0:39:36and she just said, "Hey, wait a minute, mister, I'm in control here."
0:39:39 > 0:39:42I'm no horseman. But after days of cajoling from Rury,
0:39:42 > 0:39:46I've graduated from a humble footsoldier of this drove,
0:39:46 > 0:39:48and clambered up on Zeno.
0:39:48 > 0:39:52See, this is the way to do it. Now I'm a proper cowboy.
0:39:52 > 0:39:55It got a horse, and I can get the horse to move the cattle.
0:39:55 > 0:39:58And as soon as you get up here, you realise what it's all about.
0:39:58 > 0:40:01Even if you can't do a thing with a horse.
0:40:01 > 0:40:04Suddenly you can do things with a horse. Come on.
0:40:04 > 0:40:07Oh, now I've left one behind! Look out. Come on, round, round, round.
0:40:07 > 0:40:12Round, round, round. Come on. Come on. I'll get it.
0:40:12 > 0:40:16Come on, you see, come round like this. Round like this. Come on.
0:40:16 > 0:40:19Come on, let's get the cattle. Come on. Woo!
0:40:19 > 0:40:24Yipee-aye-ohh!
0:40:24 > 0:40:28Yipee-aye-ay!
0:40:28 > 0:40:31I see you're completely unmoved by this, Rury.
0:40:37 > 0:40:41This is Loch Katrine, tourist hotspot of the Trossachs,
0:40:41 > 0:40:45but the reason is became so goes back to the drover's roads
0:40:45 > 0:40:48and one drover in particular
0:40:48 > 0:40:51and a world famous author who immortalised him.
0:40:53 > 0:40:56We were coming on down through Glen Ogle there
0:40:56 > 0:40:59by what is known as the Rob Roy Way,
0:40:59 > 0:41:02and the cattle are now going to continue by truck while I try
0:41:02 > 0:41:07and find out a bit more about that particular legendary Scotsman.
0:41:07 > 0:41:09This steamship has been ferrying tourists
0:41:09 > 0:41:12up and down this loch for over a century.
0:41:12 > 0:41:16It's named after Scotland's greatest novelist for good reason.
0:41:16 > 0:41:18OK, guys, have fun!
0:41:18 > 0:41:21Born towards the end of the 18th century, Walter Scott
0:41:21 > 0:41:24was the first English language writer
0:41:24 > 0:41:26to have a truly international career.
0:41:26 > 0:41:29His principle subject was the Highlands.
0:41:32 > 0:41:36Scott transformed people's image of the Highlander
0:41:36 > 0:41:40from unruly savage into swashbuckling hero.
0:41:40 > 0:41:43He did this by immortalising the story of a real Highlander
0:41:43 > 0:41:46born on the shores of Loch Katrine.
0:41:50 > 0:41:55Rob Roy was a cattle drover.
0:41:55 > 0:41:59He'd been making money by taking cattle from the Highlands
0:41:59 > 0:42:01and selling them in the Lowlands
0:42:01 > 0:42:04and he'd been funded by various rich investors.
0:42:04 > 0:42:07When it all went wrong they wanted their money back
0:42:07 > 0:42:09and he didn't have it.
0:42:11 > 0:42:15And so Rob Roy the drover became Rob Roy the cattle rustler,
0:42:15 > 0:42:17stealing cattle from the rich clan chiefs,
0:42:17 > 0:42:21he was rewritten as Rob Roy, the Robin Hood of Scotland.
0:42:23 > 0:42:26Scott was creating a tartan mania.
0:42:26 > 0:42:30He delivered a romantic version of Highland Scotland
0:42:30 > 0:42:32that has had some staying power.
0:42:32 > 0:42:36- Well, we're up on a Scottish dancing holiday.- Are you?!- Yes.
0:42:36 > 0:42:40- We walk in the day and dance at night.- And where are you from?
0:42:40 > 0:42:42- Where are you based?- Lancashire.
0:42:42 > 0:42:45- We're from Lancashire. - The Fylde Coast.
0:42:45 > 0:42:48You've come from Lancashire to show these Scots up here
0:42:48 > 0:42:49how to do it properly?!
0:42:49 > 0:42:52- Yes! That's right. - Absolutely.
0:42:52 > 0:42:53THEY LAUGH
0:42:53 > 0:42:57Here you are, as Scottish country dancers,
0:42:57 > 0:43:01steeped in the idea of Scotland and the romance of Scotland,
0:43:01 > 0:43:03have you ever read one of Walter Scott's novels?
0:43:03 > 0:43:06I'm afraid I haven't but I will now!
0:43:06 > 0:43:10- No, I've not read them, I'm sorry. - No.
0:43:10 > 0:43:12Me neither. No, that's not true!
0:43:12 > 0:43:18I've read Ivanhoe and Rob Roy, and I used to read them a little bit
0:43:18 > 0:43:23when I was boy, and they are very exciting stories, adventure stories.
0:43:23 > 0:43:26The reality was more down to earth.
0:43:26 > 0:43:30Rob Roy was also known for another practice.
0:43:30 > 0:43:33Demanding money for immunity from raiding.
0:43:33 > 0:43:37It was called a name that we still call today for extortion -
0:43:37 > 0:43:40blackmail.
0:43:40 > 0:43:45Loch Katrine, Roy's birthplace, may seem a romantic name,
0:43:45 > 0:43:48yet Katrine was no flaxen-haired beauty.
0:43:48 > 0:43:52Katrine is the Anglicised version of the Gaelic word, ceathairne
0:43:52 > 0:43:54which means "cattle thief".
0:43:58 > 0:44:01We've reached the Scottish Lowlands.
0:44:01 > 0:44:03After 150 miles,
0:44:03 > 0:44:06the land is finally floorboard flat
0:44:06 > 0:44:09hence the meandering of the River Forth.
0:44:09 > 0:44:12Slow moving though it might be, this river can be deep,
0:44:12 > 0:44:16and in order to reach Falkirk, the drovers and their cattle
0:44:16 > 0:44:20had to wade across a shallow section of the river at the Ford of Frew.
0:44:24 > 0:44:26Is it too deep, girls?
0:44:26 > 0:44:29The cow looks pretty strong there, too.
0:44:29 > 0:44:32So the problem for us is if we took them across,
0:44:32 > 0:44:35even though we might get one across, they might swim,
0:44:35 > 0:44:38but when they're swimming they're caught by the current,
0:44:38 > 0:44:41they'll go whooshing down towards Edinburgh
0:44:41 > 0:44:43and that's the end of them.
0:44:43 > 0:44:47We don't want to lose one. Come on, girls, get out of the water.
0:44:47 > 0:44:49Come on, Claire, hurry up!
0:44:49 > 0:44:52Claire, get out of there, come on.
0:44:52 > 0:44:55Come on, Claire, you've had your swim.
0:44:55 > 0:44:57That's it, good girls.
0:44:57 > 0:45:00That'll cool your feet down after that long walk.
0:45:00 > 0:45:04Well, we'll have to look for another way across.
0:45:04 > 0:45:05And there is one.
0:45:05 > 0:45:13It's existed since 1500 but drovers were not keen on this alternative.
0:45:16 > 0:45:19Stirling is gateway to the Highlands
0:45:19 > 0:45:22and the ancient capital of Scotland, but what we're looking for
0:45:22 > 0:45:27is Stirling Bridge which has stood here for 500 years.
0:45:27 > 0:45:31It afforded a reliable passage across the River Forth,
0:45:31 > 0:45:34but at a price.
0:45:34 > 0:45:38A toll was levied from a booth in the middle of the bridge.
0:45:38 > 0:45:42Those limited profit margins were being eroded once again.
0:45:44 > 0:45:49From Stirling, it's little more than ten miles to Falkirk.
0:45:49 > 0:45:52Nowadays, it's hard to see where you might find space to accommodate
0:45:52 > 0:45:55a quarter of a million animals as they want did.
0:45:55 > 0:45:57But surprisingly, perhaps,
0:45:57 > 0:46:02the site of the great cattle tryst of the 19th century still exists.
0:46:02 > 0:46:05Tucked away behind the town's quiet residential streets.
0:46:07 > 0:46:13Well, we finally made it to Falkirk at the site of the famous tryst.
0:46:13 > 0:46:16Tryst, deriving from the word trust, it's the place where bargains
0:46:16 > 0:46:22were made and cattle were sold, but it's changed it use now.
0:46:26 > 0:46:29By the early 19th century, the biggest cattle droves
0:46:29 > 0:46:34approaching Falkirk could stretch up to seven miles in length.
0:46:35 > 0:46:41150,000 cattle and 200,000 sheep could change hands in on season.
0:46:41 > 0:46:43For almost 100 years,
0:46:43 > 0:46:47Falkirk tryst was one of the biggest cattle markets on the planet.
0:46:51 > 0:46:56At the time of the tryst, huge sums of money passed hands here
0:46:56 > 0:46:59because this was the market.
0:46:59 > 0:47:04It was paid in gold and also, often, in promissory notes.
0:47:04 > 0:47:07It was the beginning of the Scottish banking system.
0:47:10 > 0:47:14And talking of money, Rharidh and Cameron have arranged
0:47:14 > 0:47:15to have their cattle valued.
0:47:17 > 0:47:21David Leggat is the most respected livestock auctioneer in the country
0:47:21 > 0:47:24and we're hoping he's going to put a decent price on the heads
0:47:24 > 0:47:26of our Highlanders.
0:47:26 > 0:47:29Cameron's got a few bits of advice to give me.
0:47:29 > 0:47:34Remember and tell it now, that the older cow has been producing milk
0:47:34 > 0:47:40for the last three or four winters for your own bairns.
0:47:40 > 0:47:43- For MY own bairns? - Aye, for your own bairns.
0:47:43 > 0:47:46They've go to get something, you know.
0:47:46 > 0:47:52It's the good milk from the Highland cow that puts the bone into them.
0:47:52 > 0:47:57- Right. And that makes them more tasty, does it?- Yes.- Into my bairns?
0:47:57 > 0:48:00I'm not trying to sell my bairns, though! I'm trying to sell the cows.
0:48:00 > 0:48:03I know, but this will put the price up.
0:48:03 > 0:48:08- Looking at these, what's your first impression?- They're really good.
0:48:08 > 0:48:12They're very typical of the breed. Nice, long cattle.
0:48:12 > 0:48:15You have to remember that nowadays, they're beef cattle
0:48:15 > 0:48:18whereas in the old days the Highland breed was used for beef and milk.
0:48:18 > 0:48:20They were the house cow.
0:48:20 > 0:48:22So today, let's get down to the nitty gritty,
0:48:22 > 0:48:28how much would you be expecting to pay for this?
0:48:28 > 0:48:33This one's probably the most valuable one. Probably 2-2,500.
0:48:35 > 0:48:39These two are the same age but this one's black, as you see,
0:48:39 > 0:48:43with a white underbelly, and that's a great sign of milk,
0:48:43 > 0:48:46so she would be potentially more maternal.
0:48:46 > 0:48:49Maybe 1,800-2,000. And I think this is 12-1,500.
0:48:49 > 0:48:50Oh!
0:48:50 > 0:48:53- There's quite a difference.- And what about Sedonia, the mother?
0:48:53 > 0:48:59I can tell you that this lovely Sedonia over here has been feeding
0:48:59 > 0:49:03my own children for the last four years, as well as her own calves.
0:49:03 > 0:49:08- She's done well, then!- Yes, she has. She's a very good milker.
0:49:08 > 0:49:14- Right, I see.- Does that influence your choice?- Not really.- No!
0:49:14 > 0:49:18- She's still got a value.- What sort of value are we talking about?
0:49:18 > 0:49:20- Probably around 1,000.- OK.
0:49:20 > 0:49:25800 on a poor day, maybe 1,200 on a very good day.
0:49:25 > 0:49:28I'm so happy now!
0:49:28 > 0:49:34I'm going to have to send Cameron in to deal with you later on!
0:49:34 > 0:49:39That's between £6-7,000 for the lot,
0:49:39 > 0:49:41but David's offer isn't tempting Cameron.
0:49:41 > 0:49:43Besides, they were never really up for sale.
0:49:43 > 0:49:45These are the closest Highland cattle ever get
0:49:45 > 0:49:47to being household pets.
0:49:50 > 0:49:52But plenty of others are.
0:49:52 > 0:49:56Stirling Agricultural Centre, one of the biggest livestock auctions
0:49:56 > 0:50:00in the country is the nearest thing to the old Falkirk tryst.
0:50:01 > 0:50:04But today's drovers are truck drivers.
0:50:04 > 0:50:07They bring livestock from all over the country,
0:50:07 > 0:50:11but once they've delivered their load, their job is done
0:50:11 > 0:50:14and it's over to the men in the white coats.
0:50:14 > 0:50:1616, 17...
0:50:16 > 0:50:19Back in 1800, the drover would have sought out a buyer
0:50:19 > 0:50:22and negotiated the sale of his cattle himself.
0:50:22 > 0:50:26Nowadays, auctioneers sell livestock to the highest bidder at
0:50:26 > 0:50:29the most extraordinary speed.
0:50:29 > 0:50:31AUCTIONEER TALKS FAST
0:50:31 > 0:50:34David has invited me onto the podium to see how a livestock auction works.
0:50:34 > 0:50:3716, 17, 18...
0:50:37 > 0:50:41Understanding what the auctioneer is saying is clearly a skill,
0:50:41 > 0:50:43let alone saying it.
0:50:45 > 0:50:49Auctioneers get through 60 to 80 lots an hour.
0:50:49 > 0:50:53A million pounds can go under the hammer in a single day.
0:50:53 > 0:50:58How does he spot the bidders when all they do is nod
0:50:58 > 0:51:00or wink or twitch?
0:51:00 > 0:51:03Say 20...
0:51:03 > 0:51:06Well, I'm going to find out because they want me to have a go.
0:51:06 > 0:51:13David is going to show me the cattle he wants me to auction and introduce me to their owner, Ian Bowie.
0:51:13 > 0:51:15The three that we're looking at here,
0:51:15 > 0:51:18what sort of price are you expecting to get from them?
0:51:18 > 0:51:22- Well, I'd be hoping to get near enough £600 for each of them.- Right.
0:51:22 > 0:51:26- 1,800 all together.- Yes. - What will you be happy with?
0:51:26 > 0:51:30- What's the minimum you might expect? - I cant remember ever being happy!
0:51:30 > 0:51:31No!
0:51:31 > 0:51:33THEY LAUGH
0:51:40 > 0:51:43Seven, five five. Eight five, nine five...
0:51:43 > 0:51:48Very fine cattle we're selling today, lets have a price list...
0:51:53 > 0:51:56Honestly, this is worse than going on at the Palladium.
0:51:56 > 0:52:00We've got a rather special guest auctioneer today.
0:52:00 > 0:52:04He's thinking about a career change, in the form of Griff Rhys Jones.
0:52:04 > 0:52:08So I'm going to hand you over to Griff who will do the sale.
0:52:08 > 0:52:10Where are you, auctioneer?
0:52:10 > 0:52:14- Here I am!- Right.
0:52:14 > 0:52:16Thank you very much, David.
0:52:17 > 0:52:18Let me just check that...
0:52:18 > 0:52:20APPLAUSE
0:52:20 > 0:52:22Good morning, ladies and gentlemen,
0:52:22 > 0:52:26we're looking at three Highland steer here.
0:52:26 > 0:52:29Can we have them? Can we show them, please? Thank you very much.
0:52:29 > 0:52:35Beautiful cattle, property of Mr Ian Bowie of Little Carbeth Farm,
0:52:35 > 0:52:40weighing in at 390kg.
0:52:40 > 0:52:43600, I'm looking for 600.
0:52:43 > 0:52:45550? 500?
0:52:45 > 0:52:49500! 500, 500.
0:52:49 > 0:52:54Looking for 510? 510? 520? 530?
0:52:54 > 0:52:56540? 550?
0:52:56 > 0:52:58560? 570?
0:52:58 > 0:53:00580? 590?
0:53:00 > 0:53:04600? 610, sir?
0:53:04 > 0:53:06610, going once. 610?
0:53:06 > 0:53:08Any more bids, 610?
0:53:08 > 0:53:11610, are you going to come again, sir?
0:53:11 > 0:53:14615? Any bids at 615?
0:53:14 > 0:53:19Going 610, once, twice, sold!
0:53:20 > 0:53:22Thank you very much.
0:53:22 > 0:53:24APPLAUSE
0:53:24 > 0:53:25610.
0:53:25 > 0:53:28Now, two African male elephants.
0:53:28 > 0:53:30LAUGHTER
0:53:32 > 0:53:34We have one final stop on our journey through
0:53:34 > 0:53:37the drover's roads of the past.
0:53:37 > 0:53:4130 miles north of Falkirk, Crieff was the site of the first major
0:53:41 > 0:53:45cattle tryst in Scotland, but by 1770 the rise in the demand
0:53:45 > 0:53:48for beef from London and the Midlands
0:53:48 > 0:53:50forced the business further south.
0:53:52 > 0:53:56In recent years, Crieff has celebrated its historic associations
0:53:56 > 0:54:00by holding an annual tryst festival with a market selling all manner
0:54:00 > 0:54:05of cow-related novelties, a series of talks and drovers walks
0:54:05 > 0:54:11for the bovine enthusiast and even a quiz night devoted entirely to beef.
0:54:15 > 0:54:21BAGPIPERS PLAY SCOTLAND THE BRAVE
0:54:26 > 0:54:31Aye, well, I don't feel a proper drover, I must admit,
0:54:31 > 0:54:34coming from...
0:54:34 > 0:54:39Coming from Fitzrovia, as I do.
0:54:39 > 0:54:41But...
0:54:41 > 0:54:46it's an interesting comment that people have turned out
0:54:46 > 0:54:50to see this and celebrate it.
0:54:50 > 0:54:52They've loved it.
0:54:52 > 0:54:56Whereas once, this town, would have had so many cattle
0:54:56 > 0:54:59passing through it every year,
0:54:59 > 0:55:03that it would have been a matter of almost complete indifference.
0:55:11 > 0:55:14No festival can end without a ceilidh and so we've penned
0:55:14 > 0:55:16Sedonia and the girls out in the courtyard.
0:55:16 > 0:55:20TRADITIONAL CEILIDH MUSIC
0:55:20 > 0:55:24The extraordinary end to this story has still to be told.
0:55:25 > 0:55:28The thousands of Scottish cattle-rearing Highlanders
0:55:28 > 0:55:32that were forced to emigrate to America in the 18th and 19th centuries
0:55:32 > 0:55:35because of the Highland clearances
0:55:35 > 0:55:39went on to become the pioneers of early America.
0:55:39 > 0:55:41The Scottish drovers, in particular,
0:55:41 > 0:55:45adapted their acquired skills of herding and living in the wild,
0:55:45 > 0:55:48husbandry and gunmanship and even the music they played
0:55:48 > 0:55:53around the campfire, to become the original cowboys.
0:55:57 > 0:56:00Musician Brian McNeil has studied the crossovers
0:56:00 > 0:56:02between Scottish folk tunes
0:56:02 > 0:56:04and the music of the early American Wild West.
0:56:06 > 0:56:09I think the first generation of Scots who went over after
0:56:09 > 0:56:13the clearances, they took the music with them and, you know,
0:56:13 > 0:56:16one of the tunes that interests me -
0:56:16 > 0:56:20a very well pink march here, but when I played it to my friend
0:56:20 > 0:56:24in West Virginia and he said "What's the name of that?"
0:56:24 > 0:56:27And I said "It's called Campbell's Farwell To Redcastle",
0:56:27 > 0:56:28and he said "No, it's not,
0:56:28 > 0:56:31"it's called Campbell's Farewell To Red Gap"!
0:56:31 > 0:56:33Play it for me now.
0:56:33 > 0:56:35This is the Scottish version.
0:56:35 > 0:56:38PLAYS CAMPBELL'S FAREWELL TO REDCASTLE
0:56:49 > 0:56:51'Now, here's the American version.'
0:56:51 > 0:56:54PLAYS SAME TUNE FASTER
0:56:58 > 0:57:02In the 20th century, legendary Scottish Americans
0:57:02 > 0:57:07like Chisholm, McTaggert, Quick Draw McGraw and the James Brothers
0:57:07 > 0:57:11became the stars of a whole new culture - the Hollywood Western.
0:57:14 > 0:57:19We've travelled over 200 miles and gone back in time as many years.
0:57:19 > 0:57:21In the process, we've been privileged to see
0:57:21 > 0:57:26how demanding cattle droving really was, but also how droving pioneered
0:57:26 > 0:57:30a series of routes through this difficult and challenging landscape
0:57:30 > 0:57:34that still form the foundation of the roads of Scotland today.
0:57:44 > 0:57:47It's astonishing that we made a journey,
0:57:47 > 0:57:53not just across the Highlands but sort of into the Highlands as well.
0:57:53 > 0:57:57All those things that Walter Scott made popular
0:57:57 > 0:58:01and famous across the world, like the water of life - whiskey,
0:58:01 > 0:58:08like black pudding, like kilts and shortbread and tartan,
0:58:08 > 0:58:13even scotch beef, owe their existence to a culture
0:58:13 > 0:58:18that was based upon grazing and nurturing and selling cattle.
0:58:23 > 0:58:26SONG: "Camptown Races"
0:58:40 > 0:58:43Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd