Great British Railway Journeys (2010–…): Season 1, Episode 13 - Torquay to Totnes - full transcript
In 1840 one man transformed
travel in Britain.
His name was George Bradshaw
and his railway guides inspired
the Victorians to take to the tracks.
Stop by stop,
he told them where to travel,
what to see and where to stay.
Now, 170 years later,
I'm making four long journeys across
the length and breadth of the country
to see what remains of Bradshaw's Britain.
Using my 19th-century Bradshaw's Guide
I'm continuing my rail journey
into the West Country and today
I will reach England's south coast
for the first time.
Its climate, its bays, its beaches
have made it a magnet for tourists
since Victorian times
But its strategic position,
its harbours, its inlets,
have made it vital for Britain's defence
for centuries before that.
Today I'll be discovering why Torquay
was a magnet for Victorian invalids.
You've got 3000 miles of Atlantic Ocean
on your doorstep with nice clean air
coming in off the Atlantic,
so that's good for your lung disorders.
I'll be salmon-fishing
on the beautiful Dart Estuary.
I tell you, Nick, these city hands
have not done work like this
in their lifetime, probably.
And I'll be finding out
about Britain's first local currency.
When you shop in the supermarket,
80% of that money
leaves Totnes the next morning.
This is a currency
that can't go anywhere else.
I'm almost halfway through my journey from
Swindon along the Great Western Railway.
This line to Somerset, Devon and Cornwall
opened the way for a new tourism industry.
After exploring the English Riviera,
I'll head to the end
of the line at Penzance.
For the next leg of my journey,
I'm travelling from Weston-super-Mare,
south to Torquay
before heading
up the Dark Estuary to Tomes.
Today my first train takes me
along the beautiful South Devon coast.
It was one of the hardest sections
of the Great Western Railway to build
but it's resulted in the most spectacular
views for the train traveller.
Bradshaw's Guide
is ecstatic about this view.
"This part of the line is invested
with additional interest
from the magnificent scenery
which opens up on each side
as we proceed.“
"There's scarcely a mile traversed
which does not unfold
some peculiar picturesque charm
or new feature of its own
to make the eye dazzled
and drunk with beauty.“
And as the sun rises to my left,
I know exactly what the guidebook means.
The railway's designer,
Isambard Kingdom Brunet,
wanted to construct the tine
further inland
but was forced to follow
the line of the beach.
It meant boring five tunnels
through the cliffs
and building four mites of sea watt
to protect the tracks.
It's an extraordinary
engineering achievement.
But it doesn't always
keep the water at bay.
The fact that the railway line
was built along the sea
means that we have those wonderful views
but it also means that the railway line
gets pelted by storms and by spray
and if water levels go on rising,
it can only get worse.
When the fine reached Torquay in 1848,
the Great Western Railway began
promoting it as a holiday destination.
It was an immediate hit
with the Victorian tourists
and Torquay grew into a bustling resort.
One of its main attractions
was the mild climate.
My Bradshaw's Guide even compared it
to the South of France, saying,
"Torquay has been described
somewhat characteristically
as the Montpellier of England. "
But do we regard it that way today?
- Hello.
I'm sorry to trouble you.
I see you have a beach hut.
BOTH: We do.
How many months of the year
are you on the beach?
It starts in April
and it goes on until now, September.
April to September is a pretty good season
for England, isn't it?
BOTH: Yes, it is.
Do you think Torquay
has exceptionally good weather?
- I think it does.
- Yes, I suppose so. It is warmer.
- We've had quite a wet summer again.
- Unfortunately.
Like most people.
But I think we do as well as anybody.
It's much milder than, for instance,
the south-east, isn't it?
I'm interested to discover
from meteorologist, David Braine,
whether Torquay really is special.
- Morning, David.
- Morning.
- We meet on a lovely sunny day.
- Beautiful, isn't it?
Why does Torquay have
such a wonderful climate?
It's largely due to the geography,
where it is.
It faces east which means that
most of the year it's well sheltered.
The climate here is pretty much one of
the best in the south-west because of it.
Because of the warm weather,
the Great Western Railway
began to promote this coast to tourists
as the English Riviera.
On one particular bank holiday,
20,000 people passed
through Torquay station in a single day.
Thanks to the railways,
it had become a major resort.
But day-trippers apart,
Bradshaw recommended it
specifically for the sick.
The Victorians were really
quite obsessed about health
and Torquay was regarded
as a terrific place for invalids to come.
And so is this place especially good
for people suffering from illnesses?
I would say yes.
There's a lot going for it.
Bearing in mind in the Victorian times,
there was a lot of air pollution.
The big towns and industrial areas
had an awful lot
of particulate matter in the air.
And those that suffered
from pulmonary disorders
really did suffer because of all
that smoke and gas in the atmosphere.
If you come to the seaside,
you get clean air to start with.
You've also got a more temperate climate.
So if they were suffering from rheumatism,
when they came to this area,
they wouldn't have
those really cold winters.
In the same vein, when you get elderly,
the heat in the summer can be a problem.
So it was a really popular location
because of that.
That probably led the Victorians to become
more interested in climate and weather
and to make some recordings.
For example, it's claimed in here
that the winter temperature of 46°F
is 5°F higher than Exeter.
Is that true?
I can only look at the records
going back to the First World War.
In the winter temperature
there's a degree or so of difference.
- It is slightly warmer here.
- A degree Centigrade?
- Yes.
- So that would be two of his degrees.
- That's correct.
- But not five of his degrees.
Five is a bit much, I think.
The next part of my journey
takes me through other Riviera resorts
on the Paignton and Dartmouth
steam railway.
Anybody who likes railways thinks
that the real thing is the steam train.
I've been on a few steam trains
and I'm told
that this line is exceptional.
I've been told that whatever
I've thought before about steam travel,
I'm going to discover something new today.
I'm also now going up the front
to meet the guys who do
what I think many boys dreamed of doing,
certainly when I was young.
That is to say, shovelling the coal
and driving the engine.
Have you got a moment,
before you set off, fora word?
Pop out, please.
- Come aboard.
- Oh, thank you. Are we coming up?
Driver Barry Damon
and fireman Chris Wilson
have an incurable passion for steam.
The first thing you notice is the enormous
heat coming out of the furnace here.
It's roaring red.
It's a very, very big furnace as well.
Yeah, it is. That fire's dying away
at the moment, actually.
We'll have to do a lot of building up
before we leave.
- That's your job?
- To get the temperature up.
So how do you get to be a fireman?
You are quite young
if you don't mind me saying.
Yeah.
At least four if not five generations
before me have worked on the railways.
So it was going to happen.
Were you crazy about trains as a kid?
Yeah, Thomas The Tank Engine
got out of control, really.
- And you are the driver.
- Yes.
So you're going to be running us
down the line in a moment to Kingswear.
What speed are we going to to at, maximum?
On a heritage line
we're limited to 25 miles an hour.
A very sedate Victorian speed.
I shall enjoy it very much indeed.
That's what the job's about.
Shovel all the coal in.
Got to keep her rolling.
Yeah, I'll get shovelling in a minute,
get the temperature up.
Give the driver the steam
and we'll be on the way.
I look forward to the ride.
(Whistle)
The steam train follows the coast
to Kingswear
at the mouth of the River Dart.
The train edges along by the side
of this magnificent red-coloured beach,
Goodrington Sands.
- £1 supplement.
- Thank you very much indeed.
Thank you very much.
This is a lovely observation car.
What's the history of this?
This was built originally in 1915
as an ambulance car.
People have told me this is
a very special journey. Why is that?
Devon views at their best.
You can't beat this.
It's looking absolutely wonderful
at the moment.
It's usually like this.
Even when it's damp,
you still get the sunshine.
What's the best part of the whole route?
What should I look out for?
Mainly the Torbay area
as we go up towards Churchston.
Then as we drop down towards Dartmouth,
you've got the River Dart on the right
with views to Dartmouth
on the other side.
So it's nothing but highlights?
Really, yeah.
The only place you don't see very much
is in the tunnels.
- All right, thank you.
- OK, sir. Enjoy your ride.
That extra pound is a bargain.
This observation car
is the best vantage point
for this breathtaking journey.
I love it when the train
goes round the corner like this
and you get a good view
of the locomotive up the front.
All that power and steam and smoke
driving our train forward.
Thrilling!
The route is distinguished by yet more
of Brunei's engineering accomplishments,
like the viaducts
at Broadsands and Hook Hills.
(Whistle)
That whistle means a tunnel coming.
I'm going back.
You can imagine the excitement
of a Victorian railway traveller.
Not only did the trains make it possible
for them to do things
they'd never done before.
They also brought them into the heart
of countryside and landscape,
the like of which city dwellers
in particular had never seen.
These days
most users of the line are tourists,
making their way
to the historic town of Dartmouth.
That really was thrilling.
I mean, any steam train journey
is very exciting
and many of them pass
through wonderful countryside.
But, at least in my experience,
that was the most remarkable
for coastal scenery.
Bradshaw's Guide
is often surprisingly up-to-date.
It tells me
there's no bridge across the Dark
and that I win need to take a ferry.
We", it's as true now as it was then.
- Three adults and a child, please.
- That's £5.
On the other side is what's called
Dartmouth railway station,
although there's never been
a train on this bank of the Dan.
It's lovely. It's very distinctive
railway architecture.
It's very beautifully preserved.
This used to be the booking office.
This used to be the waiting room.
And now it's a snack bar.
- Hello.
- Hello, sir. Nice to meet you.
Do you like working
in this beautiful place?
Of course.
When I first heard
that it was designed by Brunel
I was really surprised.
And I like it here.
Actually, for me as a Slovakian,
it is something amazing and special.
Because this culture
and how it was designed and built
is for me new.
It was everything for me new.
This is traditionally a railway station
even though it never had any trains.
That's right.
And I read in the tree park
that it is the only one in the world.
Something like that.
Without actually track.
It's amazing.
And for me Brunel, that means something.
And so you admire Brunel?
Yeah, I admire.
Many beautiful bridges.
Good structures.
I think that some of his projects
will survive ages
and it will be working
for many generations in the future.
Thank you so much.
Very nice to talk to you.
I'm gratified for Brunei that deservedly
his fame has spread to Slovakia.
In the early 19th century
Dartmouth was hard to access even by land.
When the railways reached here in 1864,
it began to thrive as a port.
Bradshaw's Guide on Dartmouth:
"This very ancient sea port is beautifully
situated at the mouth of the Dart,
its harbour affording accommodation
for as many as 500 large vessels
is completely landlocked,
with hills rising 300ft to 400ft."
It wouldn't be long
before the Royal Navy discovered
the attractions of Dartmouth.
The railways also transported
hundreds of recruits
lo the recently opened
Royal Naval College.
If remains the Royal Navy's
single facility for fuming out officers.
And my hotel for the night,
recommended by Bradshaw,
is steeped in Dartmouth's naval past.
- Hi, Mr Portillo.
- Hello.
Hi, I'm Nigel Wade,
genial host and licensee.
- Very nice to see you.
- Have you got a couple of seconds?
This hotel just reeks of naval history.
Well, it's been here since 1639
and Dartmouth is one
of the great seafaring ports
and you're right in the centre of it.
In the 16th century Dartmouth
was also notorious for its privateers.
These government-sponsored pirates
hijacked foreign ships
and sold them for profit.
When a boat was captured,
it was brought in, tied up outside,
and a thing called
"a sale by the candle“ was held
which meant that
in that room just over there
they would say,
“We're going to light this candle.“
"The best offer we get before
the candle goes out can get this ship.“
And that was
how the privateers made their money.
You're being a bit tactful.
You actually mean Spanish ships.
Definitely, yes.
I'm trying to be a little political here.
Well, I think I'll go and look at my room.
Thank you very much.
Well, I hope you sleep well.
Don't take too much notice
of all these stories of ghosts.
- Sleep well.
- Thank you.
Well, there were no flights in the night
and on this bright new morning
I'm about to explore the Dark
with the help of my Bradshaw's Guide.
Bradshaw says that an excursion
up the River Dart to Totnes
is one of the great attractions
to visitors,
that salmon are caught in the Dan,
and that in Totnes the chief employment
amongst the inhabitants is in the fishery.
So it's time to get afloat.
Salmon fisherman Nick Prust
is going to take me out on his boat.
- Do I look the pan?
- Well, yes, son of.
This is a townie's view
of what a fisherman looks like.
- Lovely weather again.
- It is. It's gorgeous. Perfect.
- Are the fish biting?
- Let's hope so.
- We'll see.
- Not too sunny, not too cloudy.
- Let's get going.
- Great.
In Bradshaw's day angling became
a popular sport for Victorian tourists
with the help of the railways.
Anglers arriving by train could even
buy their permit at the local station.
At the same time,
commercial salmon fishing also took off.
I hope you've got it going out properly.
Are you watching it carefully?
- It's going out nicely.
- You always look for someone to blame.
But since Bradshaw's time,
stocks of salmon in the Dart have declined
and now there are only a few
commercial fishermen working the river.
I don't see it pulsing with fish.
Nick is restricted to a rowing boat
and does everything by hand
in the traditional way.
I tell you, Nick, these city hands
have not done work like this
in their lifetime, probably.
I'm always feeling lucky, Michael.
You must always think positive.
Even after at! that effort,
there isn't much of a catch.
50, Nick, three men, two boats,
one television presenter,
one grey mullet.
That's not a particularly high
rate of productivity, is it?
No, it's not.
But that's life, I'm afraid.
That's fishing.
In Bradshaw's day the River Dan
was plied by pleasure steamers
carrying tourists up to Tomes.
And that continued right up until 1965.
That's the trip that Bradshaw recommends
but as there are no steamers today,
Nick will take me there on his motorboat.
Some of this scenery
won't have changed in hundreds of years.
An odd tree may fall down in the river,
but that's about it.
Here's Sharpham House
with the old boathouse.
Sharpham House stands proudly
high above the river
and is today one of Devon's
new wine producers.
There's the vineyard, look,
just showing here now.
What a beautiful sight.
It's a little bit of the continent
arrived in Devon.
NICK: Oh, yes. Definitely.
This tree up here on the left
is known as the cormorant tree.
It was a tree
that was struck by lightning years ago
and the cormorants
just love to come in on it.
All too quickly we're at my next stop.
Is this where you're chucking me out?
This is my Robinson Crusoe moment.
It's been a pleasure.
- Thank you.
- Cheers. Bye.
Whilst the countryside hasn't changed
since Bradshaw's time,
Tomes certainly has.
In Bradshaw's day
the coat-guzzling locomotives
racing across the land
were early carbon-dioxide producers.
Today Tomes is trying
to become more green.
- Are you free?
- Yes, certainly.
So, there's a new kind of taxi in town.
So what brings you to Tomes?
I'm doing a railway journey
around Britain
and I'm using a 19th-century guidebook.
It's brought me to Tomes.
It doesn't mention rickshaws.
Well, the rickshaws have only been
in Totnes for a couple of years.
But it's all pan
of the Transition Town movement, really.
They're trying to highlight
the use of renewables.
So what does this sewing machine run on?
It runs on used cooking oil
from the town.
So I'm running
on somebody's old fish and chips?
Yeah.
- Very green.
- Yes.
Eat chips and save the world.
What are the economics of this?
What does it cost to run this machine?
About £2.80 a week.
That is amazing.
Has the amount of deafness
in the town gone up?
(Driver laughs)
The chip-fat rickshaws are part of
something called Transition Town Totnes,
a global campaign for sustainability
started here by Rob Hopkins.
- Rob.
- Hello, Michael.
- Welcome to Totnes.
- What a lovely spot.
Transition Town Totnes.
What does that mean?
It's an organisation that's been running
here for about three years.
It's about looking at how, as communities,
we respond to climate change
and also to peak oil,
nearing the end of the age of cheap oil
and all that that's made possible.
So Transition
is a positive, proactive response
which says we can either look at those
two things as a crisis and a disaster
or as an opportunity
to be creative and brilliant
and come up with a lot of solutions
that start from here at the grass roots.
So what solutions
have you come up with?
We do lots of stuff around local food,
linking people up with local producers.
We have a Garden Chair scheme,
like a dating agency,
to match people who want to garden with
people who have gardens they don't use.
We have a Solar Bio scheme to try
and get more renewables out on the roofs.
One of the things
that's been extraordinary
is that what started here
is now an international movement.
Hundreds, thousands even, of towns,
cities and villages around the world
are adopting the same model.
There's a paradox there.
It's an international movement
of self-sufficient communities.
It's not about self-sufficiency.
Tomes is never going to make laptops.
But it can source a lot of
its building materials and food and so on
and by doing so, make this economy
much stronger and more robust.
Now, you've got your own single currency.
Is that right?
We do. I have some in my pocket.
This is the Tomes pound.
Which is a scheme we've been running
for a couple of years now
in various experiments.
It's based on the idea that at the moment
you can look at a town like Totnes
as being like a large leaky bucket.
All this money comes in
and just pours straight out again.
You shop in the supermarket, 80% of that
money leaves Totnes the next morning.
This is a currency that can't leave Totnes
and go anywhere else.
The aim of the Tomes pound is
to encourage people to buy local products
and support local businesses.
You can spend it in 80 shops in the town.
And we're very fond of it.
And it recently inspired other places.
This Brixton pound was launched last week.
A slightly different look.
They're all a celebration of the place
and the culture from which they emerge.
They also have a five, a ten
and a 20 pound note as well.
You can pay your council tax
in them there as well.
Well, I'd better go and equip myself
with some currency.
I think you had,
and have fun spending them.
Well, thank you very much.
- Good luck to you.
- Thanks very much.
As it turns out,
I don't have to go far
to find somewhere to change
my Bank of England pounds.
Hello. I've come to buy
some Totnes pounds, please.
How many would you like?
Oh, you do? Right.
- £20 worth I think will be fine.
- Yes.
- What's the exchange rate?
- One for one.
One Totnes pound for one pound sterling.
That seems very reasonable. Thank you.
You're welcome.
- 20 Totnes pounds for 20 pounds sterling.
- Thank you.
Pleasure doing business with you.
I'll put that to the test. Thank you.
I was looking for a railway book.
- There you go. Recommended.
- I've just been on that line.
Very nice.
How much is that in Tomes pounds?
Exactly the same price
as on the cover, sir.
£14.99.
OK.
Let's just see what I've got here.
I'm afraid I've only got one-pound notes.
That's all right. We're just waiting
for them to introduce fivers and tenners.
And could I have
one Totnes penny in change, please?
Unfortunately, we don't do those yet.
- Just your regular penny.
- Just the regular penny.
All right.
- There you go, sir.
- Thank you very much indeed.
I know I'm going to get
a lot of satisfaction out of that.
- There you go, sir.
- Thank you.
- Bye-bye.
- Bye.
What goes around comes around.
Victorian steam trains and ships
enabled Britons
to enjoy the products of the world.
Now Tomes wants us to step back,
to think and act locally.
I think George Bradshaw would be pleased
that I took the tip
and went to Torquay for the healthy air,
and delighted
that I took a boat trip on the River Dart,
but he wouldn't approve
of the Tomes pound.
The Victorians didn't believe in localism.
They were at the heart
of a global trading empire.
And if he knew that Britain
was importing rickshaws from India,
he'd think
the world was standing on its head.
Next time I'll be visiting
the largest china clay mines in the world.
What an extraordinary scene,
like a vast moonscape.
I 7! be finding out
how the Victorians shaped British gardens.
We're celebrating the Victorian tradition
of how things were gardened,
the Victorian attitudes to life,
and also the people
who worked in these gardens.
That's what we regard as lost.
And I'll be discovering
what's happened to the humble pilchard.
There is a big demand for pilchards
which has been renamed the sardine.
Ah. The sardine and the pilchard
are one and the same, are they?
They are exactly the same.
travel in Britain.
His name was George Bradshaw
and his railway guides inspired
the Victorians to take to the tracks.
Stop by stop,
he told them where to travel,
what to see and where to stay.
Now, 170 years later,
I'm making four long journeys across
the length and breadth of the country
to see what remains of Bradshaw's Britain.
Using my 19th-century Bradshaw's Guide
I'm continuing my rail journey
into the West Country and today
I will reach England's south coast
for the first time.
Its climate, its bays, its beaches
have made it a magnet for tourists
since Victorian times
But its strategic position,
its harbours, its inlets,
have made it vital for Britain's defence
for centuries before that.
Today I'll be discovering why Torquay
was a magnet for Victorian invalids.
You've got 3000 miles of Atlantic Ocean
on your doorstep with nice clean air
coming in off the Atlantic,
so that's good for your lung disorders.
I'll be salmon-fishing
on the beautiful Dart Estuary.
I tell you, Nick, these city hands
have not done work like this
in their lifetime, probably.
And I'll be finding out
about Britain's first local currency.
When you shop in the supermarket,
80% of that money
leaves Totnes the next morning.
This is a currency
that can't go anywhere else.
I'm almost halfway through my journey from
Swindon along the Great Western Railway.
This line to Somerset, Devon and Cornwall
opened the way for a new tourism industry.
After exploring the English Riviera,
I'll head to the end
of the line at Penzance.
For the next leg of my journey,
I'm travelling from Weston-super-Mare,
south to Torquay
before heading
up the Dark Estuary to Tomes.
Today my first train takes me
along the beautiful South Devon coast.
It was one of the hardest sections
of the Great Western Railway to build
but it's resulted in the most spectacular
views for the train traveller.
Bradshaw's Guide
is ecstatic about this view.
"This part of the line is invested
with additional interest
from the magnificent scenery
which opens up on each side
as we proceed.“
"There's scarcely a mile traversed
which does not unfold
some peculiar picturesque charm
or new feature of its own
to make the eye dazzled
and drunk with beauty.“
And as the sun rises to my left,
I know exactly what the guidebook means.
The railway's designer,
Isambard Kingdom Brunet,
wanted to construct the tine
further inland
but was forced to follow
the line of the beach.
It meant boring five tunnels
through the cliffs
and building four mites of sea watt
to protect the tracks.
It's an extraordinary
engineering achievement.
But it doesn't always
keep the water at bay.
The fact that the railway line
was built along the sea
means that we have those wonderful views
but it also means that the railway line
gets pelted by storms and by spray
and if water levels go on rising,
it can only get worse.
When the fine reached Torquay in 1848,
the Great Western Railway began
promoting it as a holiday destination.
It was an immediate hit
with the Victorian tourists
and Torquay grew into a bustling resort.
One of its main attractions
was the mild climate.
My Bradshaw's Guide even compared it
to the South of France, saying,
"Torquay has been described
somewhat characteristically
as the Montpellier of England. "
But do we regard it that way today?
- Hello.
I'm sorry to trouble you.
I see you have a beach hut.
BOTH: We do.
How many months of the year
are you on the beach?
It starts in April
and it goes on until now, September.
April to September is a pretty good season
for England, isn't it?
BOTH: Yes, it is.
Do you think Torquay
has exceptionally good weather?
- I think it does.
- Yes, I suppose so. It is warmer.
- We've had quite a wet summer again.
- Unfortunately.
Like most people.
But I think we do as well as anybody.
It's much milder than, for instance,
the south-east, isn't it?
I'm interested to discover
from meteorologist, David Braine,
whether Torquay really is special.
- Morning, David.
- Morning.
- We meet on a lovely sunny day.
- Beautiful, isn't it?
Why does Torquay have
such a wonderful climate?
It's largely due to the geography,
where it is.
It faces east which means that
most of the year it's well sheltered.
The climate here is pretty much one of
the best in the south-west because of it.
Because of the warm weather,
the Great Western Railway
began to promote this coast to tourists
as the English Riviera.
On one particular bank holiday,
20,000 people passed
through Torquay station in a single day.
Thanks to the railways,
it had become a major resort.
But day-trippers apart,
Bradshaw recommended it
specifically for the sick.
The Victorians were really
quite obsessed about health
and Torquay was regarded
as a terrific place for invalids to come.
And so is this place especially good
for people suffering from illnesses?
I would say yes.
There's a lot going for it.
Bearing in mind in the Victorian times,
there was a lot of air pollution.
The big towns and industrial areas
had an awful lot
of particulate matter in the air.
And those that suffered
from pulmonary disorders
really did suffer because of all
that smoke and gas in the atmosphere.
If you come to the seaside,
you get clean air to start with.
You've also got a more temperate climate.
So if they were suffering from rheumatism,
when they came to this area,
they wouldn't have
those really cold winters.
In the same vein, when you get elderly,
the heat in the summer can be a problem.
So it was a really popular location
because of that.
That probably led the Victorians to become
more interested in climate and weather
and to make some recordings.
For example, it's claimed in here
that the winter temperature of 46°F
is 5°F higher than Exeter.
Is that true?
I can only look at the records
going back to the First World War.
In the winter temperature
there's a degree or so of difference.
- It is slightly warmer here.
- A degree Centigrade?
- Yes.
- So that would be two of his degrees.
- That's correct.
- But not five of his degrees.
Five is a bit much, I think.
The next part of my journey
takes me through other Riviera resorts
on the Paignton and Dartmouth
steam railway.
Anybody who likes railways thinks
that the real thing is the steam train.
I've been on a few steam trains
and I'm told
that this line is exceptional.
I've been told that whatever
I've thought before about steam travel,
I'm going to discover something new today.
I'm also now going up the front
to meet the guys who do
what I think many boys dreamed of doing,
certainly when I was young.
That is to say, shovelling the coal
and driving the engine.
Have you got a moment,
before you set off, fora word?
Pop out, please.
- Come aboard.
- Oh, thank you. Are we coming up?
Driver Barry Damon
and fireman Chris Wilson
have an incurable passion for steam.
The first thing you notice is the enormous
heat coming out of the furnace here.
It's roaring red.
It's a very, very big furnace as well.
Yeah, it is. That fire's dying away
at the moment, actually.
We'll have to do a lot of building up
before we leave.
- That's your job?
- To get the temperature up.
So how do you get to be a fireman?
You are quite young
if you don't mind me saying.
Yeah.
At least four if not five generations
before me have worked on the railways.
So it was going to happen.
Were you crazy about trains as a kid?
Yeah, Thomas The Tank Engine
got out of control, really.
- And you are the driver.
- Yes.
So you're going to be running us
down the line in a moment to Kingswear.
What speed are we going to to at, maximum?
On a heritage line
we're limited to 25 miles an hour.
A very sedate Victorian speed.
I shall enjoy it very much indeed.
That's what the job's about.
Shovel all the coal in.
Got to keep her rolling.
Yeah, I'll get shovelling in a minute,
get the temperature up.
Give the driver the steam
and we'll be on the way.
I look forward to the ride.
(Whistle)
The steam train follows the coast
to Kingswear
at the mouth of the River Dart.
The train edges along by the side
of this magnificent red-coloured beach,
Goodrington Sands.
- £1 supplement.
- Thank you very much indeed.
Thank you very much.
This is a lovely observation car.
What's the history of this?
This was built originally in 1915
as an ambulance car.
People have told me this is
a very special journey. Why is that?
Devon views at their best.
You can't beat this.
It's looking absolutely wonderful
at the moment.
It's usually like this.
Even when it's damp,
you still get the sunshine.
What's the best part of the whole route?
What should I look out for?
Mainly the Torbay area
as we go up towards Churchston.
Then as we drop down towards Dartmouth,
you've got the River Dart on the right
with views to Dartmouth
on the other side.
So it's nothing but highlights?
Really, yeah.
The only place you don't see very much
is in the tunnels.
- All right, thank you.
- OK, sir. Enjoy your ride.
That extra pound is a bargain.
This observation car
is the best vantage point
for this breathtaking journey.
I love it when the train
goes round the corner like this
and you get a good view
of the locomotive up the front.
All that power and steam and smoke
driving our train forward.
Thrilling!
The route is distinguished by yet more
of Brunei's engineering accomplishments,
like the viaducts
at Broadsands and Hook Hills.
(Whistle)
That whistle means a tunnel coming.
I'm going back.
You can imagine the excitement
of a Victorian railway traveller.
Not only did the trains make it possible
for them to do things
they'd never done before.
They also brought them into the heart
of countryside and landscape,
the like of which city dwellers
in particular had never seen.
These days
most users of the line are tourists,
making their way
to the historic town of Dartmouth.
That really was thrilling.
I mean, any steam train journey
is very exciting
and many of them pass
through wonderful countryside.
But, at least in my experience,
that was the most remarkable
for coastal scenery.
Bradshaw's Guide
is often surprisingly up-to-date.
It tells me
there's no bridge across the Dark
and that I win need to take a ferry.
We", it's as true now as it was then.
- Three adults and a child, please.
- That's £5.
On the other side is what's called
Dartmouth railway station,
although there's never been
a train on this bank of the Dan.
It's lovely. It's very distinctive
railway architecture.
It's very beautifully preserved.
This used to be the booking office.
This used to be the waiting room.
And now it's a snack bar.
- Hello.
- Hello, sir. Nice to meet you.
Do you like working
in this beautiful place?
Of course.
When I first heard
that it was designed by Brunel
I was really surprised.
And I like it here.
Actually, for me as a Slovakian,
it is something amazing and special.
Because this culture
and how it was designed and built
is for me new.
It was everything for me new.
This is traditionally a railway station
even though it never had any trains.
That's right.
And I read in the tree park
that it is the only one in the world.
Something like that.
Without actually track.
It's amazing.
And for me Brunel, that means something.
And so you admire Brunel?
Yeah, I admire.
Many beautiful bridges.
Good structures.
I think that some of his projects
will survive ages
and it will be working
for many generations in the future.
Thank you so much.
Very nice to talk to you.
I'm gratified for Brunei that deservedly
his fame has spread to Slovakia.
In the early 19th century
Dartmouth was hard to access even by land.
When the railways reached here in 1864,
it began to thrive as a port.
Bradshaw's Guide on Dartmouth:
"This very ancient sea port is beautifully
situated at the mouth of the Dart,
its harbour affording accommodation
for as many as 500 large vessels
is completely landlocked,
with hills rising 300ft to 400ft."
It wouldn't be long
before the Royal Navy discovered
the attractions of Dartmouth.
The railways also transported
hundreds of recruits
lo the recently opened
Royal Naval College.
If remains the Royal Navy's
single facility for fuming out officers.
And my hotel for the night,
recommended by Bradshaw,
is steeped in Dartmouth's naval past.
- Hi, Mr Portillo.
- Hello.
Hi, I'm Nigel Wade,
genial host and licensee.
- Very nice to see you.
- Have you got a couple of seconds?
This hotel just reeks of naval history.
Well, it's been here since 1639
and Dartmouth is one
of the great seafaring ports
and you're right in the centre of it.
In the 16th century Dartmouth
was also notorious for its privateers.
These government-sponsored pirates
hijacked foreign ships
and sold them for profit.
When a boat was captured,
it was brought in, tied up outside,
and a thing called
"a sale by the candle“ was held
which meant that
in that room just over there
they would say,
“We're going to light this candle.“
"The best offer we get before
the candle goes out can get this ship.“
And that was
how the privateers made their money.
You're being a bit tactful.
You actually mean Spanish ships.
Definitely, yes.
I'm trying to be a little political here.
Well, I think I'll go and look at my room.
Thank you very much.
Well, I hope you sleep well.
Don't take too much notice
of all these stories of ghosts.
- Sleep well.
- Thank you.
Well, there were no flights in the night
and on this bright new morning
I'm about to explore the Dark
with the help of my Bradshaw's Guide.
Bradshaw says that an excursion
up the River Dart to Totnes
is one of the great attractions
to visitors,
that salmon are caught in the Dan,
and that in Totnes the chief employment
amongst the inhabitants is in the fishery.
So it's time to get afloat.
Salmon fisherman Nick Prust
is going to take me out on his boat.
- Do I look the pan?
- Well, yes, son of.
This is a townie's view
of what a fisherman looks like.
- Lovely weather again.
- It is. It's gorgeous. Perfect.
- Are the fish biting?
- Let's hope so.
- We'll see.
- Not too sunny, not too cloudy.
- Let's get going.
- Great.
In Bradshaw's day angling became
a popular sport for Victorian tourists
with the help of the railways.
Anglers arriving by train could even
buy their permit at the local station.
At the same time,
commercial salmon fishing also took off.
I hope you've got it going out properly.
Are you watching it carefully?
- It's going out nicely.
- You always look for someone to blame.
But since Bradshaw's time,
stocks of salmon in the Dart have declined
and now there are only a few
commercial fishermen working the river.
I don't see it pulsing with fish.
Nick is restricted to a rowing boat
and does everything by hand
in the traditional way.
I tell you, Nick, these city hands
have not done work like this
in their lifetime, probably.
I'm always feeling lucky, Michael.
You must always think positive.
Even after at! that effort,
there isn't much of a catch.
50, Nick, three men, two boats,
one television presenter,
one grey mullet.
That's not a particularly high
rate of productivity, is it?
No, it's not.
But that's life, I'm afraid.
That's fishing.
In Bradshaw's day the River Dan
was plied by pleasure steamers
carrying tourists up to Tomes.
And that continued right up until 1965.
That's the trip that Bradshaw recommends
but as there are no steamers today,
Nick will take me there on his motorboat.
Some of this scenery
won't have changed in hundreds of years.
An odd tree may fall down in the river,
but that's about it.
Here's Sharpham House
with the old boathouse.
Sharpham House stands proudly
high above the river
and is today one of Devon's
new wine producers.
There's the vineyard, look,
just showing here now.
What a beautiful sight.
It's a little bit of the continent
arrived in Devon.
NICK: Oh, yes. Definitely.
This tree up here on the left
is known as the cormorant tree.
It was a tree
that was struck by lightning years ago
and the cormorants
just love to come in on it.
All too quickly we're at my next stop.
Is this where you're chucking me out?
This is my Robinson Crusoe moment.
It's been a pleasure.
- Thank you.
- Cheers. Bye.
Whilst the countryside hasn't changed
since Bradshaw's time,
Tomes certainly has.
In Bradshaw's day
the coat-guzzling locomotives
racing across the land
were early carbon-dioxide producers.
Today Tomes is trying
to become more green.
- Are you free?
- Yes, certainly.
So, there's a new kind of taxi in town.
So what brings you to Tomes?
I'm doing a railway journey
around Britain
and I'm using a 19th-century guidebook.
It's brought me to Tomes.
It doesn't mention rickshaws.
Well, the rickshaws have only been
in Totnes for a couple of years.
But it's all pan
of the Transition Town movement, really.
They're trying to highlight
the use of renewables.
So what does this sewing machine run on?
It runs on used cooking oil
from the town.
So I'm running
on somebody's old fish and chips?
Yeah.
- Very green.
- Yes.
Eat chips and save the world.
What are the economics of this?
What does it cost to run this machine?
About £2.80 a week.
That is amazing.
Has the amount of deafness
in the town gone up?
(Driver laughs)
The chip-fat rickshaws are part of
something called Transition Town Totnes,
a global campaign for sustainability
started here by Rob Hopkins.
- Rob.
- Hello, Michael.
- Welcome to Totnes.
- What a lovely spot.
Transition Town Totnes.
What does that mean?
It's an organisation that's been running
here for about three years.
It's about looking at how, as communities,
we respond to climate change
and also to peak oil,
nearing the end of the age of cheap oil
and all that that's made possible.
So Transition
is a positive, proactive response
which says we can either look at those
two things as a crisis and a disaster
or as an opportunity
to be creative and brilliant
and come up with a lot of solutions
that start from here at the grass roots.
So what solutions
have you come up with?
We do lots of stuff around local food,
linking people up with local producers.
We have a Garden Chair scheme,
like a dating agency,
to match people who want to garden with
people who have gardens they don't use.
We have a Solar Bio scheme to try
and get more renewables out on the roofs.
One of the things
that's been extraordinary
is that what started here
is now an international movement.
Hundreds, thousands even, of towns,
cities and villages around the world
are adopting the same model.
There's a paradox there.
It's an international movement
of self-sufficient communities.
It's not about self-sufficiency.
Tomes is never going to make laptops.
But it can source a lot of
its building materials and food and so on
and by doing so, make this economy
much stronger and more robust.
Now, you've got your own single currency.
Is that right?
We do. I have some in my pocket.
This is the Tomes pound.
Which is a scheme we've been running
for a couple of years now
in various experiments.
It's based on the idea that at the moment
you can look at a town like Totnes
as being like a large leaky bucket.
All this money comes in
and just pours straight out again.
You shop in the supermarket, 80% of that
money leaves Totnes the next morning.
This is a currency that can't leave Totnes
and go anywhere else.
The aim of the Tomes pound is
to encourage people to buy local products
and support local businesses.
You can spend it in 80 shops in the town.
And we're very fond of it.
And it recently inspired other places.
This Brixton pound was launched last week.
A slightly different look.
They're all a celebration of the place
and the culture from which they emerge.
They also have a five, a ten
and a 20 pound note as well.
You can pay your council tax
in them there as well.
Well, I'd better go and equip myself
with some currency.
I think you had,
and have fun spending them.
Well, thank you very much.
- Good luck to you.
- Thanks very much.
As it turns out,
I don't have to go far
to find somewhere to change
my Bank of England pounds.
Hello. I've come to buy
some Totnes pounds, please.
How many would you like?
Oh, you do? Right.
- £20 worth I think will be fine.
- Yes.
- What's the exchange rate?
- One for one.
One Totnes pound for one pound sterling.
That seems very reasonable. Thank you.
You're welcome.
- 20 Totnes pounds for 20 pounds sterling.
- Thank you.
Pleasure doing business with you.
I'll put that to the test. Thank you.
I was looking for a railway book.
- There you go. Recommended.
- I've just been on that line.
Very nice.
How much is that in Tomes pounds?
Exactly the same price
as on the cover, sir.
£14.99.
OK.
Let's just see what I've got here.
I'm afraid I've only got one-pound notes.
That's all right. We're just waiting
for them to introduce fivers and tenners.
And could I have
one Totnes penny in change, please?
Unfortunately, we don't do those yet.
- Just your regular penny.
- Just the regular penny.
All right.
- There you go, sir.
- Thank you very much indeed.
I know I'm going to get
a lot of satisfaction out of that.
- There you go, sir.
- Thank you.
- Bye-bye.
- Bye.
What goes around comes around.
Victorian steam trains and ships
enabled Britons
to enjoy the products of the world.
Now Tomes wants us to step back,
to think and act locally.
I think George Bradshaw would be pleased
that I took the tip
and went to Torquay for the healthy air,
and delighted
that I took a boat trip on the River Dart,
but he wouldn't approve
of the Tomes pound.
The Victorians didn't believe in localism.
They were at the heart
of a global trading empire.
And if he knew that Britain
was importing rickshaws from India,
he'd think
the world was standing on its head.
Next time I'll be visiting
the largest china clay mines in the world.
What an extraordinary scene,
like a vast moonscape.
I 7! be finding out
how the Victorians shaped British gardens.
We're celebrating the Victorian tradition
of how things were gardened,
the Victorian attitudes to life,
and also the people
who worked in these gardens.
That's what we regard as lost.
And I'll be discovering
what's happened to the humble pilchard.
There is a big demand for pilchards
which has been renamed the sardine.
Ah. The sardine and the pilchard
are one and the same, are they?
They are exactly the same.