- 13/06/2025
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00:00My walks take me to every corner of Britain, as I seek out history embedded in the landscape.
00:09In this country, you're never very far from mysterious ruins, or the shadow of unwelcome visitors.
00:18So from romantic moors, to majestic peaks, I'm really enjoying some serious walking.
00:25Each of my walks leads me through a different time and a stunning location, to find the stories you can only really appreciate on foot.
00:36This time I'm in the Scottish Highlands, where tourists flock for tartan traditions and spectacular scenery.
00:43But until the 19th century, outsiders like me would have avoided this area, a mysterious and dangerous land populated by barbarians in kilts.
00:55I want to discover how all that changed, thanks to an unpopular German prince and his besotted queen.
01:02The Cairngorms National Park is Britain's largest parkland.
01:18Ancient native forests, vast lochs, and our highest mountain range, all stretching across 1,700 square miles of the highlands.
01:28Pidlockery is the southern gateway to the region, and its high streets scream Scotland from every window.
01:39There's kilts and plaids and bagpipes and cute little tea rooms.
01:45No wonder the tourists flock here, but it is McDisneyland.
01:50Where do these clichés come from?
01:52Is this really Scottish, or all just for the tourists?
01:55At a time when Britain's 300-year union and Scotland's identity are being debated and reshaped,
02:05I want to explore the creation of the world-famous Scottish brand.
02:14Look at all those turrets and crenellations.
02:17It does a pretty good impersonation of a castle, doesn't it?
02:20But do you think it's seen many marauding Scots and bits of flying shrapnel?
02:24No.
02:24Not bad for a hotel, though.
02:28Pidlockery is part of the wholesale 19th century rebranding which brought tourists flooding to the highlands.
02:36It's a transformation that owes a surprising debt to the couple at the centre of my four-day walk.
02:43Prince Albert and Queen Victoria.
02:45I'll be crossing three giant sporting estates the royal pair knew well.
02:55Day one takes me through the Killycranky Pass, a battlefield of rebellious pre-Victorian Scotland.
03:02Then it's on to an unprecedented royal visit at Blair Castle.
03:08Day two is an epic hike over the Cairngorms.
03:12I'll discover how brutal clearances made this one of the emptiest landscapes in Europe,
03:17and a playground for the rich.
03:21Into Royal D-side, I get a taste for the Highland Games at Braemar,
03:26before reaching the Tartan Palace Albert built for his queen at Balmoral.
03:31On my final day, I'll explore the murky waters of Loch Mick and the legacy this couple's passion has left in the landscape.
03:40I'm setting off north of Pitlockery, along the banks of the River Garry, through the Killycranky Pass.
03:54I'm already in the footsteps of Albert and Victoria.
03:58On the 11th of September 1844, they disembarked the royal yacht at Dundee
04:04and travelled through here on their first ever visit to the Highlands.
04:07They'd had a busy four years of marriage.
04:1225-year-old Victoria had given birth to her fourth child only a month before.
04:18She'd also survived three assassination attempts.
04:23Albert demanded she take a holiday.
04:26But coming here was an extraordinary move,
04:30because no British monarch had ever travelled this far north.
04:34In fact, less than a century earlier,
04:37the British state was still at war with the Highlands,
04:40a bloody conflict that lasted over 50 years
04:43and started right here with the very first Jacobite uprising.
04:49How are you? Good to see you.
04:51Good to see you.
04:52To find out what happened here at Killycranky,
04:54I've asked historian Alistair Moffat to join me on the old military road through the pass.
05:00This was a very important route because this took you from the lowlands,
05:04lowland Perthshire, into the highlands.
05:06I mean, we're crossing Britain's last frontier, really.
05:09People spoke Scots, English, behind us, in front of us they spoke Gaelic.
05:13So was this Jacobite country?
05:15Oh, yes. I mean, this was clan country.
05:17The Jacobites were led by Viscount Dundee, known as Bonnie Dundee.
05:21You had to be Bonnie to be a Jacobite leader.
05:23Bonnie Dundee was the first man to raise an army against the British government
05:28in support of the ousted Catholic king, James VII.
05:32On 27 July 1689, Dundee's Highlanders massed just north of this pass.
05:40This was an absolutely strategic flashpoint.
05:44This was the way into the Highlands, but it was also dangerously the way out.
05:475,000 highly organised government troops,
05:53twice the Highlanders' numbers, marched through the narrow pass.
05:58Bonnie Dundee's men were ready for them.
06:00Raising their broadswords, they charged,
06:03cutting right through the terrified British army.
06:06We're standing above the soldier's leap,
06:09where Donald McBain, who was a fleeing government soldier,
06:12he's running for his life and he's running down here
06:15and he's being pursued by half a dozen hairy-arsed Highlanders.
06:19I tell you, he gets to the River Garry here and he jumps it.
06:23He jumps clear across.
06:24He sets a world record for the long jump.
06:27And I tell you, if it was me, I'd set one as well.
06:33The Highlanders won a stunning victory at Killy Cranky
06:36and an indelible reputation as barbarous warriors,
06:41helped, perhaps, by their unique dress sense.
06:43I'm almost embarrassed to ask you this question.
06:47Well, I am embarrassed,
06:47cos it's the real callow Englishman's question.
06:50Did they really wear kilts on the battlefield?
06:54Yes, they did, but not as you and I would know it.
06:57They wore what was called the big kilt,
06:59which essentially was just a huge plaid secured by a belt,
07:03and they pulled it round their middle,
07:04and, of course, I have one here.
07:06Of course you did.
07:07I have one here.
07:08Now, this is basically a huge rug.
07:12That's essentially what it is.
07:13It's massive.
07:13And if you check it out, you'll see it is absolutely enormous.
07:18How the heck would you fight in this?
07:20Well, you didn't.
07:20I mean, basically, they unbuckled their belts
07:23and they threw these away
07:24and they charged in their sarks or their shirts.
07:27They didn't wear pants?
07:29No.
07:30No, no.
07:30Such a thing was never known in the Highlands.
07:32It really was that?
07:33Oh, yeah, exactly, that's right.
07:35You know, show your backside to the enemy,
07:37then turn round and give them what for.
07:40I'm not surprised the Highlanders
07:42scared the wits out of their opponents.
07:44It was over 50 years
07:46before the Jacobites were finally outgunned.
07:49On 16th April 1746,
07:52they were wiped out for good at Culloden.
07:56In the aftermath, clans were broken up.
07:59Those caught wearing tartan or speaking Scots Gaelic
08:04faced imprisonment or even transportation overseas.
08:08The Highland's way of life
08:10was brutally suppressed by the British government.
08:13So I find it extraordinary
08:15that less than 100 years after Culloden,
08:18the British Queen herself sauntered through here on holiday.
08:21We get a real good sense of how Victoria felt and thought
08:28when she was up in the Highlands
08:30because she was a big diarist.
08:32Now, a lot of her diaries were burned on her death,
08:34but nevertheless, her fifth daughter, Beatrice,
08:38edited a lot of them and got them published.
08:42Of course, being typical Victorian,
08:43she edited out the juicy bits.
08:45But nevertheless, you do get a real feeling of her mum.
08:50For instance, this cracking view,
08:53Albert and Victoria were here
08:55and they were gawping at it
08:58and Victoria wrote,
09:01You look down, a great height, all wooded on both sides,
09:05the gary rolling below it.
09:07I cannot describe how beautiful it is.
09:10Albert is in perfect ecstasies.
09:14They were a sweet couple, weren't they?
09:16OK, I understand why Victoria and Albert
09:21fell for the stunning scenery once they were up here,
09:24but what persuaded them to come in the first place?
09:29In search of some answers,
09:31I've come to the Athol Estate,
09:33which hosted their visit in September 1844.
09:38At the walker's back gate into the gardens,
09:40I've met up with historian Kate Williams.
09:43The fact they came was all thanks to one man, really.
09:47And that man was Sir Walter Scott.
09:49He was a massive bestseller in 19th century Britain
09:51and he was really responsible
09:53for creating this notion of the romantic Scotland.
09:56Victoria loved Sir Walter Scott.
09:58She had a very unhappy childhood.
10:00Her mother was rather cruel to her,
10:01so she escaped into his fantasy world
10:03and Albert was also a big fan of this romance.
10:07And so they really were looking for the Scotland of Sir Walter.
10:10Walter Scott had already lured one monarch to lowland Scotland.
10:16In 1822, George IV arrived in Edinburgh
10:20wearing a lurid kilt designed by Scott.
10:24The once illegal dress of the clans
10:26was transformed into high fashion.
10:30But George went to genteel Edinburgh.
10:33Albert and Victoria were heading much further north
10:36and for three whole weeks.
10:37He had sold the visit as a holiday for his queen.
10:44But Albert had his own reasons for escaping Windsor.
10:48He wasn't actually very popular initially.
10:50She was.
10:51She was.
10:51Everyone thought she was great
10:52and it was great that she got married.
10:54But they thought he was a bit of a gold digger
10:57and one of the rhymes about him was
10:58here comes Albert for better or worse
11:01for England's fat queen and even fatter purse.
11:04Ouch.
11:05Not very complimentary.
11:07Do you think he also felt
11:08that he might be able to do something up here tangible
11:11that he couldn't do when he was surrounded by the court?
11:14Albert certainly felt that when the court was there
11:16he couldn't get influence over his wife.
11:19She knew she adored him
11:20but when the court was there
11:21they said no,
11:22they wouldn't let him have any kind of political say.
11:24So he thought that if we come somewhere far away from London
11:28I might be able to get a bit of that influence
11:30that I'm really fighting for.
11:32And as soon as he got here he said
11:33look, this looks just like Germany.
11:36It's Coburg.
11:37So he felt right at home.
11:39This isn't a hotel, is it?
11:41No, no.
11:41Look at this for a Highland castle.
11:43They were invited to Blair Castle
11:45by the 6th Duke of Athol.
11:47An Old Etonian who spent the summer seasons in London
11:50he'd turned this into the region's premier hunting estate.
11:55Hello Jane.
11:55Hi.
11:56The castle's still owned by the same family
11:59although nowadays it opens its doors to the public every summer.
12:03Archivist Jane Anderson is going to show us
12:06some rather special first-hand evidence from the visit
12:09which even Kate has never seen before.
12:11To start with
12:12we have the letter that was written
12:15with Prince Albert
12:17desiring to ask
12:19whether you thought Her Majesty
12:20could have the use of Blair.
12:22It's quite striking isn't it?
12:23There's private underlined
12:25as many times as you can at the top.
12:27You know what strikes me most
12:29is the first sentence of that letter there.
12:32It says
12:32Prince Albert
12:34desired the Duke
12:35to ask me whether I thought
12:37you'd let Her Majesty have the house.
12:39Prince Albert
12:40so it was him who was driving it.
12:43Oh yeah.
12:44And almost immediately
12:45they go into kind of
12:46what they'd like
12:47pages
12:47storekeepers
12:49ladies' maids
12:50piper.
12:51Well that was just the start though
12:53because when they actually arrived
12:55Her Majesty arrived at Blair Castle
12:57This is the visitor's book.
12:59This is the visitor's book.
13:00Her Majesty arrived at Blair Castle
13:02incredible.
13:03There's a pastry cook
13:04a confectioner
13:05a roasting cook
13:07an upholsterer
13:08three policemen
13:09so you think you had the space
13:10for them here?
13:11Well they fitted them in somehow
13:12but the family
13:13had to move out.
13:15The Duke and Duchess
13:17moved out
13:17to make room
13:18for 75 royal servants
13:20and an immense amount
13:21of baggage
13:22which even included
13:23a grand piano.
13:26The Royals insisted
13:28it was a strictly private holiday
13:29so there are no pictures
13:31of the Queen at Blair.
13:32but this extraordinary photo
13:36shows the Duke's private bodyguard
13:39the Athol Highlanders
13:40ready to receive their guests
13:42on September 11th 1844.
13:46The regiment acted as Victoria's protection
13:48during the visit.
13:50Impressed
13:50she gave them their royal colours
13:52which they retain to this day.
13:54Over here
13:56through these trees
13:57is old Blair
13:59where the Duke and Duchess
14:00moved their entire family
14:02during the visit
14:03to allow
14:04the royals
14:05and their servants
14:06and their grand piano
14:08to have a bit more room
14:09so much for not wanting
14:10to make a fuss.
14:12But never mind Blair Castle
14:13the whole of Scotland
14:15would never be the same again
14:16after this visit.
14:18Today I want to find out
14:31just what Victoria and Albert
14:32got up to
14:33during their first ever
14:34Highland holiday
14:35in September 1844.
14:38Following in the footsteps
14:40of their three week adventure
14:41will take me deep
14:42into the Athol estate
14:43and the wilds of Glen Tilt.
14:46From there
14:47I'm on a mammoth
14:48trek north eastwards
14:50through the Cairngorms
14:51and a dark period of history
14:53to reach Deeside.
14:56Walkers do well out here.
14:58Since 2003
15:00Scotland's Right to Roam Act
15:02has given far greater access
15:04than in England and Wales.
15:06You're allowed to walk
15:07almost anywhere
15:08as long as you don't upset
15:09the wildlife
15:10or the landowners.
15:13I'll show you where I am now.
15:15I am round about here somewhere.
15:17And by mid-afternoon
15:18I've got to get
15:19all the way up there
15:20right to
15:22the other end
15:23of
15:24Glen Tilt.
15:25And all this time
15:26I'll be on
15:27Blair Athol land.
15:29The big landowners
15:30round here
15:30don't mess around
15:31with tiny little estates
15:32like their English counterparts.
15:34These guys
15:35own whole mountain ranges.
15:39Despite covering
15:40over 220 square miles
15:42the Athol estate
15:44is well under
15:45half the size it was
15:46when Victoria and Albert
15:47visited
15:47but it's still
15:49one of Scotland's
15:50great hunting estates
15:51with over 7,000 deer
15:53roaming these glens.
15:56Albert loved nature
15:57most of all
15:57when he was shooting at it.
15:59Almost every day
16:00he and his besotted queen
16:02came down this track
16:03like poo and piglet
16:04in search of adventure.
16:06Around here somewhere
16:08there should be a spring
16:09and on one of her excursions
16:12Queen Victoria
16:14stopped at this spring
16:15and took a drink.
16:17Yeah, look
16:18here it is.
16:19Just here.
16:21And yeah, look
16:22there's a
16:22like a natural bowl in here.
16:26She
16:26took a swig
16:29and she declared
16:29it was the best water
16:30she'd ever tasted.
16:33It is pretty good.
16:35And she told her servants
16:36that from now on
16:37all the water
16:39that she drank
16:39throughout the entire holiday
16:41had to come
16:42from that spring.
16:43I wonder if they did that
16:44if I'd been there
16:45and I'd have got the water
16:46from the pump
16:47round the back of the castle
16:48and just told her
16:49that it came from there.
16:53I've got a long way
16:54to go today
16:54so I'm getting some help.
16:57Hi Debbie.
16:57Hi there.
16:58Hi Tony.
16:59Hi Sandy.
17:00Are you going to give me a lift?
17:01I'm going mountaineering
17:02the way Victoria did it
17:04and that means
17:05she's riding side saddle.
17:06Swing your right leg
17:08over the back.
17:09Right over.
17:10Come on.
17:11Come on.
17:12There I go.
17:13So,
17:14will we give it a go?
17:15Whoa,
17:15it does feel a bit wobbly.
17:17Debbie McLaughlin
17:18who runs
17:19the estate's trekking centre
17:20and retired headkeeper
17:22Sandy Reid
17:22are taking me away
17:24from the river tilt
17:25and up this pretty
17:26daunting track.
17:28Victoria's diary
17:29tells us
17:30that she and Albert
17:31came this way
17:32on their most
17:33adventurous expedition
17:34in 1844.
17:36Sandy,
17:37why do you think
17:38that Victoria
17:39agreed to be led
17:41when she was apparently
17:42such a good horsewoman?
17:44Well,
17:44I think she just like
17:45a very better eye candy,
17:46you see.
17:47A nice laddie.
17:49Come on.
17:49Victoria fell in love
17:53with the shore-footed
17:54Highland ponies.
17:55They were a practical way
17:57for a queen
17:57to conquer the Highlands
17:59and would become
18:00a feature of all
18:01future Scottish expeditions.
18:05Nice boys.
18:07Oh,
18:08fantastic view,
18:11isn't this?
18:13Wow.
18:14When they got up here,
18:16the queen cracked out
18:17a picnic
18:17and Albert
18:18seized his chance
18:19to stalk some deer
18:20before sundown.
18:22Was he any good
18:23because Victoria
18:24says he didn't
18:25manage to bag anything?
18:27According to Peter Fraser,
18:29he was the head stalker.
18:31Albert was the best
18:32shot and stalker
18:33he'd ever had out,
18:35but I think he was
18:35just telling
18:36a wee porcupine.
18:38I think Albert
18:39was a very poor shot,
18:41but it paid off
18:42for Peter
18:43in the long run.
18:45He got a tip
18:46from Albert
18:47of 50 pounds.
18:48That would have been
18:50worth a huge sum,
18:51wouldn't it?
18:51It would have been
18:51thousands of pounds now.
18:53It paid off
18:54to flannel him
18:55a wee bit.
18:58The holiday here
18:59established daily rituals,
19:01the picnics,
19:02pony outings,
19:03Albert's hidden
19:04Miss deer stalking,
19:05all ideas they would
19:07take with them
19:07in a few years' time
19:08to Balmoral.
19:09Thank you very much.
19:11Thank you very much.
19:11Right, Your Majesty.
19:12Bye.
19:13Cool.
19:13We can finish our piece.
19:17This is where I leave
19:19the 1844 holiday
19:20on the Athol estate.
19:22But I'm still following
19:24in the royal footsteps.
19:26They would travel
19:27through the natural corridor
19:29of Glentilt
19:29after they'd bought
19:31their own slice
19:31of the highlands
19:32over in Deeside.
19:33For thousands of years,
19:36this has been a main route
19:37for crossing the Cairngorms.
19:40Anyone passing through
19:41should pause
19:42at this kink
19:43in the river Tilt
19:44to pay a debt
19:45to a world-changing discovery.
19:48Yeah, you can see,
19:49look, there's pink granite
19:51over there,
19:52there's grey sandstone
19:54over here.
19:56Two types of rock
19:57cross paths here,
19:58but what's fascinating
19:59is where they quite literally
20:01meet in the middle.
20:02They're all mixed in together.
20:03Can you see pink and grey?
20:06At this very spot,
20:08geologist James Hutton
20:09worked out that pink granite
20:11was injected in a molten state
20:14into far older rocks.
20:16This gave him the proof
20:17he was searching for,
20:18that the Earth
20:19is millions of years older
20:20than the Bible teaches.
20:22Heretical stuff indeed.
20:26Prince Albert
20:26was no radical thinker,
20:28but he was obsessed
20:30by science.
20:31I reckon it would have
20:33given him a thrill
20:34when 60 years
20:36after Hutton's breakthrough,
20:37he and the Queen
20:38passed through
20:39this remotest of glens.
20:42Their servants
20:43had to wet their sporrans
20:45crossing the icy waters
20:46at the Falls of Taff.
20:47The Duke of Athol
20:50had pulled down the only footbridge
20:52to discourage people
20:53from entering his deer park.
20:56In fact, this bridge
20:57wasn't built
20:59until after a young guy
21:00called Francis Bedford
21:02had been drowned
21:04while trying to swim across here
21:06in the year 1879.
21:07Isn't it tragic
21:08that it takes an accident
21:10like that
21:10before access is provided
21:12to allow people
21:13to cross safely?
21:14Two miles more damp slog
21:17and I finally get off
21:19the Duke of Athol's land
21:20and straight onto
21:22another massive hunting estate,
21:24Mar Lodge.
21:26I should be feeling triumphant,
21:28but I've run into
21:29the nemesis
21:30of any Scottish walker.
21:32They come out in summer,
21:33they love wet weather
21:34and the little blighters bite.
21:37Not a bad hike this,
21:38although the midges,
21:39I don't know if you can see them,
21:40but they're crazy, crazy, crazy.
21:42The landscape's changed a bit,
21:45but it's really broadening
21:47out here.
21:49When Albert and Victoria
21:50got this far,
21:51they celebrated
21:52with a wee dram
21:53and not because I want it,
21:55of course,
21:55but in the interest
21:56of historical reenactment,
21:59I'm going to do the same thing.
22:02I might numb
22:04the midge bites a bit too.
22:05In the 19th century,
22:12all this was the hunting ground
22:14of the Dukes of Fife.
22:16Nowadays,
22:17it belongs to
22:17the National Trust for Scotland.
22:21But over half the country
22:22is still owned
22:23by fewer than 500 people.
22:27The eerie emptiness
22:28so appealing to Albert and Victoria
22:31remains this landscape's
22:33most striking feature.
22:36Good day, Tony.
22:36Hello.
22:37Nice to meet you.
22:38Good to see you.
22:39I've met up with historian
22:40Eric Richards.
22:42Eric,
22:43I don't think
22:43I've seen an emptier landscape
22:45in the whole
22:45of the United Kingdom.
22:47It's like a great wilderness,
22:48isn't it?
22:49And it must be
22:49one of the least populated
22:51parts of Western Europe,
22:53I suspect.
22:53Why is that?
22:54Well,
22:54it used to support
22:55independent communities
22:57of peasant-like townships
22:59here over many centuries,
23:01many generations,
23:02but in the 18th century
23:03will prices
23:04and sheep prices
23:05soared
23:06and the peasant farmers
23:07were incompatible
23:08with the sheep
23:09and they were shifted off.
23:10I can't see any sheep
23:11at all here now, though.
23:12No, well,
23:13the sheep also went
23:14the way of the people
23:15because in the 1820s
23:17and 1830s
23:18sheep prices,
23:19will prices fell
23:21and at that time
23:22the value of the estates
23:24as sporting estates
23:25rose very rapidly indeed.
23:27The often brutal
23:30eviction of families
23:31was most intense
23:32further north and west
23:33of here.
23:35This area was never
23:37as heavily populated
23:38but it didn't escape.
23:41200 years ago,
23:43several townships
23:44dotted the estate.
23:45All that's left today
23:46are a few piles of stones.
23:48So, by the time
23:53Victoria and Albert
23:54came here,
23:54this would have been
23:55an artificially
23:56cleared landscape?
23:57Indeed.
23:58The place was ready
23:59to become a playground
24:01of the wealthy.
24:02Would Victoria and Albert
24:04have been aware
24:04of what it got?
24:06They must have been aware
24:07because it was
24:07heavily publicised
24:09even in the mid-19th century
24:11and particularly thereafter.
24:12the story of the clearances
24:14becomes high drama.
24:16But Victoria and Albert
24:17of course give great glamour
24:19to the whole business
24:20of sporting estates.
24:21When you look at
24:22this wonderful landscape
24:24and then you look down
24:26and you see
24:26the remnants of houses
24:28that people were forced
24:28to leave,
24:29it does put a slightly
24:30different edge on it,
24:31doesn't it?
24:31It certainly does.
24:33While the defeat
24:34of the Jacobites
24:35suppressed Highland's life,
24:37the clearances
24:38actually removed it.
24:39families dispersed
24:42around the globe.
24:44If they were lucky,
24:45those who stayed
24:46got jobs
24:46on the great sporting estates
24:48which had taken
24:49over the glens.
24:52It's hard to tell
24:53what Albert and Victoria
24:54thought about
24:55this political hot potato,
24:57if indeed they thought
24:57anything at all.
25:00The clearances aren't mentioned
25:01in the Queen's Highland journals.
25:08As I joined
25:09the River Dee,
25:10I'm just over
25:1020 miles
25:11from Blair Castle.
25:14But the famous
25:14Lynn of Dee
25:15is a sign
25:16I'm finally getting
25:17close to my bed
25:18for the night.
25:20That's not bad,
25:21is it?
25:22The bridge was opened
25:24by none other
25:24than Victoria.
25:26Thanks to her
25:27and Albert,
25:27this whole area
25:28has become known
25:29as Royal Deeside.
25:31And from now on,
25:33all roads lead
25:34to Balmoral.
25:35It's day three
25:44of my trek
25:45across the Cairngorms
25:46and I've made it
25:47into Deeside.
25:50Today I want to find out
25:51just how royal
25:52it's become
25:53thanks to Albert
25:54and Victoria.
25:56First I'll cross
25:57the Dee
25:57into Braemar,
25:58the town that each year
25:59becomes the beating heart
26:01of Brand, Scotland.
26:02Then it's on
26:04to Deeside's
26:05centrepiece
26:06and Albert's
26:07brainchild,
26:08Balmoral.
26:12This walker's hostel
26:13is in the old
26:14stables of Mar Lodge,
26:16once the Duke of Fife's
26:18great hunting haunt.
26:20His lodge
26:20is now holiday lets,
26:22but in its heyday,
26:23Victoria popped over
26:25regularly
26:25and would have known
26:26its famous ballroom.
26:29This is a bizarre
26:30looking building,
26:31isn't it?
26:31It's like the biggest
26:32garden shed
26:33in the world.
26:35And do you know,
26:36the old Duke
26:37had the whole thing
26:37painstakingly
26:39lifted up
26:40and rebuilt here
26:42when the old
26:43lodge burnt down
26:44and all because
26:46it was in here
26:48that he kept
26:49his prized collection.
26:52Ah!
26:53Ha!
26:53Ha!
26:57A life's work,
26:59the Duke's
26:59macabre collection
27:00totals 2,435 pairs
27:04of antlers.
27:05I'll bet Albert
27:06would have been
27:06envious of that lot.
27:08You can imagine
27:09a whole lot of
27:10medicine men
27:11casting a spell
27:12here, can't you?
27:13Not lords and ladies
27:14in their tails
27:15and tiaras
27:17dancing around.
27:19What a place!
27:19It's hard to find a square foot
27:31of D-side
27:32that hasn't been
27:33Victorianised.
27:35Three miles to the east,
27:37that's especially true
27:38of the small town
27:39of Braemar.
27:40One weekend
27:46every September,
27:47Victoria's
27:48great-great-granddaughter
27:49attends the
27:50Braemar gathering,
27:51the most famous
27:52highland games
27:53of them all.
27:56To get a taste,
27:58I'm dropping in
27:58on heavyweight champion
28:00Craig Sinclair
28:01during a training session.
28:02Hey, Craig!
28:07I could have died!
28:09Could have.
28:11Do you do the caber as well?
28:12Yes, I do.
28:14That's the one
28:14I want to see.
28:15I don't want that
28:16sticking out of me
28:17a couple of minutes.
28:19This is an official
28:20Braemar caber,
28:2120 foot long
28:22and weighing in
28:23at 121 pounds.
28:25It's going to be alright?
28:26You'll be fine,
28:26you're perfectly safe.
28:28It's news to me
28:29that tossing the thing
28:30isn't about distance.
28:31Hey!
28:32But accuracy.
28:34It has to flip
28:35through 180 degrees
28:36and land as close
28:38to 12 o'clock
28:39as possible.
28:45Whoa!
28:46That was a bad cry.
28:48Not quite 12 o'clock.
28:53Legend has it,
28:54caber tossing
28:55was invented
28:56by highland armies
28:57who used trees
28:58to ford rivers.
29:01And we know
29:02local games
29:02were a feature
29:03of clan life
29:04for at least
29:04seven centuries
29:05before being outlawed
29:07by the British.
29:10They were reborn
29:11in the first half
29:12of the 19th century
29:14with the great landowners
29:15calling the shots.
29:17In came bright tartans
29:18and a sense
29:19of respectability
29:20as workers competed
29:22for cash prizes
29:23and the honour
29:24of their estates.
29:25but it was
29:28Victoria's attendance
29:29from 1848 onwards
29:31that really rocketed
29:32the games
29:33into the global
29:34showcase
29:35of all things
29:36Scottish.
29:38Despite all the pomp,
29:40the sport itself
29:41remains the preserve
29:42of locals
29:42like Craig.
29:43Is it a professional
29:45thing?
29:46No, it's not.
29:47It's a hobby
29:48that interests.
29:49A lot of guys,
29:50blue collar like myself,
29:51joiners, builders,
29:52that kind of guys
29:52that get into it
29:53just a way of
29:54leaving their problems
29:55outside the ring.
29:56At school,
29:56I didn't do any sports,
29:57but as you get older,
29:58you get wiser.
29:59And I loved it.
30:00Loved the whole idea
30:01of putting a kilt on
30:04and just having fun.
30:06Stay strong,
30:06stay focused.
30:07Oh, well,
30:07don't you worry.
30:12From Braemar,
30:14it's a four-mile hike
30:15before I finally
30:16get close to royal land.
30:18As I've learnt,
30:19highland estates
30:20are massive,
30:21so I've still got
30:22a serious schlep
30:23to go
30:23before I'll reach
30:25Balmoral Castle itself.
30:30But there's already
30:31plenty of evidence
30:32of just how far
30:33the royal family
30:34has reshaped
30:35this landscape.
30:37This is the old bridge
30:38that goes over
30:39the River Dee,
30:40the Brigadier,
30:42and that's the A93 there
30:44that would take you
30:44back into Braemar.
30:46But have a look
30:46at this map.
30:48That's a bridge
30:49I'm standing on,
30:50and originally,
30:51the Braemar Road
30:52went all the way
30:53through there,
30:54through the Balmoral Estate.
30:56But when Victoria
30:57and Albert
30:58took it over,
30:59they didn't want
30:59loads of pedestrians
31:00and horses
31:01going through their land,
31:03so they rerouted
31:04this road
31:05all the way
31:07round here.
31:08That's the kind
31:09of thing you can do
31:10if you're royalty.
31:11And it gave them
31:12this beautiful,
31:13romantic wilderness,
31:14but it also gave us
31:15walkers
31:16a pretty little bridge
31:18we can get all
31:18dewy-eyed about.
31:19I've finally made it
31:31to the gates
31:32of Balmoral.
31:33Although not the entrance
31:34we normally see
31:35on the telly,
31:36this is the walker's route
31:38in.
31:39To make sure
31:39I don't get lost
31:40on my way
31:41to the castle,
31:42head ranger
31:42Glyn Jones
31:43is escorting me.
31:44I didn't have
31:46any problems
31:47getting past
31:47the gatehouse.
31:48Can anybody
31:49come here?
31:49No, yes,
31:50yeah, absolutely.
31:51There's a lot
31:51of various access
31:52points on the estate.
31:54We get about
31:54180,000 walkers
31:56coming on
31:57to the estate
31:58every year.
32:00Glyn's taking me
32:01through the Baloch
32:02Bui.
32:02It's one of the
32:03largest surviving
32:04remnants of ancient
32:05Caledonian pine forest
32:07and was a favourite
32:08haunt of Albert
32:09and Victoria
32:09after they'd bagged
32:11Balmoral.
32:12So if we
32:13just look down
32:14the glen here,
32:14Tony,
32:15you can see
32:15the first view
32:16of the castle.
32:18Can you see
32:18the green fields?
32:19Yeah,
32:19like a little
32:20grey tower
32:21sticking up there.
32:22You get a real
32:23impression of the
32:24size of this
32:25estate from it,
32:25don't you?
32:26How big is it?
32:27It's 50,000 acres
32:28today.
32:29The original
32:29estate purchased
32:30by Queen Victoria
32:31and Prince Albert
32:32was 11,000 acres
32:33in size.
32:34How did they
32:34decide to buy it?
32:35Well,
32:36they'd looked at
32:36other properties
32:37in Scotland
32:38and particularly
32:38they'd visited
32:39Adverakey,
32:41near Loch Lagan.
32:42But during their
32:43visit I think
32:44the weather
32:44was pretty poor
32:45and they complained
32:46about the midges.
32:47The climate
32:48is very cold
32:49and dry here.
32:50Prince Albert
32:51had some issues
32:52with his health
32:52and their physician
32:54James Clark
32:55had recommended
32:55this place to them
32:56that it was coming
32:57for sale.
33:02For four years
33:03since their stay
33:04at Blair Castle
33:05the couple
33:05had been musing
33:06about a retreat
33:07up here.
33:08This slice
33:10of the Highlands
33:11cost them
33:12£30,000
33:12or about
33:14£2.8 million
33:15in today's money.
33:19Albert's health
33:20had long been
33:20a worry.
33:21Plagued by rheumatism
33:23his self-imposed
33:24workload
33:24didn't help.
33:27For the best part
33:28of a decade
33:28he'd been heavily
33:29involved in building
33:30the new houses
33:31of Parliament
33:32while also assuming
33:34the role of the Queen's
33:35unofficial advisor
33:36and he was
33:38perpetually exhausted.
33:40Perhaps the bracing
33:41heir of Balmoral
33:42would be the panacea
33:43he needed.
33:48Victoria had her
33:49own reasons for
33:50as she put it
33:51wanting to forget
33:52the world
33:53and its sad
33:53turmoils.
33:55This was 1848
33:56the year of revolution.
33:58political unrest
34:03exploded across
34:04more than 50
34:05countries
34:06as great swathes
34:08united against
34:09the status quo.
34:11Denmark's
34:12absolute monarchy
34:13fell
34:13and tens of
34:14thousands died.
34:16The fervour
34:17burnt out
34:18within the year
34:18but from now on
34:20Victoria lived
34:21in constant fear
34:23of revolt
34:23on British soil.
34:24she needed
34:26somewhere she
34:27could feel
34:27safe.
34:32There it is
34:33Balmoral
34:34Castle
34:35but this is
34:36about as
34:37close as
34:38I'm going to
34:38be allowed
34:38to get
34:39because
34:39in a few
34:40days
34:41the present
34:41owner is
34:42bringing her
34:43corgis up
34:43here for
34:44their summer
34:44holiday.
34:48The Queen
34:49still comes
34:50up here
34:50every year
34:51for a private
34:52holiday
34:52at the end
34:53of the London
34:53season.
34:54It's where
34:55she sat
34:55to watch
34:56the results
34:56of the
34:57Scottish
34:57referendum
34:58no doubt
34:59wondering
34:59if she
35:00would still
35:00be Queen
35:01of the
35:01United
35:01Kingdom
35:02come the
35:02morning.
35:04But this
35:05isn't the
35:05castle
35:06the royals
35:07bought in
35:071848.
35:09When
35:10Victoria first
35:11laid eyes
35:11on old
35:12Balmoral
35:12she declared
35:13it
35:14a very
35:15pretty
35:15little
35:15castle
35:16in the
35:16old
35:17Scottish
35:17style.
35:19Trouble
35:19was
35:20only a few
35:21months
35:21earlier
35:22child
35:22number
35:22six
35:23had arrived
35:23and as
35:24Victoria
35:25showed
35:25no
35:26signs
35:26of
35:26stopping
35:27there
35:27it
35:28was
35:28time
35:28for
35:28Albert
35:28to
35:29roll
35:29up
35:29his
35:29sleeves.
35:31He
35:31decided
35:32he
35:32wanted
35:32to
35:33improve
35:33it
35:34in
35:34true
35:3419th
35:34century
35:35fashion
35:35by
35:36knocking
35:36it
35:36down.
35:37His
35:37idea
35:38was
35:38to
35:38make
35:39it
35:39look
35:39more
35:40Scottish
35:40and
35:41more
35:41baronial
35:42than
35:42the
35:42previous
35:43castle
35:43which
35:44of course
35:44was
35:45Scottish
35:45and
35:46baronial.
35:49Work
35:50began
35:50in 1852.
35:53Four
35:54years
35:54later
35:54the
35:55new
35:55castle
35:55stood
35:56as
35:56Albert's
35:57love
35:57letter
35:57to
35:57the
35:58highlands
35:58a
35:59Scottish
35:59Disneyland
36:00furnished
36:01everywhere
36:01with
36:02clashing
36:02tartans
36:03all
36:04designed
36:04by
36:04the
36:05prince
36:05himself
36:05Victoria
36:07wrote
36:08that
36:08Albert's
36:09creation
36:09was
36:10perfection
36:10in
36:11every
36:11way
36:11they
36:16celebrated
36:17by
36:17borrowing
36:18another
36:18local
36:19tradition
36:19and
36:20erected
36:20the
36:20first
36:21of
36:21many
36:21memorial
36:22cairns
36:22this
36:23one's
36:23on top
36:24of
36:24Craig
36:24Gowan
36:25look
36:29at
36:29that
36:30view
36:30you
36:33do
36:33realise
36:33that's
36:34someone's
36:34back
36:34garden
36:34as
36:38the
36:39cairn
36:39was
36:39finished
36:39the
36:40royals
36:40parted
36:41up
36:41here
36:41with
36:42Piper's
36:42Whiskey
36:43and
36:43Dances
36:44see
36:46that
36:461852
36:47that's
36:48the
36:48year
36:49the
36:49cairn
36:50was
36:50built
36:50and
36:51of
36:52course
36:52Victoria
36:53was
36:53watching
36:53adoringly
36:54as her
36:55husband
36:55put
36:55the
36:55last
36:56stone
36:57on
36:57top
36:57of
36:57it
36:57and
36:58in
36:59her
36:59diary
36:59she
37:00wrote
37:00something
37:00about
37:01that
37:02day
37:02which
37:02I
37:02think
37:02was
37:02rather
37:02touching
37:03she
37:04wrote
37:04I
37:05felt
37:05almost
37:05inclined
37:06to
37:06cry
37:06may
37:07God
37:08bless
37:08this
37:08place
37:09and
37:09allow
37:09us
37:10yet
37:10to
37:10see
37:10it
37:11and
37:11enjoy
37:12it
37:12many
37:12a
37:13long
37:13year
37:13well
37:15the
37:15royal
37:15family
37:16certainly
37:16blessed
37:16this
37:17place
37:17because
37:17they've
37:17been
37:18coming
37:18here
37:18like
37:18clockwork
37:19ever
37:19since
37:19although
37:20for
37:21Victoria
37:21herself
37:22the
37:22enjoyment
37:23would
37:23be
37:24short
37:24lived
37:24I
37:33I'm
37:33starting
37:33the
37:34final
37:34leg
37:34of
37:34my
37:35walk
37:35from
37:35the
37:35tiny
37:36village
37:36of
37:36Crathie
37:37just
37:37outside
37:37the
37:38entrance
37:38to
37:38Balmoral
37:39for
37:43for
37:43for
37:43over
37:43160
37:44years
37:44this
37:44has
37:45been
37:45the
37:45royals
37:45most
37:46private
37:46retreat
37:47their
37:48highland
37:48fortress
37:49where
37:49they
37:49can
37:49bolt
37:50the
37:50gates
37:50against
37:51the
37:51baying
37:51mob
37:52over
37:54there
37:54are
37:54the
37:54front
37:54gates
37:55this
37:56is
37:56where
37:56the
37:56journos
37:57hang
37:57out
37:57every
37:58august
37:58to
37:58try
37:59and
37:59find
37:59out
37:59who
37:59the
37:59queens
38:00invited
38:00on
38:00holiday
38:01and
38:02if
38:02there
38:02are
38:03any
38:03more
38:03royal
38:03scandals
38:04the
38:06lifestyle
38:06of the
38:07royals
38:07here
38:08has
38:08hardly
38:08changed
38:09since
38:09Albert
38:10built
38:10the
38:10place
38:10today
38:13I
38:13want
38:13to
38:13find
38:14out
38:14how
38:14he
38:14and
38:15Queen
38:15Victoria
38:15left
38:16their
38:16mark
38:16on
38:16the
38:17highlands
38:17and
38:18how
38:18deeply
38:18the
38:18highlands
38:19changed
38:19them
38:20i'll
38:24be
38:24walking
38:25south
38:25through
38:26the
38:26royal
38:26playground
38:26to
38:27the
38:27dark
38:28waters
38:28of
38:28loch
38:28mick
38:29scene
38:30of
38:30shared
38:30pleasures
38:31and
38:31lasting
38:32grief
38:32by
38:37the
38:371850s
38:38the
38:38royal
38:39duo
38:39had
38:40become
38:40much
38:40more
38:40adventurous
38:41than
38:41a
38:42decade
38:42earlier
38:42on
38:43the
38:43Athol
38:43estate
38:44they
38:47even
38:47conquered
38:48Mount
38:48Loch
38:48Nagar
38:49several
38:50times
38:50at
38:523789
38:53feet
38:54it's
38:55the
38:55headline
38:55feature
38:56of
38:56the
38:56estate
38:56I've
38:58tried
38:58I
38:58really
38:58have
38:58tried
38:59but
38:59I
39:00can't
39:00imagine
39:01Queen
39:01Victoria
39:02mountaineering
39:03up there
39:03can you
39:04not in
39:05those
39:05long
39:05skirts
39:06she
39:06says
39:07she
39:07did
39:07she
39:07said
39:07she
39:08walked
39:08for
39:08four
39:09hours
39:09or
39:09more
39:09a
39:09day
39:10and
39:11she
39:11certainly
39:11had
39:11a
39:11lot
39:11of
39:12energy
39:12but
39:12come
39:13on
39:14I
39:15reckon
39:15it
39:15was
39:15her
39:15trusty
39:16Highland
39:17ponies
39:17that
39:18did
39:18most
39:18of
39:18the
39:18work
39:20Victoria
39:22and
39:22Albert
39:22enjoyed
39:23acting
39:24as
39:24they
39:24saw
39:24it
39:24like
39:25the
39:25numerous
39:26Highlanders
39:26who
39:26now
39:27worked
39:27for
39:27them
39:27they
39:28even
39:28started
39:28disguising
39:29themselves
39:30as
39:30locals
39:30and
39:31staying
39:31in
39:31nearby
39:32inns
39:32although
39:33I
39:33doubt
39:33they
39:34fooled
39:34anyone
39:34to
39:36find
39:36out
39:36more
39:37about
39:37the
39:37world
39:37they
39:37created
39:38here
39:38I
39:39stopped
39:41by one
39:42of
39:42Victoria's
39:43picnic
39:43spots
39:43to
39:44meet
39:44author
39:44and
39:45historian
39:45Helen
39:46Rapopore
39:46they
39:48actually
39:49took
39:49great
39:50pleasure
39:50in
39:51the
39:51simple
39:51Scottish
39:52life
39:52you know
39:53visiting
39:54cottages
39:54and
39:54eating
39:55porridge
39:55and
39:56pancakes
39:56and
39:56doing
39:57the
39:57Scottish
39:57thing
39:58it
39:58was
39:58such
39:59a
39:59release
39:59from
40:00all
40:00the
40:00hidebound
40:01protocols
40:02of
40:02court
40:02life
40:02all
40:03the
40:03ceremonial
40:04and
40:04shaking
40:05hands
40:05and
40:05cutting
40:06ribbons
40:06here
40:07they
40:07could
40:07be
40:07as
40:08free
40:08as
40:08any
40:08monarch
40:09possibly
40:09ever
40:10could
40:10be
40:10free
40:10in
40:12Albert's
40:12case
40:12particularly
40:13who would
40:14spend
40:14the
40:14day
40:14doing
40:15nothing
40:15in
40:15particular
40:16and
40:16for
40:16a
40:17man
40:17so
40:17driven
40:18this
40:19was
40:19a
40:20wonderful
40:21antidote
40:22to
40:22overwork
40:23by
40:26this
40:26time
40:26Albert
40:27had
40:27pulled
40:27off
40:27the
40:27great
40:28exhibition
40:28his
40:291851
40:30showcase
40:30of
40:31Britain's
40:31engineering
40:32and artistic
40:32might
40:33at
40:33Crystal
40:34Palace
40:34he'd
40:36also
40:37sealed
40:37his
40:37position
40:38as
40:38Victoria's
40:39most
40:39trusted
40:39advisor
40:40but
40:42as
40:42his
40:42political
40:42influence
40:43grew
40:43he
40:44reawakened
40:45old
40:45enemies
40:46in
40:46the
40:46press
40:46his
40:48opposition
40:49to
40:49the
40:49Crimean
40:50War
40:50of
40:501853
40:51even
40:52led
40:52to
40:52accusations
40:53he
40:53was
40:53a
40:54Russian
40:54sympathizer
40:55for
40:56two
40:56months
40:57each
40:57year
40:57Balmoral
40:58was
40:59Albert
40:59and
40:59Victoria's
41:00sanctuary
41:00they
41:03had
41:03their
41:04own
41:04little
41:04Scottish
41:05fantasy
41:05and
41:06part
41:06of
41:07that
41:07was
41:07affecting
41:08Scottish
41:09mannerisms
41:09even
41:10the
41:10Queen
41:10at
41:10times
41:10when
41:11she
41:11was
41:11up
41:11here
41:11will
41:12put
41:12on
41:12a
41:12slight
41:13Scots
41:13accent
41:14Albert
41:15tried to
41:15learn
41:15Gaelic
41:16and didn't
41:16do very
41:17well at
41:17it
41:17I think
41:19the fact
41:19that they
41:20spend so
41:20much time
41:21here
41:21must have
41:22meant a
41:22lot to
41:23the local
41:23people
41:24financially
41:25it must have
41:26mustn't it
41:26I'm stuck
41:27I'm stuck
41:27I'm stuck
41:27I'm stuck
41:27I'm stuck
41:28I'm stuck
41:28I'm stuck
41:30there we are
41:30I miss
41:32my foot
41:32there
41:32must have
41:33been quite
41:33a positive
41:34financial impact
41:36on the local
41:36people of having
41:37them up here
41:38all the time
41:38well it
41:38created the
41:39Scottish
41:39Highland
41:40tourist
41:41trade
41:41once the
41:42Queen
41:43started coming
41:44regularly to
41:44Scotland
41:45Scotland
41:45became
41:46hugely
41:46fashionable
41:47Thomas Cook
41:48started running
41:49tours here
41:50eight miles south
41:53of the castle
41:54Helen's brought
41:55me to the
41:55eight-bedroomed
41:56cottage
41:56Victorian
41:57nicknamed
41:58the hut
41:59nowadays it's
42:00let out to
42:00holiday makers
42:01but in the
42:021850s
42:03the royal
42:03couple
42:04camped out
42:04here regularly
42:05is that a
42:06little corridor
42:07between the
42:07love nest
42:07and the
42:08servants
42:08yes they
42:09built that
42:09so that
42:10they could
42:10go back
42:10and forth
42:11without
42:11getting
42:11soaked
42:12when the
42:12weather
42:12was
42:13terrible
42:13the
42:14equerries
42:14and
42:14ladies
42:15in
42:15waiting
42:15absolutely
42:16loathed
42:17having to
42:18come to
42:18Balmoral
42:19they
42:19coined
42:20a phrase
42:20for it
42:20the members
42:21of the
42:21entourage
42:21they
42:21called
42:22it
42:22Balmorality
42:23this
42:23kind
42:24of
42:24stultified
42:25dreary
42:26boring
42:27mundane
42:27existence
42:29that they
42:29had to
42:30kowtow
42:31to
42:31and of
42:31course
42:31the
42:31prime
42:32ministers
42:32hated
42:34having to
42:34make this
42:35great long
42:35journey
42:35here
42:36particularly
42:36Disraeli
42:37totally
42:37refused
42:38to come
42:38and ironically
42:39although the
42:40Queen's
42:40physician
42:41had
42:41recommended
42:41the
42:42side
42:42as
42:42perfect
42:43for his
42:43health
42:44and his
42:44rheumatism
42:45it
42:45might
42:46actually
42:46have
42:46made
42:46Albert's
42:47rheumatism
42:47worse
42:48crawling
42:49through all
42:49the
42:49heather
42:50stalking
42:50deer
42:51just south
42:58of the
42:58cottage
42:59I
42:59reach
42:59Loch
43:00Mick
43:00it's
43:01Gaelic
43:02for
43:02Loch
43:02of
43:02the
43:02swine
43:03although
43:03no one
43:04seems
43:04quite sure
43:05how it
43:05got that
43:05name
43:06apparently
43:07the royal
43:08couple
43:08kept a
43:09boat
43:09on this
43:10little
43:10loch
43:10presumably
43:12that's
43:12the
43:12boathouse
43:13look
43:14there's
43:15the
43:15track
43:16that
43:16they
43:16have
43:17used
43:17to
43:18launch
43:19it
43:19must
43:19have
43:19been
43:19quite
43:20a
43:20big
43:20boat
43:20because
43:20according
43:21to
43:22Victoria's
43:23diary
43:23it took
43:23four men
43:24to row
43:25it
43:25Sandy
43:27I'm hitching
43:28a ride
43:29down
43:29Loch
43:29Mick
43:30in a
43:30rather
43:30less
43:30regal
43:31vessel
43:31Hi
43:33Tony
43:33how are you
43:33today
43:33welcome
43:34can I
43:35come on
43:35board
43:35yes
43:36of course
43:36you can
43:36hello
43:37the
43:38loch's
43:38choppy
43:38but it's
43:39fine
43:40now
43:40every time
43:42they had
43:42to leave
43:43Balmoral
43:43the royal
43:44mood
43:44darkened
43:45in October
43:471861
43:48the Queen
43:49wrote
43:49my heart
43:50sinks
43:51within me
43:51at the
43:52prospect
43:52of going
43:53back
43:53to
43:53Windsor
43:54Albert
43:59found it
43:59even
43:59harder
44:00away
44:01from here
44:01he was
44:02increasingly
44:02depressed
44:03and weighed
44:04down
44:05by the
44:05demands
44:05of court
44:06most
44:07exhausting
44:08was the
44:09brood
44:09of nine
44:10children
44:10years
44:11later
44:12Victoria
44:13could still
44:13not forgive
44:14eldest son
44:15Bertie
44:15for the
44:16toll
44:16his
44:16scandalous
44:17philandering
44:18took on
44:18Albert's
44:19fragile
44:19health
44:20in
44:23December
44:231861
44:24the
44:25Prince
44:25Consort
44:26was
44:26diagnosed
44:27with
44:27typhoid
44:28fever
44:28at
44:29Windsor
44:30the
44:30family
44:31gathered
44:31around
44:31to
44:32read
44:32to
44:32him
44:32Victoria
44:33chose
44:34a
44:34novel
44:34by
44:35Walter
44:35Scott
44:36but on
44:39the
44:3914th
44:40of
44:40December
44:40Albert
44:41died
44:42aged
44:4242
44:43we all
44:46know
44:47what
44:47happened
44:47next
44:47Victoria
44:48descended
44:49into
44:49decades
44:50of mourning
44:50and
44:51Balmoral
44:52became a
44:52shrine
44:53to
44:53Albert's
44:54memory
44:54sadly
44:55by this
44:55time
44:56the
44:56little
44:56cottage
44:56at the
44:57far end
44:57of the
44:58lock
44:58was
44:58too
44:59full
44:59of
44:59happy
44:59memories
45:00for
45:00Victoria
45:01and the
45:01couple
45:02had always
45:02said
45:02they
45:02wanted
45:03to
45:03build
45:03somewhere
45:04here
45:04so
45:05she
45:06did
45:06this
45:07was
45:07where
45:07she
45:08came
45:08to
45:08enjoy
45:09her
45:09solitude
45:09and she
45:10called
45:11it
45:11the
45:12widow's
45:12house
45:12Victoria
45:18lived
45:18the rest
45:19of her
45:19life
45:19reenacting
45:20the
45:20ritual
45:21she
45:21and
45:21Albert
45:22had
45:22created
45:22together
45:23Balmoral
45:24was frozen
45:25in
45:25aspic
45:26but in
45:28the 17
45:28years
45:29of coming
45:29to the
45:30highlands
45:30the couple
45:31had
45:31quite
45:32unintentionally
45:33promoted
45:34this place
45:34to the
45:35world
45:35while
45:37Victorian
45:37England
45:38was celebrated
45:39for its
45:39modern
45:40industry
45:40and dirty
45:41great
45:41cities
45:42Scotland
45:43had become
45:44famous
45:44ironically
45:45for its
45:46highland
45:46traditions
45:47I've never
45:49been much
45:49of a fan
45:50for tartan
45:51and shortbread
45:52and all that
45:52Scottish
45:53flummery
45:53it's too
45:54manufactured
45:55and historically
45:56shaky for me
45:57but one thing
45:58I have learned
45:59on my walk
46:00is this
46:01because
46:02Victoria
46:03and Albert
46:04came here
46:05because they
46:06stayed here
46:06because they
46:07were besotted
46:07by the place
46:08and because
46:09in their own
46:09minds
46:09at least
46:10they reinvented
46:11it
46:11it completely
46:13altered the
46:14relationship
46:14between their
46:16English subjects
46:16and Scotland
46:18Scotland
46:19was no longer
46:20a dangerous
46:21place
46:22a threatening
46:22place
46:23a place
46:23brimming
46:23with insurrection
46:24now
46:25it was
46:26beautiful
46:27it was
46:28romantic
46:28somewhere
46:30to come
46:30on your
46:30holidays
46:31Albert
46:32and Victoria
46:33really loved
46:34Scotland
46:35and like
46:36countless
46:37Englishmen
46:37since then
46:38so do I
46:40if you want
46:42to follow
46:42in my
46:42footsteps
46:43you can
46:44download
46:44a guide
46:44to my
46:45walk
46:45by going
46:46to
46:46www.channel4.com
46:48and Tony's
46:50in Wales
46:51for the
46:51Norman
46:51conquest
46:52of
46:52Pembrokeshire
46:53walking
46:53through history
46:54next Saturday
46:54at 8
46:55Arthur
46:56Williams
46:57explores
46:57the 2 million
46:58British soldiers
46:58who sustained
46:59life-changing
47:00injuries
47:00in the
47:00Great War
47:01World War I's
47:02Forgotten Heroes
47:03tomorrow at 7
47:04next tonight
47:05from America's
47:06best assets
47:07to America's
47:07most wanted
47:08as Bruce Willis
47:09and Helen Mirren
47:10star
47:11in red
47:12and Helen Mirren
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