All language subtitles for The Worlds Most Scenic Railway Journeys S05E03 1080p WEB DL H264 BTN_track3_[eng]

Escape with us along a railway

that weaves in and out of England
and Wales

aboard the Northern Belle.

We are embarking on a historic
adventure that charts

the story of two ancient
nations.

From Norman times...

Walking around the castle
is like going back through time.

..on to the Industrial Revolution.

But it's really great fun to drive.

It's just great being around trains.

WHISTLE BLOWS

And up to the current day with the
most modern way

to take in the sights.

Wow. Whoa! We're looking at

the Malvern Hills and Worcestershire
there.

Fabulous scenery today.

We'll experience the grandeur
and wealth that

was born of Wales' mines.

All while aboard a
luxury heritage train.

Great journey.
It's a nice, relaxing journey

and you've got this beautiful
scenery to look at.

This is no ordinary railway journey,

this is one of the most scenic
railway journeys in the world.

The Welsh borders.

WHISTLE BLOWS

We're about to embark on a weekend
jaunt that begins in Lancashire

and weaves its way
along the Wales-England border

before arriving
in historic Cardiff.

For this special trip,
a special train.

The class 57 diesel locomotive
the Scarborough Castle.

Coupled with the Northern Belle,
with its 11 lovingly restored

Pullman cars.

Morning, madam. Morning.
Nice to see you. Come on board.

How we doing, all right?

It's a Friday
morning in Preston, Lancashire.

With the train's 93
passengers seated, we're off.

And with our departure comes
a sumptuous breakfast.

Madam, this is our famous cheese
souffle and smoked salmon.

Thank you. Same for yourself.
Thank you very much.

On the first
leg of this 200-mile trip,

we will travel south through
Cheshire and on into North Wales,

where aqueducts and viaducts loom
large over the landscape.

We'll then weave back over
the border into the Shropshire Hills

and down through historic Ludlow in
the ancient Welsh Marches

before crossing back into Wales and
the Brecon Beacons...

..and finally arriving in Cardiff.

We're in Cheshire, heading
south-east towards the Wales border.

The urban landscape of Preston
now behind us,

passengers are enjoying
the more rustic views.

Manager James is on board today.

It might be a busman's holiday
but he never

tires of a journey
aboard the Belle.

The Northern Belle is very special.

It harks back to a much less hurried

and much more opulent
era of travel.

And, yes, it is very much
a restaurant on wheels.

You've got good food, and there
aren't many restaurants where

you get an ever-changing view
out of the window.

Our train has now
crossed into North Wales

and we're heading towards Wrexham...

..along the Shrewsbury
and Chester line...

..which was inextricably linked with
the Industrial Revolution.

This railway came off the mainline

when the big companies realised
that there was

money to be made from the coal
and steel deposits in North Wales.

It would have been moving coal,
steel and iron.

Stuart is an expert
on the British railways and knows

the history of pretty much every
mile of our route today.

The coal-mining industry
in North Wales was a large employer,

and therefore a large
source of business for the railways.

The railway is carrying us down
through Cefn in the Dee Valley.

Once a sleepy place,

it sprung up thanks to its bountiful
coal, iron and stone.

And those materials needed to be
transported across the River Dee.

We're now just coming up to the Cefn
Mawr Viaduct, which is an amazing

construction in engineering terms,
and a sight to behold.

1,500 feet long, this viaduct was
built in 1845 by Henry Robertson.

Made from local sandstone,
it stands 147 feet high.

And local man Dave grew up in the
shadow of its awesome 19 arches.

The viaduct has played a huge part

in my life growing up in this
valley.

It's just always been there.

The trains will thunder across it,

back in the days of steam. During
the Second World War, my father

used to stand guard on it at night
with the other guys

from the local Home Guard,

and he used to regale me

with stories of freezing-cold winter
evenings.

So I very often walk past
and reminisce, imagine him

standing there with his army
greatcoat on, a la Dad's Army!

Not long after the Second World War
ended

and the Home Guard was disbanded,

Dave's father joined
the newly formed Fron Choir...

..and Dave has followed
in his footsteps.

Being in the Fron Choir means
everything to me.

The country's love of music comes
from its Celtic roots.

Often referred to as the Land of
Song, music is in the Welsh blood.

It's my social life.

I love singing, I've sang all my
life.

And suddenly you've
got 60 to 70 best friends -

it's like being in a brotherhood.

Leigh has been conducting this
brotherhood of musical

men for the last 11 years.

Wales and music go hand in hand,
it's huge.

And the male voice choir tradition

has been going for hundreds of
years.

I think it probably
started off just in workplaces,

even in the mines. It was farmers
just singing together,

and then it's become a bigger
group of singers.

The first time I sang with
the acquire was unique.

I suddenly felt as if I had 70 arms
around me. I felt safe.

We're back on board

and continuing through the Dee
Valley in the Vale of Llangollen.

In pre-railway days, the mines
and quarries relied on a different

mode of transport -
a sprawling network of canals.

And just one mile from the viaduct,

we swapped wheels for water on board
Neal's narrow boat.

The stretch you're on now,
this is like a six-mile stretch

from the Horseshoe Falls down
to Trevor Basin at the aqueduct.

This stretch drops one inch per mile
just to get the engineering

correctly to flow.

And the canal boat
is about to take us

across the River Dee a second
time in spectacular style.

Right, we're just arriving
now at the aqueduct.

In 30 seconds or so
we'll be on there.

A 1,000 foot long stream in the sky,

this is the longest
aqueduct in Great Britain.

The aqueduct was
built by Thomas Telford.

Started in 1795,
finished ten years later, in 1805.

It's a huge structure, it's
unbelievable.

Absolutely unbelievable structure.

Its 18 arches tower 126ft above the
river and, at just 12ft wide,

manoeuvring along it is not
for the faint-hearted.

It's just an absolute sheer drop,
no railings on the right-hand side.

You get one or two of the boaters
that freak out a little bit

and many of them sort of
climb off and walk across it.

It's a cracking view, innit?

Once across, the canal widens,
but not by much.

It's an interesting canal we're on -
it is very narrow and very shallow.

Just going to let him get round this
band.

Because this is so low, I can't
get round these corners, you know,

when there's boats on them.

Cheers, my friend.

You all right?

With up to 200 boats a week in the
summer, and a permitted top speed

of 4mph, not everyone takes steering
in their stride the way Neal does.

Historically, this canal has coined
the phrase canal range.

There's a lot of irate people at
times on here. Extremely busy.

Sorry about this.

There's just so many boats trying to
pass each other,

people get so frustrated on it.

It does make me laugh, though,
honestly.

But despite the odd fraught moment
that comes with sharing such

a narrow stretch of water, there is
camaraderie on this canal.

You meet the same people over and
over again,

such nice people, friendly people.

You all right? Cor, it's warm,
innit?

It's just such a change from the
fast pace of life in general.

Ey up.
There we are, the train's going.

Back on the train,
the guests have almost

finished their meal of caviar,
cheese souffle and salmon.

I've never had salmon for breakfast
before.

It's lovely. Lovely.

I'll do it again.
We'll have salmon again.

This is Caroline's first
trip aboard the Northern Belle,

a gift to her
and her husband from their daughter.

I've always loved trains.

I used to live near a train track
when I was young,

so I've always liked going on
the train.

So it was a surprise, yeah.

We're now 80 miles into our journey
and heading out of Wales

and back into England,

towards the Shropshire plains.

And there's plenty
yet to come as we continue south.

We'll be exploring the
Shropshire Hills from land and sky.

All right, we're off.

Wow! Whoa! Perfect day.

We're two hours into our journey
aboard the Northern Belle

and travelling through
the fertile Shropshire plains.

It's a delightful area
to travel through.

Flat land, agricultural,
and a lovely pattern of fields.

The agricultural industry of course
being an important customer

of the railway.

Now passengers have finished
their breakfast Bellinis,

they're drinking in
the ambience on board.

I like how luxurious it all is.

And of course the food,
and being waited upon -

it's not something
that you do every day.

Among the Northern Belle's guests
today are Jim and his wife Sue,

who are enjoying the 1930s-inspired
decor of their Pullman car.

It evokes memories of the past,
you know,

the sort of seating and everything
in the old carriages.

Everything today seems to be
at 100 miles an hour.

This is far more leisurely
and far more luxurious.

With our first leg of Wales
behind us, we're back in England.

Our train continues
through Shrewsbury

before climbing up
into the Shropshire Hills

and on to Ludlow.

Our train is now
on Welsh Marches line,

hurtling through
the Shropshire hills.

And we're deep in a valley
flanked by the Long Mynd.

A 700ft-high ridge running
ten miles from north to south.

This is one of the most ancient
rock formations in the UK.

And Peter has spent 22 years
working up here.

So we're standing on some of
the oldest land in Britain.

It's Precambrian rock, and it
basically is a collection of mud

washed off a continent,

formed on the seabed
and compressed

over 600 million years,

transported from Antarctica
to the present day,

turned on its side
by geological activity,

and what we can see now
is these layers of mud.

The Long Mynd
holds a geological secret.

Charles Darwin, a Shropshire man,
managed to uncover it,

contributing to our understanding
of evolution.

Charles Darwin
knew the age of the Long Mynd

and concluded that there should be

signs of life here somewhere
hidden in the rocks.

And for many years
this hadn't been found,

but 20 years ago
it's been discovered

that we have these little tiny marks
on the rock

which have been identified
as bacterial blobs

landing on the marine seabed
when it was soft sediment.

This rock is fossil evidence

of the earliest signs of life
on the planet.

Even though this land is now
owned by the National Trust,

it's a protected common,
meaning local shepherds,

known as commoners,
can let their flocks roam free.

We've entered
a conservation scheme

whereby the sheep numbers
have been reduced

and the farmers have been
compensated for that,

and that's allowed the heather
to recover

and their wet flushes
and the bogs and mires

have all filled up with plants.

But it's not just sheep
that roam these ancient hills.

They are increasingly becoming
a draw for a more exotic species.

And if you're lucky,

you'll catch a glimpse of
the lesser spotted thrill-seeker.

Is there any wind? No.

We'll go anyway and we'll try it,
I think. Yeah.

Ready? Here we go.

Keep leaning right.

Beautiful.

OK, stand still if you can.

Ready? Yeah. Run, run, run.

Woohoo!

The west side of the Long Mynd -
just three miles from the Welsh

border - is the perfect jumping-off
point for paragliders.

Jesus.

Struggling here.

Big time sink.
Legs up, legs up, legs up!

HE EXHALES

Crikey O'Reilly.

Don't worry, we're going up.
We're going to climb.

Just lean right, darling.

Today, Mark and his wife Sian
have launched themselves

high above our railway line
down in the valley.

All right, we're off!

This is the Long Mynd.

Wow! Whoa, perfect day.

All right, so we're in
a thermal now,

we're going round in
a rising bubble of air.

So now you're starting to see
the scenery a bit better.

So, looking out this way,
we're looking at Malvern Hills

and Worcestershire there.

Fabulous scenery today.

And this is the Long Mynd.

There you go.

Looking down the full length
of the hill.

And this is paragliding.

Woohoo! Whoo!

Mark has been paragliding
for over 33 years,

and five years ago
Sian took a leap of faith

and gave up her cleaning business
to join him as an instructor.

You could see about 4km
down where we've came from.

This is Craven Arms,

and then just behind it,
by the yellow rape fields

in the distance, that's Ludlow.

So I hope you've enjoyed
the view of the Long Mynd

and the surrounding countryside.

It's absolutely beautiful.

We've come crashing back
down to earth,

and we're back on the train...

..speeding through a territory with
a rich history.

The Welsh Marches.

The Welsh Marches were
historically the borderlands

set up by the Normans to control the
border between Wales and England.

The Marches were frontier land
controlled by Norman invaders,

largely independent of English rule.

And to keep Welsh rebels
off the fertile Earth,

they built one of the largest
concentration of castles in the UK.

We'll be getting off at Ludlow,

where one of the most impressive
of those castles can be found.

Dated around 1086,

this fortress was the control
centre of the Welsh Marches.

And Leon knows it
like the back of his hand.

This is the inner bailey,

and it was a hive of activity
when the castle was first built.

To my right, we have
the Mary Magdalene Chapel,

a Knights Templar chapel.

But in front of me
we have the Great Hall.

This is where feasting
would have happened,

deals would have been cut.

It was a very important place.

Come the evening,
after the feasting,

visitors generally would have been
gathered all around

and they'd be sleeping in the Great
Hall by the fire with their servant.

Even though the castle's
now a ruin...

..enough remains for Leon to
live and breathe its history.

Walking around the castle
is like going back through time,

and the more you
walk round the monument here,

the more you see the different
phases of times of history.

The castle passed from Norman hands
to Tudor hands in the 15th century,

and its new owners upgraded it,
installing all the mod cons.

So this is a medieval garderobe,

which is a toilet, and it was
used by the privileged, the wealthy,

to come and do
their natural business.

Rudimentary as it was, it was prone
to getting blocked,

so a lackey was stationed
at the bottom of the long drop

to clear away the backlog.

It's not the most luxurious
part of the castle,

but it's one of my favourites.

It's the nuts and bolts
of human living.

And it's not just medieval
bathrooms that get Leon excited.

Get rid of that loose...
See what there is.

He also loves rummaging through the
castle's bins.

Whey! Clay pipe.

That is...

That's an early one, as well.

For about 900 years,

the medieval folk were throwing
their rubbish out over the walls

and it tells us a lot about
the people that were in the castle.

We've been here for ten minutes

and already we've got
a handle here - that's amazing.

You can see the glaze on the inside.

Midlands Purple ware.

We'd date that 15th, 16th century.

We've got clay pipeage -
get a lot of these here.

You had a booming tobacco industry,
Tudor period.

And it's incredibly exciting
because it's stuffed full of finds,

so for me it's like a sweet shop,
it's like a gold mine.

I love it.

While Leon continues
raking through the dirt,

we're rejoining the railway...

..as it runs down past the castle
walls and crosses the River Teme.

Flowing from Mid Wales for 81 miles,

this particular spot of the river

is cherished by Ludlow's anglers...

I'm going to try a little mayfly
imitation that Steve give me.

Oh, right. So I'll give that a swim.

..and these ones are obsessed
with their tackle.

I could just get a shrimp on,
something heavy to

get on the bottom,
I'll try and do a bit of trotting.

Right. Yeah, and I think I'll
try a mayfly nymph on.

Seeing as they're not
taking so much.

We've got all angles covered, then,
haven't we?

Confused?

Then...join the club.

My name's Derek Young
and I run the local fly-tying club.

These anglers all craft their own
artificial flies to catch fish.

A skill that requires
not only artistry...

..but an encyclopaedic knowledge of
insects.

That one there is
a little French mayfly.

This is one I've been tying here.

Now a French partridge mayfly
is just a mayfly.

Here's one of my all-time
favourites, the old daddy long legs.

And this one is what
they call a Czech nymph

and that particular creature
is like a little grub beetle

that lives on the floor
of the river.

Back on the River Teme.

Even with perfect bait...

..it's a slow day.

No, they're not taking
nothing on the top.

But it's nonetheless the perfect
way to pass the time.

It's just peace and quiet,
tranquillity.

A bad day on the river

is better than a good day
in the office, isn't it?

Back on the train, we're over
halfway into our journey,

and now we're just 75 miles

from our final destination -
Cardiff.

We're 120 miles into one of the
world's

most scenic railway journeys,

aboard the Northern Belle
as it wends its way south

along the Wales/England border.

We're sort of heading south of
Hereford down towards Abergavenny

and we're into the rather
rich agricultural soils

in beautiful reds, and at this time
of year we've also got

a lot of oilseed rape in the fields
with the rich yellow flowers.

Two and a half
hours into our journey,

we're heading towards
the Brecon Beacons,

where we'll cross Offa's Dyke.

We'll then take a trip on
Blaenavon's historic railway...

..before continuing south
to our destination - Cardiff.

With England's borderlands
now behind us,

we've crossed back into one of the
most beautiful parts of Wales.

We're skirting around the edge
of the Brecon Beacons,

the high ground in South Wales.

And as the line takes us along
the east of the Brecon Beacons...

..we're near an ancient pathway.

Offa's Dyke was built by
the King of Mercia around 780

as a defence against rival kingdoms.

Come on, come on.

Come on, come on.

Come on.

The trail passes through
the Llanthony Valley...

..where Sarah is made a home with
her 60 rare-breed Soay sheep.

SHEEP BLEAT

Be nice if some of the others
got some, as well, yeah?

SHE LAUGHS

Sarah used to have
a corporate job in the city,

but packed it all in
to relocate to this valley...

..where she founded a retreat,
and runs guided walks.

There is something about the
landscape which is grand enough

to make you stop and slow down
and just stare,

but not so grand that it
becomes intimidating or scary.

It is just the most peaceful,
calming, connecting sort of place.

The Llanthony Valley has always
seduced passers-by.

William de Lacy was a Norman knight
who, it's said,

was so captivated by its peaceful
beauty that he founded

a hermitage here 900 years ago.

This landscape has a really long
history of attracting people

of a reflective nature,
who want to create something.

It's got almost more monasteries
than farms in this local area,

and it very much parallels
what's happened to me here -

I came by pure chance
for a nice weekend

and, 20 years later,
I'm living and working here.

By 1118, that hermitage had
become an Augustinian monastery,

and the ruins remain today.

That's Llanthony Priory.

It's a very scenically
ruined priory.

The arch is just right so that when
you're within the priory grounds

and you're looking through
the arches back up to

the Offa's Dyke trail
and this huge expanse of hill.

But the breathtaking scenery

isn't the only thing that draws
people to this holy refuge.

There's a wonderful bar
in the cellar down at Llanthony,

and I have regularly lost parts
of the group into that bar.

And they enjoy a
few pints down there

whilst I take the rest
back to the farm

and then come
and retrieve them later!

Taking the decision
to settle here was

definitely the boldest decision
and the best decision

I've made in my life so far.

Back on board...

..passengers are lapping up all
the luxury

that the Northern Belle
has to offer.

A great journey.
It's a nice relaxing journey.

I like travelling by train,

I think it's a great way
to come down to Cardiff.

And you've got this beautiful
scenery to look at.

We're fast approaching Abergavenny -
a major town in mining days

with a train network that fed goods
out of the mountains.

This part of the world
was transformed

by the Industrial Revolution.

Her mineral-rich Earth lured workers
from all over the British Isles.

By the 1900s, South Wales was
the largest producer

of coal and iron in the world.

Ghosts of this bygone era

can be found on the
Blaenavon World Heritage site -

and one of them is the Pontypool
and Blaenavon Railway...

..a perfectly preserved
working mine...

How we looking?

..with perfectly preserved
working steam engines.

So we're just firing up the motion,

make sure that the engine's
well lubricated.

Alex Hinshelwood is prepping
the 3061 Empress,

built by WG Bagnall in 1954
for the National Coal Board.

It's not particularly roomy.

And although this engine is
no longer in service,

it still requires
a high degree of maintenance.

Empress in particular
takes about four hours

to get ready in the morning.

So to begin with,
we check the engine over

and then light the fire.

We then prepare the engine,
oiling it up,

lubricating all the moving parts.

We clean it from top to bottom,
shine all the blasters up

and then go get the train.

WHISTLE TOOTS

Built in 1866 to transport freight
from the many mines nearby,

the Pontypool and Blaenavon is the
highest standard-gauge railway

in England and Wales.

This line came from Abergavenny,
up to Brynmawr

and then down to Blaenavon to
tap into the coal reserves.

If you'd come here 150 years ago
you would have seen

very glamorous-looking locomotives

all hauling coal trains
up to Birmingham.

Today, those mines have gone,

but the railway is alive and kicking
and open to tourists.

It snakes along the edge of
the Brecon Beacons,

where the remnants of industry lie
scattered among the rural beauty.

It's really great fun to drive.

It's just great being around trains!

WHISTLE BLASTS
Good old choke.

I control the engine
using three primary things.

The regulator,
which is in my left hand.

This controls the amount of steam
that goes to the cylinder.

The brake, which is up there.

This is the steam brake
for the engine.

And the reverse,
which is the big red lever here.

This determines how much steam
is emitted into the cylinders

during each stroke.

A civil engineer by day, Alex's work
on the Pontypool and Blaenavon

is all carried out
in his spare time.

It's truly a labour of love.

It's a real thrill to drive
these engines.

Something about the adrenaline
and the feeling that you get

from, you know, taming the sort
of beast that is Empress, really.

Back on OUR train...

..we're now just over 25 miles away
from our destination - Cardiff...

..where we'll be visiting
its splendid castle...

..an architectural wonder
designed by William Burgess.

We're aboard the Northern Belle,
on a unique railway journey

following the spine
of the Wales/England border

from Lancashire down to Cardiff.

It's just been a delight
from beginning to end.

But it's not end...
It's not ended yet, but...

LAUGHTER

Everything OK up here, fellas?
Yes, thank you.

We're now mere miles
from our final destination.

We are coming towards
our journey's end,

and the scenery has
changed completely

from a rural beautiful scenery of
rolling fields

into an urban industrial area
between Cardiff and Newport -

developed, of course, because
of the industrial hinterland

behind the capital city.

Wales' capital was the beating heart

of the Industrial Revolution
in this country.

And one of its grandest relics
is Cardiff Castle.

The Marquesses of Bute were a
powerful family,

who used their vast fortune made in
the coalfields

to transform Cardiff into
the vibrant city it is today.

In 1865, the 3rd Marquess

decided to redesign
the family's medieval castle.

The result was a dreamlike Gothic
extravaganza

with fantasy towers,

elaborate themes...

..and the most opulent finishes
money could buy.

And showing us around is Erfyl,

who's starting in a drawing room
with a Moorish theme.

So this is The Arab Room -

one of the most exquisite rooms

we have here at Cardiff Castle.

So one of the most impressive
features, of course,

is this muqarnas - or
stalactite ceiling, if you like.

It's hand-carved onto wood

and then actually we cover
everything in 22-carat gold leaf.

This room was designed
for the ladies in the family -

and apparently they liked
a bit of bling.

In front of
the stained-glass windows

you've got these crystal balls.

They were put there to reflect
the sunlight around the room,

giving it a kind of magical effect.

Like a disco ball, if you like.

It's a brilliant idea
but it doesn't work -

the sun doesn't shine
that strong in Cardiff.

They didn't think of that, did they?

When the castle residents
weren't lounging,

they were feasting
in one of its dining rooms.

So another ornate room -
over the top, again.

Believe it or not, this room
was just for INFORMAL meeting.

But it still had the very
latest accessories.

What's unusual, of course, is
the table in front of me here.

We've got a hole
right in the middle.

What would happen, the servant
would walk into this room

carrying a potted grape vine.

The table actually opens

from the centre so the pot then

could be placed on the pedestal

which is down below
at the bottom here.

You have to imagine, then,

the stem of the grapevine coming up
to about here, say.

Grapes.

Then they'd sit either the side -
the marquess and his wife -

and then they'd pick
the grapes and eat them.

Fresh grapes from the vine.

Back then,
nothing said you were loaded

like your own portable grapevine.

The 3rd Marquess also
made his own wine

and, when he died left a
12,000-bottle stash in the cellar.

They've all gone now.
I drink them all.

Back on board,
we're returning to Preston...

There we are, sir. Thank you again,
sir. Thank you very much. Thank you.

..a chance for passengers to get

stuck into the Northern Belle's
own wine stash.

The day is not over.

We're heading back home

but there is dinner to come,
there's entertainment.

MUSIC, INDISTINCT SINGING

Champagne for you, madam?

Just a little bit, thank you.
Just a little.

I can arrange a taxi for you.

And with a leisurely
four hours ahead,

it's turning into a celebration
of a most memorable journey.

INDISTINCT SINGING

And the enjoyment of
a day like today is,

because it's an out-and-back
journey along the same route,

you can enjoy the scenery twice!

On our 200-mile tour of
the Wales/England border...

..we've travelled along
some of the UK's

most spectacular historical
feats of engineering...

..seen the ancient Shropshire Hills
from land...and sky...

..and being immersed

in the chequered interwoven
history of two nations...

..all aboard the luxurious
Northern Belle -

a railway experience that harks back
to the halcyon days of travel.