Great British Railway Journeys Ep 9/20

Michael Portillo reaches the wild border country in today’s leg of his journey from Preston to Kirkcaldy.

His first stop is Carlisle, where he meets artist Gordon Young, a descendant of the Border Reivers, a bunch of ancient lawless clansmen from the area who are mentioned in Bradshaw’s guide. Michael then visits a pub where a local band plays the ballads of the Reivers, as collected by Sir Walter Scott.

Michael’s next stop is Gretna Green, where blacksmith Alistaire Houston tells Michael about the town’s famous marriage business. Bradshaw predicted the end of Gretna’s marriage trade, but it is still going strong today. Michael congratulates a newlywed couple who, true to form, eloped over the border.

Just outside Gretna, Michael heads to an old Ministry of Defence munitions site to meet manager David Watt. David shows Michael around the site on its internal railway system and explains how, in the First World War, thousands of women made a lethal explosive concoction called Devil’s Porridge.

Michael’s last stop in this programme is the great Scottish city of Glasgow. In a Victorian version of poverty tourism, Bradshaw guides Michael to Calton, an area of great social deprivation in Victorian times. Today, Michael meets writer and resident Janey Godley who tells him the area isn’t that different now – residents of Calton have one of the lowest life expectancies in the country. He also visits the centre of Glasgow, which is enjoying a renaissance in popularity.