Catch up TV

Series 1 (60-Minute Versions): Episode 1

Paul explores the River Spey, the third longest river in Scotland, from its source in the remote Monadhliath Mountains, to the Moray Coast, 143km to the north. On the way, he hears stories of clan chief Cluny Macpherson, who hid with his gold for nine years in an inaccessible cave.\n\nHeading to a hidden tributary, Paul discovers a secret aristocratic Victorian love-nest located in a remote glen where the wilderness is returning. In Newtonmore, Paul sees traditional highland houses that remind him of hobbit dwellings, before he rides a steam train on a heritage railway that follows the River Spey.\n\nHeading further downstream, Paul hears tales of loggers who floated timber down the river from the 17th century onwards. He then takes to the water in a canoe, and discovers the rare and endangered freshwater pearl mussels that were once harvested for their precious pearls.\n\nSampling a dram of the original water of life, Paul reaches the mouth of the Spey, where shipyards once launched vessels to sail the Seven Seas. Finally, Paul meets the last salmon-net fisherman on the river, and learns how nets were used to catch the fish, which were then packed in ice and sent by rail to London.

Source: BBC 2