In the Scottish Highlands, new, fantastically beautiful scenery awaits behind every turn: heather-covered hills that glow with purple, picturesque lakes and green forests. But what would these still largely untouched places be without the people living here?
highland cattle
For their powerful travel documentary, NDR writers Babette Hanup and Mike Gzynski and their camera team take the train route of the legendary Highland Main Line, which runs through the heart of Cairngorms National Park.
fangs and strange residents
They know the angular inhabitants. This includes Steve Archibald, the only Scottish sword-eater. He is going to the Edinburgh Fringe, the world’s biggest street artist festival, to earn money for a vacation with his son. Steve used to work in a factory, but today he risks his life every day if he pushes a 30 cm long steel blade deep into his throat.
Or Callum Richardson, whose small but legendary fish and chip shop in Stonehaven is considered one of the best in Great Britain.
Traditionally Scottish: Golf and Gin
The historic Strathspey Railway steam train traverses the countryside.
20-year-old golfer Ellie Docherty, who is preparing to rock the male-dominated national sport, has also spoken in the film. Her grandfather was an avid golf professional and has been at home on the local greens for more than 70 years.
The other stop is the city of Avimore, with its gin still in place, the gin for which ingredients juniper and rose hips can be found in the surrounding forests. and the farm of two city-weary newcomers who try their hand at farming among cows and sheep and also work on oil platforms off the coast.
Travel destination: Inverness
The final leg of the voyage goes through the breathtaking Caledonian Canal on board captain and navigator Danny Coutts’ “Tennessee Waltz”.
Boarding the train back, the NDR team reached its destination Inverness. It is also the end of the line for conductor Jennifer Craig. She travels the railways all over Scotland, but she doesn’t love anyone more. “The views here are simply incomparable,” she explains.
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