So you could toil 14 hours a day in the fields and in smoky, ill-lit kitchens? Coping with widespread poor health and infant mortality? Banned from playing games on a Sunday? It never ceases to amaze me that people watch tourist promotion films and believe they're seeing social history.
@@gordon1545your view is amazing. We are in the end of days and you wouldn't go back?! Enjoy what's coming mate it's worse than the world has ever known
My Mate Ritchie Hislop and i cycled through the Highlands for 2 weeks in 1956,and we had a wonderful time staying at Scottish Youth Hostels .Our Country is certainly very beautiful , had very little cash in these days , so on our last day staying at Crainlarich in the morning all we had cash for was 2 wee packets of individual corn flakes to get us home to Bingham, Portobello, Edinburgh, aye we were a wee bit hungry that day cycling hame . Duncan Pitkeathly .
In 1957 people were polite, courteous and civil..and they looked clean and smart. Go forward 63 years in time to today and you will see how far backwards society has gone....no respect, no pride and no social graces... The future is bleak.
yes no one swore or was a C**t in the 50's! it was all tickety boo....what a load of mince...the future was bleak in 1939...get real...folk are folk...take off the rose tinted glesses..most folk are still ok these days...its the folk at the top that ultimately suck!!!!!!!!!!!!
@@boomtish4520 Sorry, but the statistical evidence does not support your comments….drug addiction in the highlands is far worse that the 1950’s by about a factor of 20 or greater and the same applies to crime….don’t forget that back then the Kirk played a major role in people’s lives and helped to promote the virtues of a decent, moral and ordered life albeit through the theology of hell and damnation if anyone transgressed. Poverty was always there and to a large extent it still is, although the influx of people leaving the wealthy cities in search of a dream or second homes has brought some affluence but also considerable other drawbacks…..in short, overall not a lot has improved in the 66 years that has passed since 1957…there may have been huge leaps in technology and health but society has not got a lot happier or content…and somewhere along the road an age of wonder and innocence has been lost.
I first toured Scotland all around coast in 1974...went up in 2001 on motorbike bridges at Ballachulish and skye now there.. nearly parted this world at sligacan bike accident....have been many times I'm from cumbria this film may seem quaint but it is why Scotland is my first favourite place to go....brillant from dave
I love seeing holiday makers dressed in woolen suits and neckties, Mum in her best hat and dress, maybe knitting while looking at the sights. Quaint times.
People on that bus would be talking to each other, these days each stupid head would be buried in a mobile phone, posting on anti-social media and not even looking at the landscape.
Hi You are quite correct we went to near Arrocahar from the south west of england 2 years ago 2 very middle aged woen totally spolit the journey and throughout the tour of 5 days by playing very loud music on their mobile phones and shouting when a call was made. To make matters worse on nthe last I counted in excess of 50 text messages. This was the third cpoach trip we made with the same company and all were spolit by unruly inconsiderate middle aged women shouting. Needless to say we will never travel on a long distance coach again. Being an exiled Scot we thought that this would ave us in car travel an be relaxing never never again!!
@@crawfordg Women are genitically programmed to talk incessantly whenever there is more than one present. When we go out for a meal we always find ourselves next to the table with the screechy woman. I note I'm not the only person to call it anti social media.
This is a charming film that creates deep nostalgia for the time it was made, evidently even in those who weren't alive then. I was, and an it's irresistable feeling. But when I take off the rose-tinted specs I wonder what it is we're all so affected by. Can it actually be a desire to be transported back to those times? Well, for me I'd be going back to almost certain death if I only had 1950s medical treatment to rely on. Similarly, I wouldn't be materially as well-off as I am in 2023. Despite those and other negatives, I can't shake off the feeling that there's something preferable and I guess it's the feeling of a simpler existence, one where it was easier to keep track of human priorities.
What a cracking film,from 1957 I was 9 years old then, the views are stunning great to see passengers chatting together and I particularly liked the lady knitting.The coach they are in I think is a Bedford WTB model and the coachbuilder's were probably Duple,these are day's of no power steering of cause and I guess it would have with no synchromesh,but i'm no expert,quite a task driving along those windey B road,s and,the coach driver looking very smart in his uniform it would be standard dress for staff and complemented with a clean white shirt and most important a tie.Really enjoyed this,thanks for sharing
Highlander born and bred, I was 1 year old when this was made, this brought back memories of my childhood, holidaying in North Uist and Loch hourne, Glengarry. Roaming the hills of my home in Tomatin just South of Inverness. Lovely film which I have saved to show my grandchildren, thank you.
Love these bits of old film..... I like to archive and after many years I now have a massive archive and a special section for bits of film like this. In this current age I hope people will watch these films and see that there is something we have lost back there somewhere and its something we need to get back..... respect for the land and the people, the mystery of the land and our connection with it.... the list goes on and these are things that we lose at our own peril.
Lovely old film which awakened some memories. Many of my ancestors were Highlanders, with a few Irish for variety. From the age of 15 (1969), I would hitch rides up to the Highands with my Sheltie and my tent, to wander and explore. I once walked from Inverness to to Shiel Bridge via Gken Affric, and the hitched up to Skye. An epic trip and Glen Affric was always a favourite. In later years I would be up there scuba diving off Skye and the Western Isles. Accessed by liveaboard dive boats which were always converted fishing boats. Great days. I too noticed the unhistorical euphemism for the Clearances, "neglect", suggesting it happened by accident.
@@dougieranger It was not more elegant. Films like this don't show the realities of toiling in the fields, cutting the peats, endless carrying and washing. It was only elegant for the wealthy.
Yes. It’s a great forgotten scandal. 70% of land was held by the Lord of the manor or the church for the benefit of all. Then in just 20 or so years it wasn’t anymore. You suddenly couldn’t feed yourself without paying someone
Fantastic short video. It really doesn't need any further comment. For those and us who love the Highlands, this film captures every detail. Thank you Johnny Cassettes and RU-vid.
Beautiful. Living within the Highlands is spectacular. The scenery is out of this world. I'm a true scotsman. Born and bred in this beautiful country. Scotland. Your movie is fantastic. Wasn't born in that era. But nothing really hasn't changed. Except the buses. The scenery is still spectacular. Wild moors. And plenty of wild places to wild camp around our beautiful land for all to share. Plus you have that feeling of Freedom.
What? I'm 55 years old and have lived in the North Highlands my whole life (Sutherland). Scenically it may be the same but culturally it's entirely different. The Highlands were an isolated destination and there were few visitors until about the 2010s. Villages were vibrant and full, family homes were passed down through generations and families lived in close proximity. The local pub or hall was full of local life at the weekend (for good and bad) and as a community it felt like we were one - we pulled together and we were a large family of Highlanders. But ease of travel, advertising, NC500, AirBnB, second homes, greed, the Instagram generation and the "colonial" attitudes of some people who have settled or own land in the Highlands have changed things forever. So yeah - the mountains might still be there and the space might still be there. But the old spirit and culture of the Highlands is slowly changing and disappearing as it becomes gentrified for the masses and the money makers.
This film was actually released in 1953, it is a charming reflection of a simpler time long gone now. I grew up in the North of Scotland in the fifties and had a wonderful childhood there. I thought the narrator was Duncan McRae but it is Duncan McIntrye another actor entirely, although he does sound very much like Duncan McRae who I remember fondly as Para Handy on TV in the late fifties.
I was born in England but my heart is in Scotland, As a young man I travelled to the Highlands by train to Fort William camped beneath Ben Nevis, The next day I took the foot path to the top of the mountain, Never saw another soul up or down!!! Unlike today I've been told!! Also I took the train the west Highland railway to Malaig,From this experience I fell in love with Scotland and cried when the time came to leave😢 Fast forward 25years, I got married found myself on the property ladder!!At the time there came a property boom, My house doubled in price!! This was the opportunity I've been waiting for for so long, I found a 3bedroom cottage in 7 acres of ground and various out buildings, Not far from Fort William with far reaching views over the sea and mountains beyond,Just one stumbling block the wife didn't and wouldn't go!!! That was my only chance I'll ever get gone, The strange thing is our daughter moved to Glasgow to get her degree to which got with honours, Meanwhile meets a great partner a scot, She loves Scotland and wouldn't won't to live anywhere else, And she's expecting her first baby anytime now!!!Thanks for sharing this magnificent film brings my memories back to life!!🤔🥰🇬🇧🙏
Superb film recorded in a time when Britain was still truly British. In the 1950s those who could afford the time and money to travel the whole of Britain by rail, bus and car had a unique quality of life that could never be repeated today.
@@Paratus7 Thatcher was a total bitch. She and her counterparts in Canada and the US wrecked the economies and systems of their countries so badly that until today they are still unfixable!
The late Duncan Macrae,then a Scottish Institution. We fifties born kids remember him. The Sergeant Piper In Tunes of Glory 1960, with John Mills and Alec Guiness.
Loved the video, takes me back to my early childhood days back in the early 60s when the roads, towns and villages were just as in the video. I still visit the Highlands & islands every year as our main holiday, usually 2 or 3 weeks when we try to visit a new island each visit. Interestingly, whilst on Skye only a few years ago, I am certain the old 'dumper tractor' in the video (approx 19.55 in) was sitting at the side of the road on the coast road above Portree!! Has anyone else noticed it? Back in the '60s, a company called Hunter of Glasgow were the main contractors who 'dualled' the roads and bridges on the island. The company went bust and lots of their green liveried machines and vehicles were abandoned at the side of the road, i recall an Atkinson lowloader outfit with a road roller aboard in great, usable condition just parked up in a layby!!
The actress reminds me of my wee redheaded Scottish Wifie of over 40 years - little did l realize how fiery a temper could be contained in such a beautiful small frame!
I have been visiting the west coast annually for 55 years and it never fails to make me feel alive in a way that the south can never achieve. It was two days by my parents car in the early days and I'm able to do it in 8 hours now! Had hoped to see the Oban of the fifties too. Joy.
Robin, the phrase 'the west coast' has only two meanings for me - the railway line to Carlisle, and THE west coast, of Scotland. You're so lucky going every year! Every time I hear the chorus of 'Dignity' by Deacon Blue I well up - it's so evocative of by far the most beautiful part of Britain. Best wishes.
@@HarvestHome2000 absolutely right. I had a colleague who was doing up a yacht for his retirement and died just before he made it to the big day. Dignity makes me shed a wee tear for him every time I hear it but it also places my mind in Lochgilphead, so a mixed blessing.
I'm a Dickson, or Deidreksen if you like, of Clan McLeod. My forebears never "neglected" their Skye cattle nor Croft nor kin a day in their lives! They were cleared, their livelihood stolen, their language and culture suppressed. But forgive the past sins, Hold Fast, God our Father is greater than all. And New Zealand did us all fine. Thank ye.
Absolutely wonderful. The sequence of trad climbing is particularly interesting. Having recently been over through Glen Coe and some of the backroads, it's amazing how the remoter parts are unchanged while much is overfilled with tourists.
I'm fairly certain that the route they were climbing is Agag's Groove (a classic V. Diff) which I've climbed myself many times. They did well to get a camera up there, even taking the easier line up Curved Ridge which runs alongside can be tricky!
@@adriankelly_edinburgh really basic equipment. No sit harnesses and the lead climber must have been 30ft above any protection. If he's have fallen there the second would have had no chance in arresting the fall.....
The Highlands and Islands are very different these days than they were in the 1950s as shown by this film, when this film was made it was permanently sunny, every time I visit it pisses down.
Bloody marvellous to see this,,has anyone got a time machine,i want to travel there now,it makes me laugh at myself because of all the kit i've bought for hiking and watching the two fellas climb a mountain in their everyday clothing and use just a bit of rope!! Thankyou so much for putting this on here,it puts it all in perspective!!
i know Im asking randomly but does anyone know of a trick to log back into an Instagram account? I stupidly forgot my login password. I appreciate any tricks you can give me.
@Achilles Gabriel i really appreciate your reply. I found the site thru google and im in the hacking process atm. Takes quite some time so I will reply here later with my results.
Edgar Anesty produced some wonderful travel log documentaries. Full of nostalgia . Steam trains, steam ships, and what appears to be an abundance of friendly happy people . He was the main producer of the British transport film unit and what I would have given to have had his career !!
*Edgar Anstey,* whom I knew, was a kind man although he didn't suffer fools gladly. His career in documentary films started in the late 1920s with *John Grierson* and pretty well finished when he retired from *BTF* _but_ it was a long career. He enjoyed his life with *Daphne,* his *Canadian* wife, and was respected within *BTF* though a couple of people didn't like his political views (he was centre/left and they were definitely left). He supported *Watford F.C.* before *_Elton John_* made it fashionable and his *_Who's Who_* entry reflected his propensity for giving loud advice to the referee from the touchline. Apart from most of the purely instructional films there was only one made under his ægis that he didn't influence at all - but he didn't want to. That was *_Terminus_* which was directed by *John Schlesinger* who was responsible for it from the _ground up._
I have been visiting Skye every year for business and holidays since 1987, some 36 years. Over that time the island has seen an influx of visitors growing year on year. Not only holidaymakers but incomers buying property and land, building new, renovating old and pushing prices of property beyond the reach of the local people. So much has changed that the real character of the island is fast disappearing. This film stands, thanks to Edgar Anstey, as a testament to the old ways of crofting, and the hardy people that inhabited the isles when they were truly independent and proud!
Wonderful, colourful description of the Highlands and Islands. I was 11 when this was released. Seven years later I was on a camping/ touring holiday to many of these places. Writing this in Aug 2020 I'm sitting in my camper on a site in Gairloch overlooking Skye. The scenery is unchanging and remains magical. I love place.
We visited a caravan site in the 69s at Gairloch, loads of huge jelly fish on the beach after a wild storm. My dad served up in Scapa Flow on the Artic convoys
The film claims to be 1957 but the view of Edinburgh at 3:06 is earlier. The trams shown stopped running in November 1956 (only to be re-introduced on the same street some 58 years later!)
I love these films. They make a bit sad but also very very nostalgic for those far off days, when men were men and ladies were ladies, who wore fine cloths and people were much more relaxed and very happy with their life, even though they were only poor in money but not in pride and content with their lives.
Those things were never true though and these films were marketing material, not documentaries. Women were absolutely not more relaxed or happier with their lives in the Highlands, nor were they wearing fine cloths. What you're seeing is the small number of people wealthy enough to go on holidays, carefully shot for this promotional film. The women of the Highlands toiled in the fields in all weathers and in heavy clothes, just like the men. They are far more relaxed and happy now. The realities of social history are important to understand, otherwise we live in myths.
1:26 and 21:12 - Duntulm Castle, Skye. The section with the arch has disappeared, sadly along with most of the rest of it. It's wonderful to see what these fabulous places used to be like, before mass tourism began to ruin them. Loved the Kyle of Lochalsh ferry!
Used to go to Scotland on holiday every year from 1970 to 1982 with my parents and sister. We used to tow a caravan and I have been to all f these places. Glen Coe was always my favourite then Fort William also liked Tralee Bay near Oban.
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Lovely film; although dated 1957, it must have been shot a year or two earlier. The Edinburgh shots show the old trams fully operational in Princes Street, and these were phased out in 1955/56.
@@pegjones7682 Thank goodness that elegance, charm and character can on occasion win out over the bean-counters working in the finance department. Some things you can't put a price on!
WONDERFUL!!! Went on a three day trip to the highlands about 5 years ago. It was beautiful, like going back in time, in fact, I think it was the same coach.
@Kiethnaylor : The same coach? Absolutely no way ! It's Citylink modern transport nowadays .I guess the best way to describe them are similar to American grey hound coaches. Those old types of buses seen in this film footage haven't been in existence in my whole lifetime and I'm 54 years young , born , bred and still live in Scotland. God bless you though and whatever mode of transport you used , thank you for visiting bonny Scotland 😊 🏴
Just, Wow! How things have changed from those days in the 50s! This is pure nostalgia and I love it . I was born in 52 in Edinburgh so it was great to see what it was like around then. Around 1965/66 my dad took us to Banavie near Fort William for a night or so in a rented coal-fired caravan. Driving an old black Ford Prefect (reg ASH 280!) on those old roads it must have been a real expedition! As an active 71 year old hiker I'm looking at those mountains and recognising some of the areas. Nowadays a weekly trip up to the Trossachs and beyond is the norm rather than a undertaking. Boots, walking poles, rucksack and (of course!) waterproofs are all to hand ready to explore our still glorious country! Thanks so much for sharing this memory stirring video. Much appreciated. [I've over 500 RU-vids covering most of my hikes!]
Correct me if I'm wrong, but the registration ASH comes from Peebles, so maybe you can still get one. I considered it myself years ago when I spotted my name on a car in Newcastle. I'm from Northumberland, bu tI love the wesy coast in particular, so now I'll take a look at your videos.
@@ashleyhoward8926 Good morning! Its origins could well have been Peebles, probably traded in to an Edinburgh dealership. Thanks and I hope you find my (mainly hiking) videos enjoyable. The west coast is my favourite area too. 👍🤝
Amazing to see how formally dressed everyone was back then, even traveling by bus. I was in the pass of Glencoe a few weeks ago, and it hasn't changed any. And those mountaineers are nuts. This film was made in the year I was born, so it's sobering to think that all of these people are no longer with us. Oh, and funny how it never rained.
That's why you go during the short sunny season. I imagine it is like many places: there is a short time of year, say two months of the year at most, where sun is fairly common. All the rest of the year it is quite uncommon.
@@unconventionalideas5683 We don't even get that in Edmonton Alberta, Canada. I've been trapped here for 40 years, and summers are a miserable affair! Cloudy and cold. But then there is no place to swim nearby anyway, except a river filled with fertilizer, pesticide, and algae. The right wingers here have destroyed the few good things that did exist. And they have gerrymandered the electoral boundaries so that 1 million right wing MAGAt farmers and seperatists can out vote over 3 million city dwellers. If only we could have a little bit of sun and warmth to give us a few nice days to lessen our misery! But not here. This summer, 2023, has been the worst I've seen in my whole life.
In the islands it actually rains a lot less than in the hills. The clouds just go overhead and drop their load when they hit the mountains on the mainland. We still get our share of wet weather, but it's funny the way the islands are often deserted and have beautiful weather, then we come to the mainland, up into the hills and into the fog and all of a sudden there are runners and hikers and joggers everywhere enjoying "scotch mist".
When I used to walk in the hills in Scotland in the mid 60s, one had to make your own paths up the hills. I took my son up the Cobbler in 96 and it was mobbed. Its nice in one way that people are enjoying the mountains but sad in a way the.magic is being diluted
Ill take the highroad youll take the low road an ill be in scotland before you cos me an me true love will never never be on the bonny bonny banks of mcloren!😊
