Midnight Documentary: 1976 - Big Jim's Big Boozy Bike Trip to Braemar

 

"He starts the day as he means to continue, with a wee dram." Join Big Jim Collie - a Scottish crofter who lives alone in a bothy in the foothills of the Cairngorms - as he embarks on one of his epic cross-highland trips. Jim is on his way to Braemar, which is 60 miles away - if you plan on sticking to the roads. Luckily, Big Jim knows a shortcut through the Lairig Ghru - the highest mountain pass in the highest mountain range in Britain - that brings the journey down to a more manageable 22 miles, albeit over some of the harshest terrain in Scotland. Fortunately, Big Jim has a secret weapon; the Lairig Flyer, a rickety old bicycle. Furthermore, he has a wealth of experience - this is his 105th crossing of the Lairig Ghru. Perhaps most importantly of all, he has strategically stashed an armful of whisky bottles along the route - just the thing to keep his spirits up. Luke Casey reports. Clip taken from Nationwide, originally broadcast on BBC One, 20 January, 1976.