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Private Notes
Richard is in Derbyshire and has the 1935 edition with him as he finds out about the Kinder Scout uprising that led to the freedom to roam the Derbyshire Dales. He also visits an animal sanctuary and gets to feed the otters and visits the historic towns of Buxton and Bakewell.
Armed with the 1937 guide, Richard explores county Durham. He investigates the county's history of coal and goes down the last surviving pit in Durham. He blasts out a tune on the organ in the city's ancient Cathedral and visits the 200 acre deer park at Raby Castle in Teesdale. However driving in the rain and on unknown roads does bring its tribulations!
With his 1936 guide on board, Richard is exploring the beautiful county of Dorset.
Richard grew up on the banks of the Clyde and is always keen to be near water so his first stop off is to the coast at Studland where there’s a surprising encounter with a local. Then it’s off to the Jurassic coast with its impressive 180 million year geological history. Richard calls in to the home of one of the county’s most famous inhabitants – Thomas Hardy, before being schooled in the Dorset dialect.
Following the 1968 guide to Essex, Richard finds a very different Essex to the latter day flashy stereotypical image of the county. He visits the historic town of Colchester to see an archaeological dig on the high street and travels to Mersea Island where he goes oyster fishing on a boat.
He then follows the controversial recommendation from the guide to visit the “new town” of Harlow and the rather more predictable one of the Jacobean Palace, Audley End.
The actor takes his vintage Daimler to Devon with the 1936 Shell Guide written by John Betjeman, who went on to become a much-loved poet laureate and broadcaster. Richard enjoys a bird's eye view of Torquay, visits the former home of famous crime novelist Agatha Christie on the English Riveria, explores Dartmoor and meets one of Devon's oldest families, the Fulfords.
The actor follows the Shell Guide to Oxfordshire, where he visits one of the world's most famous rowing clubs in Henley-on-Thames, and goes behind the scenes at Blenheim Palace, before learning how the plumber keeps the Duke's bathwater hot. He then takes his vintage 1960s Daimler to the village of Bampton, which features prominently in period drama Downton Abbey. Last in the series.
