British Pathe

A British Travel Association film. Spoken by Paul Rogers by arrangement with The Old Vic Trust Ltd. L/S of pleasure boat and yacht in a pretty harbour. C/U of traditional nautical type with stripy cravat, pipe and jaunty sailors hat steering the yacht. He looks up at the sail. Low angle shot of sail....

A British Travel Association film. Spoken by Paul Rogers by arrangement with The Old Vic Trust Ltd. L/S of pleasure boat and yacht in a pretty harbour. C/U of traditional nautical type with stripy cravat, pipe and jaunty sailors hat steering the yacht. He looks up at the sail. Low angle shot of sail. C/U of his two passengers - a middle aged couple. The yacht comes into the quay (Dartmouth) and the passengers climb out and get into their car - a B.M.C. Wolseley. The skipper waves. They drive along a cobbled quayside. The harbour is very quaint with lots of cute little houses. M/S of an elegant woman being helped out of a small aircraft. She is followed by her boyfriend or husband. They get into their car - a red mini. The narrator is keeping us guessing as to where they are: "Follow that car and find out, follow it westward..." The couple drive off through pretty countryside. Land's End. The couple stand by the signpost which indicates distances to John-O-Groats, Wolf Rock Lighthouse, London, Scilly Isles and Longships Lighthouse. The date on the sign is 1960. L/S of lighthouse on a small island. L/S of the harbour at Mousehole from a high angle. The mini is driven down a causeway. The couple walk along and look in a shop window: "The Mouse Hole" - an antiques and curios shop. C/U of the gifts on offer inside. A fisherman with a lobster pot approaches the camera. He kneels down and pulls out his catch. C/U of two live lobsters then C/U of a cooked one. High angle C/U of a meal table. A woman eats crab from the shell. MS of the couple eating, the man pours some wine. It is lunchtime and the harbour can be seen outside the window. The couple toast each other. L/S of the exterior of the restaurant in which they eat - The Lobster Pot. The narrator speaks of the lovely harbours in the area. Various shots of an artist painting the view in oils. C/U of a map of Devon. A hand points to an area of Dartmoor. Panning shots of heath land. Rivers, woman riding a horse through rocky landscape, small waterfalls, etc. Middle aged couple seen earlier drive through the moorland. They stop their car by a bridge. Various views of the picturesque countryside. The man takes a photograph. They walk across a small stone bridge.

Torquay. High angle shot of the marina. Panning shot of the sea front and various buildings. The middle aged couple take a horse and cart tour. Various shots of the vehicle travelling through pretty villages. Our holiday makers visit a quaint village - Cockington. Thatched cottages. An old Forge where tourists leave their visiting card. The travellers check their watches against a bizarre outdoor mosaic clock. L/S of the village. High angle shot of the beautiful coast - Babbington Bay? Various shots of holidaymakers on the beach. Our young couple leave the comfort of their "modest sun trap bungalow" to walk down to the beach - Holford Passage? M/S of a small swimming pool which is right on the edge of the beach. C/U of a woman sunbathing in a gingham bikini by the pool. Pan down to her little doggie who sits beside her.

Our young couple travel out from the harbour in a small motor boat. M/S of some other seafaring types in yacht and small dinghy - Boxer dog sits in the dinghy with his master. C/U of the young woman in a bikini sitting in a boat and enjoying the sun. Views of harbours, boats, water skiers, woman steering a motor boat, cliffs, seagulls etc. Our young couple admire the view of craggy coastline - Bedruthan Steps? They hold hands and point at the rock outcrops. Boscastle harbour, various views. Clovelly (?) The mini is parked and suitcases are loaded on to the donkey's back. An elderly man leads the donkey down cobbled streets. C/U of its hooves and the young couples' feet. Views of the quaint village.

The elderly couple sit at an outside table at the Castle Rock Hotel in Mortehoe (?). They are served a glorious meal from a weird buffet table on wheels. The device turns to make available many different foodstuffs including hard boiled eggs, mini sausages, sliced tomatoes - yum! "Simple things and sumptuous living go side by side to show that variety is still the mouth-watering spice of exciting life." M/S of the middle aged woman as the waiter serves her then shots of her hubby and other diners enjoying their al fresco meal.
High angle shot of a beach - lots of people swimming in the sea and walking along the sands. Surfers in Bude. Four (puny looking!) life savers sit on the beach. Two of the boys ride into the beach in on a sit on/stand on board. Woman speeds into the beach on a thin "boogie board". L/S of lots of people cavorting in the sea. C/U of bowl of strawberries with clotted cream. Our young holiday makers have a picnic on a cliff above the beach. The mini is there and they have a picnic basket which includes proper cups and saucers. L/S of Mevagissey (?) panning shot of the harbour. Fishermen pull in baskets of fish. High angle of the catch on board ship. Various shots of fishing boats, seafaring types, our young woman pulling a face at some live fish which wriggle around after being caught. The young couple climb out of a small boat - he carries a string of fish which he has presumably caught. Brixham harbour? High angle shot of Plymouth town centre - lots of shops and buses. Shots of lighthouse, cannon, statue of Sir Francis Drake. Various shots of the famous public bowling green where Drake waited for the Armada - Plymouth Hoe.

C/U of sign for Glen Cottage Cafe and Guest House. Our young couple leave the guest house, they chat to the landlady and climb into their mini. Landlady waves and they drive off down the coast. L/S of a strange looking craft which drives along the beach. It is a "water bus" on the way to Burgh Island. Pilchard Inn - the famous smugglers' tavern - is shown. Interior of the bar. Seafaring type sits at the table as our young heroine looks at a ship in a bottle. C/U of huge jar of pickled onions, massive slab of cheese and big hunks of bread - ploughman's lunches on offer presumably. Our young lady lifts her martini glass and toasts the salty dog. He drinks from a pewter mug. The couple and the sailor talk. C/U of ship in a bottle. L/S of early morning misty landscape. Small boat is rowed towards a smuggler's cave. Fisherman seen in the inn impersonates a smuggler. C/U of various pub signs and exteriors - Simonds, Smugglers Inn, Jamaica Inn. Barrel is carried on a shoulder into a pub. Young woman looks into a shop window. Harbour, cliffs, flowers, rocky paths, seascapes, elderly woman watering her beautiful flower filled garden, doggie sitting on a bench, young couple eating Cornish Pasties.

Dorset. Thomas Hardy is mentioned. Lulworth (?) Cove. Swans at Abbotsbrook (?). C/U of cygnets with their mother. Man films the swans with a cine camera. Character in a hat spreads a swan's wing to show its span. (Mr Fred Leicester according to paperwork) C/U of eggs, various shots of swans on their nests. Middle aged couple sight-see, the husband takes photographs. Lynmouth (?) harbour. Various shots of the car travelling through hilly landscapes. The Foxhunters Inn is featured. A man (Mr Bain) plays a hunting horn to announce closing time. A large St Bernard's dog howls as the horn is played. The young couple who have been drinking outside in the sun climb into their mini. They see the middle aged couple in their car and they wave to each other. Shots from inside the mini of the coastline.

Credits: Music Composed by Philip Green. Commentary Written by Douglas Warth. Edited by Cliff Boote. Sound Supervisor - George Newberry. Production Manager - Terry Hunter. Associate Producer - Lionel Hoare. Directed and Photographed by Martin Rolfe. Produced by Terry Ashwood.

Note: I want to go on holiday to Cornwall right now! Excellent travelogue with quintessential idyllic holiday shots. The young couple could be on their honeymoon. Sun is shining, everyone is smiling, seafarers smoke pipes and wear jaunty caps. Isn't Britain wonderful?!

Documentation file exists. According to the paperwork Mr and Mrs Walker are the elderly couple and the younger couple are Jim and Susan Dudley. He is described as "pleasant snub-nose type" and she "definitely pin-up."