VOICEOVER (VO): It's the nation's favorite antiques experts.

I just love it.

VO: Behind the wheel of a classic car.

(HORN TOOTS) LOUISE: It's fast.

CHARLES: It's a race.

VO: And a goal - to scour Britain for antiques.

PAUL: This could be tricky.

MARGIE: £38!

VO: The aim - to make the biggest profit at auction.

VO: But it's no mean feat.

ROO: High five!

There'll be worthy winners... CHRISTINA: Mind-blowing.

VO: ..and valiant losers.

Could have been worse.

Will it be the high road to glory...

Car!

..or the slow road to disaster?

CHRISTINA: Aaagh!

TIM: Oh my!

VO: This is the Antiques Road Trip.

Giddy-up.

VO: We're way out west, in the company of antiques experts and fellow foodies James Braxton and Arusha Irvine.

ROO (RI): I brought you some dairy cream fudge.

JAMES (JB): Would you like a dairy cream fudge?

Yes, could you unwrap it for me, my dear Mr Braxton?

Yeah, I can unwrap it.

RI: You'll like this.

JB: That is filthy.

RI: Filthy?

JB: It is filthy.

Is that good?

VO: Filthy?

Yeah.

They never stop eating, those two.

Last time James pinned his hopes on some rather impolite items.

It says spittoon.

VO: But it was our wee Scots lass who shined in the saleroom.

Well done.

Well done, well done.

RI: So, James, how are you feeling?

Er... apart from being clinically depressed by your lead you mean?

VO: Ha!

He'll never get over it.

Their chariot for this trip is a '66 Mustang, which they've christened Tiberius.

And Roo's still getting his measure.

I'm having to do the whole Driving Miss Daisy nose touching the windscreen.

JB: You're doing very well.

RI: Thank you.

My life is in your hands.

(SHE CHUCKLES) JB: Car!

RI: Oh, James!

VO: Crikey!

He-he.

Old big mouth didn't do badly last time round though, increasing his initial £200 to a modest £212.70.

While Roo has just nosed ahead, taking her starting budget into £229.60.

It's a marginal lead.

There's not much in it.

Don't play yourself down - it's still a lead, Roo.

I think you did very well at that auction but it really has focused me.

I'm really concentrating on the shopping.

VO: Well, that's always a good idea.

We started this jaunt on the North East coast, popping briefly into Scotland.

We'll be heading down the west side of the country, before meandering into the Midlands and then ending up at a final auction in York.

This time we're going to auction in Liverpool, but our first stop is in Cumbria, at Brampton.

VO: This handsome market town is slap-bang in Hadrian's Wall country.

Oh, there's the man himself.

So they're probably used to invading forces barging about the place.

RI: This looks great.

JB: This looks very good, quick.

RI: Catch me if you can!

VO: Where's the fire, then, chaps?

Wow!

Ooh!

You know what they say, a woman is always right.

RI: So I'm going this way.

JB: I'm left then.

VO: Divide and conquer, eh?

The Cumbrian Antiques Centre is packed to the gunwales with some tasty antique treats, all presided over by proprietor Steve and his trusty assistant Jasper.

Let's hit those cabinets.

Meow!

This is all arts and crafts.

Late 1800s, copper, brass and it's priced accordingly.

It's beautiful.

But I think the dealer very much knows what he's got here.

That's a challenge for me.

I'm going to find a bargain.

VO: That's the general idea, Roo.

Now, what's James getting to grips with?

Talk about a comforting shape.

This is... what have we got here?

A salt-glazed flagon.

And sometimes this is known as sort of tiger ware.

Salt was thrown into the kiln at a very high temperature and the sodium breaks down into sodium and sodium chloride.

And the chloride goes up the chimney and kills half the population and the sodium attaches itself to the silica in the pottery and forms this incredibly impervious glaze.

It stops moisture from going in and out.

Otherwise it'd be like a terracotta flowerpot but with the addition of salt, you get this great glaze.

What have we got on it?

145.

A little strong for me.

VO: Yep.

You're going to have to shop canny here.

Do a bit of detective work.

Now this is quite cool.

Silver handled magnifying glass.

I wonder if it's going to actually help me search out the profits.

It's very cool and it's its birthday.

It's 100 years old, happy birthday, this year.

1918, made in Birmingham, and it's got the British hallmarks on it, right there.

I can see someone using this.

I can imagine a professor poring over his medical journals to figure out how to do a heart transplant, but I think magnifying glasses, like compacts and pocket watches, are coming back into fashion, because people like old-world elegance.

This is before zoom was invented, right?

Now we pinch screens.

Before, we used this.

It's a piece of history and it's a cool thing.

£45.

If I could get a little bit off that, that might get me some money at auction.

VO: So while Roo continues to investigate, James is heading straight to the source.

Does Steve have anything fresh to the market?

I've heard that very much this place is about you selling rather than us buying.

Not really, no.

But you know your stock.

Well I just know what I can sell you at the right price, basically.

Well, start away.

DEALER: The clock.

JB: Yeah.

That just came in the other day.

Erm... What's this, a mighty German fellow?

To be fair, it's a bit erratic.

I've had it a week, it's worked for three days, and then stopped, and then worked and then stopped and then work... Sh!

Not for me to retail, but a good one... Don't tell anybody.

VO: Shall we have a look round the back then?

Have you got a movement in there?

Yeah, course, yeah, yeah, yeah.

That looks like a real sort of Black Forest, oh, or it could be an American clock, couldn't it?

Possibly.

It's got that...

It's got that thin...

It's... a mass-produced movement.

Yeah, Connecticut movement, hasn't it?

Yeah.

But it has got more of a Black Forest look about it.

It's a good looking thing.

I think we've done quite well.

We've covered the world.

Big house...Yeah (LAUGHS) It can be yours for the grand sum of £45.

If you can't make something on that... JB: It must be worth £45.

DEALER: Course, yeah.

Yeah.

I'll take it.

I just don't want to retail it.

Steve, thank you very much indeed.

Thank you.

Great.

VO: No time wasted there then.

Got anything else to hand, Steve?

What about that... the shaving brush?

DEALER: Fabulous thing.

That's badger, isn't it?

Isn't that badger's bristle?

That'll be genuine badger, yeah.

VO: Badger hair is customary in shaving brushes, even today.

This one's Georgian though.

There is a hallmark on it somewhere if I remember.

Shall I look?

Aye, if you just look down inside, you can see a hallmark in there.

I think there must've been a cap on there somewhere.

It doesn't go in very well, does it?

It's awkward.

No.

Maybe, do you think they ever had some funny ring or something, a collar?

I honestly don't know.

I've never seen one before.

It's rather sweet though, isn't it?

It's a lovely thing.

Great.

Oh!

Oh, velvety.

VO: Steady on.

JB: I quite like that.

That's £30, you can have it for.

In for a penny, in for a pou...

I'll buy it.

30, thank you very much indeed.

DEALER: You're welcome.

JB: Thank you.

VO: That makes a grand total of £75 for the shaving brush and the clock.

Steve, thank you very much indeed.

Been a great pleasure.

VO: Time to skedaddle, methinks.

And with James safely off the premises, Roo wants to bend Steve's ear.

Steve, I believe I see some Georgian glass in there.

You believe correctly.

I love Georgian glass.

There's a pair, a lovely pair.

Georgian rummers.

See they're quite ornate.

They're fabulous.

Cos rummers can be, dare I say it, a wee bit boring?

Yeah, you get the big boring ones, but they're actually a useable size as well.

Mm, these are late Georgian.

Lovely... Yeah, about 1820.

Late Georgian, on the cusp of Victorian.

So there's no price on them.

Does that mean they're...

They just came, you can have...

They just came in the other day.

You can have the pair for £40.

It's got to be a decent price, I would think.

There is something else I've seen.

I've seen the silver handled magnifying glass.

DEALER: Right.

RI: That's priced at 45.

I should think I'd probably be able to do that about 35 for you.

35.

75 for the two.

Could you do... DEALER: No.

(SHE CHUCKLES) VO: Good pre-emptive strike there.

Would you do the glass and the magnifying glass for 70?

Let me have a look and see what it's cost.

OK.

I'll keep them safe for you.

VO: What are your thoughts, Roo?

That's a bit spicy.

70.

I absolutely love them.

They're beautiful.

They're nice and ornate.

But I'm a bit of a snob when it comes to the age of my glasses.

And actually, early 1800s is probably not old enough for me.

I like Steve.

He's quite a character.

He's a tough cookie, but he's got style.

I like him... You certainly know how to get a bargain.

DEALER: £70, there you go.

RI: Really?

DEALER: For all your kind words.

I tell you what, I'll take that.

RI: Put that there.

Thank you.

DEALER: Deal.

DEALER: And good luck.

RI: Thank you.

VO: So it seems flattery will get you somewhere.

£30 for the magnifying glass and 40 for the pair of rummers.

That's cheap.

I would never let these darlings drop.

Thank you, Steve.

DEALER: Thank you.

RI: Take care.

VO: And with that, our glass fanatic departs.

Careful on those stairs now.

Those high heels.

Now, where's James got himself to?

He's made his way to Carlisle, Cumbria's county town, and specifically to the pub.

What's new?

A landlord himself, he's meeting local historian Viv Dodds to find out how a social experiment in the city changed the face of the British public house.

Hello.

Hi, Viv.

VIV (VD): Hello, James.

Welcome to Carlisle.

So this is where it all happened?

The great rebirth?

It is indeed.

You couldn't have come to a better place.

Thank you, thank you.

VO: During World War I, the government of the day was concerned about the effect of alcohol on the war effort.

Many pubs at the time were dingy, no-frills drinking houses, with the sole purpose of selling as much booze as possible, regardless of the consequences.

But Carlisle had a more specific problem.

The government decided to build what became the largest munitions factory in Europe at Gretna, just north of Carlisle and that necessitated bringing a lot of people to work on it.

Best part of 30,000 in total, came.

JB: Yeah, Gretna presumably is a small place.

Where did all these workers stay?

Well the vast majority came and lived in Carlisle and there were special trains on that brought them backwards and forwards from Gretna to Carlisle station.

JB: Yeah.

VD: And they came out of the station, into the pubs, and the pubs had pints of beer lined up on the bars when they got there cos they knew what times the trains were coming in.

So, an unholy combination of people working hard, lots of alcohol and then very dangerous work.

Ammunition, you know, hangovers and explosives.

Hangovers and explosives do not mix.

VO: The government took control of all the pubs and breweries in and around the city, and imposed strict regulations.

Known as the State Management Scheme, these measures were intended to combat excessive drinking, and the social ills caused by it.

As landlords effectively became salaried civil servants, they didn't rely on drink for their livelihood.

Pubs could no longer advertise alcohol on their exteriors, and even buying a round was outlawed.

Viv, what are you like at pool?

I'm not very good at pool, it's not my game at all.

Oh, excellent, let's have a bet, shall we?

No.

We cannot bet.

No, oh... No gambling allowed in state managed pubs.

If any money changes hands, the manager will get the sack, he will be out.

Every pub had to have these rules fastened on the wall.

"Whenever a cup of tea or coffee or food is asked for, "it is the duty of the manager "to meet the customer's requirements."

Yes.

And nice to see the glue of manners here.

"Courtesy.

Never lose your temper with a customer "or be discourteous to him."

They should've written "her" as well.

Be firm but also polite.

VO: Alongside these strict rules, the Carlisle Experiment also aimed to improve pub culture.

Games were introduced, food was served, and the buildings themselves were made more appealing.

The worst ones were shut down altogether and others were renovated.

And the architect in charge of the whole operation, Harry Redfern, had even greater plans for other pubs including this very one.

This photograph was just before... JB: That's before... VD: That is before.

JB: Well that's a typical sort of Carlisle, northern... VD: It is indeed, yes.

Yes.

JB: ..building, isn't it?

And what did he do to it?

VO: Well he demolished it... JB: And built that?

VD: ..and replaced it with that.

Into this lovely sort of Tudor revival...

Exactly, with fine features and superb doors, windows.

He introduced more comfortable seating, carpets, very much better decor in the rooms, curtains, to make them look attractive, and someone once described them as like somebody's sitting room.

Yeah.

I see.

It was somewhere pleasant to go out where you could take your wife and girlfriend.

Yeah, yeah.

And then with respectability, people tend to behave slightly better, don't they?

That was the thinking behind it.

VO: Although the scheme was only meant to last until the end of the Great War, State Management in Carlisle continued until 1973.

Well I never!

To some degree, it did combat problem drinking, but the real success was the adoption of Redfern's ideas and designs in public houses all across the country, turning once seedy drinking dens into places where even genteel ladies might dare to venture.

James.

Hi, Roo, how are you?

I'm buying antiques and you're sitting in the pub?

Yeah, come and sit down.

Come and join me.

Hungry?

Very hungry.

What have you got for me?

JB: Here is our man.

RI: Mm.

Come forth, lay a pie upon us.

Have you made this yourself?

In the back of the kitchen?

No, I haven't raised this.

Thank you very much indeed.

Now this is a Cumbrian pie.

RI: Cumbrian pie.

JB: Made of finest steak.

RI: I have to admit, it's delicious.

JB: Yeah.

VO: When you've polished off the pastry and finished up your lime and soda, Roo, it's time to leave James in his natural habitat, and head out into the peace and quiet of the Cumbrian countryside.

Do you know, it's actually lovely to have the car to myself because I can actually hear the sound of the birds and the wind through the trees.

Otherwise all I hear is James.

"car", "take a left", "watch your road position".

VO: She's heading, sans backseat driver - ha!

- to Penrith.

Once the capital of Cumbria, the "Old Red Town" counts Richard III as one of its former residents, long before he lost his horse and it all went wrong for him.

It's also home to this little establishment.

Let's hope it lives up to its name.

Hi, Peter.

I'm Roo.

Hello, Roo.

Lovely to meet you.

Thank you for having me here.

I'm going to have a mooch around and if anything catches my eye, RI: I'll give you a shout.

PETER: Thank you very much.

Thanks, Peter, speak to you soon.

This is a rummaging den.

It's the kind of place that just encourages rummaging and picking things up.

Very eclectic stuff.

VO: You did see the big sign above the door when you came in, didn't you, Roo?

I've found James Braxton as a coffee pot.

Mind you, James does do yoga, and that's almost the lotus position there.

With a sombrero on.

He's getting quite exotic these days.

VO: He's well traveled, you know.

Now, does anything else catch our Roo's attention?

Sometimes you see something, you're not sure whether you love it or you hate it... ..but you want it.

That lovely plant stand.

Looks Victorian, that rich green.

Peter?

Can I borrow you for one second?

We'll pull them both out for you.

Thank you.

I've picked the most awkward corner for you to have to find something.

VO: That jardiniere and pedestal are two separate pieces, and I'm not sure that they match.

Steady, Peter.

15 on that and 35 on that one.

Because they weren't actually...

I do like this.

That's obviously hand potted and painted.

Yes.

They're both of the Victorian era.

I would say late 1800s and probably mid Victorian for this.

But I quite like the fact that they are two different pieces that have come together.

What could you do on the two?

I never talk price this quickly so that's a big compliment.

I'm in love with it.

Could do the pair for 40.

OK. Could you do 35 for the two?

Yes.

Yes, I could do that.

Yeah?

Perfect.

Thank you.

VO: That's not a bad discount.

Pot and stand in the bag.

Anything else you're keen on, girl?

Not that I'm a cat lover or anything...

I just spotted this.

This is very weighty.

Solid cast iron cat doorstop.

And the thing is, this is so trendy right now.

Everyone wants something rusty and heavy to prop open a door.

Seems to be the in thing.

And I've seen them flying at auction so even a small piece like this, that's priced at £20.

Surely that's got to make a profit.

I mean, I think this is actually probably early 1900s so Edwardian, so it's a real antique and it's heavy quality.

You wouldn't want to drop it on your toes though because it weighs a ton.

£20?

Easy, I'm taking it.

VO: She is Mrs Decisive today, isn't she?

Peter, I think I'm going to have to take this girl.

That OK?

She's rather attractive, isn't she?

Are you alright to part with her?

I will part with her, yes.

Well she's £20, so with the jardiniere stand and the doorstop, that's 55?

That's fine.

Thank you very much.

Perfect.

Thank you very much.

It's been an absolute pleasure.

VO: And with her goodies in hand, she's off to find James.

Time for a spot of supper now I expect.

Cheeseboard perhaps?

Plenty of soft, creamy cheese.

Roo, that's not going to build an empire.

You need something hard and smelly.

Our cheese taste is polar opposite.

Polar opposite.

Nice and smooth and you go... JB: CAR!

RI: Ah!

James!

VO: Lordy!

Nighty-night.

VO: It may be "the loveliest spot that man hath ever found" but it's a bit nippy in the Lake District this morning.

JB: Crispy - can you see all the frost?

RI: Yeah.

On the grass.

It is a beautiful morning though.

It is stunning, but blowers are on, the roof is up, I'm keeping it that way.

VO: You need one of your splendid wooly hats, Roo.

She made great inroads into her shopping yesterday, picking up a pair of rummers, a magnifying glass, a jardiniere and stand and a cat doorstop.

Easy, I'm taking it.

VO: So she's got a little over £100 to spend today.

James also made a healthy start, pocketing an erratic clock and a silver shaving brush... Velvety!

VO: ..leaving him with £137 and change for his shopping today.

So how did you get on yesterday, mister?

I bought some items.

Lots of negotiations.

I did hear your dulcet tones.

VO: You should hear his singing voice.

Later we'll be dropping anchor at an auction in Liverpool, but our first port of call today is Cockermouth.

VO: This gem of a town was the birthplace of one William Wordsworth, who wrote the odd poem or two about these parts.

And the perfect place to drop off Arusha.

Have a lovely day my friend.

Don't be too successful.

I don't know anything else, James.

I don't know anything else.

Bye.

Bye.

VO: There he goes, wandering lonely as a cloud.

Castle Antiques and Curios is where Roo's headed.

Very green isn't it?

RI: Hi, Matthew.

DEALER: Hello.

DEALER: Pleased to meet you.

RI: I'm Roo.

Lovely to meet you.

This is a very cool shop.

I have a feeling that this is everything you love, you've bought for the shop.

It is, yeah.

If I fall in love with something, I buy it, so... RI: Yeah.

VO: Well, let's see if our girl is smitten by any of your wares.

What are you sweet on, Roo?

I want something big, sexy, fun.

I've got a lot of money burning a hole in my pocket.

Am I going to be brave and spend it all?

Or shall I be safe?

I don't want to be safe.

VO: That's the spirit, Roo.

Go big or go home.

This is something that's so in vogue.

I know at an auction it's going to fly but it's not me.

It's rusty and it's dirty and it looks like it'll be smelly.

(SCRAPING) And it makes that horrible sound when you pull it.

Doesn't that just grate like nails down a blackboard?

But the thing is they're selling so well at auction.

VO: The price tag on these is £90.

Can I ask about these?

Where have they come from?

DEALER: They came from a factory, actually.

They were taken apart, in scrapping, part of an old Ministry of Defence grounds.

See that excites me when you say sort of Ministry of Defence.

Because, is there any...

There's no provenance or markings...

There's no markings on it unfortunately, anywhere to actually annotate that.

Mm.

Only my word, really.

From that, from that same lot of things, do you have anything else here that's maybe...?

Yeah, there was a lot of things like the old gauges, instrument panel lights, lighting.

Now see this is, this is actually out of my comfort zone but I like the road that we're on.

VO: I sense a plan coming together.

Meanwhile James has pressed on, heading out west to the coast, and Maryport.

Here for a nose around Maryport Collectables.

He's got over £130 at his disposal.

They're not short of stuff in here.

Let's see if James can help to thin it out a bit.

We've got here rather an interesting three-fold screen.

Now the folds are these individual panels that are all hinged.

The panels themselves have been really well decorated with this sort of... what do we call it?

Decoupage.

And they would've cut out these figures.

We've got a great sort of Burlington Bertie here, and then, funnily enough here somebody's added at a later date, rather 50s, 1950s fashion.

And if I open it up here... ..we've got something well known in our arts business, the Great Exhibition.

It's rather fun.

It's developed over ages.

VO: 125's the asking price.

If you're interested, Ben's the man to talk to.

I think I could probably do that for 90.

I'm not sure that somebody would buy a screen so...

It's very rough, isn't it?

The frame.

It is.

It is.

It is too rough.

Ben, I'm going to say no.

Lead me to something different.

VO: Very wise, James.

Keep looking.

Back in Cockermouth, Roo's got her sights set on more of Matthew's MoD material.

These are military slides.

There's a place called Jaffa.

VO: Yeah, it's a town in the Middle East.

RI: Are these all from the same...?

Egypt, mostly Egypt, Egypt campaign, First World War.

There are some...

Unusually there's a load of theatrical ones thrown in there with them.

Yeah, that's more traditional sort of Victorian type slide.

DEALER: That's right, yeah.

VO: He's asking £100 for those.

What else?

Oh, my God, that's really heavy.

DEALER: It is, yeah.

It's obviously a voltage meter and that would come off a bunker or a... Yeah, it came out of a Second World War bunker, an instrument panel.

VO: He's got £28 on that.

There's some industrial lights that came with it, some instrument panel lights, just down there.

They're very cute, they're like sweets.

Yeah.

Tactile, aren't they?

Yeah.

Very amazing.

They're also like laser eye goggles.

RI: I can read into your mind.

DEALER: Yeah.

So these are £4 each?

That's right.

Now, I can imagine if you hold these up to the light they'd be very cool interior decorating pieces.

Imagine having those along a wall, backlit, knowing they came from a World War II bunker.

DEALER: It helps, doesn't it, yeah?

RI: I like the slides.

These and maybe a few lights.

DEALER: OK. RI: But all price dependent.

What I have in these pockets is £104.60.

Right.

Can do a deal on the slides... RI: Mm-hm.

..one of the amperes, and, erm, half a dozen of those little lights.

How about that?

Let's go for it.

That's very fair, thank you.

VO: Every last brass farthing spent, second time in a row.

See, I've made some space in your shop.

You have.

Thank you very much.

Thank you so much.

I'll grab my loot.

Yeah.

VO: That's quite a handful.

Ha!

Back in Maryport, James has found another big chunk to ponder.

I'm not normally attracted to pine, but it's got quite a nice grain.

It's a writing slope.

What I also like - look at that.

It's got incredible integrity of construction.

Look at those mortise and tenon joints.

They are a work of great beauty.

VO: Dovetail James, dovetail.

This is a dovetail.

VO: Nice recovery, chief.

It really holds the two pieces together well, and then on the side is the contrasting section.

It's so well made.

I think it's too big to be in a domestic home.

It's either a school or a clerk's office.

You used it during the day and you'd lock your documents in it at night.

And it's obviously been used.

We've got lots of ink stains in it.

It's done good service.

What have we got on it?

JB: Oh dear.

Ben?

DEALER: Yes?

Can you tempt me with a super price on this?

What price have I got?

45.

Don't worry about that.

They're just labels, mate.

Could that be near 20?

I was going to say 35.

Oh, that's a bit strong for me.

Lowest I could do would be 30.

JB: Put it there.

DEALER: Fantastic.

Thank you very much indeed.

Thank you.

Fantastic, thanks.

Right, I'll take it away.

Heave-ho.

VO: Well done James, let's sling it in the motor and hit the road.

Roo's done with all her shopping and so she's headed into the heart of the Lake District to Rosthwaite.

VO: This is rock-climbing country and she's here to find out about the pioneering Edwardian women who scaled the heights to prove that they were the equals of their male counterparts.

She's meeting former president of the Fell and Rock Climbing Club, Ron Kenyon.

So Ron, tell me about the history of rock climbing in this area.

RON (RK): Well this... Rock climbing really started back in the 1800s.

Right.

And initially people were very interested in mountaineering in the Alps, but in the 1880s they started to take an interest in the crags, climbing bits of rock rather than big mountains.

So...

Here... here in the UK?

RK: In the UK.

RI: Right, OK. Really rock climbing for the sake of rock climbing.

VO: These outdoor pursuits were originally the preserve of Victorian gentlemen, but in 1906 the Fell and Rock Climbing Club was formed here in the Lakes, and right from the start, women were included amongst its ranks.

RK: There were just four members.

So there wasn't a lot.

There was a family of members, but at least it was the establishment of ladies in the club, and that's continued right through to this date.

We've got about a third of the members are ladies at the present time.

So this is one of the first clubs that allowed women in?

I think so.

People think a big muscular sport is rock climbing and you pull up with your arms and all these sort of things, but it's very much a matter of balance often and women are often better climbers than men.

Cos they use their feet.

VO: The lady climbers, like Emily Kelly, set out to prove that the sport was for the enjoyment of all.

And, as women in the country were fighting for their right to vote, these courageous climbers were striking their own blow for equality.

This is a Mabel Barker.

She was a member of the club, and quite an amazing lady.

She went to Oxford and she got a diploma in geography and then she did geology at London, so she was obviously very keen on the outdoors and the hills.

Then she moved to Coalbeck just in the northern Lakes, and she set up a school there and she was very keen taking the kids out on the hills.

This photo is fantastic.

She looks so triumphant but she's just wearing normal Victorian dress.

Well we've got a picture here where she's in trousers then she's in a dress and I think she's just done it for the hell of it.

To sort of climb this rock in a dress.

Do you think it was almost a statement to say to the men, "I can climb as good as you, if not better"?

I think it is.

Obviously the times of the 1910, 1920s, 1930s it was big change with the suffragettes and the suffragists and she was certainly making a statement for women in the climbing world.

VO: Feeling inspired, our Roo is keen to follow in the footholds of these adventurous women, using modern safety equipment, of course.

She's guided by seasoned climbers, Katie and Cat.

And Jade, the rock-climbing Labrador.

I'm going to be at the bottom, giving you some encouraging words to get up.

OK.

Throw lots of positivity at you so you're not scared.

And I'm going to be at the top belaying you up.

Well, thank you cos I have never done rock climbing before in my life.

I live in Scotland and I barely get up the stairs.

(THEY LAUGH) VO: Well, there's nothing like a challenge, is there?

So while Katie climbs ahead, time to get geared up.

Nervous?

Before Katie went up I thought, "I can get to the top no problem, "it's not that far."

Hello!

But it's vertical.

That's the only... That's the slight downside with rock climbing, isn't it?

Yeah, you're going up.

Right, here we go.

VO: Go on Roo, you can do it.

Oh.

Hook.

Yeah.

Oh.

OK, and then... Am I then climbing into this wee gully, valley?

Yeah.

This is me stepping out my comfort zone massively.

Don't look down.

You try and push up on that leg.

And then what, try and get my right foot there?

Yeah.

VO: Ooh, careful.

RI: How amazing those women were.

How pioneering.

100 years ago, to have done this.

A real part of me wants to go up further.

Would I regret it if I don't?

No, I think I will just take my hat off to the ladies who did it before me.

VO: Let's leave Roo dangling, shall we?

She'll get down eventually, I'm sure.

James meanwhile is also heading deep into the Lakes.

VO: He's pointed Tiberius the Mustang towards the town of Keswick.

A magnet for outdoorsy types, and home to James's final shop.

He's hoping that Keswick Collectables will have a few hidden gems.

And there's some good stuff in here for our James to get his paws on.

Like that charger.

Nice to see a bit of copper.

Copper was mined all over this sort of Lakeland area and there was one particular figure, Canon Hardwick Rawnsley and his wife Edith.

Now the good canon was a Victorian improver and they established the Keswick School Of Industrial Art and they hoped that local people would be taught metalwork and they would build a rather nice cottage craft industry within this Keswick area, which they did very successfully, and it lasted almost a hundred years.

I don't think this is Keswick school.

But it's copper nonetheless.

It's a nice one.

Arts and crafts, circa 1900, but over £200.

Not for me.

Ain't got the budget.

VO: Yes, you've only got about half that.

See if the dealer can find you something to suit your pocket.

Now, Mark, I'm struggling a bit.

Anything lurking behind the counter?

I have.

Always something lurking behind the counter.

Come on.

Reveal.

Reveal.

Let me have a little look for you.

This is all the stuff we've... Just collected, isn't it?

Start having a rummage.

You're fine.

I'll find you some more.

I'll have a little... Oh that's quite fun.

So this is over-the-border stuff isn't it?

It is.

Yeah.

And... commonly known as pebble jewelry.

The wee pebble jewelry.

Associated with the Highlands of Scotland, the Cairngorm or citrine, and then you've got these agate stones, another hard stone round it.

Very nice.

Very Victorian, isn't it?

There's lots of sort of bright, sparkly, fun things in there, isn't there?

Something like that, that's a great sort of auction lot, isn't it?

DEALER: Oh, the whole lot, eh?

JB: Yeah.

And then in here, there's little bits and bobs, isn't there?

That's quite nice, it's a pipe damp for damping down your pipe and I think it's jet.

So on its own that's quite a nice, unusual little collector's piece.

How much for the two, Mark?

DEALER: 50 quid, how...?

And I think you've got to make a profit on that.

Yeah, I'd like to take the two, because it makes a sort of nice sort of found lot, doesn't it, in auction.

Be in the cabinet.

People will rootle around and they'll find something they love, won't they?

I'll probably buy them back.

I'll give you 50, Mark.

Thank you very much indeed.

DEALER: No problem whatsoever.

JB: Thank you.

Thank you.

VO: So that's two boxes of pretty little bits and bobs bought.

Not really the heft that James normally looks for, though.

Now those on the other hand.

Time for me to get in condition.

Cor!

How much do they weigh?

Number twos, they've got registered numbers.

They look Victorian.

They're made of cast iron.

AR and Sons, 3lbs, so that's 3lbs so I'm lifting 6lbs in all, so what's that?

Just under three bags of sugar.

Would you like some slightly more manly ones?

They're 5lb ones.

Blimey, look at those.

You take those, Mark.

DEALER: Careful now.

JB: Take those.

Careful, there you go.

Yeah, that's...

I can feel... burning.

It's falling away.

DEALER: Very nice.

JB: Very decorative.

DEALER: You should buy them.

JB: I can feel the benefits.

You're looking fitter.

That's a six pack coming as well there.

This is a Watney's Party Seven, this.

VO: Showing your age there, James.

That's very good, isn't it?

They're so cheap at £10 for all that lot as well.

JB: Rubbish.

DEALER: Yeah, 10 quid the lot and that's your auction lot.

JB: Really?

DEALER: Yes.

To you.

That's really kind, Mark.

Thanks for that.

DEALER: That's alright.

VO: So two deals done, and he's worked on his guns into the bargain.

Mark, thank you, cor.

No problem.

You showed me the path to a fitter and healthier life.

That's alright, good luck.

VO: Off he goes, to kick sand in the face of weaker antiques experts.

Ha-ha!

Say goodbye to the old me, hello to the new me.

DEALER: Good luck.

JB: Where's the fell?

VO: After all that exercise it's time for our two to head for the hills.

We've got an auction to get to.

I'm hoping you know the way, I don't need to navigate.

Keep the sea on your right, and you'll be fine.

VO: But first, let's get some shuteye, eh?

VO: It was psychiatrist Carl Jung who called this city "the pool of life".

Soft lad.

Time to get to that auction.

I think you're going to do very well, Roo.

RI: And your good self.

JB: Ah.

RI: Not so much?

JB: Marginal.

Marginal.

RI: That's what I like to hear.

VO: Time will tell.

After setting off from Brampton in Cumbria we've landed in Liverpool, for a sale at Adam Partridge Auctioneers.

Internet bids welcome.

James parted with £165 for five auction lots.

While Roo spent all of her £229.60 on her five lots.

Let's see what they think of each other's things.

Oh, look at this.

Roo, the great daftie - what's she bought here?

Roo loves cats.

If it was bought for five or £10 she's in with a profit.

Any more, it's a big loss.

James is actually showing his feminine side here.

I saw it, I hunted through.

There's not much really.

VO: A bit harsh.

I wonder if auctioneer Adam Partridge has any kinder words.

ADAM (AP): Slides and lights and things like that.

I think this is a nicely put together lot, it's clearly put together by someone who knows what will sell at auction.

I like the dumbbells, good fun lot.

I think they will go down well with our Liverpool audience here today.

They're kind of quirky, they've got some age to them, and of course you can keep yourself fit with them as well so what's not to like?

VO: Hm, well, that seems a bit more promising.

Let's pull up a pew.

Auction two.

I know.

How exciting.

Nervous?

Excited.

I've got jones in my bones and juice on the loose.

Rubbish.

You're nervous.

I can see it in your eyes!

VO: Maybe this first lot will calm her nerves.

Her magnifying glass.

I've got 10 and 15 and 20 bid, at £20 now.

At £20, five in the room.

25 it is, at 25 now.

Give us something on the internet.

Give us something on the internet.

£25.

(GAVEL) D'oh!

Hammer's down.

25.

VO: Yes, it's a loss whichever way you look at it.

One down.

Four to go.

VO: His German clock is next.

It's right twice a day.

He's put 60 to 100.

Lot 65, give me 60 for it.

VO: Oh dear.

I'm not even breathing.

Not even breathing.

£40 then?

Got to be worth 40, £40.

See, struggling already.

Five in the middle.

50, sir, 50.

JB: 50.

RI: You've made money.

55's in the middle.

£60 on the left hand side.

At £60.

JB: Got away with it really.

(GAVEL) Rather than making a profit.

You definitely got away with it.

That's good.

VO: That's a result there James, ticking along nicely.

JB: I wouldn't buy it.

RI: No?

JB: No.

Would you have it in your home?

JB: No.

VO: A ringing endorsement.

(CHUCKLES) Next up, Roo's rummers.

No, you don't have time to drink coffee.

He is, he needs it.

At £20 the pair.

Online at 20.

JB: 20.

Online.

AP: Take five now?

At £20.

Keep going.

At £20, any further on these?

RI: Keep going.

AP: Come on, five here, 25.

RI: Come on online.

JB: 30.

Take the five, take the five.

AP: Are you sure?

30's online.

RI: Beautiful.

At £30 online and we're going to sell these at £30.

Go on, put your hand up, Roo.

(GAVEL) Not a great start for me so far, James.

VO: No, but you did love 'em.

What is the point of a glass if it's empty?

VO: Very deep.

It's his shaving brush now.

It's good as... good as the day... Amazing, isn't it?

Maybe the chap never shaved.

Starting at only £10.

10 is bid, where's 15?

RI: It'll go, it'll... AP: At £10.

At £10.

Shame about the rub marks.

Where's 15?

Surely worth a little trickle more.

Oh dear.

That's not very good.

15 bid.

At 15 only.

Go on, get your hand up, sir.

Sh!

Alright then.

15.

(GAVEL) I would've bought it.

VO: The buyers weren't in a lather about it though.

Nobody loves a winner the whole time, do they?

No, it's very boring.

VO: Arusha's jardiniere and stand are next.

A marriage made in heaven?

I bought this purely with my heart.

I just fell in love with it.

It's the quickest buy I've ever done.

JB: Really?

RI: Yeah.

£20 jardiniere with a stand and 20 is bid.

At 20.

Stand down.

Anyone else for this?

£20 will sell, only bid, at 20.

At £20 we're all done then.

No, no, no.

JB: Stop, oh!

£20.

(GAVEL) Roo, this isn't your saleroom.

VO: You're not wrong there.

No love for her big green pot.

Can you not join me in this, you know, losing money business?

What, the spiral of descent?

Yeah.

VO: The writing slope now.

Quality dovetails.

And 10 is bid, 15, 15 bid.

At 15, 20's online.

Come on.

15.

Very generous, 25's on the right now.

JB: 25.

AP: 25's on the right hand side.

RI: Oh wow!

AP: At £25.

Some of my bacon has been saved.

VO: Not a bestseller by any means.

I think someone here doesn't have time to head to the hardware shop afterwards to get logs so decided to buy your desk for the fire.

VO: Meow, eh?

Can Roo's metal moggy turn the tide?

15, 20 bid, at £20 now.

£20.

25.

At 25.

Cat people.

They've gone mad.

Five, 35's on the front row.

Come on.

35.

Come on!

At 35, 40 online.

RI: Little bit more.

AP: Oh, you came to buy it, sir.

RI: Squeeze.

Five, there you go.

45 on the front row.

JB: 45. aa It's like magic.

RI: Yes!

JB: Absolutely mad, aren't they?

45.

(GAVEL) Well done.

45.

VO: She's like the cat that got the cream.

Slight sigh of relief there.

Just a wee bit.

You're back in the room.

VO: James's jewelry bits and bobs now.

Roo was a bit sniffy about them.

You had a little rummage?

Oh, yes!

I went straight for it.

30's bid.

30, five, 40, five, 50, five, 60, 60 bid.

At 60, any more?

At si... Five, 70, 70 bid.

At 70, five, 80.

James!

80 bid, 80, £80, any more?

James, James, James.

Don't know.

We'll see.

At £90.

(GAVEL) I'm going to have a lump in my throat.

JB: Oh don't worry.

Don't worry.

RI: Getting emotional.

VO: Great result.

They obviously like a rummage here, too.

I am learning from the master here now.

No, no.

Rubbish, rubbish.

VO: Roo's military slides and other bits next.

Spent her last pennies on these.

This is my big buy.

And 20, five, 30's online, at 30.

£30 it is, at 30.

Should be worth a bit more than this.

Come on.

At 30, where's five?

Come on, it's got to be more.

40 online.

Five it is?

45.

45 now, 45.

It needs to be over £75 for me not to cry.

JB: 50.

Edging.

AP: 55.

AP: 55.

JB: Edging.

AP: 60 bid.

JB: 60.

RI: Come on, come on.

AP: At 60.

Come on, no, no, no, no.

Wee bit more.

(THEY CHUCKLE) VO: Oh, dear.

Perhaps Liverpool's not ready for "army bunker chic".

Do you know what?

You're only as wealthy as what's in your heart.

VO: That's a truism.

Last up are the Victorian dumbbells.

You too can have a body like James.

Thank you, Kenno.

Can you manage them?

(LAUGHS) They can't lift them.

20's online, and five, 25 it is.

25 on the dumbbells.

At 25.

Anyone else on these?

£25 only.

We're finished then.

At £25.

(GAVEL) RI: Do you know what?

You more than doubled your money.

VO: You did indeed, and that strapping profit means we're all done here.

I think Liverpool owes us some hearty Scouse.

Hearty Scouse, that's the sort of lamb-y stew thing.

Come on, I'll buy you... RI: You up for it?

JB: I'll buy you one.

I'm so ready for it.

VO: While they console themselves with lunch, let's look at the numbers.

Roo started this leg ahead of her rival.

But after auction costs, she's made a loss of £82 today, leaving her with £147.60 for next time.

Bad luck.

VO: James kicked off on the back foot, but after costs he turned a profit of £11.30 today, so he nips into the lead with £224 on the nose.

Well done that man.

Now we're in Liverpool, let's explore it.

In these shoes?

Oh, you... You'll survive.

VO: On we go.

Next time on Antiques Road Trip... Give us a toot.

( HORN TOOTS) Whoo!

VO: We get cultured.

Quick, move on.

Don't you stop, madam.

VO: James tickles the ivories.

I'm not a little light lady playing the piano.

VO: And Roo does some fancy footwork.

She shoots, she scores.

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