African rail journey is a challenge
SLOW TRAIN THROUGH AFRICA WITH GRIFF RHYS JONES STV, 9PM
THE man who became famous for sitting opposite Mel Smith now doesn’t sit still for a minute and tonight, in the third episode of this series, he is zigzagging his way 1,200 miles through Kenya and Tanzania.
The journey proves a challenge, with large parts of the railways being relics left over from colonial days. Neither tracks nor trains work as well as they used to. Boarding Nyaturu, a vintage steam locomotive made in Glasgow, Griff begins his journey on the high plateau in southwest Kenya.
Built by the British, this railway created a colony and Griff visits a cattle farm established by an aristocrat a century ago.
Donning a pair of overalls, he joins the Kenyan workers as they bathe more than 2,000 cattle to ward off parasites and biting flies.
The climate of the Kenyan highlands is pleasant enough for Griff to go for a run, and he meets two young athletes who are aiming to compete in major international competitions. Ruth and Nancy are used to running in thin air at altitude and soon leave Griff behind as they forge ahead.
Passenger trains no longer run to Griff’s next destination, so he leaves the ghostly railway station and takes to the road to reach Giraffe Manor, an unusual colonial legacy. Formerly the home of a Scottish toffee magnate, the manor is now a hotel and home to a herd of resident Rothschild giraffe, who join Griff for breakfast by poking their long necks through the windows.
In the vast Tsavo National Park, Griff has the special experience of bottle-feeding orphaned baby elephants, whose mothers have been hunted for ivory. He is stunned to discover that elephants are excellent time keepers and begin making their way to where the park rangers wait with their milk, at precisely 11am each day.
The railway into Tanzania has fallen into disuse so Griff then crosses the border by road and looks up to see the looming shadow of Africa’s highest mountain, Mount Kilimanjaro.
“While this journey hasn’t always been easy,” says Griff, “forgetting it will be very difficult.”