Great Coastal Railway Journeys - Episode Guide

Michael Portillo begins a series of coastal railway journeys around the British Isles, starting in Siccar Point, the site of an extraordinary 18th-century discovery, and finishing at Holyrood House.

Michael Portillo continues his journey at the iconic Forth Bridge, before heading to tour the Royal Yacht Britannia and encountering a pair of vast steel sculptures.

Michael Portillo travels from the medieval city of Stirling through Perth, the historic crowning place of Scottish monarchs, and into Kirkcaldy, where he revisits some fond family memories.

Michael Portillo visits St Andrews, home to Scotland's oldest university, in eastern Fife, before heading to the vibrant city of Dundee and the harbour town of Stonehaven.

Michael Portillo's Scottish railway journey reaches Aberdeen, from which he heads to the wild and beautiful Forvie National Nature Reserve and Scotland's most easterly town, Peterhead.

Michael arrives bright and early in Inverness, from which he heads out on a scenic adventure to the Orkney archipelago and explores the battlefield at Culloden, overlooking the Moray Firth.

The stunning scenery of Scotland's east coast continues to delight Michael Portillo as he travels by train around the Moray Firth.

Michael Portillo's Scottish coastal railway journey reaches Invergordon on the Cromarty Firth, the third great inlet on the northeast coast of the Highlands.

Michael Portillo's coastal railway journey takes him past lochs and castles on the Far North Line to Britain's northernmost railway station at Thurso.

Michael crosses over to the Orkney Islands, visiting the former naval base at Scapa Flow and learning about the islands' extensive Norwegian connections.

Michael starts a new railway journey in Newcastle, heading north to Berwick-upon-Tweed. His route takes in the River Tyne, Hadrian's Wall, a former mining village and the fishing port of Amble.

Michael heads north from Newcastle to the former mining town of Lynemouth. Along the way, he visits a work of landform art made from the spoil of a coal mine and learns sea shanties in Blyth.

Michael finds a historic collection of Northumbrian bagpipes in Morpeth, before heading up the East Coast Main Line to the fishing port of Amble.

Michael travels from Alnmouth to Bamburgh Castle, an icon of Northumberland. Along the way, he takes to the waves in a traditional skiff and discover a fascinating map which charts shipwrecks.

Michael's journey along the coast of Northumberland continues towards the Farne Islands, takes in the holy island of Lindisfarne, and finishes in England's northernmost town, Berwick-upon-Tweed.

Michael Portillo explores the magnificent western coast of Scotland by rail and ferry, starting at the Hunterston B nuclear power plant and finishing along the deep waters of the Clyde.

From the 250-year-old 'new town' of Helensburgh on the north bank of the Clyde, Michael Portillo takes his favourite West Highland Line across to the waters of Loch Etive.

From the fishing port of Oban, Michael heads out to the Hebrides. He helps to harvest seaweed, visits the cradle of Christianity in Scotland, and sees a cave that inspired Felix Mendelssohn's music.

Michael heads aboard the Jacobite Express to cross the awe-inspiring Glenfinnan Viaduct, before visiting the immense Grampian Mountains and learning about the notorious Massacre of Glencoe.

Michael follows in the footsteps of Bonnie Prince Charlie as he travels over the sea to Skye, an island renowned for its wildlife, and then on to Lewis and Harris, home to the famous Harris Tweed.

Michael Portillo begins a new railway journey along the south coast of Wales. He visits a largely intact Roman amphitheatre and learns about the regeneration efforts in the mining town of Six Bells.

Michael Portillo continues his south Wales coastal railway journey in Barry Island, where he investigates the busy docks. He then heads to the Jurassic shoreline and the seaside resort of Porthcawl.

Michael Portillo's rail adventure along the south coast of Wales reaches the town of Port Talbot, known across the world for its steel production.

Michael Portillo travels the breathtaking rural coastline of Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire, visiting a bee garden with a quarter of a million honeybees, and Pembroke's magnificent Norman castle.

Michael Portillo reaches the most westerly station in Wales, Milford Haven, the biggest energy port in the United Kingdom. He then heads north, visiting Britain's smallest city and its cathedral.

Michael Portillo embarks on another railway adventure across and beyond the United Kingdom, beginning on the self-governing Isle of Man – a paradise for rail lovers.

He visits the Isle's ancient parliament, the Tynwald, which is older than Westminster, is taken down the east coast on the Isle of Man Steam Railway to the Norse castle of Rushen, test-drives the smallest production car ever made in Peel, joins a working fishing boat at Port St Mary, and meets two passionate advocates of the Manx language.

From the Isle of Man, Michael Portillo crosses the Irish Sea, bound for the mighty port of Liverpool and its historic waterfront.

At the International Slavery Museum in Royal Albert Dock, he reflects on the city's part in the transatlantic trade in enslaved people. He takes Merseyrail to Birkenhead, where he inspects a German U-boat before seeing the underground room where the Battle of the Atlantic was monitored and controlled.

In Crosby, he encounters dozens of west-facing iron men before heading off to Blackpool, where he learns about the city's wartime experiences.

Michael Portillo continues his rail journey. He looks out across the vast and beautiful Morecambe Bay and joins one of the town's last shrimpers to learn how potted shrimp is made. At Arnside, he visits a quirky 17th-century garden at Levens Hall, helping to clip its vast topiaries into shape.

Across the Arnside viaduct, Michael reaches Cartmel, with its 12th-century priory and Michelin-starred restaurant.

Michael Portillo is in Cumbria, enjoying one of the most spectacular coastal railway journeys in Britain.

In Ulverston, he sets sail in a small craft with a lifelong devotee of Arthur Ransome's Swallows and Amazons. At Barrow-in-Furness, Michael investigates the mountains of scrap left behind as iron ore was turned into ships, trains and railway tracks.

From Silecroft, Michael hikes up Black Combe to join a champion endurance athlete as she navigates and runs across the fells. Pressing north, he reaches the delightful Ravenglass and Eskdale heritage railway.

On the last leg of his railway journey around the north west coast of England, Michael meets a lifelong fan of Alfred Wainwright's famous guidebooks and takes the first steps along his coast-to-coast path.

In Whitehaven, once the third-busiest port in Britain, Michael visits a family butcher that has made traditional Cumberland sausages for a century. Heading inland to Cockermouth, he learns about William Wordsworth's great love for the River Derwent, which flows alongside the garden of Wordsworth House.

Michael finishes his journey in Maryport, where the Solway Firth marks the border between England and Scotland and where the tidal surge sweeps in big fish for those fishermen still using traditional haaf nets to catch them.

Michael's journey propels him in search of the unknown universe in Boulby, North Yorkshire, as he joins the hunt for dark matter in the deepest mine in Britain.

Michael Portillo continues his railway adventure at Whitby, where he explores the port's shipbuilding and seafaring heritage. 

In Grosmont, Michael boards the first steam locomotive built in Britain since the 1960s. In the vast open landscape of the North York Moors, Michael discovers one of the most powerful military radars in the world - where tension rises as the team suspect a missile launch. 

Robin Hood's Bay's murky past as a smuggling haven leads Michael down a dark tunnel to discover how contraband gin, brandy and tea was landed and why the illicit trade flourished in the 18th century

Michael Portillo is in the seaside resort of Scarborough to explore one of the greatest royal fortresses in England, before heading to the beautiful neoclassical Rotunda Museum, one of the world's first purpose-built museums.

At Bempton Cliffs in the East Riding of Yorkshire, Michael join forces with Humberside Police in an unusual patrol vehicle. And in the lobster capital of Europe, Bridlington, he visits the Yorkshire Marine Research Centre to find out how they aim to keep stocks of the crustaceans healthy.

Michael Portillo continues his journey in the pretty seaside resort of Hornsea, famous for its distinctive pottery. In Hull, he discovers how one of Hull FC's star players made history as Britain's first black rugby captain.

From Hull, Michael hitches a ride on a fine-looking barge heading to Goole on a network of canals. At Spurn Point, Michael hears how along this coast an ingenious 19th-century RNLI invention saved many lives. And aboard the Pride of the Humber, the biggest all-weather lifeboat in the fleet, Michael is permitted to take the helm.

Michael Portillo has reached Lincolnshire, where his coastal railway journey from Middlesbrough ends. In Grimsby, he investigates an important new stage in the town's history - as a maintenance base for some of the largest wind farms in the world.

In neighbouring Cleethorpes, Michael is excited to ride on the Cleethorpes Coast Light Railway, pulled by a miniature steam locomotive, and on the shores of the mighty Humber estuary, Michael meets the Humber King, who holds the record for swimming across the Humber.

From Cleethorpes, Michael makes for a curious and wild stretch of coastline at Humberston. At Young's, he learns how half of all scampi produced in the UK is made – and tries it himself.

Michael Portillo is on Northern Ireland's spectacular Causeway Coast to begin a railway journey that takes him along the north and east coasts of Ireland through the provinces of Ulster and Leinster.

Beginning on the windswept shores of Loch Foyle, he investigates the 17th-century origins of Ireland's sectarian divide, braves choppy seas to join an archaeological expedition, meets local teenagers learning about their costal home, and surveys the spectacular basalt landscape of the Giant's Causeway.

Michael Portillo is in the glens of Antrim, where Ireland's folklore and magical myths flourish and he is transfixed by tales of fairies and legends of the sea.

At the entrance to Belfast Lough, in Whitehead, he discovers a glorious museum, which tells the story of Ireland's railway heritage. Meanwhile, on the seafront, Michael joins a crew belonging to the Whitehead Coastal Rowing Club as they prepare to race.

At the medieval Carrickfergus Castle, Michael learns of the town's important role in the history of Ireland, when William of Orange landed at its harbour and went on to fight the Battle of the Boyne.

Michael Portillo is in Bangor, County Down, en route to the Northern Irish capital, Belfast. Admiring the handsome waterfront houses, he recalls the resort's prosperity after the railways arrived and learns how local groups are launching a cultural revival.

He learns about the history of Stormont and the Good Friday Agreement, explores the regenerated waterfront on the Maritime Mile, visits the largest coastal inlet in the British Isles, and discovers a scheme to generate power with a tidal kite.

Michael Portillo continues his railway journey along the Atlantic and Irish Sea coasts of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

From Newry, he sets off to cross the border into the Republic. On the Carlingford Peninsula, he helps turn and shake 70,000 bags of Pacific oysters. At Newgrange, Michael is blown away by the ancient, acre-sized cairn and his guide's explanation of what happens inside.

Michael visits Dublin Castle, from where Ireland was once ruled by Britain, and meets the grandson of Irish revolutionary Eamon De Valera. At Dublin's docks, he finds out about how investment in the tech sector has transformed the Irish economy.

Michael Portillo begins the final leg of his railway journey, beginning in the harbour town of Dun Laoghaire. He joins a crew of geological surveyors to discover what lies beneath Dublin Bay.

In Sandycove, he meets James Joyce devotees in the town where he found inspiration. At New Ross, he sees a replica of a ship that toook emigrants to America during and after the Irish Famine.

At the Kennedy Homestead in Dunganstown, Michael meets JFK's great-great-great nephew, and at Rosslare, Michael discovers how business is booming in Ireland's closest ferry port to France.

Michael is on a rail journey across the southern coast of England, beginning in Dorset. In Portland Harbour, Michael takes to the water with four-time Paralympian Hannah Stodel. After a quick stop on the distinctive 18-mile-long Chesil Beach, Michael makes his way to Abbotsbury Swannery to take in the amazing sight of their 800-strong colony of mute swans.

In the county town of Dorchester, Michael hears the story of the Tolpuddle Martyrs, who paved the way for today's trade unions. Finally, he visits the ghostly village of Tyneham, whose residents were ordered by the British Army to evacuate temporarily just days before Christmas in 1943 but never returned.

Michael alights at Wareham to visit Dorset's internationally renowned Jurassic Coast. Exploring the geology, he discovers black gold locked into its rocks and visits one of the county's oldest oil fields.

In Swanage, Michael visits the pretty Victorian harbour before riding the magnificent Swanage heritage railway to Corfe Castle, the location for one of the most dramatic hilltop castle ruins in the country.

In Poole, at one of Dorset's biggest employers, handmade cosmetics maker Lush, Michael is introduced to a phenomenon entirely new to him, the bath bomb. Heading back to the sea, Michael takes a stroll along the beach at Sandbanks, reputedly the home of the nation's most expensive coastal real estate, with local resident Harry Redknapp.

Michael ends his journey on Brownsea Island. He learns of Mary Bonham-Christie, a controversial conservationist who rid the island of almost all its human residents to create a protected habitat for wildlife - which today includes the red squirrel.

Michael is in Southampton, one of the busiest ports on the south coast of England and home to the National Oceanography Centre. From the port, Michael takes a ferry to the Isle of Wight, where he rides the island's railway, made up of recycled London Underground trains.

In the island's hinterland, he discovers a highly specialised farm which produces up to 15 different types of garlic and hears of a daring wartime mission behind enemy lines to procure this pungent plant.

Finally, Michael reaches the Needles, the islands iconic chalk stacks where a top-secret Cold War operation took place to develop and test British space rockets.

Michael's journey has brought him to Lee-on-the-Solent in Hampshire, the coastguard's training centre. He finds out about their role in search and rescue and helps in one of their highly skilled operations: a mud rescue.

Michael's next stop on his coastal travels is the great maritime city of Portsmouth to meet the harbour master, whose office oversees more than 200,000 maritime movements through the port each year.

From Portsmouth, Michael travels eastwards to Chichester's vast natural harbour and learns about a conservation project reversing coastal erosion and providing yummy treats for both local and not-so-local wildlife.

The final leg of Michael's journey begins in Fishbourne, the location of one of the most significant Roman sites in Britain. Heading into East Sussex, he makes for a British resort synonymous with seaside jaunts, Brighton.

He celebrates the burgeoning winemaking industry of the South Downs, visiting one of the area's largest vineyards to toast the future of British winemaking and the end of his coastal travels.

Michael Portillo embarks on another journey exploring the shores of Britain. His first journey takes him from the magnificent Jurassic Coast to the rugged tip of the Lizard Peninsula and beyond to the spectacular Isles of Scilly.

In the seaside town of Lyme Regis, Michael traces the remarkable discoveries of pioneering palaeontologist Mary Anning. He braves the chill below ground to explore the 40-acre Beer Quarry Caves, which have been active for two millennia.

On the eastern edge of Exeter, at the headquarters of the Meteorological Office, Michael steps into the TV studio to present the weather forecast. And he visits a 1,000-year-old water mill in Otterton that still grinds flour.

Michael Portillo reaches Devon's county town, Exeter, dominated since the Middle Ages by its magnificent gothic cathedral. Michael joins the stonemasons charged with conserving the intricate medieval Beer stonework.

From the top of the cathedral roof with its panoramic views, Michael descends around five metres below street level to explore a 425-metre network of tunnels known as the Exeter Passages. Back in the cathedral library, Michael inspects one of the oldest surviving anthologies of English poetry in the world, the Exeter Book, written around 1,000 years ago.

Plymouth is Michael's last stop on this leg. The city has a rich maritime and military history, is home to the largest naval base in western Europe, and is a world-leading centre for marine engineering.

Crossing the River Tamar via Isambard Kingdom Brunel's magnificent Royal Albert Bridge, Michael leaves Devon for Cornwall and the rugged Atlantic coast of its northern shore. The ruins of Tintagel Castle emerge from the mist and spray of the sea, and the legend of King Arthur is all about.

At the 18th-century landscaped park of Boconnoc, Michael meets an artist who captures Cornwall's natural wonders in paint and strives to protect them from environmental damage. Fortified by a crab sandwich in Newquay, Michael heads to St Agnes, where, on a headland above the village, he joins the Aggie Boys Choir to hear rousing sea shanties.

Michael's next destination, St Austell, leads him to the sandy coves and bays of the southern coast of the county and the beautiful Lost Gardens of Heligan.

Michael reaches the pretty Cornish fishing village of St Mawes, today an exclusive holiday destination for connoisseurs of yachts, fine food and luxury hotels. Michael takes to the waves in a glorious classic wooden racing yacht.

At Coverack, Michael joins the team from the Cornish Seaweed Company on a harvesting mission. A ride on the footplate of the wonderful heritage Helston Railway delivers Michael to Truthall Halt, from which he tramps through the undergrowth to discover a fabulous granite viaduct ripe for restoration.

From Penzance, Michael heads for the rugged coastline at Porthcurno, where a spectacular amphitheatre has been built into the cliffs.

Michael Portillo nears the end of his railway adventure tracking the rugged coast of south west England. He finishes in the westernmost reaches of England, in the Scillonian archipelago. From Penzance railway station, he makes his way to the town's heliport to board a helicopter to the island of Tresco, two-and-a-half miles long and with a population of 150.

Crossing the channel to Hugh Town on St Mary's, the largest and most populated of the Isles of Scilly, Michael meets a former councillor to learn what makes life on the islands unique. Venturing to the north of the island with an archaeologist to guide him, he discovers the rich prehistory of the islands.

Back on Tresco, Michael finds preparations underway for an important weekly event of the summer months: gig racing.

Michael Portillo embarks on a railway journey around the ragged rocks of the western coast of Wales. He begins on the Victorian Cliff Railway at Aberystwyth, rising above the historic town to take in views over Cardigan Bay, home to the largest population of bottlenose dolphins in Europe.

On the beach at Borth, Michael discovers a petrified forest, part of a lost realm which was much mythologised in Wales during the Middle Ages. In Machynlleth in Powys, Michael visits the site of Wales's medieval national parliament and the charismatic hero who nearly achieved Welsh independence from England in the early 15th century.

Back on the coast in the seaside resort of Tywyn, Michael finishes this leg of his journey with a glorious ride aboard the first preserved heritage railway in the world, the Talyllyn, from Tywyn to Abergynolwyn.

Michael Portillo continues his railway journey in north Wales, tracking the coastline north from Harlech to skirt the Llyn Peninsula.

Beginning on the shifting sands of Morfa Harlech, in one of the most important dune systems in Wales, Michael is surprised to find a team of conservationists felling and grubbing out trees. Next stop is Porthmadog, once one of the most important slate ports in the world, where slate was exported to South Africa and Australia.

From the top of Cardigan Bay at Pwllheli, Michael heads for the South Caernarvonshire Yacht Club to lend a hand on deck of a classic wooden racing boat. Close to the tip of the Llyn Peninsula, Michael reaches Aberdaron, where St Hywyn's Church - the former church of Welsh poet and vicar RS Thomas - looks out over Aberdaron Bay.

Michael Portillo steams through the glorious scenery of the Snowdonia National Park on one of Britain's greatest heritage lines, the Welsh Highland Railway. Stopping off at Beddgelert, Michael takes in the awesome geology, which inspired Charles Darwin.

Back aboard the Welsh Highland Railway, Michael heads for Caernarfon, in whose 13th-century castle King Charles III was invested as Prince of Wales in 1969. Michael heads for the coast, where the Menai Strait separates mainland Wales from Ynys Môn, or Anglesey, to find the heart of the United Kingdom's mussel industry.

Continuing along the Menai Strait, Michael reaches its earliest road crossing, an elegant suspension bridge designed by the Scottish engineer Thomas Telford and opened in 1826. And from Bangor, Michael takes the train across the Britannia Bridge to the first station on Anglesey, known as LlanfairPG, to visit the island's sea zoo.

Michael Portillo resumes his railway exploration of north Wales on the Isle of Anglesey, where the briny waters of the Menai Strait are being used to create a Welsh gastronomic delight.

The island's only railway line delivers Michael to Bodorgan, from which he heads for Oriel Môn at Llangefni, where striking works by the Anglesey-born artist Kyffin Williams are displayed. From Bodorgan, Michael tracks the western coast of the island directly alongside RAF Valley, where RAF and Royal Navy pilots do their fast jet training.

At Wylfa, Michael visits the giant but now defunct nuclear power station to hear how the plant is being decommissioned and the surrounding landscape restored.

Michael Portillo takes the train to the medieval walled town of Conwy on the last leg of his exploration of the shores of north Wales.

On a coastal ridge overlooking the estuary of the River Conwy is the town's impressive 13th-century castle, built by the conquering English king, Edward I, on the site of palace of the Welsh prince, Llywelyn.

In the foothills of the Carneddau mountain range, Michael enjoys breathtaking views over 27,000 acres of rugged open land. The Victorian resort of Llandudno is Michael's next stop, where he scales the dramatic limestone headland to investigate one of the most important Bronze Age copper mines in Europe.

Michael presses east to reach Colwyn Bay. Its long sweeping promenade looks out over Liverpool Bay and the Irish Sea beyond, but alongside the holidaymakers, Michael finds bulldozers and computer guided earth movers engaged in a transformational project to create a new beach.

Michael Portillo embarks on a new railway journey around the coast of the east of England. He begins in the Thames estuary, travelling across tidal mud flats and salt marshes to end up in Wrabness.

Michael Portillo reaches the Deben estuary on his coastal railway journey around eastern England. At Woodbridge, he is plunged in at the deep end on a rafting challenge with the sea scouts.

Michael Portillo's East Anglian coastal railway journey takes him to the treacherous waters off the Norfolk coast, which have sunk many ships and cost many lives.

Michael examines a replica of the smallest bone in the oldest and largest mammoth ever found in Britain, before sampling Sheringham's local crab and enjoying the North Norfolk Railway heritage line.

Michael Portillo's rail exploration of the eastern reaches of England is drawing to a close at the Wash. He travels on the smallest public railway in the world and visits the magnificent Holkham Hall.