Great Coastal Railway Journeys (2022)

Michael Portillo embarks on another journey exploring the shores of Britain, travelling from the Jurassic Coast to the rugged tip of the Lizard Peninsula and beyond to the spectacular Isles of Scilly.

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

Michael leaves Devon for Cornwall and the rugged Atlantic coast of its northern shore, where the ruins of Tintagel Castle emerge from the mist and spray of the sea.

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 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.

Michael Portillo embarks on a railway journey around the western coast of Wales. He begins on the Victorian Cliff Railway at Aberystwyth, finishing the first leg in Tywyn.

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

Michael Portillo steams through the glorious scenery of the Snowdonia National Park on one of Britain’s greatest heritage lines, the Welsh Highland Railway.

Michael is on the Isle of Anglesey, where the briny waters of the Menai Strait are being used to create a Welsh gastronomic delight.

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.

Michael Portillo sets off on a new railway adventure to explore the twin shores of the English Channel and the estuaries of the Thames and Medway.

Michael Portillo travels through the longest undersea tunnel in the world on the Eurotunnel shuttle rail service from Folkestone to Calais.

Michael Portillo’s railway adventure along the north and south coasts of the English Channel resumes in Dover, where he recalls the biggest evacuation in military history.

Michael Portillo’s railway exploration of the Channel coastline and Thames estuary via Calais has reached the Isle of Thanet. Flat and temperate, it’s excellent terrain for growing.

Michael's adventure nears its end on the north Kent coast. In Faversham, he gets out onto the water in the last sailing barge to work on the Thames.

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 marsh 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.