Great Coastal Railway Journeys
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29:02The final leg of Michael's South Coast adventure begins in Fishbourne, the location of one of the most significant Roman sites in Britain. He takes in the astonishingly well preserved, almost 2,000-year-old mosaic floors and finds out how they may have been designed as Roman after-dinner entertainment. Heading into East Su...
28:50Michael's journey has brought him to Lee on the Solent in Hampshire to the training centre of Britain's fourth emergency service, Her Majesty's Coastguard. 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 ...
29:00This leg of Michael's journey starts in Southampton, one of the busiest ports on the South Coast and home to the National Oceanography Centre. Whilst learning of their role in the fight against plastic in our seas, Michael discovers their new fleet of research submarines. From the port, Michael takes a ferry to the Isle of...
28:54Michael Portillo alights at Wareham to visit Dorset's internationally renowned Jurassic Coast. Exploring its 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...
29:02Michael's first stop is Portland Harbour in Dorset, home to some of the finest sailing waters in the UK and the location for the 2012 Olympic sailing events. There he takes to the water with four-times paralympian, Hannah Stodel. After a quick stop on the distinctive 18-mile-long Chesil Beach, Michael makes his way to Abbo...
29:02Michael Portillo begins the final leg of his railway journey hugging the shores of the Atlantic and the Irish Sea. Today he travels from the capital of the Republic of Ireland, Dublin, on the DART suburban railway to the harbour town of Dun Laoghaire. The Geological Survey Ireland maps the nation's territorial waters. Mich...
28:59Michael 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. Alighting in Dundalk in County Louth, he heads for the Carlingford Peninsula with its vast beaches of muddy sand. Laid out on...
29:02Michael 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. Out on the water, Michael enjoys live folk music on a boat before h...
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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. An ambitious project is underw... 28:59 Expired
Michael Portillo is on Northern Ireland's spectacular Causeway Coast to begin a new railway journey, which this week takes him along the north and east coasts of Ireland through the provinces of Ulster and Leinster. Michael begins in County Derry on the windswept shores of Loch Foyle, where the largest accumulation of coas... 29:01 Expired
Michael Portillo has reached Lincolnshire, where his coastal railway journey from Middlesbrough will end. In Grimsby Town, which in the 20th century was the biggest fishing port in the world, he investigates an important new stage in the town's history. Grimsby is the maintenance base for some of the largest wind farms in ... 29:00 Expired
Michael Portillo continues his coastal railway journey from Middlesbrough to Grimsby today in the pretty seaside resort of Hornsea, famous for its distinctive pottery. Michael searches out some of the most recognisable and collectible pieces and hears how they were designed and made in the town. 29:02 Expired
Michael Portillo is in the seaside resort of Scarborough to explore one of the greatest royal fortresses in England. It was the scene during the English Civil War of a 5-month siege between Royalists and Parliamentarians. Michael learns how the castle keep was cleaved in half by one of the largest cannons in the land. 28:57 Expired
Michael Portillo continues his railway adventure on England's east coast at Whitby, where he explores the port's shipbuilding and seafaring heritage and learns how Captain James Cook prepared for his expedition to the Pacific aboard HMS Endeavour, a Whitby-built coal-hauling bark. 28:56 Expired
Michael Portillo's coastal railway adventure propels him in search of the unknown universe in Boulby, North Yorkshire. Over a kilometre below the surface of the earth, in the deepest mine in Britain, Michael joins the hunt for dark matter. At Redcar, a racing legend tells Michael his incredible story. The champion jockey, ... 29:02 Expired
Michael Portillo is on the last leg of his railway journey around the northwest coast of England. As his train passes Sellafield, he notes the covert nuclear reprocessing plant before making a beeline for Wainwright Country. At Kinniside Stone Circle, Michael joins a lifelong fan of Alfred Wainwright's famous guidebooks an... 28:57 Expired
Michael Portillo is in Cumbria, enjoying one of the most spectacular coastal railway journeys in Britain, crossing the broad estuary of the River Leven by rail on a viaduct practically a third of a mile long. His first stop is Ulverston, gateway to the Lake District, where adventure is in store on the waters of Windermere.... 29:02 Expired
Michael Portillo continues his rail journey taking in the Isle of Man and the north-west coast of England. From Morecambe he looks out across the vast and beautiful Morecambe Bay, alive with cockles and brown shrimp. The Bay is famous for its potted shrimp and Michael joins one of the town's last shrimpers to learn how it'... 28:55 Expired
From the Isle of Man, Michael Portillo crosses the Irish Sea bound for the mighty port of Liverpool and its historic waterfront. Deep underground, Michael discovers one of the most important and secret rooms of the war - the Royal Navy's Western Approaches Headquarters, from where the Battle of the Atlantic was monitored a... 29:02 Expired
Michael Portillo embarks on a new railway adventure beyond the United Kingdom beginning on the self-governing Isle of Man - a paradise for rail lovers. His first stop on the wonderful Manx Electric Railway is the capital, Douglas, where he discovers the island's Parliament, the Tynwald, is older than Westminster. Michael h...