Great Coastal Railway Journeys

Season 1

25 episodes · Jan 24, 2022

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  • Dunbar to Edinburgh
    S1E1

    Dunbar to Edinburgh

    Jan 24, 202230m

    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.

    Reviews
  • Leith to Culross
    S1E2

    Leith to Culross

    Jan 25, 202230m

    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.

    Reviews
  • Stirling to East Neuk
    S1E3

    Stirling to East Neuk

    Jan 26, 202230m

    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.

    Reviews
  • St Andrews to Stonehaven
    S1E4

    St Andrews to Stonehaven

    Jan 27, 202230m

    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.

    Reviews
  • Forvie to Peterhead
    S1E5

    Forvie to Peterhead

    Jan 28, 202230m

    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.

    Reviews
  • Inverness to the Cairngorms
    S1E6

    Inverness to the Cairngorms

    Jan 31, 202230m

    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.

    Reviews
  • Cullen to Cawdor
    S1E7

    Cullen to Cawdor

    Feb 1, 202230m

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

    Reviews
  • Invergordon to Tain
    S1E8

    Invergordon to Tain

    Feb 2, 202230m

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

    Reviews
  • Lairg to Caithness
    S1E9

    Lairg to Caithness

    Feb 3, 202230m

    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.

    Reviews
  • Thurso to Orkney
    S1E10

    Thurso to Orkney

    Feb 4, 202230m

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

    Reviews
  • Tynemouth to Bardon Mill
    S1E11

    Tynemouth to Bardon Mill

    Feb 7, 202230m

    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.

    Reviews
  • Newcastle to Lynemouth
    S1E12

    Newcastle to Lynemouth

    Feb 8, 202230m

    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.

    Reviews
  • Morpeth to Amble
    S1E13

    Morpeth to Amble

    Feb 9, 202230m

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

    Reviews
  • Alnmouth to Bamburgh
    S1E14

    Alnmouth to Bamburgh

    Feb 10, 202230m

    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.

    Reviews
  • Farne Islands to Berwick-upon-Tweed
    S1E15

    Farne Islands to Berwick-upon-Tweed

    Feb 11, 202230m

    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.

    Reviews
  • Fairlie to Port Glasgow
    S1E16

    Fairlie to Port Glasgow

    Feb 14, 202230m

    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.

    Reviews
  • Helensburgh to Connel
    S1E17

    Helensburgh to Connel

    Feb 15, 202230m

    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.

    Reviews
  • Oban to Staffa
    S1E18

    Oban to Staffa

    Feb 16, 202230m

    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.

    Reviews
  • Fort William to Glenfinnan
    S1E19

    Fort William to Glenfinnan

    Feb 17, 202230m

    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.

    Reviews
  • Mallaig to Isle of Lewis and Harris
    S1E20

    Mallaig to Isle of Lewis and Harris

    Feb 18, 202230m

    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.

    Reviews
  • Avonmouth to Six Bells
    S1E21

    Avonmouth to Six Bells

    Feb 21, 202230m

    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.

    Reviews
  • Barry Island to Pyle
    S1E22

    Barry Island to Pyle

    Feb 22, 202230m

    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.

    Reviews
  • Port Talbot to Pembrey Burry Port
    S1E23

    Port Talbot to Pembrey Burry Port

    Feb 23, 202230m

    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.

    Reviews
  • Carmarthen to Pembroke
    S1E24

    Carmarthen to Pembroke

    Feb 24, 202230m

    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.

    Reviews
  • Milford Haven to Fishguard
    S1E25

    Milford Haven to Fishguard

    Feb 25, 202230m

    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.

    Reviews