About this season
From the sea lochs of Scotland to the Jurassic Coast of Dorset, seasoned train traveller Michael Portillo immerses himself in the magnificent scenery of the nation's coastal regions.
Episodes (20)
1. Axminster to Budleigh Salterton
Aired 8 April 2024 • 29 min
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.
2. Exeter to Plymouth
Aired 9 April 2024 • 29 min
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.
3. Tintagel to St Austell
Aired 10 April 2024 • 29 min
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.
4. St Mawes to Porthcurno
Aired 11 April 2024 • 29 min
Michael reaches the pretty Cornish fishing village of St Mawes, today an exclusive holiday destination for connoisseurs of yachts, fine food and luxury hotels.
5. Isles of Scilly
Aired 12 April 2024 • 29 min
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.
6. Cardigan Bay to Abergynolwyn
Aired 15 April 2024 • 28 min
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.
7. Harlech to Abedaron
Aired 16 April 2024 • 29 min
Michael Portillo continues his railway journey in north Wales, tracking the coastline north from Harlech to skirt the Llyn Peninsula.
8. Porthmadog to Anglesey
Aired 17 April 2024 • 28 min
Michael Portillo steams through the glorious scenery of the Snowdonia National Park on one of Britain’s greatest heritage lines, the Welsh Highland Railway.
9. The Isle of Anglesey
Aired 18 April 2024 • 28 min
Michael is on the Isle of Anglesey, where the briny waters of the Menai Strait are being used to create a Welsh gastronomic delight.
10. Conwy to Colwyn Bay
Aired 19 April 2024 • 28 min
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.
11. Eastbourne to Rye
Aired 22 April 2024 • 29 min
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.
12. Folkestone to Le Touquet
Aired 23 April 2024 • 29 min
Michael Portillo travels through the longest undersea tunnel in the world on the Eurotunnel shuttle rail service from Folkestone to Calais.
13. Dover to Margate
Aired 24 April 2024 • 29 min
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.
14. Birchington-on-Sea to Whitstable
Aired 25 April 2024 • 29 min
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.
15. Faversham to Chatham
Aired 26 April 2024 • 29 min
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.
16. Canvey Island to Wrabness
Aired 29 April 2024 • 28 min
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.
17. Woodbridge to Southwold
Aired 30 April 2024 • 28 min
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.
18. Lowestoft to Great Yarmouth
Aired 1 May 2024 • 29 min
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.
19. West Runton to Burnham Market
Aired 2 May 2024 • 28 min
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.
20. Wells-next-the-Sea to the Wash
Aired 3 May 2024 • 29 min
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.