Great Coastal Railway Journeys S03 complete (1080p, soft English subtitles)

[Note: I uploaded the ‘complete’ series last week thinking it was only 15 episodes - in fact it’s 20]

All aboard! Weaving through charming seaside towns, historic landmarks and natural wonders, Michael Portillo explores the coastal communities the railways made.

E01 Axminster to Budleigh Salterton
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.

E02 Exeter to Plymouth
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.

E03 Tintagel to St Austell
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.

E04 St Mawes to Porthcurno
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.

E05 Isles of Scilly
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.

E06. Cardigan Bay to Abergynolwyn
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.

E07. Harlech to Abedaron
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.

E08. Porthmadog to Anglesey
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.

E09. The Isle of Anglesey
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.

E10. Conwy to Colwyn Bay
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 the 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.

E11 Eastbourne to Rye
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. At Cuckmere Haven, he enjoys astonishing views of the gleaming white Seven Sisters. From Hastings, he takes the train to Battle to set foot on one of the most famous stretches of land in British history. The Marshlink line conveys Michael through a watery world of small rivers and wetlands to Rye, which was once a seaport but now lies a mile inland. Heading east across the border to Kent, Michael reaches a small peninsula jutting out into the Channel and an airfield with an illustrious past: Lydd Airport.

E12 Folkestone to Le Touquet
Michael Portillo travels through the longest undersea tunnel in the world on the Eurotunnel shuttle rail service from Folkestone to Calais. In Calais, Michael is reminded that for 200 years, from the mid-14th century, the city was part of the English realm. Heading south on a new express to Boulogne-sur-Mer, Michael tucks into the local cheese and wine, and up early the next morning, he explores France’s biggest fishing port. In the kitchen at La Matelote, Michael learns to prepare la Gainée, a traditional Boulogne fish stew. Tracing the tracks of an early electric tram, Michael reaches Etaples-Le Touquet on the Paris line to discover the chic resort’s sandy beach, glamorous hotels and casino.

E13 Dover to Margate
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.
On an ancient pilgrim route into Canterbury, Michael learns how the murder of Thomas Becket in 1170 prompted a surge in pilgrimage to the cathedral. The pretty seaside town of Broadstairs is Michael’s next stop - one of Charles Dickens’s favourite places, the town draws many fans of the author’s work. In Margate, Michael admires the striking Turner Contemporary art gallery, set on the now- transformed seafront.

E14 Birchington-on-Sea to Whitstable
Michael Portillo’s railway exploration of the Channel coastline and Thames estuary via Calais has reached the Isle of Thanet. Flat and temperate, it is excellent terrain for growing. From Herne Bay, Michael heads for the Reculver Towers, remnants of a Saxon church established in the seventh century. At Blean Woods, Michael explores one of the largest areas of ancient woodland in Britain. The fishing port of Whitstable is Michael’s next stop. Famed for its oysters, the town has become a foodie destination.

E15 Faversham to Chatham
Michael Portillo’s railway adventure zig-zagging the coasts of the English Channel and the Thames estuary nears its end on the north Kent coast. The pretty and historic town of Faversham is Michael’s first stop and an opportunity to get out on to the water in the last sailing barge to work on the Thames. Michael spends the night in a cosy cabin on the 3,300-acre Elmley Nature Reserve on the Isle of Sheppey. At Queenborough, Michael visits one of the island’s three prisons, HMP Standford Hill, to hear about its emphasis on rehabilitation. The historic town of Chatham on the Medway River is Michael’s next stop. In its dockyard, warships were built to battle the Armada, HMS Victory was constructed and, during the 20th century, submarines such as HMS Ocelot were launched.

E16
Michael Portillo embarks on a new railway journey around the coast of the east of England. He begins in the Thames estuary, where creeks separate Canvey Island from the mainland and generations of Essex men and women have struggled to stay on dry land. From Benfleet, Michael heads for the tidal mud flats and salt marshes of the Dengie National Nature Reserve, where he discovers one of the oldest Christian churches in England, the chapel of St Peter’s on the Wall, built in 654. The picturesque seaside town of Walton-on-the-Naze is Michael’s next stop, where he is charmed by the colourful beach huts lining the seafront. Walking on Walton’s impressive pier, Michael meets a group of anglers waiting for a bite. He enjoys a tale of a fish that got away and a recipe for local bass. His last stop on this leg is Wrabness, where Michael visits the extraordinary House for Essex, a collaboration between Essex artist Grayson Perry and Essex architect Charles Holland.

E17
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. Wren is a 12-year-old stallion who is an endangered breed now protected by the Suffolk Punch Trust. With a little help from his trainer, Michael picks up the lines to put him through his paces. At Thorpeness, Michael discovers Britain’s first purpose-built seaside village, a dream resort for early 20th-century middle-class holidaymakers, with a golf course, a boating lake and a fairy-tale cottage. The Walberswick ferrywoman conveys Michael across the River Blythe to Southwold, a seaside town with a lighthouse. Inside the Adnams brewery, Michael learns how local barley is malted and fermented, and that varieties of hops have complex flavours.

E18
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 meets a diving duo who set out to find the wreck of a ship carrying a future king, which sank 340 years ago. Michael visits the most easterly town in Britain, Lowestoft. It’s the southern gateway to the network of lakes and rivers known as the Broads and home to the International Boat Building Training College. At Lound Lakes, Michael joins the warden of the Suffolk Wildlife Trust’s 280-acre nature reserve, which is teeming with wildlife, including kingfishers, otters, breeding warblers and 28 species of butterfly. From the holiday resort of Great Yarmouth, built on a sandbank which in Roman times lay under the sea, Michael makes his way to the enormous and impressive Burgh Castle Roman Fort.

E19
The oldest and largest mammoth ever found in Britain was discovered by walkers on the beach at West Runton in Norfolk. Michael Portillo examines a replica of the smallest bone in the creature’s leg, an enormous shin bone, and imagines its size, twice that of a modern elephant. Michael samples the local crab at Sheringham before heading to the North Norfolk Railway, which once brought holidaymakers to the seaside and today operates as a heritage line. From Weybourne, Michael heads to Cley next the Sea to visit one of the country’s oldest nature reserves. The stunning salt marsh landscape is full of surprises, among them samphire, which locals forage. In the village of Burnham Market, Michael joins a Norfolk-born chef at his fish and seafood restaurant to learn how to prepare it professionally.

E20
Michael Portillo’s rail exploration of the eastern reaches of England is drawing to a close. His travels today begin on the smallest public railway in the world, the Wells and Walsingham line. This narrow-gauge heritage service takes him through the heart of the glorious north Norfolk countryside and delivers him to Wells-Next-the-Sea, from where he heads to the magnificent Holkham Hall. From Watlington, Michael makes his way to one of the largest seal rehabilitation centres in the country, run by the RSPCA at East Winch. Meanwhile, the historic town of King’s Lynn with its port on the River Ouse has enjoyed a proud maritime past and its beautifully preserved centre impresses Michael. At first light, Michael arrives on the Wash at Snettisham amid a stunning landscape of sandbanks, salt marshes and lagoons, where the RSPB manages a nature reserve. Michael joins the site manager and other twitchers to witness a spectacular natural event.

First broadcast: April 2024  
Duration:  30 minutes per episode    
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