michael portillo train journeys 2022

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Great Coastal Railway Journeys

Michael Portillo embarks on a new series of railway adventures around the coasts of the British Isles. Michael Portillo embarks on a new series of railway adventures around the coasts of the British Isles. Michael Portillo embarks on a new series of railway adventures around the coasts of the British Isles.

• Michael Portillo
• Nathen Amin
• Chris Van Der Kuyl
• 5 User reviews

Episodes 65

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• Feb 16, 2022
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• January 24, 2022 (United Kingdom)
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• British Broadcasting Corporation (United Kingdom)
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• British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
• FremantleMedia
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Michael Portillo on the significance of his new Great Coastal Railway Journeys series

For his latest tv series, michael portillo celebrates britain’s coastal railways. he tells claire webb why they are so magnificent, and of such personal importance.

As a boy, Michael Portillo used to catch the sleeper train from London to Scotland when he visited his grandparents, and can still recall the thrill of those journeys.

“In those days some of the trains were still pulled by steam engines and I remember being terrified by these enormous panting monsters of locomotives”, chuckles the former MP. “We travelled sitting bolt upright [in chairs] all night.”

The most exciting moment of those childhood trips from King’s Cross to Kirkcaldy, on Fife’s coast, was puffing across the iconic Forth Bridge after passing through Edinburgh.

“You see the huge, rust-coloured struts of iron and steel that hold the whole thing together.” He recalls once waking up at a station in the middle of the night; he could see “York” written on a pillar and peered around for the word “New”.

“My mother said, ‘You cannot possibly believe that New York is situated between London and Edinburgh.’ I was slightly ignorant of geography.”

If his mother had gazed into a crystal ball that night, she might have been surprised to see that her son would one day be Britain’s Defence Secretary and, after he retired from politics, would enjoy a second career presenting popular travel documentaries. For the past 13 years, Portillo has chugged around railways both at home and abroad.

The pandemic has barely slowed him down, but it has emptied trains. “It has produced a real crisis in rail travel,” he muses. “It’s not for me to advise people what level of risk they want to take. I would just say that I have travelled consistently on public transport through the pandemic and I’m here to tell the story.”

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In his latest TV series, Great Coastal Railway Journeys, he meanders along the shores of Scotland, Wales and England, and is struck by their conservation.

“Much of the British Isles’ coastlines are pristine by comparison with Britain’s towns, villages and cities, which are awfully cluttered by traffic, parked vehicles and signage.”

Sea birds on bass rock

His first journey took him back to Scotland’s craggy east coast, from the historic harbour town of Dunbar to the busy fishing port of Peterhead via Edinburgh, Stirling, St Andrew’s, Dundee, Aberdeen and the Forth Bridge, which is still a personal thrill. However, the highlight was a boat trip from North Berwick to the world’s largest colony of northern gannets: Bass Rock, a 100-metre lump of jagged white rock floating in the Firth of Forth.

The Scottish Seabird Centre organises boat tours, including landing trips when the sea is calm enough. “At the time that I visited it was the gathering point for 150,000 gannets,” says Portillo, who’s a keen bird-watcher.

“The northern gannet is very large and rather beautiful, with a yellow shadow all around its blue eye. Most of them were breeding; the couples engage in courting behaviour – they cross their bills and do a sort of dance. In 13 years of making these programmes, I’ve never filmed anything quite like that. I’ve been back since because I wanted to show my family.”

He also explored the Scottish Isles. “This series probably has as many boats in it as trains. We went to Staffa, Mull, Iona, Skye and Harris and Lewis, and the Orkney Islands.”

As well as lovely sandy beaches and wide-open coastal vistas, Orkney has an especially fascinating history. “There are Iron Age settlements and a Norwegian-built medieval cathedral of some grandeur. It’s a reminder that Orkney stood as the very important entrepot between the British Isles and Scandinavia, and it was in fact Norwegian territory until relatively recently.

There’s also a gorgeous Nissen hut painted by an Italian prisoner of war during the Second World War with trompe l’oeil features, to create the impression of a Renaissance chapel.”

Back on the rails, a surprise highlight was the Cumbrian Coast Line, which meanders from the shipbuilding town of Barrow-in-Furness to Carlisle via the shimmering mudflats of Morecambe Bay, the Lake District’s wild dunes and never-ending golden beaches.

“The railway runs along the water most of the way, and crosses lots of estuaries and inlets on little causeways and viaducts. As the tide goes in and out, the scene that you’re looking out on changes dramatically, and there are extensive sand and mudflats that are as spectacular as looking out at the sea”, he tells i .

All aboard the Hogwarts Express

Sixty years after Portillo was awestruck by the roaring locomotives at King’s Cross, he took a seat on the UK’s most popular steam train, It didn’t disappoint. The Jacobite operates on the West Highland Line between Fort William and the fishing town of Mallaig from May to October, and is better known as the Hogwarts Express thanks to its cameo in the Harry Potter films.

Skirting freshwater and sea lochs, the West Highland Line has been voted the world’s best train journey. For Portillo, the high point was crossing the 100ft, 21-arched Glenfinnan Viaduct.

“It was the first concrete viaduct and overlooks the spot where Bonnie Prince Charlie landed from France in order to lead the Jacobite rebellion, which of course ended in disaster from the Jacobite point of view.”

He also bedded down on the night train from London Euston to Inverness, but this time in style: he booked a cabin on the recently scrubbed-up Caledonian Sleeper. “I went in the poshest cabin, so I had a little bathroom with shower and loo, and a large and comfortable bed. A terrific way to travel.”

‘Great Coastal Railway Journeys’ is on weekdays at 6.30pm, BBC Two

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Michael Portillo: Switzerland’s Glacier Express is one of the most awe-inspiring train journeys in the world

Renowned train enthusiast Michael Portillo takes Switzerland’s Glacier Express from St Moritz to Zermatt in ‘Excellence Class’

I have just taken my seat on the Glacier Express and, before the train has departed, my champagne has already been served. It arrives not in a flute but a saucer, that wide flat glass I associate with Audrey Hepburn movies. It’s a hint that I’m in for an old-fashioned experience of gracious luxury. 

The Glacier Express is an experience in itself 

This is a train whose panoramic design, with windows extending into the roof line, tells you that you’ll enjoy scenic wonders. Without them we could not fully enjoy the Rhine Gorge. As the train climbs towards the river’s source, the glacial blue torrent chases through a chasm. We see its rocky walls through the glass roof rising sheer up to 300m – white, jagged and awe-inspiring. This is Switzerland’s Grand Canyon.

The train has departed from St Moritz, birthplace of winter sports and host of the first two Winter Olympic Games. Passengers boarding there are soon gasping at the feats of engineering involved in building the line at the beginning of the last century. It descends through corkscrew turns and then curves around the Landwasser viaduct, where a single track perches on six limestone arches rising 65m. This is the most iconic image of the route, the photograph that attracts rail travellers from every continent.

A narrow gauge railway can negotiate tight bends, and we often see our bright red locomotive snaking ahead of us, sometimes powering upwards, now plunging and lunging on the downslopes. The many keen photographers on board are ecstatic.

There are 291 bridges and 91 tunnels on the 291km route of the Glacier Express. This train journey is not just about moving between two beautiful Swiss villages. It is an experience, what now we call a “destination” in itself. Speed is the least of our concerns: the “express” averages just over 42km per hour. There is no reason to rush the scenery, and certainly not our lunch.

‘Excellence class’- a ticket that surpasses first class

After Chur the altimeter in the carriage shows us passing 1,000m, and now it is snowing hard and the valley is blindingly white. The Glacier Express has been running since 1930, and traditionally had three classes. Recently, that state of affairs has been reinstated with the introduction of an Excellence Class that trumps first class. There are single seats on either side of the aisle, and each passenger is supplied with a tablet computer that shows and explains the route, and offers a selection of music. A bar at one end of the car is promisingly adorned with ice buckets of bubbly.

“Guests” may enjoy a seven-course meal during the six-hour journey between two of Switzerland’s most spectacular Alpine resorts, St Moritz and Zermatt. Being ascetic by nature, I settle for just a mint soup, a Swiss beef tenderloin and a plate of cheeses. The crockery, glassware, linen and service are exquisite. The menu is long and detaining. The excellent food and still wines are sourced along the route, and they have been prepared with care and pride.

Explore Switzerland's mountain scenery by rail on an exclusive tour and meet Michael Portillo (from £3,649).

So, I make my way to the kitchen to thank the chef, Sebastian, for my lunch. I find him in a narrow galley where he’s spent much of his past 31 years. A huge pot of spaghetti carbonara that will shortly feed the crew stands on the hob, and it’s on the griddle next to it that he’s cooked my steak to medium-rare perfection. 

Michael's Swiss railway adventure in pictures

Panoramic views provide majestic sights of swizterland along the railway.

At Disentis we stop to change engines, because we need a cog locomotive to climb through 2,000m, and then to control our descent on the other side. Once underway again we pass tiny villages, each dominated by its church tower, run alongside coloured poles that mark the roads that are used in summer but now lie buried beneath the snow, and skirt the ski slopes. We edge past cable cars and winter sports enthusiasts.

I am delighted to be seeing Switzerland in winter, as an icy wonderland; but in spring I would have the joy of wild flowers , in summer the cattle would be in the high pastures, and in autumn the foliage would burst with colours. It’s debatable which is best. 

The old railway line used to climb up through the Furka Pass. The journey took much longer then, and the route was not usable in winter. In 1982, Switzerland opened one of its longest tunnels at this point, stretching 15km. The Glacier Express disappears into the subterranean darkness. But for those who miss the old days, steam services still pant up to the pass, but only in summer.

In the vicinity of the Aletsch Glacier, after Fiesch, I glimpse an extraordinary sight. About 70m directly below my train to the left, a rail viaduct crosses at right angles to the track that we are on. How can we possibly descend to there? As I form the question, the Glacier Express enters a tunnel that veers sharply to the right, propelling us through a 270-degree spiralling turn, delivering us neatly on to the viaduct.

The train terminates in Zermatt. The Matterhorn, whose horn is famously crooked, the most iconic Alp, presides over the little town. The enthusiast can now ascend towards it, rising to 3,100m, on the Gornergrat railway. 

I end my journey on the Glacier Express musing that it is still possible to step into a bygone age: to experience elegance and excellence.

Read about  the rest of Michael's trip  where he celebrates the majesty of Zurich, embraces the way Swizterland works so hard for its visitors and ventures into Lausanne.

Discover Switzerland

Switzerland is easily reachable via train from London or by  Swiss International Air Lines . And once you land, the famously efficient public transport will take you to the regions you want to visit by train, bus or boat using the  Swiss Travel Pass , available from the  Switzerland Travel Centre .

Discover Switzerland for yourself at  myswitzerland.com  and find out more about the  Grand Train Tour . 

Book your own Grand Train Tour itinerary here (from £880).

To purchase Glacier Express Excellence Class tickets and for further information, Click here (from £249).

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22 new reasons to get excited about train travel in 2022

• Post author By vickymayer100
• Post date 3rd January 2022

From a new Italian luxury train to Brad Pitt on a bullet train and the TV return of Michael Portillo, Vicky Mayer discover 22 new reasons to get excited about train travel in 2022

Travel with Belmond and Wes Anderson

Celebrated Film Director Wes Anderson has teamed up with Belmond to recreate the Cygnus carriage aboard the British Pullman . The American Director is known for his love of trains and vintage architecture, which is apparent in his quirky films including The Darjeeling Limited and The Grand Budapest Hotel.

The redesigned carriage is instantly recognisable as a Wes Anderson design with symmetrical lines, unique colour palettes and art nouveau style. Even better, guests can enjoy a truly luxurious experience with two new private coupés in the carriage.

Paris to Vienna by night train

Look out for a new night train journey from Paris to Vienna in 2022. OBB has added a new Nightjet train to its existing network and now guests can travel from Paris Gare de l’Est in the early evening, arriving just after 10am in Vienna. The journey takes between 14 to 15 hours, running from Paris on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays. It returns from Vienna on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays. One-way fares in a couchette start from €59.50 or in a sleeper from €94.90.

Michael Portillo back on TV

Watch out for a new series of Great British Railway Journeys in 2022. At the end of 2021 the show’s popular host Michael Portillo was spotted filming in Rothbury, Amble, Morpeth, Bedlington Station and Vindolanda on Hadrian’s Wall. He will also be taking a look at Cragside, the National Trust property created by Victorian industrialist Lord Armstrong.

Brad Pitt & Sandra Bullock ride the Bullet Train

Bullet Train, the eagerly awaited new action film starring Brad Pitt and Sandra Bullock, will be released in July 2022. The film follows five assassins who find themselves on a fast-moving bullet train. Bit by bit, they realise their individual assignments are connected to each other. And so begins the adventure…

Northern Belle heads to Llandudno

2021 was a tough year for luxury British train operator Northern Belle . But bookings for 2022 are promising and we love the look of a new day journey, the Llandudno & Victorian Experience. Departing from York, Doncaster and Sheffield stations, guests will get to enjoy a round-trip trip to this popular North Wales seaside town. Tickets from £325 pp included a lavish five-course lunch.

Secrets of the Underground is back

Great news for London Underground fans – Secrets of the London Underground is set to return in 2022 for a second series. The first series, presented by Tim Dunn and Siddy Holloway , launched with a record-breaking 659k audience. And the second series, which will be shown again on the Yesterday channel, promises to explore unseen areas of London’s Underground network.

Rail Heaven in the UAE

2022 looks set to be an exciting year for the UAE Rail Programme. This impressive project aims to create a new system for transporting passengers and goods across the UAE in the coming years. The rail network will link the emirates and the key cities of the country. The first phase of the Etihad Rail has been fully operational since 2016 and progress is being made fast on a new cross-country rail network.

The return of the Railway Children

It won’t be long now before we get to see the sequel to the famous Railway Children. Set for a spring launch, The Railway Children Return has been written by acclaimed children’s author Jacqueline Wilson. The film stars Jenny Agutter, Sheridan Smith, Tom Courtenay and John Bradley.

Fast trains heading to the US

The USA has famously been slow to run high-speed trains. But the good news is that in 2022 Amtrak will be running a new set of hgh-speed Acela trains in the Northwest Corridor. As well as faster journey times, these trains boast 25% more seats, free WiFi, USB ports and great onboard food and drink.

The Orient Express Heads for Italy

Luxury train lovers will be able to book a cabin on the new Orient Express La Dolce Vita route. The first journeys on 6 new trains will begin in 2023 with various iconic itineraries through Italy. Guests will enjoy travelling in beautifully designed trains from Northern to Southern Italy, across 14 regions.

The journeys will also take them on to 3 international destinations from Rome to Paris, Istanbul and Split. Look out too for the first Orient Express Hotel, Minerva in Rome. This is scheduled to open in 2024.

Enjoy the sights from Stuttgart to Vienna

If you’ve got the time, OBB ‘s new Railjet service from Stuttgart to Vienna looks great. On a leisurely journey, you’ll get to see Lake Constance, Innsbruck, Bavaria and Salzburg. The journey takes 9 hours, 45 minutes so it’s worth treating yourself to a €15 upgrade to business class and enjoying a long leisurely lunch on board. Fares start from €37.90 second class; €56.90 first class; €71.90 business class .

Griff heads to Canada

Popular British TV presenter Griff Rhys Jones has a new C4 travel series airing in 2022. In his new documentary, Rhys explores the culture and traditions of Canada. As well as travelling by train, he will also use seaplane, cargo boat, dogsled and monster truck.

Go interrailing in style

Interrailing in 2022 looks set to be a glam affair. Cool hotel chain, Hoxton Hotels , is promoting its ‘Travel Pledge’. For £2,000 this gives interrailing guests the chance to stay in 10 Hoxton hotels anywhere in Europe. You’ll find hip Hoxton hotels in London, Berlin, Barcelona, Rome and more. Interrailing passes start at £139 pp.

Spain’s trains get faster

Spain’s high speed continues a pace in 2022. From January you will be able to travel by high-speed train from Madrid to Santiago de Compostela in only 3 hours 20 minutes. The new trains travel from Madrid Chamartin to Santiago de Compostela. Remembering this journey used to take seven hours a decade ago, this is a major achievement.  And even better, the fares are very reasonably priced too from €20.65 standard class, €36.60 comfort class. See more at acprail.com .

Amtrak goes upmarket

Great news for US citizens and those visiting the US too. In 2022 Amtrak ‘s interstate trains will be more upmarket so expect fresh meals served on linen tablecloths with local wines. There will also be dedicated lounges for premium passengers at major city stations.

Sightseeing in Japan in style

Launching on 9 th April 2022, new luxury sightseeing train the Kintetsu Aoniyoshi express will run between Osaka, Nara and Kyoto. The elegant 4-carriage train will have comfortable lounge seats, picture windows and a stylish restaurant and bar.

The Aoniyoshi train will have 84 seats (all of which require prior reservation) and run as a limited express from Osaka Namba Station to Kyoto via Kintetsu Nara Station. Tickets are expected to cost ¥2,000 per person and the journey will take 80 minutes. See more at kintetsu.co.jp

All you need to know about the Trans-Siberian

Want to know more about the world’s longest railway, the Trans- Siberian ? Then head to Yorkshire’s National Railway Museum this year where you’ll discover some amazing facts about the railway that spans 5,772 miles and covers seven time zones.

As well as the history of the train, look out for exhibits including a famous Great Siberian Railway Fabergé Easter egg plus model carriages of a Trans-Siberian Express train.

Order before you board with Lumo

Passengers using the new Lumo service between London’s King’s Cross and Edinburgh Waverley will be able to order meals for their journey before they travel.

Using Lumo’s website to access the LumoEats option, a digital menu allows passengers to pre-order meals for their journey. You can order from brands including The Pasty Shop and Upper Crust, with more brands on their way. You can also buy drinks and food on board from the trolley service.

Prague to Brussels by overnight train

Netherlands-based train company European Sleeper  will be launching a new night service in 2022. You’ll be able to leave Brussels at 7pm, stop off in Amsterdam, Antwerp and Dresden before arriving in Prague at 10am. The plan is for the trains to run every other day, moving to daily if there’s demand. Included in the fare is free wi-fi, coffee and breakfast. Tickets for summer 2022 will go on sale in April 2022.

Ski resort visits in Switzerland

Hopping between ski resorts in 2022 will be easier thanks to new service the Goldenpass Express. With new trains with impressive floor-to-ceiling windows, you can now travel easily between Montreux, Gstaad, and Interlaken. And even if you’re not a skier the promise of dramatic views of the Bernese Alps is worth the train fare alone.

Rockies to the Red Rocks

From summer 2022, you can see the vast canyons of the American Southwest from the comfort of a custom-designed glass-domed rail coach. The famous Rocky Mountaineer company is launching a new two-day Rockies to the Red Rocks route that will connect The two-day Rockies to the Red journey will connect Moab, Utah and Denver. You’ll also get to stay overnight in Glenwood Springs, Colorado.  Whisper it, this could be the start of the return of the great American railroad trip.

Travel fast from Genoa to Naples

Jump on one of the new NTV Italo trains from Genoa to Naples and in 6 hours, 40 minutes you’ll be there. The new service offers traveller lots to see on the way of the 590-mile journey including Milan, Florence and Rome. Fares start from €59.90 in Smart; €66.90 in Prima; €116.90 in Club Executive.

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• Tags acprail , amtrak , Belmond British Pullman , brad pitt , Bullet train film , european sleeper trains , fast spanish trains , goldenpass express , Great British Railway Journeys , Griff rhys jones new show , hoxton hotels , interrailing , Jacqueline Wilson , jenny agutter , Kintetsu Aoniyoshi express , lumo train , luxury trains , Michael Portillo TV show , national railway museum , northern belle , NTV Italo , OBB , OBB NightJet , orient express , orient express la dolce vita , paris by train , paris sleeper train , rockies to the red rocks , rocky mountaineer , sandra bullock , secrets of the london underground , Siddy Holloway , The Railway Children , the railway children return , Tim Dunn , UAE trains , vienna sleeper train , wes anderson , yesterday TV

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Great Coastal Railway Journeys

Series 2, Ep. 3/20 - Morecambe to Grange-over-Sands

Michael Portillo continues his rail journey taking in the Isle of Man and the northwest 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's made.

Michael’s next stop around the Bay is Arnside on the Furness Line, where he discovers a magnificently quirky 17th century garden surrounding an Elizabethan manor house, Levens Hall. Michael joins the Head Gardener and his team as they clip the garden’s vast topiaries into shape and is rashly let loose with the shears.

Across the Arnside viaduct Michael reaches Cartmel and its 12th century priory and a Michelin-starred restaurant, where the chef grows his own vegetables including zaino courgette, from which Michael learns to prepare a signature dish.

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Follow Michael Portillo and experience Switzerland’s best railway experiences

• 7 June 2022, 4:59am
• From Spectator Life

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Since the advent of the modern railways, the majestic landscapes of Switzerland have been home to some of Europe’s most stirring train journeys. This reputation continues today as modern luxury combines with age-old wonders to provide millions of passengers with an unforgettable premium railway experience.

Of the many rail journeys that cross Switzerland, the eastern canton of Graubünden is home to two of the best known and most loved: the Glacier Express and the Bernina Express. As jewels in the Alpine crown, these routes are celebrated the world over for their ability to astonish even the most seasoned of travellers.

Just ask Britain’s best-known rail enthusiast, Michael Portillo, who took the chance to experience the new Excellence Class on the Glacier Express last winter. For almost a century, the 291km express route from St Moritz to Zermatt has brought travellers up close and personal with some of Europe’s most dramatic scenery. Now the new Excellence Class offers the best way to do it in style.

On an eight-hour travail across the Alps, guests enjoy a seven-course meal prepared on board and served with champagne and fine wine – the perfect accompaniment to a rich journey taking in Rhine Gorge, the Landwasser Viaduct, and countless other sights. Sitting in their single aisle seat, Excellence Class passengers are supplied with their own tablet computer to tell them more about culture, history and the Albula and Bernina line, core zones of the Unesco world heritage site.

With an average speed of 42km, the journey is affectionately known as the slowest express train in the world – an accolade that wasn’t lost on Michael. ‘There is no reason to rush the scenery, and certainly not our lunch,’ he said during his trip – a sentiment shared by generations of travellers before him. ‘The journey isn’t about moving between two beautiful Swiss villages: it’s an experience in itself.’

The Glacier Express, which runs throughout the year, brings out the charm of the Alps whatever the season. Whether it’s the romance of the glistening icy villages in winter or the outbreaks of wildflowers in the spring, it offers a rotating menu of scenic delights that will stick in your memory – making it an unforgettable way for passengers to reconnect with nature.

Travellers keen to experience this must-see journey can choose from first- or second-class tickets, or follow in Michael’s footsteps by opting for the new Excellence Class. It’s a journey, says Michael, that takes you back into a bygone age, giving the modern traveller the chance to experience the pinnacle of Switzerland’s scenery and hospitality.

Alternatively, tourists can opt for its sister route, the Bernina Express – the highest railways in the Alps. This unparalleled route negotiates 55 tunnels, 196 bridges and inclines of up to 70 miles as it transports passengers through the glaciers and down into palms of Italy. At its apex, the route reaches 2,253 metres above sea level, giving passengers the chance to delight in the sight of the Ospizio Bernina.

Running since 1889, the Express is the jewel in the crown of the Rhaetian Railway (RhB), a historic railway company closely associated with the canton of Graubünden. For more than a century, it has acted as a gateway between northern and southern Europe, uniting languages and cultures.

Today, it carries more than 12 million passengers a year, many of whom come to Switzerland in search of a world-class scenic railway experience. While its route has been untouched for decades, today’s railway boasts a renewed focus on sustainability, with its trains powered entirely by water – which is bound to strike a chord with the modern, conscious traveller.

Operating all-year round, the Bernina Express features an audio guide in three languages (German, Italian and English), free wifi and infotainment, and a minbar service stocked with local produce. As with the Glacier Express, the train’s panoramic windows allow travellers to take in the sights throughout the journey.

To experience either route, UK travellers can fly to Zurich and then make their journey with the Swiss Travel Pass: a single ticket enabling visitors to make use of Switzerland’s trains, buses and boats for a specified period. Plan your luxury railway experience at MySwitzerland.com .

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Portillo's Greatest Railway Journeys

Michael Portillo presents his personally curated highlights from a decade of railway journeys across the globe. Michael shares his thoughts on the impact of railways since their invention less than 200 years ago on politics, economics, and tourism.

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Great Coastal Railway Journeys

Great British Railway Journeys

All aboard! Armed with his trusty Bradshaw's guide, Michael Portillo explores the UK the railways made. Uncover hidden gems and fascinating communities from across the nation.

Northallerton to Chester-Le-Street — Series 15

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Park Royal to Westminster — Series 13

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Steam railway programmes on bbc iplayer.

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Michael leads the departure of the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo — Series 15, Shawlands to Livingston

The birthplace of the chicken tikka masala — Series 15, Loch Lomond to Kelvinbridge

Michael gets the thrill of a lifetime on a formation flight — Series 15, Chippenham to Yeovil

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