A glorious insight into the history, landscape and people of Britain, from The Sunday Times bestseller.George Stephenson’s Liverpool & Manchester Railway was the first in the world where steam locomotives pulled paying passengers, and his locomotive the Rocket changed the face of travelling in Britain. On his journey from Liverpool to Scarborough Michael Portillo examines the history of the Manchester cotton mills, encounters industries as diverse as hat-making, fishing, the baking of Eccles cakes and liquorice production, and finds the birthplace of George Bradshaw, author of the celebrated railway guides.Places visited: Liverpool, Rainhill, Eccles, Manchester, Denton, Illkley Moor, Yorkshire Dales, York, Pontefract, Hull, Bridlington, Bempton, Filey and Scarborough.This individual journey is one of a series taken from the bestselling books Great British Railway Journeys and Great Victorian Railway Journeys that accompany the highly successful BBC Two series. Michael Portillo follows the famous George Bradshaw railway guides in railway journeys across the length and breadth of the country, discovering spectacular scenery and stunning architecture and exploring local history and industry.

A glorious insight into the history, landscape and people of Britain, from The Sunday Times bestseller.One of the earliest railway freight routes in Britain, the Buxton to London line was built to whisk goods to the nation’s capital. Starting at the elegant spa town of Buxton, Michael Portillo travels through Britain’s industrial heartland, visiting the site of Awkwright’s first mill at Cromford, the home of brewing, Burton-on-Trent, and Bournville, forever associated with chocolate. His final destination is the newly-restored St Pancras Station, flanked by the extravagantly Gothic Midland Grand Hotel.Places visited: Buxton, Dark Peak, Matlock Bath, Cromford, Derby, Burton-on-Trent, Walsall, Birmingham, Bournville, Coventry, Aylesbury, Watford and London.This individual journey is one of a series taken from the bestselling books Great British Railway Journeys and Great Victorian Railway Journeys that accompany the highly successful BBC Two series. Michael Portillo follows the famous George Bradshaw railway guides in railway journeys across the length and breadth of the country, discovering spectacular scenery and stunning architecture and exploring local history and industry.

A glorious insight into the history, landscape and people of Britain, from The Sunday Times bestseller.Nicknamed the `Holiday Line’, the 300-mile stretch of railway from Swindon to Penzance opened up the South West to a new breed of holiday-makers in the Victorian age, laying the foundations of the modern tourist industry. Michael Portillo visits Swindon, the powerhouse behind the Great Western Railway’s extraordinary feats of engineering, travels through Brunel’s famous Box Tunnel, encounters Bath’s elegant streets and spa and discovers one of Bradshaw’s most significant contributions to modern society – establishing a single time zone throughout Britain.Places visited: Swindon, Bath, Bristol, Yatton, Weston-super-Mare, Devon , Exeter, Torquay, Totnes, Cornwall, St Germans, St Austell, Par, Mevagissey, Penzance.This individual journey is one of a series taken from the bestselling books Great British Railway Journeys and Great Victorian Railway Journeys that accompany the highly successful BBC Two series. Michael Portillo follows the famous George Bradshaw railway guides in railway journeys across the length and breadth of the country, discovering spectacular scenery and stunning architecture and exploring local history and industry.

A glorious insight into the history, landscape and people of Britain, from The Sunday Times bestseller.The first rail link between England and Scotland, the Preston to Edinburgh line transformed some of the most remote and inaccessible communities of Britain and fuelled the growth of resorts such as Blackpool and Morecambe Bay. Beginning at Preston, Michael Portillo takes a detour through the spectacular scenery of the Settle & Carlisle line, including the famous Ribblehead Viaduct, before travelling through the Lake District to Gretna Green and then to Edinburgh and the magnificent Forth Bridge.Places visited: Preston, Blackpool, Morecambe Bay, Carlisle, Dent, Garsdale, Yorkshire Dales, Lake District, Penrith, Gretna Green, Glasgow, Clyde Valley and Edinburgh.This individual journey is one of a series taken from the bestselling books Great British Railway Journeys and Great Victorian Railway Journeys that accompany the highly successful BBC Two series. Michael Portillo follows the famous George Bradshaw railway guides in railway journeys across the length and breadth of the country, discovering spectacular scenery and stunning architecture and exploring local history and industry.

A glorious insight into the history, landscape and people of Britain, from The Sunday Times bestseller.The Holyhead line was first built to carry mail from Wales to Ireland, but brought many changes to industries along its route, including perry-makers, Hereford cattle farmers, Cheshire cheese-makers and slate miners. Michael Portillo travels to Hereford to see the Mappa Mundi and visits Coalbrookdale, cradle of the iron industry and the home of the world’s first iron bridge. And beyond Robert Stephenson’s famous Britannia Bridge across the Menai Strait, he finds the station with the longest place name in Europe.Places visited: Ledbury, Hereford, Shrewsbury, Coalbrookedale, Telford, Wrexham, Cheshire, Chester, Llandudno, Conwy, Betws-y-coed, Mount Snowdon, Llanfair and Holyhead.This individual journey is one of a series taken from the bestselling books Great British Railway Journeys and Great Victorian Railway Journeys that accompany the highly successful BBC Two series. Michael Portillo follows the famous George Bradshaw railway guides in railway journeys across the length and breadth of the country, discovering spectacular scenery and stunning architecture and exploring local history and industry.

A glorious insight into the history, landscape and people of Britain, from The Sunday Times bestseller.The Scottish west coast was one of the most challenging stretches of line to confront railway engineers. Extreme gradients, curves, bogs and scree left them scrambling around for ideas, but the result is one of the most scenic railway journeys in the world. En route Michael Portillo discovers local authors such as Robert Burns and Sir Walter Scott, local industries including haggis, tartan and whisky-making and impressive landscapes including Ben Nevis and the magnificent Glenfinnan Viaduct.Places visited: Ayr, Glasgow, Paisley, Helensburgh, Loch Lomond, Tyndrum, Oban, Fort William, Inverailort and Mallaig.This individual journey is one of a series taken from the bestselling books Great British Railway Journeys and Great Victorian Railway Journeys that accompany the highly successful BBC Two series. Michael Portillo follows the famous George Bradshaw railway guides in railway journeys across the length and breadth of the country, discovering spectacular scenery and stunning architecture and exploring local history and industry.

A glorious insight into the history, landscape and people of Britain, from The Sunday Times bestseller.George Stephenson, the father of the railways, first began laying rails to connect the Darlington collieries with the river at Stockton-on-Tees in the 1820s, and it has since become a place of pilgrimage for railway historians. Michael Portillo’s journey from Newcastle to Melton Mowbray also takes in many contrasts between urban and rural life, with industries ranging from coal mining, shipping and cutlery-making to rhubarb-growing, Stilton-making and the production of the famous Melton Mowbray pork pies.Places visited: Newcastle, Durham, Darlington, Whitby, Harrogate, Batley, Woodlesford, Sheffield, Nottingham and Melton Mowbray.This individual journey is one of a series taken from the bestselling books Great British Railway Journeys and Great Victorian Railway Journeys that accompany the highly successful BBC Two series. Michael Portillo follows the famous George Bradshaw railway guides in railway journeys across the length and breadth of the country, discovering spectacular scenery and stunning architecture and exploring local history and industry.

A glorious insight into the history, landscape and people of Britain, from The Sunday Times bestseller.The railway line between Brighton and London bridged the gap between capital, countryside and coast, fostering the rise of the new middle classes created by the Industrial revolution and transforming Brighton from a royal playground into a busy resort. Travelling through London, Michael Portillo visits Sydenham, site of the Crystal Palace, and the Burlington Arcade in Piccadilly, before heading northwards to Newmarket, the home of horseracing, King’s College, Cambridge and Norwich, famous for its mustard.Places visited: Brighton, London, Redhill, Croydon, Sydenham, Cambridge, King’s Lynn, Norwich and Cromer.This individual journey is one of a series taken from the bestselling books Great British Railway Journeys and Great Victorian Railway Journeys that accompany the highly successful BBC Two series. Michael Portillo follows the famous George Bradshaw railway guides in railway journeys across the length and breadth of the country, discovering spectacular scenery and stunning architecture and exploring local history and industry.

A glorious insight into the history, landscape and people of Britain, from The Sunday Times bestseller.Historically Kent has been both the garden of England and its first line of defence and the train journey from London to Hastings reflects these contrasts. Michael Portillo travels through Greenwich, with its famous Royal Observatory, visits Chatham’s historic dockyard and discovers the history of hop picking, papermaking and cricket ball manufacturing. At the coast he finds sea bathing at Margate, oysters at Whitstable, Roman defences at Richborough and the historic castle of Walmer, official residence of the Warden of the Cinque Ports.Places visited: London, Greenwich, Kent, Chatham, Aylesford, Maidstone, Tunbridge Wells, Canterbury, Margate, Richborough, Walmer Castle, Ashford and Hastings.This individual journey is one of a series taken from the bestselling books Great British Railway Journeys and Great Victorian Railway Journeys that accompany the highly successful BBC Two series. Michael Portillo follows the famous George Bradshaw railway guides in railway journeys across the length and breadth of the country, discovering spectacular scenery and stunning architecture and exploring local history and industry.

A glorious insight into the history, landscape and people of Britain, from The Sunday Times bestseller.The line between Great Yarmouth to London brought holidaymakers flocking to the coast and transported herrings, fresh vegetables and milk into London. Starting in Great Yarmouth, Michael Portillo’s journey takes him through the coastal resorts of Southwold and Southend via innovative swing bridges at Reedham and Yare, and towards the capital itself, the scene of frenzied construction of railway terminals and underground lines during the Victorian era. He also learns about the first ever railway murder, and discovers the history of Cleopatra’s Needle.Places visited: Great Yarmouth, Reedham, Lowestoft, Southwold, Westerfield, Felixstowe, Essex, Colchester, Chelmsford, Clifftown, Southend, Stratford, London.This individual journey is one of a series taken from the bestselling books Great British Railway Journeys and Great Victorian Railway Journeys that accompany the highly successful BBC Two series. Michael Portillo follows the famous George Bradshaw railway guides in railway journeys across the length and breadth of the country, discovering spectacular scenery and stunning architecture and exploring local history and industry.

A glorious insight into the history, landscape and people of Britain, from The Sunday Times bestseller.Beginning with the grandeur of Oxford, Michael Portillo travels through the country of Shakespeare and Elgar and discovers the delights of Oxford sausages and Worcester sauce, the beauties of Malvern and its spa and the craft of glove-making. The journey continues into Wales, where the landscape is soon dominated by the development of the mining, steel and shipping industries, which in turn gave rise to the trade union movement and the birth of the Labour Party.Places visited: Oxford, Stratford, Worcester, Malvern, Hereford, Abergavenny, South Wales, Cardiff, Abercynon, Barry Island, Merthyr Tydfil, Blaenavon, Haverfordwest, St David’s, Milford Haven.This individual journey is one of a series taken from the bestselling books Great British Railway Journeys and Great Victorian Railway Journeys that accompany the highly successful BBC Two series. Michael Portillo follows the famous George Bradshaw railway guides in railway journeys across the length and breadth of the country, discovering spectacular scenery and stunning architecture and exploring local history and industry.

A glorious insight into the history, landscape and people of Britain, from The Sunday Times bestseller.Although not initially a fan of rail travel, Queen Victoria was soon converted and pronounced herself `quite charmed with it’, and railway companies provided sumptuous royal carriages for her use. The railway route from Windsor to Weymouth transported her to Osborne House on the Isle of Wight, her favourite royal residence. Michael Portillo also discovers one of Brunel’s most graceful bridges at Maidenhead, biscuit-making, watercress farming, the ancient glories of Winchester and the popular resorts of Bournemouth and Weymouth.Places visited: Windsor, Slough, Maidenhead, Reading, Basingstoke, Hampshire, London, Eastleigh, Isle of Wight, Bournemouth, Weymouth, Portland.This individual journey is one of a series taken from the bestselling books Great British Railway Journeys and Great Victorian Railway Journeys that accompany the highly successful BBC Two series. Michael Portillo follows the famous George Bradshaw railway guides in railway journeys across the length and breadth of the country, discovering spectacular scenery and stunning architecture and exploring local history and industry.

A glorious insight into the history, landscape and people of Britain, from The Sunday Times bestseller.Robert Stephenson’s stunning Royal Border Bridge at Berwick is the starting point for this journey, which also features his High Level Bridge at Newcastle. As the line ploughs through heather and bracken from Newcastle to Carlisle, Michael Portillo learns about the railway speculation which gripped the country in the Victorian Era, with disastrous results for many. Further along the route is Carnforth station, famous for its appearance in Brief Encounter, and the journey ends in the Isle of Man with the spectacular scenery of the Snaefell Mountain Railway.Places visited: Berwick, Newcastle, Stockton, Darlington, Carlisle, Furness, Morecambe Bay, Carnforth, Lancaster, Isle of Man.This individual journey is one of a series taken from the bestselling books Great British Railway Journeys and Great Victorian Railway Journeys that accompany the highly successful BBC Two series. Michael Portillo follows the famous George Bradshaw railway guides in railway journeys across the length and breadth of the country, discovering spectacular scenery and stunning architecture and exploring local history and industry.

A glorious insight into the history, landscape and people of Britain, from The Sunday Times bestseller.George Stephenson’s Liverpool & Manchester Railway was the first in the world where steam locomotives pulled paying passengers, and his locomotive the Rocket changed the face of travelling in Britain. On his journey from Liverpool to Scarborough Michael Portillo examines the history of the Manchester cotton mills, encounters industries as diverse as hat-making, fishing, the baking of Eccles cakes and liquorice production, and finds the birthplace of George Bradshaw, author of the celebrated railway guides.Places visited: Liverpool, Rainhill, Eccles, Manchester, Denton, Illkley Moor, Yorkshire Dales, York, Pontefract, Hull, Bridlington, Bempton, Filey and Scarborough.This individual journey is one of a series taken from the bestselling books Great British Railway Journeys and Great Victorian Railway Journeys that accompany the highly successful BBC Two series. Michael Portillo follows the famous George Bradshaw railway guides in railway journeys across the length and breadth of the country, discovering spectacular scenery and stunning architecture and exploring local history and industry.

A glorious insight into the history, landscape and people of Britain, from The Sunday Times bestseller.One of the earliest railway freight routes in Britain, the Buxton to London line was built to whisk goods to the nation’s capital. Starting at the elegant spa town of Buxton, Michael Portillo travels through Britain’s industrial heartland, visiting the site of Awkwright’s first mill at Cromford, the home of brewing, Burton-on-Trent, and Bournville, forever associated with chocolate. His final destination is the newly-restored St Pancras Station, flanked by the extravagantly Gothic Midland Grand Hotel.Places visited: Buxton, Dark Peak, Matlock Bath, Cromford, Derby, Burton-on-Trent, Walsall, Birmingham, Bournville, Coventry, Aylesbury, Watford and London.This individual journey is one of a series taken from the bestselling books Great British Railway Journeys and Great Victorian Railway Journeys that accompany the highly successful BBC Two series. Michael Portillo follows the famous George Bradshaw railway guides in railway journeys across the length and breadth of the country, discovering spectacular scenery and stunning architecture and exploring local history and industry.

A glorious insight into the history, landscape and people of Britain, from The Sunday Times bestseller.Nicknamed the `Holiday Line’, the 300-mile stretch of railway from Swindon to Penzance opened up the South West to a new breed of holiday-makers in the Victorian age, laying the foundations of the modern tourist industry. Michael Portillo visits Swindon, the powerhouse behind the Great Western Railway’s extraordinary feats of engineering, travels through Brunel’s famous Box Tunnel, encounters Bath’s elegant streets and spa and discovers one of Bradshaw’s most significant contributions to modern society – establishing a single time zone throughout Britain.Places visited: Swindon, Bath, Bristol, Yatton, Weston-super-Mare, Devon , Exeter, Torquay, Totnes, Cornwall, St Germans, St Austell, Par, Mevagissey, Penzance.This individual journey is one of a series taken from the bestselling books Great British Railway Journeys and Great Victorian Railway Journeys that accompany the highly successful BBC Two series. Michael Portillo follows the famous George Bradshaw railway guides in railway journeys across the length and breadth of the country, discovering spectacular scenery and stunning architecture and exploring local history and industry.

A glorious insight into the history, landscape and people of Britain, from The Sunday Times bestseller.The first rail link between England and Scotland, the Preston to Edinburgh line transformed some of the most remote and inaccessible communities of Britain and fuelled the growth of resorts such as Blackpool and Morecambe Bay. Beginning at Preston, Michael Portillo takes a detour through the spectacular scenery of the Settle & Carlisle line, including the famous Ribblehead Viaduct, before travelling through the Lake District to Gretna Green and then to Edinburgh and the magnificent Forth Bridge.Places visited: Preston, Blackpool, Morecambe Bay, Carlisle, Dent, Garsdale, Yorkshire Dales, Lake District, Penrith, Gretna Green, Glasgow, Clyde Valley and Edinburgh.This individual journey is one of a series taken from the bestselling books Great British Railway Journeys and Great Victorian Railway Journeys that accompany the highly successful BBC Two series. Michael Portillo follows the famous George Bradshaw railway guides in railway journeys across the length and breadth of the country, discovering spectacular scenery and stunning architecture and exploring local history and industry.

A glorious insight into the history, landscape and people of Britain, from The Sunday Times bestseller.The Holyhead line was first built to carry mail from Wales to Ireland, but brought many changes to industries along its route, including perry-makers, Hereford cattle farmers, Cheshire cheese-makers and slate miners. Michael Portillo travels to Hereford to see the Mappa Mundi and visits Coalbrookdale, cradle of the iron industry and the home of the world’s first iron bridge. And beyond Robert Stephenson’s famous Britannia Bridge across the Menai Strait, he finds the station with the longest place name in Europe.Places visited: Ledbury, Hereford, Shrewsbury, Coalbrookedale, Telford, Wrexham, Cheshire, Chester, Llandudno, Conwy, Betws-y-coed, Mount Snowdon, Llanfair and Holyhead.This individual journey is one of a series taken from the bestselling books Great British Railway Journeys and Great Victorian Railway Journeys that accompany the highly successful BBC Two series. Michael Portillo follows the famous George Bradshaw railway guides in railway journeys across the length and breadth of the country, discovering spectacular scenery and stunning architecture and exploring local history and industry.

A glorious insight into the history, landscape and people of Britain, from The Sunday Times bestseller.The Scottish west coast was one of the most challenging stretches of line to confront railway engineers. Extreme gradients, curves, bogs and scree left them scrambling around for ideas, but the result is one of the most scenic railway journeys in the world. En route Michael Portillo discovers local authors such as Robert Burns and Sir Walter Scott, local industries including haggis, tartan and whisky-making and impressive landscapes including Ben Nevis and the magnificent Glenfinnan Viaduct.Places visited: Ayr, Glasgow, Paisley, Helensburgh, Loch Lomond, Tyndrum, Oban, Fort William, Inverailort and Mallaig.This individual journey is one of a series taken from the bestselling books Great British Railway Journeys and Great Victorian Railway Journeys that accompany the highly successful BBC Two series. Michael Portillo follows the famous George Bradshaw railway guides in railway journeys across the length and breadth of the country, discovering spectacular scenery and stunning architecture and exploring local history and industry.

A glorious insight into the history, landscape and people of Britain, from The Sunday Times bestseller.George Stephenson, the father of the railways, first began laying rails to connect the Darlington collieries with the river at Stockton-on-Tees in the 1820s, and it has since become a place of pilgrimage for railway historians. Michael Portillo’s journey from Newcastle to Melton Mowbray also takes in many contrasts between urban and rural life, with industries ranging from coal mining, shipping and cutlery-making to rhubarb-growing, Stilton-making and the production of the famous Melton Mowbray pork pies.Places visited: Newcastle, Durham, Darlington, Whitby, Harrogate, Batley, Woodlesford, Sheffield, Nottingham and Melton Mowbray.This individual journey is one of a series taken from the bestselling books Great British Railway Journeys and Great Victorian Railway Journeys that accompany the highly successful BBC Two series. Michael Portillo follows the famous George Bradshaw railway guides in railway journeys across the length and breadth of the country, discovering spectacular scenery and stunning architecture and exploring local history and industry.

A glorious insight into the history, landscape and people of Britain, from The Sunday Times bestseller.The railway line between Brighton and London bridged the gap between capital, countryside and coast, fostering the rise of the new middle classes created by the Industrial revolution and transforming Brighton from a royal playground into a busy resort. Travelling through London, Michael Portillo visits Sydenham, site of the Crystal Palace, and the Burlington Arcade in Piccadilly, before heading northwards to Newmarket, the home of horseracing, King’s College, Cambridge and Norwich, famous for its mustard.Places visited: Brighton, London, Redhill, Croydon, Sydenham, Cambridge, King’s Lynn, Norwich and Cromer.This individual journey is one of a series taken from the bestselling books Great British Railway Journeys and Great Victorian Railway Journeys that accompany the highly successful BBC Two series. Michael Portillo follows the famous George Bradshaw railway guides in railway journeys across the length and breadth of the country, discovering spectacular scenery and stunning architecture and exploring local history and industry.

A glorious insight into the history, landscape and people of Britain, from The Sunday Times bestseller.Historically Kent has been both the garden of England and its first line of defence and the train journey from London to Hastings reflects these contrasts. Michael Portillo travels through Greenwich, with its famous Royal Observatory, visits Chatham’s historic dockyard and discovers the history of hop picking, papermaking and cricket ball manufacturing. At the coast he finds sea bathing at Margate, oysters at Whitstable, Roman defences at Richborough and the historic castle of Walmer, official residence of the Warden of the Cinque Ports.Places visited: London, Greenwich, Kent, Chatham, Aylesford, Maidstone, Tunbridge Wells, Canterbury, Margate, Richborough, Walmer Castle, Ashford and Hastings.This individual journey is one of a series taken from the bestselling books Great British Railway Journeys and Great Victorian Railway Journeys that accompany the highly successful BBC Two series. Michael Portillo follows the famous George Bradshaw railway guides in railway journeys across the length and breadth of the country, discovering spectacular scenery and stunning architecture and exploring local history and industry.

A glorious insight into the history, landscape and people of Britain, from The Sunday Times bestseller.The line between Great Yarmouth to London brought holidaymakers flocking to the coast and transported herrings, fresh vegetables and milk into London. Starting in Great Yarmouth, Michael Portillo’s journey takes him through the coastal resorts of Southwold and Southend via innovative swing bridges at Reedham and Yare, and towards the capital itself, the scene of frenzied construction of railway terminals and underground lines during the Victorian era. He also learns about the first ever railway murder, and discovers the history of Cleopatra’s Needle.Places visited: Great Yarmouth, Reedham, Lowestoft, Southwold, Westerfield, Felixstowe, Essex, Colchester, Chelmsford, Clifftown, Southend, Stratford, London.This individual journey is one of a series taken from the bestselling books Great British Railway Journeys and Great Victorian Railway Journeys that accompany the highly successful BBC Two series. Michael Portillo follows the famous George Bradshaw railway guides in railway journeys across the length and breadth of the country, discovering spectacular scenery and stunning architecture and exploring local history and industry.

A glorious insight into the history, landscape and people of Britain, from The Sunday Times bestseller.Beginning with the grandeur of Oxford, Michael Portillo travels through the country of Shakespeare and Elgar and discovers the delights of Oxford sausages and Worcester sauce, the beauties of Malvern and its spa and the craft of glove-making. The journey continues into Wales, where the landscape is soon dominated by the development of the mining, steel and shipping industries, which in turn gave rise to the trade union movement and the birth of the Labour Party.Places visited: Oxford, Stratford, Worcester, Malvern, Hereford, Abergavenny, South Wales, Cardiff, Abercynon, Barry Island, Merthyr Tydfil, Blaenavon, Haverfordwest, St David’s, Milford Haven.This individual journey is one of a series taken from the bestselling books Great British Railway Journeys and Great Victorian Railway Journeys that accompany the highly successful BBC Two series. Michael Portillo follows the famous George Bradshaw railway guides in railway journeys across the length and breadth of the country, discovering spectacular scenery and stunning architecture and exploring local history and industry.

A glorious insight into the history, landscape and people of Britain, from The Sunday Times bestseller.Although not initially a fan of rail travel, Queen Victoria was soon converted and pronounced herself `quite charmed with it’, and railway companies provided sumptuous royal carriages for her use. The railway route from Windsor to Weymouth transported her to Osborne House on the Isle of Wight, her favourite royal residence. Michael Portillo also discovers one of Brunel’s most graceful bridges at Maidenhead, biscuit-making, watercress farming, the ancient glories of Winchester and the popular resorts of Bournemouth and Weymouth.Places visited: Windsor, Slough, Maidenhead, Reading, Basingstoke, Hampshire, London, Eastleigh, Isle of Wight, Bournemouth, Weymouth, Portland.This individual journey is one of a series taken from the bestselling books Great British Railway Journeys and Great Victorian Railway Journeys that accompany the highly successful BBC Two series. Michael Portillo follows the famous George Bradshaw railway guides in railway journeys across the length and breadth of the country, discovering spectacular scenery and stunning architecture and exploring local history and industry.

A glorious insight into the history, landscape and people of Britain, from The Sunday Times bestseller.Robert Stephenson’s stunning Royal Border Bridge at Berwick is the starting point for this journey, which also features his High Level Bridge at Newcastle. As the line ploughs through heather and bracken from Newcastle to Carlisle, Michael Portillo learns about the railway speculation which gripped the country in the Victorian Era, with disastrous results for many. Further along the route is Carnforth station, famous for its appearance in Brief Encounter, and the journey ends in the Isle of Man with the spectacular scenery of the Snaefell Mountain Railway.Places visited: Berwick, Newcastle, Stockton, Darlington, Carlisle, Furness, Morecambe Bay, Carnforth, Lancaster, Isle of Man.This individual journey is one of a series taken from the bestselling books Great British Railway Journeys and Great Victorian Railway Journeys that accompany the highly successful BBC Two series. Michael Portillo follows the famous George Bradshaw railway guides in railway journeys across the length and breadth of the country, discovering spectacular scenery and stunning architecture and exploring local history and industry.