Great Coastal Railway Journeys

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.