Great Coastal Railway Journeys

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.