Great Coastal Railway Journeys
Great Coastal Railway Journeys is a TV show on BBC2. Michael Portillo travels around the British Isles by train. The program has been available since 2025. A total of 55 episodes have been broadcast, most recently in December 2025.
Last episode
25:00
25:00Great Coastal Railway Journeys
Michael Portillo sets off on the first leg of a trip from the Firth of Clyde to Lewis and Harris.
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25:00Michael Portillo's rail trek along the coast of Northumberland continues towards the Farne Islands.
35:00Michael Portillo travels the length of the Northumbrian coastline, and visits the mighty Bamburgh Castle.
25:00Michael Portillo explores the wild and rugged coastline of Northumberland by rail, beginning in Morpeth.
25:00Michael Portillo heads from Newcastle to Lynemouth, and is intrigued to hear of its part in Newcastle's early industrial development.
25:00Michael Portillo sets off from Tynemouth on the first leg of a trip to Berwick, hearing about a tragedy that inspired a coastal rescue service.
35:00Michael Portillo heads for the ferry port of Scrabster to cross the Pentland Firth to the Orkney Islands.
25:00The latest stage of Michael Portillo's trek takes him past lochs and castles on the Far North Line to Britain's northernmost railway station at Thurso.
25:00Michael Portillo's Scottish coastal railway journey reaches Invergordon on the Cromarty Firth, the third great inlet on the northeast coast of the Highlands.
25:00Michael Portillo travels by train north from Inverness to the Orkney Islands. Beginning on the Moray Firth, Michael admires the Cullen Viaduct.
35:00Michael Portillo crosses the Culloden Viaduct aboard the Caledonian Sleeper to arrive bright and early in Inverness.
25:00Michael Portillo's Scottish railway journey reaches Aberdeen, from where he heads out to Forvie National Nature Reserve.
25:00Michael Portillo visits Leuchars, known nowadays on the railways as Leuchars for St Andrews, which is Scotland's oldest university.
25:00Michael Portillo begins this leg of his Scottish railway journey from Dunbar to Peterhead in the beautiful medieval city of Stirling.
35:00Michael Portillo continues his Scottish coastal journey along the Firth of Forth at the railway engineering icon for which it's famous, the Forth Bridge.
25:00Michael Portillo travels around the British Isles by train and learns about the challenges the coastal regions face, starting at Siccar Point in Berwickshire.
Series 3
Michael Portillo’s rail exploration of the eastern reaches of England is drawing to a close at the Wash. He travels on the smallest public railway in the world and visits the magnificent Holkham Hall.
Michael examines a replica of the smallest bone in the oldest and largest mammoth ever found in Britain, before sampling Sheringham's local crab and enjoying the North Norfolk Railway heritage line.
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 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.