Great British Railway Journeys Catch up, Series 13: 5. Herne Bay to Leeds Castle, Kent on BBC 2

Great British Railway Journeys

Series 13: 5. Herne Bay to Leeds Castle, Kent

Armed with his interwar copy of Bradshaw’s Guide to the Railways, Michael reaches the Kent seaside resort of Herne Bay, where he learns about a pioneering aviatrix who began her working life as a typist in Hull but whose epic achievements made her an international celebrity.\n\nMichael takes the train five miles west along the coast before heading offshore into the entrance to the Thames Estuary. He is amazed by seven enormous steel sea forts, which loom out of the water 90 feet above the seabed. The engineering involved in constructing these impressive structures is awe-inspiring, as is their role in protecting the nation from enemy bombing during the Second World War.\n\nIn the seaside town of Whitstable, Michael tucks into its famous staple, oysters. He then crosses the North Downs to Lenham, from which he visits Leeds Castle, the 'loveliest castle in the world' and home between the wars to the visionary Lady Olive Bailey.

Source: BBC 2

Most recent episodes of Great British Railway Journeys

Great British Railway Journeys

Series 15: 15. Northallerton To Chester-le-street

Michael Portillo confronts a detachment of Gurkhas, produces a fine heritage cheese and discovers a monster cracker that is key to making plastic, before ending his postwar jour ...

05-04-2024

BBC 2

All episodes

Great British Railway Journeys

Series 15: 14. York To Skipton

Michael Portillo’s postwar exploration of Merseyside to Teesside finds him in York, a paradise for rail enthusiasts. In the company of some of the most famous locomotives ...

04-04-2024

BBC 2

All episodes

Great British Railway Journeys

Series 15: 13. Lincoln To York

Michael Portillo’s postwar journey from Merseyside to Teesside resumes at Brayford Pool in Lincoln, where England’s oldest canal, the Fossdyke, meets the city of Lin ...

03-04-2024

BBC 2

All episodes

Great British Railway Journeys

Series 15: 12. Derby To Nottingham

Michael Portillo reaches the jet age in the Derby suburb of Peartree, where he tours the engineering colossus Rolls-Royce. In Derby city centre, Michael is on the trail of littl ...

02-04-2024

BBC 2

All episodes

Great British Railway Journeys

Series 15: 11. Liverpool To Uttoxeter

Michael Portillo twists and shouts through postwar Liverpool, arriving in the city where the 60s burst into life to find the strikingly contemporary concrete and glass Liverpool ...

01-04-2024

BBC 2

All episodes

Great British Railway Journeys

Series 15: 10. Dundee To Loch Of The Lowes

Michael’s rail journey through postwar Scotland takes him over the River Tay to Dundee on the trail of Joseph McKenzie, the father of modern Scottish photography.\n\nIn Pe ...

29-03-2024

BBC 2

All episodes

Great British Railway Journeys

Series 15: 9. Edinburgh To Queensferry

At the former Midlothian mining village of Newtongrange, Michael meets the son of a miner whose name loomed large in the disputes of the 1970s and 1980s, 'Red' Mick McGahey. On ...

28-03-2024

BBC 2

All episodes

Great British Railway Journeys

Series 15: 8. Shawlands To Livingston

Michael Portillo continues his postwar Scottish railway adventure, this time from Glasgow to the capital, Edinburgh.\n\nAt Pollok Country Park in Glasgow, Michael joins a women& ...

27-03-2024

BBC 2

All episodes

Great British Railway Journeys

Series 15: 7. Glasgow To Cumbernauld

At the home of Scottish football, Glasgow’s Hampden Park stadium, Michael admires the oldest football trophy in the world and hears how the 'passing game' was born there. ...

26-03-2024

BBC 2

All episodes

Great British Railway Journeys

Series 15: 6. Loch Lomond To Kelvinbridge

Michael Portillo boards the West Highland Line to begin a railway journey across Scotland’s central belt, from the Arrochar Alps to the Loch of the Lowes. \n\nAt the head ...

25-03-2024

BBC 2

All episodes