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Series 3: 11. Eastbourne to Rye
Michael Portillo sets off on a new railway adventure to explore the twin shores of the English Channel and the estuaries of the Thames and Medway.\n\nAt Cuckmere Haven, he enjoys astonishing views of the gleaming white Seven Sisters. From Hastings, he takes the train to Battle to set foot on one of the most famous stretches of land in British history.\n\nThe Marshlink line conveys Michael through a watery world of small rivers and wetlands to Rye, which was once a seaport but now lies a mile inland. Heading east across the border to Kent, Michael reaches a small peninsula jutting out into the Channel and an airfield with an illustrious past: Lydd Airport.
Source: BBC 2
Most recent episodes of Great Coastal Railway Journeys
Great Coastal Railway Journeys
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Series 3: 16. Canvey Island To Wrabness
Michael Portillo embarks on a new railway journey around the coast of the east of England. He begins in the Thames estuary, where creeks separate Canvey Island from the mainland ...
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Series 3: 15. Faversham To Chatham
Michael Portillo’s railway adventure zig-zagging the coasts of the English Channel and the Thames estuary nears its end on the north Kent coast. The pretty and historic to ...
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Series 3: 14. Birchington-on-sea To Whitstable
Michael Portillo’s railway exploration of the Channel coastline and Thames estuary via Calais has reached the Isle of Thanet. Flat and temperate, it is excellent terrain f ...
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Series 3: 13. Dover To Margate
Michael Portillo’s railway adventure along the north and south coasts of the English Channel resumes in Dover, where he recalls the biggest evacuation in military history. ...
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Series 3: 12. Folkestone To Le Touquet
Michael Portillo travels through the longest undersea tunnel in the world on the Eurotunnel shuttle rail service from Folkestone to Calais.\n\nIn Calais, Michael is reminded tha ...
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Great Coastal Railway Journeys
Series 3: 11. Eastbourne To Rye
Michael Portillo sets off on a new railway adventure to explore the twin shores of the English Channel and the estuaries of the Thames and Medway.\n\nAt Cuckmere Haven, he enjoy ...
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Most popular episodes of Great Coastal Railway Journeys
Great Coastal Railway Journeys
Series 3: 18. Lowestoft To Great Yarmouth
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 ...
24-09-2025
BBC 2
Great Coastal Railway Journeys
Series 3: 13. Dover To Margate
Michael Portillo’s railway adventure along the north and south coasts of the English Channel resumes in Dover, where he recalls the biggest evacuation in military history. ...
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Series 3: 14. Birchington-on-sea To Whitstable
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Series 3: 10. Conwy To Colwyn Bay
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.\n\nOn a coastal ridge overlooking the estu ...
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Great Coastal Railway Journeys
Series 3: 7. Harlech To Abedaron
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Series 2: 2. Liverpool To Blackpool
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Series 1: 13. Morpeth To Amble
Michael Portillo explores the wild and rugged coastline of Northumberland by rail. He begins today in Morpeth, where he finds a historic collection of Northumbrian bagpipes and ...
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Series 3: 19. West Runton To Burnham Market
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Series 3: 2. Exeter To Plymouth
Michael Portillo reaches Devon’s county town, Exeter, dominated since the Middle Ages by its magnificent gothic cathedral. Michael joins the stonemasons charged with conse ...
02-09-2025
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Great Coastal Railway Journeys
Series 3: 20. Wells-next-the-sea To The Wash
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BBC 2