Great Continental Railway Journeys Catch up, Series 8: 19. Bayeux to Argentan on BBC 2

Great Continental Railway Journeys

Series 8: 19. Bayeux to Argentan

At the medieval town of Bayeux, Michael Portillo heads for the Bayeux Tapestry Museum to admire the striking 70-metre-long work of art commissioned to record William the Conqueror’s claim to the English throne and the Battle of Hastings in 1066.\n\nOn the Normandy coastline, from which William launched his invasion, Michael recalls the D-Day landings of 1944. Crossing Gold Beach in a 1943 Willys Jeep, Michael hears how the largest amphibious invasion in the history of warfare unfolded. He is moved to visit the beautifully kept Bayeux War Cemetery, where 4,600 of the dead are buried.\n\nClose to Argentan, Michael reaches the Versailles of horses, France’s 300-year-old national stud, the Haras du Pin. He tours the magnificent estate in a splendid carriage pulled by a pair of Normandy’s emblematic Percheron horses, before enjoying a taste of competitive carriage driving at the World Championships.

Source: BBC 2

Most recent episodes of Great Continental Railway Journeys

Great Continental Railway Journeys

Series 8: 16. Nantes To Lorient

Michael Portillo’s rail travels take him to the north west corner of France, where he explores the beautiful and historic regions of Brittany and Normandy and learns of th ...

12-09-2025

BBC 2

All episodes

Great Continental Railway Journeys

Series 8: 15. Zweisimmen To Lausanne

Aboard the Golden Pass Express, Michael Portillo wends his way in style down steep mountainsides from Interlaken to the Swiss Riviera.\n\nIn Lausanne, he contends with a knife-w ...

05-09-2025

BBC 2

All episodes

Great Continental Railway Journeys

Series 8: 14. Rotkreuz To Brienz

Michael Portillo scales the Swiss Alps on one of the steepest cog railways in the world and marvels at the Pilatus Railway’s unique track design, which defies an astonishi ...

29-08-2025

BBC 2

All episodes

Great Continental Railway Journeys

Series 8: 13. Zurich

In Zurich, Michael Portillo has a brush with the absurd in the anarchic paintings and artistic haunts of the Dadaists, a group of artists who found refuge in the city during the ...

22-08-2025

BBC 2

All episodes

Great Continental Railway Journeys

Series 8: 12. Sedrun To Schwyz

Michael Portillo ventures into the bowels of an immense hydroelectric dam to learn how the Swiss use their mountainous environment to power the country.\n\nHe winds his way by r ...

15-08-2025

BBC 2

All episodes

Great Continental Railway Journeys

Series 8: 11. Maienfeld To The Rhine Gorge

Michael Portillo is transported 150 years back in time to the tiny Alpine village home of Switzerland’s most famous child, Heidi. In Davos, he follows in the footsteps of ...

08-08-2025

BBC 2

All episodes

Great Continental Railway Journeys

Series 8: 10. Roskilde To Copenhagen

Michael Portillo concludes his epic rail journey across southern Norway, the Jutland Peninsula and the Danish archipelago. He crosses one of Europe’s epic rail engineering ...

01-08-2025

BBC 2

All episodes

Great Continental Railway Journeys

Series 8: 9. Aarhus To Odense

Michael Portillo’s Scandinavian rail adventure reaches Denmark’s second city, Aarhus, an architectural playground with dazzling contemporary buildings set alongside ...

25-07-2025

BBC 2

All episodes

Great Continental Railway Journeys

Series 8: 8. Larvik To Holstebro

Michael Portillo’s saga through Norway and Denmark resumes in Larvik on Norway’s southern coast, where he investigates the city’s prized natural resource, a di ...

18-07-2025

BBC 2

All episodes

Great Continental Railway Journeys

Series 8: 7. Myrdal To Heddal

Michael Portillo’s rail journey continues on the Bergen Line, heading towards the Norwegian capital of Oslo. Carving through the mountains across some of Europe’s mo ...

11-07-2025

BBC 2

All episodes