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Series 9: 3. Nuoro to Macomer
Michael Portillo continues his Sardinian railway adventure, arriving in Mamoiada to investigate the town’s extraordinary pagan traditions. In a menacing mask, black sheepskin and 30 kg of cowbells, Michael embraces the role of a mamuthone, who wards off evil spirits.\n\nTaking a 1950s diesel railcar, Michael journeys across the island to Macomer, where he discovers the railway’s surprising connection to a pioneering Welsh railway engineer. His adventure concludes at Italy’s largest cork factory, where a team of expert sniffers safeguard the integrity of the world’s finest wines.
Source: BBC 2
Most recent episodes of Great Continental Railway Journeys
Great Continental Railway Journeys
Series 9: 3. Nuoro To Macomer
Michael Portillo continues his Sardinian railway adventure, arriving in Mamoiada to investigate the town’s extraordinary pagan traditions. In a menacing mask, black sheeps ...
20-05-2026
BBC 2
Great Continental Railway Journeys
Series 9: 2. Mandas To Laconi
Michael Portillo’s railway tour of Sardinia heads inland towards the island's dramatic mountain landscapes, which he discovers were frequented by DH Lawrence, who is rever ...
19-05-2026
BBC 2
Great Continental Railway Journeys
Series 9: 1. Cagliari To Porto Flavia
Michael Portillo embarks on a stunning railway adventure through the western Mediterranean islands of Sardinia and Corsica, beginning in Sardinia’s capital, Cagliari.\n\nM ...
18-05-2026
BBC 2
Great Continental Railway Journeys
Series 8: 20. Lisieux To Giverny
In the apple orchards of the Calvados region, Michael Portillo discovers how the classic digestif has been distilled since 1865 at the Pierre Huet estate. Over a selection of vi ...
26-09-2025
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 Conquer ...
26-09-2025
BBC 2
Great Continental Railway Journeys
Series 8: 18. Rennes To Mont Saint-michel
Michael Portillo’s railway adventure reaches Rennes, capital of Brittany. At the Lycee Emile Zola, he hears how, in 1899, the school was used as a military court for the s ...
19-09-2025
BBC 2
Great Continental Railway Journeys
Series 8: 17. Brest To St Brieuc
Michael Portillo’s railway journey reaches the naval port of Brest, home to France’s oceanographic fleet. Aboard the pride of the fleet, the 107-metre-long Pourquoi ...
19-09-2025
BBC 2
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
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
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
Most popular episodes of Great Continental Railway Journeys
Great Continental Railway Journeys
Series 7 (shortened Versions): Episode 2
Michael continues his rail journey through Spain with his 1930s Bradshaw’s guide. At the Museo Reina Sofia, Michael hears how the bombing of a small town in the Basque reg ...
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BBC 2
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Series 9: 1. Cagliari To Porto Flavia
Michael Portillo embarks on a stunning railway adventure through the western Mediterranean islands of Sardinia and Corsica, beginning in Sardinia’s capital, Cagliari.\n\nM ...
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Series 2 - Reversions: 8. Copenhagen To Oslo: Part 2
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Series 8: 19. Bayeux To Argentan
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BBC 2
Great Continental Railway Journeys
Series 6: 2. Batumi To Baku
Steered by his 1913 Continental Railway Guide, Michael Portillo travels one of the most stunning rail routes of the world, through the former Russian empire from the Black Sea t ...
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BBC 2
Great Continental Railway Journeys
Series 9: 2. Mandas To Laconi
Michael Portillo’s railway tour of Sardinia heads inland towards the island's dramatic mountain landscapes, which he discovers were frequented by DH Lawrence, who is rever ...
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BBC 2
Great Continental Railway Journeys
Series 8: 6. Bergen To Flåm
Michael Portillo embarks on a Scandinavian railway adventure from the Norwegian port of Bergen to the Danish capital of Copenhagen. Spectacular scenery lines his route along two ...
04-07-2025
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Great Continental Railway Journeys
Series 7 (shortened Versions): Episode 8
Michael continues his railway journey from Sicily’s capital, Palermo, through the ancient town of Agrigento and the port of Siracusa to Europe’s largest volcano, Mou ...
16-07-2024
BBC 2