Great Coastal Railway Journeys 

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Factual: Travel

Michael Portillo embarks on railway adventures around the coasts of the British Isles.

All aboard! Weaving through charming seaside towns, historic landmarks and natural wonders, Michael Portillo explores the coastal communities the railways made.

Series 1

BBC Four

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Michael Portillo

Beatrice Ni Bhroin

Alison Kreps

John Comerford

Fremantle

Great Coastal Railway Journeys: Series 1: Morpeth to Amble

Morpeth to Amble

BBC Two - Great Coastal Railway Journeys, Series 1, Morpeth to Amble

Michael finds a historic collection of Northumbrian bagpipes in Morpeth.

Michael finds a historic collection of Northumbrian bagpipes in Morpeth, before heading up the East Coast Main Line to the fishing port of 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 discovers how difficult they are to play.

The East Coast Main Line delivers Michael to Widdrington and its long sandy bay, where a beachcombing blacksmith finds treasures to inspire artwork in steel. Michael helps to put the finishing touches on a metal seaweed design.

At Rothbury, Michael visits Britain’s first smart home: a gadget-filled Victorian mansion built by wealthy industrialist and inventor, William Armstrong. Cragside clings to the side of a mountain and is full of such 19th-century mod cons as an early dishwasher, a water-powered roasting spit, central heating and hydroelectricity.

Heading back to the sea, Michael reaches the mouth of the River Coquet and the fishing port of Amble, home to one of the largest fleets of inshore fishing boats on this coast. An innovative scheme to promote ugly fish challenges his taste buds. Can he resist a red gurnard risotto?

Great Coastal Railway Journeys: Series 1

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Great Coastal Railway Journeys

Series 1

Morpeth to Amble

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