Great British Railway Journeys

Michael Portillo embarks on the first leg of a journey through southern Scotland from west to east, beginning in the town of Ayr.

Michael Portillo travels from Greenock to Larkhall, visiting the Glasgow School of Art and learning how to make sourdough in a bakery in Strathaven.

Michael Portillo travels from Motherwell to Linlithgow, visiting the Forth Rail Bridge and learning the origins of one of Scotland's best-selling soft drinks.

Michael Portillo travels from Stirling to Pitlochry, visiting the scene of the Battle of Bannockburn and having a drink in Scotland's smallest distillery.

Michael Portillo travels from St Andrews to Edinburgh on the final leg of his journey across southern Scotland, paying homage to the birthplace of golf.

Michael Portillo embarks on the first leg of a series of journeys through London and its environs, discovering the foundations of modern-day suburbia.

Michael Portillo travels on London's first railway and admires the brick viaduct on which it was built, before visiting the tea clipper Cutty Sark in Greenwich.

Michael Portillo explores the legacy of the Olympic Park in Stratford, and learns about the big makeover currently under way at Victoria underground station.

Michael Portillo heads to the West End as he explores 19th-century engineering used in theatres and learns how diseases were rife in Victorian London on a visit to Soho.

Michael Portillo embarks on his final journey in London, learning about the darker side of Vauxhall's flower market in the Victorian era.

Michael Portillo begins a journey from Derby to Lindisfarne, learning about a high-street chemist's origins and visiting a former grocer's shop in Grantham.

Michael Portillo travels from the south Lincolnshire town of Boston to Hensall, North Yorkshire, discovering the origins of a favourite Victorian apple along the way.

Michael Portillo travels from Hessle in East Yorkshire to York, along the way learning about the technology that made the Humber Bridge possible.

Michael Portillo travels from Middlesbrough to Hexham, learning about eighth-century monk the Venerable Bede at St Paul's monastery in Jarrow, Tyne and Wear.

Michael Portillo travels from Newcastle to Lindisfarne, exploring the lime kilns, and learns how Christianity spread across northern England in the 7th century.

Michael Portillo begins the first leg of a journey from south-west Wales to Cambridge, visiting an inn in Carmarthen where Horatio Nelson once met Emma Hamilton.

Michael Portillo begins in the ruinous gardens at Aberglasney House near Llandeilo and finishes this leg of his journey at a traditional cider house in Hereford.

Michael Portillo visits Big Pit coal mine in Blaenavon and learns about 19th-century developments in angling.

Michael Portillo visits Oxford University's Bodleian library to see Victorian treasures including Mary Shelley's Frankenstein manuscript.

Michael Portillo travels from Oakham to Cambridge, finding out why Stamford is a popular location for period dramas and examining Charles Darwin's student days.