Great British Railway Journeys

Name: Ashley to Alton Towers
Duration: 30 min

S7 E5 ∙ Ashley to Alton Towers ∙ 30 min

Michael Portillo travels from Cheshire to Staffordshire, stopping off in Macclesfield, where he finds the end of the Silk Route and tries screen printing.

S7 E1 · Carlisle to Penrith
Michael Portillo sets off on the first leg of a journey through north-west England.
S7 E2 · Windermere to Carnforth
Michael Portillo learns about the legacy of author Beatrix Potter.
S7 E3 · Preston to Swinton
Michael Portillo twists his tongue around the Lancashire dialect.
S7 E4 · St Helens to Knutsford
Michael Portillo learns how Victorian building techniques have evolved.
S7 E5 · Ashley to Alton Towers
Michael Portillo finds the end of the Silk Route and tries his hand at screen printing.
S7 E6 · Dover to Lewes
Michael Portillo embarks on a railway journey along England's south coast.
S7 E7 · Newhaven to Worthing
Michael Portillo examines the nation's hidden defences.
S7 E8 · Littlehampton to Beaulieu
Michael Portillo seizes the opportunity to drive the first motor car.
S7 E9 · Lymington Town to Exmouth
Michael Portillo discovers how the introduction of the railway inspired Thomas Hardy.
S7 E10 · Plymouth to Porthcurno
Michael Portillo learns about the last bridge built by engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel.
S7 E11 · Birmingham to Worcester
Michael Portillo sets out on the first leg of a journey from Birmingham to Dartmoor.
S7 E12 · Redditch to Gloucester
Michael Portillo looks back to Victorian times at a needle manufactory.
S7 E13 · Stroud to Bath
Michael Portillo investigates the Victorian origins of snooker.
S7 E14 · Bristol to Glastonbury
Michael Portillo hears how a 19th-century entrepreneur turned bird droppings into money.
S7 E15 · Bridgwater to Dartmoor
Michael Portillo gets to grips with a miracle of Victorian engineering.
S7 E16 · Ashford to Sevenoaks
Michael Portillo lends a hand at a train maintenance plant.
S7 E17 · East Grinstead to Guildford
Michael Portillo visits Leith Hill Place to view compositions of Ralph Vaughan Williams.
S7 E18 · Woking to Walton-on-Thames
Michael Portillo uncovers the story of Britain's first purpose-built crematorium.
S7 E19 · Hampton Court to Teddington
Michael Portillo views the world's longest grapevine.
S7 E20 · Egham to Henley-on-Thames
Michael Portillo makes his way to Henley-on-Thames for a spot of rowing.