Great Coastal Railway Journeys Season 2 Episode 18 - Southampton to Isle of Wight

Airdate: 2023-Jun-12

Episode summary:

Michael is in Southampton, one of the busiest ports on the south coast of England and home to the National Oceanography Centre. From the port, Michael takes a ferry to the Isle of Wight, where he rides the island's railway, made up of recycled London Underground trains.In the island's hinterland, he discovers a highly specialised farm which produces up to 15 different types of garlic and hears of a daring wartime mission behind enemy lines to procure this pungent plant.Finally, Michael reaches the Needles, the islands iconic chalk stacks where a top-secret Cold War operation took place to develop and test British space rockets.

About Great Coastal Railway Journeys series:

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