Journey 4: Preston to Edinburgh

A glorious insight into the history, landscape and people of Britain, from The Sunday Times bestseller.

The first rail link between England and Scotland, the Preston to Edinburgh line transformed some of the most remote and inaccessible communities of Britain and fuelled the growth of resorts such as Blackpool and Morecambe Bay. Beginning at Preston, Michael Portillo takes a detour through the spectacular scenery of the Settle & Carlisle line, including the famous Ribblehead Viaduct, before travelling through the Lake District to Gretna Green and then to Edinburgh and the magnificent Forth Bridge.

Places visited: Preston, Blackpool, Morecambe Bay, Carlisle, Dent, Garsdale, Yorkshire Dales, Lake District, Penrith, Gretna Green, Glasgow, Clyde Valley and Edinburgh.

This individual journey is one of a series taken from the bestselling books Great British Railway Journeys and Great Victorian Railway Journeys that accompany the highly successful BBC Two series. Michael Portillo follows the famous George Bradshaw railway guides in railway journeys across the length and breadth of the country, discovering spectacular scenery and stunning architecture and exploring local history and industry.

Reviews

‘A colourful insight into Britain over the last 150 years’ – National Geographic Traveller

About the author

Charlie Bunce has spent his working life in broadcasting producing many award-winning programmes. He is now Editor of Factual Programmes at talkbackTHAMES, where he produced Grand Designs and Great British Railway Journeys.