On the last leg of his railway journey around the north west coast of England, Michael meets a lifelong fan of Alfred Wainwright's famous guidebooks and takes the first steps along his coast-to-coast path.In Whitehaven, once the third-busiest port in Britain, Michael visits a family butcher that has made traditional Cumberland sausages for a century. Heading inland to Cockermouth, he learns about William Wordsworth's great love for the River Derwent, which flows alongside the garden of Wordsworth House.Michael finishes his journey in Maryport, where the Solway Firth marks the border between England and Scotland and where the tidal surge sweeps in big fish for those fishermen still using traditional haaf nets to catch them.

Michael's journey propels him in search of the unknown universe in Boulby, North Yorkshire, as he joins the hunt for dark matter in the deepest mine in Britain.

Michael Portillo continues his railway adventure at Whitby, where he explores the port's shipbuilding and seafaring heritage. In Grosmont, Michael boards the first steam locomotive built in Britain since the 1960s. In the vast open landscape of the North York Moors, Michael discovers one of the most powerful military radars in the world - where tension rises as the team suspect a missile launch. Robin Hood's Bay's murky past as a smuggling haven leads Michael down a dark tunnel to discover how contraband gin, brandy and tea was landed and why the illicit trade flourished in the 18th century