Great British Railway Journeys
Season 12 Episode 14 - Blaenau Ffestiniog to Barmouth
In the Welsh mountains of Snowdonia, Michael Portillo reaches an abandoned mine, where in 1940 the wartime government sought sanctuary for the National Gallery’s priceless art collection. Michael hears how, as invasion appeared imminent, great masterpieces were transported by train and lorry to be stored hundreds of feet beneath the ground in a natural granite bunker. At Tan y Bwlch, Michael meets 'Blanche', who used to haul slate at Penrhyn quarry and was built in 1893. Now beautifully restored, she takes Michael on a memorable ride on the oldest narrow-gauge line in the world, the Ffestiniog Railway. In the harbour town of Porthmadog, Michael investigates the Welsh origins of a man forever associated with the Middle East, Lawrence of Arabia.
Episodes in Season 12
Oxford to Abingdon
30 min
Stoke Mandeville to Beaconsfield
30 min
West Ruislip to Windsor
30 min
Guildford to Aldershot
30 min
Farnborough to Winchester
30 min
Saxmundham to Dedham
30 min
Colchester to Chadwell Heath
30 min
Potters Bar to Cardington
30 min
Sawbridgeworth to Cambridge
30 min
Newmarket to Walsingham
30 min
Crewe to Shotton
30 min
Rhyl to Anglesey
30 min
Bangor to Betws y Coed
30 min
Blaenau Ffestiniog to Barmouth
30 min
Aberystwyth to Newtown
30 min
