Great Coastal Railway Journeys: Season 2, Episode 7

2 - 7: Whitby to Robin Hood's Bay

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