Coastal Railways with Julie Walters

In the first episode, Julie rides the West Highland Railway in Scotland, on board the famous Jacobite steam train, memorable for its starring role in the Harry Potter films. She gets some practical training in blowing up railway lines at Arisaig House, home to the Special Operations Executive from the Second World War. There's also herring gutting in Mallaig; a traditional Scottish storyteller on Skye; and cattle wrangling at Duirinish.

In this episode, Julie leaves Newcastle and the city's famous brown ale, for a high-speed train to Edinburgh. She stops at the beautiful coastal town of Alnmouth and visits the disused station at Alnwick, where the 'Keep Calm and Carry On' craze started. Julie heads for Berwick and goes out to sea with a lobster breeder, visiting the biggest gannet colony on Earth. In Edinburgh, Julie explores the intriguing connections between the railway and the famous Balmoral Hotel's palm court and clock tower.

Julie is on the famous Great Western Railway heading down to Cornwall and first arrives at the English Riviera town of Torquay, where she revels in the memorable, if damp, beach holidays of her childhood. She meets eccentric Lionel Digby - famed for bringing Rock and Roll rock to the South West. At Paignton Julie boards the heritage steam line to Kingswear. Building this line was a labour of love by its creator, who also converted the tiny coastal Kingswear Castle into his summer residence. Julie is meant to stay there but is scared it is haunted. Next day she rides back, on the footplate this time, and catches the mainline towards Polperro. The cute fishing village is full of smugglers tales and Julie sets out to get to the facts behind the fables. At St Ives Julie joins the RNLI on a practice, only to return as seasick as a dog! In Penzance there's just time to meet extraordinary cake makers at Peboroyon Cakes. Their amazing creations can cost thousands and, thanks to the overnight train to Paddington, can arrive fresh and safely next morning in London. And finally, Julie catches the night sleeper back to "The Smoke"…

Julie's journey from Cardigan Bay to Liverpool begins in Aberystwyth, Wales, where she was once "banned from every pub" in the town, so she heads off! Travelling north she arrives at Tywyn – famous for its heritage steam railway and the inspiration behind Thomas the Tank Engine. Next, Llwyngwril, where the tiny community is literally trying to knit itself famous by "yarn bombing" the whole village. Then on over the beautiful Barmouth Bridge to Boston Lodge, home of the oldest working locomotive builders in the world. She tries her hand at carriage painting before catching the famous Ffestiniog railway through Snowdonia National Park. Julie takes a trip on the fastest zip wire in Europe, based in a huge, semi abandoned, slate quarry. Then on to Llandudno to meet sheep farmer Dan Jones who ‘won' his million pound coastal hillside farm for a pound a year rent. It's tupping time and Julie must help prepare the rams for breeding. Before Liverpool there is time to drop off at Flint and the largest pet cemetery in Europe. Sceptical at first Julie is won over by the sheer attachment people have for their animals. Final stop Liverpool, where Julie first started her acting career and time for that drink she was denied in Aberystwyth!