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The Best Episodes of Great British Railway Journeys Season 3

Every episode of Great British Railway Journeys Season 3 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of Great British Railway Journeys Season 3!

The Best Episodes of Great British Railway Journeys Season 3

Michael Portillo takes to the tracks with a copy of George Bradshaw's Victorian Railway Guidebook. Portillo travels the length and breadth of the country to...
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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
    Great British Railway Journeys Season 3 Episode 1 - Great Yarmouth to Beccles
    8.2/10(7 votes)

    #1 - Great Yarmouth to Beccles

    S3:E1

    Michael Portillo discovers the grave robbing history of Great Yarmouth and tries his hand at working a Victorian swing bridge in Reedham.

    Director:Cassie Farrell
    Writer:Unknown

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  2. Great British Railway Journeys Season 3 Episode 2 - Darsham to Felixstowe
    NaN/10(0 votes)

    #2 - Darsham to Felixstowe

    S3:E2

    Michael Portillo follows the Victorians' fascination with Britain's own Atlantis to Dunwich and discovers the history of the Port of Felixstowe.

    Director:Cassie Farrell
    Writer:Unknown

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  3. Great British Railway Journeys Season 3 Episode 3 - Sudbury to Southend
    NaN/10(0 votes)

    #3 - Sudbury to Southend

    S3:E3

    Michael Portillo comes face to face with a medieval politician, takes a rail tour of Victorian freak show hot spots, and rides an early electric railway.

    Director:Cassie Farrell
    Writer:Unknown

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  4. Great British Railway Journeys Season 3 Episode 4 - Epping to Hackney
    NaN/10(0 votes)

    #4 - Epping to Hackney

    S3:E4

    Michael Portillo sees how gunpowder made in Waltham Cross fuelled an empire, and heads to Hackney to uncover the gruesome details of the first murder on a train.

    Director:Cassie Farrell
    Writer:Unknown

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  5. Great British Railway Journeys Season 3 Episode 5 - Fenchurch to Embankment
    NaN/10(0 votes)

    #5 - Fenchurch to Embankment

    S3:E5

    Michael Portillo takes a ride on a secret miniature railway hidden beneath London's streets, and rings the bells of the famous church of Bow.

    Director:Cassie Farrell
    Writer:Unknown

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  6. Great British Railway Journeys Season 3 Episode 6 - Windsor to Didcot
    9.0/10(7 votes)

    #6 - Windsor to Didcot

    S3:E6

    Michael Portillo visits a station fit for royalty in Windsor and views an engineering triumph built by Brunel to span the Thames at Maidenhead.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  7. Great British Railway Journeys Season 3 Episode 7 - Reading to Alton
    NaN/10(0 votes)

    #7 - Reading to Alton

    S3:E7

    Michael Portillo tastes a Victorian superfood in Alton and tries his hand at driving a steam train on the challenging Watercress Line.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  8. Great British Railway Journeys Season 3 Episode 8 - Winchester to Isle of Wight
    NaN/10(0 votes)

    #8 - Winchester to Isle of Wight

    S3:E8

    Michael Portillo experiences the magnificent Victorian organ at Winchester Cathedral and visits a 19th-century rail works still running in Eastleigh.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  9. Great British Railway Journeys Season 3 Episode 9 - Brockenhurst to Poole
    NaN/10(0 votes)

    #9 - Brockenhurst to Poole

    S3:E9

    On the trail of a Victorian snake catcher, Michael visits the New Forest seeking out venomous adders, uncovers a secret library in Wimborne containing some very rare books, and visits the Poole potteries founded in the 19th century, which are still working today.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  10. Great British Railway Journeys Season 3 Episode 10 - Wareham to Portland
    NaN/10(0 votes)

    #10 - Wareham to Portland

    S3:E10

    Michael uncovers the amazing oil fields hidden underneath England's quiet seaside resorts, discovers the crucial role Weymouth played in the D-day landings, and heads to the cradle of Victorian Britain's most prestigious building rock, Portland.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  11. Great British Railway Journeys Season 3 Episode 11 - Oxford to Pershore
    NaN/10(0 votes)

    #11 - Oxford to Pershore

    S3:E11

    Michael is lead to a special view of the city of Oxford by his 19th century guidebook, samples a Victorian navvies' brew made by steam power, and discovers a unique and colourful crop in the heart of the Cotswolds.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  12. Great British Railway Journeys Season 3 Episode 12 - Hartlebury to Great Malvern
    NaN/10(0 votes)

    #12 - Hartlebury to Great Malvern

    S3:E12

    Michael Portillo visits the Worcestershire village of Hartlebury, which was once home to a bishop who captured Queen Victoria's attention, on the second leg of his journey from Oxford to the south Wales coast. He also investigates the secrets of Worcestershire sauce and learns why the Malvern hills were popular with 19th-century health enthusiasts.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  13. Great British Railway Journeys Season 3 Episode 13 - Lydney to Newport
    NaN/10(0 votes)

    #13 - Lydney to Newport

    S3:E13

    Michael discovers Britain's hidden micro-mines within the Forest of Dean, sees why the Victorians fell for the romantic ruins of Tintern Abbey and uncovers the railway engineering behind the industrial icon that is Newport Transporter Bridge.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  14. Great British Railway Journeys Season 3 Episode 14 - Cardiff to Brecon
    8.8/10(7 votes)

    #14 - Cardiff to Brecon

    S3:E14

    Michael discovers the Victorian coal heritage that turned Cardiff into the city it is today, explores the 19th-century reason why Barry Island isn't an island, and takes a steam ride through the beautiful Brecon Beacons National Park.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  15. Great British Railway Journeys Season 3 Episode 15 - Port Talbot to Milford Haven
    7.4/10(6 votes)

    #15 - Port Talbot to Milford Haven

    S3:E15

    Michael explores the Victorian railway legacy behind the steel works of Port Talbot, follows the trail of 19th-century waterfall hunters in Neath, and uncovers the fascinating whaling past of Milford Haven.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  16. Great British Railway Journeys Season 3 Episode 16 - Berwick-Upon-Tweed to Morpeth
    NaN/10(0 votes)

    #16 - Berwick-Upon-Tweed to Morpeth

    S3:E16

    Michael discovers the unique cross-border history of Berwick-Upon-Tweed, hears the unique story of the Pitman Painters of Ashington and sees first-hand the perils of working on the rails in Victorian times.

    Director:Cassie Farrell
    Writer:Unknown

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  17. Great British Railway Journeys Season 3 Episode 17 - Bardon Mill to Wigton
    NaN/10(0 votes)

    #17 - Bardon Mill to Wigton

    S3:E17

    Michael gets his hands dirty following the example of Victorian archaeologists at Hadrian's Wall, discovers how the invention of the ticket machine made a big difference to 19th century rail users, and sees how the Victorian railways first fuelled invention in Wigton.

    Director:Cassie Farrell
    Writer:Unknown

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  18. Great British Railway Journeys Season 3 Episode 18 - Cockermouth to Eskdale
    NaN/10(0 votes)

    #18 - Cockermouth to Eskdale

    S3:E18

    Michael drinks a Victorian brew drawn from the pure waters of Cockermouth, steps inside the hidden world of nuclear reprocessing at Sellafield, and travels into the wonders of a Japanese inspired, 19th century garden.

    Director:Cassie Farrell
    Writer:Unknown

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  19. Great British Railway Journeys Season 3 Episode 19 - Kirkby-in-Furness to Lancaster
    NaN/10(0 votes)

    #19 - Kirkby-in-Furness to Lancaster

    S3:E19

    Michael finds out the secrets behind Kirkby's famous blue slate, submerges himself into a secret world of nuclear submarines in Barrow, and sees why the executions at Lancaster castle drew the Victorians in their droves.

    Director:Cassie Farrell
    Writer:Unknown

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  20. Great British Railway Journeys Season 3 Episode 20 - Heysham to Snaefell
    8.6/10(6 votes)

    #20 - Heysham to Snaefell

    S3:E20

    Michael sets sail from Heysham to the Isle of Man, where he discovers the horse trams of Douglas, the 19th century secrets of the giant Laxy Waterwheel, and the Victorian history of the delightful Snaefell mountain railway.

    Director:Cassie Farrell
    Writer:Unknown

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  21. Great British Railway Journeys Season 3 Episode 21 - Bray to Dublin
    NaN/10(0 votes)

    #21 - Bray to Dublin

    S3:E21

    Today Michael observes the amazing engineering feat involved in building the railway along Dublin's treacherous East coast, explores 19th century crime and punishment in a Victorian jail, and finds out how the lions of Dublin Zoo changed the fortunes of the railways.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  22. Great British Railway Journeys Season 3 Episode 22 - Enfield to Drogheda
    NaN/10(0 votes)

    #22 - Enfield to Drogheda

    S3:E22

    Today Michael explores the extensive railway network within the Bog of Allen, discovers the Victorian secrets behind the amazing Boyne Viaduct, and travels underground, into the vast Irish Zinc mines.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  23. Great British Railway Journeys Season 3 Episode 23 - Dundalk to Portadown
    NaN/10(0 votes)

    #23 - Dundalk to Portadown

    S3:E23

    Today Michael explores the Victorians' fascination with antiquity, by visiting the amazing Cromlech stones of Dundalk. He reaches for the stars at the Portadown Observatory and travels in style along the steam railway of Downpatrick.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  24. Great British Railway Journeys Season 3 Episode 24 - Belfast to Whitehead
    NaN/10(0 votes)

    #24 - Belfast to Whitehead

    S3:E24

    Today Michael explores the fascinating history of Belfast's Victorian docks, discovers the Irish spade making traditions untouched for over 150 years and takes a walk on the wild side with Whitehead's Victorian coastal paths.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  25. Great British Railway Journeys Season 3 Episode 25 - Ballymoney to Londonderry
    NaN/10(0 votes)

    #25 - Ballymoney to Londonderry

    S3:E25

    Today Michael takes a white knuckle walk over the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge, follows in the footsteps of the Victorians to experience the delights of the Giant's Causeway and explores the rich history of Londonderry.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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Season 3 Ratings Summary

"Great Yarmouth to Beccles" is the best rated episode of "Great British Railway Journeys" season 3. It scored 8.2/10 based on 7 votes. Directed by Cassie Farrell and written by Unknown, it aired on 1/2/2012. This episode is rated 8.2 points higher than the second-best, "Darsham to Felixstowe".