Great Coastal Railway Journeys: Season 2, Episode 18

2 - 18: Southampton to Isle of Wight

Michael is in Southampton, one of the busiest ports on the south coast of England and home to the National Oceanography Centre. From the port, Michael takes a ferry to the Isle of Wight, where he rides the island's railway, made up of recycled London Underground trains.

In the island's hinterland, he discovers a highly specialised farm which produces up to 15 different types of garlic and hears of a daring wartime mission behind enemy lines to procure this pungent plant.

Finally, Michael reaches the Needles, the islands iconic chalk stacks where a top-secret Cold War operation took place to develop and test British space rockets.