A Lancaster University professor is on track to help railway guru Michael Portillo uncover the delights of Cumbria in the new series of Great British Railways Journeys on BBC TV.

Professor Simon Bainbridge, from the University’s Department of English and Creative Writing, joins Michael on a section of his Maryport to Penrith journey (episode eight of 20) on BBC 2 at 6.30pm this Wednesday (April 16).

During the railway journey through Cumbria and Dumfriesshire Michael heads to the hills as he follows in the footsteps of the Lakeland poets.

And it is in Keswick, where the former politician retraces the adventurous walks of English poet, literary critic, philosopher, and theologian Samuel Taylor Coleridge, that he is joined by Simon.

Coleridge was a founder of the Romantic Movement in England and a member of the Lake Poets with his friend William Wordsworth.

During the programme Simon unveils how one of Coleridge’s legendary routes has been used as a form of therapy.

“It was a great pleasure to meet Michael at Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s house and to talk to him about the significant role the poet played in the invention of mountaineering,” said Simon, who has written about Coleridge’s climbing exploits in his book Mountaineering and British Romanticism.

During the broadcast Simon and Michael also meet with Ian Whiteside, of Trek Therapy, to discuss walking’s therapeutic powers and their re-enactment of one of the poet’s most extraordinary excursions.

Michael also visits the striking ruins of Lowther Castle - once a grand gothic estate, now reborn as an extraordinary garden and joins a local litter-picking group who want to educate visitors.

At Ullswater, he discovers the native Herdwick and Rough Fell sheep, whose wool is finding eco-friendly uses today and tries his hand at herding the flock with dependable sheepdog Pick.

Great British Railway Journeys (Maryport to Penrith) is due to be transmitted on Wednesday 16^th April 2025 on BBC Two at 6.30pm.