Great British Railway Journeys Ep 13/20

Michael’s first stop of the day on the third leg of his journey from Swindon to Penzance is Torquay, a resort that was especially recommended by George Bradshaw – the man who transformed travel in Britain – for its warm climate.

He meets meteorologist David Braine to find out if it’s true that Torquay is Britain’s warmest spot. He then takes a trip back in time on the Paignton and Dartmouth Steam railway along the English Riviera, one of the most scenic railway journeys in Britain.

Arriving at his next stop, Dartmouth, Michael spends the night at The Royal Castle, a very old hotel mentioned in Bradshaw’s Guide, where the owner tells him about the town’s naval past. The next morning, Bradshaw recommends a mini excursion up the River Dart so Michael heads out on a boat with salmon fisherman Nick Prust. The Dart used to be full of salmon but, these days, Nick is one of the few people allowed to fish the river and still uses traditional methods.

Nick takes Michael all the way up the Dart to Totnes, which is Michael’s last stop of the day. Totnes has changed hugely since Bradshaw’s time, and is in the midst of a campaign to become more green. Michael takes a rickshaw taxi running on recycled chip fat to explore the town and meets Rob Hopkins, founder of Transition Town Totnes, a campaign for sustainability that started here and is now a global movement. Rob shows Michael some Totnes pounds, the new local currency, and, after changing some of his own Bank of England pounds into Totnes pounds, Michael sets off around the town to spend them.