Tony Robinson: Coast To Coast

Starting at just about the most westerly point of England, Tony investigates why the small village of St Bees has such a colossal church. Travelling through the Lake District he rolls up his sleeves to make his own lunch, discovering the upper crust origins of the perfectly portable travelling snack, the scotch egg. On the shore of the most westerly of the lakes, Ennerdale, he meets a farmer taking a pioneering approach to protect the natural environment and tries his hand at brewing the perfect pint at a family-run firm producing craft ale for thirsty walkers. Deep in the mountains that flank the Honister Pass, one of the highest roads in Cumbria, Tony mines the ancient history of slate extraction and meets the local businessman trying to keep this fragile industry alive. The first leg of his journey ends at England's most remote Youth Hostel, Black Sail Hut, a tiny isolated building deep in the fells that has been a welcome sight for walkers as a place to rest overnight for over 80 years.

Tony is in the Lake District, starting in the upland hills of the Borrowdale valley to meet one of the last tenant sheep farmers who is facing challenging times but determined to keep working his farm. He gets an exclusive tour of the only inhabited island on Derwentwater, visiting the magnificent Derwent Island House, a National Trust property leased out to private residents.

Tony is in the Eden Valley, making a dramatic ascent to the limestone pavement of Asby Scar, all that remains of a 300 million year old tropical sea. He marvels at the magnificent engineering feat of the Smardale Gill viaduct; makes an unlikely stop to try his hand at making Cumbria's most celebrated food and hitches a ride on a classic coach service providing a vital transport link for rural communities. Tony investigates the 21st century technology driving a traditional dairy farm and gets a masterclass working with border collies, discovering how their stamina, intelligence and obedience makes them the perfect sheepdog. At Nine Standards Rigg, high on the backbone of Britain, Tony is left wondering about the origins of the huge drystone cairns that dominate the skyline and joins the Kirby Stephen Mountain Rescue team on a training exercise that becomes a race against time.

Tony is in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales, meeting the community who came together to save local production of Yorkshire's most famous food, Wensleydale Cheese. In the market town of Leyburn, it's calf auction day and Tony meets the farmers whose livelihoods depend on the prices they get for their cattle. At Aysgarth Falls, a triple flight of waterfalls carved out of the River Ure, Tony recalls the history of the industries that were once driven by the powerful falls. In the Swaledale Valley Tony joins in rehearsals of the Muker Silver Band, discovering the origins of this traditional brass band. On the heather moorlands, Tony meets bee keepers working with local farmers to produce award-winning honey with a distinctive taste. At the world-famous barracks at Catterick Garrison he meets a retired Major who has transformed a disused training ground into a wildlife haven. Tony's journey ends at the country estate of Kiplin Hall where he tastes the fruits of the hard labour that have gone into a magnificent garden restoration.

Tony is in the North Yorkshire Moors, taking to the skies for a bird's eye view of the journey ahead from the cockpit of a glider from the Sutton Bank gliding club. Back on the ground he admires the epic scale of the ruins of Riveaulx Abbey and uncovers the epic tale of 11th century power and greed that eventually saw the monastery brought down. He discovers a little-known secret that brings back vivid memories of his childhood in the orchards of Ampleforth Abbey, where rare heritage varieties are grown to produce juice and cider. At Sandhutton, he meets a grower whose skill for spotting food trends has built a successful business specialising in surprising combinations of tastes and scents for herbs and edible flowers. Come harvest time, farmers have to literally make hay when the sun shines. Tony gets on board the supersized combine harvesters that ensure the crop is harvested in a race against time. Outside the village of Helmsley, Tony revives his wood work skills and meets the businesswoman who swapped a job in Buckingham Palace for running a busy saw mill. It's a gamble which paid off, saving the skills and jobs of the local workforce. Up on the moors, Tony retraces the history of the campaigning movement that led to the creation of the National Parks and sees his newly competed gate takes pride of place.

En route to Robin Hood's Bay, Tony visits a steam railway, RAF Fylingdales, a family-run bakery and the area's last shipyard in Whitby and spends a day whale-watching.