Michael begins his journey at Siccar Point, near Dunbar on the Firth of Forth, which was the site of an extraordinary discovery in the 18th century. He takes a boat to Bass Rock, before heading to the Scottish capital and Holyrood House.
Michael continues his 300 mile journey along the Firth of Forth at the iconic Forth Bridge, before heading to the port of Leith to tour the Royal Yacht Britannia and then encounters a pair of vast steel sculptures in the Forth Valley.
Michael crosses over to the Orkney Islands. The former naval base at Scapa Flow is visited and he discovers the islands' extensive Norwegian connections.
Michael stops at Dunrobin Castle station, which serves the castle, seat of the earls and dukes of Sutherland since the 13th century. He finds out about the second duke of Sutherland and of the Highland Clearances.
On this leg of his Scottish railway journey, Michael travels from the medieval city of Stirling through Perth, the historic crowning place of Scottish monarchs, and into Kirkcaldy, where he revisits some fond family memories.
Michael admires the epic scenery of Cairngorms National Park. He visits the banks of Loch Morlich and learns about writer, poet and naturalist Nan Shepherd, who captured the essence of the Cairngorms in her prose.
From the fishing port of Oban, Michael travels to the Hebrides. Here, he partakes in seaweed harvesting, pays a visit to the cradle of Christianity in Scotland and sees a cave that was an inspiration for Felix Mendelssohn's music.
Invergordon on the Cromarty Firth, the third great inlet on the northeast coast of the Highlands is visited by Michael Portillo. He explores an ex oil drilling rig now moored in the firth that rather than drilling wells, now caps old ones.