Great British Railway Journeys

Michael Portillo explores Dorset

In Dorset, Michael Portillo visits Brownsea Island, where Robert Baden Powell began the scout movement in the early 20th century. Joining a group of present scouts, the presenter learns to build a bivouac and finds out what it is about scouting that still appeals to boys - and girls - today. In the New Forest, Michael searches out some unsung heroes of the First World War - the ponies who became war horses - and hears their story from a commoner who runs a stable and riding school. Then in Bournemouth, the one-time MP investigates a very British institution - the beach hut