In More Great Railway Journeys, which accompanies the new television
series, seven intrepid individuals set out on entertaining and unusual
expeditions. They travel on trains old and new - from the space-age glamour
of Eurostar to the old Patagonian Express with its steam engine and wooden slat
seats - escaping from time to time to explore the surrounding country and talk
to the local people.
Their journeys range from the far flung to the more familiar,
from Argentina, where Buck Henry follows the cowboy trail, to northern Britain,
where comedienne Victoria Wood visits seaside towns and deserted stations. in
Africa, the young explorer Benedict Allen follows in the footsteps of some of
the great Victorian explorers as he goes in search of the source of the Nile,
while further south, the American poet Henry Louis Gates Jr learns more about
his African heritage as he journeys from Zimbabwe to Tanzania.
In Europe, the writer Ben Okri travels from London to Arkadia
in southern Greece, discovering how some people find inner tranquillity,
symbolized by Arcadia, an idealized pastoral world. Mountaineer Chris Bonington
takes off his climbing boots to enjoy the luxury of travelling across Canada by
train, while in the Middle east, comedian Alexei Sayle travels from Syria to
Jordan on the Hejaz Railway, famous for being blown up by Lawrence of Arabia.
All the travellers bring an original and often witty eye to
their experiences, whether it is Ben Okri capturing his visions in verse or
Alexei Sayle revelling in the contradictions of life in the Middle East. The
specially commissioned photographs which illustrate the book throughout capture
the spirit and the mood of these memorable journeys.
Alexei Sayle travels by train through the Middle East in his own inimitable way.
Text
Victoria Wood makes a round trip from Crewe, taking in the sights of the north of England and Scotland.
Chris Bonington undertakes a journey across Canada, through some of the most spectacular scenary in the world.
Hollywood screenwriter and actor Buck Henry goes to Argentina in search of a new plot. Travelling at 14,000 feet on the so-called 'train to the clouds', he succumbs to altitude sickness but also discovers the joys of coca leaves and the tango.
Text
Celebrated black American scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr explores his African roots on a 2,000-mile trip back to the Tanzanian bush village where he did voluntary work as a teenager. Accompanied by his wife and daughters, he travels on the Chinese-built Tazara railway, visits the ruins of an ancient black civilisation in Zimbabwe and marvels at the majestic Victoria Falls.