Great British Railway Journeys - Season 12 Episode 15
Aberystwyth to Newtown

Armed with his 1930s Bradshaws Guide, Michael Portillo travels from Aberystwyth into the Cambrian Mountains at Devils Bridge and finishes in Newtown, Powys. Michaels 250-mile tour of North Wales draws to a close in style at the birthplace of the nations first classical music festival, Gregynog Hall, near Newtown. Michael is intrigued to discover that its founders, sisters Gwendoline and Margaret Davies, used the fortune they inherited from their grandfather, a noted Welsh railway builder, to establish the country estate as a centre for art and music from 1933. In the glorious music room, a Welsh harpist helps to evoke the spirit of festivals past and present.