Walking Through History

This week, Tony's walk takes him back to 1940 when extraordinarily, the sleepy county of Dorset became the frontline in the war against Hitler. His five day 60-mile walk along the Jurassic coast reveals the county's hidden World War II story.

Over one 80-year period from the late 18th century, the landscape and the resources of the Derwent Valley became the key to a giant leap forward for mankind. In this enlightening history documentary, Tony Robinson takes a 44-mile walk through the glorious Peak District to reveal how Britain transformed itself from a nation of farmers into the industrial powerhouse of the world.

From the impressively preserved Penshurst Place, where author Philippa Gregory helps Tony relish the fate of the Grand Duke of Buckingham at the hands of the young Henry the Eighth, he travels up what used to be secret paths to Hever Castle.

Tony's journey of discovery starts in Sheil Bridge, at the mouth of Glen Shiel, where he heads to the site of the earliest known dwellings here, the 'skyscrapers' of the Iron Age.