As he approaches a milestone birthday, former British Cabinet Minister and broadcaster Michael Portillo embarks on a journey of self-discovery, walking stretches of the Pyrenees mountain range between Spain and France.
Travelling from the coast of the Atlantic Ocean to the shores of the Mediterranean Sea, Michael will criss-cross the border, meeting the people who call this place home and learning about their unique culture and way of life. He will test himself physically as he faces the arduous terrain of the high snowy peaks, whilst enduring moments of solitude in which he will reflect on his own life.
Series One, Episode Four: An Emotional Journey
On the final leg of his Pyrenean adventure, Michael Portillo is back in Spain and in the Catalonian Pyrenees, and this journey will be a deeply personal one. In 1939 Michael’s father Luis Gabriel Portillo Perez fled through these mountains as a political refugee from the Spanish Civil War. At the tiny village of La Vajol, where many refugees headed to cross the border into France, Michael meets Margaret, some of whose family escaped through here. Together they walk part of the route many refugees took and share their families’ stories.
Portillo In The Pyrenees – Final Episode – Saturday, 25 February at 8.30pm on SBS and SBS on Demand (4 Parts)
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