Walks of Life - Season 1

Mehreen Baig explores the magnificent Lake District in a journey inspired by the work of the region's most famous son, William Wordsworth. Beginning her walk with a visit to a holy shrine only accessible at low tide, Mehreen joins the Cumbria Way and heads through the spectacular scenery first to Coniston Water, and then on to the village of Grasmere, Wordsworth's home and final resting place. Along the way, she takes inspiration from the great poet's writings, encountering breathtaking views, inspiring meditative retreats and a way of life so tranquil it forces contemplation and reflection.

JB Gill explores the beautiful county of Cornwall to find out how the dramatic landscape shapes the lives and beliefs of the people who live there.

Starting his walk at the ruins of one of the area's numerous former tin mines and ending it at a spectacular beach used for the filming of Poldark, he discovers how mining dictated the fortunes of the county in the 18th and 19th centuries, and how the message of Methodism preached by John Wesley at that time remains firmly entrenched in the working class communities there today. His journey towards the coast sees him joining in rehearsals with a 60-strong male voice choir, learning the benefits of Buddhist-inspired meditation, and taking lessons from the Christian Surfers UK, a charity dedicated to preaching the word of God to those people enjoying Cornwall's fabulous beaches.

Mehreen Baig ventures into the Highlands to enjoy the spectacular Cairngorm National Park. Encountering stunning scenery, elegant herds of wild deer and beautiful castles, Mehreen walks in the footsteps of Queen Victoria, uncovering a way of life and a landscape that has enticed the royal family to return there on holiday every year for over a century. She discovers an elegant stone church built for Victoria but only completed after her death, explores the site of the world famous Braemar Gathering Highland Games, and finds out why so many humanists are using the awe-inspiring mountains there as the backdrop for their weddings.

JB Gill explores the mysterious landscape of Dartmoor, finding out how people have been finding solace and well-being amongst its extraordinary scenery for centuries. Starting his journey in the shadow of the famous prison, JB encounters a beautiful stone church built by prisoners from the Napoleonic Wars and takes to a quad bike to herd sheep and Dartmoor ponies for a local farmer. Journeying out onto the moor itself, he encounters an extraordinary Jain monk who has travelled all over the earth but regards the Dartmoor landscape as the most spiritual in the world. He then learns how the moor's expansive areas of peat bog need to be preserved in order to maintain our country's environment, has a lesson in harnessing the area's natural light to produce amazing photographs, and learns the secrets of the moor's giant stone monoliths, the last remnants of the first communities to ever call this corner of Britain their home.

Mehreen Baig explores the gorgeous Kent countryside as she walks in the footsteps of the county's most famous son, Charles Dickens. Starting her journey in the Kent marshes, the setting for the opening scenes of Great Expectations, she visits the local pub where the author drank, the parish church where he worshipped and the home he died in, Gad's Hill House. She then ventures into Rochester, visiting several sites that inspired characters and scenes in his novels, the summer house where he used to work and the spot in the cathedral where he wanted to be buried, only for his dying wish to be overturned by Queen Victoria.

Along the way, Mehreen learns about the man and his beliefs, and finds out how the Kent landscape and the childhood experiences he had there would go on to influence not just his writing but his entire outlook on morality, ethics and social justice.

JB Gill heads north of the border to explore the hidden secrets that can be found amongst the familiar tourist sites of Edinburgh. Starting his walk on board Her Majesty's now retired Royal Yacht Britannia, he uncovers an ornate Bhuddist temple hidden inside an innocuous-looking bank building, discovers how one of Scotland's most important religious figures came to be buried in a car park, and sees a long-lost artistic masterpiece being uncovered more than two centuries after it was hidden from view. After a brush with the afterlife at the city's spiritualist centre, he ends his journey by taking in the awe-inspiring stonework in the magnificent Rosslyn Chapel.

Mehreen Baig is in stunning Staffordshire, walking the final section of the Two Saints Way, an ancient pilgrim trail that ends at the Shrine of St Chad near the magnificent Lichfield Cathedral. Starting her journey in the majestic woodlands of Cannock Chase, she visits a peaceful cemetery for German soldiers of the Second World War, then proceeds to the ruins of a magnificent country house to take in some breathtaking views of the landscape. Next, she joins some other walkers on the route to find out what the ancient practice of pilgrimage has to offer people all of all faiths today.

Eventually arriving in the city of Lichfield, Mehreen learns about the town's role in the Enlightenment and the life of its most famous son, Samuel Johnson, author of the first English-language dictionary. Inside the cathedral, she meets a team of artists from Bethlehem working to create a magnificent new cross for the knave, before heading to the shrine of St Chad itself, an unassuming well where centuries ago he baptised the converted into Christianity.

JB Gill journeys along a 12-mile stretch of the River Severn in Shropshire to discover the ways civilisations have lived and worshipped along its banks since the dawn of man. Starting in the shadow of the magnificent Ironbridge, he finds out how the family that constructed the bridge and kick-started the Industrial Revolution were guided by their strong Quaker faith, a religion that is still popular in those parts to this day. After a spot of coracling on the water, he stops at the ruins of the magnificent Buildwas Abbey and meets a modern day monk to find out how their penitent lifestyles have changed since the structure was in its prime. After sitting down for a chat and a cast-off with a self-styled ‘fishing vicar', JB visits the fascinating ruins of the Roman city of Wroxeter, before lending a helping hand at a local vineyard. As he heads towards his final destination in Shrewsbury, he stops off to admire the work of one of the UK's only living painters of religious icons, before arriving at the parish church of St Mary's, home of some of the UK's very finest stained glass windows.