Susan Calman's Grand Day Out

The comedian returns for a fresh batch of adventures, beginning with a trip to the northeast corner of England, taking in the Pennines and Northumberland coast. Susan enjoys a stretch of Heritage Coast and the rolling countryside of the North Pennines. She also explores the Northumberland National Park.

Susan's adventures bring her to the county of Hampshire. In Portsmouth she explores HMS Victory, learning how Nelson's cunning tricks won out in the Battle of Trafalgar. She also visits the former home of Jane Austen in Chawton, which inspires her to have a go at Regency dancing, and finds out about a curious eating competition in the town of New Alresford.

Susan explores the second largest county in England as she takes in the gorgeous rural sights in and around the Lincolnshire Fens. She arrives to lush greens, as pops of yellow punctuate the vast, flat Lincolnshire landscape. This may be the perfect place to pootle.

Susan stops by Sir Isaac Newton's family home, Woolsthorpe Manor House, where she hears about this great man- and sees the very apple tree that inspired the discovery of gravity. Susan can't resist testing out the laws of motion herself. Luckily, there's a home-made rocket launcher on site. It may look simple, but Susan doesn't find it altogether straightforward to operate.

For a famously flat county, Lincolnshire manages to make the most of the hills it has. She meets a participant in the local Coleby Downhill Challenge- a soapbox racing derby, and finds one has been styled just like a certain little van of her acquaintance. In her ‘mini-Mirren' she has her first go in a soapbox. She had no idea her knuckles could get this white…

At the Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre she meets Andrew, the grandson of Fred and Harold Panton who built this place up over time as a tribute to their eldest brother Christopher Panton, shot down and killed on a bombing raid over Nuremberg in March 1944. They bought an out of use Lancaster Bomber which is now being restored to its former glory. Susan is given a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to go for a taxi ride along the runway in this icon of British history.

At Lincoln Cathedral, Susan is let into the secrets of the ancient art of illumination- one of them being the use of the illuminator's ‘skin grease' in the process. It may not sound very elegant, but the end result is a thing of beauty.

In Spalding, she helps preparations for the return of a flower festival in what was once the tulip capital of the UK, and she finishes in a delightful little spot in the Lincolnshire woods, where a 100-year-old cinema still proudly sits. It's a treat to remember the joys of classic movies and of watching with her grandmother, and she gets to see the Chaplin classic that was the first film played here a century ago, complete with live organ music to evoke the very spirit of the silent era.

This time, Susan is on home soil exploring the beautiful Scottish Borders and the neighbouring Dumfries and Galloway. It's a journey of discovery and nostalgia as Susan takes her motorhome Helen to some of her favourite haunts, as well as uncovering some exciting new places.

This time Susan and her campervan Helen are hitting the highways of beautiful Kent, pootling around Canterbury and the Garden of England. It's got the makings of a wonderful adventure for Susan as she visits iconic spots, immerses herself in exciting pastimes, and falls in love with the incredible scenery of this wondrous county.

She kicks off her adventure at the mighty Hever Castle. It was the childhood home of Anne Boleyn and boasts some award-winning gardens. But it is also home to a 7000-yard Golf Course, the brainchild of one of the world's richest men. It's a place of beauty- but also of fun, as Susan realises she can offer a helping hand. She's a keen gardener- and who doesn't love a ride-on mower? From here, she heads to the medieval city of Canterbury and joins the punts which journey along the River Stour. It's a lovely, relaxing trip- though, as she discovers, there's a few low-level bridges that need navigated.

Then it's a stop at Canterbury Cathedral, site of the incredible story of Thomas Beckett and the reason why Canterbury became the premier place for a medieval pilgrimage. Here too, she discovers that medieval souvenirs are still made using authentic methods. She quickly commissions her own ‘pilgrim badge'- but as she helps to make it, she realises it involves pouring molten metal. And, that when you're told not to touch something hot, it's the only thing you can think of doing…

As the Garden of England, Kent place host to the UK's National Fruit Collection at Brogdale Farm. It's cherry season- and here they have no fewer than 320 varieties. Apparently, it was King Henry VIII who first coined the term ‘Garden of England', after tasting some of the local cherries. Many of them are indeed quite lovely- but there's one Susan hasn't come across before that gives new meaning to the word ‘sour'. It seems that's how they liked them in Tudor times…

In Penshurst, she tries her well-gloved hand at the noble art of fencing- and learns that this very place was the site of a famous movie duel, played out in the classic film, ‘The Princess Bride'. She can't resist her own recreation. Then, she stops at one of the best-preserved medieval towns in Europe, the idyllic Sandwich, to hear how the eponymous local delicacy first got its name- and to sample the local speciality for herself. She finishes at the spectacular St Peter's Tower, giving a 360-degree view of this stunning town- and she has a final reflection on the glories of the Garden of England. It's been all she could want from a Grand Day Out.

The comedian enjoys a new adventure at Bo'ness and Kinneil Railway, home to the Museum of Scottish Railways, and she remembers some of the highlights from her escapades over the years.