Walking Tudor England

Suzannah begins her walk at Southsea Castle, where in 1545 Henry VIII watched his flagship "Mary Rose" sink in the shallow waters of the Solent. Around the headland Suzannah encounters the fortifications of Old Portsmouth, the home of Henry's revolutionary Tudor navy, and across the harbor she ponders the legacy of Elizabethan explorer Sir Francis Drake.

In the rich, rural lands of East Anglia, Suzannah follows the trail of "Bloody" Queen Mary, detailing her ascension to the throne and questioning whether England's first queen deserves her fearsome reputation. In Norwich, she views the execution place of Protestant martyrs before visiting a country manor house and crossing Mary's estates to Framlingham Castle, where Mary was proclaimed queen.

At Kenilworth Castle, Suzannah explores why Elizabeth I never married. In Bubbenhall Wood, she examines the queen's fascination with the occult. Kirby Hall reveals how far courtiers would go to win her favor, while Fotheringhay Castle, where Mary Queen of Scots was imprisoned, shows the consequences of crossing her. At Burghley House, Suzannah discusses the queen's closest advisor, William Cecil.

Suzannah begins at the remnants of Greenwich Palace before continuing on to London Bridge. The only bridge in the city in Tudor times, it displayed the heads of traitors. After learning about religious refugees at the Dutch Church and the impact of the Age of Exploration, Suzannah enjoys the South Bank's entertainments and ends her trek at Hampton Court, Henry VIII's magnificent pleasure palace.

In the Weald lies Penshurst Place, owned by the Duke of Buckingham, one of Henry's greatest rivals-until he was executed. A woodland ramble leads to Hever Castle, Anne Boleyn's childhood home. In Ashdown Forest, Suzannah learns about hunting, a favorite pastime of Henry's before his jousting injury. The last stop is Mitchelham Priory, a home of Anne of Cleves, Henry VIII's last surviving wife.

Walking across the hills and dales of Yorkshire, from Pontefract to York, Suzannah uncovers the story of the Reformation: from Henry VIII's original break with Rome, to Edward VI's Protestant iconoclasm, and finally, Elizabeth I's uncompromising attitude towards any Catholics who defied her.