Armed with his Appleton's guide, Michael Portillo continues his rail journey through Connecticut and New England. He takes a crash course in rowing in New Haven, where college teams from Yale and Harvard have battled for victory on the water since 1852. In Vermont, Michael visits a 19th-century farm, where the rich milk from prized Jersey cows imported from the British Isles supplied a thriving butter industry. In New Hampshire, Michael ascends the steep slopes of Mount Washington aboard the world's first mountain climbing cog railway, at whose summit an extraordinary weather station has recorded the mountain's extreme weather since 1870.

In Burlington, Vermont, a busy timber port at time of his guidebook, Michael ventures into the forest to learn how sustainable and technological innovations have transformed the state's billion dollar logging industry. Following the old trade route across Lake Champlain, he hears of a pivotal battle during the War of 1812 where a British defeat gave the United States new confidence on the world stage. In Plattsburg, Michael learns of the surprising origins of a classic Christmas carol. In the wilderness of the Adirondack Mountains, Michael discovers the luxurious camps of the rich and famous elite of Appleton's day. In Lake Placid, Michael braves the steep curves and speeds of an Olympic bobsleigh run. Last stop is an American fort mistakenly built in Canada!