{"podcast":{"title":"Routes","slug":"routes-7075394","podcast_index_feed_id":7075394,"rss_url":"https://feeds.captivate.fm/routes/","website_url":"https://www.lner.co.uk/destinations/travel-inspiration/podcast/","image_url":"https://artwork.captivate.fm/94ff9fef-22bb-4772-8986-74af1d7f9bbf/qRtcZDDYxD5S8ahSkbvhYByG.jpg","author":"LNER","episode_count":55,"summary":"Season 3 of Routes is here - join Jenni Falconer and some well-known faces as we explore what travel means to them. Seasons 1 and 2 are available to listen to now with guests including Mel B, Sam Heughan, James Martin, Self Esteem, Stephen Mangan, Craig David, Suzi Ruffell, Tom Grennan and many more! From wild adventures to chill getaways, join Jenni for laid-back, meaningful and humorous conversations. We’ll save you a seat!","last_synced_at":"2026-07-21T14:21:39.662212+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/routes-7075394"},"episode":{"title":"Stephen Mangan: Snakes, Ant Hills and Interrailing Chaos","slug":"stephen-mangan-snakes-ant-hills-and-interrailing-chaos","published_at":"2025-11-18T04:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/routes-7075394/stephen-mangan-snakes-ant-hills-and-interrailing-chaos","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/routes-7075394","url":"https://www.lner.co.uk/destinations/travel-inspiration/podcast/","audio_url":"https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/ff2cce17-a3b2-4dd0-97bb-c7b1588061a4.mp3","summary":"This week on  Routes from LNER , Jenni Falconer is joined by the brilliant Stephen Mangan, an actor, author and all round storyteller with a lifetime of travel mishaps and memories. From childhood road trips to County Mayo with fifty two cousins waiting at the other end, to ferry crossings, car sickness and cassettes on loop, Stephen paints a vivid picture of holidays that felt like travelling halfway around the world. The tales only get wilder, including sleeping on an anthill in Lisbon, nearly drifting out to sea in Portugal and waking up to a snake or possibly a rope on the roof of his tent in California. Stephen also reflects on the journeys that shaped his career, from his early theatre years in Nottingham, where he first felt the thrill of being paid to act, to his interrailing adventures and a thirty three hour train across the Rockies that remains one of his favourite trips. He shares how travel opened his world long before mobile phones, why running is his favourite way to explore new places and what it is really like touring the UK for  Landscape Artist of the Year . This is a warm, funny and surprisingly tender episode that celebrates curiosity, independence and the pure wonder of seeing new places from a train window. Stephen’s stories prove that even the toughest travel moments become the ones you never forget. Discover The Best Places to Visit in The UK by Train with LNER","meta_description":"This week on Routes from LNER , Jenni Falconer is joined by the brilliant Stephen Mangan, an actor, author and all round storyteller with a lifetime…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":2195,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/routes-7075394/episodes/stephen-mangan-snakes-ant-hills-and-interrailing-chaos/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/routes-7075394/stephen-mangan-snakes-ant-hills-and-interrailing-chaos.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}