Jonathan Meades travels from the flatlands of Flanders to Germany's spectacular Baltic coast in an attempt to decipher exactly what northernness entails. Is it to be found in gothic spires, herrings, grotesquerie, fantastical skylines or creepily dark woods?

Jonathan Meades travels through the Baltic states to Finland in an attempt to decipher exactly what the concept of northernness entails. On his way he sees massive castles, tiny pasties, Lith dancing, totem poles, terrestrial sputniks and many, many crosses.