If it’s good enough for the late Queen Elizabeth II, it’s good enough for me. Not something I’d ever said until I boarded the British Pullman – a train with impressive royal links. It’s so posh that it comes with a full name as long as one in an aristocratic wedding announcement: British Pullman, a Belmond Train, England. But these days, it transports less regal passengers (like me) on journeys through the British countryside from London Victoria, bound for the genteel cities of Bath or Oxford, Kent’s wineries or its best beach at Broadstairs, or just a slap-up Sunday lunch or afternoon tea onboard.
Days out don’t get much more spoiling, which is why I decided to treat my mum to a trip to Bath. And, though Victoria’s concourse may not conjure regal splendour, the experience started as soon as we reached platform one. Guests in Ascot-worthy dresses and smart suits milled about or sipped sparkling wine in the train’s private lounge while a singer crooned breezy jazz standards over the station’s announcements.
Step aboard the British Pullman for a regal journey back in time
The UK’s most luxurious train, the British Pullman is made up of carriages that served as opulent options for trundling across Britain and wider Europe during the golden age of rail travel. Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip travelled in Audrey, suitably decked in royal blue with accents of dusky pink. The Queen Mother had a penchant for Gwen, which transported her to the seaside in 1948 as part of the Brighton Belle service. Minerva was a favourite for state visits and royal trips in the 1950s.
© AFP via Getty ImagesOur carriage, Cygnus, has royal connections too, but it also comes with a rather exciting twist. Built for a train that transported the Royal Family around the country during the Festival of Britain, it was revamped in collaboration with Wes Anderson back in 2021 and now looks as though it’s hopped straight out of one of his films.
We spent our journey ensconced in one of two coupés, private compartments at the end of the carriage. Exquisite marquetry visions of retro suns and blustery seas line the walls, while the curtains and cushions are an oddly complementary clash of red and green patterns. Fresh flowers sit delicately on white tablecloths, accessorised by cut-glass and crockery adorned with palm trees and sunflowers.
Gorgeous though it was, I had a nagging feeling that a murder would soon occur in another seat further down and I would be called on to solve it. That’s not surprising: the Belmond group which also runs journeys aboard the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, while Cygnus had a cameo in the 1979 Vanessa Redgrave film Agatha. You can even book murder mystery evenings onboard, immersing yourself in a puzzling crime as you whiz towards the make-believe Art Deco coastal enclave of Arcadia.
Even on less dramatic trips, the British Pullman’s staff resemble character actors. James looked after us with aplomb, as well as plenty of Northern wit. Then there was Michael, whose special skill turned out to be pouring excellent cups of tea despite the train’s (gentle) bumps and jolts.
He’s perfected the art over 52 years, working on the train since he left school. Deputy manager Keith, newer to the job but no less enthusiastic, has an encyclopedic knowledge of the British Pullman’s history, which he imparted as we travelled at speed through the Oxfordshire countryside.
Eating our way across Oxfordshire
For those used to London commutes, a three-and-a-half hour train journey might not seem enticing – but this one was a revelation. Time speeded by like the haze of field and forest outside the window, as we were served a lazy brunch of pastries and homemade granola, followed by a take on eggs benedict using smoked hampshire trout and croissants, all of which was washed down with bellinis.
The antithesis of a Ginsters from the buffet car, the meals on the British Pullman use herbs and edible flowers grown in a garden at its Battersea depot, following advice from August Bernstein who is head gardener at celebrated hotel and restaurant Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons (also owned by Belmond, but currently closed for renovations). On the way back from Bath, despite believing we had little room for more food, we feasted on Isle of Wight tomatoes with English mascarpone followed by guinea fowl with tarragon mousseline. Then trifle. Then cheese. Then petit fours. It was all too good to refuse.
Heroically, my mum also did the wine-paring – an intoxicating combo of some of the UK’s best vintages including lesser-known, delicious rosé and red from family-owned Kinsbrook Vineyard in Sussex, served after a house cocktail made with fennel, vodka and prosecco that came in a coffee cup. By the end, I was counselling her to swap full glasses for small sips. “Some guests are merry by the end,” said James, discreetly.
Bath time – and two hours to kill
Our only issue with the day was what to do when we arrived in Bath. Faced with a couple of hours of free time, but too full for lunch and too dressed-up for museum visits, we took Keith’s advice to wander over Pulteney Bridge towards a chemist that’s bound to feature in a Wes Anderson film at some point too. Stacked with medicine jars and topped with a crest of Queen Charlotte, A H Hale is one of Britain’s oldest pharmacies. Meanwhile Georgian Pulteney Bridge is definitely worth seeing: Bath’s equivalent to the Bridge of Sighs, with added boutiques for window shopping.
Still, we were glad to return to the train for a sit down, (another) glass of something and the chance to be spoiled rotten by James et al. Sadly, back at Victoria, there was no gilded carriage for our onward journey. Instead, we swapped Cygnus for a commuter train, the aroma of fresh flowers and a gourmet dinner segueing to fast food and all-too-infrequent cleaning, and our Cinderella dreams disappearing along the tracks.
How to book
The British Pullman’s Historic Bath journey costs from £615pp, or £1,230pp in a private compartment, including brunch, dinner and wine. Other trips cost from £535pp (belmond.com).
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