One of the world’s most luxurious trains is set to make a rare visit to Taunton next month, offering Somerset passengers a taste of 1930s Pullman‑style glamour on a lunch trip to Cornwall.
The Northern Belle, originally launched by the Venice‑Simplon Orient Express company as a British equivalent of the iconic Orient Express, will call at Taunton on Thursday, September 17 during a special excursion from Cardiff.
VIP travellers can board over red carpets laid on the platform and be handed their first glass of champagne, along with canapés and caviar blinis.
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Tickets for the trip, which range from £445 to £640, are almost completely sold out, with only a few single seats remaining.
A Northern Belle spokesman said: "This trip is always popular but even we were surprised how quickly tickets sold this year.
"We will be running it again in September next year and we suggest buying tickets for that now to avoid disappointment."
Once on board, passengers will sit in umber‑and‑cream Pullman dining carriages, some more than 50 years old and refurbished at Crewe with intricate marquetry panels and mosaics.
A seven‑course lunch with wine and port will be served as strolling musicians move through the train, while the route takes in the South Devon coast at Dawlish before meandering through Cornwall.
The train is scheduled to leave Taunton at 12.25pm and return at around 6.15pm.
Actor Bill Nighy has described the Northern Belle as "the Grand Dame of luxury travel", when it featured on a Channel 5 TV programme exploring heritage railways.
The Northern Belle operates from stations all over Britain transporting up to 276 passengers, seated at tables of two and four, to a variety of destinations and events round the country.
Every year it carries a total of around 18,000 passengers, who will drink their way through 7,000 bottles of champagne and 12,000 bottles of wine.
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