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I Put Britain's “Most Luxurious” Train To The Test!
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Jan 28, 2025
I spent a day on what Conde Nast Traveler Magazine calls “Britain’s Most Luxurious Train”, and rates as one of the world’s Top 10 Trains: the “Northern Belle”. I’ll reveal what the eye-watering fare got me, the unusual history of the train, it’s link to cruising and some surprising quirks I never thought I’d see or experience on a train. For bonus & exclusive content (including videos, articles, eBooks and more) become a channel member or patron: --------------------------------------------------- * Patreon Patron: https://www.patreon.com/tipsfortravellers * YouTube Channel Member: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_qE-Obs2ocdmPXY0TIU-cw/join Check out my cruise-themed T-shirts and products: --------------------------------------------------- * T-Shirts: http://bit.ly/TFTStore * Mugs, notebooks, hoodies etc: https://www.teepublic.com/stores/tipsfortravellers?ref_id=22354 My social media: --------------------------------------------------- * Blog: https://www.tipsfortravellers.com * Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/garybembridge * Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/tipsfortravellers
View Video Transcript
0:00
today I'm traveling on what continents
0:02
Traveler magazine calls Britain's most
0:04
luxurious train and rates is one of the
0:06
world's top 10 trains the northern bell
0:09
I will be revealing what the eyewatering
0:12
fair gets me the unusual history of the
0:14
train it's linked to cruising and some
0:17
surprising works I never thought I'd see
0:19
or experience on a train I'm starting
0:21
the journey at London Victoria Station
0:23
we arrived at 9 15 a.m ready for our 9
0:27
30 departure just as a Seven Carriage
0:30
train was pulling in so we're about to
0:32
head off on an adventure today which is
0:34
on the Northern bow which is one of the
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very smart sort of Pullman
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train carriages and trains that take you
0:43
on sort of exotic day trips around the
0:45
UK so we're heading off it's a crazy
0:48
expensive trip although the train looked
0:50
pretty underwhelming pulling in stepping
0:52
on board into the Chatsworth Carriage
0:54
we've been allocated the wow factor was
0:57
huge big comfy sofa star seats plush and
1:01
opulent Cutlery and Crockery the tables
1:04
looked magnificent settling in we were
1:06
offered a mimosa that we actually went
1:08
for orange juice and sparkling water and
1:10
soon we're on our way and we were
1:12
surprised to be entertained by two
1:15
positions that roamed up and down the
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carriages during the trip
1:28
breakfast followed not long after served
1:31
by the smartly uniformed hosts while
1:33
taking orders all dartry quirks were
1:35
sorted like Mark for example being Dairy
1:37
sensitive breakfast started with a try
1:40
melon starter with yogurt soya yogurt
1:42
for Mark the main was a twice baked
1:46
cheddar cheese souffle with salmon
1:48
delicious while Mark had the vegetarian
1:50
mushroom and bubble and squeak and then
1:53
they brought around the most enormous
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Bread Basket I have ever seen could I
2:00
die
2:02
Eccles
2:04
um
2:07
breakfast done I thought I'd go and
2:09
explore some more of the train first a
2:11
quick stop in one of the toilet
2:13
facilities to check out something I'd
2:14
read in one of the booklets about the
2:16
revamp of the train that was on our
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table every Carriage toilets have these
2:21
stunning Mosaic floors they were
2:23
actually created by the same company
2:24
that restored the Orient Express
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toiletstop done more of exploring the
2:30
train so there is a dress code on board
2:33
we asked not to wear jeans or trainers
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and most people like me as you can see
2:39
do get dressed up a lot of people ask me
2:41
what sort of people come on this trip
2:43
well because it's kind of a customership
2:44
a lot of people come on here to
2:46
celebrate so in fact when we got on
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board the guards and the managers and
2:51
stuff were asking people you know are
2:52
you on here to celebrate anything so
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people doing significant birthdays or
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anniversaries that kind of stuff all
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just you know splashing out and
3:01
pampering which is what we're actually
3:01
doing we're actually spending some of
3:03
Mark's bonus this year to go on this
3:06
rather nice trip while other carriages
3:08
are explored were full just as the train
3:10
was coming to a stop to wait for another
3:11
train to pass I found one the harlick
3:14
that was empty a chance to sit down and
3:16
tell you a little bit more about the
3:17
train very much like Cruise Lines trains
3:20
used to be very glamorous and the
3:23
northern bell is designed to kind of
3:25
bring back a lot of that glamor and so
3:28
they had run these very exotic trips day
3:30
trips all around the UK and the belt
3:33
trains are originally the trains that
3:35
used to take people way back when on
3:37
their summer vacations you know went to
3:40
all the big tourist Resorts so for
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example this train today we're heading
3:43
to Bournemouth so it's actually doing
3:45
the route of the old Bournemouth Bell
3:47
which ran between 1931 and 1967. we
3:50
actually not far from Southampton so the
3:52
train used to stop at Southampton so
3:53
people could get off and go on their
3:55
wonderful you know transatlantic voyages
3:57
the link between cruising and trains
4:00
still seems a strong one it's not only
4:01
am I hearing many people in our Carriage
4:04
talking about cruises they've been on
4:05
but three of the carriages on this trip
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were charted by a Cruise agency called
4:10
imagine cruising in the UK they sell
4:13
cruise and rail packages the train
4:15
itself uses old Pullman coaches they've
4:18
all been turned into and revamped into
4:20
these glamorous plush carriages for when
4:23
the northern bell went into service in
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2000. let me tell you the names of the
4:27
different carriages because they're all
4:29
named after stately homes you've got the
4:30
Alan Wick the Belvoir the Chatsworth the
4:33
the Glamorous the harlech the Duart and
4:36
the Warwick in fact one of these which
4:37
is the most famous of all actually used
4:39
to be one of the royal carriages and so
4:43
that's one that's much sought after on
4:45
the move again and so time to head back
4:47
to my Carriage to enjoy the scenery as
4:49
we Cruise towards Bournemouth where we
4:51
will arrive by 1 30 PM the ride was then
4:55
broken up by another unusual Feature A
4:58
roaming on train magician
5:03
I was going to show you a very old
5:08
[Music]
5:11
fingertips goes into the pocket and the
5:13
Hand comes out empty
5:14
so you saw the ball in the public
5:17
good money that ball were in the coffee
5:19
but sir ladies worse before
5:22
in the country
5:24
[Music]
5:27
so now we're here in Bournemouth this is
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the train it's going to head off I guess
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and do whatever it does reset and then
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we're going to be meeting the train back
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here at 5 30 on the other platform to
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head back to London and have a nice
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dinner
5:42
[Music]
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it's a little bit noisy but the train
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has just come in to Bournemouth we've
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had our time in Bournemouth and we're
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about to now head back on the train what
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do we do in Bournemouth we went and
5:55
played like slot machines in one how
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many bars of chocolate five on five bars
6:00
of chocolate not bad a few other things
6:02
not for 40 pounds anyway let's go
6:04
stepping back on the train after those
6:05
four hours in town Mark and I swapped
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seats as he hates riding backwards maybe
6:10
you do too and we found a glass of
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champagne
6:13
a plate of smoked duck and spice tuna
6:16
canapes and a pouch with a gift on our
6:19
plates waiting for us Mark got a key
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ring me a magnet now the gifts are
6:23
themed to the carriage so we'd actually
6:25
have to write six more times in
6:28
different carriages each time to get
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them all we then got served as caviar
6:33
and quail egg canape so very tasty
6:37
included in the fair is a bottle of wine
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per cup of for dinner with a choice of
6:40
two whites Two Reds and two Rose we'd
6:44
ask for the non-alcoholic wine however
6:46
this was not a great success Mark
6:48
actually called it more like cooking
6:50
vinegar cocktails and other drinks by
6:52
the way including liqueurs or fancy
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Wines had to be paid for they weren't in
6:56
the fair and there was a menu and prices
6:58
for both soon it was time for the four
7:01
course dinner the starter was smoked
7:03
mackerel roulette I'm not usually a fan
7:06
but even Mark really enjoyed this a lot
7:08
it was really really tasty the main was
7:11
a jeweler of lamb with celerac fondant
7:14
potato asparagus sugar snaps carrot
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puree and of course gravy and mint sauce
7:20
this was really tasty dessert for me was
7:24
white chocolate and raspberry mousse the
7:26
Mark had a dairy free lemon tart then
7:29
Along Came one of their signatures the
7:32
vast cheese board tray which was rather
7:36
grass
7:43
um
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I'm not usually a big cheese eater but
7:56
took a slice of everything and loved it
7:58
within by the way also given two
8:00
homemade chocolates in a box to take
8:02
home so we're steaming now towards uh
8:05
Victoria at the end of our quite an
8:08
amazing trip uh it really is crazy
8:11
expensive but it also is really
8:14
something very special you can see why
8:15
people come and do this for a special
8:17
occasions but just how much did it cost
8:20
it was eye-watering we could have done a
8:23
three-night mini break cruise in an
8:25
Ocean View cabin on Embassy virtuosa out
8:28
of Southampton at the same time for just
8:30
10 pound per each of us more the day
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trip on the train cost 440 pounds per
8:37
person that three night cruise to
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Rotterdam are back was 450 pounds per
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person this though is a trip I will
8:45
treasure forever it was incredible and I
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way preferred that Mark used some of his
8:51
bonus on this treat for me so here we
8:54
are at Victoria 12 hours after we left
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we're on piling off the train and a
9:01
really good fun day so
9:04
time to head home
#Long Distance Bus & Rail
#Luxury Travel
#Model Trains & Railroads
#Sightseeing Tours
#Tourist Destinations