I Put Britain's “Most Luxurious” Train To The Test!

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.
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ABOUT TIPS FOR TRAVELLERS: If you want to get cruising right, Tips For Travellers makes it easy to plan and have the incredible cruise experiences you dream of every time. All my Tips For Travellers advice, tips and tricks tips draw on everything that I have learnt on the 101 cruises I have done to date.
#NorthernBelle #train #BritishPullman

[@sallydownes3125]

I love cruising and so did my grandad. When he became too ill to go on a cruise we went on the Northern Bell and it was the most magical journey. It means the world to me that I got to spend that last special day with my grandad. The staff and other passengers were wonderful with grandad, I know everyone gets amazing treatment but they seemed to go above and beyond for him. Would highly recommend!

[@lesleywaghorn1627]

Agree with everyone - love that you have added this content. And while clearly an expensive trip, it looked like the furnishings, facilities and food were all excellent.

[@lisaanderson8235]

What a fun video! I love trains and train travel, so this was a nice surprise when this popped up instead of the usual cruise content. Yay! 👍👍(Love the cruise content, just enjoy that you mixed it up a bit)

[@tulinfirenze1990]

Agreed.

[@stephenm8818]

Fab, great video, Gary. Looking forward to trains being a regular feature! And Mark, you are a kind and generous man ! 😊

[@icypeanutpolo]

I live in north Georgia, and there is a similar, though not as luxurious, day trip train ride there. A premier seat will cost you $100 for a 4 hour trip to a small town nearby that is on the border between GA and TN, and I thought this was very reasonable. Considering there is a tea service, small lunch, gift tote with magnets and high quality enamel pin, etc., I consider this to be well worth the price of admission. I’d probably consider taking your train ride myself if I had the time when I’m next in the UK!

[@cherylkoski7184]

I live in Knoxville. Tell me more!

[@PaulCashman]

@@cherylkoski7184 they might be referring to the Tennessee Valley RR Museum's "Copperhill Special," which runs from Delano TN (near Etowah) over to Copperhill TN/McCaysville GA, as the towns are on the state border. It is nowhere NEAR as luxurious as this, but a fun day-long ride.

[@marilainefontenot8220]

I've been on this train ride and it was fun! Beautiful scenery. But nothing like what Gary and Mark experienced.

[@seprishere]

Actually $100 for four hours seems very reasonable, as I just paid £50.20 for a very utilitarian 105 minutes (should have been 95) from Paddington to Newport (Gwent) in second class.

[@SheSailsAway]

Blue Ridge? We are neighbors!

[@gavinmclean3451]

Marvellous videography Gary. Wonderful also to get your insight into something different and share a special memory with us.

[@thomaswilson3437]

I'm really happy to see you have added the train packages to your channel. A few years ago my wife and I took a bus tour which routed us through Scotland. We loved it, until she got very car sick traveling from Ben Nevis to Oban (she is sensitive to motion sickness--BTW, Oban was fantastic). She told me she would not take the bus the next day to Glasgow, so what I did was book us two tickets on the train. The station is Glasgow was two blocks from our scheduled hotel. It worked out great and we loved the train trip, which while it was just a standard train, we really enjoyed. It was a whole separate adventure! Anyway, as a result she is now interested in these types of excursions......

[@thomaswilson3437]

That trip did seem a bit pricey tho….

[@hennarosenthal]

I enjoyed this episode very much. I love a train trip and splashing out on a luxury line would be great fun.

[@ginacota9724]

It’s fun to see you taking some different adventures! Cruising is my first love, but I also like to mix it up with some different types of travel now and then

[@Emperorvalse]

Thank you Mark for spending your bonus on this trip. Thank you both for sharing this trip and having something different on the channel. I enjoyed it very much and hope this train can stay in operation for decades to come.

[@KMA66]

My god, that cheese plate!

[@BSWVI]

A delightful departure, and I thoroughly enjoyed it!Your comments on anything you do are always thoughtful, gracious and informative. We're along for the ride wherever you go!

[@wendywebster-sv2li]

We went from Liverpool to Edinburgh 3years ago in covid times to celebrate my hubby’s 70th . Had a fantastic day, everything on the train was tip top. The weather was glorious . Can highly recommend.

[@kenklingenberg4680]

Thanks for including Mark. I wasn't sure if he could talk before this. (Joking of course)

[@stewartmcgill9360]

Watching two people have a blast is precisely the content I was looking for this evening. I love that you were able to share such a great memory - and that you were able to use some of the bonus for something that you cherished. Sheer joy - thank you 😀

[@tipsfortravellers]

Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for watching :-)

[@johnathankain8033]

How lovely of Mark to treat you to such a cool trip. I love seeing Mark along with you on trips!

[@philipbooth3601]

Traveled on the Northern Belle earlier this year, absolutely fantastic experience and worth every penny. Will definitely be doing it again!

[@owensmith7530]

My dad mourns the loss of a proper cheese board in restaurants. I think he'd be satisfied by the one on this train.

[@frankfitzsimons4442]

You always do a great job on your reviews. Alongside your commentary I liked the informative cinematography and the overview.

[@chuckm6486]

As much as I love ships (especially Cunard ships!), I do admit that there is something special about lingering in a railroad dining car over a nice glass of wine after a highly enjoyable meal. Glad you did this trip and shared it with us!

[@maryevans1972]

I love train trips, again you have given me something else to add to my bucket list, and Mark gave me a laugh with the cooking vinegar comment

[@tipsfortravellers]

Wonderful!

[@barbaralazier8352]

This looks like a winner. I will add it to our Canadian cross country train: The Rocky Mountaineer Toronto to Vancouver or reverse

[@helenorgarycrevonis2022]

Nice trip. Glad you and Mark had fun!

[@kays749]

I love trains. We have too few here in America. I must say that Mark sitting there looks very "to the manor born"!

[@kathleenkalt3852]

What a fantastic experience. My husband and I decided to focus on experiences rather than things, when we retired. Wish we'ed learned that earlier in life.

[@thethresh]

Fantastic video, Gary! I watch your videos to be educated and entertained and this train video is tops!

[@dancingcowgirl85]

I love when Mark pops up. That was such a lovely experience for you both.

[@ConanTheLibrarian-n5q]

I was great to see and hear Mark. Please Gary, give us more Mark

[@KateandBree]

It's so nice to see you gab about your other favorite thing - trains! I'm so glad to see you had a splendid time.

[@debbiehill7408]

Looks like the train we took back to the sacred valley from Machu Pichu, it was an amazing experience. Part of Celebrity cruise land and sea experience paired with Galapagos

[@davidstephenson9251]

I love the look of that journey and will seriously consider going on it. Also, it was great to see Mark participating in the video. You should stream more things as a team n

[@RandallLeighton]

What a fun thing to do. That train is gorgeous and the food looked over the top. Thanks for sharing your experience with us.

[@mobydick159]

We have a trip on this booked for special birthdays next year. I've been on the Virtuoso and I am definitely looking forward to this day out more!! Great review thanks guys....

[@Fleetwoodphil1]

I’m glad you put most luxurious in inverted commas, I have travelled on it a couple of times, once when it under VSOE and once after West Coast Railway took it over, standards although good have dropped. For personal reasons I drink decaf coffee, other trains use decaf filter, they use instant sachets with warm water, at your table. The food is preprepared off train, just heated on board. On my last trip with them, some light bulbs were not working, the supposed entertainment didn’t show up. Frankly I found it overpriced. We stopped at a station for almost an hour without any information, turned out it was a locomotive problem. Also they branded themselves “most luxurious train “ for real luxury try the Royal Scotsman ( still run by Belmond ).

[@juliewatts1937]

Have just returned from a ‘imagine cruising’ package - Queen Mary 2 from Southampton to Civitavecchia followed by a stay in Lake Garda then return to UK on Orient Express to Calais and the Belmont Pullman to London. The whole trip felt opulent and well with the price. I was so impressed by the Belmond - we had afternoon tea which took the whole journey back. I would be quite happy to pay out for a trip like yours, to celebrate an occasion, as the Pullman trains are very special.

[@deborahbergstrom2290]

Thank you so much for making this video. It was a fun change of pace and something I would not have ever known about.

[@danielintheantipodes6741]

It looks amazing! Especially for you and Mark, having been on so many cruises, this day on the train seems like a perfect idea! I would like to go on a cruise on a ship decorated like this train! Thank you for the video!

[@craftergin]

Nothing better than a day trip on a train. Or any trip on a train. I love trains!

[@LowVisionUKTerrysView]

How lovely. I loved hearing all about this special journey. I have now added it to my must do list, and will be treating my Partner Dean to it myself, as a result of your posting. Thanks so much..Terry x

[@CMW__]

Really liking the different episode 👏🏼

[@elegant_travelling]

YES! Thank you so much for doing a review of this wonderful train! Hope there will be more in the future. Next time you’re in Civitavecchia or Italy in general do check out if your trip matches up with one of Italys historic trains (Arlecchino and Settebello are highly recommended :) ) Glad you had a good time!

[@sl4193]

Thank you for the video, Gary. A lovely insight into a very different rail travel experience. I've wanted to do something similar for a number of years, now I'm going to start searching in earnest😊

[@MandalorianFanboy]

Loved this. Will definitely add to our itinerary next time we are in London!

[@edwardpost4887]

Love - and worth every penny! Did something very similar when things were managed by VSOE in 1996 prior to the 15DEC96 crossing onboard QE2. Different china and crystal. Same strolling duet. No stops, just a fab brunch. Will never forget - and will repeat, thanks to your review, Gary!

[@deboraharonson8975]

LOVE it sooooooo much! I want more of this, exotic and amazing trips. Just returned from Alaska for the third time, many cruises in. Kind of over it, after 35 years; perhaps it’s time of life, perhaps many things, really.I don’t know how you have done 100…..I would really be ‘over’ the process of it all. If you know of a channel which might cover this, please share. UNLESS YOU will be doing more. The fancier and cleaner, the better. Hugs from Oregon.

[@sjnpotter3540]

Fantastic! That train looks like such a great way to travel. Thanks for the video, I've always been curious about this type of experience.

[@katem4365]

Good for you Gary! You and Mark look happy and clearly enjoyed your trip. 😊

[@HD-wg5mq]

Wow, ~ really enjoyed seeing this latest adventure. We've been hoping to take this day trip on our next visit to the UK. Excellent to see.⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[@wendysherbert3257]

I LOVED this video! We have nothing like it in the USA to my knowledge. I took our AutoTrain on Amtrak and booked a family bedroom. It had its own shower/toilet comfortable seating and fold down service while we had dinner. We spent the night and had breakfast in the morning. For the car, meals, two adults, and a family suite it cost right at 1000.00 USD. It was “our” treat too.

[@JamesC-jr3sm]

Looks good. Just back from 2 days on the Rocky Mountaineer (Gold car). Great trip but also very expensive for what it was.

[@KMA66]

Looking very smart, Gary!

[@PuenteAJ]

Ohhhhh what a lovely day. Something I would love to do. Really enjoyed the video. Thank you

[@LpoolDogLover]

Thank you for sharing this experience! It actually looked so wonderful but I've never been to Europe so I most likely won't be doing this trip. Thanks for the wonderful video.

[@cssr26]

LOVE the special edition episode!!!

[@andiscott8470]

This is SO on my list... I have wanted to do a trip like this for years... 🙂 Thanks for sharing.

[@pterrypower5140]

Very nice adventure for you two. Loved the video and yes, it was pricey but what great memories you both will have. 🎉

[@Victorflange]

That looks like an amazing day, I really want to give it a try.

[@curtisdaniel9294]

I'm glad you did this trip! A great change of pace from sailing. ❤

[@Geoduck.]

Gary, this is great content and appreciated. I know this is primarily a cruse channel however providing some train content is worthwhile because some of us may include a train voyage before or after a cruse.

[@PaulGodfrey]

That did look a great train for a special trip. Excursion trains have become very expensive. Quite often over £100 for standard class non dining. And nudging £300 for first class dining. So not that crazy expensive in terms of today's excursion trains.

[@iangillard9397]

As always, excellent review Gary; looked like you both had a great day 😀

[@DanetteSWhite]

Very elegant, fancy. Wonderful decor.

[@lynneshrode2927]

What an awesome experience! Thank you for the insight into it. When in Peru, we took the Hiram Bingham to Machu Picchu. It was fabulous, I highly recommend!

[@raphischuster2060]

I really enjoy Your cruise content sir but its also nice seeing You do something different and i would enjoy more videos like that from trains or airlines as well as Your cruise related topics thank You.

[@kcwatkins4377]

This brought me joy.

[@whome8444]

I love the train episode! I wanted more footage. Great Memory!

[@theresamm21]

I loved this content!!! I hope we as viewers can see much more in the future!

[@lizcampbell2354]

Fabulous content tbankyou .I am booked for Christmas lunch departing from Newcastle .

[@jenna6149]

How delightful! Though it's likely going to stay a dream I would love to take a luxury train vacation.

[@judywelday9387]

Thank you so much! That train day trip looks fabulous.

[@Diana-007]

Gary you deserve a treat for all your hard work sharing your tips for travelling with us, well done Mark glad he appreciates you too. Flying Scotsman next ?? I’ve always fancied it and hubby is a bit of a train buff, I see they are doing a 3 day whisky experience, pretty expensive be great if you could try it out first 😁 he has a special birthday coming up! 🥰🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🇬🇧

[@tipsfortravellers]

Yes, I would love to try that. that is super costly though... but tempting.....

[@hettytravels]

What a fun, and well narrated, video. I actually think the price wasn’t half bad! Love trains!

[@Clutching.My.Pearls]

Thank you Gary and Mark for taking us on an adventure on land!! We're planning on a trip in 2025 to the United Kingdom and we'll look into this once in a lifetime side trip. ❤❤

[@andie9762]

What a lovely day. Thanks for sharing.

[@user-wm4eq2ie4o]

Just subscribe to your channel after bingeing on your cruise videos. They are very informative and made me think about what I would like in a cruise having only done a few adventure type cruises. BUT I love trains so I throughly enjoyed this video. Keep up your excellent and enjoyable videos😊

[@Smokeyham]

Comparing this experience with a 3-day cruise aboard a low cost cruise line does not seem to be comparing like items. The experience looks wonderful but is not to everyone's taste. Thanks for posting this and giving us an idea of what the experience is like.

[@northernbelle788]

Thank you both for joining us on board our wonderful train and for creating such an entertaining video. Of course a huge thank you for Mark for spending his bonus on the journey. See you again in the future!

[@tipsfortravellers]

It was a great trip. Definitely will be back 👍🏻

[@jetdriver]

@northernbelle788 don’t you think for the price drinks with your meals should be included?

[@northernbelle788]

Hi@@jetdriver inclusions vary depending on the journey, for instance, our Champagne Afternoon Teas include a half bottle of Laurent-Perrier NV Brut per passenger. Gary and Mark travelled on one of our day trip journeys which included a welcome Mimosa cocktail with the brunch, a glass of Champagne when re-joining the train for the return journey and a half bottle of wine per passenger to compliment the dinner. Also included but not mentioned is unlimited still and sparkling spring water. Any additional drinks can be purchased from the bar, but most people are satisfied with the inclusive selection.

[@teresaking9538]

Lovely day out! I looked up the schedule to see if I could do a trip 😊

[@lilbatz]

Jelly! That trip looked fabulous. Though you say it's spendy, it's cheaper than two top tier Broadway show tickets with dinner. (alas, I have The Poors, and couldn't do the train nor the show lol)

[@christianoliver3572]

Honestly £440 doesn't seem to be too much to pay for this experience. I'm guessing that they have included alcoholic wine/champagne and if you want something fancier that option is there for you but it's extra. The food, service, entertainment, and the train itself looks stunning. And it's about the experience.

[@lilbatz]

For two people, in NYC, Broadway show tickets and dinner/after glow coukd easily top $1K, if you really splash out.

[@christianoliver3572]

@@lilbatz I've spent more than that on a bottle of Bordeaux in New Orleans. Prices of everything are just stupid right now and the first thing that becomes out of reach are the luxuries that sooth some of our souls. So honestly I do think it's a good value but I'd caution Americans and other non Europeans what exactly the voyage is all about. I'd love this but I'm pretty sure many of my fellow Texans might not understand how amazing it is that those American Pullman cars made in the Chicago area and shipped to the UK still even exist. We don't have much of a passenger rail heritage past the 1950s which was two decades before my birth. For me it would be as much about the train than the journey.

[@margaretanncarno4014]

Loved this trip! Thank you

[@smnangle]

nice, love train trips, price and value are two different things, so pick and choose and enjoy your time on this planet

[@karenjordan5731]

Beautiful sunset ❤ great video.

[@TheOnlyLilithcat]

Sadly, when I took the Orient Express to Venice last year, Belmond had to cancel the British Pullman/coach/Eurotunnel Le Shuttle portion of the trip and put us on the Eurostar instead. All thanks to delays at border crossings at Calais, due to Brexit. It was a delightful trip nonetheless, and we received a substantial onboard credit. I hope that one day I can do the British Pullman, because it looks fantastic!

[@SoloonaCruise]

Wow, a fun change. I like these kinds of posts. But these kind of trips are so dear.

[@JaniceStewart863]

Really enjoyed this video.

[@hortensehorseman5328]

Thank you for this video. I love trains and hope to take this train.

[@LMays-cu2hp]

Thank you for the both of you on a great trsin trip for the day. I agree with Mark as well, I am not a backwards seating person. I did enough of that because of my career flying. Yes, the jump seats were enough for me in those years. Now, as I have traveled, I prefer to sit forward. But yes, if I am traveling with a friend or relative then I give up a good seat as a courtesy to another person.

[@baseballfan99]

Great review. I am booking this for next year 👍

[@dzikijohnny]

You need more train travels on this channel to mix things up.

[@Chandransingham]

Very helpful. Thanks. Perhaps you could do one on the Orient Express also.

[@mallery7]

Looks fun and luxurious!

[@naren2k6]

That looks like a real bucket list train journey, even at $554/ US it seems to be worth it, you are treated like Royalty. True its a bit rich. Great video Sir.

[@michelleking6843]

What a great day. I love trains and train travel.

[@MrTommyboy357]

Thank you Mark!

[@Dot_Skeith]

Glad to of watched this. Never for me. Great video as always!

[@stustuart7323]

Loved this Gary....we both love cruises and I love trains (not my husband tho)

[@gilliandrysdale5306]

this looked very special even if it was expensive but when you consider what a first class railfair between tow distant uk cities can cost it doesn’t seem as bad

[@stormythelowcountrykitty7147]

How much fun! Good for you!!!

[@phyllisvasquez5027]

What a lovely day, would love to experience this.