I DIDN’T believe time travel to be possible.
Yet one Thursday morning, as I boarded a seemingly-ordinary train from London Victoria headed for Dover, I found myself in a time-blurred bubble of flapper girls dripping in pearls, neatly-trimmed top hats and freshly-polished silverware.
Step back in time and have a rail adventure on aboard the Belmond British Pullman[/caption]
The roaring 20s, it seems, still lives on this luxury train[/caption]
The roaring 20s, it seems, still lives on aboard the Belmond British Pullman.
A rail adventure on this luxury train has been on my bucket list ever since I first devoured The Great Gatsby.
The railway company offers day and weekend-long journeys through the British countryside – some by steam locomotives – and each offering guests the chance to step back in time to when train travel was civilised but reserved for the wealthy.
I was travelling on The Golden Age of Travel itinerary, a five-hour 1920s-themed round trip, (itineraries to stately homes are equally popular, as well as the recently-launched and fully-immersive Murder Mystery journeys).
The experience begins before you even alight, with a British Pullman sign guiding you to a private check-in area where champagne and orange juice are flowing.
If you get lost, simply follow the music.
A live trio in 1920s attire, set the tone at the check-in area, before I’m taken to my carriage.
The British Pullman is sister company of the world-famous Orient Express and sits under the Belmond umbrella which owns high-end hotels such as Raymond Blanc’s Le Manoir.
The company’s attention to detail is obvious on the Pullman.
The vintage carriages are immaculately cared for.
Each has kept its original name and has its own story to tell.
I was seated in Gwen, built in 1922 to become part of the Brighton Belle, a Southern Railway service operating between the capital and Brighton.
British actor, Laurence Olivier, was supposedly devastated when Gwen and the Belle went out of service 40 years later.
“Sir Laurence was miffed to no longer be dining on his typical breakfast of kippers and scrambled eggs,” my waitress-for-the-day shared once my table was seated.
I was expecting cuisine a little more glamorous and the five-course fine dining menu didn’t disappoint.
A delicate Cornish hake was followed by a spinach soup, served from a huge silver tureen – the waiter did not look anywhere near as alarmed as the diners as he ladled out the soup.
I was expecting cuisine a little more glamorous and the five-course fine dining menu didn’t disappoint
Main courses were followed by a break at Dover station, with English sparkling wine and more entertainment on the platform – the same singers from the check-in area would later serenade me at my table during dessert.
True to its name, much of the produce on board is local and British, including the cheese course, which pretty much finished me off.
Fittingly, the setting sun’s golden rays streamed through the windows as our Golden Age trip chugged back into London.
What I wouldn’t do for just one more hour, I thought. I’m not ready to return to 2025.
GO: The Golden Age of Travel trip costs from £535pp, including a five-course meal, unlimited wine and soft drinks and entertainment. See belmond.com.
