Lake District & Wales
Autumn Journey

London Victoria on a Friday afternoon is a fine place to begin a week-long adventure. The Britannic Explorer is waiting, and there is time to explore the train properly before departure: your private suite, the botanically inspired dining carriages, the Wellness Suite and the bar, which is stocked with an impressive range of small-batch gins. Afternoon tea arrives as the city falls behind, and this one has a distinctly Cumbrian character. Chef Simon Rogan has drawn on his home county for inspiration, and the result includes Kendal mint cake and Grasmere gingerbread alongside the more traditional components of a proper British tea.

The train travels through the heart of England as the afternoon gives way to evening. A treatment in the Wellness Suite is worth considering, as is a cocktail in the bar while the landscape opens up around you. Dinner is served as night falls: Simon Rogan and Head Chef Alexander Wyn Lewis have designed a menu that puts exceptional seasonal British produce at the centre of every plate, cooked with real ambition. The Observation Car provides the natural ending to the evening, with music and dancing keeping things lively until the train settles quietly overnight on the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway in the heart of Bronte country.

An early departure rewards those who are awake for it. The Yorkshire Dales pass the window as breakfast is served, the landscape building steadily as the train heads north. The route's finest moment comes along Morecambe Bay, where the crossing of the Arnside Viaduct brings wide tidal flats, distant Lakeland fells and the glittering bay into view all at once. Grange-over-Sands makes a pleasant setting to finish a final cup of coffee with the sea in front of you.

Ashore, the morning takes you to Graythwaite Estate, a handsome historic manor on the shores of Lake Windermere, surrounded by gardens and ancient woodland. For those who want something more spirited, off-road Land Rover driving, clay pigeon shooting and a RIB boat ride on Windermere are all available, and the autumn scenery for any of them is exceptional.

The afternoon brings a visit to Simon Rogan's farm in the Cartmel Valley, where a guided tour gives real insight into his farm-to-table approach and a seasonal late lunch makes the philosophy rather enjoyable in practice. The train collects everyone at Grange-over-Sands for a relaxed evening on board, with light dining and entertainment before an overnight stop on the Settle and Carlisle line.

The morning begins on one of the great railway journeys in England. The Settle and Carlisle line is regularly voted the most scenic rail route in the country, and breakfast served while crossing the Ribblehead Viaduct is a reasonable way to experience it. The Peak District follows, and the afternoon passes comfortably on board as the landscape gradually softens on the journey south.

By the time Buckinghamshire is reached, thoughts have naturally turned to the evening ahead. A short transfer brings you to Bray and The Waterside Inn, where Alain Roux has presided over one of only a handful of restaurants in the United Kingdom to hold three Michelin stars. The restaurant sits on the banks of the Thames, and the riverside room where dinner is served is a genuinely beautiful setting for food of this quality. The Britannic Explorer is waiting when the evening draws to a close, and the train settles overnight in the Chilterns.

The train arrives at London Victoria in the early morning. A transfer is waiting for those who would like to make use of it, taking you to The Cadogan, a Belmond hotel in Chelsea, where a three-course lunch with wine provides a civilised midpoint to the day. For those who prefer to spend the time independently, London is outside the door.

The Wales section of the journey begins in the afternoon. A Welsh Afternoon Tea is served as the Cotswolds roll past the window in the golden autumn light, with Welsh teacakes and bara brith fruit cake alongside the more familiar components. Chef Rogan's dinner follows as the evening draws in, and the suite and a good night's sleep come shortly afterwards with the Pembrokeshire coast not far ahead.

Morning light over the Pembrokeshire coast is a good reason to be awake early. After a leisurely breakfast, the train pauses at Llandrindod Wells and two very different excursions present themselves. Those who want to be out in the landscape can join a guided walk through the quiet valleys of the Welsh heartlands, where the autumn colours are at their finest. For something altogether more restorative, Farmers' Welsh Lavender offers a swim in the natural pond, time in the sauna, or a comfortable chair by a log fire.

Back on board, the Heart of Wales Line takes over as guide for the afternoon. This undervisited stretch of railway winds through the upland farming country of Carmarthenshire and Powys, the landscape growing steadily more dramatic as the train heads north into Eryri National Park. Known to the wider world as Snowdonia, this is Wales at its most magnificent in autumn: the peaks dusted with the first hints of winter, the valleys richly coloured and the waterfalls running full.

A seven-course gastronomic dinner is served in the evening, a proper occasion that does justice to the landscape outside. The train stables overnight near the historic town of Blaenau Ffestiniog, deep in the mountains of north Wales.

The train travels north in the morning to the seaside town of Llandudno, and breakfast is served as the north Wales coast comes into view. At Llandudno Junction, the train pauses for a choice of excursions in the Conwy Valley. Those who want to be outside can join a scenic guided hike through some of the finest walking country in Wales. Those who prefer their morning indoors can head to Bodnant Welsh Food for a Welsh cake and jam-making workshop at this celebrated cookery school on the Bodnant Estate.

Lunch is served on board as the train begins the long journey south through Mid Wales and Montgomeryshire, passing through Welshpool and crossing into Shropshire. The afternoon is a good time to make use of the Wellness Suite or simply watch the autumn landscape change as Wales gives way to the English Midlands and eventually the Cotswolds.

After dinner on board, the train arrives at Kingham and the evening takes a very enjoyable turn. The Fox at Oddington, a 16th-century inn recently restored by Carole Bamford of Daylesford, is the setting for a private party. Local ales, artisan liqueurs, classic English fare and the opportunity to learn the art of pouring a proper pint make for a warm and convivial end to the last full day on board.

The last breakfast is served as the train moves through Oxfordshire and into the Chilterns. Six nights, seven days, and a remarkable sweep of Britain seen at its autumnal best. The Lakeland fells, the Ribblehead Viaduct, dinner at The Waterside Inn, the Pembrokeshire coast, the Heart of Wales Line, Snowdonia and The Fox at Oddington are not a bad set of memories to be reflecting on over a final coffee. London Victoria arrives, as it always does on the last morning, rather sooner than anyone would like.

Itineraries and timings shown may be changed for seasonal or operational reasons. This journey departs on a Friday afternoon and concludes on a Thursday morning.