A Symphony
of Flavour

Dining Excursions on the Northern Belle

Enjoy a luxurious feast for all the senses, with mouth-watering food and carefully chosen wines, as the rich and varied tapestry of Britain's finest landscapes glides gently by.

Dining is at the very heart of the Northern Belle experience, and here the train does something no other luxury train in the world does. It is the only one to offer a true à la carte menu, with your dishes chosen on the day rather than fixed weeks in advance. Everything is cooked to order in a kitchen barely larger than a cupboard, which makes what comes out of it all the more remarkable.

The menus are built on the finest seasonal produce of the British Isles under Food and Beverage Director Brian Clark and the executive head chef and his team. You might begin with English river trout, move on to grass-fed Hereford beef or halibut landed that morning, and finish with a patisserie course that would not look out of place in a Michelin dining room. Each course is matched by the sommelier, and the award-winning British cheeseboard arrives with chutney, fruit cake, biscuits and a glass of port.

A dining excursion is the purest form of the Northern Belle day. There is no coach, no admission ticket and no schedule to keep. The train sets out on a long circular route, the meal unfolds across four or more unhurried hours, and passengers do not disembark at all. All you have to do is sit at your table and watch the country go by.

The routes are chosen for the view. The Cornish Lunch runs out onto Brunel's sea wall at Dawlish, where the track is so close to the water that spray reaches the glass. The West Highland Line, regularly voted the most scenic railway in the world, climbs across Rannoch Moor with the Grampians filling the windows. Strolling musicians move between the carriages throughout, and every journey opens with a Champagne reception and closes with Fortnum & Mason tea and petits fours.

Special dietary requirements can be catered for, including vegetarian, vegan, gluten free and pescatarian menus and the exclusion of specific ingredients, as long as we are told at the time of booking and at least fourteen days before you travel. We regret that meals requiring strict religious observance in their preparation cannot be provided.

Journeys and Departure Dates

7 departures are still to come in this collection, 2 in 2026 and 5 in 2027. Every date shown is open for booking; dates that have already run have been removed.

All timings are for guidance only. Confirmed timings are supplied with your travel documents, which are sent five to seven days before departure once Network Rail releases the final path. Fares are per person and all-inclusive. A supplement of £105 per person secures a table for two, subject to availability.

Cornish Lunch via Dawlish

Dining Excursion

From£445

This is one of the most beautiful stretches of railway in the country and one of the best places in Britain to eat lunch. The Northern Belle runs west from South Wales and Bristol, over the Somerset Levels and down through Devon, then out onto Brunel's sea wall at Dawlish where the track runs so close to the water that the spray reaches the windows.

Lunch is seven courses, cooked to order in the train's small kitchen and served as the coast slides past, with the red cliffs of Teignmouth on one side and the open Channel on the other. The train continues into Cornwall before turning for home, and nobody disembarks, so the whole day is spent at your table.

Your day includes:

• A Champagne reception on boarding
• A seven-course luncheon chosen from the à la carte menu
• The sommelier's choice of wine and port with the cheeseboard
• Strolling musicians on board
• Fortnum & Mason tea and petits fours

Smart day wear is appropriate on lunch journeys. Please avoid jeans and trainers.

At a Glance

From

£445 pp

Table for 2

+£105 pp

Style

Day excursion

Departures

2

Years

2026 & 2027

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Destination

Circular, no disembarking

Departure Dates and Timings

Date	Boarding Station	Depart	Return	Price
17 September 2026	Cardiff Central	10:00	20:00	£445
	Newport	10:45	19:30
	Bristol Temple Meads	11:30	19:00
	Taunton	12:25	18:15
16 September 2027	Cardiff Central	10:00	20:00	£495
	Newport	10:45	19:30
	Bristol Temple Meads	11:30	19:00
	Taunton	12:25	18:15

Fares are per person and all-inclusive. A supplement of £105 per person secures a table for two, subject to availability. Send an enquiry or call 0333 405 0192 to book.

West Highland Lunch

Dining Excursion

From£465

The West Highland Line is regularly voted the most scenic railway in the world, and the Northern Belle takes it at exactly the right pace. The train leaves Glasgow, runs along the Clyde and up the shore of Gare Loch, then climbs across the great emptiness of Rannoch Moor with the Grampians filling the windows.

Lunch runs to seven courses and is served throughout, so the scenery and the cooking arrive together. There is no disembarking, no coach, nothing to do but sit back with a glass in your hand and watch Scotland go by.

Your day includes:

• A Champagne reception on boarding
• A seven-course luncheon with the sommelier's choice of wine
• The British cheeseboard served with port
• Strolling musicians on board
• Fortnum & Mason tea and petits fours

Smart day wear is appropriate on lunch journeys. Please avoid jeans and trainers.

At a Glance

From

£465 pp

Table for 2

+£105 pp

Style

Day excursion

Departures

2

Years

2026 & 2027

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Destination

Circular, no disembarking

Departure Dates and Timings

Date	Boarding Station	Depart	Return	Price
21 October 2026	Edinburgh Park	10:05	19:45	£465
	Maryhill	10:55	18:50
	Dalmuir	11:15	18:30
10 June 2027	Glasgow Central	10:05	19:30	£495

Fares are per person and all-inclusive. A supplement of £105 per person secures a table for two, subject to availability. Send an enquiry or call 0333 405 0192 to book.

Summer Lunch - West Highland Line

Dining Excursion

From£495

The summer running of the West Highland Line is the one to catch if you can. The long northern light holds well into the evening, the lochs are still and the hills carry their colour late, and the train has the line largely to itself.

As on all the Northern Belle's dining excursions, the meal is the day. Seven courses, cooked to order aboard the train, matched by the sommelier and served without hurry through some of the finest scenery in Europe.

Your day includes:

• A Champagne reception on boarding
• A seven-course summer luncheon with the sommelier's choice of wine
• The British cheeseboard served with port
• Strolling musicians on board
• Fortnum & Mason tea and petits fours

Smart day wear is appropriate on lunch journeys. Please avoid jeans and trainers.

At a Glance

From

£495 pp

Table for 2

+£105 pp

Style

Day excursion

Departures

3

Years

2027

---

Destination

Circular, no disembarking

Departure Dates and Timings

Date	Boarding Station	Depart	Return	Price
24 July 2027	Glasgow Central	10:05	20:30	£495
25 July 2027	Edinburgh Waverley	09:45	19:25	£495
	Dalmuir, Glasgow	11:00	18:15
8 August 2027	Edinburgh Waverley	09:50	21:00	£495
	Dalmuir, Glasgow	10:55	19:10

Fares are per person and all-inclusive. A supplement of £105 per person secures a table for two, subject to availability. Send an enquiry or call 0333 405 0192 to book.