Among the thousands of people travelling to Cheltenham on Friday (13 March) for the Gold Cup will be almost 300 doing it in unique style.
The lucky few are those who have paid £799 or £999 to make their way from London to the Festival on the 1930s Northern Belle. Standard tickets on the restored Pullman-style train are a snip at the lower price, but for those who want that extra touch of style, there’s the Krug Class option.
Passengers will walk a red carpet across the platform at Paddington and settle into the Northern Belle’s seven carriages, each named after a British castle or stately home, to enjoy a mimosa served by stewards in full livery.
Yorkshire businessman David Pitts, who bought the vintage train from the Belmond Orient Express group, said: “Who says there’s a financial crisis? We sold out in record time and could have sold twice as many tickets. We’ve been running the train for several years, but we’ve never had such a response before.”
A three-course “caviar brunch” is on offer on the outward journey – the sample menu features granola with Peak District honey and Earl Grey syrup and treacle-cured bacon with souffle potato – and a National Hunt jockey will be on hand to share tips for the day’s racing. The train has its own musicians and conjurer to ensure no one gets bored on the journey to Evesham station, which lasts about two and a half hours.
The Northern Belle leaves Evesham at about 8.45pm for the return journey, during which a five-course dinner, port and wine will be served. The food is prepared by a chef whose clients have included The King, Rod Stewart and Madonna.
“Not everybody can afford to stump up £1,000 to go to Cheltenham but no matter how they get on with the racecourse bookies, our passengers will be on a winner with the Northern Belle,” said Mr Pitts. “That’s a cert.”
The train will also take passengers from Manchester, Crewe and Birmingham to ladies’ day at Royal Ascot in June, and from London to Goodwood in July.
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