Most of our travel is about getting to the place, preferably as fast and cheaply as possible. To this end we put up with budget airlines, ridiculous queues, grabbed snacks or junk food instead of proper meals and often lots of stress. So it was wonderful to go on a trip that was all about the journey for a change and travelling in an old-style luxury train with interesting people at the weekend was just that.
The train with it's fabulously old refurbished Pullman carriages was comfort itself. The chairs moved forwards and backwards like car seats and were clean, comfortable and well-cushioned. There was thick wooden panelling and fringed brass lampshades. The route was picturesque most of the way - from Scarborough to Oxford - and took hours and hours. During that time we wandered up and down the carriages, met old acquaintances and new friends and ate and drank lots. The food was superb and I was amazed that they managed to produce dishes that could grace any high-end restaurant table from such a small galley. We started with a Full English at breakfast and moved on to sandwiches and scones with jam and cream before searching out the bar car, a quaint Art Deco carriage with armchairs and coffee tables and plush red carpet.
By the time we reached Oxford we were full and lazy and it was raining again. We only had a couple of hours anyway (I told you this was about the journey) so we decided to head for one of our favourite galleries at the Ashmolean Museum and after a browse decamp to their friendly rooftop restaurant but only for a cup of tea because we were still full from all the morning's food.
Back on the train we began the slow rail home. This was the best bit as the sun was, if not quite over the yardarm then at least well into the afternoon position. No sooner had we settled back into our seats with our good friends Sue and Harry then our dinner arrived - Beef Wellington for me - and a bottle of spicy red Shiraz to wash it down. The courses kept arriving and the bottle-levels kept descending before coffee came to save us and a walk down to the bar carriage for a digestive nightcap (it was dark by now) finished us off before our train delivered us into the late night station and a taxi home.
It was a day off the roundabout that seems to spin faster this time of year and my friend Sue summed it up nicely, "It's just so good to sit, relax and chat about anything and everything. Life gets too hectic sometimes and this is a great release in beautiful surroundings with oh so lovely food. Just what we all need I think."
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| The Dining Carriage |
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| Dave, Dianne Sue and Harry |
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| The Bar Carriage |
