We Rode the UK's Most Luxurious Trains (British Pullman vs Northern Belle)
YouTube travel video transcript documenting Nate and Kara Buchanan comparing two British luxury day trains: the British Pullman and the Northern Belle. The hosts describe onboard amenities, period restoration and history, multi-course meals and service, routes (many circular/day trips), and their subjective impressions—Pullman being more historic with opening windows and ornate details, Northern Belle offering air-conditioning and a party atmosphere. The piece includes sponsor remarks and on-location notes (Bath, Cardiff).
Chapters
Today we're comparing the two most luxurious day trains in the uk. First, we'll be spending the day on board England's most iconic train, the British Pullman.
I love how many people are taking photos of our train when we drive by.
Then we'll head west to Wales, where we'll board the lesser known but equally elegant Northern Belle.
Would you mind kissing me on the hand?
Kissing it.
Stick around to see what you get when you pay over $1,000 for a train that doesn't actually take you anywh.
Good morning from London Victoria. Today we are riding one of the most iconic trains in the world, the British Pullman. This is one of those days where it is truly more about the journey than the destination. And I think this is the first train that we've ever ridden that doesn't actually take us anywhere. We end up right back here in London tonight.
The experience started before we even got on the train. After checking in, we were greeted with some welcome drinks.
Started the morning with an apple juice it is, actually.
And while we waited to board the train, we got to listen to live music and snap a few fun photos.
Lovely.
Okay, so you just have to point it at us. It's already going.
Okay.
Right.
I don't need to press anything, guys.
Perfect. Here we go.
Step on ball.
Turn to the right.
Okay.
And Arthur's going to follow you in. Show to your seats and I'll bring your camera.
Go on, Arthur.
Thank you very much.
I feel like I'm alive.
Proof. Nailing it.
You're nailing it.
Didn't know the train came with the video.
The door first.
Oh, my God.
All yours.
Wow.
Very fancy.
I can sign off now.
Thank you so much.
Thank you so much.
Your payment later.
Thank you.
Oh, my gosh. This is our train seat. We have our own private room. It feels like a time capsule. Like I'm just sitting in 1922 in my fine dining table, waiting for my tea.
Are you a British smoker?
I mean, it's 1922.
Everybody smokes.
Tiny smokers. Like an ashtray handy.
Wow, that's impressive.
I used to work in Magic Circle.
Bravo. And we're off. They've just served us Bellinis, which is ice cold prosecco with seasonal pressed fruit puree.
We've been going a total of two and a half minutes, and I already don't want it to be over.
Just enjoying the British urban side.
Before this train goes any further, let me quickly fill you in on a little bit of the British Pullman's history. The first Ever Pullman coach began service in 1874, which set the standard for luxury train service. I was surprised to learn that the company's founder, George Pullman, was actually an American engineer who only later decided to bring the Pullman train service to the beautiful British country. The carriages on the British Pullman have carried many famous people from around the world, including Winston Churchill and Queen Elizabeth. And they've all been restored and maintained in a way that's meant to transport you back in time to the era of when these elegant trains were built. More on that in a minute.
That is amazing. I mustache to get along.
Usually I'm the only one who gets excited about food around here. But when it comes to crunchy, buttery, sugary breakfast pastries, I'm your guy.
Coffee and Prosecco.
Coffee and brine.
Deal?
Yeah.
Life is all about balance. Yesterday we were trying to ride electric surfboards across the English Channel.
And we.
Spent most of the day stranded on a boat in the middle of the ocean. We went to sleep at 2am last night. Had to be in London at 9. Thankfully, there's coffee.
Do I look as tired as I feel right now?
Top three prettiest parfaits I've ever had.
Brunch is settled.
Simple, yet divine.
So the British Pullman operates a lot of different routes.
The route that we're on today is.
Called the Historic Bathroom.
And the plan for today is to take a three and a half hour.
Journey to Bath, which we are currently.
On, during which we're obviously being served a very delicious brunch. Then we have a few hours to.
Explore the city and then we have.
A three and a half hour train.
Ride back to London where we'll be served a very fancy dinner. Told you yesterday was a long day.
It's a push quick little mid brunch bathroom tour.
Wow.
I'm pretty sure this is the best.
Shared bathroom on any train I've ever experienced. Of course, our private bathroom on the Orient Express with the emerald sink and our own shower is the best of all. But this, the floor itself is art. Look at this mosaic. There's an orchid, the soap and moisturizer.
I kid you not, I just put this lotion all over my body like it was sunscreen on spring break. 10 out of 10. Even the lock and door handle are pretty.
We're about an hour and a half into the ride and the landscape has totally changed. It is nothing but rolling green hills and beautiful farmland. Also, we've been seeing these vibrant yellow fields ever since we arrived in the uk. A Week ago. And we just figured out that it's rapesee, which is what they use to make canola oil. Who knew canola oil came from such a beautiful plant?
Whoa.
Baby. They call this Avocado Crunch. Served with truffle pearls, poached egg, toasted English muffin and hollandaise sauce.
So good. I've never liked hollandaise sauce, but this one's amazing.
Wow. Fanc.
Thank you, Danny.
Oh, you're welcome.
This is the prettiest water bottle holder I've ever seen. Thank you.
Time to go explore Bath.
So the town of Bath was actually founded in 60 AD by the Romans because actually hot springs here where they would come to use the baths.
Oh, it's thick.
It's kind of like medicine. It's not enjoyable when it goes down.
But it's supposed to be good for you minerally.
I believe we just accidentally joined a walking tour. And fun fact about Bath, the entire city is the only full city in all of England to be considered a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Kind of felt like I was gonna hit me in the face.
Wow, I get it.
Real quick. I want to say a big thank.
You to Surf Shark for sponsoring this video.
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In the description below.
Train's gonna leave us.
Gotta go back to London.
Hello. Welcome.
Thank you.
It's a bit warm in here.
This train was built in the 1920s, so there's no AC, but they did get this.
Fans.
Warm sun, sunny days in the UK are always welcome in my book.
Well, bath is beautiful. Goodbye, bath.
That is some good looking bread. Babies outside. We don't belong here. Starting with the sourdough with charcoal.
Oh, I had a butter knife the whole time.
Oops.
That never happened.
When I was a teenager, my parents made me take a class about manners and fancy dining and I hate it going to it. And now I really wish I would have paid attention and listened because I'm not exactly sure what to do with all of this stuff.
I think the top ones are for your appetizers, and then you start from the outside and then work your way in. 1, 2, 3, 4 courses. Wait, this might be dessert. I don't know. We could just Google it. Also, I feel like we should know this.
Do you think I used the fork in the front?
You were so confident.
No, because then I don't have a knife. I think this has got to be dessert. Course number two, crispy artichoke and capers with Sean cheese, herb dressing and nasturtiums.
I was kind of hoping it would, like, ooze with something creamy.
Says the vegan.
This has so much flavor, despite its bland colors. It's exploding in my mouth. It's just tasting like the ultimate comfort food.
Course number three. Am I overdoing the accent? Sorry. Course number three is English rose roasted. Not gonna lie, I'm not sure what that is.
I'm gonna get a little bit of everything.
Sorry, I can't help it.
Oh, my gosh.
I'm literally drooling. I can, like, feel my mouth.
Val.
Of the Maharajas Express, which was just on a level of its own. Can I book a cooking class with you? I do think this is the best food we've ever had on a train. I have not touched the salt and pepper this whole day until right now. I'm judging it technically, and I salt and pepper everything multiple times, like between bites, zero complaints.
After lunch, our train attendant encouraged us to go walk through the train and explore the other nine cars. The train was almost completely full, so it was a little awkward to film, but it was neat to see all the other carriages. And they had recently spent over a million dollars renovating the Cygnus carriage, which was designed by the filmmaker currently going viral on Tik Tok, Wes Anderson.
All the Best.
I'm so sorry.
It's a pleasure to have to thank you. It was an absolute pleasure for us as well. Ten hours later, we have arrived back in London. Tomorrow morning, we will be back at the train station to start another bucket.
List train journey, hopefully after many hours of sleep.
Thanks.
Good morning from Cardiff Central. Yesterday, after finishing up our incredible British Pullman, we made the two and a.
Half hour journey west from London to Cardiff. And in just a few minutes, we.
Are going to be boarding the Welsh.
Version of the British Pullman, the Northern Bell.
And I am really looking forward to seeing how the two experiences stack up.
Hi. Well, welcome to Cardiff and welcome to Wales and I hope you enjoy your trip on Northern Bell today. So you're going to enjoy a champagne lunch today and you're going to be traveling what we call the Golden Triangle through Gloucestershire, through Somerset and background to Cardiff, crossing over the River Severn. So it's got a great atmosphere on board. It's all open plan, everyone's drinking champagne, and we call it the party trade. So you're gonna have fun today. So enjoy.
Have you done that before? Like 10 times?
No.
That was so good.
Nice work.
Thank you so much. I'm sad you're not coming with us. It'd be a blast if we could do it together. All right, we got on with our tennis shoes.
I think this is us.
The Northern Belle has been named Britain's most luxurious train. But is it more luxurious than the British Pullman?
Awkward.
We don't know yet. Hopefully we'll find out soon.
My napkin looks like a robe. Nice glass of money. Yeah, why not? Right, this is the party carriage starting the morning with a special 2012 edition of I already forgotten how to pronounce it, Laurent Perrier.
Also, in case you were wondering, I'm not just wearing my sunglasses inside because I turned into a total diva. Unfortunately, I woke up like this.
My first stye. I'm going to keep my sunglasses on just to cover it up. But also, I kind of feel like it fits the vibe.
Perfect.
Beautiful.
If you're watching this video thinking, wow, these two really have their life together, riding luxury trains all over the world, don't be fooled. You haven't seen what goes on behind the scenes. This morning I was in the hotel room trying to figure out how to pronounce the name of the champagne that we're going to be drinking on this train today.
L' Ouent Perriere.
That's pretty good.
Laird Perrier.
Kara makes fun of me for the way that I say the name of the country that we're in. So I was working on that.
Whales WAILS Wales. Wales.
Whales.
Wales. And Kara was doing a hot compress on her eye, trying to make her stye go away. And last but not least, I was using a hairdryer, trying to bend my sunglasses back in of shape because they went through the wash the other day.
Wow. They're so flexible. Wow.
Maybe put them on your face.
Ow. They're so hot. Sorry.
But we're gonna try to fit in here anyway.
Also, we're wearing the same clothes we wore on the British Pullman because it's the dressiest clothes that we own.
We've just been given a pin.
Wow.
This is officially the nerdiest train thing that I own.
Try not to stab myself.
Do I look like I fit in more now?
Yeah, you do.
Thank you.
Would you prefer me to do it myself or would you? Okay. Thank you so much.
You're welcome.
That feels over the top.
The Northern Belle was originally launched in 2000 and was designed to offer the British equivalent of the iconic Orient Express. Back in the days they call the golden age of rail travel, the elite would ride these insanely luxurious trains called Bell train trains to get to the coast for their holidays. Their journey was just as important as the destination. And that's exactly what the Northern Belle has recreated every year. It carries a total of 18,000 passengers who will drink their way through 7,000 bottles of champagne and 12,000 bottles of wine. No wonder people love it so much.
I cannot take you seriously in these.
Sunglasses because I look so cool.
I mean, it's just very what you would picture someone who rides this train wearing.
Exactly.
Okay.
Whoa.
For lunch today, we are getting served a seven course meal, but technically it's.
Eight because these were the starters on our table when we got here.
Technically, our first course of the day is this.
Vegetarian caviar.
Course number two, hummus and tofu. Of course I'm here.
Vegetarian caviar with sour cream, quail, egg, pickled shallot and parsley.
We've only been on this train for.
Half an hour and we're already moving.
On to course number four, which is her.
Quinoa, crumbled feta, pickled vegetables, salad and lemonade. Bon appetit.
Oh, no, I forgot to Google the proper cutlery order. I'm just gonna go with this, Oregon and this knife. Actually, no, this knife from the same side.
Interesting choice.
Sunglasses are suiting you perfectly.
Mic check.
Mic check.
Somehow, after seven and a half years, we still forget to turn our Microphones on. Hopefully you can hear me now. Sorry if it's been a little quiet.
Next.
We were visited by a magician.
I have a handkerchief. Would you like to see it?
Blue.
I blew it. No, sorry.
No.
Terrible. Sorry. No, it. It won't change color.
It will disappear. Oh.
Would you mind kissing me on the hand?
Kissing it.
Oh.
See, there's the difference between a Brit and an American right there. By the way, the handkerchief will disappear.
Oh, my.
I'll make it come back. And that. I'm so sorry. And I'm so sorry. And.
You got my hand.
What?
No.
What?
Thank you.
Very good.
Did she choose the right silverware?
Which one are you supposed to use?
Ah, right.
Okay. So that was four fish. But you guys didn't have fish, right? Oh, that was a trick. Yep, that's right. Should I use the right one?
No, no.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, you did.
The lock was way cooler on the British Pullman quick toilet tour.
Everything in this bathroom is very petite.
There's a lovely orchid and real towels. I'd say the highlight is definitely the mosaic floor. I feel like it's probably very old.
Oh, yes.
Thank you. I know which cutlery to use in this one.
This spoon, just really fancy like that. I don't know exactly.
Today it's even more annoying when you're wearing the sunglasses.
We have olive, onion or brown bread. I'm going to have to go with onion. Maybe also brown. Why not? Why not bread? Very thankful. Oh, yeah. Great timing for the soup.
This is the intermediate ca spring paste soup with minted.
I have no idea what that means.
Looks like blended peas.
Would you like creme fraiche for the soup?
Yes, please. What is it?
Creme fraiche? Yeah. Is it just cream?
Cream?
Yeah, yeah. Creme fraiche.
Creme frach.
She's only a half a glass of.
Champagne in just for proof.
The mint cream fresh is actually fabulous. Mine takes it from like blended peas to blended peas with a little kick.
So today's route is pretty interesting in the sense that we are actually not going anywhere. Like yesterday when we were on the British Pullman, we ended up up picking.
Back in the same place, but we.
At least stop in bath on this route. We literally just go in a circle and we never get off.
No complaints here.
Let's get a little tour of the rest of the train cars.
The wood in here actually comes from the the trees around alw Castle. So they're all tailored to what stately home or castle that they're based on. So beaver is covered in bees. Apparently the Family at Beaver Castle produce their own honey. So this was actually the Queen Mother's carriage. It was part of the old royal troop. It's famously said that her seat was seat number 20. So her seat was this one, the one that is closest to the kitchen. We don't really know the reason why, but apparently this was her seat.
Hey, I get it.
Yeah.
Do you get your food first?
Well, maybe that was the thing. Maybe she did get it first.
Can I sit in the Queen? Of course you can.
After you see.
Yeah.
The royal seat number 20.
Perfect.
Suits you. Maybe that's your seat now we'll rename it.
And for course number six, the main course.
Forgot we have the spring vegetable. It's a good looks. Fabulous.
It's kind of less fun when you.
Try food with sunglasses on because I can't see your eyes.
I don't care. You're just gonna have to look at my sty. The food has been so good on this train. If I had to compare the two experiences, I feel like the actual, like, food choices on the British Coleman were probably more of, like, my favorite things. But that doesn't mean this isn't good. Also, we've chosen the vegetarian menu on both trains, so what we're eating isn't the same as what he might eat if you do his experience.
Never said this before in my life, but that asparagus is so good.
Wow.
I love it.
You look a very ritzy cup.
Oh, wow. Sunglasses.
One of the biggest differences between the British Pullman and the Northern Bell is that on the British Pullman, the windows opened, which was nice from a filming perspective to be able to get shots outside of the train. However, from a comfort perspective, the Northern Bell has air conditioning, which the British Pullman did not, and it is much.
More comfortable on this train.
So if you're trying to choose between the two, definitely something to take into consideration.
That's where we're staying. That's where I melted my sunglasses.
Carry their compress. I think the journey is actually going to get a lot more beautiful from here. So far, we've just gone out of the city and back into it.
Now we head into the countryside.
I found an open window.
And for dessert, we have the white.
Chocolate and raspberry mousse and espresso martinis.
Cheers.
Feels like it's in my mustache. Very inconvenient thing to have on my face.
As I was doing a little mindful meditation this morning, it just hit me how lucky we are to be doing this. Like, these two trains that we're doing back to back are usually something that people would say for a special occasion, but we get to call this work. And the only reason that we get to do this is because you watch these videos. So thank you so much for allowing this to be our jobs. We are so grateful and we do our best to never take this stuff for granted. Because if we flashback to 2016, Kara and Nate, the idea that we would ever be riding a train that didn't go anywhere but still cost $1,000, that's something my brain would not even have been able to comprehend seven years ago.
So thank you.
Now I feel like I need to take my sunglasses off. This is what we are calling course number eight. They did not include this in their seven course lunch, but it is the great British cheese board. They brought a wooden cheese spread the size of this table through the train car, and you could just choose whatever you wanted. So she really talked up the fruit bread. I don't really like fruit bread, but I got it to be nice.
Hmm.
Okay. I had originally pulled this down because the sun was shining and it wasn't lighting me very well, but I don't want to miss the views.
Cory is back.
My alter ego is named Cory with a K and it's the new me. New sunglasses. I bought some colorful clothes while we were bright.
And.
Cory always has a style.
Last but not least, course number nine, coffee and chocolate.
Honestly, I don't know a better combo.
I did not realize how much you said with your eyes.
Really?
I feel like we were just here.
Have a look.
Six hours later, we have arrived back at Cardiff Central. The train is leaving. Honestly, we are really bad at comparing luxury experiences like this because we're just so grateful to be on them that it's hard to find the flaws. But honestly, if you're watching this video to figure out which of these trains you should go on, you can't go wrong with either one.
Seasonal.
Seasonal.
Pressed.
Few Seasonal. Can't say these words.
Thought about trying the accent.
I love the British accent. Please just know that I'm doing this from a place of love. Honestly, when they brought the cheese board through this car, I thought somebody had tooted, like, all of a sudden, this, like, really strong smell just hit me in the face. But I really think it was just the cheese.
Just. Ow. Enjoy.
You just ripped my toenail off with your shoe. This is the opposite of romantic.
I'm so sorry. Are you okay? Who do you feel like?
I'm a Chamberlain.
Wow. Could it be a more perfect.
The lookout is not good.
I honestly cannot think of a better way to end this video.
