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Steam Special - Tribute to the Bournemouth Belle

Saturday 2nd July 2022

London

Your Journey

Back in the 1930s and 40s the rich and famous, including Hollywood legends, rock stars, aristocrats and even royalty would sip cocktails all dressed up in their finery, as they wallowed in the luxury of the legendary Bournemouth Belle, the last and most famous of Britain’s great Pullman trains.

Many were on their way to catch giant ocean- going liners to America from Southampton. Others were just heading off to “take the air” on the South Coast beaches. But all were determined to reach their destination with the utmost panache. 

For to mark the 90th anniversary of the Bournemouth Belle’s very first trip from London on July 5, 1931, we are planning to recreate all the style of that glamorous journey with the Northern Belle’s umber-and- cream painted Pullman-style carriages.

You will be welcomed aboard over a red carpet by a liveried steward before being handed a glass of champagne while you sink back into the armchair by your neatly laid- out table, ready for brunch lovingly prepared by our on board chef, Matthew Green. 

Then after five hours at leisure in Bournemouth – with its Victorian pier, golden beaches and green parks – a delicious five-course meal will be served during the journey back to London.

Saturday 2nd July 2022

Departing from

London

  • London Victoria

    • Destination

  • Bournemouth

We are currently awaiting provisional timings.
Timings are subject to network rail confirmation 7 days prior to departure.
View Sample Menu

STEAM – NOT GUARANTEED

Steam haulage is not guaranteed and may be replaced by a heritage diesel locomotive in the event of dry conditions (due to fire risk from embers) or mechanical failure, as many steam engines are over 100 years old. The journey will still operate as planned regardless of the locomotive used.

If the trip is diesel-hauled, guests will receive a £30 credit per person, equivalent to the steam supplement. While this is unlikely, we believe in being transparent and will notify you by email as soon as possible should any changes occur.

Book Your Tickets

Saturday, 2nd July 2022
Steam Special - Tribute to the Bournemouth Belle

In honour of one of the most famous " Belle" trains to ever run,  we are paying tribute to the Bournemouth Belle train service, by recreating a special day  trip to Bournemouth with the Northern Belle carriages and a vintage steam locomotive.

Round trip travel on the Northern Belle

Welcome drink; sparkling Bellini cocktail

Delicious three-course brunch on the outward journey

Morning tea and coffee

Afternoon at leisure in Bournemouth

Champagne reception back on board

Five course dinner: British seasonal table d’hôte menu including Great British cheese board, biscuits and chutneys

Bottle of wine per couple

Tea, coffee and petit fours

£ per passenger

Sold Out

Add to waitlist

Join the waitlist!

Enter your phone number below to join the waitlist for this journey. If any seats become available, our reservations team will be in touch by phone.

If you have any questions, our reservations team is available on 01270 907010, Monday to Friday, 9:30am–5:00pm.

Upgrade your journey
Laurent-Perrier Class

In addition to our Steam Special - Tribute to the Bournemouth Belle journey why not upgrade your on-board experience to include the following:

Champagne reception upgraded with Laurent-Perrier Brut Millésime Vintage 2012

Bottle of wine upgraded from our Northern Belle Collection per couple

Bottle of Laurent-Perrier La Cuvée Brut NV per couple

Additional £95per passenger

Single travellers will receive half bottles of these derivatives.

Sold Out

Add to waitlist

Join the waitlist!

Enter your phone number below to join the waitlist for this journey. If any seats become available, our reservations team will be in touch by phone.

If you have any questions, our reservations team is available on 01270 907010, Monday to Friday, 9:30am–5:00pm.

Experience another class
KRUG Class

In partnership with KRUG champagne we introduce another class of travel.

In addition to our Steam Special - Tribute to the Bournemouth Belle journey why not upgrade your on-board experience to include the following:

  • Bottle of KRUG Grand Cuvée Champagne per couple

  • Bottle of wine upgraded from our Northern Belle Collection per couple

  • Seating allocated in Duart formerly a carriage on The Royal Train or Glamis named after Her Majesty’s childhood home

  • A memorable gift on departure

Additional  £195per passenger - very limited availability

Single travellers will receive half bottles of these derivatives.

Sold Out

Add to waitlist

Join the waitlist!

Enter your phone number below to join the waitlist for this journey. If any seats become available, our reservations team will be in touch by phone.

If you have any questions, our reservations team is available on 01270 907010, Monday to Friday, 9:30am–5:00pm.

Have questions?

Please read our most frequent questions here, if you don't see what you're looking for, visit our full list of Travellers Tips.

If you still have questions, please don't hesitate to get in touch with our reservations team.

Get in touch

Northern Belle has limited tables for two. We are happy to take a request, however this is not a guarantee and there is a chance that you may be sharing a table of four with another couple. Subject to availability you may guarantee a table for two by paying a supplement of £105 per passenger. When booking online if private tables of two are available you can select your preference, but you can select a shared table without a supplement subject to availability.

All of the Northern Belle carriages are vintage pullman style. Each row of seats is a table for two and across the aisle a table for four.

Yes. If notified at the time of booking, we will do our best to comply with any dietary requirements. These include Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten Free, Pescetarian and the exclusion of certain ingredients such as nuts, onions and dairy. Unfortunately, we are unable to provide meals requiring strict religious observance in preparation. Please order at least 14 days prior to travel to ensure we can order the supplies to the train whilst on tour. Please note that due to the small preparation areas on the train we cannot guarantee cross contamination within the kitchen and if you have severe allergic reactions then please call the reservations team to discuss. When you book on line you will find a section to list your passenger’s dietary needs and other comments.

We are able to accommodate passengers with slight walking difficulties. However, we recommend they are accompanied by a carer. We regret that our carriages cannot be boarded on wheelchair. Staff are able to assist passengers to their seats and folding wheelchairs can be stored during the journey.

Some journeys are not suitable for people with disabilities. Should you have any special requirements please contact your nearest reservations office.

For a journey aboard the Northern Belle luxury train, adhere to the smart casual dress code. Choose comfortable yet stylish attire and wear appropriate footwear for day trips that may involve walking.

Please Note

  • All timings shown on this website are for your guidance only—a confirmed schedule will be supplied with your travel documents
  • Steam: Due to the antique nature of the locomotive from time to time the engines do sadly fail, in this situation we will reserve the right to substitute the advertised locomotive with a replacement. In the unlikely event we can not obtain a substitute we will run the excursion with a heritage diesel locomotive and offer a credit of £30pp or a voucher of £75pp to put towards a future trip.
  • Please ensure you bring your travel documents on the day of your journey
  • If booking up to eight (8) weeks prior to departure, a non-refundable 15% deposit is required to secure your seats
  • Payment is required in full if you are booking within eight (8) weeks of travel
  • Bookings of two attract a surcharge of £105 per passenger for a private table for two
  • Bookings of five or six attract a surcharge of £210 for the use of the private table for two
  • Full payment and cancellation details can be found in our Terms and Conditions page >

Our Best Available rate is subject to availability at time of booking, it is not applicable for parties of 12 or more. Please contact [email protected] for group pricing.

Customer Reviews

I just wanted to write a short email to give fantastic feedback for Lucy, Glenn and Arwen on the Hull-Edinburgh trip today (9th November) - Harlech. All three of them were absolutely excellent and made this very first and very special trip excellent for me and my mum. Thank you so, so much. I cannot believe how tirelessly and diligently they all worked to resolve minor issues and they really do deserve heaps of praise. We've never travelled in this way or experienced this kind of service before.

Amber
27 Jan 2025

Just a quick note to say a big Thank You ! to you and all at Northern Belle. My family and I thoroughly enjoyed the whole Northern Belle experience ! Memories for a lifetime !!! Special thanks should go to the “greeter” at Chesterfield station (sorry, I don’t know here name), the lady who played the bagpipes at the railway station, the chefs, the driver (a very smooth journey at speed after the initial delay), the magician, the musicians and the onboard crew … in particular the stewards, Jo, Asim and Jamie, who provided a 5* silver service. Exemplary service from beginning to end !! I also really appreciate the exceptional efforts to which your onboard chefs went to accommodate the menu changes for my mentally-disabled son. They were all perfect !

Mark
27 Jan 2025

I feel the need to contact you to express our sincere thanks to you, your booking teams, the staff on board and exceptional attentive service on board during our wonderful journey on Saturdays Settle Carlisle train experience We were booked on Belvoir carriage in seats 19 and 20. Treated to excellent service by Phil, Lucy and Tom during our journey They were pleasant, spent time talking to passengers, provided efficient professional service and ensured our experience on board went without a hitch Thank you Northern Belle for a wonderful day and now looking forward to our next trip to Torquay on 20th August

Roy & Sue
27 Jan 2025

This was our third time onboard the Northern Belle and it was just as magical as ever. Having previously enjoyed Edinburgh at Christmas routes we opted for a summertime excursion as a pleasant change. The addition of a trip on the Dartmouth Steam Railway and Riverboat made for a great addition to the trip, especially with the hot and sunny weather we enjoyed amidst the lush landscape of the area. We all book for the opulence of the train and the exceptional food (huge thanks to the chef for the culinary delights we feasted on) but the heart of the experience truthfully is the wonderful staff who offer warm greetings and high attention to detail.

Ben
27 Jan 2025

May I just take this opportunity to thank you and all your colleagues again for the most incredible experience on board The Northern Belle. It was a very special part of my 60th birthday celebrations and exceeded all of our expectations. The most amazing celebration and I am eternally grateful.

Pamela
27 Jan 2025

We travelled on the Derby to Sheffield return first class on the Christmas special with a 7 course lunch on Britains most luxurious train. It was like going back to the 1930's with a champagne reception and turkey main course. The train staff were wonderful. the food was top quality and the entertainment and atmosphere was well worth the money.

David T
19 Dec 2024

Steam Special - Tribute to the Bournemouth Belle Dates

In honour of one of the most famous " Belle" trains to ever run,  we are paying tribute to the Bournemouth Belle train service, by recreating a special day  trip to Bournemouth with the Northern Belle carriages and a vintage steam locomotive.