editorial

A three-day journey on England’s first luxury sleeper train delivers big on style, scenery, and sensational food. 
Photographs by Christopher P. Hill
<figure id="attachment_148754" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-148754" style="width: 1200px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-148754" src="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Belmond-Britannic-Explorer-Roth-Bar-at-Hauser-Wirth-Somerset-Train-Cabin-Interior.jpg" alt="Roth Bar at the Hauser &amp; Wirth gallery in Bruton, Somerset; a double suite cabin aboard the Britannic Explorer." width="1200" height="862" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-148754" class="wp-caption-text">Left to right: Roth Bar at the Hauser &amp; Wirth gallery in Bruton, Somerset; a double suite cabin aboard the Britannic Explorer.</figcaption></figure>
On the old stone bridge above the tracks at Bishops Lydeard in Somer set, a huddle of trainspotters were snapping away at the line of powder blue carriages drawn up alongside the village’s quaint Victorian-era railway station. They appeared downright giddy at their first glimpse of Britain’s newest luxury sleeper train, though perhaps not as much as the 23 passengers aboard the <a href="https://www.belmond.com/trains/europe/uk/britannic-explorer?DestinAsian" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Britannic Explorer</a> on its maiden run across southwest England. Then, with a shrill whistle, our conveyance began rolling toward Plymouth and the salty shores of Cornwall.
The Britannic Explorer is the latest rail venture from Belmond, the company behind some of the world’s most luxurious trains, including the <a href="https://destinasian.com/editorial/a-night-aboard-belmonds-venice-simplon-orient-express" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Venice Simplon-Orient-Express</a> and Malaysia’s <a href="https://destinasian.com/editorial/southeast-asias-finest-cruise-train-makes-a-comeback">Eastern &amp; Oriental Express</a>. Launched in August, it offers three-night roundtrip journeys from London that take in Cornwall, Wales, or the Lake District. But it’s not just its destinations that set it apart from its stablemates. While other Belmond trains tend to favor a certain old-world formality, the Britannic Explorer is a more casual affair—“gloriously unbuttoned,” as general manager Hendrik Huebner puts it. No need for black tie and cocktail dresses; dinners onboard are a relaxed affair, and some guests shuffle to breakfast in the Desmond &amp; Dempsey pajamas provided in each of the 18 cabins.
Aesthetically, too, there’s a playfulness to the plush interiors by London-based studio Albion Nord, who have breathed fresh life into eight re built carriages previously used by Belmond’s Grand Hibernian, a sleeper service that operated briefly in Ireland in the late 2010s. Artist Luke Edward Hall created the whimsical fabric panels that adorn most of the cabins, illustrated with seashells, flora and fauna, and landmarks encountered along the routes. Other British talents contributed shell encrusted mirrors, organic light fittings, and con temporary marquetry, while table settings in the two botanically inspired restaurant cars celebrate English craftsmanship: bespoke Cornish glassware, hand-finished walnut charger plates, napkins from a Lake District linen-maker. “Think of it as a mod ern celebration of British heritage,” Huebner says.
Our journey had begun the day before our overnight stop at Bishops Lydeard, when the Britannic Explorer eased out of London’s Victoria Station on a drizzly summer afternoon. Soon enough we were gliding through the rolling countryside of the North Wessex Downs, past sheep pastures and woodlands and villages with names like Pewsey and Huish Episcopi. Watching the scenery slip by through rain-spattered windows, I settled into my suite. It’s a snug space—there are four per sleeping car, plus three fancier Grand Suites occupying a carriage of their own—anchored by a sage-green sofa that the cabin stewards would transform into a double bed each night. A compact bathroom just big enough to accommodate my tall frame was a lesson in stylish efficiency, with marble penny tiling, a walk-in shower, and plant-based amenities by British skincare brand Wildsmith. Unpacking proved a challenge—overhead luggage racks would have come in handy—but once I had crammed what I could into the narrow closet and banished my suitcase to the storage area at the front of the train, I was set.
<figure id="attachment_148753" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-148753" style="width: 1200px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-148753" src="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Belmond-Britannic-Explorer-Onboard-Lunch-and-General-Manager.jpg" alt="One onboard lunch featured Devon-raised hogget (young sheep) with kale, black pudding terrine, and fermented summer beans in lamb jus; Hendrik Huebner, the train’s general manager." width="1200" height="840" srcset="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Belmond-Britannic-Explorer-Onboard-Lunch-and-General-Manager.jpg 1200w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Belmond-Britannic-Explorer-Onboard-Lunch-and-General-Manager-300x210.jpg 300w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Belmond-Britannic-Explorer-Onboard-Lunch-and-General-Manager-1024x717.jpg 1024w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Belmond-Britannic-Explorer-Onboard-Lunch-and-General-Manager-768x538.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-148753" class="wp-caption-text">Left to right: One onboard lunch featured Devon-raised hogget (young sheep) with kale, black pudding terrine, and fermented summer beans in lamb jus; Hendrik Huebner, the train’s general manager.</figcaption></figure>
As evening fell, I pinballed my way down brass railed corridors to the observation car at the rear of the train, where guests were gathering for predinner canapés and drinks. There were a number of older American couples onboard, but also some Londoners (including a mother-and-daughter duo) and a family with two young children. Lubricated by the bar’s smart cocktails, we started to get to know each other, chatting about our backgrounds, our travel experiences, and a few minor grumbles concerning overly hot heated towel racks and the absence of the train’s spa car, which wasn’t ready for this trip. (As a consolation, onboard spa specialist Danika Julien was available for morning meditation sessions and in-suite head-and-shoulder massages.)
On the morning of day two, with Somerset behind us, we got our first glimpse of the sea at Dawlish before crossing into Cornwall via the mighty Royal Albert Bridge, which spans the River Tamar at Plymouth. After lunch the train stopped to let off a handful of passengers for the first of two excursion options: a coach ride into arty St. Ives, where Belmond had arranged exclusive access to the <a href="https://barbarahepworth.org.uk/st-ives/?DestinAsian" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden</a>. The rest of us continued to Penzance, whose railway station—the southernmost in Great Britain—marks the end of the Cornish Main Line. A short drive brought us to <a href="https://www.tremenheere.co.uk/?DestinAsian" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tremenheere Sculpture Gardens</a>, the passion project of retired doctor Neil Armstrong, who was on hand to guide us around. It’s a remarkable spot.
Sculpted into a sheltered valley with views across the bay to the castle-topped tidal island of St. Michael’s Mount, the nine-hectare property enjoys a mild microclimate that allowed Armstrong—who acquired the land in 1997—to transform a neglected tract of woodland into a lush enclave of palms, tree ferns, agaves, and other subtropical species. Scattered among them are dozens of site-specific works by such renowned artists as David Nash and Kishio Suga. Most dramatic are the two immersive James Turrell installations, including Tewlwolow Kernow, a domed chamber crowned with an oculus framing the shifting light of the Cornish sky. The visit concluded at Tremenheere’s timber-clad gallery, where we sampled crisp Cornish wines to the strains of a Scottish harpist.
<figure id="attachment_148755" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-148755" style="width: 1200px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-148755" src="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Belmond-Britannic-Explorer-Train-Observation-Car-Harbor-Town-of-Fowey.jpg" alt="The train’s plush observation car; the Cornish harbor town of Fowey." width="1200" height="864" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-148755" class="wp-caption-text">Left to right: The train’s plush observation car; the Cornish harbor town of Fowey.</figcaption></figure>
That night, dinner on board was the most exquisite meal yet. The train’s menus are devised by acclaimed Lake District–based chef Simon Rogan, whose stable of restaurants in Britain and abroad collectively hold nine Michelin stars. A pioneer of the modern farm-to-fork movement in the United Kingdom, Rogan is all about seasonality and hyper locality, and pretty much all the wild and cultivated ingredients used on board are sourced from within 80 kilometers of the Britannic Explorer’s routes. The seven-course wine-paired tasting menu showcased local crab and seaweed in a savory custard, Cornish blue lobster with hogweed puree, roast duck from a farm in Devon, and a fillet of fresh-caught brill stuffed with hazelnuts and accompanied by pickled sea kale and preserved gooseberry.
After spending the night on a lonely rail spur alongside the River Fowey, we moved up the tracks to nearby Lostwithiel. While some passengers had opted for a distillery tour, I joined a group bound for the pretty harbor town of Fowey, once a privateers’ haven and later a shipping hub for Cornish china clay. A boat tour took us upstream past the onetime home of author Daphne du Maurier and the creek side recording studio where Oasis cut their first album; then back through ruffled estuarial waters to where a squat stone fort built in the days of Henry VIII stands over the narrow harbor mouth.
Back on board, we enjoyed yet another delicious lunch—classic roast beef with Yorkshire pudding for the non-vegetarians among us—as the train rolled east out of Cornwall. Glasses slid across the oak dining tables as we barreled a little too eagerly through the adjacent county of Devon, and then we were in Somerset once more, easing into Bruton. The final excursion of our trip brought us to the <a href="https://www.hauserwirth.com/locations/10068-hauser-wirth-somerset/?DestinAsian" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hauser &amp; Wirth gallery</a>, which occupies a former farmstead on the edge of town. A cocktail reception was followed by a private tour of the exhibition spaces, after which we all sat down for a long-table Italian dinner at the on-site Da Costa restaurant.
There was a celebratory spirit to the night: a fizz of shared experiences and new connections amplified by a heartfelt chorus of “Happy Birthday to You” for one of the Americans, who had just turned 80. Tomorrow, we’d be heading back to London and our separate lives. But for now, we were one crew. Explorers.
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Three-night journeys on the <a href="https://www.belmond.com/trains/europe/uk/britannic-explorer?DestinAsian" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Britannic Explorer, A Belmond Train</a> cost from about US$8,570 per person, based on twin sharing.
<figure id="attachment_148751" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-148751" style="width: 1200px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-148751" src="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Belmond-Britannic-Explorer-Exterior-View-of-Train.jpg" alt="The Britannic Explorer alongside the River Fowey in Cornwall." width="1200" height="800" srcset="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Belmond-Britannic-Explorer-Exterior-View-of-Train.jpg 1200w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Belmond-Britannic-Explorer-Exterior-View-of-Train-300x200.jpg 300w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Belmond-Britannic-Explorer-Exterior-View-of-Train-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Belmond-Britannic-Explorer-Exterior-View-of-Train-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-148751" class="wp-caption-text">The Britannic Explorer alongside the River Fowey in Cornwall.</figcaption></figure>
When in London…
For stays in the British capital pre- or post-trip, <a href="https://www.belmond.com/hotels/europe/uk/london/belmond-cadogan-hotel/?DestinAsian" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Cadogan, A Belmond Hotel</a> (belmond.com; from US$890 a night) is a natural choice. A 10-minute drive from Victoria Station at the edge of Chelsea, the 54-room property combines townhouse intimacy with polished Belmond flair. History lingers behind its red-brick facade—Oscar Wilde was arrested here in 1895—but the ambiance is pure contemporary indulgence. Guests can enjoy sophisticated European cuisine at The Lalee, the services of a private shopping concierge, and special access to the neighboring Cadogan Place Gardens, a rare London privilege.
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This article originally appeared in the <a href="https://subscription.destinasian.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">October/November 2025</a> print issue of DestinAsian magazine (“Cornwall Calling”). Buy a single issue or subscribe <a href="https://subscription.destinasian.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.

The Britannic Explorer alongside the River Fowey in Cornwall.

Ride the Rails in Style on the Britannic Explorer