Hello and welcome to today's independent travel podcast with me, Simon Corder. It's Tuesday the 16th of December Travel Desk Tuesday.

Looking ahead as I am throughout the season of Advent, I'm talking to my excellent colleague, Natalie Wilson once more, about luxury luxury trains because these are becoming more

and more of a thing and Natalie you have been off for an amazing Christmas lunch and there's even

time from what I can see for people to sign up for these before Christmas.

Hello, yes, I have. I was very lucky, and I went on the Belmond British Pullman train a couple weeks ago now for their festive lunch, and it was brilliant.

What happens? Where does it start? Where do you go? What do you eat, and maybe even what do you

drink? Definitely is a lot going on.

It departs from Victoria, sort of along the side of Platform 2, and you show up and there's

a very fancy lounge.

It's got its own sort of very airport-esque departure lounge and there's singers and welcome

drinks and mulled wine.

I think it was maybe half ten in the morning, but, you know, festive season.

I'm just trying to picture this because I know Victoria Station very well.

And normally you're there because you are catching train to Bromley South or Maidstone.

And you are not expected to have a departure lounge, you're not

expected to hear singers and you're certainly not expected to have some wine unless you go into

the nearby weather spoons. No, normally I'm in the McDonald's after being in the weather spoons

and then I'm running for the train to Bromley South. So it's definitely very different. It was an experience.

Are you in old-fashioned carriages travelling at an old-fashioned speed through, I don't know, old-fashioned countryside?

Definitely all of the old-fashioned, maybe not necessarily old-fashioned countryside.

You are still on the tracks leaving London.

So the first stretch maybe isn't as aesthetic and magical as some of it once you're really in the countryside

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