Britannic Explorer

The coaches of the Britannic Explorer were built in Derby between 1980 and 1989, but not for Britain. They went to Ireland's state transport company, on Ireland's 5 ft 3 in gauge, and ran in its inter-city trains until 2009. Belmond then bought ten of them and rebuilt them as the Grand Hibernian, a luxury train that toured Ireland from 2016 until its last run in October 2019. In 2022 the coaches left Ireland, and to run in Britain they were set on second-hand standard-gauge bogies taken from scrapped Mark 3 coaches of Greater Anglia.

Refitted a second time, with interiors by the London studio Albion Nord, they made their first journey from London Victoria in August 2025. Belmond calls it the first luxury sleeper train in England and Wales. It carries guests in 18 cabins, each with its own shower, and has two dining cars, a bar and observation car and a spa cabin, with menus curated by the chef Simon Rogan.

There are three tours of three nights, to Cornwall, the Lake District and Wales, and two six-night tours that join Wales to one of the others. The train travels by day and spends its nights standing at quiet places, some of them on heritage railways, while guests leave it for excursions and a farewell dinner. This page follows the Cornwall tour on its map.

Each tour leaves London Victoria in the afternoon and comes back to it early on the fourth (or seventh) morning. Belmond publishes no times: the train runs in paths given to it by the national network, and the timings it quotes are approximate.

Cornwall

The train heads west past the North Wessex Downs to the West Somerset Railway for dinner and the first night. On the second day it follows the Riviera Line past Teignmouth and Dartmoor into Cornwall, and guests spend the afternoon in St Ives or at the Tremenheere sculpture gardens near Penzance. On the third morning there is a boat on the Fowey estuary or a tasting at the Colwith Distillery near Lostwithiel, before the train runs back east to Bruton for an evening at Hauser & Wirth. The last night is spent on the East Somerset Railway.

The Lake District

The first afternoon brings a Cumbrian tea of Kendal mint cake and Grasmere gingerbread as the train winds north through England's heartlands. It sets off early on the second morning through the Yorkshire Dales and crosses the viaduct at Arnside, with Morecambe Bay in view, for breakfast at Grange-over-Sands. Then come a morning at the Graythwaite Estate, with a boat on Windermere among the choices, and lunch at Simon Rogan's farm. The night is spent on the Settle–Carlisle line, and on the third morning the train crosses Ribblehead Viaduct on its way south to Buckinghamshire and dinner at Bray.

Wales

This tour leaves on a Monday, west via Bristol and across the Severn Estuary to Cardiff, Swansea and Pembrokeshire. The second day brings a walk from Llandrindod Wells, then the Heart of Wales Line and a night near Blaenau Ffestiniog in Eryri. The third day starts at Llandudno Junction and ends with a party at a 16th-century pub in the Cotswolds, near Kingham.

The Britannic Explorer runs on fixed departure dates and is sold as a package; there is no daily train. Every tour starts and ends at London Victoria. The Cornwall and Lake District tours leave on a Friday afternoon and return on the Monday morning; the Wales tour leaves on a Monday afternoon and returns on the Thursday morning; the six-night tours leave on a Friday and return on the Thursday of the following week. Belmond gives boarding times with the booking and warns that timings are approximate.

2027 departures

Days of the month each tour leaves London Victoria. Cornwall, the Lake District and Wales are three nights; the two combined tours are six.

* Sold out in November 2026.

The 2026 season ends with a Cornwall tour on 13 November and a Lake District tour, already sold out, on 20 November. The season runs from April to the start of November, so the last 2027 tour, to Cornwall, is back at Victoria on 1 November.

Dates as of November 2026, from Belmond's list of all departures (opens in a new tab).

Every tour is sold by Belmond, online or through its reservations team, and priced per cabin. The price covers the suite, every meal on board, a selection of alcoholic and other drinks, and the excursions and dinners in the itinerary; insurance and tips are not included. The lowest published price is £14,200 for a Double Suite on a three-night tour and £28,400 on a six-night tour. Twin Suites and the three Grand Suites are also sold, and guests in a Grand Suite are driven to and from the station free.

There are only 18 cabins, so book well ahead. Dress is relaxed by day; at dinner Belmond asks for smart casual wear and a jacket for men. Pack one suitcase, a carry-on and a garment bag each. Prices as of November 2026.

No rail pass covers the Britannic Explorer. It is sold only as an all-inclusive package by Belmond, cabin, meals and excursions together, so there is no seat for a pass to buy, and it is not among the train companies in Interrail's table for Great Britain.

A pass can still help around it: Interrail covers the national network's trains to London before the tour and home after it.

Checked November 2026 against Interrail's table of railway companies (opens in a new tab).

Each tour leaves the train for its excursions, chosen with the booking. These are places on the way, one for each tour, worth knowing before you choose.

For three or six nights the train is the hotel. Every tour starts at Victoria in the afternoon and ends there early in the morning, so a night in London before or after is the one to plan.

Planning this trip and stuck on something, or spotted a time, fare or detail that has changed? Send us a message about Britannic Explorer. We read every one, and we update this page when something has changed.