Wales here we come!

Day 4 of 30 Days of May Challenge: Day Trip Away….Wales!

So this morning was an early start again! Up at 5am for a 6am departure out of Peterborough station….

The ‘Spirit of the Lakes’ pulls in on platform 2 from Doncaster with West Coast Railways.

Our journey to Llandudno took us back up north with pickups in Spalding, Sleaford and Lincoln as well as some other small stations. As we leave Peterborough we start to pass some lovely green scenery including Lincoln Castle. We then travelled across the breadth of England with the rolling hills of the Pennine chain and finally stunning sights of the North Wales coast, it offers some sweeping sea views on through Flint, Prestatyn, Rhyll and Colwyn Bay.
In the Pullman Dining car option, we’re presented with an early welcome Buck’s Fizz then the food is non-stop. At 7am we have a wonderful cooked breakfast after cereal! Then a sandwich lunch at noon. Eventually, we arrive in Llandudno at 1.30pm.

On May Bank Holiday the resort of Llandudno celebrates its rich history with a Victorian-themed festival. It’s extremely picturesque along the coast and you’ll enjoy the old-fashioned theme fair through the main streets. You’ll also find a few people dressed in Victorian costume in the shops as well as public walking through the streets getting in the swing of the festival.

We get to have a wonderful walk along the promenade where it’s warm, sunny but windy and take in the extremely long pier walk where we enjoy an ice-cream. The walk takes around one and a half hours in full at a casual place from the station. Then after a stop around the shops and theme park we make our way back to the train for a departure at 4pm. Enchanted by the old charm and well-kept buildings along the bay, we will definitely be back.

The table is set wonderfully when we alight the train and are given Champagne and canapés. These are followed by a delicious four-course dinner and a quarter bottle of wine. Teas and coffee are aplenty along both routes too.
Because of the length of time spent on the train, it’s more of a rail journey than a visit, with seven and a half hours outward and four hours back. (Why the difference? We are the first departure, the route is a long one on the way out, then we do a different route homebound and Peterborough is the first stop for letting people off ) A little disappointing that more time is not spent to enjoy the destination itself. 🙁

The service and staff were second to none. The Pullman carriages are elegant, spotless and comfortable (enough for a snooze in the early morning and on the homeward journey. ) LOL

There is a choice of 4 services: Pullman Dining is what we experienced (as above) otherwise there is:
Pullman First Class passengers will be served a breakfast roll on the outward leg and freshly made sandwiches, a scone, jam and butter will be served on the return journey. To accompany this, there will be a complimentary service of tea and coffee on both journeys.

Standard and First Class passengers have access to a buffet for the purchase of light refreshments.

More info at www.westcoastrailways.co.uk