A very special treat for us, afternoon tea on the Northern Belle. We left from Norwich and had a 5 hour trip down to Ipswich and then back through Cambridge, Ely etc. it was exceptionally hot but our carriage, Chatsworth apparently had the best air con. So we were pleased about that.

The staff worked so hard to make our trip memorable. The tables looked lovely, the food was very nice and the champagne, sparkling water and port were all very welcome. We were offered tea and coffee throughout the trip by friendly stewards and we were given small chocolates and keyrings as we left.

I am not used to spending £295 each on an afternoon out but considering all the staff, uniforms, fuel, food and drink etc that they have to provide then I guess it was a one off treat. I keep comparing it to a weeks holiday in Spain which I could get for the same money but I know I should not do this.

As someone else said the seats are incredibly tight and you have to lift your legs over the arm rest between the two seats if you want to sit near the window. Some people would find that very difficult and I also wonder what would happen to a very overweight person as they simply would not fit in between the table and seat. I do think this should be mentioned when booking. If the arm rests lifted up that might help but they are all fixed.

Thanks to all the staff for a good trip.

A wonderful experience all round, the welcome, the service, the comfort, the food, our steam special trip from York to Carlisle and back was difficult to fault. The team who looked after us in Harlech were wonderful. For me I was surprised and delighted to pass through the town and area where I was brought up and along the Calder Valley over the Pennines. The weather was fantastic showing the wonderful countryside at its best, especially the Eden valley.
If I could raise 2 small issues by way of feedback, I would have liked to know the route before we set off, and we relied on google maps to find out where we were.
Secondly, the opportunities to see the locomotive were limited to just when we arrived at Carlisle, and It was not easy to appreciate the trip over the Ribblehead viaduct.
We came away tired but elated thinking about another trip!

This was an amazing trip on the Northern Belle, steam train Settle to Carlisle.

The train is extremely comfortable and service is superb. Food is of high standard and plenty of it!

I would highly recommend booking a treat on one of Northern Belle's trips.