You’re looking for the perfect day out. Having thought of escaping to the country on an exciting drive, it is essential to compare car hire companies to see what deals you will be able to find online. When the price of the car and the petrol and the excursion and that Michelin starred restaurant that was going to be the best treat ever tallied up, you realised something; it would cost just as much if not more to do all that rather than going on the luxury British Pullman train you’ve wanted to go on forever. Or go on again.

The British Pullman by Orient-Express has in recent years been blessed by refurbishment and the chance to run more varied journeys. This overhaul has brought it into the spotlight again, especially at a time when the economy is suffering. When one wants luxury but wants to be frugal at the same time, the best bet is to spend on things closer to home. Instead of taking two holidays in a year, take one and use the money you save not taking the other to pay for short luxury breaks closer to home.

In the 20s, before the age of travel by flight for the masses, first class carriages and luxury trains to the seaside were the way to travel. The only drawback with this mode of transport being that the further north you headed in winter, especially within Scotland, the greater the chance of heavy snow. In times gone by, old steam trains were actually far better at coping with extremities than the standard trains we use today. This is because they were larger, heavier locomotives, often with large grates on the front. Sometimes nowadays when modern trains get stuck in the snow old steam trains are sent out to go and ‘save’ them.

Alongside the regular trains at the station, the British Pullman stands out like an actor playing to a theatre filled with lay people.

There are many different trips that can be taken on the British Pullman as well as opportunities existing for chartering the whole thing for special events with a lot of people. Alongside the usual journeys from London out to places like Kent with a five-course luxury lunch, there have been some quirky trips with a difference added of late. Shopping on the Rails was a recent addition that featured all British retailers on the all British train. Brands like luxury spa brand Elemis were on board as well as Liberty, whose fabrics were used in one carriage during its refurbishment – testament to the fact Liberty was used in the original carriages. The individual pop-up shops had retailers on board able to sell their products to those travelling before and after the four-course luxury lunch that was served in the middle of the trip. What fun an experience like that can be!

There is a dress code on board the British Pullman too, which makes the whole affair even more glamorous. Travelling as people would have done in such a romantic pre-plane age is an experience you won’t forget.