Cornwall & Wales by Britannic Explorer
London → Cornwall → London → Wales
The Cornwall & Wales by Britannic Explorer is a seven-day, six-night grand tour of Britain's most dramatic Atlantic fringes, threading together the wild harbours of Cornwall, the soaring mountains of Snowdonia, and the sweeping Pembrokeshire coast aboard Belmond's newest luxury sleeper train. Departing London Victoria on a Friday afternoon, the journey arcs westward through Somerset's heritage railways and Devon's fabled Riviera Line before crossing the Royal Albert Bridge into Cornwall — then pivots north and west into Wales via the storied Heart of Wales Line and the Cambrian Coast railway.
Britannic Explorer itself is a marvel of British craftsmanship: 18 private en-suite suites, two restaurant dining cars — Malva and Samphire — an observation bar car, and a dedicated wellness suite, all curated around menus designed by eight-Michelin-star chef Simon Rogan. With a maximum of 36 guests onboard at any time, the atmosphere is intimate and unhurried — the polar opposite of conventional rail travel. Off-train excursions are woven into each day: gallery visits, distillery tours, guided wildlife walks, and private evening parties at storied country inns.
The six-night combination itinerary is the train's most expansive offering, merging its Cornwall and Wales routes into a single seamless arc. It suits travellers who want to experience the full breadth of the British landscape — from the turquoise waters of the Cornish Riviera to the slate-grey peaks of Eryri — without once having to drag a suitcase through an airport.
- ✦Cross Brunel's Royal Albert Bridge into Cornwall aboard a luxury sleeper suite
- ✦Private evening at Hauser & Wirth gallery with dinner in Piet Oudolf's meadow garden
- ✦Breakfast over Barmouth Bridge as the Mawddach Estuary shimmers below
- ✦Michelin-starred menus by Simon Rogan in two elegant dining cars
- ✦Birdwatching for ospreys and red kites with the Dyfi Wildlife Trust
- ✦Off-train visits to Tate St Ives and the Barbara Hepworth Sculpture Garden
- ✦Private party at a restored 16th-century Cotswold inn on the final evening
Day-by-Day Itinerary
Day 1 — London Victoria to Bishops Lydeard (West Somerset)
Guests board at London Victoria in the mid-afternoon and are welcomed with a Cornish-inspired afternoon tea curated by Chef Simon Rogan — think clotted cream scones, Cornish cured fish, and seasonal fruit pastries paired with sparkling wines. The train heads south-west through the North Wessex Downs and into Somerset, where it joins the West Somerset Railway — England's longest preserved heritage railway — for a leisurely overnight halt at Bishops Lydeard. Dinner in the Malva or Samphire dining car features a four-course menu of British seasonal produce, followed by drinks in the observation bar as the Somerset countryside fades into dusk.
Day 2 — Bishops Lydeard to Fowey via the Riviera Line & Cornwall
Mornings belong to guests: linger over breakfast, take a spa treatment, or watch the Somerset Levels drift past from the observation car. As the train re-joins the national network, it joins the famous Riviera Line — the stretch of the Great Western Main Line that hugs the South Devon coast at Dawlish, where waves occasionally break against the sea wall — before curving around the edge of Dartmoor and reaching Plymouth. Crossing Brunel's Royal Albert Bridge over the Tamar signals arrival in Cornwall. Guests choose between two off-train excursions: a branch-line trip to St Ives, where the Tate St Ives gallery and the Barbara Hepworth Sculpture Garden await, or a visit to Tremenheere Sculpture Gardens near Penzance with guided wine tasting among the sub-tropical planting. The train overnights at the water's edge at Fowey.
Day 3 — Fowey to Bruton (Somerset)
The morning is spent ashore in Fowey: wander the medieval town's narrow lanes, explore the harbour, and join an optional boat tour of the scenic Fowey Estuary. The alternative excursion visits the Colwith Farm Distillery, Cornwall's acclaimed spirits producer, for a behind-the-scenes tour and tasting of its award-winning gins and vodkas. By afternoon the train heads back east, and the highlight of the evening arrives in Bruton, Somerset: an exclusive private tour of the internationally celebrated Hauser & Wirth gallery, followed by pre-dinner drinks in Piet Oudolf's wild meadow garden, and a specially prepared Italian-inspired dinner at the gallery's own Da Costa restaurant. The train overnights nearby.
Day 4 — East Somerset Railway to Haverfordwest (Pembrokeshire)
An early departure returns the train to London Victoria by mid-morning — an interlude for guests to stretch their legs in Chelsea or enjoy an optional three-course lunch at The Cadogan, Belmond's Sloane Street hotel. By afternoon the Britannic Explorer departs again, this time heading west and north toward Wales. A Welsh-inspired afternoon tea marks the crossing into the Principality — laverbread canapés, Perl Wen cheese, and Welsh honey cakes alongside teas sourced from the UK's few commercial tea gardens. Chef Rogan's kitchen serves a full four-course dinner as the train makes its overnight way toward Pembrokeshire.
Day 5 — Haverfordwest to Barmouth via Llandrindod Wells
The train pauses at Llandrindod Wells, the spa town at the heart of Powys, for the morning's off-train excursions: guests choose between a guided walk through the sweeping Ithon Valley — Radnorshire's pastoral green hills rising to moorland — or a visit to a Welsh lavender farm for a sensory tour and blending experience. Rejoining the train, the journey continues along the legendary Heart of Wales Line, one of Britain's great scenic railways, threading through the uplands of Carmarthenshire and Powys before passing into Snowdonia National Park. The dining cars serve dinner amid the mountains as the train overnights at Barmouth on the Cardigan Bay coast.
Day 6 — Barmouth to Moreton-in-Marsh via Machynlleth
Breakfast is served as the train crosses the iconic Barmouth Bridge, a 19th-century wooden viaduct spanning the Mawddach Estuary, offering one of the most dramatic railway vistas in Britain — silver water, salt marshes, and the peaks of Cadair Idris beyond. At Machynlleth — historic seat of Owain Glyndŵr's parliament — guests choose between a guided birdwatching experience with the Dyfi Wildlife Trust (red kites, ospreys, and marsh harriers are regular sightings over the Dyfi estuary) or a clay pigeon shooting session in the Welsh countryside. The train then sweeps south and east back into England, and the evening's celebration takes place at a private party at The Fox at Oddington, a beautifully restored 16th-century Cotswold inn, with classic English fare, artisan ales, and live music.
Day 7 — Oxfordshire to London Victoria
The final morning unfolds at a leisurely pace as the Britannic Explorer glides through the gentle rolling hills of the Cotswolds and the Chilterns — an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty — toward London. A farewell breakfast is served in the dining cars, with stewards on hand for last-minute spa bookings or simply to share a final glass of something celebratory. The train arrives at London Victoria mid-morning, concluding seven days of slow, scenic, superbly fed travel across the length and breadth of England and Wales.
Destinations & Highlights
Cornwall
England's most south-westerly county juts into the Atlantic like a defiant fist, its coastline alternating between turquoise cove beaches, dramatic cliffs, and working fishing harbours unchanged for centuries. Fowey — the train's overnight stop — is a medieval port town of extraordinary beauty, its narrow streets of Georgian and Tudor houses tumbling down to an estuary famous for its connection to novelist Daphne du Maurier. St Ives, reached by branch-line train, is one of Britain's great art destinations: the Tate St Ives gallery perches above Porthmeor Beach, while the Barbara Hepworth Sculpture Garden — the preserved studio-garden of one of the 20th century's greatest sculptors — is a pilgrimage site for art lovers. The Tremenheere Sculpture Gardens near Penzance blend international contemporary art with sub-tropical planting and working vineyard.
The Riviera Line & Devon
The stretch of railway between Exeter and Plymouth that hugs the South Devon coast is widely regarded as the most scenic main line in England. At Dawlish, the track runs literally along the seawall, with waves in winter occasionally crashing over the carriages. Brunel's Royal Albert Bridge at Saltash — a masterpiece of Victorian engineering opened in 1859 — carries the train from Devon into Cornwall over the tidal Tamar, one of the great river crossings of British rail travel.
Bruton & the Somerset Arts Scene
The small Somerset town of Bruton has become one of Britain's most unexpected cultural destinations, anchored by the Hauser & Wirth gallery's extraordinary rural outpost. The gallery complex includes exhibition spaces showing world-class contemporary art, a working farm, and the landscape garden designed by Dutch planting maestro Piet Oudolf — famous for New York's High Line — whose meadow plantings are at their most spectacular in summer and early autumn.
The Heart of Wales & Snowdonia
The Heart of Wales Line from Swansea to Shrewsbury is one of Britain's most celebrated rural railways, passing through 31 unstaffed halts across 95 miles of thinly populated upland Wales. The landscape shifts from the Beacons' rounded moorland through the spa towns of Llandrindod Wells and Knighton to the border marches. Snowdonia National Park (Eryri in Welsh) covers 823 square miles of ancient volcanic peaks, glacial lakes, and ancient oak woodland. Barmouth on the park's western edge sits at the mouth of the Mawddach Estuary, a SSSI of national importance for its rare salt-marsh habitats and visiting ospreys.
Machynlleth & the Dyfi Valley
Machynlleth is the historical capital of Wales — it was here in 1404 that Owain Glyndŵr convened his parliament and was crowned Prince of Wales, an act of defiance that made the town central to Welsh national identity. The surrounding Dyfi Biosphere — designated by UNESCO — is one of the finest wildlife habitats in Britain, home to breeding ospreys, red kites, polecats, and otters. The Dyfi Wildlife Trust's guided experiences offer extraordinary access to this landscape.