Goodwood Revival
London Victoria → Goodwood → London Victoria
The Goodwood Revival aboard the British Pullman, A Belmond Train, is a singular one-day journey that pairs two of Britain's most cherished vintage institutions: a fleet of immaculately restored 1920s Art Deco Pullman carriages and the world's most atmospheric historic motorsport festival. Departing London Victoria in the morning, guests are transported in extraordinary style through the Surrey and West Sussex countryside to Chichester, the gateway to the Goodwood Estate, where the circuit roars back to life each September just as it did during Britain's golden age of motor racing.
On board, the day begins with a sparkling Bellini reception and a leisurely three-course brunch served at white-linen tables as the train glides south. At Goodwood, coach transfers whisk guests to the circuit, where a roving grandstand pass grants access to seven grandstands around the track — prime vantage points for watching pre-1966 racing cars thunder past in period-accurate splendour. The return journey is a celebration in itself: a champagne reception is followed by an elegant four-course seasonal dinner paired with the sommelier's wine selections, ensuring that the memories being made linger long after London Victoria comes back into view.
This is emphatically a day trip — no overnight stay is required — yet its richness of experience rivals any multi-day itinerary. For lovers of vintage style, fine dining, and the roar of a proper racing engine, the British Pullman Goodwood Revival excursion stands apart as one of the most distinctive event journeys in Britain.
- ✦Belmont reception with sparkling Bellini aboard 1920s Art Deco Pullman carriages
- ✦Three-course brunch served en route through Surrey and West Sussex
- ✦Full-day access to the world-famous Goodwood Revival historic motorsport festival
- ✦Roving grandstand pass for seven grandstands around the Goodwood circuit
- ✦Champagne reception and four-course dinner with sommelier wines on the return
- ✦Immersive period atmosphere — racing cars and costumed crowds from 1948–1966
- ✦Round-trip luxury rail journey departing and returning London Victoria
Day-by-Day Itinerary
Day 1 — London Victoria to Goodwood and Back
Morning departure (approx. 08:40): Guests board the British Pullman at London Victoria Station, one of London's great Victorian termini. The platform atmosphere is part of the theatre: the gleaming chocolate-and-cream carriages, each individually named and dating from the 1920s, recall an era when rail travel was the pinnacle of glamour. A steward greets every guest with a sparkling Bellini cocktail as they settle into their Pullman seat — a high-backed, velvet-upholstered chair at a white-linen-dressed table. As the train eases out of Victoria and threads south through London's suburbs, a three-course brunch is served, showcasing British seasonal produce prepared by the on-board kitchen brigade. Morning tea and coffee accompany the meal, and the passing landscape — leafy Surrey commuter towns giving way to the open fields of West Sussex — provides an ever-changing backdrop.
Mid-morning arrival at Chichester: The train arrives at Chichester Station in West Sussex, the cathedral city closest to the Goodwood Estate. Guests are transferred by private coach to the Goodwood Motor Circuit, approximately ten minutes away on the Duke of Richmond's 12,000-acre estate at the foot of the South Downs. A short walk from the coach drop-off brings guests through the entrance gates and into the Revival's extraordinary world of period authenticity.
At the Goodwood Revival: Included with every seat is a Goodwood Revival admission ticket and a roving grandstand pass granting access to seven of the grandstands positioned at different points around the 2.38-mile circuit. Guests are free to explore at leisure — watching historic single-seaters, GT cars, and touring cars from the 1948–1966 era thunder past; browsing the paddock perimeter to admire the beautifully maintained racing machinery up close; taking in the vintage shopping village; and immersing themselves in the event's famous period atmosphere, where tens of thousands of attendees arrive in authentic 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s costume. Signature races may include the Stirling Moss Memorial Trophy for pre-1963 GT cars, the Richmond and Gordon Trophies for pre-1966 Grand Prix machinery, and the beloved Settrington Cup pedal-car race for children — all run on a circuit that has been preserved in its original 1952 configuration.
Late afternoon: return to the train: Coach transfers bring guests back to Chichester Station in the early evening. As they re-board the British Pullman, a champagne reception marks the transition from the exhilaration of the circuit to the quieter luxury of the dining car. The train departs Chichester (approx. 18:51) for the return journey to London.
Evening return (arriving London Victoria approx. 21:45): The centrepiece of the homeward journey is a four-course seasonal dinner, composed by the on-board chefs using the finest British and European produce. The sommelier's wine selection accompanies each course, and the meal concludes with coffee, tea, and petits fours as the lights of South London appear outside the windows. The British Pullman glides back into Victoria, and guests step off the train having experienced one of the most complete event days that luxury rail travel can offer.
Destinations & Highlights
London Victoria
London Victoria Station, opened in 1860 and rebuilt in its current form in the early twentieth century, has long been the departure point for the most celebrated Pullman services in Britain. It was from Victoria that the original Golden Arrow — the all-Pullman boat train to Paris — departed, and it is from here that the British Pullman continues that tradition of departing in style. The station sits at the heart of Westminster and Belgravia, surrounded by royal and governmental London, making it an appropriately grand starting point for a day of vintage splendour.
West Sussex and the South Downs
The route south from London passes through Surrey before crossing into West Sussex, one of England's most picturesque counties. The South Downs — a range of chalk hills designated as a National Park — form the backdrop to the Goodwood Estate. The landscape of rolling farmland, ancient woodland, and open downland has changed remarkably little since the Goodwood circuit first opened in 1948, lending the whole day a timeless, unhurried quality that amplifies the Revival's period atmosphere.
Chichester
Chichester is a compact, elegant cathedral city with Roman origins — its grid street plan follows the layout of the Roman town of Noviomagus Reginorum, and the medieval city walls still stand. The city's Norman cathedral, begun in 1076, dominates the skyline and houses artworks by Marc Chagall and John Piper. Chichester is also home to the acclaimed Chichester Festival Theatre and is surrounded by fine countryside, making it one of the most culturally rich small cities in southern England. The Goodwood Estate lies just five miles north of the city centre.
The Goodwood Estate and Motor Circuit
The Goodwood Estate has been the seat of the Dukes of Richmond since the late seventeenth century. The 12,000-acre estate encompasses the Goodwood House (a regency-era mansion housing an important art collection), a racecourse famous for Glorious Goodwood, a golf course, and — at its heart — the motor circuit. The circuit was built on the perimeter track of the wartime RAF Westhampnett airfield and first raced on 18 September 1948, when Freddie March, the 9th Duke of Richmond, drove a Bristol 400 around the track in front of more than 15,000 spectators. The 2.38-mile circuit hosted British motor racing's greatest names — Stirling Moss, Mike Hawthorn, Juan Manuel Fangio, Jim Clark — before closing in 1966. It has been preserved in its 1952 configuration ever since, and when Charles March, the 11th Duke, revived it in 1998 for the first Goodwood Revival, he created the world's greatest celebration of historic motorsport — a festival where the cars, the costumes, and even the circuit itself belong to a vanished era.