Some say the Golden Age of rail travel faded away years ago in Britain.
I’d say it’s still with us. Just.
Mainly thanks to the country’s two sleeper services – the Caledonian Sleeper from London Euston to the Highlands (a service I’ve reviewed and touted as Britain’s contender for world’s greatest rail journey) and GWR’s Night Riviera from London Paddington to Penzance via Taunton, which I discover on a trip to the end of Cornwall offers romance and thrills by the (Mark III) carriage load.
This journey is along one of the country’s most scenic lines, takes in some of Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s finest construction work – including one particularly breathtaking bridge – the beds are dreamily comfortable, the staff decidedly chipper, and there’s an all-night bar.
The diesel locomotive-hauled train departs London Paddington late in the day – 11.45pm – but passengers can board from 10.30pm and hangout, if they have a sleeping berth, at the first-class lounge on platform one.
MailOnline Travel’s Ted Thornhill took the GWR Night Riviera from London Paddington to Penzance. Pictured above is a publicity shot of a bunk-bed cabin
The berths can be converted to a mini living room (promo shot)
It’s fairly basic and not much to write home about, but the train most certainly is. Hence this feature.
I’m travelling with my partner and six-year-old daughter – who, like her ex-trainspotter dad – is beside herself with excitement.
We’re greeted in carriage F by GWR’s Heidi, who seems sincerely delighted to have us on board.
As she checks us into our berth, she reveals that just a couple of days previously, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak had used the service for a campaign-trail visit to Cornwall.
Heidi reveals that the police ‘suddenly appeared’ at the start of her shift and announced that they needed to carry out a sweep of the carriage.
She continued excitedly: ‘I said, “What for?” And they told me the PM was on board.’
I’m sure Rishi would agree that it’s a wonderful operation.
Ted reveals that he isn’t able to sit upright on his lower bunk. However, the top bunk can be folded away for solo travellers (promo shot)
The rooms don’t have showers or toilets – but do have sinks hidden under lids (publicity shot)
Heidi takes our complimentary room-service breakfast order – croissants for the girls, sausage bap with ketchup for me, plus coffees and orange juice – then we explore our quarters.
Which are most inviting.
Not Pullman standard, by any means, but cosy and comfortable.
We have two interconnecting bunk-bed rooms, each with a sink hidden underneath a lid, a wafer-thin wardrobe with hangars and bottles of mineral water in holders at the bottom, plus light switches, sockets and charging points at the pillow end of the bed.
Access to the top bunks, meanwhile, is via a clever space-saving fold-away ladder that unfurls from the walls. The bonus is unimpeded access to the bottom bunk (the ladders on the Caledonian Sleeper are bolted onto the beds).
I’m also taken with the ambience – the decor is a soothing mixture of browns and greys and the lights can be adjusted to create a hygge-y vibe.
The Night Riviera departs from platform one at London Paddington and is hauled by a Class 57 diesel locomotive with a top speed of 95mph. The journey to Penzance takes just over eight hours
Passengers with sleeper berths can avail themselves of the first-class lounge at London Paddington
The Night Riviera departs at 11.45pm, but boarding commences at around 10.30pm
Before bed, we head to the lounge car, which is superb.
The set-up here is like a first-class carriage with bells and whistles, an inviting mixture of expansive upright quad seats with tables, pairs of Mastermind-style armchairs positioned at jaunty angles, and banquettes.
Need to plug in a device? You’re covered. The carriage is awash with charging points.
At one end is a counter where a chirpy barman is dispensing refreshments.
Here, there are ‘leaning posts’ fashioned like elongated mushrooms.
Quirky.
Train of thought: Ted also reveals his opinions of the Night Riviera on a short video (see above)
Ted is pictured here settling into his carriage F bunk
LEFT: Ted after a night’s sleep. RIGHT: The room-service breakfast, which includes a sausage bap and coffee. Note – staff can also deliver the coffee in a silver pot
Socket to them: The bedside light switches and charging points
We procure a beer, a wine and a juice for the little one (snacks and basic breakfast items are also available to purchase) and sit down at one of the tables for a game of GWR train Top Trumps (the old ones are the best, eh?)
The atmosphere in the carriage is convivial, with strangers talking to strangers. In London. On a train.
Whatever next?
It’s time for bed, and the litmus test for the Night Riviera – does it offer a good night’s sleep?
The result? A pass with merit.
The pillows and duvets feel luxurious and the mattress is supportive.
Above is the lounge, which Ted describes as ‘superb’
At one end of the lounge is an all-night bar serving drinks and light refreshments. Here there are quirky mushroom-style leaning posts
The cheapest sleeper tickets are for first-class-style seats (above)
Ted wakes up at around 5am just as the train is passing over Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s jaw-dropping 100ft-tall Royal Albert Bridge (above)
Pictured above is a Night Riviera service arriving in Penzance
The bed is a little on the narrow side, but then, it’s a train. I wasn’t expecting a king-size.
Sleep is further aided by the design of the Mark III carriages used by the Night Riviera.
They were cutting edge when they were introduced in the 1970s – and still offer one of the smoothest, quietest rides anywhere in Europe.
I have no trouble nodding off.
I wake up at around 5am to use one of the two loos at the end of the carriage, just as the train is passing over Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s jaw-dropping 100ft-tall Royal Albert Bridge, west of Plymouth, which crosses the River Tamar.
It’s rightly considered a national treasure – and affords passengers magnificent views as the train trundles over it at 15mph.
Beyond this bridge the train snakes through gorgeous Cornish countryside, past lush meadows, ancient ruins and at Hayle, a picturesque sandy estuary.
At 7am, our breakfast is delivered by the (still-cheerful) Heidi.
It’s not really a golden-age-of-travel breakfast, but the coffee is good and the sausages are hot.
Annoyingly, I can’t sit on the bed to eat it as the upper bunk is too low, so I dine standing up.
For solo travellers, this isn’t necessarily a problem as the bottom bunk can be converted to a sofa.
And there’s always the option of repairing to the lounge.
It’s from here that I take in the final sight – St Michael’s Mount, which dominates the bay Penzance sits on.
We pull in amid blazing sunshine, freshen up with a shower in the first-class lounge – you can pre-book use of these on the train when you board – and reflect on a service that, as I’m sure the PM would agree, is an excellent, stress-free way of reaching the West Country.
You’d rather drive? You’ve gone off the rails…