IT’S going to be murder on the Northern Belle, the luxury British train once owned by the Orient Express group, when it pulls into the Midlands this month.
Passengers must use their detection clues to solve a dastardly crime while sipping champagne and tucking into a slap-up seven-course meal.
The Murder Mystery Lunch trip, on March 27th will be the first ever held aboard the train as actors play out a dastardly scene in the 1930s-style Pullman carriages.
“We’re dying to see how it goes,” laughed Northern Belle managing director Jeanette Snape.
“Passengers will have to exercise their little grey cells while they eat lunch to try and discover whodunnit. Even I don’t know the culprit – although I can exclusively reveal that it probably wasn’t the butler this time!
“But even if passengers don’t solve the crime, they’ll still have a great day out. For our chef Matthew Greene has devised a menu to die for!”
The Northern Belle, widely regarded as one of the most luxurious trains in the world, is now celebrating its 20th year of operation.
The seven carriages – one of which was formerly used by the Queen on her Royal Train – are always pulled by a heritage locomotive.
And every year around 18,000 passengers drink their way through 7,000 bottles of champagne and 12,000 bottles of wine.
Jeanette said: “Nothing is too good for them. They are pampered from the moment they step on board to the time we wave goodbye.
“This is travel the way it was in the golden era of railways.”
The train departs from Coventry at 12.05pm before picking up more passengers at Birmingham International at 12.20pm.
It is scheduled back at Coventry for 5.50pm and then Birmingham at 6.25pm.
The train will be back in Birmingham in April to take passengers for a blooming lovely day out at the Harrogate Flower Show and again in May to the Chelsea Flower Show.
Then dig out your top hats and fascinators, because in June the Northern Belle will take race-goers to Ladies’ Day at Royal Ascot.
There will be several more excursions during the summer and autumn before a Christmas Lunch Trip in December.
The Northern Belle will make three more visits to Coventry this year, including one to the Dorset Seafood Festival at Weymouth.
Fares start at £210. For more details see www.northernbelle.co.uk or phone 01270 899681.
REVIEW COMING SOON.