I Tried GWR’s Luxury Pullman Dining… and Was TOTALLY SURPRISED!

I Tried GWR’s Luxury Pullman Dining… and Was TOTALLY SURPRISED!

This Video is in Partnership with Level8 Luggage. Today we’re taking a very special, First Class train ride from Plymouth 
to London with Great Western Railway. Not only are there some amazing coastal 
scenic views to behold – but also a 125mph fine-dining experience – the best that 
can be found on a UK intercity train. So come along with me let’s go 
and check it all out together! The previous day, my journey actually 
started the further south, in Penzance, where GWR very kindly arranged for me to ride 
in the cab with one of their driver trainers. This was a super unique experience which I can’t 
thank them enough for – I had an amazing time! It really opens your eyes to the 
huge workload a train driver has, and I certainly have more understanding 
and respect of their job now. Have you ever ridden in a train cab 
before? Let me know in the comments below! Then, I spent last night at 
the beautiful Boringdon Hall, just outside Plymouth, the largest city 
in Devon, home to around 266,000 people. There are super comfy rooms, amazing spa 
facilities and a Michelin Star Restaurant here. I’d highly recommend staying 
here if you’re in the area. Plymouth Station is a 15 minute 
taxi ride from the hotel. Just inside the door, you will find a 
couple of automatic ticket machines. And then a large waiting off to the right. There is also a staffed ticket office, 
a small café and a convenience store. Up above are the departure boards. Today we’ll be taking the 13:15 Great 
Western Railway Intercity service to London Paddington, departing from Platform 5. Just scan or insert your ticket 
to pass through the gate line. Platforms 3 & 4 are just beyond, but 5 to 
8 are accessed by an underground corridor. Step free access by lift is 
available to all of them though. Our train today is formed of two, 5-car 
GWR Class 802 bi-mode multiple units. These have a Maximum Speed of 125mph (200km/h) 
and a power output of 2,100kW (2,820hp) per unit. Since their introduction as the ‘Next 
Gen’ Intercity trains on UK Railways back in 2017 – they have divided 
opinion among the travelling public with some very obvious flaws 
which we’ll discuss later on. Before we depart though, 
let’s check out today’s route. We leave Plymouth heading East making a 
number of stops in Devon and Somerset, before heading on the most direct route 
to Reading and then London Paddington. OK, let’s board! There is no level boarding, however 
ramps are available if required. You can prebook assistance, 
or speak to station staff. There is one small step up 
from the platform to the train. We’ll be in First Class for today’s trip. 
The Pullman Dining coach is in the rear of today’s two units – but I’ll pop in the front one 
first, to show you what the regular set up’s like. First Class is laid out in 
a 2+1 configuration with a mix of airline style, and bay seating throughout. Coach E, at the front, is where you’ll 
find the trains two wheelchair spaces, with companion seats. The accessible toilet and baby changing facilities 
are located in the vestibule right next to these. Luggage can be stored on the 
stacks at the ends of the coaches, or on the overhead racks 
which run above all seats. Introducing the new Level8 
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or in the description below. I’ve now moved back to the First Class 
section on the rear unit. The Pullman Dining tables are currently being set up, 
and we will be invited through shortly. We leave Plymouth a couple 
of minutes late, at 1.17pm. The full route to London 
Paddington is 225mi (362km), and is scheduled to take 3 hours and 14 
minutes of travel time, arriving at 4.29pm. [CREW] Good afternoon and a warm welcome 
to all passengers from Plymouth, this is the 13:15 Great Western Railway 
service to London Paddington. [CREW] Calling at Totnes, Newton Abbot, Exeter St Davids, Tiverton Parkway, 
Taunton, Reading & London Paddington. Advance purchase tickets on this route 
start from £40 (€45, $53) in Second Class. First Class tickets start from £60 
(€68, $79), which you will need, plus a free seat reservation 
for the Pullman Dining service. You may still be able to dine, 
if you don’t have a First Class ticket or a Pullman reservation, if 
there is availability on the day. Ticket pricing is dynamic and can be quite 
a lot more the closer to travel you book. I love travelling by train in Devon and 
Cornwall specifically as there is so much beautiful countryside to admire, with 
many of the lines running next to rivers, lakes or along the beautiful English 
Riviera coast. But more on that soon! As we are in between Totnes and Newton 
Abbot, an announcement is made that the Pullman Dining coach is ready – so we 
can head through at our convenience. The tables are beautifully laid 
out, with crisp white tables cloths, and a variety of glasses, condiments and cutlery. Before orders are taken, let’s 
check out the seats. They are the same as the rest of First Class on the train. This is one of the main bad points with them 
being very hard, with little to no padding. There are adjustable armrests 
and a small recline though. Each seat has access to one UK 3-pin 
power socket and one USB-A port. Legroom is good, and there are coat hooks 
on the wall, and sun blinds on the windows. It’s certainly no where near the best First Class 
seat in the world, or even the UK – but it’s not everyday you get to dine on a high-speed train in 
such luxury so I’m going to enjoy it to the max. Menus are soon handed out, and there is a choice of a 2-course set menu for 
£38, or 3 courses for £46. Tea, coffee, soft drinks 
and water are complimentary, and a full alcohol selection 
is available for purchase. I went for a Somerset cider to start, 
along with still natural mineral water. Food orders will be taken after we 
leave Exeter in the next 30 minutes. We are now running alongside and 
looking out over the River Teign, and will soon be turning north towards Dawlish. This beautiful, but infamous stretch of the line 
suffered a huge collapse on the protective sea wall in 2014, washing away 80 meters of track and 
ballast, closing the railway for over 2 months. A full £80m rebuild of the sea wall has since been 
completed in 2023, improving the design to much better deflect waves and raising it’s height 
to 8 metres – 2.5 metres higher than before, to much better protect the railway line 
and promenade which runs next to it. Shortly after, we are arriving in Exeter, 
capital and administrative centre of Devon and its second largest city, with a 
population of around 126,000 people. Exeter St Davids Station is main hub 
in this area, with lines to Okehampton, Barnstaple, Exmouth and Paignton along with 
the South West mainline to London Waterloo. We are now able to get up 
to around 100mph (160km/h), the fastest we have achieved so far today. 
We will not be able to reach the train’s maximum speed of 125mph (200km/h), 
until towards the end of the journey. As we speed past the cars on the adjacent 
M5 motorway, orders are taken for lunch, and a freshly baked bread roll with 
butter is served. Let the meal begin! For the starter, I chose the tequila cured 
smoked salmon, with picked pink onion. Taunton is our last stop in the south west, 
before we diverge from the line to Bristol, and head nonstop, cross country on the 
direct line to Reading via Westbury. Back to lunch – for my main, I had the 
grilled miso chicken, with maitake mushrooms, pak choi and black garlic sauce. 
Along with a second can of cider. And for dessert, I finished with the vanilla 
and lady grey cheesecake with biscoff crumb, and apricot compote. Followed 
by a coffee and chocolate. It was all absolutely delicious. 
Restaurant quality food on a moving train. With all the changes that have 
happened on UK Railways in the last decade, I’m very happy 
that this still exists. See on screen now for all the GWR services 
that currently have Pullman Dining on. The total price for the 3 Course 
Menu and 2 Ciders was £54 (€61, $71) – which I think is good 
value, all things considered! Now, fast forward an hour 
as we steam towards London. There’s not a lot to see along this stretch of 
line, and before long we are on the approach to Reading, today’s final intermediate stop 
as we join the Great Western Mainline. Reading has been a town for nearly 
1000 years, and is the capital of the country of Berkshire, and 
home to around 355,000 people. It’s also the western terminus 
of the Elizabeth Line, Crossrail, call it what you will – London’s 
new £18 billion east-west railway. We have now switched from 
diesel to electric power, and can get up to nearly 125mph (200km/h) 
on the final stretch in to the UK’s capital. The ride quality is pretty bumpy – and 
that’s another big moot point about these trains. The HSTs which they replaced 8 
years ago were endlessly better. RIP. If you want to see a full review of the rest 
of this train, including Second Class then check out my previous GWR Class 
800 video from Cardiff to London. Or you can also see how the Transport 
for Wales Premier Dining Service between Manchester and Cardiff compares to this. Both 
videos are linked in the description below. So, to summarise this journey on the GWR Pullman 
Dining Service between Plymouth to London. Overall, I had a great experience. The food, 
which is the USP on this service was excellent, and I can’t remember a better 
meal I’ve had on a train, ever! The staff were friendly, kind and 
very helpful and the scenic views, especially in the first hour of the 
journey are some of THE BEST in the UK. On the down side, the seats and the ride 
quality of these Class 802 trains aren’t great – which is a let down for what 
should be a very prestigious service. However, the value for money is 
also pretty good, especially if you buy your tickets early. Certainly 
much better than some other operators! We finally arrive at London 
Paddington 6 minutes late, at 4.35pm. This marvellous 150 year old Brunel masterpiece 
is probably my favourite station in London. The stunning Victorian metal and glass trainshed, and statue to a certain fictitious 
bear are my favourite parts 🙂 Have you been on any posh dining 
train services before? If so, which ones and on which routes? How did you 
find them? Let me know in the comments below! I’m always open to new video ideas, so if you 
have something you’d like to see on the channel, then drop me DM on Instagram, BlueSky or Twitter. Don’t forget to subscribe, thanks for watching 
to the end, and I’ll see you in the next video!

Click the link below and use Code NONSTOP10 to get 10% OFF all amazing Level8 Luggage: https://www.clkmg.com/LEVEL8/NonStopEuroTrip

Today we’re back in the UK to check out GWR Pullman Dining Service.

We’ll travel in First Class from Plymouth to London Paddington passing by some of the best coastal scenery that the UK has to offer from a #TrainWindowView – so come along with me and let’s check them out together!

#UK #GWR #Class802 #Plymouth #Exeter #London #PullmanDining

Date of Filming: 2/7/25
Camera: GoPro Hero 12 Black
Operator: GWR (Great Western Railway)
Departure: Plymouth, UK
Arrival: London Paddington, UK
Cost: First Class – from £60 (€68, $79)
Second Class – from £40 (€45, $53)
+ 2 Course Set Menu £38, or 3 Course £46

Here is the link to the full GWR Pullman Dining menu:
https://www.gwr.com/travelling-with-us/pullman-dining

Here is a link to my GWR Class 800 review from Cardiff to London:

Here is a link to my Transport for Wales Premier Dining review:

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00:00 – Intro
00:38 – GWR Class 800 Cab Ride
01:20 – Arrival at Plymouth Station & Tour
03:12 – Train & Route Information
04:08 – Boarding!
05:16 – Level8: My Favourite Luggage!
06:16 – Departure & Pricing
08:22 – First Class Seat Tour
09:45 – Stunning Coastal #TrainWindowViews
11:12 – The Pullman Dining Experience!
12:32 – Fast Forward to Reading
13:18 – 125mph approaching London
14:02 – Trip Summary
14:48 – Arrival at London Paddington & Outro