A date in Plymouth
I must say, I've been taken on some nice dates, but this was by far the most adventurous and dare I say the best one yet. I was wined and dined on a train and I was impressed.
J and I got on the 10:06 train service from Paddington to Plymouth (it's the service that goes all the way to Penzance) and went straight to the dining carriage which is basically first class. You can go to the Pullman Dining with either a first class or a standard class ticket, but you will all receive the same silver service in their restaurant.
The West Country Brunch was amazing ! It was a good thing that I can eat a lot in the morning because I would have been full within a few bites.
There are a few choices as shown in the menu here. I had the porridge with honey to start, and the highlight was of course, The Great Westerner, a full English breakfast Served fresh on very fast moving train, where everything is cooked fresh. I was impressed. I was more impressed by the service that we got, it would have been soo easy to spill hot coffee all over customers, but they did a great job !
The Great Westerner
We got to Plymouth and headed to the coast. All we had to do was follow the scent of the salt air and within 20 min we were there. We found Smeaton's Tower which is a lighthouse by the coast. For £3 you can go up a series of stairs and ladders and then step out the balcony at the top for a 360° view of that part of Plymouth and the town that you would have just walked through. It's pretty spectacular. Although someone had a different idea to enjoying the view 😛
Afterwards we walked over to The Waterfront Bar and Restaurant and sat outside whilst we enjoyed a drink and looking out the English Channel. Without knowing much about the place, we decided to walk over to Royal William Yard Harbour. We didn't realise how far we had to walk but after 25 min we found ourselves in a totally different part of Plymouth. It was a lot quieter and peaceful. Most importantly it was shaded.
We enjoyed a reasonably priced wine from Le Vignoble. The outdoor seating alone will make you want to just sit there and forget that you have a train to catch in a few hours time.
When we finished our wine, we headed over to Devil's Point. This place took my breath away. Such beautiful views and oh so very peaceful. A great place to have a picnic in my opinion.
After that we looked at the time and realised that we didn't have much time before we could get to the station in time for the 18:03 service heading back to London and most importantly for dinner 😃 . I honestly think I've become addicted to food.
After begging a taxi driver to get us there (he was a prebook only, and they don't have uber so we were basically at his mercy) we got to the station with 10 min to spare and waited patiently for the train to get there.
We boarded again and I was pretty excited, not just for the food but also for the sunset. You guys know I'm a big softie when it comes to sunsets ! (only because I can never wake up on time for a sunrise). And on both counts I was not disappointed.
Overall, I really enjoyed this trip. The company was amazing, the food was great and the weather wasn't so bad after all. What more can a girl ask for hey... :)
So pack your day bag and book that train and go and enjoy the only silver service on a train provided to you by Great Western Rail.