Passengers paying almost £600 a ticket for a slap-up lunch on the Northern Belle from Wakefield

They will be served a leisurely seven-course meal as the 1930s Pullman-style Northern Belle spends five hours meandering through the beautiful Yorkshire countryside on May 24.

There will even be onboard musicians to serenade the passengers during the journey while a conjuror will bring an extra touch of magic to the occasion.

A spokesman for the Northern Belle said: ““It sounds a lot of money, but this is a very special trip that people will remember for the rest of their lives.

“And £570 is our most expensive ticket with lashings of the very best champagne. There are also cheaper fares for the journey starting at £275.”

The Northern Belle used to form part of the iconic Orient Express group before being bought by Wakefield businessman David Pitts.

It has twice featured on Channel 5’s ‘The World’s Most Scenic Railway Journeys’ programme, with narrator Bill Nighy describing it as “the grand dame of luxury travel”.

In 2022, it was voted the ninth most luxurious train in the world, the only British entry in the top 10 and pipping famous rivals like Canada’s Rocky Mountaineer and India’s Maharajah Express.

The train will make several more journeys from Wakefield this year including a steam-hauled Father’s Day trip over the picturesque Settle-Carlisle line next month.Fares start at £275. For more information, see www.northernbelle.co.uk