All aboard Ireland’s first luxury train

This week brought a distinctive new addition to Ireland’s high-end travel scene. Belmond, purveyor to the world of luxurious leisure experiences – most notably the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express – launched the latest of its bespoke rail journeys, with the midnight-blue Belmond Grand Hibernian train setting off from Dublin for a season of Irish explorations.

I managed to get on board for an early look before the train’s keenly anticipated inaugural voyage set off on Monday – and was duly impressed.

The Grand Hibernian follows the template already laid down by Belmond’s British collection of atmospheric rail packages. Our islands are, after all, small and intimate – no need, then, for the Grand Hibernian to thunder, Flying Scotsman-like, through the night to keep to its timetable. Instead, the train halts overnight at stations in different corners of the island: guests can sleep quietly, with the daylight hours given over to showcasing the beauty of the Irish countryside and coast as it passes by.

Each segment of each journey is relatively short – never more than four hours – and there are, besides, a good deal of excursions and activities added to the mix. The result is something quite delightful: an opportunity to criss-cross Ireland in decidedly leisurely fashion, absorbing the sights in style and comfort.

Very considerable style, that is, and very considerable comfort – for the Grand Hibernian, like its British siblings the Royal Scotsman, Northern Belle and British Pullman, really does offer an extraordinarily elegant and polished travel experience. It’s a nuanced experience, too, with glossy corporate impersonality nowhere in evidence. Rather, the Hibernian staff are hands-on and local provenance is emphatically part of the deal: one boards the train to discover a plethora of Irish materials and craft showcased beautifully.

The train itself was essentially built in Belfast, using a combination of modern technology and triedand-tested local craft, before being furnished in the best of taste. The look? An attractive combination of classic and contemporary: panelled walls matched with original artworks, antique mirrors, a profusion of fresh flowers, and simple, unfussy colour schemes. Take the Hibernian’s 20 (four double, 16 twin) en-suite sleeping compartments: each is named after an Irish county – and each is bright in feel, and welcoming.

Good railway design, of course, always involves a touch of the miraculous, with hosts of amenities and creature comforts inserted into essentially modest spaces – and the Grand Hibernian sleepers, with their frothy duvets, Galway Crystal light fittings and Irish wool throws, carries this to the snuggest of conclusions. It’s worth noting, incidentally, that some of the double cabins offer interconnecting doors to a twin, opening the way for families to travel Ireland in style. In addition, one cabin has been adapted fully to meet the needs of disabled guests.

There’s an observation car, too, as comfortable and clubbable as any stationary drawing room, and two smart dining carriages: “Wexford” has a tweedy feel and offers tables of six; and I loved “Sligo”, with its muted greys, twinkling chandeliers and smaller tables of four. As for eating and drinking possibilities, the emphasis upon the local also carries impressively through into the cuisine served aboard. Ireland has undergone a food renaissance in recent years: superb local ingredients are in ready supply (I spotted a chef slicing a celeriac as I passed), and guests can expect this excellent quality to be flourished on each and every plate. Hibernian head chef Alan Woods notes that “the Gulf Stream makes the waters a little warmer and the seafood a little sweeter”, and guests can expect the best in Irish cheeses, fresh and smoked meats, and local spirits (there’s a giddying range of whiskies and artisan Irish gins, including my favourite, Shortcross) with local musical and storytelling entertainment laid on to follow.

As for the routes this romantic train will take, the Grand Hibernian offers a choice of two, four and six-night tours to the furthest corners of Ireland. The two-night Realm of Giants experience travels from Waterford to Belfast, with excursions to the Titanic Experience and the Giant’s Causeway. Surprisingly, this northern excursion does not – this year, at any rate – include a trip on the superlative Coleraine-Londonderry line, named by Michael Palin as one of the world’s great railway journeys and given the thumbs-up by the Queen this year; Essentials

Prices begin at €3,160 (£2,700) per person for a two-night all-inclusive package; €5,420 (£4,560) for a four-night package; and €7,722 (£6,500) for a sixnight package. In 2017, the season will run from April 25 to October 14. Call 0845 077 2222; visit belmond.com.

Neil Hegarty’s novel Inch Levels, which is set in Ireland, is published by Head of Zeus on September 8. perhaps Belmond will tweak its itineraries for 2017.

The four-night Legends and Loughs journey explores the glorious landscapes of Ireland’s west and south west, including tours of picturesque Cork city, Blarney Castle, the Killarney lakelands and vibrant Galway. There are possible excursions to the deeply impressive Cliffs of Moher on the windswept Co Clare coast and to famous Ashford Castle Hotel for a falconry experience. The six-night Grand Tour – the first of which set off this week – combines both the shorter tours into one leisurely sweep across Ireland, from south to north.

As its name suggests, it is going to be a grand way to see Hibernia.