I’ve reached the end of my journey. I wasn’t impressed with GWR’s First Class service. When I did the trip to Inverness on Virgin East Coast last year I received plentiful tea and coffee, mineral water, food from a first-class only menu (on which there were some hot choices) and free drinks. And this service continued all the way to Inverness.
On GWR, on the other hand, it seemed that the refreshments were limited to what would have been available in the buffet car. Yes it was free but it didn’t feel special in any way. And no sign of any alcoholic drinks, either. Not that I would have been drinking with this stupid cold, but the offer would have been nice. The final straw was when the catering team de-trained at Plymouth. No at-seat service after that, which was actually another two hours.
I finally arrived at Penzance at 7:40, which was pretty much on time. It was already dark by then, so first impressions were fragmentary. But I liked the look of Penzance station – although small, it looked like the most westwards mail-line terminus in Britain. Three platforms and a simple arched wooden roof made it look distinguished enough. And there was a definite briny smell as soon as I got out of the train.
The hotel is a bit of a shock after years of Premier Inns – a small room over looking the main road. So a bit noisy, or would be be if I could open a window, which I can’t. So definitely hot and probably noisy. Ah well.