Travel from Bolton to Scotland in style with wine and food

We travelled first class with TransPennine Express from Bolton to Glasgow to give the menu a try.

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A new menu has been launched on direct train services from Bolton to Glasgow and Edinburgh. We travelled first class with TransPennine Express from Bolton to Glasgow to give the menu a try. The new ‘West Coast Kitchen’ is available daily on services between Manchester/Liverpool to Cumbria and Scotland. Food and alcohol are included free of charge to all First Class ticket holders.

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The new ‘West Coast Kitchen’ is available daily on services between Manchester/Liverpool to Cumbria and Scotland.

Food and alcohol are included free of charge to all First Class ticket holders.

For those travelling before 11am, breakfast includes omelettes in a soft white roll, a Highland Breakfast including a Scottish Lorne Sausage, Black Pudding, back bacon, a frittata, and baked beans.

The highland breakfast includes bacon, sausage, baked beans, black pudding, and a frittata (Image: Jack Fifield, Newsquest)

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A vegan breakfast is also available, including a plant based sausage, baby spinach, cherry tomatoes, cannellini beans in a tomato sauce, and a potato scone.

Lighter options include a butter croissant or porridge.

For the rest of the day, food options include Macaroni Cheese, Cauliflower & Potato Curry, and a Vegan Sausage Roll, amongst others, on weekdays, and roast dinner options on weekends.

Options alternate between two menus weekly, so that regular commuters can choose different options.

Vegans can enjoy a cauliflower curry (Image: Jack Fifield, Newsquest)

A selection of soft and alcoholic beverages, including tea, coffee, lemonade, as well as Sauvignon Blanc, Malbec, Rosé, and beer, are included free of charge.

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Once in Glasgow, you’re directly in the city centre, at Glasgow Central – just a stone’s throw away from the city’s famous Buchanan Street shopping centre and the Gallery of Modern Art, with the city’s famous cone-donned Duke of Wellington Statue.

A little further is the city’s famous necropolis and cathedral, the only remaining Protestant cathedral on the Scottish mainland.

A total of 50,000 people have been buried at Glasgow Necropolis (Image: Jack Fifield)

Getting around Glasgow is easy, with the city’s underground Subway system and rail network providing frequent and affordable travel between major landmarks – including the Kelvingrove Art Gallery in the city’s vibrant West End.

While the gallery is usually home to Salvador Dali’s Christ of St John of the Cross, disappointed visitors are currently met with a sign telling them the work will return in July 2024, as it is on loan to the Dali Theatre Museum in Spain.

Also in the bustling West End are an array of vibrant bars and restaurants.

Those who want a view of the River Kelvin might pop in for a drink at Inn Deep – where pints start at £4.50 – before heading over to Paesano Pizza for a bite to eat.

Drinking at Inn Deep gives you a stunning view of the River Kelvin (Image: Jack Fifield, Newsquest)

Other attractions in the charming city include the stunning buildings of the fourth oldest university in the UK, the University of Glasgow, and the city’s Riverside Museum, which showcases transport history.

After you finish up, leave some room for your free evening meal, and drink, on your return journey to Bolton.

A trip to Glasgow wouldn't be complete without seeing the Duke of Wellington (Image: Jack Fifield)

First class tickets between Bolton and Glasgow Central range at around £80 to £90 per adult each way with no Railcard applied, which offers a third off.

Using a split ticketing website can offer cheaper fares for the same journey, and buying tickets from Manchester appears to be cheaper in some cases – so make sure you shop around to get the best deal.

Kathryn O’Brien, customer experience and transformation director at TransPennine Express, said: “We’re thrilled to be able to offer customers a much more enhanced catering service.

Kathryn O'Brien said the company is 'thrilled' to launch the new menu (Image: Jack Fifield, Newsquest)

“We’ve now got double the number of hosts on each train, and that allows for a very special first class service while someone else is able to go through the train and make sales from the trolley for an at-seat service.

“We’re thrilled, we’re delighted to partner with Rail Gourmet UK who are our catering provider, and we’ve created 30 additional jobs in the north of England alongside this project.

“It’s great being able to partner with communities along the group to be able to offer very localised produce that fits with our community approach as well.”

If you have a story, I cover the whole borough of Bolton. Please get in touch at jack.fifield@newsquest.co.uk.