You can’t say the Parums are a couple without vision, writes Nicole Regan.
Diana and Simon are the brains behind the highly successful Bassenthwaite Lake Station.
Now they’ve turned their attention from rail to road.
If you’ve never been to Bassenthwaite Lake Station, then you are missing out – afternoon tea (or breakfast or lunch) on the train used in Kenneth Branagh’s film Murder on the Orient Express. What’s not to like?
But now, the couple and their talented staff have given the traditional afternoon tea a new and unique twist.
All aboard the afternoon tea bus!
They are launching their double-decker experience soon and Cumbria Crack was lucky enough to be invited on one of the first trips.
The fully tricked out bus – with tables so you don’t have to balance anything on your knee – takes guests to Grasmere and back (no stopping!) and while on the journey they enjoy a perfectly crafted tea.
The route has been carefully thought out so passengers get the best views too – it truly is the only way to travel.
Laid out in specially made lunch boxes (‘We had to get them designed bespoke to fit correctly on the bus’s tables,’ says Diana), head chef John has created a masterpiece of an afternoon tea.
From a clever mini-Scotch egg to delicious cakes and mouth-watering sandwiches, it is perfect for being on the move.
No spoilers though – John’s ingenuity needs to be seen to be believed.
He and his team have spent hours on it – it truly is a labour of love.
Bus passengers also get to keep the box (immediate doggy bag if you can’t manage everything) and the cute – and also specially made – travel cups are also souvenirs.
It’s a great touch.
Surrounded by friends of Bassenthwaite Lake Station (shout out here to the Bass Swim Babes – Sunday morning regulars) and family members, the journey went by in a flash.
Singing The Wheels on the Bus is not compulsory while you’re travelling, but when someone starts, you can’t help but join in….
Special mention to our waitresses too – no mean feat to serve 40-plus people on a moving bus and they handled it with aplomb.
Unique, exciting and delicious. Stagecoach journeys will never be the same for us, unless John’s catering is included.
The afternoon tea bus tour begins its first journey on Saturday.
