Review: Avanti West Coast First Class London to Manchester

This review details my travel experience in first class on an Avanti West Coast train from London Euston to Manchester Piccadilly.

From London to Manchester by train

After a great trip to Cornwall, I had made my way back to London by first taking a train along the Cornish Main Line from Penzance to Plymouth, and then enjoying a fantastic GWR Pullman Dining experience on my train from Plymouth to London.

I didn’t have much time to linger in London, as I needed to continue straight away to another part of England.

As I already explained in the introduction of this trip report, I was visiting destinations in both Cornwall and Yorkshire on my travels.

The quickest way to reach my overnight stop, the town of Dewsbury, was to take an Avanti West Coast train from London to Manchester and then connect onward into Yorkshire.

Avanti West Coast is the train operating company running the West Coast franchise, providing long-distance services on the West Coast Main Line between London, the West Midlands, North Wales, North West England, and Scotland.

Since my GWR train had arrived at London Paddington and Avanti trains to Manchester depart from London Euston, I first had to make my way between these two stations.

Getting to London Euston

Travelling from London Paddington to Euston station by public transport is quick and straightforward.

You can take the Underground – four stops on either the Hammersmith & City line or the Circle line – or use one of several buses, with bus 27 being the best option.

As it was rush hour and the entrance to the Underground station was extremely crowded, I decided to take the bus.

Fortunately, the bus was surprisingly empty, and I managed to get the front seat on the top deck of the double-decker.

It’s always a pleasure to travel across London this way, as the double-deck buses offer great views of the streets of the British capital.

Euston station

Of all London’s main railway stations, Euston is surely the worst, as it is overcrowded and ugly.

Euston station has two saving graces: in front of the station you can find the Euston Tap – a great place for a beer before your train departs – and nearby you can find Drummond Street, home to excellent Indian restaurants and takeaways if you are looking for a quick meal.

Apart from that, Euston is simply not a great place to linger around for long.

What I dislike most about Euston is that the platforms for departing trains are consistently announced late.

Unsurprisingly, when a platform is announced only five minutes before departure, it triggers a mad rush of hundreds of people, as was the case with my Avanti service to Manchester.

Needless to say, this created a bottleneck at the automatic ticket barriers, where passengers are supposed to scan their tickets, so the station staff eventually opened the platform gates to prevent a big delay upon departure of our train.

Top tip: track your train on Real Time Trains, as this website often lists the correct platform way before it appears on the station departures board – although remember that last-minute changes are always possible.

Avanti West Coast first class

The 18:00 service from London to Manchester on which I was booked was operated by a British Rail Class 390 Pendolino train.

British train fares – especially for first class – can be expensive, but fortunately I had a first class Interrail pass, which offers excellent value for travelling across countries like the UK.

This peak evening departure from London to Manchester had a healthy passenger load, with around 80% of the first class seats occupied.

In first class on Avanti West Coast trains, the seating has a 1+2 configuration, providing a wider seat and more shoulder room compared with the 2+2 layout in second class.

Seats are arranged as single seats, as pairs facing each other across a table, or in bays of four around a larger table.

I found my first class seat on this Avanti West Coast Pendolino perfectly fine for the duration of my journey, though I wouldn’t describe it as enormously comfortable – which is generally the case with seating on trains in the UK.

At your seat on an Avanti West Coast train, you’ll find a power socket and USB charging port, and the trains are also equipped with Wi-Fi, which worked well for the entire duration of my journey.

Seat reservations

On trains within the UK, seat reservations are always optional and never compulsory, but they are still highly advisable, and are free of charge anyway.

For Avanti West Coast trains, you can choose a seat using their seat picker service, which is only available if you have booked your ticket directly with them.

If you obtained your ticket through another channel, or are travelling with a rail pass such as Interrail or Eurail, you can still make seat reservations for Avanti trains via the GWR website – simply create an account, log in, go to ‘bookings’, and then click ‘make a seat/bike reservation’.

In case you haven’t made a seat reservation, check the electronic indicators above each seat to see whether it has been reserved between a certain pair of stations or is freely available.

Luggage

Inside each coach on an Avanti West Coast Pendolino train, you’ll find some luggage rack for large suitcases and bags.

Smaller bags and trolleys are best placed in the overhead luggage racks running along the length of the coach.

London Euston to Manchester Piccadilly
Avanti West Coast – Departure: 18:00 – Arrival: 20:05
Duration: 2h05m – Distance: 296 kilometres

Departure from London

Somehow, we managed to leave London Euston on time despite the boarding chaos.

My Avanti West Coast train would take two hours and five minutes to cover the 296-kilometre (184-mile) route between London Euston and Manchester Piccadilly.

Note that the travel time and exact route will depend on the service you take, as trains between London and the north follow different paths and may stop at different stations.

On my 18:00 London to Manchester train, we would travel non-stop for almost two-thirds of the journey before reaching Stoke-on-Trent.

After stopping at Stoke-on-Trent, the train would call at Macclesfield and Stockport before arriving at Manchester Piccadilly.

Once we left London, we travelled along the West Coast Main Line through Watford and Milton Keynes, gradually picking up speed as the urban landscape of Greater London gave way to the countryside.

These Avanti West Coast Pendolino trains have an operational maximum speed of 200 kilometres per hour (125 mph).

Indeed, the journey seemed to pass by very quickly.

Avanti first class food and drinks

When travelling in first class on Avanti West Coast, food and drinks are included in the fare.

The menu – which changes regularly – offers a variety of snacks, as well as cold and hot dishes, so there is always something to suit your taste and the hour of the day you’re travelling.

As I wasn’t particularly hungry after my GWR Pullman dining experience on the previous train, I opted for a snack rather than one of the main dishes.

I selected the Avanti grazing plate, which included several British cheeses, cold cuts, olives, and crackers.

To drink, I chose a glass of red wine.

It made for a relaxed journey, watching the fine views from the train while enjoying some delicious food and a glass of wine.

The friendly train attendant came by a second time, offering desserts – a passionfruit tart – along with tea and coffee, although I opted for another glass of red instead of a hot drink.

Avanti West Coast train walkthrough

After the meal, I took a short walk through the coaches of the Avanti West Coast Pendolino to check out second class and the onboard facilities.

Second class seating is in a 2+2 configuration, either in bays of four around a large table or in pairs of seats next to each other.

Avanti West Coast trains also have a coach with an onboard shop where second class passengers can purchase snacks and drinks.

Of course, you are always free to bring your own food and drinks, including alcohol, on board.

Train toilets

During my walk through the train, I also checked out the onboard toilets.

The toilet was reasonably clean, stocked with soap and toilet paper, and had running water in the washbasin.

Onwards to Stoke

At Rugby, my Avanti train left the West Coast Main Line and joined the Trent Valley Line, east of Coventry and Birmingham.

We left this line at Colwich and followed the Stone to Colwich Line – a West Coast Main Line cut-off – to bypass Stafford and reach Stoke-on-Trent, the first stop on this Avanti journey from London to Manchester.

Towards Manchester

Following a short stop in Macclesfield in eastern Cheshire, we continued towards Manchester.

After a pleasant train ride through the English countryside, we approached the Greater Manchester urban area, with our first stop in the town of Stockport.

From the historic Stockport railway viaduct, which carries the West Coast Main Line across the valley of the River Mersey, you get great views of the town and its old factories.

Stockport was once the centre of hatmaking in the UK, and one of the old factories clearly visible from the train is the brick building of the Stockport Hatworks, now serving as a museum.

Arrival at Manchester Piccadilly

Shortly after, we approached Manchester, with the train slowing down as it made its final run into Manchester Piccadilly station.

After a great train ride, we arrived bang on time at our final stop of Manchester Piccadilly.

Manchester Piccadilly is certainly a much nicer station than London Euston, from where I had departed two hours earlier, but as I had an onward train to catch, I had little time to admire it.

Conclusion

I had a great trip from London to Manchester in first class on Avanti West Coast, with comfortable seating, tasty complimentary food and wine, and an on-time arrival.

Admittedly, I know that Avanti West Coast is not always so punctual, and that paying the full fare for first class can be rather expensive, to put it mildly.

I was only able to travel in first class because I had a first class Interrail Pass, which offers excellent value for foreign tourists visiting the UK.

That said, setting those two factors aside, I think Avanti West Coast offers an excellent first class experience, which certainly surpassed my earlier journeys on GWR and CrossCountry trains during this trip.

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