Travel company launches train route from Wigan to Pyongyang

Calling all intrepid explorers: a travel company is launching a train journey from Wigan to North Korea.

The month-long adventure, arranged by Lupine Travel and due to start in 2020, will make its way from the north west of England to North Korean capital Pyongyang.

Travellers will be treated to local delicacy pie barm and a ‘can of vimto’ on departure, before spending time in London, Brussels, Berlin, Warsaw, Moscow, Irkutsk, Ulaanbaatar and Beijing.

The train leaves on April 26 and eventually arrives in Pyongyang by sleeper from Beijing on May 19.

You'll then spend four nights seeing the sites in Pyongyang, visiting the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) and other local sites.

The once-in-a-lifetime expedition will cost £3,195 and will include accommodation, meals and a tour guide.

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However, the cost excludes all visas and travel insurance.

The website says sections of the tour can be booked independently, meaning you can start your journey in London and skip out Wigan entirely.

Lupine Travel describes itself as a company that offers ‘secure routes offering once-in-a-lifetime experiences in unique and hard-to-reach destinations and open them up to our clients’.

For an extra £450, you will even be able to extend your stay in North Korea by an extra three nights, and visit Wonsan on the East Coast and Mount Kumgang National Park.

But Lupine are not the first company to arrange trips to the Hermit State.

The Man in Seat 61 reports how companies including Regent Holidays and Koryo Tours can organise train travel to Pyongyang via either Moscow or Beijing.