If you have been lucky enough to travel on the Orient Express, you would have felt equally at home in one of the three coaches Barbara, Theodora and Maunsell of the Kent and East Sussex Railway. Many of us did, joined by our friends from IOD Kent and IOD East Sussex

The steam train, with some 55 of us on board, chugged and puffed through beautifully green, Kent and East Sussex countryside from Tenterden through Northiam to Bodiam  – and back. The very caring and friendly, volunteer staff in their resplendent uniforms served us an amazingly good vegetable soup followed by beef with all the trimmings and topped by some desserts to die(t) for…all, of course, down by some very palatable wines for those that cared to imbibe