History & Houses of Northumbria

5 days from £599

Durham Cathedral's twin Norman towers rising above autumn trees and a riverside fulling mill on the River Wear
Durham Cathedral
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Suggested Itinerary#

Every one of our tours is exclusively for your group and your group alone so each one can be tailor made to suit the interests and profile of your members until you have a tour with an itinerary and at a price which matches the interests and profile of your members.

Day 1 – Harewood House

Board our private executive coach at your preferred pick up points – stop at a convenient property en route such as Harewood House, the home of the Queen’s cousin, the Earl of Harewood, renowned for its stunning architecture, fine art collection, exquisite Adam interiors and Chippendale furniture and a 1,000 acre ‘Capability’ Brown landscaped garden - continue to the 3* Gibside Hotel at Whickham.

Day 2 – Durham Cathedral & Laing Art Gallery

Tour with our Blue Badge guide of Durham and its Cathedral, once described as ‘one of the great architectural experiences of Europe’ – Laing Art Gallery in Newcastle boasts an exceptional collection focusing on British oil paintings, watercolours, ceramics, silver and glassware.

Day 3 – Alnwick Castle & Cragside House and Gardens

Our Blue Badge guide accompanies us to Alnwick Castle, the second largest inhabited castle in England after Windsor Castle and home of the Earls and Dukes of Northumberland since 1309 – the National Trust’s Cragside House and Gardens, a wonderful Victorian mansion dating from the 19th century and described as ‘the palace of a modern magician’, features what were then state of the art hydraulics powering a revolutionary lift system and internal telephones which mesmerised visitors in its time.

Day 4 – Lindisfarne Priory & Farne Island

Settled by Irish monks in AD 635, Lindisfarne Priory, also known as Holy Island, became the hub of a major cult celebrating the achievements of St Cuthbert (c634-687) and the famous Lindisfarne Gospels were created in his honour on the island in the early 8th century – boat trip to Farne Island, one of Britain’s most important bird sanctuaries and home to puffins, eider duck and four species of tern.

Day 5 – The Bowes Museum

Guided tour of The Bowes Museum at Barnard Castle, a purpose built public art gallery created by John and Josephine Bowes between 1862 and 1875 and home to a large collection of fine and decorative paintings from around Europe – return to our original departure points with comfort stops en route.

Every one of our tours is exclusively for your group and your group alone so each one can be tailor made to suit the interests and profile of your members until you have a tour with an itinerary and at a price which matches the interests and profile of your members.

Features#

  • Half board accommodation

  • All excursions & guided tours included

  • Blue Badge guide Days 2 to 4

  • Executive coach throughout

  • One free place per 10 paying passengers

Tailor your Features#

Remember this itinerary is just our suggestion. Tailor make this tour exclusively for your group to suit your members’ budget or preferences. You could:

  • Stay at a 4* hotel

  • For more (or fewer) days

  • Bring a specialist lecturer

  • Include all entrance fees & gratuities

  • Visit more (or fewer) sights*

* See Tailor your Sights for suggestions

Sights#

  • Harewood House, Yorkshire

  • Durham Cathedral - guided tour

  • Laing Art Gallery

  • Alnwick Castle

  • Cragside House & Gardens

  • Lindisfarne Castle

  • Boat trip to Farne Island

  • The Bowes Museum - guided tour

Tailor your Sights#

If you'd prefer to visit different places, or if you'd like to add extra attractions that match your group's specific interests, here are some more suggestions:

  • Hadrian’s Wall Country - a tour of this World Heritage Site dating back to 122 AD takes in Chester’s Roman Fort, one of the best preserved examples of a Roman cavalry fort in Britain, and Cawfields Roman Wall, one of the best preserved and most scenic stretches with turrets and an impressive milecastle thought to have been built by the Second Legion

  • Hexham Abbey - a church was originally established on this site in 674AD, while the current Early English style building dates from the 12th century

  • Wallington House, Morpeth - dating from 1688, the house contains magnificent Rococo plasterwork, fine ceramics and a collection of dolls’ houses

  • Belsay Hall, Castle & Gardens, Morpeth - a fine medieval castle enlarged into a Jacobean mansion, while Belsay Hall is a Greek Revival villa with its fabulous Pillar Hall and the huge grounds feature the unique Quarry Garden

  • Washington Old Hall - the original medieval home of George Washington's ancestors, from where the family took their surname of 'Washington'

  • Spanish Gallery, Bishop Auckland - depicts a story of Golden Age Spanish art during the 16th and 17th centuries

Accommodation#

Four nights on half board basis at the 3* Gibside Hotel at Whickham, four miles south west of Newcastle. Facilities include a restaurant and bar. All rooms are en suite.

Extras#

  • Single room supplement £119

  • Insurance

  • Entrance fees to places of interest (NT properties free to NT members)

  • Boat fare to Farne Island

  • Audio headphones

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020 7064 4970

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for your group

Tailor your tour

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History & Houses of Northumbria

5 days from £599 per person

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