Northumbria’s wealth of natural beauty, rugged coastline and vast landscapes of unspoilt countryside is blessed with wildlife and an abundance of historic sites, including the mysterious and wild Holy Island.
Day 1 After an early departure we travel via the Dartford Crossing to Northumbria, making suitable refreshment stops along the way.
Day 2 A full day out at Beamish, a living, working museum, set in 350 acres of beautiful Durham countryside. People in costume bring life to the 1820’s Pockerley Old Hall and landscape, 1900’s town, 1900’s pit village, 1940’s farm and 1950’s town and farm. The multi-award-winning open-air museum allows you to try freshly made bread in an Edwardian bakery, see what life was like on the Home Front, meet the pit ponies, and gives a wide choice of places for you to get some lunch.
Day 3 Today we visit Alnwick Castle, home of the Duke of Northumberland and the second largest inhabited castle in England. Discover opulent State Rooms filled with a stunning array of art and furniture, visit the museums, or try to spot the filming locations for Downton Abbey and, of course, Harry Potter’s Hogwarts! Within the ‘Capability’ Brown landscape, you will find unique, contemporary gardens with a Bamboo Labyrinth and the small but deadly poison garden, entered at your own risk. The afternoon is free in Alnwick.
Day 4 Today we travel up to the historic fishing village of Seahouses. We board our boat for a 90-minute cruise out around the Farne Islands to see the grey seal colonies, and hopefully see some of the thousands of nesting birds including guillemots, terns, kittiwakes, shags and puffins.* We then travel to Holy Island, driving the coach across the causeway which is only uncovered at low tide. Follow in the footsteps of ancient monks who arrived over 1400 years ago to worship and build their priory in the wild beauty of Holy Island. We have included entrance to the visitor centre for an introduction to life on the island.
Day 5 This morning we travel to the vibrant market town of Hexham with free time to explore. You will find beautiful architecture, partially built with stones from the Roman ruins of Hadrian’s Wall, picturesque parks and an Anglo Saxon Abbey. We then follow the course of Hadrian’s Wall and include a visit to the Roman Army Museum and Vindolanda, where you can see the excavated remains of the Roman fort and town. This is a ‘live’ archaeological site, so you may see excavations taking place, and history being uncovered before your eyes.
Day 6 Departing after breakfast, we travel south by way of the conservation town of Stamford. We reach the local area in the evening.
Our modern four-star hotel is on the outskirts of the city and offers leisure facilities including swimming pool, sauna and gym. Bedrooms have TV, telephone, WiFi, ironing facilities, safe, hairdryer and hospitality tray. The hotel has a lift.
