Welcome to the ‘The Historic Houses & Heritage of Northumbria’ tour. You can view full details of this tour, share this tour with others, pay your final balance before departure and, once you have departed on your holiday, share your group photos and write reviews.
Itinerary
Day 1
We depart by private executive coach from Worthy Lane Coach Park at Winchester. En route to our hotel we spend some time at leisure for lunch in Harrogate. We continue to the 3* Gibside Hotel at Whickham for a four night stay on a half board basis.
Day 2
We visit Bamburgh Castle this morning with our Blue Badge guide. This spectacular castle has stood guard above the Northumberland coastline for over 1,400 years. Spanning nine acres of land on its rocky plateau, Bamburgh Castle is one of the largest inhabited castles in the country. This afternoon we visit the remains of the English Heritage’s Lindisfarne Priory on Holy Island. The ancient monks built the priory nearly 1,400 years ago and this is the site where St Aidan and St Cuthbert founded the great powerhouse of Christianity in Anglo Saxon Northumbria, and where the famous Lindisfarne Gospels were created in the early 700s. The Priory’s museum focuses on a grisly Viking raid, the cult of St Cuthbert, and the beautiful medieval manuscript, the Lindisfarne Gospels.
Day 3
Our Blue Badge guide meets us at our hotel this morning and accompanies us throughout the day. The National Trust’s Wallington property near Morpeth is our destination this morning. Dating from 1688, the house contains magnificent rococo plasterwork, fine ceramics and a collection of dolls’ houses. We continue to the National Trust’s Seaton Delaval Hall. Recently acquired by the National Trust, Seaton Delaval Hall was built between 1719 and 1732, and the great English baroque villa was designed by Sir John Vanbrugh for Admiral George Delaval.
Day 4
Our Blue Badge guide accompanies us to Alnwick Castle, the second largest inhabited castle in England, the first being Windsor Castle, and home of the Percys, Earls and Dukes of Northumberland since 1309. We continue to 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’. Its interior features state of the art hydraulics powering a revolutionary lift system and internal telephones which mesmerised visitors in its time.
Day 5
After checking out of our hotel and en route home we visit Hardwick Hall and Gardens in Derbyshire, an Elizabethan treasure house and National Trust property dating from 16th century. A magnificent statement of the wealth and status of its builder, Bess of Hardwick, Hardwick Hall is remarkable for being almost unchanged since she lived here and gives a rare insight into the formality of Elizabethan courtly life. Taking carefully selected comfort stops en route, we return back to our original pick up point.
NB: Please note we reserve the right to alter the above itinerary if required for operational reasons. Given the historic nature of the places visited, a certain degree of walking will be involved, and this tour may not be suitable for those with mobility problems.
Featuring
Half board accommodation
All excursion travel & guided tours included
Entrance fees to non-National Trust properties included
Blue Badge guide included on Days 2 to 4
Executive coach throughout
Gratuities included
Harrogate
Bamburgh Castle
Lindisfarne Priory
Wallington
Seaton Delaval Hall
Alnwick castle
Cragside House & Gardens
Hardwick Hall & Gardens
Hotel
We stay four nights on a half board basis at the 3* Gibside Hotel (www.gibsidehotel.co.uk) at Whickham, four miles south west of Newcastle. Located in the centre of this historic village, facilities at the hotel include Paco’s Restaurant that offers a high standard of cuisine and the Egyptian style Sphinx Bar with its superb panoramic views over the Tyne Valley. All rooms are en suite and feature telephone, television, tea & coffee making facilities and a hairdryer.
Extras
Single room supplement £119
Insurance (including Covid cover) £38
Entrance fees to National Trust properties (free to NT members)
Lunches
