Friday 4th September 2026 – Leave Hesketh Bank with a stop in Carlisle en-route, where there’s free time to explore this historic city. You could visit the Castle and Cumbria’s Museum of Military Life. There will also be time for lunch before we continue our journey to the North East. We will arrive at Holiday Inn Gosforth Park with some free time to relax before dinner this evening. After dinner, there will be a presentation to discuss the events programme via slides, with timetable handout, followed by drinks in the hotel bar, before retiring for the evening.

Saturday 5th September 2026 – This morning, we enjoy a guided walking tour of Durham. It’s a captivating city with winding cobbled streets, a prominent peninsula crowned with the dramatic Durham Cathedral and Castle UNESCO World Heritage Site. This viewing point offers one of the most stunning city panoramas in Europe. Marvel at the 900-year-old cathedral that holds the remains of St Cuthbert, the 7th century Bishop of Lindisfarne, and the tomb of the Venerable Bede, the chronicler of Cuthbert’s life and the first English historian. There will be some free time for lunch following the tour. We return to the hotel for early dinner, then our coach will take us to Bishop Aukland for Kynren.

Sunday 6th September 2026 – This morning, we head to the impressive 1,400-year-old Bamburgh Castle set on a rocky plateau and towering over the beaches. We’ll step back in history as we see the ancient artefacts in the King’s Hall, State Rooms, the Armoury and The Keep. There will be some free time for lunch, and the afternoon to explore the town of Seahouses. We return to the hotel for dinner this evening.

Monday 7th September 2026 – This morning, we visit National Trust property Cragside. Illuminated by hydro-electricity and powered by hydraulics, this pioneering home was filled with Victorian gadgets for efficient modern living. Man-made lakes, tumbling waterfalls and swathes of rhododendron combine to form the surrounding fantasy mountain landscape imagined and engineered by inventor and arms manufacturer William Armstrong and his wife Margaret. This afternoon, we visit National Railway Museum Shildon. Immerse yourself in railway history and get up close to icons of the tracks at Europe’s largest undercover display of heritage railway vehicles! Discover the engines that revolutionised travel and shaped the world as we know it.

Tuesday 8th September 2026 – We leave the North East at midday, with short stop at Lowther castle en-route home. Lowther Castle and Gardens is a magnificent Gothic ruin recently renovated from a derelict shell into an award winning visitor experience. Our visit starts in the stunning courtyard, home to a café, shop and the Story of Lowther exhibition.

Price Includes
- ABTA bonding
- 5 days coach hire
- 4 nights dinner, bed & breakfast
- Guided walking tour of Durham
- Kynren
- Entrance to Bamburgh Castle
- Entrance to National Railway Museum, Shildon
- Entrance to Lowther Castle

Holiday Inn Newcastle, Gosforth Park

Set in 18 acres of grounds, the hotel is next to the A19/A1 (North). Only 6 miles from Newcastle centre, it is within easy reach of the
beautiful Northumbrian coastline. Free Wi-Fi is available throughout. The rooms have a desk, flat-screen TV, tea/coffee making facilities and a hairdryer. Inn Fitness & Spa boasts an indoor swimming pool, sauna, steam room and a spa bath. There is a range of beauty treatments available. (On site payment required for treatments.)