This tour takes in the best that the North East of England has to offer, with unspoilt countryside through the Dales and the Pennines. We visit the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Durham, cruise along the River Wear, travel on the Weardale Railway, visit the Bowes Museum and the open air museum at Beamish.

ITINERARY

Day 1 After an early departure we travel via the Dartford Crossing and the Great North Road to Durham stopping in Stamford en route. We reach our hotel late afternoon.

Day 2 We make our way to Durham where we meet our guide for our tour of this splendid city. We then take a cruise on the River Wear where lunch will be served on board.

Day 3 Today we have a morning tour visiting Barnard Castle and a visit to the magnificent Bowes Museum which houses a wonderful collection of European and fine decorative arts. After you have enjoyed the excellent lunch facilities at the museum, the coach will take you up Teesdale via Mickleton, Alston to Stanhope where we join the Weardale Railway for a 25-minute journey to Wolsingham and then back to the hotel.

Day 4 A full day out to Beamish. Britain’s favourite open air museum, set in over 300 acres of beautiful countryside, vividly recreates life in the North of England in the early 1800s and 1900s, demonstrating the history of the region in a ‘living’ way.

Day 5 A scenic drive today into the Durham Dales and over the North Pennines. We visit the Durham Dales Visitor Centre at Stanhope, the pretty village of Blanchland, and Hexham.

Day 6 Leaving our hotel after breakfast we head south. We will stop for lunch in Melton Mowbray where you will have a chance to visit ‘Ye Old Pork Pie Shoppe’ and taste the wares. We then continue our journey to arrive back at the local area early evening.