Durham, Beamish & The Auckland Project

Celebrating some of the gems of the North East, this tour visits the quintessential old English university city of Durham with its beautiful Romanesque cathedral and a cobweb of hilly, cobbled streets. Follow in the footsteps of the powerful Prince Bishops of Durham at The Auckland Project, a unique collection of heritage attractions, galleries and gardens. Spend a day stepping back into the past at the award-winning open-air Beamish Living Museum of the North. The base for your holiday is the excellent 4* Redworth Hall Hotel set in the beautiful countryside of County Durham.\n\nSPECIAL DEPARTURE - 15 August 2025 - 4 days for Kynren Click here for detailsHoliday Highlights
- Hotel for 4 nights with breakfast & dinner- Porterage- Welcome tea/coffee- Free use of the hotel leisure facilities- Day in Durham- Entrance to Durham Botanic Garden- The Auckland Project Untapped ticket- Visit & entrance to Beamish Museum

Itinerary
Day 1 - After joining your holiday coach, travel northwards with a lunch stop on the way. Arrive at your hotel late afternoon for 4 nights DBB.\n\nDays 2 - 4 At leisure with 3 included excursions.\n\nThe Auckland Project\nSpend the day in Bishop Auckland, the former home of the Prince Bishops of Durham, with its rich history spanning over 2000 years. Following a decade-long regeneration programme, this hidden gem of a town now offers a unique collection of heritage attractions, galleries, gardens and parkland. Together, these attractions offer the ideal blend of art, history and nature, centred around the magnificent Auckland Castle, once of the best-preserved bishop's palaces in Europe surrounded by beautifully restored landscaped gardens. The Auckland Project Untapped ticket allows entry to the castle and the Faith Museum as well as the Auckland Tower at the heart of the Market Place, the unique Spanish Gallery and the Mining Art Gallery with its unique insight into the lives and souls of coal miners and their communities. The gardens around the palace are stunning and include the beautifully restored Walled Garden, the serene Faith Garden and the captivating Wilderness Garden\n\nA Day in Durham with the Botanic Garden\nBill Bryson called it 'a perfect little city', The Independent named it as one of the best cities in the world to visit in 2020, and Condé Nast's Traveller magazine readers voted it the 'Best City in the UK'. Durham is a captivating city with winding cobbled streets and a prominent peninsula crowned with the dramatic Durham Cathedral and Castle World Heritage Site. Enjoy time at leisure exploring the timeless quality of this quintessential old English University City, take some time out with a relaxing riverside walk or soak up the atmosphere with superb cafés, artisan workshops, boutiques, galleries and museums.\n\nA visit to the wonderful Botanic Garden located in the grounds of Durham University is included today. This 10 hectare university Botanic Garden is set amongst beautiful mature woodlands on the southern outskirts of Durham city. Wander through the alpine garden, winter garden, bamboo grove, glasshouses and the recently developed woodland garden and wild flower meadow. Maps and trail sheets can be collected on arrival at the visitor centre. Access around the garden is generally good but there are some quite step paths.\n\nBeamish Museum\nTouch, taste, hear, see and smell history on an unforgettable journey into the past at England's largest open-air museum. Set in 300 acres of beautiful Durham countryside, Beamish - The Living Museum of the North brings 200 years of English history to life. Hop on a tram and make your way around the vast museum: visit the 1900s town and watch traditional sweets being made in the sweet shop, then visit the dentist (if you dare!). Try a tasty treat from the Edwardian Bakery or a pint at the Sun Inn Pub, then step even further back in time to the 1800s and take a steam train ride through the Georgian landscape on replica locomotives. Immerse yourself in the 1900s at the Pit Village by going down a real mine and enjoying a traditional fish and chips at Davy's Fried Fish Shop. Recently open attractions include a Georgian pottery as well as a cinema, milk bar, record shop and toy shop in the 1950s town. Staff are dressed in period costume, which makes the experience truly authentic.\n\nDay 5 - Travel southward to interchange with a comfort stop en-route.Redworth Hall Hotel, Newton Aycliffe
4* Redworth Hall is a stunning 17th century Jacobean Manor House situated in the blissful tranquility of its own 26 acres of landscaped grounds. The hotel retains many original features including the magnificent Great Hall, an ornate staircase and lounges. \n\nModern guestrooms are tastefully decorated and feature tea/coffee making facilities. The Retreat Spa features a fitness studio, an indoor heated pool, poolside terrace and lounge. \n\nAll single rooms are doubles for sole use. \n\nLift in the main building.