Northumbria's Castles & Culture customer favourite
Monday 19 August 2024 to Friday 23 August 2024
£675pp Single supplement £112
- Destination
- Itinerary
- Full inclusions
- Hotel
- Booking request
This popular tour is now full but you might like our 4* Yorkshire tour staying in the centre of Harrogate this October or our 4* riverside stay in the centre of Durham this November.
This is such a lovely part of the country, with endless unspoilt countryside just waiting to be explored. This tour takes you on a journey through Northumberland's fascinating past, from colossal castles to tidal islands and towns steeped in history. You'll be staying on the banks of the Tyne in Newcastle Quayside, right in the heart of this vibrant city. This is the only hotel in Newcastle where every single room overlooks the River Tyne and it was one of our most popular hotels last year. "Hotel was the best yet!".
Copthorne Hotel Newcastle and Bamburgh Castle are both winners of a 2023 Travellers’ Choice Award from Tripadvisor – this is only awarded to attractions that are ranked within the top 10% and consistently earn great visitor reviews!
We always recommend taking out adequate holiday insurance, that's why we’ve partnered with SunWorld holiday insurance who can offer single or annual multi-trip cover. Get your free custom quote.
Tour code: B3447
Monday
Check in with tea/coffee.
Tuesday
Spend the day amongst the winding cobbled streets of Alnwick, with entry to Alnwick Garden and Alnwick Castle included – which you may well recognise from the famous Harry Potter films and Downton Abbey! Opulent Italianate State Rooms and medieval architecture combine inside the UK’s second largest inhabited castle! Then, to Alnwick Garden, a unique, contemporary site created in 2001, which features a Grand Cascade, a perilous Poison Garden and gleaming gold petals from ‘The Fire Lily’, which tend to ignite The Ornamental Garden in August.
Wednesday
Spend the morning in the historic market town of Hexham, dominated by its fine medieval Abbey, with beautiful floral gardens and, in stark contrast, England’s first purpose-built prison dating back to the 1300s! This afternoon, use the hotel as a base to explore Newcastle/Gateshead. The two areas are united by seven iconic bridges that cross the Tyne and are simply bursting with personality!
Thursday
Cross the paved causeway and spend time exploring the remote, unspoilt scenery and fascinating history of tidal, Holy Island. Continue to Bamburgh Castle, a 1400-year-old coastal fortress that went on to become the home of Victorian inventor William Armstrong. There’s plenty to uncover with State Rooms full of global treasures, battle-scarred weapons in The Armoury, Anglo- Saxon archaeology and much more.
Friday
A 10:00 departure allows time to pause in the Yorkshire city of Ripon, with its imposing cathedral and pretty market square. Continue home, ready to enjoy the bank holiday weekend.
- 4 night stay with breakfast
- 3 course dinner with tea/coffee every evening (min 4 choices)
- Entry to Alnwick Castle
- Entry to Alnwick Garden
- Entry to Bamburgh Castle with a guided tour
- Free time in Alnwick, Hexham, Gateshead, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Holy Island and Ripon
- Tea/coffee on arrival at the hotel
- Door2Door Travel (save £10pp by meeting the coach at a central departure point)
- BCH ABTOT Financial Protection
- Pre allocated coach seat
- Porterage
- Executive touring coach featuring a refreshment station, reclining seats, reading lights, curtains, foot and arm rests, toilet, safety belts, air suspension and individual air-flow controls
- An experienced, friendly, highly-rated and professional tour driver
- Friendly booking team on hand to answer any questions you might have in the run up to your holiday
- Book with just a £50pp deposit (balance due 8 weeks prior to departure)
- LOYALTY DISCOUNT! Book 3 holidays (in any calendar year) and save £15pp, book 4+ and save £20pp, just let us know in special requests that you'd like to redeem your discount
Copthorne Hotel Newcastle 
- Contemporary hotel in Newcastle Quayside, in the vibrant heart of the city
- Every bedroom overlooks the River Tyne
- Bedrooms refurbished in 2017
- Rated 4.8/5 by Shaws customers in 2023
- Winner of a Tripadvisor 2023 Travellers’ Choice Award
- Ensuite rooms featuring flatscreen TV, ironing equipment, hairdryer, safe, free WiFi and complimentary tea/coffee tray
- Restaurant, bar and riverside terrace
- All singles are double for sole
- Lift
ACCESS: Steps to the outdoor terrace, steps at the river entrance but none at the roadside entrance, no walk-in showers
Please ask us about upgrade options which may be available at a supplement
