History & Heritage in County Durham

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. Visit Raby, one of the most impressive intact castles in the North of England. There is so much to keep history lovers, railway buffs and city slickers happy - something for everyone in this friendly corner of the UK. The base for your holiday is the excellent 4* Redworth Hall Hotel & Spa set in the beautiful countryside of County Durham.\n\nSPECIAL DEPARTURE - 31 July 2026 - 4 days for Kynren Click here for detailsHoliday Highlights
- Hotel for 4 nights with breakfast & dinner- Porterage & welcome drink- Free use of the hotel leisure facilities- Day in Durham- The Auckland Project Untapped ticket- Option to visit Locomotion in Shildon- Entrance to Raby Castle- Visit to Barnard Castle- Visit to Hopetown, Darlington- En-route stop at GCR Station in Loughborough with tea & sandwich light lunch

Itinerary
Day 1 - After joining your holiday coach, travel northwards with a lunch stop on the way. Arrive at your 4* hotel late afternoon for 4 nights DBB\n\nDay 2 - 4 At leisure with three included excursions\n\nThe Auckland Project\nEnjoy a visit to 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. Later your coach will take you back to the hotel or you may like to pop into Locomotion, where you can see some incredible highlights of the national railway collection in the world's first railway town, Shildon\n\nA Day in Durham\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\nRaby Castle, Barnard Castle & Hopetown\nEnjoy a visit this morning to Raby Castle, one of England's finest medieval castles. A seriously impressive fortress standing proud and defiant with a history of almost one thousand years. The Victorian and Regency interiors are as opulent as the exterior is imposing, showcasing porcelain and sculpture ranging from Victorian copper cooking utensils to The Raby Tapestry. NB there are steps within the castle (41 steps to the upper floor). Entrance is also included to the recently remodelled 18th century Walled Gardens as well as the Deer Park where you may spot the herds of deer and Longhorn cattle. Take time out in the charming Teesdale market town of Barnard Castle, where the castle ruins sit on a cliff above the River Tees before returning to the hotel by way of Darlington. Pop into Hopetown, an award-winning attraction which tells Darlington's story of engineering, ideas and invention. 2025 marked the 200th anniversary of the opening of the Stockton and Darlington Railway, which gave birth to the modern railway. The 26-mile journey on the S&DR between Shildon and Stockton via Darlington transformed how the world traded, travelled, and communicated. Time permitting return to hotel via the Brick Train Sculpture on the edge of town\n\nDay 5 - Travel south today with an usual stop in Loughborough at the HQ station of the Great Central Railway (GCR), restored to its 1950s glory, with its wooden panelled booking hall, shop, museum and bric-a-brac emporium. A light tea & sandwich lunch is included here before continuing to interchange and your home towns later todayRedworth 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.