Northumberland, Hadrian’s Wall, Holy Island and Alnwick Castle

Today we depart for the Holy Island of Lindisfarne. (As the island is accessed by a causeway that is covered at high tide the morning and afternoon visits may be adjusted to accommodate). Once on the island there is much to discover, Lindisfarne Castle and Lindisfarne Priory are both fascinating places to visit (entrance no included). Perched atop a rocky crag, the 16th century Lindisfarne Castle presents an exciting and alluring aspect. Originally a Tudor fort, it was converted into a private house in 1903 by the young Edwin Lutyens. The small rooms are full of intimate decoration and design, with windows looking down upon the charming walled garden planned by Gertrude Jekyll. Lindisfarne Priory, the famous Benedictine Priory built during the late 11th century was one of the most important centres of early Christianity in Anglo-Saxon England.

This afternoon we head to Alnwick Castle, the historic home of the Duke of Northumberland, which has been described as the ‘Windsor of the North’ and is the second largest inhabited castle in England. It has been in the possession of the Percy family since 1309 and the castle houses an exquisite collection of art treasures, including the finest examples of Italian paintings in the North of England.

After breakfast this morning, we depart for an optional full day exploring the university city of Durham. The city is positively packed with all manner of historical buildings including the Norman Durham Castle and Romanesque Durham Cathedral. A leisurely walk north of the Castle is where you can find the 13^th century Crook Hall one of the oldest inhabited houses in Durham and its beautiful surrounding gardens. We spend the morning exploring this National Trust property before spending the afternoon at leisure. For the botanists among us, Durham University offers a Botanic Garden with woodland and tropical plants, perhaps visit the castle or cathedral before we reconvene and return to our hotel.

Today is spent discovering the Roman heritage of the area. We begin at Hadrian’s wall built as a fortification across northern Britain some 2,000 years ago before heading to Vindolanda, a Roman fortress situated just south of the Hadrian’s Wall which dates back to the third century. At the site we can see evidence of the fort’s walls and the commanding officer’s house as well as just to west of the fort, remains of houses, taverns and a bath house. There is an on-site museum which displays many of the fascinating object that have been recovered during excavations. Later, we also visit Chester’s Fort the most complete Roman cavalry fort in Britain where you can wander through the well-preserved baths, steam rooms and officer’s quarters.

After breakfast we return to our original pick-up points.