Festive Flavour of Northumberland 2023

We leave from our local departure points and travel to Alnwick, in the heart of Northumberland. A medieval market town, Alnwick is famous for the imposing Castle, home to the Duke of Northumberland’s family for over 700 years and magnificent Gardens. The town boasts cobbled streets, narrow alleys, fine stone buildings and Barter Books. Set in the former railway station, Barter Books is one of the largest second-hand bookshops in England. We continue south via Warkworth, with its well-preserved medieval castle, church and hermitage, to our hotel in the northern suburbs of Newcastle upon Tyne for three nights. Holiday Inn Newcastle Gosforth Park.

We travel to Wallington House & Gardens, an historical house surrounded by woodland trails and a walled garden. Once the home of Sir Charles Philips Trevelyan, a Socialist MP, the house is transformed over the festive season and each room is dressed for Christmas throughout recent eras. Perhaps enjoy a walk around the extensive gardens or indulge in some seasonal shopping. We allow ample time to enjoy the house, gardens and woodlands before visiting Rothbury, the capital of Coquetdale. The attractive village is built on a sandstone hillside and offers an excellent range of shops with many art galleries, tea rooms cafes and pubs. We step back in time and include entrances to a festive Beamish, the world-famous open-air museum which brings the history of the north east of England to life. Enjoy truly traditional celebrations at the museum!

We travel north stopping in Seahouses, with its long history of fishing, and Bamburgh with its pristine beach, drifting sand dunes, snug eateries and magnificent castle, before heading home to Scotland after a pre-Christmas festive holiday.