January Blues Buster

Day 1

We depart the local area and make our way to Ripon Cathedral, where we enjoy a guided tour of this vibrant, living church with an unbroken history reaching back to the 7th century serving the small city of Ripon and the vast rural county of North Yorkshire. With its blend of architectural styles and its many unique features from the Anglo-Saxon crypt, the oldest built fabric of any English cathedral, to the charming Tudor misericords - there is something for everyone. We continue our journey to the 4* Millennium Copthorne hotel, with time to settle in before dinner. The hotel stands in one of the finest locations in Newcastle, on the banks of the River Tyne, just a short stroll from the city centre, all of the bedrooms have views across the river.

Day 2

After a leisurely breakfast, we step out of our hotel and enjoy a guided walking tour of Newcastle, where we explore the city and bring the heritage & culture to life! This afternoon, we have free time in Newcastle, perhaps visit the Great North Museum, the Life Centre or Northumberland Street with its many shops. If you are feeling particularly adventurous, you could walk down to the Quayside and see the famous Tyne & Millenium bridges. Or relax and head back to the hotel and make the most of the leisure facilities. After dinner we have our first night of entertainment.

Day 3

Today we are joined by a fantastic guide for a guided coach tour. We head through South Shields, home of the late Catherine Cookson, along the coast road passing Marsden Bay, Whitburn and Seaburn, with guided commentary and an insight into the TV series "Vera" which is also filmed in this area. We return to the hotel for an afternoon tea and bingo followed by free time before our Gala Dinner and evening entertainment.

Day 4

We depart after breakfast and make our way south to Locomotion, the birthplace of the railways. Europe's largest undercover display of heritage railway vehicles! Discover the engines that revolutionised travel and shaped the world as we know it. With a stop on route, we return home late afternoon.

D=Dinner, B=Breakfast