Lakes & Borders

Day 1

Departing the local area we make our way north with a lunch stop on route. We arrive at The 4* North lakes Hotel in Penrith by late afternoon, with time to settle in before dinner.

Day 2

This morning we drive through the Lake District National Park arriving in Bowness-on-Windermere for some free time for morning coffee. We board a cruise boat, and take a one-way cruise on Windermere to Ambleside. We re-join the coach and travel through the centre of the national park, passing Thirlmere and Grasmere, to the picturesque town of Keswick for the afternoon at leisure.

Day 3

After a leisurely breakfast we board the coach to drive to Glenridding on the banks of Ullswater. Here we take a boat cruise on one of the heritage Ullswater Steamers to Pooley Bridge. We then travel to Lowther Castle & Gardens. Built at the turn of the 19th century on the site of two previous houses, the castle was a grand affair boasting a room for every day of the year and its gardens were the envy of the north. But in 1957 the castle was demolished. Just the façade and outer walls remained standing and for over half a century, the place was empty - home only to chickens, pigs and the odd bat. The gardens were lost to wilderness. Today Lowther Castle is one of the most intriguing visitor attractions in the country, with Dramatic ruins and gardens within gardens.

Day 4

Today we enjoy a scenic drive across the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. We visit Vindolanda, which is deemed to be one of Europe's most important Roman archaeological sites. Although first built by the Roman army before Hadrian's Wall Vindolanda became an important construction and garrison base for the Wall, a Hadrian's Wall fort in its own right. We travel along Hadrian's Wall to the Roman Army Museum, the museum includes three galleries and is based at the site of Magna Roman Fort.

Day 5

After breakfast we commence our journey home with suitable stops on route, arriving back late afternoon.

D=Dinner, B=Breakfast