Step back in time at the Beamish Open Air Museum, where dozens of original buildings from different time periods have been re-constructed to create a historical town.

Drive inland for approximately one hour to the Beamish Museum, a collection of historical buildings that have been re-assembled in the countryside to create an open-air museum. Beamish reflects two significant points in history: when the region was rural in the 1820s, and when it was thriving at the peak of the Industrial Revolution in the early 1900s.

Upon arriving, you will board a double-decker tram and travel down the main street taking in the fascinating sights. All of the buildings in Beamish are original, brought in from elsewhere, and then re-constructed brick by brick. To add even more atmosphere and authenticity, the townspeople wear period costumes and are employed in different professions of the time.

Spread over 300 acres, an Edwardian town and colliery have been re-created with farms, railways, tramways, a co-op shop, a pub, a printers and a chapel. It is a living museum of the years around 1913 showing the impact of industry on people’s lives and is one of the North East’s most popular and fascinating attractions.

During your free time here, you might visit the stables, the Motor & Cycle Works, and the Sweet Shop, where various confections are still made according to the original recipes. There is a bank with its safes wisely located in the cellar, and a dentist’s office, where you can browse the rather gruesome surgical equipment used to extract teeth. The railway station is another point of interest because it looks just like it did in Edwardian times, right down to the authentic signal box.

OVERVIEW

View Newcastle’s impressive architectural heritage on a scenic driving tour through the city’s most historic districts, whose origins date back to Roman times. After departing from the pier, you will begin an enlightening introduction to Newcastle upon Tyne, a city that rose to prominence in the 12th century as a defensive stronghold near the Scottish border and later became closely associated with the coal industry. Today, Newcastle is a vibrant and elegant city set along the River Tyne, known for its revitalized waterfront, cultural venues and striking architecture. Highlights include Grainger Town, a beautifully preserved Victorian district designed by architect Richard Grainger in the 19th century and considered the heart of the city. Nearly half of its buildings are of special architectural or historical interest. While driving along Grey Street, often regarded as one of England’s finest streets, you will see Grey’s Monument, built in honor of Prime Minister Earl Grey and the Great Reform Act of 1832. You will also pass St. Nicholas Cathedral, whose spire has dominated the skyline for more than 500 years and played a dramatic role in the city’s history. The Quayside, with its seven bridges, is a further highlight of your tour. Following some free time, you’ll rejoin your coach and travel back to the pier.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Discover Newcastle’s history on a panoramic driving tour.
• Explore Grainger Town, the city’s Victorian architectural centerpiece.
• See Grey’s Monument and St. Nicholas Cathedral.

HELPFUL HINTS

• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.

Wander about at your own pace through the sections of Newcastle you find most appealing, starting in the historical city center, an area so vibrant you may not want to go elsewhere.

Today, Newcastle is a thriving, elegant city with a stylish waterfront, plenty of fine restaurants and art galleries, and countless architectural attractions. Upon arriving in the historical city center, you will have approximately three hours to explore on your own.

OVERVIEW

Travel to iconic Alnwick Castle, real-life home of the Duke and Duchess of Northumberland and stand-in for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in two Harry Potter films. Located an hour north of Newcastle near England’s border with Scotland, this imposing 12th-century fortress brims with star quality inside and out. Owned by the Percy family for over 700 years, Alnwick – it’s pronounced “Annick” – has undergone many home improvements over the centuries, including the addition of numerous towers, a moat and a luxurious Gothic residential wing. Inside, you’ll encounter lavish rooms filled with period furniture, including a pair of ornate Cucci cabinets originally made for Louis XIV. The library holds nearly 14,000 books, some of them read by a Percy ancestor with too much time on his hands while imprisoned in the Tower of London. Masterworks by Canaletto, Van Dyck, Claude and Titian adorn the walls, and the Grand Staircase is made of solid Carrara marble, each 12-foot-long step carved from a single stone. The Alnwick grounds are just as breathtaking, as you’ll discover on a stroll through the elaborate gardens and parkland. Overall, the atmosphere here would qualify as magical even without the Harry Potter connection.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Settle in for a drive across pastoral Northumberland to visit a destination with star qualities.
• Tour Alnwick Castle, home to the Percy family for seven centuries and Hogwarts School for two films.
• Wonder at the spectacular marble staircase and wander among rooms brimming with museum-grade furnishings and paintings.
• Admire the castle’s 14,000-book library and learn about the colorful stories and history lived here.
• Take a walk through Alnwick’s parkland and imagine a pitched Quidditch battle taking place overhead.

HELPFUL HINTS

• Wear layered, weather-appropriate clothing; include a jacket or umbrella in case of rain.
• Flat, comfortable walking shoes are recommended.
• Bring a hat, sunglasses and sunscreen as needed.

OVERVIEW

Feast your eyes on glorious landmarks as you visit Durham and tour its iconic 11th-century cathedral, arguably England’s finest example of Norman architecture. Lying about an hour south of Newcastle, across a green rolling landscape, Durham seems to have lost all track of modern time. Even with a gaggle of university students in town to help keep things lively, little has changed over the centuries along Durham’s winding, cobbled streets and the leafy banks of the River Wear that loops through town. One architectural gem above all stands out here: Durham Cathedral, built in 1093 to house the relics of St. Cuthbert and the Venerable Bede. You’ll tour this dramatic UNESCO-listed structure, laden with superb design details including its carved nave pillars, bishop’s throne, and stone rib vaulting – the first in any European cathedral. Even the later stained-glass windows are fantastic.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Settle in for a drive through pastoral North East England to visit a medieval throwback.
• Tour UNESCO-listed Durham Cathedral, revered both for its relics of saints and its quintessential Norman design.
• Admire the dramatic volume and impressive design details of this venerable 11th-century landmark.
• Take some free time to wander Durham’s picturesque cobbled lanes and riverbanks at your leisure.
• Your will have approximately an hour, if traffic allows, to explore the town’s medieval streets introducing some delightful spontaneity to the experience.

HELPFUL HINTS

• Wear layered, weather-appropriate clothing; include a jacket or umbrella in case of rain.
• Flat, comfortable walking shoes are recommended.
• Bring a hat, sunglasses and sunscreen as needed

Enjoy an inspired driving tour through Durham Dales, a rural wonderland only interrupted by the occasional village such as Blanchland, where you will enjoy free time.

After departing from the pier, you will settle in for a leisurely drive inland to Durham Dales, a landscape of wild moorlands, rugged mountains and serene river valleys in the western part of County Durham. While there are a number of market towns within the county, they are sparsely populated and spread out.

As you drive the meandering roads through a patchwork of fertile fields, you may see grazing cattle and sheep and farms that look much like they did centuries ago. In verdant Derwent Valley, you will pass a huge reservoir that attracts ardent sailors, fishermen and birdwatchers.

In time, you will stop in Blanchland, an immensely scenic village of beautiful stone buildings that takes its name from the white habits of the monks who settled here in the 12th century. The setting is so idyllic and unspoiled that period films are frequently shot here.

As you will discover during free time, the people are welcoming and the village captivating. Most everything is constructed with stone, which lends Blanchland a wonderful uniformity and irrepressible medieval atmosphere.

See the best-preserved section of the wall that the Roman emperor Hadrian ordered to be built in the second century and then visit one of the ancient forts along the wall.

After departing from the pier, you will soon find yourself in the rolling hills west of Newcastle, an area that once formed the northern border of the Roman Empire in Britain. In 122 A.D., the Roman emperor Hadrian ordered a wall to be built here as a defense against attacks from barbarians to the north. Much of the wall is still standing and other parts of it are scattered along the course of Military Road, which you will follow from Newcastle.

Upon arriving in Heddon on the Wall, you will pause for photos of the longest and best-preserved stretch of Hadrian’s Wall. The wall was built to a thickness of nearly10 feet, which was soon reduced to 8 feet, presumably to speed up construction. It’s a fascinating sight, especially considering that the wall was 73 miles long and 15 feet high with a tower every third of a mile.

Forts were also constructed along the wall, and you will tour one of the finest remaining examples: Chesters Fort. To understand what life would have been like at the time, you might wander around the excavated officers’ quarters, baths and steam room with underground heating.

Later, on the return to the pier, you will stop briefly at Homesteads, where you will see Chesters Fort from a different perspective as it sits perched high on the now-distant ridge.