| Dates | Tour (Click on links for more details) | No. of Days | Price* |
|---|---|---|---|
| September 23rd to 25th 2022 | The Somme and Ypres Battlefield Tour - 3 Days | 3 | £399 per person* |
| November 10th - 14th 2022 | Somme and Ypres Battlefield Tour - 3 Days, Battle of Waterloo Tour - 1 Day | 4 | £399 per person* |
Castles of Northumberland Tour -DAY 1
Your castles of Northumberland tour starts at the magnificent ruins of Warkworth Castle which overlooks the River Coquet, an important waterway which gave the Castle easy access to the sea and also facilitated movement deep into Northumberland.
Moving on to Alnwick Castle which was built after the Norman conquest of 1066 and quickly became a key border fortress. Two battles were fought outside its castle’s walls which saw the death of King Malcolm III of Scotland in 1093 and the capture of King William I of Scotland in 1174. The powerful Percy family acquired the castle in the early 14th century and still remains the property of their decedents – The Dukes of Northumberland. We drive to the coast to Bamburgh Castle which is one of the largest inhabited castles in the country. The first reference of a Castle in Bamburgh is AD547 with the Vikings destroying the original castle in AD 993. Banburgh has been attacked many times by the Scots and in 1464 during the War of the Roses, it became the first castle in the world to be defeated by an artillery attack.
Next stop on our private tour of Northumberland’s Castle sand Battles is Holy Island. Here we visit Lindesfarne Castle and the Lindesfarne Priory which was once the home of St Oswald and the epicentre of Christianity in Anglo Saxon times until it was ransacked by the Vikings in the 8th century. We stay the night in the area.
Castles of Northumberland Tour - DAY 2
at Norham Castle which was a mighty stronghold on the banks of the River Tweed.
Its location is across the river from Scotland and played a key role in the 400 years of Anglo Scottish history and known as the most dangerous place in England due to the many invasions by the Scots and the attacks on the castle. We then take a short drive to Etal Castle which was built to defend against Scottish raids in the 14th century. The Castle was taken by James VI’s Scottish Army in 1513. Onwards to Ford Castle, which has a very interesting history. This Castle, like many, was also attacked and devastated by the Scots and it was used by King James VI of Scotland on the build up to the Battle of Flodden Fields in 1513.
We visit the battle site at Flodden Fields which took place on 9th September 1513 and was one of the bloodiest battles in British history. The Anglo Scottish clash ended in a devastating defeat for the Scots who lost over 10,000 men along with their King – King James VI who was killed in battle. The final stop for the day is Chillingham Castle which is one of the most impressive castles in Northumberland. This fantastic castle has been owned by one bloodline – The Earls of Grey since 1246 and is synonymous for its dungeons and torture chambers where many people perished. It is also known as the most haunted castle in Britain.
At the end of your castle and battles tour your chauffeur guide will drop you back to your agreed location.
This concludes your Castles of Northumberland tour. If you would like to find out more about Northumberland, the Castles and the Battles that took place there throughout history, you can read more here at Wikipedia.
