Discover County Durham and North Yorkshire with expert Nicholas Merchant on a special-interest journey featuring curated visits to Ushaw, Hovingham Hall, Rokeby Park and the Bowes Museum.
  • Explore Ushaw’s chapel designed by Augustus Pugin.
  • Meet Ushaw’s curator and view rare medieval textiles and embroidery.
  • Discover rare tomes on a guided library tour at Ushaw.
  • Visit Raby Castle’s silken-walled state rooms and Meissen porcelain.
  • Visit the Bowes Museum’s French-style chateau dominating the Tees valley.
  • See the Silver Swan automaton at the Bowes Museum.
  • Tour Hovingham Hall’s Palladian rooms and gardens with a 17th-century dovecote.
  • Explore Rokeby Park’s furnishings, art, and a version of the Rokeby Venus.
Throughout the tour, accommodation is at the Mercure Darlington Kings Hotel in Darlington. We check in on arrival from London and return here each evening after our visits. All nights are spent at this same hotel, providing a consistent base for the itinerary’s cultural excursions.