DAYS
5
TOUR CODE
NFMN-27
COST
£1545
DAYS
5
TOUR CODE
NFMN-27
COST
£1545
Our tour will transport travellers back to the Early Middle Ages as we explore glittering Anglo-Saxon England, illuminated by artefacts and manuscripts as well as an abundance of personalities from Charlemagne to the Venerable Bede and St Cuthbert.
Overview
Controversially termed the ‘Dark Ages’, the Middle Ages dominated the period between the fall of the Roman Empire in the west and the Renaissance, encompassing Viking invasions from the east as well as the wider spread of Islam and Christianity. They witnessed the reign of Charlemagne, the first Holy Roman Emperor, as well as the lives of the Venerable Bede and St Cuthbert, who would become the most powerful saint in the north.
Our journey to the Holy Island of Lindisfarne will follow in the footsteps of pilgrims as we explore one of the most important centres of early Christianity. Founded by St Aidan, the island was a Christian stronghold and bishopric housing many important figures, including St Cuthbert and St Wilfrid, until it became the first to succumb to Viking invasions.
Benedict Biscop founded the double monastery at Monkwearmouth-Jarrow, the second to be seized, and marked it as a centre of learning and scholarship. Its continued development produced one of the greatest Anglo-Saxon scholars, Bede.
From June 793, the Vikings inflicted terror and misery on the northern kingdom, but they also brought with them their own culture which influenced church art until roughly 1200; and some of the results can still be seen today.
Our itinerary will unearth clues about our Anglo-Saxon past in a range of contexts, including at parish churches, such as Escomb – one of northern Europe’s finest examples of early Christian architecture. We will also spend time at the glorious cathedral in Durham, examining the building’s interior and exterior, and enjoying the cathedral’s collections in its dedicated museum.
Tour Director
Imogen Corrigan
Imogen Corrigan is a medieval historian and proficient lecturer with a life-long interest in Anglo-Saxon and medieval history.
Imogen Corrigan, BA, MPhil, FRHistS, FRSA, spent nearly 20 years in the British Army and retired in the rank of Major before turning to a life-long interest in Anglo-Saxon and medieval history, which she studied at the University of Kent. A proficient lecturer on medieval history and particularly church art and architecture, and accredited with the Arts Society, Imogen has also gained an MPhil from the University of Birmingham. Her book Stone on Stone: The Men Who Built the Cathedrals was published in 2019 and The Green Man: Myth & Reality was published in 2025. In 2022 Imogen was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. She is also the Memorials and Monuments Specialist for the Diocesan Advisory Committee for Canterbury.
– ACE customer on the 2025 Northumbria in the First Millenium tour led by Imogen Corrigan
Our Accommodation
We will stay at the four-star Delta Hotels by Marriott Durham Royal County, with splendid views of Durham’s cathedral and historical quarter.
Itinerary
Day 1
Tour assembles 1700 at Delta Hotels by Marriott Durham Royal County for four nights. Welcome and introduction. Evening lecture: Bede & the World in Which he Lived.
Day 2
Visits to St Paul’s Monastery, Jarrow; St Peter’s Church, Monkwearmouth and St Mary Magdalene, Hart. Evening lecture: The Lindisfarne Gospels.
Day 3
Morning visit to Rothbury for All Saints’ Church (font stands on part of a 9th century Market Cross). Afternoon excursion to Lindisfarne: St Mary’s Church (reputed site of original monastery) and Priory (home of St Cuthbert). Precise timings for this day will depend on tide times. Free evening.
Day 4
Morning visit to Escomb Church (dating from c 675). Return to Durham for afternoon at the cathedral (including museum).
Day 5
Hexham Abbey followed by Chester-le-Street (St Cuthbert’s Church and Anker’s House Museum). Tour disperses approx 1530 at Durham Station followed by the hotel.
Please note that the itinerary represents a guide to what we hope to offer, and some elements may be subject to change or confirmation nearer the time. The timing of our excursion to Lindisfarne is subject to tides and local conditions, and our visits and excursions may be reordered accordingly.
Frequently Asked Questions
To read our full list of frequently asked questions please visit our general FAQs here.
What is the maximum group size of this tour?
What is the deposit cost for this tour?
What tour staff will be on this tour?
Am I fit enough to travel on this tour?
Fitness Requirements
The majority of ACE Cultural Tours are active in nature. To make the most of our time in a destination and provide excellent value for money, they are busy – there are often several visits included each day. As such, our tours require a certain minimum level of physical and mental fitness, mobility and stamina.
Many visits will involve navigating several steps, uneven ground, steep ascents and descents, and could involve embarking and disembarking aircraft, coaches, trains and cruise vessels. Plenty of walking, punctuated by lengthy periods of standing, is the norm. Some tours may involve long coach journeys.
It is essential that all customers are sufficiently fit and able enough to fully participate. Furthermore, every tour comprises a group of guests. We cannot allow the entire group to be negatively impacted by one participant, either holding up the pace we reasonably need to maintain or disproportionately requiring the attention and support of the tour staff.
We carefully consider the intensity, fitness and other requirements of each itinerary and describe them on the tour pages of our brochures and website. Please study these descriptions closely. When you call to book, we will reiterate those requirements and ask you to confirm that all group members are indeed fit enough and otherwise able to meet the criteria. It is your responsibility to answer fully and honestly. If it transpires that you are not able to keep pace with the tour and/or it reasonably appears you are negatively impacting (or are reasonably likely to negatively impact) the enjoyment of the rest of the group (including their ability to complete all scheduled visits), we may ask you to sit out certain days/visits, take a taxi at your own expense (if available in the location), or even, if we consider there is no other reasonable alternative, ask you to leave the tour and make your own way home.
Some visits will involve walking over rugged, cobbled, uneven and occasionally steep ground (particularly on the approach to Durham Cathedral), and church interiors may be dimly lit. To visit the crypt at Hexham Abbey involves a flight of steep stone stairs (with handrails), but this element of the visit is optional. Participants should have a good overall level of fitness and mobility and consult our general fitness requirements in our Booking Terms & Conditions before travel.
As a minimum, participants should be able to successfully complete the following self- assessment tests:
- Walk for one hour at a reasonable pace and without needing to take a break to rest
- Climb at least two flights of stairs at a reasonable pace
- Stand unaided for at least 30 minutes
- Stand up and sit down ten times in one minute
- Carry or otherwise move your own luggage
Please ensure you have read and understand our full fitness requirements as described in our terms and conditions.
UK Government Travel Advice
For additional travel information from the UK government please consult the following pages.
Cost Details
Northumbria in the First Millennium
August 23 - 27, 2027
Included: accommodation based on sharing a twin or double bedded room, four breakfasts, three dinners with wine, water & coffee, excursions & admissions, gratuities & all taxes.
Not Included: travel insurance, double room for single use supplement £140.
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Get in Touch
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