County Durham & The Spectacular Kynren

Wednesday 12th August – Monday 17th August 2026

Although the Kynren assumes top-billing, other starring roles are taken by the Locomotion Museum, that celebrates the areas train building history, Beamish Living Museum of Northern Life, which cleverly recreates northern life, and the Bowes Museum, built to house the superb art collection of John Bowes whose immense wealth allowed it to be designed in an extravagant, French Second Empire style more redolent of the Loire Valley than Upper Teesdale.

On the first morning the coach takes the group to London Kings Cross to catch a LNER service to Durham. A local coach will be waiting to drive you to the hotel. Meanwhile the main coach will follow on with the luggage to arrive at the hotel by late afternoon. Coming home, a local coach will be employed for the morning before dropping everyone back at Durham station in the afternoon. This will give your coach, with everyone’s luggage on board, time to get to Stevenage to meet the group off the train and continue the journey home.

Holiday Highlights

• The Train Journeys (unencumbered by luggage)
• The Kynren
• The Bowes & Locomotion Museums
• Durham City & Cathedral
• The Angel of the North
• Beautiful Teesdale
• National Glass Centre
• Beamish Living Museum of the North
• Raby Castle & Gardens

Featuring the Kynren: ‘An epic tale of England’

Travel through 2,000 years of English and local history in one evening at this amazing, multi-award-winning spectacular that encompasses the Romans, Vikings, Mediaeval Knights, the birth of the railways and two World Wars, with Auckland Palace providing a fantastic backcloth. Ticket holders arrive prior to the show to enjoy the atmosphere, the pre-show entertainment and a variety of hospitality stands.

The Seaburn Inn

The Seaburn Inn directly overlooks the golden sands of Seaburn’s Blue Flag Beach and the sea beyond.

As you would expect, the bedrooms offer private bathrooms, multi-channel tvs and free wifi.

The Seaburn Inn also has its own restaurant in which the group has dinner on three of the five nights and, in addition to its bar, one of its best attractions is the terrace that takes full advantage of its beachside setting.

The Itinerary

A 3-course dinner is included on alternate evenings, starting on the first night

Wednesday – Leaving Dorking at 08.00 we drive to Kings Cross to catch the train to Durham. A local coach will provide the transfer to the hotel, meanwhile the main coach, with all the luggage, is scheduled to arrive by late afternoon.

Thursday – Keeping things relaxed, the focus today is on Durham with the opportunity to join a boat trip on the River Wear in the afternoon. Back in Seaburn the evening is free, with one option being fish & chips on the seafront.

Friday – Heading westwards into beautiful Teesdale the group visit the remarkable Bowes Museum and the nearby Locomotion Museum.

Saturday – The morning is free in Seaburn. In the afternoon the group drives to Raby Castle, with the visit concluding with an early evening meal prior to heading to the Kynren, the doors to which open at 18.30. Following the show, the coach will take the group back to the hotel.

Sunday – Today the programme is centred on visiting the multi-award-winning Beamish Living Museum of the North. On the way, there will be a photo-stop at the Angel of the North.

Monday – Load main coach at breakfast time. At 09.45 a local coach will take the group to the National Glass Centre in Sunderland which celebrates the city’s history as a centre of technical innovation, before returning to Durham Station to catch LNER service to Stevenage. From here the group drive back to Dorking to arrive by early to mid-evening.

WHAT’S INCLUDED

• Hi-spec luxury coach
• Train tickets Kings Cross to Durham / Durham to Stevenage
• Five nights hotel 4-star accommodation
• Full English breakfast each morning
• 3 Course dinner in the hotel on 1st, 3rd & 5th nights
• Visit to Raby Castle to include a meal
• Ticket for the Kynren
• Ticket for Beamish Living Museum of Northern Life
• Visit to the National Glass Centre
• Ticket for the Bowes Museum
• Visit to the Locomotion Museum
• Provision for the driver’s gratuity

OPTIONAL SUPPLEMENTS

• Single room £200
• Guarantee of a sea view room: £40pp**
• First-class train travel – £70pp each way

** when sharing and subject to availability