Lunch will be in the 17 th century Milecastle Inn, in the cosy, stone-lined bar hung with a vast collection of brass ornaments and artifacts. We might sample the Butterknowle Bitter, Devils Water or Tetleys on handpump. This afternoon, enjoy a specially arranged private tour of the village of Blanchland. Lunch at the White Swan in Barnard Castle, a solidly-built pub that appears to be part of the 16th century bridge that replaced the ford over the river Tees. Overnight for two nights at a traditional coaching inn, the Golden Lion.
Dinner is free.
York is a city that first gained prominence under the Romans. The Jorvik Viking Centre is one of the most innovative archaeological displays in the world. On the site of an excavation that revealed a well-preserved Viking street, archaeologists have reconstructed the lane as it would have appeared over one thousand years ago. Dinner is free. Sites dating from the end of the ice age are quite rare in Britain, but today we will visit the caves of Creswell Crags, occupied by hunters over ten thousand years ago.