Image by Pete from Pixabay
Following a series of exciting new group-friendly experiences launching across Durham over the last 12 months, Discover Durham, the county’s groups and travel trade consortium led by Visit County Durham, has launched a series of new itineraries.
‘Durham Keeps the Faith’ showcases the county’s growing wealth of faith-based attractions and experiences. It invites visitors to follow in the footsteps of the northern saints on one of the six Northern Saints Trails.
Discover how faith has shaped lives and communities for thousands of years at England’s first Faith Museum, part of The Auckland Project, and explore Durham’s UNESCO World Heritage Site of Durham Cathedral and Durham Castle, which formed a power base for the Prince Bishops of Durham during the medieval period. ‘Dales Discoveries’ gives visitors the chance to tour through the Durham Dales and see a destination with a difference at Raby Castle, Park and Gardens. At The Spanish Gallery in Bishop Auckland, they can gaze upon 17th-century Spanish masterpieces at the UK’s first gallery dedicated to the history, culture and art of Spain’s Golden Age.
The new itineraries bring the total to ten on the Discover Durham website, offering inspiration to the travel trade and group travel organisers. They feature useful information, including the county’s group-friendly accommodation. 2025 will be an extra special year for the county as it celebrates 200 years since the first journey on the Stockton and Darlington Railway. It was the first steam-powered passenger rail journey and transformed how the world traded, travelled, and communicated. It is fitting that one of the new itineraries focuses on the county’s rich rail heritage. ‘Tracks Through Time’ celebrates Durham as the birthplace of the modern railway.
Visitors can explore 200 years of rail history under one roof at Locomotion in Shildon, then hop on board passenger trains and enjoy a ride along an 18-mile heritage line at the Weardale Railway. These inspiring new itineraries also give travel trade and group travel organisers useful information on attractions, as well as travel times and accommodation, and join the existing series of thematic itineraries for the county, which include Flora, Fauna and a Fortress, Our ‘Grand Designs’ and Treasure Troves.
Each itinerary offers ideas and inspiration to enable visitors to make the most of their visit. There are also accommodation suggestions, making it easy to plan overnight stays and encourage visitors to stay longer. Visit County Durham’s managing director Michelle Gorman said: ‘We are very excited to share these new itineraries as they highlight some of the very best group-friendly experiences that Durham has to offer. Tracks Through Time is a fitting tribute to our rich rail heritage and complements the celebrations that are planned for this year as part of the S&DR200 festival.’
Sarah Price, Head of Locomotion, said: “Locomotion is the number one destination to discover the North East’s railway story – and there’s no better year to visit! Find out how Shildon became the world’s first railway town, get up close to the largest undercover collection of historic rail vehicles in Europe, and experience an unforgettable day out as we mark our region’s engineering legacy throughout 2025.”
For more information or to download the itineraries, visit www.discoverdurham.co.uk
