Edinburgh to Northumbria Coastal Tour: Alnwick Castle, Holy Island & Mead Tasting

Discover the picturesque seaside path between Edinburgh and the historic realm of Northumbria. Pay a visit to Alnwick Castle, marvel at Holy Island, sample Mead created by monks, and investigate the impressive poison gardens at Alnwick.

Duration: 9 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Lindisfarne Priory - Spend time wandering through the ruins of its Priory where the magnificent Lindisfarne Gospels were produced, sample some of the world-famous Lindisfarne ‘Mead’ brewed by Monks on the island, and enjoy the tranquillity for which the island is renowned
    Due to tide times on the following dates this tour will not be visiting Holy…
What's Included
  • In-vehicle air conditioning
  • Live commentary on board
  • Knowledgeable driver-guide
What's Not Included
  • Food and drinks
  • Attraction Tickets
  • Gratuities
  • On-board restrooms
  • On-board WiFi
Additional Information
  • Minimum age is 4 years old.
  • Collapsible wheelchairs with removable wheels can be accommodated providing the passenger is accompanied by someone who can assist them board and disembark.
  • Minimum numbers apply. There is a possibility of cancellation after confirmation if there are not enough passengers to meet requirements. In the event of this…
Location
521-523 Lawnmarket
Lawnmarket
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.5
(408 Ratings)
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Debra_b
Oct 17, 2024
Holy Island & Alnwick Castle , Kingdom of Northumbria - Our driver was fantastic very knowledgeable made the whole trip even better....a great day out despite missing out on Holy Island going to Bamburgh Castle instead.
Review provided by Viator
Walter_j
Oct 14, 2024
A fantastic and rewarding 1-day jaunt into Northumbria! - If you’re looking for an opportunity to visit the north of England in a single day from Edinburgh, this is the tour for you! Our tour guide – Karis – was wonderful! She told great stories, historical context, and played a mix of traditional and contemporary Scottish music in between. Lindisfarne (Holy Island) was always on my bucket list, and it did not disappoint! Alnwick Castle was a treat, and you don’t have to be a Harry Potter fan to enjoy it. Although there are only two major stops on this tour, it was truly rewarding, and provide the “just-right” opportunity to venture into northern England in a single day. And, if you have Karis as your guide, you’ll be more than pleased!
Review provided by Viator
Sherrie_b
Oct 12, 2024
Jaw dropping views of Alnwick Castle - Loved the tour of Alnwick Castle, including the lavish interior and the spectacular exterior that no picture gives justice. Staff of castle were welcoming and helpful. Darling town. Went on to Holy Island which is lovely but there simply was not enough time (one hour) to experience. Suggestion—focus on the abbey and town and skip the long walk to the nearby castle (unnecessary after Alnwick). Also appreciative of our Timberbush guide Wendi who expanded our knowledge along the way.
Review provided by Viator
Jill_g
Oct 5, 2024
Best day out everl - Brilliant trip, full of interest, our coach driver Rob was fantastic, went above & beyond with commentary & help for everyone….. would highly recommend this experience
Review provided by Viator
Anna_w
Oct 5, 2024
Amazing day - Mark was an amazing tour guide and driver! He was knowledgeable, attentive, personable, and went out of the way to ensure everyone’s needs were met. We were able to spend additional time at both sites which we all appreciated. Not only did he know his history, but he was able to point out trees and animals and give us info on them. One of many highlights was returning to Edinburgh through the countryside and seeing pheasants and deer and the beautiful landscape. Recommend the Alnwick gardens and especially the tour of the poison garden. Holy Island was absolutely stunning and a sacred space.
Review provided by Viator
Patricia_k
Sep 30, 2024
Time at Holy Island cut to 40 minutes in favour of another castle not on the itinerary - Gave this tour a top score as Martin was a great guide who provided very interesting commentary and Jamie was a good driver. However, wouldn't recommend this company to anyone interested in visiting Holy Island as without asking, our guide and driver decided our group would prefer to visit Bamburgh Castle for 30 minutes, a place that was not even on the itinerary. Not sure what they were thinking. When we arrived at Holy Island, we were only given 40 minutes to explore, instead of the hour promised on the itinerary. Very disappointing since Holy Island was the only reason we had booked this trip. Alnwick Castle was unexpectedly delightful.
Review provided by Viator
Susan_g
Sep 23, 2024
Great Day Trip - Wonderful guide and great day trip. Guide was knowledgable and showed us a great time. Bus was clean and comfortable
Review provided by Viator
Sofia_p
Sep 23, 2024
Great experience in Northumbria - I'd suggest this experience to anyone interested in history, especially Scotland in the Middle Ages. Alternating storytelling with good music during the trip is very pleasant, the guide was friendly and willing to make some further stops.
Review provided by Viator
Gailw982
Oct 14, 2024
Parking in holy island extortionate - Love this area and the holy island. Would have loved to have walked around, had lunch and explored however just over six pound per hour to pay to park is ridiculous. The next time I want to visit I will stay in a hotel with parking to avoid this cost. Please review as I’m sure it puts a few people off.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mirajam
Oct 15, 2024
Try a different operator - We experienced poor communication and missed our trip - the company offered a “goodwill” trip the next day but it wasn’t guaranteed. When we got to the pickup site (2 addresses given and mixed up several times) our tour was full. Offered a different one, then that was full. The coordinator was really unpleasant about it all. When we got onto a bus (the original booking became available 5 min later) the poor driver was unwell and talked about his sore throat and how there wasn’t another driver available. He was hoarse and kept having to cough and sip water. His commentary was quite interesting, but after dealing with other timber bush staff it was hard to enjoy. There was a third address change for the return drop off point - with lots of stop-starts due to getting caught in traffic- we hadn’t planned for this and got lost finding our way back to the hotel. The time at the actual castle and isle was really limited and extra fees were extra. Other tours include entry in the price so I cancelled my next booking and went with Jacobite tours. That experience was 8/10 compared to TimberBush who I’d give 3/10
Review provided by Tripadvisor