Durham Land of the Prince Bishops

To fully enjoy the walking on this holiday you should be able to walk along uneven undulating paths at about 1½ to 2 miles per hour for distances between 5 and 7 miles broken into two or three sections, with walks lasting up to a total of 5 hours.

We use a mix of privately hired vehicles, taxis, and public transport which gives us some flexibility in our itinerary. We have a wonderful programme of walking, sightseeing and visits planned to let you fully experience the area along with opportunities to relax at our wonderful hotel and enjoy your surroundings.

Local transport costs, entrance fees and tips to local providers are included in your holiday price. You may wish to budget for any meals and drinks not included in the holiday arrangements, non-included entrance fees and any optional excursions you may choose to participate in locally. A general guideline for lunches and drinks is £10-£20 per person per day.

We include the local travel costs using private hire coaches each day. 

Our Adagio Leader will arrange everything. You just need to be at the right place at the right time.

We include tips in the holiday cost and your Adagio Leader will take care of making sure tips are given to hotel and restaurant staff and to local guides and drivers.  If you feel that someone has gone out of their way to make your holiday enjoyable or help you in anyway, please feel free to give a personal tip to the person should you wish. If you are having an independent lunch or other service not included in the holiday arrangements, tipping is at your own discretion.

We believe that the best things come in small packages, and our Adagio holidays prove just that. We limit our groups to a maximum of 18 persons, plus the Adagio Leader, so that everyone has the opportunity to mix, share their love of travel and return home with new friendships. Small groups also have less detrimental local impact, allows us to use public transport on some days, eat at small local restaurants and, we believe, offers a better experience.

An Adagio Leader will accompany you throughout the holiday. They are all experienced travellers with a love for exploring and will help capture the true essence of the destination with their stories, knowledge and insights.  They are well-organised, pay great attention to detail and enjoy being with people.  They are there to help make your holiday as enjoyable and stress free as possible.

Your Adagio Leader will discuss the programme for the following day with the group at each evening briefing. This will be your opportunity to find out more details and ensure the planned activities suit your walking ability. Also, if you have any questions or concerns on clothing or lunch arrangements, this can be discussed then. If you wish to opt out of the organised group programme, this is fine, just let your Leader know.

Visiting historical sites, churches or museums are much more rewarding with a local guide. They give an insight to the local culture, language and traditions and can bring a destination alive. Many of our Adagio holidays include a knowledgeable English speaking guide on at least one of the days. Please refer to your daily itinerary to see where a guide is included.

To reach the hotel ...

By Road -  If travelling by car, please be aware that due to essential maintenance work, the New Elvet Bridge will be closed to traffic from the 20th July 2020 for the duration of 14 months.

During this time, please follow the directions below:

TRAVEL FROM THE SOUTH:

Follow the A1(M) and take exit 61 (Bowburn Services)

Take the 2nd exit onto Durham Rd/A177

Continue to follow the A177 for 3.5 miles, passing through High Shincliffe & Shincliffe Village, past Houghall College and at the roundabout take the 2nd exit down Hallgarth Street and at the traffic lights continue down the hill on New Elvet. At the traffic lights in front of the bridge turn right into Old Elvet and left into Territorial Lane. One on Territorial Land turn left onto Elvet Waterside and you can enter the car park using the 2nd entrance on the left. and then left onto Elvet Waterside and you can enter the car park using the 2nd entrance on the left.

TRAVEL FROM THE NORTH:

From the North leave the A1M at Junction 61 and take the 4th exit.

Continue on the A177 for 3.5 miles, passing through High Shincliffe and Shincliffe Village past Houghall College and at the roundabout take the 2nd exit down Hallgarth Street and at the traffic lights continue down the hill on New Elvet. At the traffic lights in front of the bridge turn right into Old Elvet and left into Territorial Lane. One on Territorial Land turn left onto Elvet Waterside and you can enter the car park using the 2nd entrance on the left.

Parking - The hotel has car parking spaces which are £7.00 per car per night for residential guests

By Rail - The nearest railway station is Durham Station 15 minutes walk from the hotel.

By Air - The nearest airport is Newcastle Airport 25 miles away.

Check in - You can check into the hotel from 3pm. Should you arrive earlier we cannot guarantee your room will be ready. If you arrive before 3pm you can of course check in and the hotel will happily store your luggage for you.

Route planning to and from Durham: 

The AA and RAC both offer free and detailed on-line route planning facilities on their websites which may help you find the hotel. 

 An excellent website to assist in your travel plans is Rome2Rio.

Please ensure that the personal details we have on file for you are up to date and that you have provided the information we need to secure your holiday travel and accommodation arrangements. 

Please check your passport details, date of birth and any other important details necessary for us to accurately manage your holiday booking are correct at the time of booking (including health and dietry requirements). You can view and update information already provided, and add details not yet asked for, by using the Manage My Booking facility on our website www.adagio.co.uk, or by calling our Sales and Reservations team on +44 (0)1707 386700. When you receive your booking confirmation please check the details as soon as possible.

Breakfast and dinners are taken at the hotel. As well as continental you can also enjoy a hearty English breakfast, just right for setting you up for the day. Dinners consist of three choices per course including a vegetarian option and tea and coffee. The hotel prides itself in its food being prepared from fresh, local ingrediants.

Packed lunches are not provided because everyone is different but your leader will be able to advise the closest place to buy provisions.

Comfortable, broken in, walking boots or shoes with a good sole are recommended for this holiday. Walking shoes or other comfortable footwear will be suitable for sightseeing days.

We recommend you bring the following items with you:

• Walking boots or shoes with a good sole and waterproof uppers. 
• Waterproof jacket and trousers. It does rain sometimes!
• A sunhat, fleece hat and gloves… to cover all weather eventualities.
• Sun cream. 
• Hand sanitiser
• Swimwear in case there is time for swimming if the hotel has a pool
• A water bottle.  (see Water-to-Go below)
• A picnic knife, fork and spoon, as required.
• A simple basic first aid kit.
• A daypack to hold all the above.
• Trekking poles (if you usually walk with poles)

An alternative to bottled water from single-use sealed water bottles is filtered water from a refillable bottle containing its own water filter such as a Water-to-go bottle available from www.watertogo.eu. Just fill up from any water source and save the environment from disposable plastic bottles.

We have negotiated an exclusive 15% discount with our partners Water-to-Go for you as a thank you for helping the environment. Please go to their website at www.watertogo.eu and enter the code RWH17 when ordering. In addition, Water-to-Go will match the discount with a donation to our charity, Heart & Sole, which will allow us to continue to make a difference in the countries you visit on our holidays.

To ensure your holiday gets off to a good start, please make sure that you bring the following documents and information with you:

• Passport (make sure it's yours and valid)
• Your travel tickets or e-ticket itinerary
• Any visa or electronic travel authorisation (if required)
• Holiday currency
• Credit or debit cards (and separate details of who to call if lost)
• Car parking ticket and car park directions (if prebooked)
• Coach or rail travel tickets (if prebooked)
• Your holiday Booking Confirmation document
• Your travel insurance details
• Alternative form of identification (such as a driving licence)
• Photocopy of the personal details pages of your passport
• A valid European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) if relevant
• Details of any medical condition or allergy your holiday leader should know about

If you cannot find the maps or books locally we recommend:

The Map Shop
5 High Street
Upton upon Severn, Worcs
WR8 0HJ
England

Tel: 01684 593 146
Website: www.themapshop.co.uk
E-mail: [email protected]

If you key many of the local places mentioned in this holiday fact sheet into YouTube, you will find a vast array of spectacular footage of the area.

For further advice please visit:

• The National Travel Health Network and Centre (NaTHNaC) travel health website at www.travelhealthpro.org.uk
• The NHS 'Fit for travel' website at www.fitfortravel.nhs.uk
• The Foreign Office Travel Advice Website at www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice.
• Or a local travel health clinic.

You might wish to take a small bottle of antibacterial hand gel with you for times when you're unable to wash your hands.

Although insurance is not compulsory for this holiday for UK residents, we strongly recommend that you take out travel insurance to cover you in eventualities such as unexpected cancellation.

Please take your European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) with you; it will help you in the event of you needing medical assistance during your holiday. Please note that the EHIC has an expiry date, so please check that your card is valid for the duration of your holiday. Please note however the EHIC should not be considered a substitute for medical or travel insurance. 

For more information please visit ehic.org.uk.

It is important to ensure while purchasing insurance that you are insured for guided walking upto 1000m.

We're committed to operating responsible tours in all our destinations as best we can. Our holidays are designed for you to discover the essence of the country you are visiting. Travelling in small groups not only gives you an up close and personal experience of your destination, but minimises your impact on the immediate environment. We feel that the most important starting point to protect the environment is to be out in it. For more details visit our website.

Unlike many tour operators we have our own trust through which RWH Travel Ltd’s (inc Adagio) profits are channelled back into a variety of outdoor, walking-related or environmental conservation projects in the UK. The focus of the Trust’s financial support is Britain’s leading walking charity, The Ramblers, and their role in promoting the benefits and importance of walking to the British public. 

In addition the Trust welcomes applications for small grants from local organisations in the UK who need support for walking-orientated activities. This includes the establishment of footpaths and bridleways, funding for rebuilding bridges and renovating huts, as well as bursary funding for the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award for children who could not otherwise afford to do it. Please visit the ‘About Us’ section of our website and click on the Charitable Trust link for more details.

We appreciate that we are in a fortunate position to be able to use our profits to help make a difference to people's lives. Heart & Sole is a venture managed by our office staff, whose aim is to reach the heart of the communities in the countries we visit. Through Heart & Sole, we hope to make more of a long term, direct impact to these communities, particularly in less developed countries where even a small amount goes a long way.