Need help with your booking call 01473 357 036

North East Quilting Retreat

From hand-sewing workshops with expert Mandy Shaw to shopping in the area's many quilt shops, this holiday combines the best that the local area has to offer. The museums are all excellent, Durham Cathedral is spectacular, and the Northumberland landscape that we pass on our way to the amazing Alnwick Castle is simply beautiful. This is a real discovery for anyone who has never been to this part of England.

8 days from £1,515pp Departure Dates

Your Tour Includes

  • 7 nights' bed and breakfast accommodation
  • 2 full days of hand-sewing workshops with Mandy Shaw, kit included
  • 4 dinners
  • Entrance fees and excursions included
  • Services of an experienced Tour Manager
Experts
Mandy Shaw

Mandy Shaw

Queen of Redwork Mandy Shaw, is an experienced designer and well-known personality within the craft community. Her vintage designs are instantly recognisable and often feature her trademark red and white stitching or charming applique details. Throughout her career, Mandy has contributed to a number of publications and is the author of a number of handmade crafting books which share her quirky crafting style.

Mandy is also the owner of Dandelion Designs, a well-established family run company and is a regular on Create and Craft TV showing her gorgeous patterns & kits for handmade and machine craft projects. She has also appeared on Kirstie Allsopp’s Homemade Home.


Itinerary

Meet Mandy Shaw and your Tour Manager at the Durham Marriott Hotel Royal Country this afternoon. Relax and enjoy dinner with your fellow stitchers this evening.

Includes Dinner

Partake in a full-day hand-sewing workshop with Mandy.

Includes Breakfast

Included Highlights

Hand-sewing

Beamish Open-Air Museum tells the story of life in North East England from 1820s to 1950s. We will spend a full day exploring the site, but one of the highlights is sure to be the 1820s quilters cottage, where you can learn the fascinating story of quilter Joseph Hedley.

Includes Breakfast

Includes Dinner

Included Highlights

Beamish Open-Air Museum

The Bowes Museum is a treasure hidden in the heart of beautiful Teesdale. Purpose built in the 1920s by John and Josephine Bowes, the museum houses one of the largest and most significant European textile collections in Britain, representing all textile techniques and European centres of production, from the 15th to 19th centuries. We will enjoy a guided tour of the collection.

Includes Breakfast

Included Highlights

Bowes Museum

Alnwick Castle was built in the 11th century to control and protect the border with Scotland. Alnwick Castle underwent several renovations in its first five centuries, the most major of which was commissioned by Henry Percy, the First Baron Percy of Alnwick. The Percy family still live in the castle today. In fact, Alnwick Castle is the second largest inhabited castle in England, second only to Windsor Castle. The grounds surrounding the castle were landscaped by Lancelot “Capability” Brown. As well as being the residence for the current Duke of Northumberland, Alnwick Castle has been used as a filming location for many movies and TV shows including Harry Potter & The Chamber of Secrets and Harry Potter & The Philosopher’s Stone, as well as Downton Abbey.

The brainchild of The Duchess of Northumberland, The Alnwick Garden is a multi-award-winning visitor attraction. The 12 acres of magnificent gardens are home to the world’s largest Tai Haku Cherry Orchard, the Grand Cascade comprising 120 water jets and the world's largest Treehouse Restaurant. The garden is also a charity, any surplus is re-invested into improving and developing The Alnwick Garden for the future through one of their charity programmes. We will enjoy a guided tour with a garden volunteer, including the Poison Garden.

Includes Breakfast

Includes Dinner

Included Highlights

Alnwick Castle

The Community of Cuthbert arrived in Durham from Lindisfarne in 995 and built an Anglo-Saxon cathedral. In 1083, following the Norman Conquest, a community of Benedictine monks was established in Durham. Construction of the Cathedral as we know it today was started in 1093 by Bishop William of St Calais. It is a Christian Church of the Anglican Communion and the seat of the Bishop of Durham. 

Durham Cathedral houses some of the best church needlework from the past 11 centuries. We will enjoy an embroidery and textile tour, highlights of which will include a 10th century Stole, Maniple and Girdle, recorded as being given to the shrine of St Cuthbert by King Athelstan when he visited Chester-Le-Street in 934. These are some of the finest surviving examples of Anglo-Saxon embroidery in England and the only ones to be found which depict human figures. The collection also includes four late medieval velvet copes.

Kim Suleman will welcome us to the community hub in North Shields for a short demo and talk. Kim is probably best known for her website Six Penny Memories and for her appearances on Create & Craft TV.

Includes Breakfast

Included Highlights

Durham Cathedral

Enjoy a second full-day hand-sewing workshop with Mandy.

Includes Breakfast

Includes Dinner

Included Highlights

Hand-sewing workshop

Check out by midday, with fond memories of a week with like-minded friends.

Includes Breakfast

You will need to have a reasonable level of fitness to get the most out of this holiday. On excursion days you will need to walk a short distance from the hotel to the coach and you should be able to board the coach unaided. On arrival at the excursion destination, you should be able to alight the coach unaided and there may be a walk between the coach drop off point and the excursion venue. By their nature, walking tours, museum visits etc involve being on your feet for a significant amount of time. Whilst our excursions are taken at a leisurely pace, for the enjoyment of everyone in the group you should be able to keep up with your fellow travellers. Please note the itinerary may operate in a different order than described.

Single Room Supplement from £399.00 (8 days).

Perfect for Textile Lovers

Perfect for Textile Lovers

Uniquely created for textile lovers, this Stitchtopia textile holiday is the perfect way to discover fascinating fabrics and cultures, whilst travelling to some of the world’s most inspiring places. Our talented stitching expert will be on hand throughout the holiday and host creative workshops with beautifully designed projects inspired by your travels.

Accommodation

You will stay for seven nights at the Durham Marriott Hotel Royal County.

Durham Marriott Hotel Royal County

Immerse yourself in historic Durham with a stay at the Delta Hotels by Marriott Durham Royal County. Dating back to 1815, this 4-star hotel stands proudly by the castle and cathedral of the city, as well as offering a close location to the River Wear. With the prime central location, you can explore the wonders of Durham with ease. The modern and refurbished bedrooms provide everything you need and more, with premium bedding, a flat-screen TV and Wi-Fi, whilst the delicious dishes served at the Cast Iron Bar & Grill promise to leave you wanting more. Guests can also enjoy artisan coffee at the bright and vibrant coffee shop, Paddy and Scott’s.

Hotel Facilities

Need further information? Fill in our enquiry form and we'll get back to you as soon as we can

Room
  • TV
  • Tea and Coffee Making Facilities
  • Hairdryer
  • Safe Box
  • Air Conditioning
General
  • Guest Lounge
  • Restaurant
  • Lift
  • Sauna or Steam Room
Accessibility
  • Disabled Rooms Available
  • Ground Floor Rooms on Request
Service
  • Free WiFi (Public Areas)
  • Gym
Hotel
  • Guest Lounge
  • Restaurant
  • Lift
  • WiFi Available