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On September 22nd a party of 38 Probus members and partners drove up to Washington, near Newcastle, to sample the interesting features of North-East
England.
On Wednesday we had a gentle stroll around Durham, with Jan Williams, an excellent Blue Badge Guide, who made sure we appreciated the history of the City centre and the
Cathedral.
The river Wear is particularly picturesque flowing past the City.
We then went on to Crook Hall, a beautifully preserved mediaeval hall, with Jacobean and Tudor extensions. The gardens were interesting, with a
superb view of the cathedral.
Thursday was a busy day with a tour taking in Hadrian's wall, the old town of Hexham and Cragside House, the home of Sir W.G. Armstrong, of
Armstrong-Siddeley and Armstrong-Whitworth fame. Cragside was the first house powered by hydroelectricity.
Friday was devoted to visiting Alnwick Castle and garden. The wonderful old castle with sumptuous furnishings and superb ceiling decorations is
a real experience, and the gardens, dominated by the enormous, spectacular, water feature, took several hours to explore.
On the last day we visited "Locomotion", the museum housing part of the collection of the York Transport Museum, including Sans Pareil, the engine
that raced against the Rocket in the famous competition. In the afternoon it was the Bowes Museum, a remarkable building, purpose-designed as a museum
to hold the collection of the Bowes family. Its most famous exhibit is the amazing silver swan automaton, but it is a large and extremely varied
collection.
Another highly successful trip - organised by Bill partly from a wheel chair after his unfortunate accident.
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