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Welcome to the Itinerary Planner. Use this tool to build your own journey or choose from an exciting range of specially selected tours.

To build your own Itinerary, click Add to Excursion to add an item to your Itinerary basket.

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    This is Durham Blog

You are here > Home > Things to Do > The Way of Learning

The Way of Learning

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Add The Way of Learning to your Itinerary

National Glass Centre Sunderland
  • National Glass Centre Sunderland
  • Cleadon Windmill
  • The Word South Shields
  • Wearmouth Bridge Sunderland
  • Penshaw Monument Sunderland
  • The Way of Learning map

About

Gain the ultimate enlightenment on The Way of Learning as it takes you on the trail of England’s original scholar, the Venerable Bede through a rich legacy of the North East’s foremost industry, inventiveness and innovation.

‘Devote yourself to learn the sayings and doings of the men of old ’ runs a quote from the Father of English History, the Venerable Bede, around the atrium of a museum dedicated to him at Jarrow Hall, near the start of The Way of Learning. The quote is an apt metaphor for this walk.

The route traces the special places associated with Britain’s best-known scholar-monk the Venerable Bede, besides taking you on a journey to ground-breaking Roman discoveries (Arbeia, South Shields Roman Fort), the majestic medieval Finchale Priory, where fascinating St Godric once
attracted attention from as far afield as Rome for his famous piety, and masterful modern cultural icons such as The Word, National Centre for the Written Word in South Shields.

This, the most urban of the six Northern Saints Trails, might have less of the jaw-dropping countryside the North East invariably exhibits, but it compensates by being jam-packed with cultural eye-openers. The area has produced countless firsts (first English history book, England’s first stained glass, first incandescent light bulb) and the route winds between example after example of the region’s exceptional innovativeness over the centuries, and the museums that champion it. But one character stands out from The Way of Learning in particular and that is the Venerable Bede.

Learn about his life and times and pass the monasteries where he studied and became inspired to produce some of England’s most important early literary works. By the time you reach his tomb at Durham Cathedral you might well feel as if you are revisiting an old acquaintance. You will certainly feel acquainted with a region that can justly claim to have been instrumental in kindling the thirst for knowledge we hold so dear today.

The Northern Saints Passport allows visitors to collect stamps at attractions and places to eat and drink along the six Northern Saints routes. Look out for venues that showcase the passport icon on the Northern Saints Trails website. View the current participating venues, with new locations added regularly.

The Northern Saints Trails Visitor Guide is a 55-page full colour guide that includes route descriptions and maps of the six Northern Saints Trails.

Details of how to purchase the Northern Saints Passport and the Northern Saints Trails Visitor Guide can be found on the website - http://northernsaints.com/

For full route descriptions download the documents below.

 

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Access Information

Opening Times

Season (1 Jan 2022 - 31 Dec 2022)

Map & Directions

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Highlights...

Finchale PrioryFinchale Priory, BrassideThe very extensive remains of a 13thC priory, founded on the site of a retired pirate's hermitage.

The Courtyard of Durham Castle, showing the Gatehouse and Great Hall and Garden StairsDurham Castle, Durham CityDurham Castle is part of the Durham City World Heritage Site. Entrance by guided tour only. Opening can vary - All enquiries re guided tours should be directed Palace Green Library. Telephone 0191 334 2932 or castle.tours@durham.ac.uk.

Family walking up to Durham CathedralDurham Cathedral, Durham CityThought by many to be the finest example of Norman church architecture in England, with the tombs of St Cuthbert and The Venerable Bede. Please check opening times before travelling.

Ankers House and St Mary & St Cuthbert's Church














 


   
Product Details
Ankers House and St Mary & St Cuthbert's Church, Chester-le-StreetThe cathedral church and shrine of St Cuthbert from AD883 to 995 with attached anchorage containing displays on Roman, Saxon and medieval times.

World Heritage Site Visitor CentreWorld Heritage Site Visitor Centre, Durham CityA free visitor centre providing an introduction to Durham World Heritage Site and what there is to see and do in and around the site. Ideal for families.

A gold cross pendant with arms inlaid with precious stones.Durham Cathedral Museum, Durham CityExplore 2000 years of the North East’s history, culture and faith at Durham Cathedral Museum. Step into the octagonal Great Kitchen and get up close to iconic symbols of Durham, including the Sanctuary Ring and St Cuthbert’s Pectoral Cross.

Palace Green Library Exterior DurhamPalace Green Library, Durham CityPalace Green Library, in the heart of Durham city, holds Durham University's special collections. Our galleries are open to all and display treasures spanning millennia and the globe.

A gold cross pendant with arms inlaid with precious stones.Durham Cathedral Museum, Durham CityExplore 2000 years of the North East’s history, culture and faith at Durham Cathedral Museum. Step into the octagonal Great Kitchen and get up close to iconic symbols of Durham, including the Sanctuary Ring and St Cuthbert’s Pectoral Cross.

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