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St Cuthbert's Way - 9 Days & 8 Nights

9 Days & 8 Nights 4.7 Read 149 reviews
  • Walk this historic trail through Northumberland and the Borders to the Holy Island
  • Stay in picturesque Melrose with its impressive abbey
  • Explore the fantastically situated Lindisfarne Castle and Priory
  • Spend a night on Lindisfarne, Holy Island, after completing your walk
  • Discover an abundance of history along the way
St Cuthbert’s Way is a historical self-guided walking tour through the Scottish Borders and Northumberland countryside. It finishes with a memorable walk across coastal flats to spectacular Holy Island, one of Europe’s most famous Christian sites. During your adventure, you will visit places closely associated with St Cuthbert’s life. Pilgrim’s travel along the way-marked trail through rolling farmland, quiet woods, moorland and across a causeway. This route lends itself to visitors who are interested in religious history as it passes close to graceful ruins of Dryburgh Abbey (where Sir Walter Scott is buried) and the cave where St Cuthbert’s remains were stored. Finish with a walk across the sands to spectacular Holy Island and Lindisfarne, where St Cuthbert served as Bishop. Alison Chino, an American writer living in Scotland, published this great article on walking the St Cuthbert's Way, read it for an insight into the experience.
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The St Cuthbert’s Way is a glorious walk through the Scotland Borders and the North East of England. If you are a budding historian then the many sites of interest that are scattered along the route will appeal greatly. Pass through memorable and serene rural landscapes as you walk.

Tour Type:

Classic Routes | If you’re the active, outdoorsy type, who’s interested in taking on the great routes of the world or looking for a challenge, then our Classic Routes are for you. We’re talking the West Highland Way, Tour Du Mont Blanc and the Passau to Vienna Danube Cycle Path, to name but a few!

Activity:

Inn to Inn Walking | Walk from place-to-place changing accommodations each night. Generally staying in B&B’s, inns, and guesthouses.

This trip is suitable for:

Solo Travellers

As a guide, we would suggest that the minimum age of traveler this tour would be suitable for is: 12 Years

Ideal if you have an interest in:

  • Long-Distance Trails

Activity Level & Terrain

This trip is graded from easy to moderate to moderate, depending on which itinerary you choose. The trail follows well maintained footpaths, bridleways, open fields and some minor roads. It does involve some relatively steep ascent and descent from the escarpment and days of up to 18 miles walking.

Navigation

The trail is generally well maintained and is made up of path and minor roads and is well-marked throughout.

Accommodations

One of the highlights of this tour is the high standard of accommodation. We specifically choose the hotels, inns, guesthouses and B&B’s to ensure that you enjoy every minute of your stay. They all offer a warm welcome to walkers, traditional hospitality and delicious local food.

Single Rooms

This independent walking holiday is available to solo walkers but as all our holidays are priced per person based on two sharing, there is a single supplement payable to cover the additional costs we incur. If you require single rooms within your party we will, of course, try to accommodate your request subject to availability. Please note, that singles may not be of the same standard as twins.

Meals

A hearty breakfast is included each morning, while lunch and dinner are not included so you are free to choose from the available options. Your accommodation will be more than happy to provide a packed lunch on request and this can be booked on arrival. Alternatively, your guidebook also includes details of local shops and convenient lunch stops on the way. Dinner is available either at your accommodation or nearby pubs and restaurants and your info pack will, of course, have recommendations.

Included
  • 8 Nights in hand-picked B&B's, guesthouses and small hotels
  • 8 Breakfasts
  • Baggage transfers
  • Information pack and guidebook
  • Access to detailed maps and GPS tracks in the Macs Adventure smartphone navigation app
  • 24/7 Emergency telephone support from our office
Excluded
  • Travel to Melrose / from Lindisfarne
  • Lunches, dinners, drinks & snacks
  • Personal equipment
  • Travel insurance (required)
Extras
  • Additional nights along the route

When To Go

This trip is available from April to September to start on any day of the week. Traditionally, April and May have been the most popular time of the year to walk the route, as the theory goes that the weather is better. However, in our opinion, anywhere between April and September should offer a wonderful experience.

Please note: In mid-June each year the Borders Book Festival takes place, the area is very busy and there will be a lack of availability, please avoid booking over these dates if possible. 

Getting to the Start

By Air: Edinburgh and Newcastle airports are the closest options. Onward travel is by rail and /or coach.

By Coach: Melrose and Jedburgh are both served by National Express as well as Berwick-upon-Tweed.

By Rail: Tweedbank is the main line station used to connect by bus on to Melrose.  Tweedbank station is just an 8 minute bus journey from Melrose.

By Road: We generally recommend using public transport as parking is generally not available in Melrose.

Getting from the End

By Air: Edinburgh and Newcastle airports are the closest options. Travel by rail and/or coach from Berwick-upon Tweed.

By Coach: For most services you will need to get to Berwick-upon-Tweed. Please note that bus services are limited and a taxi may be required on certain days to reach Berwick-Upon-Tweed.

By Rail: You will need to get to Berwick-upon-Tweed for connections to Edinburgh & Newcastle. By Taxi: There is a local taxi service which provides the most convenient way to transfer to Berwick-upon-Tweed and further a field.

Please visit Traveline for further information.

Luggage Transfer

Your bags will be collected from your accommodation each day and moved onto your overnight accommodation each day. We ask you to limit your luggage to one bag of up to 20kg per person.

At Macs Adventure, we work in partnership with many luggage transfer providers who set a limit on how many bags/suitcases they will transfer per person, and also the weight of the bag/suitcase.  Your booking includes transfer of 1 bag per person.  It is very important that you read the luggage information specific to your tour before departure. If you do not adhere to these limits, there is a great possibility that you will be charged locally both for extra bags or if they are too heavy. This limitation can be a challenge, especially as airlines generally have limits that are higher. However, our luggage providers have reasons for these limits (usually due to the Health and Safety of their employees), which we must respect.

Travel Insurance

It is a requirement of booking this tour with Macs Adventure that you have suitable travel insurance which covers you for the activity and emergency evacuation and hospital care.

How fit do I need to be?
How far in advance do I need to book?
What personal equipment do I need?
When is the best time of year?
Should I check the tides for the walk to the Holy Isle?
Am I able to take my dog?
What happens if I can’t walk a stage?

Itinerary

Day 1 Arrive Melrose and Overnight Day 2 Melrose to St Boswell 7 miles / 11 km Day 3 St Boswell to Harestanes. Overnight Jedburgh 8 miles / 13 km Day 4 Harestanes to Morebattle 11 miles / 18 km Day 5 Morebattle to Kirk Yetholm 7 miles / 11 km Day 6 Kirk Yetholm to Wooler 13.5 miles / 22 km Day 7 Wooler to Fenwick 12.5 miles / 20 km Day 8 Fenwick to Lindisfarne 6 miles / 10 km Day 9 Onward Travel

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