JD Wetherspoon: The Grand Tour (North of England)
Tour Highlights
Visiting: Cumbria, Lancashire, Merseyside, Greater Manchester, North Yorkshire, Tyne and Wear
Towns and cities: Keswick, Blackpool, Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, Harrogate, Sunderland
Tour Features
Private guided tour, guide and luxury vehicle
Duration: 6 days / 5 nights
Starting: Keswick
Finishing: Newcastle upon Tyne
Key Attractions
Six iconic Wetherspoons venues, the Wordsworth House and Garden, Blackpool promenade, Albert Dock, The Cavern Club, Manchester museums, Royal Armouries Museum, Nidderdale National Landscape
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Outline Itinerary
Day 1
Our Grand Tour begins in Keswick, a market town at the heart of the Lake District, which is arguably Britain’s most breathtaking national park. Surrounded by verdant valleys, rugged mountains and serene lakes, Keswick is a must-see destination for any visitor to Britain and is also home to one of the UK’s most unique Wetherspoons. Constructed in 1901, The Chief Justice of the Common Pleas began life as a magistrates court and police station. The site is now listed by Historic England as having special interest and still holds the original canopied witness stand and police station cells.
After lunch, we’ll travel north to Cockermouth, winding through awe-inspiring scenery with panoramic views of Derwentwater and Bassenthwaite Lake. In Cockermouth, we’ll explore Wordsworth House and Garden, once the home of William Wordsworth, one of Britain’s most influential poets.
Day 2:
On day two, we’ll head south through Cumbria and Lancashire until we reach Blackpool, a vibrant seaside town on England’s northwest coast. With a bustling promenade and a quintessentially English seaside, Blackpool is renowned for its nightlife, with a wealth of theatres, cabaret acts and music venues.
Located less than a stone's throw from Blackpool Pleasure Beach, the iconic “Velvet Coaster” is among the UK’s largest pubs, and was recently awarded the coveted title of “the nicest Wetherspoons”.
Day 3:
We will begin day three by driving to Liverpool, an iconic coastal city with a rich cultural heritage. Before exploring Liverpool, we’ll head to the North Western Wetherspoons, a grade II listed building designed by the celebrated Liverpool-born Victorian architect Alfred Waterhouse. Known for his eclectic Victorian Gothic Revival style, Waterhouse also designed London’s Natural History Museum.
After lunch, we’ll visit Albert Dock, which is now home to a vibrant leisure complex with museums, galleries, shops and restaurants, before spending the evening at The Cavern Club, which, in the 1960s, played host to hundreds of Beatles performances.
Day 4:
On day four we’ll travel east to Manchester. Home to a thriving music scene and an abundance of world-class museums and galleries, Manchester is something of a cultural melting pot. We will spend the morning in the city’s Northern Quarter, a dynamic district and a hub for independent bars, vintage boutiques and creative spaces.
In the afternoon, we’ll head over either to The Science and Industry Museum in Castlefield, or to Manchester Museum on Oxford Road. We’ll end the day in the fourth Wetherspoons on our tour; The Moon Under Water. Once a Victorian cinema, this opulent venue boasts ornate ceilings, golden railings and one of the city’s best beer gardens.
Day 5:
We’ll begin day five of our Grand Tour by driving further east to Leeds. In Leeds, we’ll make a stop at the Royal Armouries Museum before continuing on to Harrogate, where the penultimate Wetherspoons on our tour is located.
Home to the franchise’s best flight of stairs, The Winter Gardens is an exquisite example of Victorian architecture and boasts a glass roof, stone columns, and an imperial marble.
Day 6:
On day six we will visit Nidderdale National Landscape, an area of the Yorkshire Dales designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and located a stone's throw from Harrogate. After lunch, we’ll drive east to Newcastle upon Tyne, taking in the magnificent scenery of North York Moors National Park along the way.
In Newcastle upon Tyne, we’ll visit Sir William de Wessyngton, which was recently awarded the prestigious title of “Cheapest Spoons in the North”. Once a billiard saloon, Sir William de Wessygnton is named after a Norman knight whose coat of arms is the basis for the American national flag.