Holy Island and Northumbrian Coast Reviews

3.8

(83 reviews)

A product’s star rating is calculated as the average of all its reviews.

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13.5K Reviews

4.4

The information on this page is based solely on product reviews written by customers of Shearings Holidays via Trustpilot.

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Quality

3.7

77 ratings

Value for money

3.8

77 ratings

Product details

Uncover the rugged beauty of the Northumbrian Coast, famed for its golden sands, history and mystery, and visit the impressive Holy Island.

Brand: Shearings

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All reviews

Oct 19, 2025

The content of the trip was very good. . Accommodation good , Breakfast very good .Evening meal . Poor in quantity.Staff very nice. Coach and driver very good. We enjoyed the trip . The north east is beautiful.

Quality: 4

Value for money: 4

Reply from Shearings Holidays

Oct 19, 2025

Dear Elaine,
Thank you for your lovely review of our Holy Island and Northumbrian Coast tour. We’re delighted you enjoyed the trip and found the accommodation, breakfast, and coach service to a good standard. We appreciate your comments regarding the evening meal and will pass these on to our hotel partners for review. It’s great to hear you enjoyed exploring the beautiful North East, and we hope to welcome you on another holiday soon.

Warm regards,
SB
Customer Relations

Oct 15, 2025

Our first holiday with you for a number of years and we were not disappointed..Everything was very well organised,a very comfortable coach,excellent driver and a well appointed high standard hotel. The day trips were perfect with plenty of time to explore. Thank you we will be booking with you again.

Quality: 5

Value for money: 5

Reply from Shearings Holidays

Oct 17, 2025

Dear Michael,

Thank you for your wonderful review of Holy Island and Northumbrian Coast. I’m delighted to hear that your first holiday with us in a number of years was so enjoyable, with comfortable travel, an excellent driver, and a high-standard hotel. It’s great to know that the day trips allowed plenty of time to explore.

We look forward to welcoming you on another memorable Leger holiday soon!

Warm regards,
Customer Relations
SB

Oct 12, 2025

Travel logistics on outward & inward journeys excellent. Places visited beautiful & interesting but not enough time at each to do them justice - frustrating. Leonardo Hotel accommodation good in terms of rooms. Breakfast had wide selection but dinner was uninteresting & unappetising - far below an acceptable standard. Good food was being served to individuals in the bar while we received something more like school dinners which did not reflect menu descriptions. Service was also very poor, with far too many people for staff to cope with - crowd control which was clearly a very stressful situation for them. From what they said, there seemed to be no communication/consultation between them and management as to what was possible for them. This was my first experience of a coach tour and it will be my only one - it is not for me.

Quality: 2

Value for money: 3

Reply from Shearings Holidays

Oct 15, 2025

Thank you for taking the time to share your detailed feedback on your Holy Island and Northumbrian Coast tour. I’m pleased to hear that you found the travel logistics smooth and enjoyed the beauty and interest of the places visited.

I’m very sorry, however, to learn that you felt there wasn’t enough time at each location and that your experience with the hotel dinners and service fell below expectations. Your comments regarding the quality of the meals, service levels, and communication between staff and management are very valuable, and we’ll be sure to share them with our hotel and operations teams for review.

While I understand that this being your first coach tour did not meet your preferences, I truly appreciate you giving us the opportunity to hear your thoughts. Feedback like yours helps us identify areas for improvement to enhance future guest experiences.

Warm regards,
Customer Relations
SB

Sep 28, 2025

The daily excursions were very good .The driver had a good knowledge of what we were to see.He managed to get us organised and on time without being sergeant majorish! the evening meals were uninspired and I did not appreciate the food being already dished up in the kitchen. The breakfast selection was good.

Quality: 4

Value for money: 3

Reply from Shearings Holidays

Oct 9, 2025

Thank you for kind 4 star review.

We’re delighted to hear that you enjoyed the daily excursions and appreciated our driver’s knowledge and organization. We also appreciate your comments regarding the meals. We’re glad the breakfast selection met your expectations, and we’ll take your thoughts on the evening meals and serving style into consideration as we continually strive to improve our guest experience.

Kind Regards
Customer Relations (JS)

Sep 21, 2025

Had a brilliant time perhaps a little longer time needed at the castles.

Value for money: 5

Reply from Shearings Holidays

Sep 24, 2025

Thank you, Sharon, for your feedback on the Holy Island and Northumbrian Coast tour.
I’m so pleased to hear you had a brilliant time, even wishing for longer at the castles. Thank you as well for sharing your wonderful pictures with us.

Warm regards,
Customer Relations
SP

Sep 7, 2025

too many things to complain about ,the worst was uneatable food ,and not shearings holidays but pats tours the coach should have been on a school run

Quality: 1

Value for money: 1

Reply from Shearings Holidays

Sep 12, 2025

Thank you for your candid feedback on the Holy Island and Northumbrian Coast tour.

I'm truly sorry to hear that your experience fell short of expectations. The quality of food is a vital part of any holiday, and it's disappointing to learn it was not up to standard. Your comments about the coach and the overall presentation of the tour are also concerning, and I understand how frustrating it must have been to feel the experience didn’t reflect what you anticipated.

Your feedback is important, and I’ll ensure it’s shared with the relevant teams for review. We’re committed to improving every aspect of our tours, and insights like yours help us do just that.

Warm regards, Customer Relations

Sep 7, 2025

Enjoyable holiday, good driver with local knowledge. Coach new but not very comfortable .

Quality: 3

Value for money: 4

Reply from Shearings Holidays

Sep 12, 2025

Thank you for your feedback on the Holy Island and Northumbrian Coast tour.

I'm glad to hear you had an enjoyable holiday and appreciated the driver's local knowledge—it’s always wonderful when our team can add that extra layer of insight to the journey. I also appreciate your comments about the coach. While it's new, I understand that comfort is key, especially on longer trips, and your feedback will help us assess how we can improve the travel experience.

Thank you again for sharing your thoughts.

Warm regards, Customer Relations

Aug 17, 2025

The best part of this holiday was the day trips. We visited some lovely places and we didn't feel as though we were rushed when we visited the different towns/cities. The downside to the holiday was everything else. We had a transfer to the services to meet the main coach. The transfer was a minibus and it wasn't clean. The one on the way home had a driver with very limited English who needed directions! When we got to the services we were essentially dumped. We had no idea how long the coach would take to arrive, therefore we didn't know if we had time to visit the facilities. When the coach did arrive we had to get on in the lorry park as the coach bay was full. This meant we had to walk between moving vehicles. The coach was old and not exactly clean. It had rips in the curtains, smelt strongly of urine and the air con leaked. The step also couldn't be lowered to help us off the bus. The driver never spoke to us until we got near to our destination. There was no welcome speech/introduction. The hotel room was grubby. Marks on the walls, ripped curtains and bedding. Dirty carpets. The bathroom was shocking and covered in mould. The suite needed a good scrub. One day we returned from a day trip to find we had no clean towels. They only bought some to our room when we said we'd be telling shearings about this. The breakfasts were what you'd expect, the usual things. The evening meals were shocking. They lacked any substance and flavour. One night we had cottage pie and you could tell it was tinned mince and instant mash. The vegetables looked limp and past their best. The cakes for puddings were dry. It has definitely put me off going with Shearings again!

Quality: 3

Value for money: 2

Reply from Shearings Holidays

Aug 18, 2025

Thank you for your review of the Holy Island and Northumbrian Coast tour.

We’re pleased to hear that you enjoyed the day trips and appreciated the relaxed pace at each destination. It’s great to know the itinerary itself met your expectations.

However, we’re very sorry to hear about the issues you experienced with the transfers, coach condition, and hotel standards. The concerns you raised—such as the cleanliness of the vehicles, lack of communication during transfers, and the poor condition of the hotel room and meals—are deeply concerning and not reflective of the quality we aim to provide. Your feedback will be shared with our transport and accommodation teams for urgent review.

We understand how these issues impacted your overall experience and appreciate you taking the time to share such detailed feedback. It helps us identify where improvements are needed to ensure a better experience for all our guests.

Warm regards,
Customer Relations Team

Aug 17, 2025

The holiday over all was very good but the hotel is in Newcastle an hour and a half away from the sites we were there to see. On these journeys the driver took calls from his family which were audible to all the passengers and some of the content was very personal. I feel the person he was talking to would not have been happy to know what they said was being broadcast in this way. Also it was a distraction when he had the lives of 50 odd people in his hands

Quality: 4

Value for money: 5

Reply from Shearings Holidays

Aug 18, 2025

Thank you for your 4-star review of the Holy Island and Northumbrian Coast tour.

We’re pleased to hear that you enjoyed the holiday overall. However, we’re sorry to learn that the hotel’s location in Newcastle felt too far from the sites you were there to explore. We understand how travel time can impact the overall experience and will take this into account when reviewing future itineraries.

We’re also concerned to hear about the driver taking personal calls that were audible to passengers. This is not in line with our standards of professionalism and safety, and we appreciate you bringing it to our attention. Your comments will be shared with the relevant team to ensure this is addressed appropriately.

Thank you again for your valuable feedback—it helps us improve and provide better experiences for all our guests.

Warm regards,
Customer Relations Team

Aug 17, 2025

Poor hotel, food rubbish, won’t go again

Quality: 3

Value for money: 3

Jul 27, 2025

Excellent driver from Monday to Friday inclusive - very knowledgeable,pleasant,highly professional,kind,excellent timekeeping. All places visited were delightful and interesting. Hotel, average, but clean; shower gel dispenser not functioning adequately but no response when request made; although restaurant cuisine average, staff very pleasant and hardworking

Quality: 4

Value for money: 4

Reply from Shearings Holidays

Aug 2, 2025

Thank you for sharing your experience. We’re pleased to hear you enjoyed the places visited and that our driver provided excellent service throughout the trip.

We appreciate your honest feedback regarding the hotel and restaurant, including the issues you encountered with the shower gel dispenser. We will share these comments with the hotel management to help improve their services.

Thank you for travelling with us, and we hope to welcome you on another trip soon.

Warm regards,
Customer Relations Team
Shearings

Jul 27, 2025

Places visited very enjoyable. The hotel was very good staff very helpful. The driver Dave was a lovely friendly and helpful person. Thank you to him. However the return journey from Newcastle to York took well over eight hours far too many pickups be prepared for a long journey as you are not informed when booking where they are. Also you cannot request a seat preference when booking and that presented a few unhappy passengers sadly.

Reply from Shearings Holidays

Aug 2, 2025

Thank you for sharing your experience. We’re glad you enjoyed the places visited, the hotel, and that Dave provided friendly and helpful service.

We appreciate your feedback regarding the lengthy return journey and the seating arrangements. We understand how important it is to have clear information and comfort, and we’ll review these points to improve future bookings.

Thank you again for travelling with us.

Warm regards,
Customer Relations Team
Shearings

Jul 13, 2025

Content of holiday was good. Getting there was unacceptable with a over a 12 hour journey each way with Costa coffee stops every 2/3 hours for a 3 day stay. Hotel was average, big bedrooms but still with winter duvets making it difficult to sleep. Air con not found although listed. Breakfast good, but very poor quality evening meals. It was not near the city centre, on the periphery in a run down area with no easy access to any shopping. Trips to Holy Island and Alnwick were good, we missed Durham which was fortunate as it was a disaster according to others. Will never go again. Note please do not publish my name only a psuedo - Roverman

Quality: 2

Value for money: 3

Reply from Shearings Holidays

Jul 17, 2025

Good morning,

Thank you for sharing your thoughts following your recent Holy Island and Northumbrian Coast tour.

We are glad to hear that you enjoyed the excursions to Holy Island and Alnwick and that the breakfast offering was to your satisfaction. Your positive remarks regarding the holiday content are appreciated.

We note your concerns regarding the overall journey duration and the frequency of rest stops. We understand that travel times and stop patterns can impact your comfort, and we continually review these arrangements to ensure the best possible experience within operational requirements.

Regarding your comments about the hotel location, facilities, and evening meals, we have passed these on to the appropriate teams for consideration as part of our ongoing efforts to improve the quality and value of our holidays.

We regret that certain aspects of the holiday did not meet your expectations and understand your decision about future travel plans. Your feedback is invaluable to us and will contribute to enhancing the experiences we offer.

Thank you again for choosing Shearings and for sharing your thoughts with us. We do hope to have the opportunity do welcome you back on another tour in the future with the aim of providing you with a more enjoyable holiday.

Kind regards,
Shearings Customer Relations (MP)

Jun 30, 2025

Driver great. Hotel looked great, but Dinner was a disaster

Quality: 4

Value for money: 3

Reply from Shearings Holidays

Jul 5, 2025

Good morning, Mrs Butters

Thank you for your feedback on your recent Holy Island and Northumbrian Coast tour. We’re pleased to hear that you enjoyed the journey and that your driver made a positive impression your kind words will certainly be passed along.

However, we’re very sorry to learn that your dining experience at the hotel did not meet expectations. Your comments will be shared with the hotel management so they can review and address the issues raised.

We appreciate you taking the time to share both the positives and the areas for improvement. Your feedback helps us ensure a better experience for all our guests in the future.

We look forward to welcoming you on another Shearings holiday in the future.
Best regards
Shearings Customer Relations

Jun 29, 2025

Great holiday, Dave was a good driver and had lots of information for us. We visited beautiful places. The hotel was good but too full, just wish I had booked a longer break

Quality: 5

Value for money: 5

Reply from Shearings Holidays

Jun 30, 2025

Thank you for your excellent 5-star review.

Receiving such positive feedback is incredibly rewarding for us as it provides valuable insight into your tour experience. Understanding what resonates with our customers allows us to continuously enhance our tours.

We trust that your break with us was thoroughly enjoyable, and we eagerly anticipate the opportunity to welcome you again soon.

Warm regards

Shearings Customer Relations

Jun 29, 2025

The driver Dave was brilliant professional and very helpful the hotel was nice and all the trips were amazing

Quality: 5

Value for money: 5

Reply from Shearings Holidays

Jun 30, 2025

Good morning,

Thank you for your kind 5-star review
We're thrilled to hear that you had such a lovely holiday excellent hotel and staff. your drivers will be delighted to know they made your trip even more special. The clog and cheese-making trip is indeed a delightful bonus.

We hope to welcome you on another adventure soon.
Kind Regards
Shearings Customer Relations

Jun 29, 2025

This holiday gave us the opportunity to visit historic destinations that we were very interested in. The driver was excellent. The city centre hotel was adequate with extremely comfortable beds but variable standards of evening meals provided by the tour. We were already aware that pick-ups and return trips would probably be quite lengthy. We enjoyed beautiful scenery while touring in a comfortable coach with a skilled and informative driver. Thanks to all.

Quality: 4

Value for money: 4

Reply from Shearings Holidays

Jun 29, 2025

Thank you for your kind 4-star review.

We're delighted to hear that you enjoyed visiting the historic destinations and appreciated the beautiful scenery throughout the tour. It's great to know our driver made a positive impression with both skill and knowledge.

We’re also pleased that you found the hotel beds comfortable, though we acknowledge your comments regarding the variability in the evening meals and the extended travel times for pick-ups and returns. Your observations are valuable, and we'll take them into account as we continue to improve our services.

Thank you again for traveling with us – we hope to welcome you on another tour in the future.

Kind Regards
Shearings Customer Relations (JS)

Jun 8, 2025

A taster of places to visit

Quality: 4

Value for money: 3

Reply from Shearings Holidays

Jun 13, 2025

Thank you for your 4-star review.

Receiving such positive feedback is incredibly rewarding for us as it provides valuable insight into your tour experience. Understanding what resonates with our customers allows us to continuously enhance our tours.

We trust that your break with us was thoroughly enjoyable, and we eagerly anticipate the opportunity to welcome you again soon.

Warm regards

Shearings Customer Relations

Jun 8, 2025

The hotel was a disappointment in that the restaurant felt very overcrowded with 3 coaches of visitors. Dinners were extremely bland with little choice (one meat, one fish and one vegetarian option only) - and just boiled potatoes with virtually every meal - barely adequate standard and not tasty. Breakfasts were good. Hotel was comfortable and clean. The itinerary was good and it was great to have enough time to take a boat trip around the Farne islands from Seahouses. The driver, Harry, was excellent and flexible about some pick up times, but we needed more time at Alnwick to fully enjoy the castle and town.

Quality: 4

Value for money: 5

Reply from Shearings Holidays

Jun 13, 2025

Thank you for your kind 4-star review.

Receiving such positive feedback is truly gratifying as it offers valuable insights into your tour experience and understanding what resonates with our customers empowers us to consistently refine and improve our tours.

Your constructive feedback provides us with the opportunity to evaluate the tour for any necessary enhancements, ensuring complete satisfaction.

We eagerly look forward to welcoming you on board again soon and providing a tour that exceeds all of your expectations.

Warm regards

Shearings Customer Relations

Jun 8, 2025

Great hotel with friendly staff. Nothing is too much bother for them. The food was adequate and plenty at breakfast Dinner menu you were given a choice. Room was pleasant and the bedroom staff very helpful. The coffee,sugar and milk supplied always stocked. Enjoyed the travel too and from and also the coast scenery and the stops.

Quality: 4

Value for money: 5

Reply from Shearings Holidays

Jun 13, 2025

Thank you for your kind 4-star review.

Receiving such positive feedback is truly gratifying as it offers valuable insights into your tour experience and understanding what resonates with our customers empowers us to consistently refine and improve our tours.

We eagerly look forward to welcoming you on board again soon and providing a tour that exceeds all of your expectations.

Warm regards

Shearings Customer Relations