Cake Trails: Durham's Female Saints and Revolutionaries

Grab your slice of history! In this expert-led tour, meet the the remarkable historic women of Durham Cathedral and Peninsula, with museum tickets and complimentary tea/coffee + cake included.

All the Singular Ladies

This unique tour of Durham's historic women introduces you to the saints, artists, entrepreneurs, and revolutionaries who have all left their mark on the city and its Cathedral, and includes exclusive guided access to rare examples of Anglo-Saxon female-produced art in the church's collection. Our expert brings you behind the scenes on an in-depth walk through the history of women's social, cultural, and political lives from the tenth century onward, charting their changing roles and retelling their forgotten stories. From the medieval Cathedral's barring of women and confinement to the Galilee Chapel, to the stories of zealout female reformers and iconoclasts (and even an arsonist suffragette), and more besides, this is an exciting step into the lives of the peninsula's fascinating leading ladies.

Cake Trails

Step into history with our trained archaeologists and historians this summer, as they guide you through the region’s most fascinating historic sites, events, and people on our new series of walking tours, from ruthless royals to the women persecuted as witches in the chaos of the English Civil War.

Let them eat cake!

With a maximum of ten tickets available per event and complimentary cake and a hot beverage at a local tearoom with your guide concluding each two-hour walk, this is a fantastic event for those wanting to discover history within a more informal, conversational atmosphere.

Booking Information & FAQs

Tour Start: Tours start at 11.30am and finish at approximately 2.00pm, before moving to a nearby tearoom.

Meeting Point: Your guide will meet you on Palace Green. More information will be provided in advance of the event.

Duration: The tour is approximately 2 1/2 hours in length followed by cake and a hot beverage.

Inclusions: Access to key sites, including Durham Cathedral's museum, and tearoom refreshments are included in the ticket price. 

Access: The tour covers Palace Green, a portion of South Bailey, the College, and the Cathedral interior. While the Cathedral is fully accessible, the Bailey is cobbled and may prove somewhat challenging for wheelchair users. 

Refund Policy: Due to the nature of the tour, 100% refunds of the ticket price will be given for bookings cancelled 7 or more days before the event. 50% refunds will be given for bookings cancellations made more than 2 days and less than 7 days before the event.

About Iles Tours

Iles Tours is a five-star historic tour group specialising in small-group, guided visits to historic sites in the North East of England and Southern Scotland. Founded by archaeologist and historian Alex Iles, our guides are experts in their fields with formal training in historical and archaeological research, and our tours are consistently rated five-stars on TripAdvisor and Google Reviews. For more, see ilestours.co.uk.