When pensioner David Robinson was sent a Saga Holidays brochure, he couldn’t believe his eyes.

He opened up page 10 of the The British Isles holidays Sept 2019 to March 2020 catalogue and discovered the company, that specialises in servicing the needs of those aged over 50, had made a big blunder.

In the write-up for the “Enchanting Durham” trip it gave a rundown on what to expect.

David Robertson of Wide Open who has discovered a blunder in Saga magazine which has placed Bamburgh Castle in County Durham
David Robertson of Wide Open who has discovered a blunder in Saga magazine which has placed Bamburgh Castle in County Durham

And the retired diemaker burst out laughing when they said in the picturesque cathedral city was Bamburgh Castle, which doubled up as a university. They also had a beautiful picture of the Northumberland castle to show their point.

Before getting over his belly laugh, quick as a flash David was compiling an email to ChronicleLive pointing out the mistake.

And he also noted the ditsy Saga team were about 40-miles out when the brochure said Hadrian’s Wall was a short distance away from Durham.

The blunder Saga made in its holiday brochure when it said Northumberland's Bamburgh Castle was in Durham
The blunder Saga made in its holiday brochure when it said Northumberland's Bamburgh Castle was in Durham

The printed magazine said: “Founded in 995AD by Lindisfarne Monks who chose this lofty location as the burial place of St Cuthbert, Durham is packed with historical buildings including the Norman Cathedral where Cuthbert is laid to rest and the magnificent Bamburgh Castle which doubles as a university.

"Stroll the banks of the Wear to discover the secret gardens of Crook Hall, perhaps catch a game at the international Cricket Ground, browse the stylish boutiques, enjoy a cream tea in the quaint cobbled streets, or visit the Heritage Centre and Museum.

"Just a short distance away you can marvel at the Roman Hadrian’s Wall, enjoy walks in the Yorkshire Dales and admire the art of Bowes Museum.

"On included excursions step back in time at the Beamish Open Air Museum, and tour medieval Raby Castle.”

The slip-up is also in the online brochure.

29/12/18 Bamburgh Castle. Taken by Flickr user Chris Goddard
29/12/18 Bamburgh Castle. Taken by Flickr user Chris Goddard

And David reckons someone will get their knuckles wrapped once the errors are pointed out.

David, of Wideopen, North Tyneside, said: “I received a holiday brochure this week from Saga holidays for The British isles Sept 2019  to March 2020 and could not believe the Holiday to Enchanting Durham on page 10.

“I could not believe what I was seeing and reading. It shows a picture of Bamburgh Castle, which of course is not in Durham. It states ‘Durham is packed with historic buildings including the Norman Cathedral where Cuthbert is laid to rest, and the magnificent Bamburgh Castle which doubles as a University.’

“Then ‘just a short distance away you can marvel at the Roman Hadrians Wall’. Well, they've also got that wrong as it’s about 40 miles away.

"I called the customer service team at Saga and told the girl they had made a mistake. She said there wasn't much they could do about it because the brochure had been printed but I told them they had dropped a major clagger. It just goes to show that people don't know the North East as well as they should or they simply just don't do their research properly.

“Anyway, I think someone is going to get a good telling off for not getting their facts right, but I thought it may make some ChronicleLive readers laugh.”

After receiving David’s email, ChronicleLive contacted Saga to tell them of their gaffe and bosses have now pledged to rectify their inaccuracies.

A spokesperson for Saga said: “We would like to sincerely thank Mr Robertson for getting in touch and pointing out this error. I would like to apologies for any concern or confusion this may have caused. Our team will ensure that this information is rectified immediately.”