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With spring finally arriving and daylight savings blessing us with longer light hours, we started planning our weekends away over the warmer months. First up we decided on Durham, as I had yet to visit this charming historic city. My husband had visited for a conference, but hadn’t had much time to explore, so was keen to visit again. We drove up after work on Friday night, arriving just in time for dinner.
We weren’t particularly organised, so headed out to discover what food was available near our hotel. We were quite hungry, so decided to go with the first restaurant we came across. Luckily for us it was the delicious Bistro Italiano (70 Claypath, Durham DH1 1QT). It was very busy when we arrived, so we didn’t think we were going to get a seat without a booking, but they kindly accommodated us. The food was very reasonably priced, as was the house wine. Hubby had some cheesy gnocchi and I had the seafood spaghetti which had a generous portion of fish. The tomato garlic bread, which is served on a pizza base, was one of the best I’ve ever eaten. We finished it off with my favourite dessert, profiteroles.
The following morning, we headed out for our day of sightseeing in Durham. Luckily, we were having a mini heatwave, so it was a gorgeous sunny. Durham is an ancient town with steep, winding, narrow streets lined with historic buildings containing trendy shops and cafés. There are hidden, secret paths in each corner, and from a distance it looked like people were disappearing between the cracks of the buildings.
In need of some fuel, we stopped for brunch at Flat White Kitchen (40 Saddler Street, Durham DH1 3NU). This place is extremely popular, so I would recommend booking in advance. I think we only managed to get it in because we got there early. When we left there was a long line of people waiting to get in. I ordered the ricotta pancakes with fruit, maple syrup and cinder toffee butter. I was feeling rather greedy, so I ordered the full stack, which you can see by the photo below was perhaps a bit much! They were huge, and on reflection I would suggest just ordering the half stack. I did manage to get through most of them and only left half a pancake (maybe not something I should be boasting about). Hubby ordered some French toast which he loved, and it came with a very large scoop of mascarpone. This place is also recommended for Aussie’s and Kiwi’s in search of a good flat white. I wish we had had time to come back and sample more of the menu.
Market Place, Marquess of Londonderry Statue & Town Hall
First up, we visited the busy historic market place. As well as the Durham indoor market, the square holds a buzzing open market and even held a Scottish bag pipe performance whilst we were there. The square features several statues, including the rather grand 3rd Marquees of Londonderry. The buildings are beautiful. This is also where the Grade II listed heritage Town Hall is located.
Durham Castle
Construction of the Castle began in 1072 under the orders of William the Conqueror, six years after the Norman Conquest of England and soon after the Normans first came to the North. It has had an interesting history which we learnt more about on our tour. These days the castle is home to students of University College, the oldest of Durham University’s Colleges. During the summer months when the students have gone, you can rent a room at the castle as they offer them as B&B’s.
Because this castle is student accommodation, you can’t just stroll on in. You can only visit via a guided tour, and there may be times when some of the rooms are not available to visit due to events. To book tickets, head to the Palace Green Library, located between the cathedral and castle. The Palace Green Library is also where the local bus stops. You will see sandwich boards out the front advertising the tours which run throughout the day. As they can get very popular, I would recommend booking your tour as soon as you arrive, so you can plan your day accordingly. There is a small fee for the tour.
Our tour lasted about 50 minutes. We begun at the Barbican, the cobbled entrance to the castle. Our guide Katie was very knowledgeable and gave us an overview of the castles history before leading us under the Gatehouse, which actually has students living in it, and into the picturesque Courtyard.
The first room we visited was the Norman Chapel which dates back to the 11th century and features magnificent sandstone pillars and numerous carved capitals. We then climbed the clock tower stairs to the Tunstall Chapel, a Tudor Chapel added to the castle in the 1540’s. Features included a 17th century organ, a 19th century altar and 16th century ‘Mercy Seats’. Underneath the original seats are intricate carvings of fables and mythical creatures. Lookout for the cute little carved mouse at the base of the lectern sitting in the aisle.
We then entered the Tunstall Gallery which is used for entertaining. You also get to see the original grand Norman Archway here. At the end of the gallery was the 17th century Black Staircase, which was originally designed to be a flying staircase so was built without support pillars. However, as you will see, the staircase was not built with the right materials so quickly began to lean. In order to save it from collapsing they had to add supports, however, you can still see its wonkiness.
Our final stop was the Great Hall which was built in the 13th century and is now used as the students dining hall and for hosting events. Hubby was lucky enough to experience dining in the Great Hall when he attended a conference held at Durham University.
Museum of Archaeology & Durham Light Infantry Collection
As well as selling the castle tour tickets, the Palace Green Library also houses a free Museum of Archaeology and the Durham Light Infantry Collection. They are not very large collections, so we only took about 20 minutes to look around them.
Durham Cathedral
Building of this magnificent cathedral started in 1093, but its origins trace back to the community of Lindisfarne Priory in Inner Farne Island, where Saint Cuthbert the Bishop of Lindisfarne lived from AD 685 until his death in 687. We actually visited this site during our bird and seal watching boat tour around the Farne Islands which you can read about here. After repeated Viking raids, the monks fled Lindisfarne in AD 875, carrying St Cuthbert’s relics with them. Eventually in AD 995, according to local legend, the monks followed two milk maids who were searching for a ‘dun (i.e. brown) cow’ and were led into a peninsula formed by a loop in the River Wear, a very defensible position. At this point Cuthbert’s coffin became immovable and they took this as a sign that this was the place they were to settle.
Entry to the cathedral is free (donations welcome), but you can also pay for a guided tour if you prefer. However, there are information boards around the cathedral. Sadly, no photos can be taken inside the cathedral or the museum, so I only have external photos sorry. Whilst there, make sure you visit the internal square which is through the door to the left of the counter.
We also visited the Open Treasure exhibition which showcases the Cathedral’s fascinating history and heritage. They charge a rather expensive entry fee, so I think it is only worth it if you really want to learn more about the history of the cathedral. There are a couple of highlights, including the Great Kitchen with its octagonal ceiling, which houses the Treasures of St Cuthbert including Anglo-Saxon artefacts, and the remains of St Cuthbert’s English oak coffin.
World Heritage Site Visitor Centre
The visitor centre is quite small and there is not much to see here, but there is a room playing a series of videos about the history of Durham and some of them are Durham Cathedral in LEGO which is quite an entertaining change to the normal documentary played. This video is also played at the Undercroft Foyer in the Cathedral.
Durham Museum and Heritage Centre
Across from the historic buildings on Dun Cow lane is where you will find the Durham Museum and Heritage Centre. As it is only open for a couple of hours in the afternoon, you’ll need to plan your visit around this accordingly. We headed over once we had finished exploring the castle and cathedral. The museum is located in the old parish church of the North Bailey which was rebuilt in the 17th Century. It has a small garden which has two interesting sculptures by renowned local artist Fenwick Lawson. If you are keen to learn more about the local history, then you will find this museum interesting.
Riverside Walk
After visiting the museum, we strolled down Bow Lane where we found some steps down onto the riverside walk. The river was filled with rowing teams practising their strokes and romantic couples attempting to row themselves up the river on little wooden hire boats.
If you are not up to walking along the river path, you can still enjoy the river by taking a ride on the Prince River Cruiser which is located near Elvet bridge.
With the sunshine out, it was the perfect day to stroll around the tree lined River Wear. The path lead us to the Framwelgate Bridge where we crossed over to enjoy the views. On the other side of the river is the perfect viewing spot of the majestic castle sitting high on the hill. Make sure you visit this spot to get the best photos.
From here we walked up to the Milburngate Bridge. Off to the left is the more modern part of the town, but we headed back over to the historic area to enjoy a much needed drinks break. By now we had explored most of the town, so decided to escape the hustle and bustle and take a longer river walk down past New Elvet Bridge and Baths Bridge. On one side of the river is the University Cricket Pavilion, but we headed down the opposite side. The path eventually took us out to the Old Durham Gardens. Over 350 years old, this walled garden was once attached to a manor house and is now a community maintained garden. There is a small central garden that is opened during the day, but there is a lovely lawned area out the front. We ended up having a short nap in the sun as it was so peaceful with the bees happily buzzing around us.
Eventually we headed back at our hotel for a much needed rest before walking back into town again for dinner. We ended up at the Fat Hippo, a burger restaurant located in one of Durham’s historic buildings. We sat upstairs in a charming room that had its walls stripped back so you could see the old bones of the building in brick and wooden beams. The floors sloped so much that by the end of dinner we had slid down to the other end of our benches. The burgers were delicious, I ended up having the buttermilk chicken burger. The dessert menu looked great, but the burger was so filling that there was no way I could make it to dessert.
Finchale Priory
If you have a car, then I would recommend including a visit to Finchale Priory (Finchale Avenue, Framwellgate Moor, County Durham DH15SH) in your itinerary. If you are short on time, then you could fit it into your day in Durham as it is only about a 15 minute drive from the city. We visited the following day.
Finchale Priory is owned by English Heritage. You enter the property by passing through a boom gate which you will need to pay for a £3 token to leave. Make sure you have £3 in coins with you (no small denominations) as there is only a very simple machine that dispenses the tokens. There is also a café by the entry gate where that you can buy a token from, which was lucky as we did not have any change with us.
This is a fantastic ruin. A lot of the structure is still there, there is even some full window frames and arches. The priory was founded in 1196 on the site of the hermitage of St Godric, a retired sailor and merchant who settled here. The priory was an outpost of Durham Cathedral and functioned as a holiday retreat for the monks of Durham until its suppression in 1538. Once we had looked around the ruins, we crossed the footbridge by the priory entrance that takes you across the River Wear to a peaceful path that leads along the river.
Accommodation in Durham
Search available accommodation in Durham
Note: Affordable accommodation in Durham centre is very limited, especially accommodation with parking.
Budget
- Travelodge Durham – we stayed here as they offered free parking and was an easy short walk into the centre.
- Bridge Hotel Durham
- Durham Castle – during the summer months when the students are gone, the university rent the rooms as B&B accommodation.
Moderate
Luxury
Practical Tips for Visiting Durham
- Language: English
- Currency: British pound
- Tipping: Not required, but people usually round up.
- Electricity: The electrical current is 230 volts AC. Wall outlets take a three pronged plug only used in the United Kingdom and Ireland. However, you are better off purchasing a worldwide adaptor that can be used in the United Kingdom as well other countries. At least then you can potentially get some further use out of it on future vacations. If you’re taking a number of electronics with you, then I would recommend purchasing a couple of these adaptors.
- Driving: In the UK they drive on the left hand side of the road with speed signs in miles per hour (mph).
- Navigating: We used Google’s free Offline Maps. Google Offline Maps allows you to access free maps for navigating that can be used offline i.e. you don’t need WIFI, data, or roaming to be able to use them. Follow my detailed guide on how to use Googles Offline Maps.
- Using your phone as a GPS will drain your battery quickly, so use a portable battery charger which you can use to charge your phone and any other USB chargeable devices.
- Your accommodation will likely provide you a free city tourist map. If not, there were several volunteers around the town hall area handing out maps and providing directions, or you can stop in at the Visitor Centre.
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