Durham

Durham was described by Bill Bryson as 'a perfect little city' with ‘the best Cathedral on Planet Earth’:  so what are you waiting for? 

The city itself boasts the World Heritage site Castle and Cathedral and you can take a river boat cruise with full commentary to learn about Durham’s past and present.  There is a 500 seater theatre and 2 cinema screens at the Gala Theatre and the indoor market has a host of individual shops and stalls.  Add to this several museums, a splendid Botanical Garden, a Heritage Centre, galleries, character filled shops and the lovely Crook Hall,  there is more than enough to keep you entertained and amazed for several days.  Relax in one of the many tea and coffee shops (including the Fallen Angel of course) and wander through the medieval cobbled streets (the A1 used to go right through the middle of the Market Place!) or take a stroll along the riverside.

Our world famous University (‘Shaped by the past, creating the future’), with its 16 Colleges, is housed throughout Durham and is an integral part of the city.  Buildings old and new house University departments and Colleges and, as many students ‘live out’ in private houses, students are always in evidence throughout the city during term time.

There are castles, historic houses and gardens further afield, as well as stunning scenery throughout both the countryside and coastline of County Durham.  The industrial heritage of the County is celebrated in a variety of museums, including those with mining and railway themes.  Locomotion, the first National Museum in the North East, is home to over 70 railway vehicles from the national collection with lively interactive displays relating to the development of the railways in Shildon.  It also has a great children’s playground.

Beamish Museum offers a full day of nostalgia:  it is an outdoor working museum which recreates how the people of the North of England lived and worked in the early eighteen and nineteen hundreds with trams, open top busses and trains and recreated shops, houses, a school, church and coal mine.

The Bowes Museum houses a collection of outstanding European fine and decorative arts and offers an acclaimed exhibition programme, as well as special events and children's activities.

High Force, on the River Tees in Teesdale, is the largest waterfall in England.  It drops 21 metres over the Whin Sill volcanic rock to a deep pool below, and is adjacent to one of the most picturesque sections of the Pennine Way long distance walk.  It is very easy to get to and easy to explore once you are there.  It is also near to majestic Raby Castle with its powerful exterior of towers and fortifications, and fabulous art collection and splendid interiors.

Why not come and see for yourself?