While Durham isn't on the tourist radar for most, the Durham Cathedral is most definitely worth a…read moredetour for those visiting northern England. The cathedral and castle sit perched atop the city along the river. We took the somewhat steep riverside route up to the cathedral, and while it was quite a bit of a hike, the views along the river were fabulous. After exiting, we went via the city streets, which was also a treat as we were able to admire the unique city architecture and cobblestone streets. The cathedral is alongside the university campus, with the adjacent castle being part of the school. There is no fee to visit the cathedral, but there is a suggested donation, with optional paid tours. There's also a gift shop and a place to grab food (architecture is amazing here). Durham Cathedral was used for filming scenes for Harry Potter movies and Avengers Endgame. The cloisters and main cathedral chambers are very picturesque. I'd recommend a visit to the city of Durham and its cathedral if you find yourself looking for things to do in Northern England.

We visited Durham Cathedral in September 2024 on our way from York up to Bamburgh. I had wanted to…read moreexplore Durham as it is another ancient city with Saxon, Viking and Norman history. We chose not to visit the castle, due to time, but that gave us more time at the Cathedral. It was well worth it. We took the self-guided audio tour and it was excellent. It was a relatively busy day - all the new students were moving in - but it didn't feel too crowded. There are many interesting points of interest inside this magnificent building, of course St Cuthbert and The Venerable Bead are the hilights for me. There are lots of beautiful stained glass windows, of course the stunning rose window. There is a great looking cafe, but we did not have time to stop and eat. It looks like a great option for refreshments after a few hours on your feet. We parked at the Riverwalk Mall parking lot and walked over the Framwelgate Bridge to Market Square. Its a short but moderately steep walk up the top of the hill where the castle and cathedral are. Well worth exploring.

There's usually some cool exhibitions on at the Library on the Palace Green so it's always worth…read morechecking out. Our visit today was to see the Magna Carta on its grand tour of the country to commemorate its 800 year anniversary. More of that later. Once inside the historic stone entrance you find yourself in a super modern library and exhibition space. It's not what you'd expect but it kind of works. There's a nice little gift shop and great staff to help you out. The Magna Carta exhibition was excellent; a genuine copy of the 1216 charter sent to Durham (it didn't get one in 1215 because there was no Bishop in place) was right there - actually right there. It was quite amazing to see it so close, albeit in a glass case. The exhibition focusses on the history of rebellion and there was lots of other good stuff too like the gloves worn by Charles I on the day of his beheading.

Absolutely excellent the staff are very helpful - the disabled access could be better but I…read moreunderstand they are working on this. Opening hours could be longer too - but it is local and good.

A few years I embarked on a 2 year National Diploma course at New College Durham, studying a couple…read moreof A levels alongside. I was a terrible student and played truant constantly - but even so, I received a lot of support from the lecturers on my courses, and eventually passed everything. The courses were all expertly laid out, something that I've since found doesn't apply to all learning institutions, and even now, I remember the gist of my modules studied, and just how much the lecturers put up with. In one of my modules, the lecturer would drone on and on whilst the entire class surfed the internet and talked amonst themselves. I wonder if he cared - he must have known. He was obviously knowledgable about his subject, so I don't quite understand why he even bothered with a class that wasn't paying attention. Many of my lecturers had a lot of qualifications - PhDs and Doctorates and the likes. The college offers many courses of further education, from GCSEs and A levels to vocational courses in Computing, Beauty Therapy, Health and Social Care to day release NVQ schemes and has dedicated areas for most of them. The facilities are excellent - there is a library the size of a university's, a large refrectory canteen as well as a few coffee kiosks and a shop for purchasing stationary. The college also offers part time courses and now, higher education as well. The college is set among some large playing fields and has many sporting societies. There are a few pubs, cafes and supermarkets in the street immediately to the outside of the college, and Durham city and the Arnison Centre are about a mile either side of it.

Killingworth Library is located within the White Swan, a community centre in Killingworth…read more It's a nice, modern Library with friendly staff, Internet workstations, a good selection of books, a children's area and a number of community and special interest group activities to be found. I often visit, find a quiet spot, pop my earphones in and take advantage of the free Wi-Fi to get some work or research done. It's (as expected for a Library!) quiet and relaxing here. The Library also has a great selection of comic books and graphic novels for the more geeky learning amongst us. All in all, this is a lovely local Library and a credit to the staff and the local community.

This place is a global treasure. One of us had been here 11(!) years ago with friends who live in…read moreNewcastle who brought her here, and she loved it so much that she insisted we all go again--so we did. After spending the morning at Alnwick Castle, we came to Barter Books for lunch and browsing. The cafe is adorable and cozy, and our party of seven was promptly seated. You order at the register and you do not want to sleep on the rarebit--it's so good! While it had just a tad too much mustard than remembered, it was still so gooey and heart-warming (and certainly more impressive than the pile of gloop that was our daughter's mac-n-cheese...let's just pretend that never happened). The beans on toast was also comforting and perfect in such a setting. Fries (chips!) are well-made, and the accompanying salad has a tangy vinaigrette. The whole bookstore is a converted train station and it's massive and we would have perused the titles for several more hours had we not had four children in our party. It was still a lovely time exploring the store, roaming the aisles, and getting lost in old books. We bought a few to bring home, as well as some other swag. And obviously you don't want to miss seeing the famed original "Keep Calm and Carry On" poster. This is just one of those magical places that you really can't describe, but once you go, you'll get it. Five unequivocal stars.

Love this place! Neat rooms to explore, fun model train, lots of used books a nice selection of…read morenew gifts AND a great and reasonable cafe. Their chips are so good I went back the next day for a snack.

Located next to the Co-op in Lowlands Road, Brandon…read more This is a really nice library, great to browse in or even have a seat and while away the time reading a book! Like a lot of little libraries, the interior is a bit dated and it could do with a refurb, but none of this matters to me as the atmosphere makes up for it! It's very peaceful and relaxing and the staff are really friendly. They also have internet access which can be booked in advance over the phone or you can just pop in and see if it's free. Photocopying services are also available.