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.

Warm friendly staff, good food friendly atmosphere'. If you are in the area well worth a visitread more

Perfect location for a walk around the lake, nice little cafe to take refreshments if required. I…read morewould certainly drop in again in passing. Water sports and fishing available on or around the lake. Plenty of wildlife about also.

Having lived in the NE for a number of years iv only recently visited this park. It's an ideal…read morelocation for young & old to have a walk, feed the Canada geese/swans & ducks. There is a small cafe & gift shop, Iv not used the cafe so cannot comment. Toilets are available in the same vicinity & a rather large pay & display car park, £3 all day. One circuit of the park is about a mile on good walking paths, just watch out for goose poop. Ideal for wheelchair users. Keep an eye out for the wicker Gruffalo! Now bring my granddaughter to feed birds from her hand!

Normally come to this park to see the Darlington fireworks display, well organised with a funfair &…read morelarge fire.

Great large park with an open field to let my dog have a run about, great location to run around…read moreand often there on a Saturday morning for the timed parkrun 5km event even tho that last little bank kills my legs at the third asking I come back for more!

Went for walk around this reserve this afternoon. Not being a bird/animal watcher was nice &…read morerelaxing. Lots of wild life to be seen even on a bright winters day. There is a small car park with a visitors centre. It cost £2.50 to park the car, payable in the shop. The walk around the lake (2km) is a well made footpath suitable for wheel chairs with a number of well built hides perched around the lake & other wetland areas, all accessible to wheel chairs also. Well worth a visit, ideal for children. Dogs allowed but kept on lead.

great place to visit, hope they keep up the good work to keeping this open!…read morenice to see reserves like this for the widlife and help them to survive, wish there was more..

Nice country park with large lake not 200 meters from a massive unused by many beach, lots of wild…read morelife to see. Cycling and walking paths around the lake & acces to coastal route north to Amble (4 miles) south to cresswell (4 miles). Large pay a display car parks, £3 all day. A visitor Center with small shop, cafe & toilets available. Large children's play park beside Center. Water sports available. Would return at any time of year.

Beautiful place, great for any age. Dog friendly. Lots for the children to do. Lovely cafe with…read moregreat food.

This park is still well maintained and beautiful to visit with family. Especially during school…read moreholidays. Its ideal place to wear out the kids for the day. Take sandwiches, crisps and pop! Then a few games (google them) 'hidey', 'tag'. 'Chuck stones' Do you remember 'kick the tin'! Hours of fun and running about but also keeping close enough not to worry. It can be made into a really rememberable day with a little thought and dry weather ;)... enjoy your day

This is a fantastic park and one of my favourite spots in Newcastle-also the oldest green space in…read morethe city! The main attraction is definitely the beautiful and secluded lake that provides a lovely walk and ample benches for soaking up the sunshine. This also proves popular with runners and fisherman! Great for wildlife but be careful of the birds as they can be overly protective when they have chicks. If you're looking for a tranquil haven away from the city centre then this is perfect. Multiple green spaces for lounging around or having a barbecue as well as having tennis courts,a basketball court and a bowling green. It is usually the venue of choice for certain summer events too like gay pride and the Newcastle green festival.

Wonderful park! When I first saw this place, I was amazed right away!…read more If you want peaceful, there are areas for that. This is where I always stay every time I wish to unwind. This park is very popular for runners. There are four tennis courts and a basketball court. There is a playground for children as well, which makes it popular for families. The best feature of this park is the pond.

Love taking the kids here. There's plenty of walks a great park and excise trail is always funread more

Absolutley lovely place. A place to escape the busy hustle of middlesbrough. Easy to get to. A free…read morecar park is at the entrance .At the beginning is a visitors centre where you can get information about The Flatts lane Park.There are good running paths for experienced runners. Cyclists will enjoy usuing the cycle path. You can walk through and link yourself up with Nunthorpe ( Ormesby Bank end) Stunning views over the tees valley. There are some landscaped woodland walks which are fairly basic so families can walk together. Just behind the visitors centre is a basic play area. A must is sledging with plently of good hills to have family snow time fun! We have been this morning and the autumn leaves are stunning. This is such a beautiful part of Middlesbrough and well worth a small journey to relax into!