This has 100 students living in it all the time, so is not always available for tours. it was…read morebasically saved from ruin by money from American alumni. It has an ancient working kitchen, tudor, originally open to the air, with old black and white timber which has to be seen to be believed! The great hall where everyone eats is very impressive, as is the chapel, but it is the ancient chapel underneath that is the most impressive. This bit is older even than the cathedral, and has strange pagan carvings on the tops of the pillars, the origin of which no-one knows. The carvings show tropical lands, African animals and fruit! Possibly carved by slaves? Or prisoners would also have had enough time to carve them. There is a perfectly preserved Norman doorway which was rediscovered only recently, and an enormous 'flying' staircase that is about 400 years old and covered with the ulitmate sign of wealth, pineapples. The student's rooms all have two doors, and they are closed in a certain way to let people know whether you want to be disturbed or not. These are the ones that can be hired out as b&b. Probably well worth it.

You pay for a tour, which lasts about an hour. Again a bit pricey but very interesting and worth…read moreseeing if your visiting Durham. The frustrating thing is because their is students living there, You can not see most of the castle and I would have loved to see all of it. Really nice pictures to be taken from the outside, you are not allowed to take pictures of the inside as the tour advisor said it damaged the tapstry. The tour advisor really knew her stuff and told us some interesting facts about the castle and history behind it. Not good for disabled people as loads of awkward stairs. People can get married here on certain dates, seems an ideal place. Would certainly recommend a visit.

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.

The palace green is an ideal resting place on a summers say if visiting the Cathedral, around the…read moresides is limited controlled parking not so sure about driving to it as you have to pass through busy pedestrian streets & market square to get to it, but I believe there isa bus shuttle if you are unable to walk the steep hill to it. Mostly surrounded buy old university buildings. A cafe is located on one side should you need refreshments & public toilets just by the entrance road. Access to the river walks can be reached from various alleyways near the cathedral.

Palace Green is just a simple square of grass between Durham Cathedral and Durham Castle. It is…read morealso faced onto various old university buildings. It is a beautiful spot. Not much good in the rain (which is pretty common in the North of England), and often a bit crowded on sunny days, but still a great place just to sit, if you have a little time to kill in Durham City on a warm day. It's only a square of grass but it is easily better than most small inner city parks, just because of the surroundings.

Capernwray Hall, stately home and residence of the Founder…read moreof Toarch Bearer Community, Major Ian Thomas. After World War II where he served as an army officer in Germany with the British Army of The Rhine, he dedicated his life and his fortune, mainly his residence and whole property, the Lord Lieutenant of the county of Lancaster home Capernwray Hall, to serve as the central unit to all his enormous religious activities, founding lots of bible school places and establishing regional and local sections of his Toarch Bearer Fellowship all over the world. Here it all began, in 1946, when he set out to buy the castle and to converte it into what it is now, the heart of his sacred movement.

I came across this odd landmark a few years ago doing geocaching. Having never seen or heard of one…read morein the UK before I found it rather intriguing. What it is, is a sulphur spring right beside the river tees. The smell of rotten eggs greats you as you approach down a small path but after about 5 minuets the smell no longer seems to be there however if you move away some distance and return it's back like a bad smell. Apparently it has some healing properties according to the Victorians who flocked to taste the waters. Having had a little taste my self it wasn't that inviting. The original fountain was replaced in 2000 but still looks the part (see images). If you are heading up teesdale via Barnard Castle then it's on the way. A small lay-by is provided to park in and then it's just a short 100m walk down a path.

The Penshaw Monument is a tourist attraction, which is great for pictures and walking. Located a…read moregood 3 miles from the Tyne and Wear Metro system, the monument is a good afternoon trip from Newcastle or Sunderland. Pack a lunch and wear some comfortable clothes, this monument and the adjacent walking trails are hidden treasures of the Northeast.

It's a lovely walk on a sunny afternoon, not too difficult so it's suitable for all fitness levels…read more I know a previous reviewer commented on dog waste but I've never seen any so perhaps that was a bad day or they have cleaned up their act.

The walk begins with quite a steep trail, but then is lovely. There are twists and turns, varietys…read moreof views, flowers and smells. It would've have been a five. The only thing that majorly let it down was the dog waste everywhere. When I read about it before visiting, the site said it had a strict dog fouling policy, obviously it meant do it where you want. We were constantly having to tell the 7 yr old to watch where he was standing. Come on, clean it up and it would've been a perfect day out.

Standing at 75 meters tall, it is the largest sculpture of an angel in the world. The Angel of the…read moreNorth is a very impressive sculpture in Gateshead. You can get to the Angel via bus, the 21 Angel bus service between Brandon and Durham stops here, and also goes via Newcastle city centre and Gateshead Interchange, do be advised it is pretty much in the middle of nowhere and there are no food/drink or even toilet facilities nearby, so do plan ahead. The Angel is such a beautiful structure, it is actually viewed by approximately 33 million people a year, due to people passing on the A1 and East Coast Mainline, but it really is much better up close and in person when physically visiting the statue. The field it is located in is an ideal place for a picnic with a great review, especially when the weather is nice. 4*

His hair is shit but he has a massive huge cock. Honestly he does…read more He likes other things that I don't want to tell you!