Right along the train route in Northeast England, this little town quickly became one of my favorites. I could easily live here. From the train you cannot miss the Durham Cathedral standing tall on the hill. It’s impressive. Durham is a short 15 minute train ride south of Newcastle. Something I love about the train system is that the stations are usually fairly close to the town centre, which is ideal for a traveler like me, who doesn’t have a car or bike. Walking is my mode of transportation, and really the best way to see any city anyway.
So I arrived in Durham and found my way to the town centre, and with each step the road slowly started to incline, as my destination was the Durham Cathedral and Castle, which sit at the top of the hill. The narrow, pedestrian-only, cobblestone streets twist their way up the hill. Along the way there is so much to distract you from the upward climb. Cafes, unique little shops, groceries, bookstores, a beautiful church, a plaza with a statue of a man on a horse, and lots of people taking a stroll. I took my time meandering through the streets since I didn’t know for sure where I was going, but I figured as long as I was walking uphill I would reach the cathedral.
At last the cathedral came into view as I emerged from narrow streets to a wide open green space on the Durham University campus. The Castle itself is part of the university, and students live in the castle keep. How amazing is that? I asked this question of Jason’s friend, Humphrey, who I met on our first trip to the UK. He went to school there and lives in Newcastle. He acted as our tour guide on our first visit, and he knew the answer to everything we asked him. History, stories, interesting quirks. When Humphrey drove us to Durham that time, it was after sunset, so we walked up to the cathedral, but discovered we could not enter it because Sting was filming a DVD inside. I wanted to say to Sting, Um, excuse us, but we are visiting from the States and we really want to see the cathedral. I don’t think that would have worked. But Humphrey told us interesting things like how each student gets the chance to live in the castle for one year. This second visit I took the train alone from Newcastle, and we met up with Humphrey on another evening.
So I arrived in Durham and found my way to the town centre, and with each step the road slowly started to incline, as my destination was the Durham Cathedral and Castle, which sit at the top of the hill. The narrow, pedestrian-only, cobblestone streets twist their way up the hill. Along the way there is so much to distract you from the upward climb. Cafes, unique little shops, groceries, bookstores, a beautiful church, a plaza with a statue of a man on a horse, and lots of people taking a stroll. I took my time meandering through the streets since I didn’t know for sure where I was going, but I figured as long as I was walking uphill I would reach the cathedral.
At last the cathedral came into view as I emerged from narrow streets to a wide open green space on the Durham University campus. The Castle itself is part of the university, and students live in the castle keep. How amazing is that? I asked this question of Jason’s friend, Humphrey, who I met on our first trip to the UK. He went to school there and lives in Newcastle. He acted as our tour guide on our first visit, and he knew the answer to everything we asked him. History, stories, interesting quirks. When Humphrey drove us to Durham that time, it was after sunset, so we walked up to the cathedral, but discovered we could not enter it because Sting was filming a DVD inside. I wanted to say to Sting, Um, excuse us, but we are visiting from the States and we really want to see the cathedral. I don’t think that would have worked. But Humphrey told us interesting things like how each student gets the chance to live in the castle for one year. This second visit I took the train alone from Newcastle, and we met up with Humphrey on another evening.
I took a guided tour through the castle, dating from 1072. A student led the group around and told us interesting stories. We walked up a staircase of solid oak, which was slanted because it had no support columns. We discovered I was the only American in the group of about 30. Then I toured the cathedral, dating from 1096-1130, which demonstrates the classic Norman architecture, and I had lunch in the crypt (delicious!). Later, I went back into town and wandered around like a local. I stopped in the Waterstone’s bookstore and was captivated by more English Literature than I could dream of. Of course, it was because the university was a block or two away. I made my rounds in a little convenience store, buying a magazine and my favorite British chocolate. I found myself wanting to find reasons to stay there. So, I sat in a Café Nero for awhile, sipping a mocha and feeling so utterly comfortable in the town. I finally walked slowly back to the train station.
You could definitely call it a quaint town. Yet this is the home of the most beloved cathedral in England and the 3rd oldest university in England after Oxford and Cambridge. I loved that it wasn’t overrun with tourists. I loved that it had so much history. People were friendly, the pace was easy, and the places I ate had the freshest ingredients. I would go back to Durham in a heartbeat.
You could definitely call it a quaint town. Yet this is the home of the most beloved cathedral in England and the 3rd oldest university in England after Oxford and Cambridge. I loved that it wasn’t overrun with tourists. I loved that it had so much history. People were friendly, the pace was easy, and the places I ate had the freshest ingredients. I would go back to Durham in a heartbeat.
you have all the fun! :)
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