Durham is a small town in the northeast of England which is worth visiting, although it is quite small. Its university, however, is quite famous because it is the fifth in the country. If you are visiting the north of England, I advise you to take the time to stop in this small town for an afternoon or a day. This is what I did several times during my Erasmus semester in England., because Durham is only about ten minutes away by train from Newcastle, which also makes the tickets really cheap and affordable to all.
First stop: breakfast
On that day, I had taken friends to discover the city because they had never been there. We started by having breakfast at Treats Tea Room, which is a very cute tea room at the foot of the deck Framwelgate. The place is really well located, prices are affordable and their English breakfast Excellent. They even propose a vegetated option for those who wish.
Other address for breakfast (English or not!), Riverview Kitchen which, as its name indicates, offers a view of the river just below. If you pass by the restaurant, you will even find stairs that will lead you to a small trail to walk along the river.
Tours and visits
After breakfast, we continued on Saddler Street and Owengate to reach the Durham Cathedral. That morning, there was a religious service so we couldn't get to the cathedral so we walked around it, until we found a little path that reached the same path mentioned earlier. We crossed the Prebends Bridge to walk across the river and thus have a better view of the cathedral. Continuing our walk, we ran into a church, Saint Oswald To be precise, a little lost halfway between the woods along the river and the rest of the city.
We continued to make a loop to return to the surroundings of the cathedral. Right next to this one are a small Museum of Archaeology and an old library we visited. The latter is quite small but is no less impressive. It houses rather old and unique works, all in a rustic setting with a floor and fireplace.
After these visits, we continued by the Durham Castle where the university is today. We were able to enter different rooms and cross several corridors, all in one Poudlard atmosphere Hey! We ended up with the hall serving as a refectory, which sometimes also serves as a reception room for weddings, and that weekend there was just one on the The theme of Harry Potter.
Potterhead, write down the info!
Visit to the Cathedral
After all this, the cathedral was again accessible so we stayed there for a little while. It is one of the monuments that makes Durham famous. The ceilings and stained glass windows are very beautiful, but the nail of the show still remains cloister which I find especially pretty, giving him also the impression of being in one of the films of the saga of J.K Rowling.
It is a place not to be missed during your day in Durham!
Moreover, if you go to the good days (early April if you're lucky, we're still in the north of England) 😅 ), you can see the daffodils in bloom in front of the cathedral, which adds a bit of charm in this place.
Don't hesitate to sit on one of the benches to stroll, read a book or just take a few pictures!
Breaks and boat rides
As a result of all these visits, we went for a coffee and snack at the Flat White Café which is a Little nugget hidden in Durham. The coffee is very small, just like its terrace, and often victim of its success but everything is excellent there.
I won't know what to advise you to take, so delicious is everything. 😄 .
Small plus: coffee is dog friendly 🐶 !
Once the batteries were recharged (and the stomachs filled!), we went to the banks of the river, where we rented a boat to take a little walk of an hour.
So I have to tell you that this was not the most practical way to navigate the river, because the trains were made in a rather heavy wood, which gave us worth a few small trips (not at all because I had no coordination...) but we laughed and this walk was still very pleasant and peaceful for there was almost No noise pollution.
And as they say, « after effort, comfort » So we went to Whisky River Cocktail bar which was right next to the place we had taken and dropped off our boat.
The bar is quiet, with a terrace by the water, the decor is very nice inside, the cocktails very successful and the bartender very British with his mustache and tartan vest.
On our way back to the station, we went through Market Square (in other words, the market place), with its statue and its Church of Saint Nicholas. When it is open, you can even go to the market hall on one of the sides of the square where you will find plenty of DIY (juice, decorative items, games, books, dishes, ...)
We then re-crossed the bridge. Framwelgate and makes one last stop at the church Our Lady of Mercy & Saint Godric But that was closed at this hour, before we took our train back to Newcastle.
If you have any questions about my Erasmus in England, do not hesitate to comment on them and I will try to make an article by answering the questions that come back most.
