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Destinations > England > Northumbria > County Durham
County DurhamCounty Durham has a fascinating history and during medieval times it was an autonomous region, with its own army, courts and currency that was ruled by the Prince Bishops for almost 800 years. Barnard CastleThis market town 32km south of Durham is home to the ruins of the large Barnard Castle and it also makes a good base for exploring other castles in Teesdale. Practical InformationBarnard Castle Tourist Information CentreWoodleigh, Flatts Road, Barnard CastleTel (01833) 690 909 Website www.teesdalediscovery.com Open Mon-Sat 9.30am-5pm, Sun 11am-5pm Coming & GoingArriva (website www.arriva.co.uk) run buses to other destinations in north east England. Useful routes include bus 76 to Darlington and Durham Tees Valley Airport. SightsBarnard CastleThe town's namesake consists of the rambling ruins of this Norman castle. It features a three-storey keep, a round tower and the 14th century great hall. Barnard CastleTel (01833) 638 212 Admission £2.50 Open Jan-Mar Wed-Sun 10am-4pm; Apr-Sep 10am-6pm daily; Oct 10am-4pm daily; Nov-Dec Wed-Sun 10am-4pm Bowes MuseumThis large museum features an extensive art collection with a particularly impressive collection of Spanish paintings. Newgate, Barnard CastleBus 8, 75 Tel (01833) 690 606 Website www.bowesmuseum.org.uk Admission £6 Open 11am-5pm daily DurhamDurham is the gem of the north. Durham's Prince Bishops once ruled County Durham for almost 800 years. This city is home to England's third oldest university (only Cambridge and Oxford are older) and its castle and cathedral have been recognised by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. Practical InformationDurham Tourist Information Centre2 Millennium Place, Durham CityTel (0191) 384 3720 Open Mon-Sat 9.30am-5.30pm, Sun 11am-4pm Coming & GoingBUSNational Express (tel 0870 580 8080; website www.nationalexpress.co.uk) buses go to Leeds, London and Newcastle. Arriva (website www.arriva.co.uk) operates buses to most destinations in northeastern England. Some of the more useful Arriva bus routes include buses 1X, 123, 223, 723, X1, X2 and X41 to Newcastle and bus X61 to Scarborough. The bus station is on North Road east of the city centre across Framwellgate Bridge. TRAINArriva Trains Northern (website www.arrivatrainsnorthern.co.uk) run trains to Durham from other destinations in the north of England including Carlisle, Newcastle and Whitby. GNER (website www.gner.co.uk) stops in Durham en route from London (Kings Cross) to Edinburgh and Glasgow. The train station is north west of the city centre. AccommodationYHA Durham CitySt Chad's College, University of Durham, 18 North Bailey, Durham City, County Durham DH1 3RHTel (0191) 3343358 
SightsDurham CastleDating from 1072, Durham's Prince Bishops used Durham Castle as a fortress and the castle is home to University College, the first college of the University of Durham. University of Durham, Palace Green, DurhamTel (0191) 334 4106 Website www.durhamcastle.com Admission £5 Open 20 Jan-29 Mar Mon, Wed, Sat 2pm-4.30pm; 22 Mar-23 Apr 10am-noon & 2pm-4.30pm daily; 26 Apr-23 Jun Mon, Wed, Sat 2pm-4.30pm; 5 Jul-15 Oct 10am-noon & 2pm-4.30pm daily; 11 Oct-15 Dec Mon, Wed, Sat 2pm-4.30pm Durham CathedralDurham's exquisite 12th-century cathedral has been compared with cathedrals in Chartres, Cologne and Salzburg making it one of Europe's great religious buildings. The cathedral houses the 7th century tomb of St Cuthbert as well as a display of the Treasures of St Cuthbert and an exhibition about the construction of the cathedral. You can also climb the 325 steps to the top of the tower. The College, DurhamTel (0191) 386 4266 Website www.durhamcathedral.co.uk Admission free; Treasures of St Cuthbert £2; exhibition on the building of the church 80p; tower £2 Cathedral open Mon-Sat 9.30am-6.15pm, Sun 12.30pm-5pm; Treasures of St Cuthbert open Mon-Sat 10am-4.30pm, Sun 2pm-4.30pm; exhibition on the building of the church open Mon-Sat 10am-4pm; tower open Jan-Mar Mon-Sat 10am-3pm; Apr-Sep Mon-Sat 9.30am-4pm; Oct-Dec Mon-Sat 10am-3pm Durham Heritage CentreThis museum has displays on local history from the 10th century. Saint Mary-le-Bow, North Bailey, DurhamTel (0191) 384 5589 Open Apr-May Sat-Sun 2pm-4.30pm; Jun 2pm-4.30pm daily; Jul-Sep 11am-4.30pm daily; Oct Sat-Sun 2pm-4.30pm Finchale PrioryLocated 5km north east of Durham, this 13th-century Benedictine priory was built around the tomb of St Godric who lived here until he was 105. Brasside, DurhamBus 737 Tel (0191) 386 3828 Website www.english-heritage.org.uk Open Apr-Sep 10am-6pm daily The Old Fulling Mill Museum of ArchaeologyThis museum has archaeological exhibits from northeast England as well as from ancient Greece and Rome. The Old Fulling Mill, The Banks, DurhamTel (0191) 334 1823 Website www.dur.ac.uk/fulling.mill Admission £1 Open Jan-Mar Mon & Fri-Sun 11.30am-3.30pm; Apr-Oct 11am-4pm daily; Nov Mon & Fri-Sun 11.30am-3.30pm Oriental MuseumThis museum has exhibits on ancient Egypt and eastern Asia. University of Durham, Elvet Hill, DurhamBus 5, 6, 41, 722 Tel (0191) 334 5694 Website www.dur.ac.uk/oriental.museum Admission £1.50 Open Mon-Fri 10am-5pm, Sat-Sun noon-5pm BeamishThis small town, 13km south of Newcastle and 21km north of Durham is home to the excellent Beamish open-air museum, which makes a worthwhile daytrip. Coming & GoingBeamish is about halfway between Durham and Newcastle. To get here take bus 709 from Newcastle, bus 775 or 778 from Sunderland or bus 720 from Durham. SightsBeamish MuseumThis excellent open-air museum depicts life in northeast England in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The museum is set on 300 acres and features a re-created town and mining village and a working steam railway. Tel (0191) 370 4000Website www.beamish.org.uk Admission Jan-Mar £5; Apr-Oct £14; Nov-Dec £5 Open Jan-Mar Tue-Thu & Sat-Sun 10am-4pm; Apr-Oct 10am-5pm daily; Nov-Dec Tue-Thu & Sat-Sun 10am-4pm |
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