With Rob working lates all week, Valentines day kind of got pushed to the back of the agenda. But on Sunday we decided to have a spontaneous trip to Durham and it more than made up for it…
In the past couple of months we have been to York for the day and up to Edinburgh for a few days, it’s safe to say we’ve been giving our cameras a fair bit of use!
On Sunday, we headed down to the Quayside market for a bit of a wander but were kind of at a loss for something to do. So we headed up to the train station and jumped on the train to Durham.
Only 15 minutes away by train, it was on our ‘to visit’ list. A small city, you can explore it in an afternoon.
People had told me that Durham was hilly and yes they were right! We walked a good 6 mile odd walk up and down the city and my legs were feeling it at the end of the day. A good little workout that got me out and about (distracting me from the stress of my latest deadline) and filled up my calorie goal for the day!
We walked down the riverside and took our chances near a huge amount of seagulls. I had bought a meal deal for the train and decided to eat it here and pretty much was jumped upon by bloody gulls! I felt sorry for the ducks who I was trying to feed my crusts to. I got chased a way down the river once they realised I had a sandwich and they’d hover about a metre in front of me in the hope of catching it!
After that we took a little sidestreet to climb up to the cathedral. This side street was mildly amusing
(we found a few items that made us sure someone had had *fun* there!) and an old stone staircase hidden behind the buildings. It brought us out up at the top of the main street and we walked up to the cathedral.
I was a little annoyed to find out you’re not allowed to take photos or film in the cathedral- I did try to take a sneaky couple of pictures but I really couldn’t get anything good!
But if you do have the time to visit- you must! I am not a religious person but I can see why these buildings inspire awe in those that are. Such intricate detail everywhere! We walked around the whole thing before we headed outside to the courtyard.
The size of the cathedral is staggering- it makes you feel so small. So many beautiful stained glass windows with such intricate detail you can’t even really see it all from the ground. With lots of doors to explore, and things to look at, I can see why it’s somewhere for the whole family to explore.
I have to admit, I nearly cried. I was so excited when I realised where I was standing.
The courtyard where scenes from Harry Potter was filmed. It took me right back to being a kid watching those films for the first time and realising I was standing where it was filmed was pretty awesome. It was so beautiful, even the doors looked like something from Harry Potter!
It definitely made my day and ticked something off of my bucket list! (now all i need to do is convince Rob that the Harry Potter studio tour is worth his time ha!)
We wandered around for a while more taking some more photos before stopping for a quick drink because of the cold whilst we waited for our train back.
To complete the day, we got some cheesy chips from a fish and chips shop before climbing back up the hills for our train home.
A quick trip home, we took our time heading back to our usual haunt- The Crown Posada. Rob took his time getting some fabulous shots with his new 750D (I am beyond jealous).
As I hadn’t taken my DSLR with me, I just used it as an excuse to explore and climb. Despite my size, I do love clambouring about on things and exploring and it’s one thing that is spurring me on with my weightloss.
We ended the night in our favourite little pub. I might have to do a post on my favourite places to go in Newcastle thanks to this place. I love it and I never used to be a pub person.
A lovely little day out and I can’t wait for the next one!
Have you ever been to Durham? Where would you recommend visiting in the UK next?
S x
