We had a very warm day forecast for our first full day exploring Durham … and the plan was to all meet up on the Market Place and take it from there.
We decided to drive in … on the basis I wanted to save my energy for exploring the city, rather than walking in. Also … I knew by the end of the day I really wouldn’t fancy walking back to The Mayoress.
We parked in the first multi-storey car park we came to and it just happened to be right on the river … with these our first real views …
We got to the Market Place early, which gave us plenty of time to find the pink jacketed Durham Pointers I’d read about on line. They are a group of volunteers who basically point you in the right direction depending on what you are looking for from your visit to the city.
We picked up city maps and lots of useful information before heading into The Market Hall, whilst waiting for the others to arrive …
It was a real treat. A real traditional indoor market with a lovely variety of stalls for mooching around. We only had a quick look as we needed to make sure we were in the right place when the others arrived.
They had an interesting walk in … opting for a scenic route along the river, which didn’t end up being as idyllic as it sounded, and they were very warm and in need of a breather. We were very glad we had decided to take the easy option.
Leaving a couple of our party at a very nice table, outside a lovely looking cafe, where they could chill out with a refreshment break … four of us decided to do The River Walk and headed down Silver Street towards Framwellgate Bridge for our first crossing of the river for the day. The views looking along the river to the cathedral were just beautiful and we couldn’t wait to crack on …
We picked up city maps and lots of useful information before heading into The Market Hall, whilst waiting for the others to arrive …
They had an interesting walk in … opting for a scenic route along the river, which didn’t end up being as idyllic as it sounded, and they were very warm and in need of a breather. We were very glad we had decided to take the easy option.
Leaving a couple of our party at a very nice table, outside a lovely looking cafe, where they could chill out with a refreshment break … four of us decided to do The River Walk and headed down Silver Street towards Framwellgate Bridge for our first crossing of the river for the day. The views looking along the river to the cathedral were just beautiful and we couldn’t wait to crack on …
We headed left and took the path alongside the river heading towards Prebends Bridge. We could just see the tops of the cathedral towers beyond the Japanese Knotweed and above the trees …
Before long we got our first sight of the weir and Prebends Bridge …
Looking back across the river a bit more of the cathedral was now on view …
Once at the bridge we crossed the river again … stopping to take in the view …
… and a few selfies …
On the other side we passed The Count’s House …
… before carrying along the river until we came to Kingsgate Bridge … which was way above us. At this point we took the very steep steps up away from the river to bring us up to North Bailey with the cathedral ahead of us …
The cathedral wall, in the shade of a tree, made a very good spot for a breather after all of those steps …
We made our way back down the pretty cobbled street to The Shakespeare, one of the oldest pubs in the city, according to the Durham Pointers, where we met up with the rest of our party for some well needed refreshment …
After our pitstop we headed back down to the Market Place where we had a bit of a closer look in The Market Hall, bought a few bits and pieces … including fruit and some seafood … for an al fresco lunch sat in the sunshine …
Before moving on we all had a good look in the Town Hall, which was surprisingly huge and very impressive, with lots to see. It’s definitely worth a look if you get the chance …
We then finished our day of exploring with another quick pitstop in The Market Tavern … another very old traditional drinking establishment.
At this point it was time for Martin and I to head back to The Mayoress as it was our turn to host for the evening. We had a bit of time to chill out before putting together our meal for the evening … which we managed to eat sitting outside on the decking …
It had been a lovely day. We parted for the evening … agreeing to meet up again the following day to explore the cathedral. Rain was forecast for the morning so at least that would be a good indoor option if it materialised.
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