Durham

The city of Durham has been accredited as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The medieval city sits in a loop of the River Wear and is truly one of this countrys treasures with the added bonus that it is small enough to get around on foot. Work started on the cathedral in 1093 and was overseen by Bishop William de Carileph and became the shrine for one of the most celebrated Northumbrian saints, St. Cuthbert.

On the other side of the Palace Green is one of the largest surviving Norman castles and Romanesque palaces in England. It was the main seat of the Bishop Princes until 1832 but these days is home University College, which was the founding college of Durham university.

Ten miles north of the city is the Beamish Museum, which is a unique recreation of northern life in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Set in 300 acres of attractive countryside visitors can enjoy a living, breathing experience of life in days gone by. The montages include an 1825 railway experience and life in a colliery village in 1913, amongst others.