Durham is one of the most beautiful cities in the UK, and the surrounding area is absolutely packed with picturesque views, historical locations and particularly great things to do. You can access a lot of what it has to offer from our park at Village Green.
In this edition of our blog we will give you a handful of our favourite Durham attractions – places you can visit and things you can do to occupy some of your time while staying in our Durham holiday homes on Village Green.
1. Durham Cathedral
When it comes to talking about Durham and what the city has to offer, there’s no other option than to begin with the cathedral – a seriously impressive structure. It’s no wonder that Durham cathedral has been voted Britain’s best building by BBC Radio 4 listeners and by readers of The Guardian newspaper. Construction began in 1093, the purpose to house the remains of St Cuthbert, and the cathedral is the largest example of Norman architecture in the UK. It’s also home to a stunning collection of manuscripts, records, embroideries and other historic objects – and some of those items are more than 1,000 years old! Durham cathedral has so much to offer – whether that means people who love a bit of history, or just inquisitive casual explorers.
2. Beamish
One of Co. Durham’s best attractions – in fact one of the UK’s – is the ‘living museum’ Beamish, which immerses visitors into the pre-industrial and industrial eras by celebrating the region’s life in Georgian, Victorian, Edwardian, war time and fifties Britain. Across a 350-acre site, there are countless buildings, objects, vehicles and experiences to encounter – and in combination they give you a truly vivid sense of times gone by. There are loads of volunteers and staff on site, all of them decked out in historical costume, all contributing hugely to the sense of being right there amongst history.
3. The Riverside Ground
The Riverside has the distinction of being the northernmost cricket ground in the world to have hosted an international Test Match. It has also played host to various T20 and ODI games, including several during the 2019 World Cup. Durham was able to host games at this level after having been accepted into first class cricket on condition of upgrading to a Test standard ground. The subsequent works resulted in a fine venue, and if you are in the area it is well worth a visit on a matchday, whether it is international cricket or just at county level.
4. Durham University Botanic Garden
Set in 10-hectares on the southern outskirts of Durham, the university’s beautiful Botanic Garden features mature woodlands and a wide variety of picturesque landscapes to explore and discover. In the garden’s glasshouses the green-fingered can find everything from tropical rainforest to desert cacti. Hidden within the pathways, trees and gullies of the garden are many art sculptures by local artists, with more exhibited in the visitors centre. This is the perfect spot to visit for a peaceful stroll.
5. High Force Waterfall
Once you have experienced the spectacular High Force, you will understand why it is often referred to as one of England’s most impressive waterfalls and why the painter Turner immortalised it in 1822. High Force is set within the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Beauty and is surrounded by wide-open moors, flower-rich hay meadows, intimate woods, curious wildlife, fascinating industrial heritage and tumbling rivers. You can steadily follow a route through greenlands to the summit – the point at which the River Tees turns in to a 69 foot high waterfall.
6. Angel Of The North
Strictly speaking this nationally famous – and huge – Anthony Gormley sculpture is in Tyne & Wear. But it’s on Durham Road, so we’ll rather cheekily squeeze it in here as it is spectacular and well worth a trip to see. The Angel Of The North stands 20 metres tall (that’s 66 feet in old money) and has a wingspan of 54 metres (177 feet). That makes the wingspan wider than that of a Boeing 757. It’s an incredible feat of engineering, a steel structure to be proud of, with 208 tonnes of material going in to its construction. More than these impressive figures, though, the most important factor is its absolutely stunning beauty.
There is so much more to see and do, too, but these six suggestions should give you a tantalising taster of what could be in store for you when you’re considering static caravan parks in Durham. You can find out more about Village Green by reading up at our website, and if there is anything further that you would like to know, then simply give us a call or contact us online.