Durham (Slow Travel) : City, Dales & Coast

Part of Bradt's award-winning Slow Travel guides series

Travel writer Gemma Hall has explored Durham extensively by bicycle and on foot to create this comprehensive guide to England's most under-explored county. Whether you're a walker, cyclist, wildlife lover, foodie, culture enthusiast, or railway fan, you'll find something to captivate you here. From the world's oldest railway line at Tanfield to remote fellside Methodist chapels, from the extraordinary Bowes Museum (where a mechanical silver swan performs daily at 2pm) to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Durham city itself—famous for its cathedral, medieval streets, and as the birthplace of English mustard—this guide uncovers the region's unexpected treasures.

While Durham city attracts millions of visitors annually, few venture into the wider countryside that surrounds it. Beyond the city walls lie unsung wooded valleys, former mining villages, the Heritage Coast Path, and the dramatic landscapes of Weardale and Upper Teesdale, where national nature reserves protect ancient meadows filled with plants dating back to the Ice Age. This guide takes you to both the celebrated highlights—Castle Barnard's medieval fortress and High Force waterfall—and to the hidden gems: lesser-known museums, historical sites, and birdwatching locations that rarely appear in guidebooks.

Discover remote experiences accessible only by old railway trails and packhorse routes: abandoned collieries, secluded bathing pools, and the display grounds of the rare black grouse. Whether exploring Roman forts, tracing England's industrial heritage, wandering heathery uplands, or striding along miles of unspoiled coastline, Bradt's Slow Travel guide reveals Durham's unique character and charm.