Perched high on a hill overlooking the city, Durham’s Gothic cathedral has been voted top tourist destination in the UK, and finest building of its kind on the planet by American travel commentator, Bill Bryson.
A climb up the steep and winding stairs of the cathedral’s main tower is rewarded with breathtaking views over riverside walks and quaint cobbled streets sitting comfortably alongside modern bustling thoroughfares and heavy pedestrian shopping precincts.
The tower’s peak is a place to marvel at God’s creations; a spot conducive to making plans and solving problems; a retreat from everyday worries and cares.
In stark comparison, the peak is also where the privileged classes of centuries gone by witnessed brutal punishments on people forced to steal stale bread and rotting vegetables to feed their starving families, and where monks sang while watching thousands of Scottish warriors being massacred at the Battle of Neville’s Cross in 1346.
Today’s residents and visitors co-exist in peace and harmony, served by up-market shops with award-winning hospitals and schools; boasting one of the country’s most highly rated universities attracting students from all corners of the globe.
For all who visit or live there, Durham is not only an aesthetically beautiful city, but also well-endowed with renowned museums and galleries and some of the finest restaurants and wine bars in England.
