Durham: The Riverside

Durham Cathedral from across the river

We've seen the wonderful Cathedral and the fascinating Castle, now it time to have a wander along the banks of the River Wear and see what Durham looks like from that perspective. I have put together a circular route starting from our hotel in Old Elvet, across the river from the Castle and Cathedral. We turn left walking along Old Elvet to be immediately confronted by the former Shire Hall of 1896, now the Hotel Indigo.

Shire Hall was extended in 1905 and it is interesting to see the new part in an Edwardian style.  Old Elvet is a very attractive street – this is the view back at the top of the hill.

We turned left into Green Lane and followed the path beside the University playing fields, bearing left at the Boathouse to reach the river bank, where we turned left to head back towards the city centre. There was a regatta, so the bank was quite crowded. Soon, there was a nice view of the Cathedral looking over the cricket field. I have a similar picture from Hereford.

 It would be wrong to leave this section of the walk without a picture of a couple of fours battling for supremacy.

At Baths Bridge we crossed the bridge, enjoying a nice view back up the calm river …

…  and continued on the opposite bank, soon getting our first distant view of the Castle.

We passed under New Elvet and Elvet Bridges, the latter very picturesque, and unusually built on a slope. It was the work of Hugh de Puiset in 1170-95, who also built the castle gatehouse. I gradually realised that it could only realistically be photographed from the other side.

It was now noticeably quieter. We walked on, passing under the Kingsgate Footbridge, designed by Ove Arup.

 And now began to see some butterflies: Orange Tip, Speckled Wood, Comma (my first of the year) and Peacock, which was all very cheering. The undergrowth to the side of the path was full of Wild Garlic, Bluebells and other flowers, and in one place there was a beautiful glade running parallel with the path. As we approached Prebends Bridge we came on a curious early 19^th century folly known as the Count's House.

There is a wonderful story about the Count's House. It was named for "Count" Joseph Borulwlaski who lived nearby. Borulwlaski was a Pole who made a living as a musician and dancer and came to Britain in 1782. He fell in love with Durham and lived there for 46 years, dying in 1837 at the age of 97. He was only 3ft 3in tall.

We overshot Prebends Bridge which did allow a nice photo looking back towards it. It was built 1772-78, allegedly with the specific intention of offering a panoramic view of the Cathedral. In the foreground is the rear view of a sort of stone throne, with gargoyle-like animal masks all over it. It reminded me of the House of Masks in Kabah, Mexico (albeit on a different scale).  

We retraced our steps and climbed some steep steps to then cross the bridge. There was a nice view up river, with the glimpse of the Cathedral's West Towers.  Nowadays, there is a better view of the Cathedral further along (see picture at the head of this post). It was interesting to see how Galilee chapel had been placed in front of the west façade, an arrangement I have never seen before. The chapel is absolutely fabulous though (see my post on Durham: Cathedral and Castle).

As we approached Framwellgate Bridge, the oldest in Durham, dating from 1127, there was a pleasant glimpse of the rear of the Castle.

We left the path here and crossed the bridge to follow Silver St into the Market Place, where we enjoyed the statues of the Marquis of Londonderry …

… and Neptune (in honour of an 18th century scheme to link Durham to the sea).

It remained only to cross the Elvet Bridge and return to the hotel.

Distance: about 3 miles.

Conditions: mostly warm and sunny.

Rating: five stars. An interesting, but also serene and calming walk, especially after Elvet Bridge. A big contrast from our walk yesterday around Newcastle!