The Best Walks In and Around Durham

With a river looping through its heart and the Durham Dales and coast within easy reach, Durham is a fine place to walk. Here are our favourite walks, from a gentle riverside loop beneath the cathedral to bigger days out in the County Durham countryside.

The riverside and peninsula

The classic Durham walk is the circular route around the peninsula, following the wooded banks of the River Wear beneath the Castle and Cathedral. Starting from the Market Place, it takes in the three old stone bridges, Framwellgate, Elvet and Prebends, with the famous view of the cathedral from Prebends Bridge. Allow an hour or two, and note there are some steps and slopes down to and up from the riverbanks.

Along the Wear to Finchale Priory

For something longer, follow the river north out of the city to the romantic ruins of Finchale Priory, a medieval monastery on a wooded bend of the Wear founded in 1196. English Heritage places it about three miles north-east of Durham; the riverside walk out and back makes a satisfying half-day, with a café and toilets at the priory. The ground can be uneven and muddy after rain.

Parks and gardens

Closer to the centre, Wharton Park by the railway station has one of the best views of the cathedral in the city. The Durham University Botanic Garden, on the southern edge of town, has twenty-five acres of woodland and themed gardens, while Crook Hall Gardens, now cared for by the National Trust, wraps a medieval hall in interlinked walled gardens. A little further out, Hardwick Park at Sedgefield is a restored eighteenth-century landscape park of lakes and follies.

Further afield in County Durham

When you want a proper day out, the county delivers. Hamsterley Forest, the largest forest in County Durham, has waymarked trails for walking, running and mountain biking, plus a café and cycle hire. In the North Pennines, the waterfalls of High Force and Low Force tumble over the rocks of Upper Teesdale, and the Durham Heritage Coast offers bracing clifftop walking between Seaham and Easington. The Auckland Way, a former railway line between Bishop Auckland and Spennymoor, is an easy, level path for walkers and cyclists alike.

Long-distance routes

Durham sits on the Weardale Way, a long-distance path that follows the River Wear from the high Pennines to the sea, passing right through the city. The cathedral is also the destination of several of the Northern Saints Trails, the modern pilgrimage routes across the North East, one of which, the Camino Inglés, begins at Finchale Priory and even counts towards the Camino de Santiago.

Before you set off

Wear sturdy footwear for the riverbanks and countryside, and check the weather before you go. For reaching the trailheads, see our guide to getting around Durham, or plan a longer visit with a weekend in Durham.