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0.1 mi 54.7771, -1.5729 At the next r/bout on Leazes Rd take the 2nd exit which will take you
towards the Prince Bishops shopping centre. Keep that shopping centre on your l. hand.

There is a parking building at the shopping centre – the closest one to the Cathedral and Castle.
Other parking options are signposted.

Durham Castle and the Cathedral are now over to your left.

You are now in the centre of Durham.

Durham to Edinburgh via Alnwick

Return to the Lakeland and The North Menu

On this touring route you’ll pick you way up the Northumberland coast before turning
inland to the Scottish Borders and on to the Scottish capital, Edinburgh.

This has always been a turbulent region where some of Britain’s most ferocious battles have been
fought.

It’s a land of castles, the more heavily fortified they are the closer to the Scottish border you get.
But there’s a softer side.

Among the main attractions are three of the most atmospheric abbey ruins in all Britain, Dryburgh,
Melrose and Kelso, all within a relatively close range of each other. Just offshore is the Holy
Island of Lindisfarne, the birthplace of British Christianity.

You can look in on several houses of the rich and famous – Cragside, the home of inventor
William Armstrong; Abbotsford, home of novelist Sir Walter Scott and Mellerstain, arguably the
finest example of the work of architectural genius, Robert Adam.

And for Harry Potter fans, there’s Alnwick Castle which featured in the first two films of the series.
They’ll even give you broomstick-flying lessons.

Attractions

Washington Old Hall. At the heart of historic Washington village this picturesque stone manor
house and its gardens provide a tranquil oasis, reflecting gentry life following the turbulence of the
English Civil War. The building incorporates parts of the original medieval home of George
Washington’s direct ancestors, and it is from here that the family took their surname of
‘Washington’.

Beamish Open Air Museum tells the story of everyday life in the North East of England from 1820
to 1940. Visitors can see what life was like in various time periods, experience collections set in an
authentic context and interpreted by costumed staff. It is now the largest visitor attraction in the
North East, with over 650,000 visitors a year.

Cragside Mansion, Rothbury Enter the world of Lord Armstrong – Victorian inventor, innovator and
landscape genius. Cragside house was truly a wonder of its age. It was the first house in the world
to be lit by hydroelectricity. It is crammed full of ingenious gadgets – most of them still working.
The gardens, featuring one of the largest rock gardens in Europe, lead down to the Iron Bridge,