Durham Cathedral walk to get the best views of Durham Cathedral

Durham City river walk best views cathedral route map

A classic 'must-see' view of Durham Cathedral over the River Wear - the best view of the Cathedral in my opinion :-)

Durham City Riverside Walk

Any visitor to the city of Durham in Northern England should visit the impressive Cathedral and to get the best views of the Cathedral I highly recommend a short river walk where you can get views of the Cathedral form multiple impressive viewpoints.

Distance: 1.5 miles
Time: 30-45mins
Difficulty: Easy

[Click to enlarge] This is the circular route I'd recommend - starting at Elvet Bridge, walking up N Bailey Street to the Catherdral to admire it up close. Then through a side alley down to the River Wear - heading along the river path to Prebends Bridge - then back along the river where you will get impressive views of the Cathedral (where the star is, and where the photo at the top of this page was taken). You'll then cross the river again at Framwellgate Bridge, then head back via the Market Square.

View from Elvet Bridge, towards the prince Bishops Car park - a good place to start!

Heading up the cobbled Elvet Bridge Street

Turning into Saddler Street

Amazing views of Durham Cathedral, A UNESCO World Heritage Site

The building of Durham Cathedral began in 1093, and is regarded as one of the finest examples of Norman Architecture in Europe! If you have time a visit inside is also well worth it

As you head down to the river path from the cathedral - you don't really get any views of it again until you cross Prebends Bridge

This classic view of Durham Cathedral over the River Wear is popular with photographers and you can see why. On the map at the top of this page it is where the 'star' is

Heading towards Framwellgate Bridge

Impressive views from Framwellgate Bridge

This is looking south from Framwellgate Bridge towards the cathedral and Prenbeds Bridge

On the other side of the bridge looking north you can see how the newer parts of Durham are shaping up

Durham Market square on a quite evening

Heading out of the market square back up Saddler Street. There are lots of cafe's, restaurants and pubs to end this walk around here :-)

As ever I hope you have enjoyed this little write up and photos and it inspires you to want to visit the area and give the route a go. If you have any questions about this route - just post a comment and I'll try and answer.

Happy Exploring Durham!

Post by Stuart Hodgson
'The Hiking Photographer'

I share my adventures as I love the outdoors and it's spectacular natural landscapes. Being outside can also bring many benefits to us, including improvements to our physical & mental health and I want to help others reap these benefits too. I hope you enjoy the blog and it inspires you to plan a trip or two!

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