Such rich history here. We went to check it out after the beach nearby. Glad we did. The gift shop…read morewas cute and gave us samples of mead before buying a bottle. The kids thought it was interesting to see the ruins and we all loved the view. Highly recommended.

There were three kings buried here: Osred II, Oswine and Malcolm of Scotland…read more It was a cold, damp, dank day and our second grim day in a row. We had never before visited this part of England and it was as dismal as a place could be. A thick fog enveloped the whole place blotting out almost all sunlight. The sun was a disc in the sky with no power. The fog horns on the Tyne blew their warnings - it seemed constant. If 3 witches had gathered at this 1300 year old ancient site for double, double, toil and trouble they wouldn't be out of place. The climate hasn't much changed in the last 1000 years as church authorities even sent naughty monks here from St Alban's in southern England. A letter survives from the 13th century: 'Our house is confined to the top of a high cliff ... day and night the waves break and roar and undermine the cliff. Thick sea frets roll in, wrapping everything in gloom. Dim eyes, hoarse voices, sore throats are the consequence.' The note could have been written yesterday. I can only give a snapshot of the huge history here. The first monastery existed in the 8th century as Bede wrote of Heribald, an abbot of Tynemouth who died in 745, and it was sufficiently established in 792 when Osred II, King of Northumbria, was buried in its church. In the 11th century, a story emerged that the monastery was founded in the 7th century, when Oswine, a Northumbrian king, was buried there. Oswine was murdered by a rival, Oswiu, who afterwards established a monastery at Tynemouth in penance, which became a focus for Oswine as a saint. In the 9th century the monastery was flourishing. It became a target for raids in 800, 832, 865, 870, and one in 875 that finally destroyed it. Although no buildings survive from the monastery, fragments of Anglo-Saxon crosses have been discovered on or close to the headland and archaeologists have found traces of five rectangular timber buildings which may have been part of it. It was rebuilt and began to flourish again for a few 100 years but in January 1539 the priory fell victim to the nationwide Dissolution of the Monasteries. All the priory lands and possessions were surrendered to the king, St Oswine's shrine was destroyed and monastic life at Tynemouth came to an end. Thereafter it became a military base used for civil and world wars right up to 1956.

OK, I'll be honest, we didn't actually go INTO Belsay this year, as we left home too late, and we…read moregot there 30 mins before closing. However! We have been before (last year), which is why we were drawn to go again (failed). Nevermind we still stopped at their café for a stottie and some tea (lovely! Any excuse) Belsay Hall, Castle and Gardens is something you want to devote an entire day to: from their many arts installation (which change regularly, and are usually themed), to their gorgeous quarry gardens, not forgetting the castle and the hall itself, Belsay is always a delight. They run regular events, and there is artwork linked to the exhibitions available for you to buy. We originally stumbled across Belsay by mistake, but I would now like to say I will visit annually. Oh yes and their café is great.

Okay I love this place english heritage - plenty of room to park they have a small place near the…read morefront and a larger field on the side with people to direct you There is a exhibtion with a couple of interatvice computers The shop is now attached to the stables when you go outside there is a lovely coach in the coachouse The hall which looks like a grecian temple built in 1807 which is full of empty rooms but is lovely as there are little bits left some wall paper hear and a fireplace there for you to imagine what it was like when people were living here There are quite often exhibitions on in here You walk through the beaufiul gardens there is a Rhododendron Garden and a croquet lawn to the wonderfiul quarry garden You walk through this to go to the towerhouse castle This is 14th century tower with a 17th centruy house attached there are lots of rooms to explore There is a nice cafe and the soup there is lovely or there is the blacksmiths coffee shop just before you turn into the english heritage site where they do lovely poached eggs on toast

This is a wonderful place set in a bend of the river Wear. Th Priory is in ruins of course, but is…read morea thoroughly charming and tranquil place to visit. There is a caravan site nearby which has been popular for many years. There are walks through the woods and by the riverbanks, and the setting is quite beautiful. Thoroughly recommended for a pleasant afternoon out.

With well-preserved parts of Hadrian's Wall nearby, we stopped at the Chesters Roman Fort and…read moreMuseum to pick up an information booklet after checking out Hadrian's Wall. But while we were there, how could we say no to some cream tea? Especially since we happened to be there when the weather was beautiful, with clear skies above, where you can bet your but we enjoyed some tasty cream tea in perfect weather. So while we didn't buy a ticket to check out the exterior structure (the Roman Fort), we went into the museum instead. Probably weren't supposed to do that without a ticket, though there wasn't anyone at the museum. Which kind of... surprised me, because there were some seriously neat things inside of it. (The current rate is £6.60, btw, which is different to what others previously posted.) The museum was reallllly neat. Pillars, grave stones, milestones, altars, building stones. And a lot of these items weren't behind glass; they were propped up in shelves or just straight there on the floor. You could touch them, though I'm sure that's frowned upon. Their inscriptions read stuff like, "Building stone with relief of bore." Vindalanda. Or "Dedication to the Goddess Covventina by Titus D. Cosconianus, prefect of the first cohort of Batavians. The Goddess holds a water lily leaf in her right hand, and water flows from a pitcher by her left elbow." And "Tombstone of a Longinus a trumpeter (bucinator)." The museum is called the Clayton Museum, and he was an antiquarian whom excavated sites along Hadrians Wall, which were stored and displayed in the museum. Like I said, very interesting! We spent about 20 minutes exploring this place, and even that was a pretty thorough exploration of the museum. Definitely check it out if you have a particular interest in old architecture.

An interesting set of Roman remains with a small museum and cafe and shop. The site is one of the…read morebest-preserved fortifications of Hadrian's Wall and commands a fine view of the river Tyne. Some of the interpretation is in poor condition.

This is such a lovely place to eat in Durham. It's a bit out the way but the atmosphere is always…read morevery nice and the food is also delicious ( I recommend the salmon and cream cheese bagel) Me and my mum always enjoy a nice tea here. The building itself is very beautiful and enjoyable to sit in as it is very light and when the sun shines you can enjoy sitting outside. Would highly recommend to anyone looking for a nice spot for a light lunch or afternoon snack

Hidden away next to the banks of the River Wear, Crook Hall is a really beautiful place. It is a…read more13th century Grade I listed Medieval hall which also has really beautiful gardens, all of which are Olde English themed. Rather than being a faceless old building, Crook Hall is also the family home of the Bell family, who still live here. They are really involved and this gives it a unique personal touch. Crook Hall also does Civil Weddings and has metting rooms which can be hired out. An ideal place to while away the long summer days in peace and tranquility

Housesteads is the remnants of the Roman barracks and fort on Hadrians Wall in Northumbria…read more You get a free entrance if you are a member of either National trust or English heritage - haven't seen many places that accept both. You also have to walk up to the entrance point from the car park, about 10 min or so. The site consists of two parts: a museum, where you get a bit of history and a short education film and fort (or ruins of fort), which is a much bigger area. You also get to see the wall!

During our visit to Hadrian's Wall, we stopped at the Housesteads Roman Fort & Museum. The…read moreHousestead's Fort is the best preserved of all the Roman forts along Hadrian's Wall. Construction on Hadrian's Wall began in 122 AD and was completed in 6 years time; it spans 73 miles and was a defensive fortification in Roman Britain. It separated Roman Britain from the barbarians of the North. Hadrian's Wall was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1987. It's definitely cool to see in person as the wall spans miles and we seemed to be in the middle of nowhere. The museum is a short walk up from the parking lot where you can learn about the story of the fort and its garrison. There is a visitor's center near the parking lot as well with restrooms and a gift shop. There are light bites and hot drinks available at both.

I accidentally stumbled upon this place on a day trip from Hadrian's Wall. Really cool little…read moremuseum with gruesome and interesting history. I like places that are off the beaten path, so this satisfied my curiosity. They have cool exhibits with wax figures, costumes you can try on, and part of an old dungeon. They also have good student discounts. The Gaol is situated in old Hexham, right by the Abbey. Go ahead and satisfy your macabre sense of humour!

Built in 1311 it was one of the first buildings that was built to be a proper jail. you can get…read morestuck in the stocks outside or go down to the dungeon though not for long. There is a commentary from people who used to live in the times of the border reviers which comes on autmotically and lots of info about the jail break here in the 1600 and the lives of the prisoners It also has the border libary and a film on a riever raid, you are much better going to one of the bastles or towers on the borders to get a fee of what it would be like in riever times it has a nice little shop in it a intersting place to learn more about the history of Hexham but it is very hard to imagine being imprisoned here The only eerie thing is the skull of Sir john fenwick a jacobite who was beheaded for treason

We visited the Beamish Museum 7 years ago and came back for the second time. It is a great living…read morehistory museum. We visited this time specifically the 1900's and 1950's villages. Most houses and shops are accessible with people in period outfits providing explanations. Of course, we also bought stuff in the vintage shops. Getting around happened on the great vintage bus and tram service. Altogether, a great day out. Note: tickets are not cheap, but valid for a year. Do book online to avoid the queue.

Wow! I visited from Edinburgh and had the best time! Beamish museum is such a magical place, like…read morebeing on a movie set with people all in traditional clothing walking around, working in the 1900's chemist where you can buy soaps, lip salve, and other things, the confectionery shop and bakery for pies and cakes and sweets, sit in the sun inn pub for a pint, ride on the many trams for free as the conductor yells 'hold tight' as you travel very slowly around the town, jumping on and off at various tram stops eg: 1900's town, Rowley station, 1900's pitt village, 1940's farm, 1950's town and farm where you can go into an air raid shelter and visit the homes and some of the residents. There is also the 1820's colliery, Pockerley waggonway, old hall and the transport depot all to explore. It is such an experience and I found myself grinning from ear to ear the full 6 hours I was there. Everyone keeps in character that at one point when i was visiting the community hall the lady was sweeping the floors talking about cleaning up after entertaining children and I couldn't tell if she was playing a character or if it was real as there were schools of children visiting that day but thats how it is, its a full immersive experience and I honestly loved it!