Durham grew up on a tight loop of the River Wear, and the view of its Norman cathedral and castle standing shoulder to shoulder above the wooded gorge is one of the great sights in England — both are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Below them the old city climbs in cobbled lanes around the Market Place and the Bailey, with wooded riverbanks you can walk right round. The cathedral holds the shrine of St Cuthbert and the tomb of the Venerable Bede. Durham has its own mainline station, a short walk up from the centre.
