Durham

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Checked out of my guest house and headed to Costa to get breakfast, mainly because I knew they'd have plant milk. Then off to the station to get the train across the breadth of England to Durham. Some very pretty scenery between Preston and Leeds, another part of England that was unfamiliar to me, the southern part of the Yorskshire Dales. So much left to explore.

A rowdy lot got on at Leeds, complete with alcoholic beverages. Squaddies and possibly a stag do. Changed trains at York, and my friend who I was possibly meeting couldn't make it but he said he might stand in the field behind his house and wave at my train. I think he missed it though.

In Durham I decided to have a quick walk around, despite being rather worse for wear - my cold has got worse. But I was determined to see the cathedral, which was actually what I came to do. Had a quick tea and a Lemsip in a cafe and then trudged up the hill to see it, and it really is massive. Had my case on wheels with me so I took a chance and left it outside the cathedral (you couldn't take in big bags for security reasons) so I could go inside. Got told off for taking a photo of the interior (yay, second time this trip) so I quickly made my way out again. I was more interested in the exterior anyhow.

Thought I'd walk to my guest house but that turned out to be a mistake. Firstly, Durham is hilly. Secondly, it's not particularly pedestrian-friendly outside the centre. So I ended up huffing and puffing up the hill and trying to find safe places to cross. But I finally made it to the Shoes inn in Gilesgate. My room was naturally in the attic.

Flopped onto my bed and settled in for the evening. Read a good portion of a book I'd bought about the ancient Roman road Watling Street, which runs across southern England and ends up in Wales. A fascinating read. https://www.orionbooks.co.uk/books/detail.page?isbn=9781474603492 Tomorrow, it's time to leave the UK when I get on the ferry from Newcastle.

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