A Short Riverside Walk in Durham
Last week, after attending talks at the Durham Book Festival, we took advantage of the fine autumn weather and enjoyed lunch at the Riverview Kitchen before heading out for a gentle riverside walk in the heart of Durham City.
Once you’ve negotiated a short flight of steps from the bottom of Silver Street, the walk is flat and shady, with plenty of benches to relax on in the first section.
Framwellgate Bridge from the Riverview Kitchen
Choosing a Route Along the Wear
When I’m Pointing, I usually recommend that visitors walk down Silver Street from the Market Place, cross Framwellgate Bridge and take the steps on the left to follow the left bank of the River Wear for picture-perfect views of Durham Castle and Durham Cathedral. A fellow Pointer has suggested that walking up South Street, a lovely cobbled street that runs parallel to the river gives even better views.
This time, however, we were already on the right bank, so we continued upstream on that side. Looking back there’s a fine view of Framwellgate Bridge, and this is where I recently spotted a kingfisher. At this time of year, this is also a good place to see salmon leaping.
The Fulling Mill, Boathouses & Wildlife
The riverside path is shaded and peaceful, with several benches along the way. The first building you reach is the historic Fulling Mill. There has been a mill here since the 15th century, although the current structure is largely 19th-century. Across the river by the weir sits the Kayak Club boathouse, and further on the path passes one of the college boathouses.
Otters are sometimes spotted along this section of the river, though I have yet to be so lucky.
A Durham college rowing crew gliding along the River Wear, framed by overhanging willow branches.
Kathedra, Prebend’s Bridge and the Count’s House
The next landmark is Kathedra, a stone gargoyle-chair sculpture by Colin Wilbourn, symbolising sanctuary. I did not cross Prebend’s Bridge this time but continued to the Count’s House, a folly designed by Ignatius Bonomi in the style of a small Greek temple. A Durham legend once claimed that the “Little Count”, a 3-foot-tall Polish gentleman, lived there but this is not true.
Kathedra — Colin Wilbourn’s stone sanctuary seat on the riverbank path in Durham.
Kingsgate Bridge and the Approach to Elvet Bridge
Kingsgate Bridge, designed by Ove Arup, is the next landmark. Its two concrete halves are joined by a bronze joint; if you stand on the bridge and tilt your head, you can make out a T for “town” and a U for “university”. It links the peninsula with New Elvet and is a popular route into town for students.
I always enjoy the view of Elvet Bridge walking on from Kingsgate. The remaining little buildings at one end make it easy to imagine what it looked like when shops lined the bridge from end to end. Gary Bankhead, a local diver, has recovered many fascinating artefacts from the riverbed near this bridge; some are on display at the archaeology museum in Palace Green Library.
Elvet Bridge in Durham with buildings still perched at one end and the river traffic passing below.
Ending the Walk at Browns Boats
Our short Durham walk ended at Browns Boats. Instead of climbing to Elvet Bridge, I took the lift beside the car park, which brings you straight up to the Prince Bishops shopping area.
If you’d like more ideas for accessible riverside routes and guided city walks, you can find more on the
Durham Pointers walks page.
Moira and her husband Adam have been Durham Pointers for nine years. They enjoy exploring days out across the region, sometimes with their wider family, sometimes just the two of them - always on the lookout for new corners of County Durham, Teesside, and North Yorkshire to share.
