Seen from the train, Durham presents a magnificent sight, with cathedral and castle perched atop a bluff enclosed by a loop of the River Wera, and linked to the suburbs by a series of sturdy bridges. The town initially owned its reputation to the possession of the remains of Saint Cuthbert, and early prior of Lindisfarne, which were evacuated to Durham in the ninth century due to Viking raids.

On the opposite side of Palace Green is the Norman Castle. Pathways along the river bank below pass the Museum of Archeology, with a very modest selection of pregistoric, Roman and Saxon finds.