County Durham trip planner

Largely calm and tranquil, County Durham features a landscape dominated by high hills and low mountains, noted for containing the highest ski center in England. For most of the last three centuries, the survival of the region depended almost entirely on coal mining. When the last coal pits closed in the 1980s, the scars left by the mining industry quickly started to fade, and the county reinvented itself as a popular tourist destination. Durham’s biggest attractions may very well be its ancient cathedral and the adjoining castle, once a seat of power for the mighty local rulers who defended the region against the neighboring Saxons and Scots. Make the most of your holiday in County Durham by finding out about its attractions and choosing what to see using our United Kingdom trip planner.