Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
and cakes to home-cooked meals written up on a chalkboard, amid murals picturing
local landscapes. A typical day's offerings might include a soup, warm rolls, paninis,
jacket potatoes, and the heartier likes of beef and mushroom cobbler, or shepherd's
pie with vegetables. Whatever you choose, leave space for an indulgent dessert such
as chocolate sponge or plum pie. Vegetarian and gluten- and dairy-free diets are
catered for. The owners also offer B&B
rooms.
4 Market Place, Barnard Castle.
&
01833/637634.
www.pennys-tearooms.co.uk. Main courses £4.75-
£6.50. MC, V. Mon-Sat 10am-7:30pm, Sun 10am-5pm.
Shopping
Durham is the county's shopping focus, notably the beautifully restored Victorian
covered
Indoor Market;
its 50 traders selling local produce and goods (Mon-Sat
9am-5pm) include Humbies traditional candy shop, the award-winning Café Cenno
bistro (with free Wi-Fi), and even a pipe and tobacco shop. The third Thursday of the
month also sees the
City of Durham Farmers Market
in the Market Place, from
9am, and there's a twice-yearly Continental market, and a big Christmas market the
first weekend of December. For information on all these, see www.durhammarkets.
org.uk. There are also plenty of interesting one-off shops near the cathedral and
around the city center; fashion mavens should make a bee-line for the fashion empo-
rium
Van Mildert,
at 19-21 Elvet Bridge (
&
0191/384-8508;
www.vanmildert.
com), selling a huge range of desirable labels including Vivienne Westwood and
Chloé.
Entertainment & Nightlife
Durham is also your best bet for lively nightlife in the county, with the student popu-
lation ensuring that there's a healthy array of good pubs. On Old Elvet, the
Dun Cow
Inn
(
&
0191/386-9219
) is, in part, a 16th-century alehouse notorious for issuing
the Dun Cow Challenge—to have a beer from every pump along the bar. The impos-
sibly narrow 12th-century
Shakespeare Tavern
on Saddler Street (
&
0191/384-
3261
) lays claim to being England's most haunted pub.
Where to Stay
Great B&Bs are strangely hard to find in this neck of the woods. There's a new
Trav-
elodge
(
&
0871/559-1819;
www.travelodge.co.uk) by the Church Mouse (p. 659)
at Chester-le-Street, with doubles and family rooms for around £50.
Durham Castle
Durham's famous fortress offers visitors the rare chance to stay
in a UNESCO World Heritage site while its student residents are on vacation, offer-
ing accommodations in single and twin rooms, some with shared bathroom facilities
and others in a medieval gatehouse. There are also two much grander state rooms
available year-round, with en suite facilities—the two-room Chaplain's Suite is good
for families, while the Bishop's Suite has incredible 17th-century tapestries and a
four-poster. Breakfasts are served in the medieval Great Hall. Parking can be tricky:
You can get a permit, subject to availability, to park overnight on Palace Green but
must move by 9am. Guests get free castle tours.
Palace Green, Durham DH1 3RN. www.dur.ac.uk/university.college/conferences/bandb.
&
0191/334-
4106.
177 units. £51-£70 double; £180-£240 suite. Rates include breakfast. MC, V. Free parking (night
only, subject to availability).
Amenities:
Bar/lounge.
In room:
TV (in suites).
17
