Great North Fun

Continuing with tradition – and following previous springtime trips to Aberdeen, Inverness and Dundee – last week I again ventured north.This time I visited two places I’d only ever glimpsed from the East Coast Main Line: Durham and Berwick-upon-Tweed. I would also end up exploring Lindisfarne, spend a day in Edinburgh, and walk part of the Berwickshire coastline from St. Abbs to Eyemouth.DurhamA single building draws your attention when crossing the railway viaduct that skirts the edge of Durham, that of its imposing cathedral.Once described by Bill Bryson as “the best cathedral on planet earth”, it’s certainly one of the more interesting I’ve visited.I of course climbed the 325 steps to reach the roof of its central tower, and rewarded with views of the neighbouring castle and wider city. I was also taken by some its geometric stonework, at odds with the otherwise typical Gothic design.The cathedral’s nave.Part of Bishop Hatfield’s tomb illuminated.Cathedral seen from St. Oswald’s…