Durham has been on my radar for years. Although I’ve visited Newcastle multiple times, just north of Durham, I never made time to stop and explore. So, when a few days opened up in my calendar, my first thought was to spend them in Durham. I’m so glad I did.
I believe Durham is an underrated city in the UK. Many people were surprised when I mentioned I was visiting Durham. One person even said, “Oh, what a strange place to go on holiday,” despite never having been there themselves. However, I think they would be pleasantly surprised if they visited.
Where We Stayed in Durham | Hotel Indigo Durham
We stayed at Hotel Indigo Durham while exploring Durham City. This boutique hotel is located in a historic building that was once the Old Shire Hall, built in the 19th century for Durham County Council.
We chose this hotel not only for its central location, beautiful interiors, and impressive red-brick exterior, but also because I expected good wheelchair accessibility as part of IHG Hotels & Resorts. Unfortunately, it didn’t quite live up to my expectations.
Our ground floor accessible room felt cosy with warm dark wood furniture. It had enough space to move around in my wheelchair, but the room was slightly small. The double bed was high, making it hard to transfer from my wheelchair.
The room had wooden floors and a rug under the bed. The narrow desk was unusable because I couldn’t get under it.
The bathroom included a roll-in shower and a basic portable shower seat with rubber feet and fixed armrests. This shower seat did not work for me, and there was no wall-mounted shower seat, which may not suit some disabled guests, especially non-ambulant guests. The shower controls were at the opposite end of the shower, making it difficult to reach them.
The biggest problem I faced was the sink. I couldn’t use it at all because it was too low, and since the unit was built in, I couldn’t get underneath it or close enough to use it from my wheelchair. Simple tasks like washing my hands and face or brushing my teeth were impossible. If you can lift your arms and lean forward, you might be able to make it work or sit sideways to access the sink, but that position isn’t very comfortable.
We talked to the manager and maintenance, but they could only offer a slightly larger accessible room next door. Although the extra space was nice, it did not fix the sink problem, as it had the same setup. This was very disappointing and easily avoidable. Why do hotels have built-in sinks like this in accessible rooms?
We had breakfast each morning in the Marco Pierre White restaurant, which is the former council debating chamber. It is a stunning room.
Hotel Indigo is a beautiful hotel, and we had a nice stay; however, the accessibility barriers I faced in the room mean I wouldn’t book a stay there again.
I will be sharing a full hotel review soon. Keep a lookout for that.
Wheelchair Accessible Things to Do in Durham
Durham City is beautiful yet relatively small, nestled beside the River Wear in the northeast of England. It is best known for its UNESCO-listed castle and cathedral, but there is so much more to Durham that I barely scratched the surface.
This is the perfect excuse to visit again and discover the places we missed. Here’s a recap of everything we managed to see and do, as well as where we stayed during our short break in Durham.
1. Visit Durham Cathedral
Durham Cathedral is absolutely stunning and a must-visit, especially for any Harry Potter fans.
Built in 1093 to house the shrine of St. Cuthbert, it is renowned for its Romanesque architecture and breathtaking location within the Durham World Heritage Site.
Inside, the cathedral is spectacular, featuring beautiful stained glass windows in the grand hall and chapel. I was truly impressed by the sheer size and beauty of Durham Cathedral.
The cathedral has gained fame as a filming location for the first two Harry Potter films, as well as Avengers: Endgame.
You can experience the magic of these major blockbuster films by visiting The Cloister, which was used for scenes featuring Harry, Ron, and Hermione as they walked between lessons in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. Other filming locations within the cathedral include the twelfth-century Galilee Chapel, The Nave, and The Chapter House.
From an accessibility standpoint, the entrance to Durham Cathedral has level access, with an internal ramp to facilitate entry. The main points of interest are wheelchair accessible, including the cloister, museum, café, and shop.
There is also a lift to the museum, where you can see a replica of the cathedral made entirely from LEGO. This impressive model is constructed from 300,000 LEGO bricks and even includes a small LEGO figure of a wheelchair user, which I thought was really cool.
2. Dinner at Zizzi
On our first evening in Durham, we were in the mood for Italian food, so we decided to have dinner at Zizzi. The restaurant is located on Saddler Street, which is a fairly steep hill, but it was manageable in my power chair. The service was quick, and the food was delicious. We used our Tastecard offer, which allowed us to take advantage of a 2-for-1 deal.
There is a small step into the restaurant, which I was able to navigate. However, when I was leaving, I noticed a metal threshold ramp sitting in the corner.
It would have been helpful for the staff to place this ramp in position when they saw me, or better yet, to keep it in place permanently so that wheelchair users know the restaurant is accessible and welcoming. It’s important to note that, although I was able to enter and enjoy a lovely meal, the toilets are located downstairs.
3. Explore Durham University Botanic Garden
Visiting gardens or any place with trees and plants is one of my favourite things to do, so when I discovered Durham University Botanic Garden, I knew we had to visit. We arrived around lunchtime and decided to fill our stomachs with toasties from the visitor centre cafe.
After our meal, we enjoyed a peaceful stroll through the beautiful gardens and woodlands, which feature plant collections from around the world, including Asia, Africa, the Americas, and the Pacific. The garden has glasshouses containing desert and tropical plant species, but unfortunately, these had already closed by the time we arrived.
Entry to the gardens costs £4.50, and carers can enter for free. There is a small accessible toilet located in the visitor centre, and disabled parking is available. Just remember to provide your car registration at the reception to avoid being charged for parking.
4. Walk alongside the River Wear
When researching things to do in Durham, every article I read mentioned a riverside walk. However, I couldn’t find any accessibility information regarding the riverside path. In a last-minute effort to enjoy a walk along the River Wear—literally just before we were about to leave Durham—we decided to make it happen.
We parked on Freeman’s Place and walked across the Pennyferry Bridge (Pedestrian). From there, we accessed the footpath along Framwellgate Waterside and continued our walk along the river.
We decided to go with the flow and see how far we could get before encountering access issues, which turned out to be all the way to the Durham School Boathouse. At that point, there was a steep hill.
While I managed in my wheelchair, we eventually reached a spot where we didn’t want to risk continuing because we didn’t know what lay ahead, so we decided to turn around and head back to the car and start our journey home to Scotland.
The views of Durham Castle and Cathedral, perched on the hill and surrounded by lush greenery, are stunning. The trees were showing signs that autumn was just around the corner, and I can only imagine how beautiful it would be to capture this scene as the leaves turn gold and red.
5. Visit Ushaw Historic House, Chapels & Gardens
We had originally planned to visit a few museums and stately homes, including the Bowes Museum and Raby Castle. However, while planning our activities for the next day from the comfort of our hotel room, we quickly realised that driving to and from each place and exploring them would take almost a day. Since our time in Durham was limited, we decided to prioritise these attractions for our next visit instead.
Instead, we chose to visit Ushaw Historic House, Chapels & Gardens, which is just a short drive away in the countryside.
Once a Catholic seminary, Ushaw is now a registered independent charity that operates as an arts, heritage, and events venue.
During our visit, a flower festival was being set up, so there were lots of floral displays inspired by the region’s rich musical heritage in every hallway and room.
St. Cuthbert’s Chapel is quite spectacular, with its sandstone walls, beautiful stained-glass windows and intricate details.
We enjoyed a sandwich in the café before exploring the ornamental gardens. The pathways throughout the garden are wheelchair accessible, and we spotted wooden animal sculptures scattered throughout the area.
The main entrance has steps, but there is an accessible entrance available at the East Entrance, along with accessible parking. I found Ushaw Historic House to be wheelchair accessible, as I was able to navigate the rooms easily. However, there is only one accessible toilet located within the ladies’ and gents’ toilets. This created an awkward situation for us because my partner needs to assist me, which meant he couldn’t accompany me into the ladies’ toilets.
When we spoke to a staff member about the lack of a separate accessible toilet, they apologised and offered to close off access to the ladies’ toilet so that my partner could accompany me inside. Although this wasn’t an ideal solution, it was our only option at the time.
While we were using the facilities, we could hear the staff member outside turning away other women. This was quite embarrassing for us, but we were relieved there wasn’t a long queue waiting outside. The staff encouraged us to file a formal complaint about the situation.
Accessible Durham
I hope this list of wheelchair accessible things to do in Durham helps you plan your trip to this beautiful city. I’m already looking forward to my next visit.
Where is your favourite place to visit in Durham? I’d love to hear about it in the comments so I can check it out!
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