I would argue that the county of Durham is a very underrated place to explore in the UK – yet it’s one of my absolute favourite areas of the country to explore. It has everything from beautiful walks and views, a city perfect for exploring and a stunning coastline. The other thing I love about the area – how easy it is to travel around Durham on public transport in the summer.
I am very much a passenger princess, and if there’s an alternative way to travel somewhere, that doesn’t involve me driving, then I’ll take it. So this summer, I spent a weekend exploring Durham with my mum and my dog, all on public transport, and this is exactly how we did it.
(and yes, Finn my collie pup came with us as well so this is also your dog friendly guide to Durham!)
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The Durham Dales Explorer 873
The Durham Dales Explorer 873 is what makes travelling around Durham so easy in the summer.
The bus runs on Saturdays and Sundays between May and August with fares capped at £3 for a single journey.
The Durhams Dales Explorer 873 goes between Durham City and High Force Waterfall and hotel, stopping on the way at Spennymoor, Raby Castle, Bishop Auckland, Barnard Castle and Middleton-in-Teessale.
I loved travelling on this bus – the views on a sunny summers day over the rolling hills is a beautiful sight (and it was nice not having to navigate some of the winding back roads as well!).
Travel to Durham by Train
Start your weekend by getting the train to Durham on the Friday and spend the afternoon exploring the city. It’s really easy to get the train to Durham (and is only an 11 min train journey from Newcastle)
A weekend guide to Durham
Day one : Your dog friendly Guide to Durham
Arrive on Friday in Durham City, drop your bags off at your hotel, and get ready to explore.
The first place you’ll want to head is to Durham Cathedral. The cathedral is beautiful, inside and out, and is dog friendly in many places as well. It was used to film parts of the first two Harry Potter films, and it does feel quite magical to be walking around Hogwarts. There are incredible stained glass windows, and in 2026 they’re celebrating 150 years of the Rose Window, and have a brilliant augmented reality app where you can learn more about the windows as you walk around the cathedral.
If you’re visiting Durham without a dog (or there’s two of you and one can stay down in the Cathedral), I really recommend taking the tour up to the roof of the Cathedral, where you can get some incredible views over the city. It’s not for the faint hearted, and there’s a lot of small sone spiral stairs to climb, but it really is breathtaking once you get to the top.
After your Cathedral trip, you’ll be in need of a cuppa and maybe a slice of cake. I was really surprised at just how many of the cafes, bars and restaurants are dog friendly in Durham and two of my favourites are Vennels Cafe and Flat White Coffee. Both are very dog friendly, and perfect places to sit and relax.
On a sunny summers day, one of the best things to do in Durham is the riverside walks. They go through woodlands, you can sit in the bandstand, and there’s a beautiful view whichever way you turn.
For dinner, there is now only one place I’ll recommend in Durham if you have a dog, and love burgers. It’s Tango, and not only do they do the best smash burgers in the city, they will make your dog feel so welcome. We walked in, and Finn was given his own little menu with a side of dog treats, and water. We ordered him a chicken patty (for £3, I couldn’t say no!) and a huge cooked chicken breast came out. It’s safe to say Finn thought it was Christmas with this big treat!! Our food was also delicious and full of flavour, and I’m already planning a trip back to Durham this autumn to go for burgers here. Yes, it’s that good.
Day Two : Raby Castle + High Force Waterfall
Pack your bags and head to Durham bus station, where you can catch the morning 873 service to Raby Castle, and be there in time for morning coffee and cake.
Raby Castle is a beautiful castle in the Durham Dales, with something to do for the whole family. We spent the day exploring the walled gardens and deer park – perfect for when you’re visiting with your dog! I’m looking forward to going back to explore inside the castle, a fully restored 14th century castle that has a very unique history (another autumn day trip I’m planning!) however if you have children, The Plotter’s Forest Adventure Playground is the place to be!
We enjoyed a gorgeous lunch sat outside at The Vinery Cafe (dogs are allowed inside and outside here) and the food was actually really good. The queues go down quite quickly, and there was a really good selection as well.
The highlight of our day here though had to be seeing deer in the Deer Park. I wasn’t expecting this at all – I thought it was a deer park in name only – but we saw so many that were relaxing in the shade of the trees. It was magical.
After a brilliant day at Raby Castle, we hopped onto the afternoon Durham Dales Explorer 873 service to go to High Force Waterfall and Hotel, where we stayed on Saturday evening.
High Force Waterfall and Hotel is stunning. The bus stops in the car park of the hotel, and has major cosy country pub vibes. Our room was possibly the most beautiful hotel room I’ve been in. It felt luxury but homey, had a very comfortable bed and, my favourite part, a gorgeous roll top bath.
I didn’t stay in the room for long though, as I opted to take a walk with Finn to the waterfall. You get unlimited free access to the waterfall when you stay, and it’s a gentle 15 minute walk to one of the most spectacular waterfalls in England.
Dinner that evening was included in our hotel stay, and it was a scrumptious hearty three course dinner. I had the black pudding bon bons, the best Cumberland sausage and mash with red wine onion gravy which was mouth wateringly good, and finished with a delightfully light chocolate torte.
Day Three : Bishop Auckland or Barnard Castle
After a morning relaxing at High Force Waterfalls (the breakfast is mega) you’re going to catch the lunchtime Durhams Dales Explorer to either Barnard Castle or Bishop Auckland.
On our weekend trip, we went to Bishop Auckland which is lovely, and there are some brilliant things to do at The Auckland Project, however I would argue that this is a place to go without a dog. That way you’re free to explore some of the brilliant museums (my favourite was the Spanish museum which is the UK’s only art gallery dedicated to Spanish art), and you can have tapas at the Spanish restaurant next door. There is also The Bishops Kitchen, where you can sit outside with your dog in the beautiful courtyard, and big park where your dog can enjoy a good walk.
If you’re travelling with a dog, I would opt for going to Barnard Castle where there are plenty of cafes which are dog friendly and you can go to the castle which is also dog friendly, and a lovely riverside walk where you can do the 2 mile walk to Egglestone Abbey.
Then you can catch the afternoon Durham Dales Explorer 873 back up to Durham to finish off your weekend.
Dog friendly places to stay in Durham
We stayed in two very dog friendly stays on our weekend in Durham, Delta Hotels Durham Royal County and High Force Hotel and Waterfall, both of which I would wholeheartedly recommend.
Delta Hotels Durham Royal County
The location of this hotel is perfect for exploring Durham – you’re right in the heart of the city, with a beautiful river view, and only a 5 min walk to the cathedral.
The reason I would stay here again though is just how dog friendly it was. Finn was made a fuss of as soon as we arrived, and when we went into our room, there was a bed set up for him with bowls, treats, poo bags and a new toy for him to take home (which he loves). There was plenty of space for the three of us, and we could properly relax.
Dogs aren’t allowed in the restaurant, however you can have your breakfast in the bar area with your dog (and they brought him over a water bowl as well). I’m not 100% sure how this would work if you were solo with your dog, but with two of us we just took it in turns to go to the buffet.
High Force Hotel + Waterfall
With plenty of beautiful walks to choose from, High Force Hotel is another very dog friendly hotel stay, where Finn was made to feel incredibly welcome.
Even though the rooms are cosy in size, there was still plenty of space for my border collie, and it was nice that it was easy to get him outside and on a walk, where you felt safe at any time of the day you did it.
You can take your dog into the restaurant area, and at dinner they asked if Finn would like a sausage for breakfast! And in the morning, a sausage was brought out for him, all chopped up, and it was such a lovely touch.
If you’re looking for a UK weekend break which has countryside and city life in one, then Durham is the one for you. You can find more weekend break guides here, and make sure to follow along on instagram for daily microadventure inspo as well!
