Dark Durham Tour
Description
Delve into the darker side of Durham's past as we discover the gruesome, shocking and tragic tales of our city's rich history. From the medieval prisons, castle and cathedral to the city's historic pubs, we explore the hauntings, crimes, deadly battles and saintly miracles that add mystery and character to our beautiful little city.
Tour Options
Itinerary
The darker side of the social history of Durham. From coal mining to hidden cemeteries.
Tales of escaped prisoners and Prince Bishops in the brutal early Norman period.
Learn about saintly miracles and tales of the dungeon that lay beneath the cathedral.
Hear stories of ghosts from the castle, medieval burial grounds, deadly rebellion and modern miracles, all whilst witnessing magnificent views of the UNESCO World Heritage site of the castle and cathedral.
Learn the gruesome story behind this site’s namesake whilst enjoying some divisive 20th century architecture.
Durham’s 200 year old prison has been ‘home’ to some of England’s most infamous criminals. Learn about how prisoners exercised, escaped and were executed.
The oldest pub in the city. The perfect location for locals to have a good old day out and enjoy a hanging from the gallows.
The tour reaches it’s finale beneath Elvet Bridge. Hear the tragic tales of some of the city’s previous occupants…some of whom are still believed to be around today.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(29)
Peter is very knowledgeable, kind and patient. He made Durham come alive. He made the time go so fast as if one is transported into another time.
This tour was fantastic, it was engaging, interesting and we learnt so much!! Peter was such a good tour guide, he was so knowledgeable and friendly - Definitely an activity worth doing if you’re in Durham!! We absolutely loved it!!
This is a must do walking tour of Durham, we had a great guide (a former teacher) who filled us in on the history and ghost stories for this great city!
We stopped off in Durham on way home, while fairly familiar with North East, didn’t know much about Durham. Oh boy has that now changed. Met Peter our guideline the market square for what turned out to be a superb tour of the city and its history, the good the bad and the weird. Expertly told and re counted. Some stand outs for me were saint Cuthbert and his journey and various ‘miracles’ he performed. DUrham prison, not least as it was the location of one of my favourite films McVicar. All in all a brilliant 90 minutes in the company of a brilliant host, thank you Peter. Highly recommended.
Just 2 of us on the tour which made it very conversational and informal. A great selection of stories as we walked around the centre of historic Durham. The 90 minutes went really fast. Highly recommended.
A pleasant walk around a visually impressive city with a knowledgable and entertaining guide. Interesting and insightful, packed with often quirky details.
The guide was very knowledgeable and the history of Durham was amazing. Very enjoyable, definitely recommend
The Dark Durham Tour was really interesting and Peter was entertaining. A great tour - we are local to Durham and we learned lots of things we'd never heard before. Saw Durham in a new light! My 11 and 13 year old enjoyed it to.
Excellent tour. Lots of interesting facts. Lots of history. Don't like the Scot's!!
Lovely walk around Durham with some interesting history. Not too ghoulish which I was pleased about! Atmospheric in the dark and mild drizzle.
