Durham – last time around

David Snell looks back to our 1996 Choir holiday

Cynthia and I used to live quite near Durham at Bishop Middleham. So we thought we knew what to expect – and packed lots of warm clothes. For the first couple of days that turned out to be a good choice but then the weather warmed up a lot and we had a glorious week's weather.

The warm sunshine made it possible to enjoy the beach at Seaton Carew. A couple of miles of near empty sand, backed by dunes just north of the Tees Mouth.

We also had fine weather for our visit to the open air museum at Beamish. It's huge place – nearly 300 acres – with many buildings which were originally elsewhere in the North East. The Beamish Museum rescued them from demolition and rebuilt them to capture the feel of the region across a span of time from the 1820s up to the Great War. Although it's a big site, there are trams and trains to ride on. No choir holiday would be complete without at least one taste of being on the rails – as opposed to the normal state of affairs.

The other abiding memory is of the walk from Durham School to and from the Cathedral. It's a bit up and down. You have been warned.