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Welcome to the Itinerary Planner. Use this tool to build your own journey or choose from an exciting range of specially selected tours.

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    This is Durham Blog

You are here > Home > Things to Do > The Way of Love

The Way of Love

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Add The Way of Love to your Itinerary

Heugh Lighthouse
  • Heugh Lighthouse
  • Trimcomalee Hartlepool
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  • The Way of Love map

About

The Way of Love follows the influence of three of the most important female figures in the establishment of Christianity in England - St Hilda, St Helena and St Mary Magdalene - whilst mixing maritime and mining heritage, nationally-important nature reserves and the North East’s iconic denes.

The countryside The Way of Love links up between Hartlepool and Durham now seems gentle, sleepy and seldom walked. It was not always thus.

Step back in time to Anglo-Saxon and Norman England and this region was front-page news: some of the ground-breaking goings-on in the Christianisation of England happened hereabouts. One of the most famous of the country’s dual-sex monasteries was set up at Hartlepool, with the second abbess, St Hilda, going on to head up one of the Anglo-Saxon world’s premier religious centres at Whitby. Brutal monarch King Canute turned up to take a pilgrimage along this route from Trimdon in 1020, while a stone cross depicting Christianity’s original ambassador St Helena, and numbering among Britain’s most important Romanesque sculptures, was built into a church at Kelloe.

In the 18th and 19th centuries this area resounded to the sounds of some of the planet’s biggest industries.

Hartlepool was a very busy port and the villages en route to Durham had some of the defining coalmines in the Great Northern Coalfield, which became the powerhouse for the North East’s greatest-ever period of economic growth. Post industrial landscaping has had interesting affects on nature hereabouts, with coal railway tracks re-purposed as walkways and cycleways, and spoil heaps transformed into rolling hills, helping to create some rich species diversity across a number of nature reserves.

The scenery here, as kissed by sea as it is hugged by inland rivers and streams, has perhaps avoided the attention other parts of the North East get today because its most outstanding parts remain so hidden. The steep wooded valleys known as denes, one of the region’s most distinctive topographical features, evade the gaze of the most eagle-eyed traveller until the last moment.

Descend into their tranquil, time-lost depths and you are sure to fall head over heels for The Way of Love.

The Northern Saints Passport allows visitors to collect stamps at attractions and places to eat and drink along the six Northern Saints routes. Look out for venues that showcase the passport icon on the Northern Saints Trails website. View the current participating venues, with new locations added regularly.

The Northern Saints Trails Visitor Guide is a 55-page full colour guide that includes route descriptions and maps of the six Northern Saints Trails.

Details of how to purchase the Northern Saints Passport and the Northern Saints Trails Visitor Guide can be found on the website - http://northernsaints.com/

For full route descriptions download the documents below.

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Access Information

Opening Times

2025 (1 Jan 2025 - 31 Dec 2025)

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Highlights...

Deer in forest Castle Eden Dene National Nature Reserve, PeterleeCastle Eden Dene is a Site of Special Scientific Interest and is home to an extraordinary variety of birds, more than 450 species of plants, and some of our favourite mammals, such as roe deer and fox.

The Courtyard and Keep of Durham Castle,Durham Castle, Durham CityDurham Castle is part of the Durham City World Heritage Site. Entrance by guided tour only. Opening can vary - All enquiries re guided tours should be directed Palace Green Library. Telephone 0191 334 2932 or castle.tours@durham.ac.uk.

view of Durham Cathedral from River WearDurham Cathedral, Durham CityThought by many to be the finest example of Norman church architecture in England, with the tombs of St Cuthbert and The Venerable Bede. Please check opening times before travelling.

St Helen Auckland Parish ChurchSt Helen Auckland Parish Church, Bishop AucklandThe 12thC church of St Helen. Daily Mass times: Sunday and Wednesday, Thursday 10:00, Monday 19:00, Tuesday, Friday, Saturday 09:30.

Durham Heritage CoastDurham Heritage Coast, SeahamExperience the colourful and dramatic landscape of Durham’s Heritage Coast with its beaches, rugged cliffs and magnificent flora and fauna.

Image of an information board showing Durham Cathedral and text describing the World Heritage Site at Palace Green Library.World Heritage Site Visitor Centre at Palace Green Library, Durham CityProviding a perfect introduction to the Durham World Heritage Site for all ages, the visitor centre is the gateway to discovering what it is that makes Durham so significant, and what there is to see and do around the peninsula.

Old Durham GardensOld Durham Gardens, Durham CityOld Durham Gardens can be found less than a mile east of Durham City Centre. The gardens can be reached through a number of walks, including a very pleasant route through Pelaw Woods and provide a charming public space for everyone to enjoy.

A couple looking at exhibitions inside Durham Cathedral MuseumDurham Cathedral Museum, Durham CityExplore 2000 years of the North East’s history, culture and faith at Durham Cathedral Museum. Step into the octagonal Great Kitchen and get up close to iconic symbols of Durham, including the Sanctuary Ring and St Cuthbert’s Pectoral Cross.

Image of Palace Green Library's exterior on a sunny day. Historic Libraries & Archives at Palace Green Library, Durham CityOver almost two centuries since Durham University was founded, our library and archive collections have been growing and evolving with new books, manuscripts and archives being added every year. 

Cassop Vale Nature Reserve, Old CassopCassop Vale showcases diverse wildlife, open water, lowland grassland and areas of woodland. It lies between the villages of Bowburn and Cassop, 7 km south-east of the centre of Durham. A great way to stay close to nature throughout it pleasant walks.

A gold cross pendant with arms inlaid with precious stones.Durham Cathedral Museum, Durham CityExplore 2000 years of the North East’s history, culture and faith at Durham Cathedral Museum. Step into the octagonal Great Kitchen and get up close to iconic symbols of Durham, including the Sanctuary Ring and St Cuthbert’s Pectoral Cross.

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