Durham

Getting to Durham

Upon arriving in Merry Old England, if you can navigate your way through the jetlag and crowds, you have two options to get to Durham. Firstly, you can take another plane up to Newcastle airport and take a 12 minute train from there to Durham. Secondly, you can take the train from London to Durham and admire the lovely countryside.

Either way, at the end of your journey you will be met by a Welcome Team of various very friendly Durham students ready to help you with your luggage and take you to your college.

I chose to take the train, mainly because trains seem to be such an English (or perhaps European) form of transport which we just don’t really have in New Zealand. It was also a great start to my English experience to speed past villages and churches and thatched roofs and even the occasional homesick-inducing field of fluffy white sheep.

One train travelling tip though: most Brits, when travelling on a train, don’t like to make conversation. While you may be tempted to talk in order to keep awake after 24 hours of travel time, if all you receive is one word answers, best to try counting church spires instead!

So, having arrived in England early that morning, I set off from St. Pancras for Durham. If you take the train route, best book tickets in advance and pick them up at the station from one of these:



Then, while you wait for your train to arrive, have a nice breakfast of a bacon butty (otherwise known as a bacon sandwich) and a cup of tea as you watch the citizens of London wander past.

Before you head off...

Along with the usual tickets, passport, cash, and keys that everyone and their gran can tell you to take abroad with you, I will give you one extra tip. Always pack an extra set of clothes in your hand luggage, just in case...