It has been six months since we had a day out, just for the pleasure of it.
So, on Sunday we decided to drive to Durham and have a wander about the city. It was a very cold morning but the sun was shining, so it was a perfect day to be outside. It was made even more perfect by the fact that we managed to park directly in front of Durham Cathedral, and for free. Result.
We parked up, unloaded the dog, and set out to explore Durham on foot.
Barley was very excited to be out among so many people. If fact the excitement was almost too much for him, he attempted suicide. As we were walking across one of the bridges over the River Wear he tried to jump over the wall on the bridge. Luckily I had a good hold on him, and Mrs.R also grabbed him. It was a very close call, and no doubt the fall (over 5 metres) from he bridge into the ice-cold fast flowing river would have been fatal.
Disaster averted, for the remainder of our wandering we made sure to keep Barley away for any walls and long drops.
We enjoyed wandering round Durham, snapping a few photos, and soaking up the atmosphere. It was like old times. Being tourists. The only difference was the fact that we visited Durham early, too early to be able to stop for a pint. In preparation for our day out I had asked fellow CAMRA members on the CAMRA Durham facebook group for info on dog friendly pubs. Next time we visit Durham, we’ll have to make sure it is a little later in the day. Being a tourist is thirsty work. 
Blog post by Richard Randall
