Durham Riverbanks

About the Site

Trees over 200 years old line the Durham riverbanks, many of which were planted after the great flood of 1771. These trees provide food and shelter for a wealth of birds and animals and a rich ground flora grows under their canopy.

Tree species such as beech, oak, sycamore and horse-chestnut are common on the riverbanks, along with yew and holly. Lime trees form an impressive avenue near the Fulling Mill.

Some of the huge, mature beech trees found here are riddled with rotten wood and hollows which provide excellent homes for a wide range of insects and birds, such as the tawny owl and great spotted woodpecker. You are likely to hear the familiar drumming sound made by the woodpeckers as they peck at the bark of trees in the search for insects.

A number of elm trees also used to grow along the riverbanks. Sadly, many of these trees have been felled due to the ravages of Dutch Elm Disease. Where safety allows, fallen timber is left to encourage insects and fungi and provide habitats for bats and hole-nesting birds.

Bats are attracted to the riverbanks by the mature trees and the abundance of small, flying insects by the river that they feed on. The pipistrelle has long been known to roost in the nearby Cathedral Cloister and the noctule, one of Britain’s largest bats, lives in hollow trees and can be seen over the river and tree tops making spectacular aerial dives to capture large moths. Daubenton’s bat prefers to hunt low, skimming just above the river’s surface to catch insects.

On late summer evenings, swifts and swallows can be seen feeding overhead. Redwings take advantage of shelter and food available during winter months. If there is a good supply of beechmast, chaffinches and bramblings congregate in their hundreds.

More than 300 different species of flowering plants, ferns, mosses, lichens and liverworts have become established on the riverbanks. A display of snowdrops (sometimes called February fairy maids or dingle dangle) create a fresh, white splash of colour on the riverbanks early in the year. Wood anemone, wild garlic (a wild relative of the garlic used in everyday cooking) and cuckoo-pint are particularly abundant on the southern banks in late spring.

Look out for the bright red spike of berries produced by cuckoo-pint in the late summer and autumn. Later the pink flowers of herb Robert bring life to the areas of dense shade dominated by ivy and bramble.

The Durham Riverbanks are an essential part of the City’s character. Just a short distance from the City centre, you can enjoy the broadleaved trees reflecting the changing seasons; long summer evenings filled with birdsong, and dusk bringing the first sighting of bats skimming across the water.

Map

Location

Footpaths run around the City side of the riverbanks from Framwelgate Bridge to the public baths, and on the outside banks from Millburngate Bridge to Kingsgate Bridge. Footpaths cross the River at Prebends Bridge and Kingsgate Bridge.

Facilities

There are toilets with disabled facilities just off Framwelgate Bridge, at the Cathedral and to the north east of the Market Place. There are toilets without such facilities at Palace Green.

Further information is available from the Tourist Information Centre in Millennium Place.

See Also

Biodiversity Action Plan
Back to Running Water
Durham Wildlife Sites
Durham City Council

Enquiries

Durham City Council
Environment
Byland Lodge
Hawthorn Terrace
Durham
DH1 4TD
Tel: 0191 3866111