County Durham

County Durham is a county in North East England, bounded by the River Tees to the south and the River Wear running through its heart. The landscape rises from a coastal plain on the North Sea to the high moorland of the North Pennines, designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Durham City, the county town, is dominated by its magnificent Norman cathedral and castle, both UNESCO World Heritage Sites perched on a rocky promontory above the River Wear. The county has a strong industrial heritage, particularly in coal mining, which shaped many of its communities.