As I’m sure is the same for any finalists, the drawing of Michaelmas term to a close fill you with many things, mostly exhaustion. But amongst the essay deadline stress, I also found myself feeling increasingly sad about the prospect of this being the last Durham Christmas and the last chance to do X, Y, Z that become mini traditions over the past few years here.
It was this feeling, coupled with the cliché borderline existential crisis, that led me and my friends to draw up another cliché finalist rite of passage: a Durham bucket list.
After a long time of brainstorming, googling, and trying to cover every inch of Durham possible, the conversation turned to trying to visit every café in Durham before graduation.
Now, I am a big fan of a coffee and a catch-up, so over my last two and a bit years here, I have managed to make my way through many of Durham’s excellent cafes. However, when I really put thought into it, I released I was a sucker for visiting only my firm favourites.
So, pairing my bucket list mission, with my love for caffeine and chatting, it has now become the next two term’s goal to visit them all. But for the meantime, here are my top 5 (rather basic) Durham café suggestions:
- Cafedral – This was the first-ever café I went to in Durham, with my family on move-in day in fresher’s week. Ever since then, it’s been a firm favourite and was a go-to takeaway location over lockdown.
- Riverview – again, not very original, but it’s not hard to see why. Ideal location, great menu, and friendly staff!
- Flat white, basic, and popular – but for very good reason
- White church – got all the same vibes of Flat white, but a shorter queue. Also, very handy for scheduling in coffee catchups as an escape from the Billy B.
- Chapters – excellent vegan cakes/cakes in general. Especially nice in the summer when the sun hits the outdoor seats!
Editor’s Picks:
- Cuts to the arts are a cut to the UK’s hearts – https://www.thebubble.org.uk/culture/art-photography/cuts-to-the-arts-are-a-cut-to-the-uks-heart-2/
- Tips for sustainable travel – https://www.thebubble.org.uk/uncategorized/tips-for-sustainable-travel/
- Have yourself a very sustainable Christmas! – https://www.thebubble.org.uk/lifestyle/fashion-and-beauty/have-yourself-a-very-sustainable-christmas/
- Rainfall – https://www.thebubble.org.uk/culture/creative/rainfall/
- The history of the Gingerbread House – https://www.thebubble.org.uk/lifestyle/food/the-history-of-the-gingerbread-house/
Image credit: Matthias Schmutzer via The Bubble’s image gallery