It doesn't matter where you go, any place looks different when you're down by the river or whatever body of water is available. It's a little bit like train tracks. Everyplace looks different from train tracks, because nobody makes the house look good for the train. They may have the nicest garden in the world with the most lovely footpath or the landscaped driveway or whatever in front of the house, but in the back of the house typically if they have kids there is a playground equipment or toys or some place for the dogs to run around or whatever. But it's not dressed up in the same way.
Durham has a river running right through the middle of it. I guess at some point they had mills, but like most places that relied on waterwheels, that doesn't happen anymore. From what I can tell, I had a bad flood in the 18th century and they built some sort of baffles, they had a different name for it, but they were just to slow the water down. I will note that they were successful in slowing it substantially. It barely moves except when it's going over the little baffle things.
Anyway, down by the river, you generally get to look up things. That always gives a different perspective. This is a cathedral town and of course supposed be looking at the cathedral. But from here you look up at everything and you can see redevelopment and past failed redevelopment as you walk along. Some things that looked wonderful on the drawing board and the artist rendering, but ended up being failures, just like many of these things seem to be failing. Many of them have a look of something that's been 92% thought through, and that last 8% this killing them.
It could be a design flaw or it could be something as simple as a good idea in a place that simply lacks the population and or money to support it. There are lots of things like that. Yeah, just build this and people come here they will sit out on the patio and enjoy cocktails and small plates and spend money. But actually, it never happens. It's too remote and people don't think to go there. Or people don't have disposable income, or there just aren't enough people in the city, or the venue itself isn't up to snuff.
What Durham looks like to me is the city that's neither thriving or failing. Most of the stores are open in the main part of town, but there are some that are not. But as you go into the new development areas it gets a lot more spotty. Very spotty. We did find one nice shop where Ronnie got some beautiful jewelry.
One strange thing about this place is the lack of certainty as to its history. I saw a number of signs like this one
where they say a building was "probably" something, or that some event "probably" happened. And we're not talking ancient history either. This wasn't that long ago, in the context of the town's' history. I think they need to keep better track of things going forward so they don't make the same mistakes again.
I ended my walk very pleasantly up steep (like every road here) Neville Lane, home of the famous Barber of Neville. Came back, packed up, checked out of the B&B and headed north to Edinburgh.
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