Durham is situated about 15 miles south of Newcastle upon Tyne and around 65 miles north of York. For competitors travelling with trailers, the regatta is sign-posted from the main arterial routes into Durham, and directions are provided below. All trailers must be parked in the trailer park located adjacent to Durham Amateur Rowing Club, off Green Lane, unless prior arrangements have been made with the Entries Secretary. For visitors travelling by car, car parking near the regatta is extremely limited and we strongly advise you to use either the Durham County Council Park and Ride scheme (operates Saturday only), or park in city centre car parks, and complete your final journey either by public transport, or on foot. Limited car parking is available on the University playing fields, off Green Lane, however this is likely to be extremely busy.
Click here for a map showing the general location of Durham Regatta.
Travelling by car
From the A1, exit at Junction 62, signposted for Durham. Follow the A690 (dual carriageway) towards Durham City centre. At the roundabout, take the third exit, continuing on the A690. At the Leazes Bowl roundabout, take the first exit to cross Leazes Bridge. Stay in the left-hand lane, to turn left at the first set of traffic lights, adjacent to the Marriott Royal County hotel. Continue along Old Elvet until the road bends to the right. Just before Durham Prison on the right hand side, turn left onto Green Lane. The regatta car park entrance (limited parking) can be found immediately on the left hand side, through the entrance to the University pavilion. Boat trailers, and vintage cars should continue to the end of Green Lane,and follow the single track lane to the trailer park at Durham ARC.
Note that the Durham County Council park and ride site (operates Saturday only) can be found just off Junction 62 of the A1, by exiting the roundabout onto the A690 towards Sunderland. The park and ride site can be accessed by turning left at the second set of traffic lights. Please see below for bus times and drop-off points.
Rail
Durham station lies on the East Coast main line, one stop south of Newcastle, and one stop north of Darlington. High speed East Coast trains serve Durham station in under three hours from London King’s Cross. Durham is just over three hours by train from Birmingham (direct service via CrossCountry trains), two and a half hours from Manchester (direct service via TransPennine Express), one and a half hours from Edinburgh and forty-five minutes from York. A full list of train services can be found on the National Rail web site.
The regatta is approximately twenty minutes walk from Durham station, and is clearly sign-posted for pedestrian access. Exit Durham station towards Durham City Centre and follow the access road down the hill. At the end of the road, turn left and cross the roundabout onto North Road. Proceed down North Road and turn right onto Framwellgate Bridge (pedestrianised street), following the street up to the Market Place. Turn (half) right at the Market Place, and then left onto Elvet Bridge. Just before Elvet Bridge, take the steps on the left hand side down to the riverside, and follow the river upstream, past Browns Boathouse. The regatta enclosure can be accessed by crossing Baths Bridge.
Note that this route involves a flight of steps. Disabled access can be gained by proceeding through the arch on the right hand side before Elvet Bridge, next to Van Mildert. This path bends around to the left, proceeding underneath Elvet Bridge, and picks up the route above beside Browns Boathouse. Alternatively, rail passengers can use the Cathedral Bus service (Saturday only) from the railway station to the Market Place, before picking up the pedestrian route above to the regatta enclosure.
Air
The nearest airports are Newcastle International to the north, and Durham Tees Valley to the south. From Newcastle International, take the Tyne and Wear Metro (light rail service) to Newcastle Central Station, to access the national rail network to Durham. From Durham Tees Valley airport, a bus service connects the airport to Darlington railway station.
Bus and Coach
National Express coach services operate from several UK cities, with stops at Durham Bus station on North Road. Other local bus services also operate into Durham Bus station on North Road, from which pedestrian access to the regatta is clearly signposted, as per above.
Bus services 20, 41 and 57 operate within 0.25 miles of the University pavilion, which is located on Green Lane adjacent to the race course. The regatta enclosure can be accessed from Old Elvet, by proceeding down Territorial Lane and turning right onto Elvet Waterside.
For visitors using the Durham County Council park and ride scheme (Saturday only), buses operate between all park and ride sites and Durham Bus station on North Road, between 7am and 7pm, operating at ten minute intervals.
Detail on coach services can be found on the National Express web site, and detail on local bus services can be found through the Durham County Council web site. Information on the Durham County Council park and ride scheme can be found by clicking here.
