Today was a bank holiday in England, which – along with weekends – is considered ideal timing for doing rail work, so we were on a “replacement bus” from York to Darlington before transferring onto a train for the remainder of the journey to Durham, a mere 17 minutes.
From Durham’s train station, with its spectacular view of the city, it was only about a 20 minute walk to our accommodation, but there were cobblestones, and lots of hills, and it was unusually hot (this part of England rarely sees temperatures like today’s 31°C/88°F), so we only made it 10 minutes before stopping for cold pints and lovely crunchy crisps.
Thus fortified, we tackled the final hill to reach Farnley Tower Hotel.
The hotel was originally a private mansion built in 1870 for prominent local architect John Forster, who selected the hilltop site for its beautiful views over Durham’s city centre. The same architect designed several buildings in the city, so perhaps it was also a way to admire his own handiwork.
There’s no disagreeing that the view is wonderful.
After John Forster’s occupancy ended (I couldn’t find out whether he sold the property or died), the building operated as a doctor’s surgery from 1956 to 1970, and then a residential nursing home until 1999.
By 2003 it was a dilapidated shell, requiring extensive renovations to turn it into what is now a 17-room guesthouse that has maintained its Victorian character.
It has tons of charm, if not all the modern conveniences; electrical outlets are scarce, although the wifi is quite decent.
There’s a lovely breakfast room on the ground floor that also serves toasties and tea in the afternoon.
Sharing the mansion is an Indian restaurant called Holi & Bhang that leases space on the ground floor. Tempted by the fact that the chefs both trained at Michelin star restaurants in India (at the 5 star Oberoi and Taj Hotels), we decided to eat on-site. Fortunately, we had asked the hotel to make reservations for us, because the restaurant was fully booked, although not before we left. We tend to eat earlier than most.
The food was as good as we’d hoped: spot-on flavours and each dish completely distinct from the others. After snacking on papadams and Indian pickles with our drinks, we enjoyed a shared appetizer of Adraki Pasliyan (French trimmed lamb chops marinated with ginger and Awadhi spices, served coated with the cooked marinade).
Our mains, accompanied by roti, naan, and rice pilau were Chicken Bhuna (a curry with a very thick spicy tomato-based sauce) and North Indian Garlic Chili Chicken (cooked in caramelized spring onion sauce with sweet red peppers and spices) – both medium hot (the restaurant’s 2 out of 3 chili rating). We were too sated even to think about dessert.
It was a good thing we didn’t have too far to waddle back to our room.
Tomorrow begins three days in Durham, and Ted used Copilot’s help to supplement the things I wanted to do (the cathedral and castle) so that we had full but still relaxing days. After Durham, there’s just Liverpool left, and we’re going to be busy there.
Rose and Ted’s Excellent Adventure 