If you’re looking for a place combining fantastic shopping, stunning scenery and world-class heritage, then Durham and the surrounding areas should be top of your list.

The historic city, which was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1986, is on the East Coast Mainline, meaning that trains run approximately every half hour from London.

There’s plenty to discover on foot in the city itself, but if you want to venture further afield, then Co Wheels can help you get on the road.

Beamish

Drive less than ten miles from Durham City Centre and find yourself transported back in time to the North East of yesteryear.

Beamish is an open-air museum recreating life in County Durham during the 1820s, 1900s, 1940s and 1950s, covering 300 acres – don’t worry, there are vintage trams and buses to take you around the site.

Visitors get a real taste of life as it was in the olden days; streets and buildings have been faithfully recreated and all staff are dressed in authentic costumes.

From the relative grandeur of Pockerley Old Hall to the more basic amenities of the miners’ cottages, every aspect of life is covered – there’s even a chance to go back to school or down the pit…

From Durham, Beamish is just a nine-mile drive, and you’ll want to give yourself at least four hours there. In a Co Wheels Car Club seven-seater – this is definitely one for all the family – you can be on the roads for just £7.25 per hour.

MetroCentre

Fancy stocking up? The MetroCentre, just up the road from Durham in Gateshead, is Britain’s second largest indoor shopping mall, after Westfield London.

With high street names alongside smaller boutiques, it’s a shopaholic’s paradise, while the same site also offers a branch of IKEA, the only one in a 100-mile radius.

When you’ve shopped ‘til you’ve dropped, you can enjoy a bite to eat in the centre’s food court before relaxing with a trip to the 17-screen cinema or taking the kids for a round of Angry Birds crazy golf.

Best of all parking is plentiful and free; there are nearly 10,000 spaces in six separate car parks, meaning you’re never too far to offload the bags.

From Durham, it’s just 18 miles away, and you can hire a Co Wheels mini-sized car for just £4.75 an hour and 18p per mile. How long you’ll need it for is up to you – and your wallet!

Durham Heritage Coast

While beaches are not necessarily the first thing you think of when it comes to Durham, the region has a breathtaking, historically significant coastline.

The Durham Heritage Coast stretches from Sunderland to Hartlepool and offers sweeping views along the coastline and across the North Sea.

The region’s industrial heritage is what makes this stretch of UK coastline unique – indeed, some of the beaches were, until relatively recently, highly polluted and covered in colliery waste, making them no-go areas for both humans and wildlife.

However, since the closure of the pits, the beaches have been cleaned up and revamped, making them a popular destination for tourists and day trippers.

But there are elements of the region’s past that can still be discovered; Seaham in particular is noted for the presence of sea glass, manmade glass which has been shaped by the sea over several years.

The town was home to the largest glass bottle works in Britain in the early 20^th Century, which means that its coastline still holds an awe-inspiring stock of sea glass, and the beach is often full of young and old alike hunting it out.

Seaham is just 15 miles from Durham; taking a Co Wheels car would cost from as little as £33.25 for the whole day, giving you plenty of time to explore the whole coast.

Barnard Castle

If quaint market towns are your thing, then Barnard Castle is definitely worth a trip.

The Teesdale town takes its name from the castle it is built around, perched high on a rock overlooking the River Tees.

Full of quirky independent shops, cafes and restaurants, Barnard Castle is the perfect place to while away an afternoon, while the castle itself is also open to visitors.

And if you fancy a spot of culture, the Bowes Museum on the outskirts of town boasts three floors of magnificent artworks, from paintings and sculptures to textiles and tapestries. Most famous of all is the silver swan, an 18th Century life-size silver automaton that was originally exhibited at the Paris Exhibition of 1867.

Taking a standard-sized Co Wheels car to Barnard Castle for four hours will cost you just £22, and approximately £9 in fuel there and back.

The Co Wheels Car Club gives you all the benefits of car ownership without any of the hassle or expense. Our pay-as-you-go cars can be used by the hour, overnight or per day and are available at sites across the country.

Once you’ve signed up, simply book a car when you need one, and drive away, before returning it to the same spot or another approved parking space when you’re done – it’s as simple and straightforward as that.