Summer loving? 15 Durham date ideas for Easter term

Have someone super special in your life who you’d like to plan a date for? Well, you’re in the right place because here is our ultimate guide to summer date ideas in Durham! To mark both the beginning of June and pride month, here are some of the best ways to spend time with your partner this term.

1. Day trip to the beach

Nothing says Durham summertime like cracking open a canned cocktail and a selection of cured meats or cheeses at Crimmers. If the weather forecast is looking promising, this is a great date option (which you can combine with a lot of the crafts / activities in section five…).

At the time of writing, a trip to Crimdon Dene is 27 minutes in the car and 1 hour and 20 mins on the bus from Durham City Centre. If you’re fancying Seaham, you can save five minutes on both route options…!

2. Rowing boats on the river

Renting a rowing boat from Browns (next to the Boat Club) is a Durham classic when it comes to summer dates idea. This would make for a lovely summer date – particularly if the weather is warm and it’s sunny! For everyone in a college boat club, you get bonus points for getting to kill two birds with one stone by flexing your amateur rowing skills…

3. Play a summer sport at Maiden Castle together

Playing a chill summery sport like squash, pádel, tennis, or badminton could be a fun alternative to typical dinner dates – particularly if you’re dating a sporty person.

Equally, you could play volley ball if visiting a local beach, or play a game of rounders or cricket on the racecourse (bonus points if those joining you are also on a date – double dates are a huge vibe!).

4. Attend a ball or formal together

Nothing says summer term like attending a survivors’ ball… While this option is definitely the most pricey on the list, attending a summer ball is a great opportunity to get ready together and wear black tie (bonus points if you match dresses / suits / or correspond your tie to their dress), get some proper pictures together, visit a beautiful venue, and top it all off watching the sunrise (after your well earned survivors’ breakfast) on Observatory Hill… This is a particularly fun option if you’re dating someone who doesn’t study at Durham, so that they can get to experience a quintessentially Durham event.

Equally, attending a formal together would be great fun and allow you and your partner to get dressed up, share a meal together, and get involved in the ents offered. A real one wouldn’t leave you for your shocking karaoke skills, don’t worry x

5. A craft and picnic on the racecourse

The racecourse is truly such a vibe at this time of the year. If you’ve not made your way down there yet this summer, it’s definitely the spot of the season – full of students chilling in the sun, directly next to the beautiful river with all of the rowing boats going past, and a great place to catch some sun.

@thetabdurham

the racecourse is the place to be right now – such vibes 🌞#summer #durham #durhamcity #uni

♬ original sound – Cam Cooper

If you’re not sure which crafty things to do, you could: Make friendship bracelets (either with threads or crystals) for each other that match your partner’s eye colour, paint each other and do a grand reveal at the end, make daisy chains, paint wine glasses or tote bags, do some colouring in, do a small puzzle together, mix some drinks, decorate some cookies, sketch together, read and annotate poems together, or give each other henna. The possibilities are almost endless…

6. Go on a hike together

Definitely a good option for those dating a Strava warrior! Going on a long walk through Durham is free, a great opportunity for good conversation, and guaranteed to reveal some of the county’s prettiest countryside. You could also make it a colour walk or a scavenger hunt to make it even more fun. Bonus points if you can find the elusive Gilesgate bridge or spot some alpacas…

7. Watch the sunrise on Observatory Hill

Whether you do this as part of a summer ball or get up super early and go together, this is a great way to spend some quiet and chill time with your person while the rest of the world is still asleep.

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8.  Go swimming

No, not in a weird “take her swimming on a first date way”.

Whether you visit a local beach or make your way down to Freeman’s Quay, swimming can be a fun and relaxing way to spend an afternoon with your partner. Plus, it’s technically exercise so it’s a good way to keep active and moving.

9. Go for a drive to somewhere new in County Durham

If you or your partner happen to have a car, visiting a new part of the county is a great way to expand the Durham bubble and have a bit of an adventure.

10. Cooking and mixing drinks together for an evening picnic

I think it’s pretty evident that I really like picnics in pretty much every form, but this may be the best way to pull one off. Spending the morning or afternoon cooking some good food together and mixing some drinks (cocktails are almost always a vibe) is itself great fun and makes for a really good picnic spread at a local park or the beach.

This can definitely be combined with some of the artsy ideas in section five!

11. Watch a film outside

As it gets warmer, being cooped up inside becomes much less desirable. Downloading a film and watching it outside – like on a picnic or on a blanket somewhere – allows the cinephile within you thrive while still (literally) touching grass.

12. Farmers’ market date

Visiting a market together could be great fun, whether you attend the monthly producers’ and crafters’ market, the weekly outdoor market, or the year-round indoor marketplace. Buying something locally made could be a fun and sustainable way to get a trinket to remind you of your partner or some produce to share together. We’ve heard unreal things about the cheese market…

Read Robin’s brilliant article for more on the indoor market!

13. Barbecue for two

Barbecue just tastes better. Having a cute barbecue for two is a great way to put your cooking skills to the test, spend some time in the great outdoors, and bond over some possibly burnt scran… A summery must!

14. Eat al fresco at a Durham restaurant

As anyone who’s eaten out in Durham before knows, the food scene in Durham is genuinely (even surprisingly) good. Why not take advantage of the incredible local restaurants by having dinner in the sun, with a view of the city streets?

For restaurant recommendations, see our article on this topic for some good picks!

15. Visit the Botanic gardens

With glasshouses, hidden art, and beautiful native woodland, Durham University’s 10-hectare Botanic Garden is the perfect place to visit for a relaxing walk. A particularly good one for your nature-loving significant other…

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