Long story but we have a child in the family whose residing in a therapy unit in Darlington and she goes regularly, by train with some of the child's siblings to visit her. They went to the cathedral last week but there was a service on the go, so they got fish and chips and went to a park to eat them. Daughter found some short cuts because the area is hilly. Durham station is where they get the train back to Lime st. ( 3hrs )
Yes, Durham is very hilly but an amazing city. You can still go in the Cathedral even if there is a service on. They have been doing a lot of restoration, including the tower - love going up there but not sure if it's open again yet. It's been a while since went inside the Cathedral, great walk by the river though. Have you never visited Durham?
Darlington is a good hospital - but a long way for her to go. Is the little girl there on a permanent basis? Darlington is a lovely station - very Victorian and Harry Potterish.