Crook Hall Gardens wraps interlinked gardens around a Grade I listed medieval hall on the edge of Durham city, a short walk from the station and within sight of the cathedral. The 13th-century hall is considered one of the city's most significant medieval domestic buildings, and has been in National Trust care since 2022. Winding paths lead through a secret walled garden, an orchard, flower meadows, vegetable beds and a wildlife-rich moat pool, with a cotoneaster maze, a second-hand bookshop in the Jacobean Room and the Garden Gate cafe, open without a ticket. Dogs on short leads are welcome in the gardens and cafe; only assistance dogs go into the hall. Reviewers single out the friendly staff, the guided garden tours and the many benches among the planting. Tips from visitors: members should scan their card or check in on the JustPark app to park free, and the main gardens are reached up an incline.