Durham Cathedral has been named among the top ten best free activities in the UK this summer.

The near 1,000-year-old Norman-built structure, a World Heritage site, was given a ninth-placed cost-effective rating in the survey by GO Outdoors.

Analysing various factors, from the most visited destinations to the most Googled locations, the survey aimed to reveal the country’s top free and cost-effective destinations.

All of the attractions analysed have free options or are priced at £30 or less for a family of four.

(Image: The Northern Echo)

The Dean and Chapter at Durham has maintained the free entry policy, but “suggests” visitors may make a £5 donation towards the costs of the cathedral’s upkeep.

Figures featured in the survey results include visitor numbers to the cathedral, of 296,392, a Google Maps rating of 4.8, while it attracted 332,400 Google searches and 83,400 Instagram posts.

(Image: GO Outdoors)

It all resulted in a free activity score of 8.810 out of ten, compared to 9.517 for the first-ranked National History Museum, in London, which also topped the visitor number total, of 4,654,608, and Google searches, with 3,724,000.

The rest of the top five ranked attractions are other museums in London, such as the National Gallery, the British Museum, Tate Britain, and the Victoria and Albert Museum.

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They are followed by the Ashmolean Museum, in Oxford, in sixth place.

Durham Cathedral is one of only three venues featured in the top ten, not in the South, the others being the Royal Botanic Garden, in Edinburgh, and the Royal Air Force (RAF) museum in the West Midlands.

The full findings of the survey can be found on the following link: blog.gooutdoors.co.uk/cost-effective-activities/